Chapter 3: Purpose

"Ah! Look! It's Young Master Paul!"

In hushed tones, the servants of the estate spoke with excitement as the famed scion of the noble house passed by them.

With his natural good looks inherited from his mother and father, along with a noble air that befitted his status but contrasted with his youth, Paul received much attention from the servants.

"The Young Master will surely break many hearts in the future…what I would give to have him break mine in six more years…"

And much more unnaturally, among the quiet whispers of praise, there were some concerning talks of some of the maids wishing to be the future partner of a four-year-old boy.

'What the fuck is wrong with this world?'

Naturally, Paul, with his enhancing of his bodily senses through the use of battle aura, was able to clearly distinguish the words the maids were trying so hard to hide from him.

'This Asuran nobility is way too fucked up with their sexuality. Fancying and 'investing' in a four-year-old isn't out of the norm'

'If I remember correctly, my future younger brother will become known in the story for one shocking fact about him in his brief screentime'

The fact that he became a father at the age of ten greatly unnerved Paul in his past life as he read Mushoku Tensei.

Given the fact that his partner wasn't mentioned, it was safe for him to assume that she was at a concerning age to be rutting with a kid who hadn't even become a teen.

"..."

Paul's face scrunched up as he processed the absurd facts of his current life. Unconsciously as well, he even began to recognize the maids his father has claimed as his own, leading his face to be scrunched up even further.

"..."

Being the first to sense the change in mood around him, Corrinthia was able to infer that the maids' words were beginning to become a nuisance for him.

No longer being the meek young maid she was when she was first hired, and gaining confidence and training as she was trained to be the best personal maid for Paul, Corrinthia shot a deadly glare at the group of gossiping women.

"!!!"

Recognizing her intent immediately, the gossiping maids and servants took the hint and resumed their duties around the estate.

Seeing this, Paul turned his head over to his maid who flashed him a gentle smile, causing him to do the same in return.

"You know you didn't have to do that for me, Corrinthia"

"It is my duty, Young Master. You are destined to become a great noble, it is unthinkable for your servants to be thinking such dastardly thoughts in their own self-interest"

"Desire is intrinsic with the presence of a free will, Corrinthia, I cannot punish them for being born to think freely. Besides, they didn't act on it, it would be petty of me to take issue with it"

Hearing how composed and detailed her young master saw the situation, the maid couldn't help but be baffled once more at how prodigious Paul was.

"Did I weird you out again, Corrinthia?"

"No such thing, Young Master. I am simply in awe at your wisdom"

"Wisdom? I'm still only four. What wisdom can a child like me even have? I'm just reciting verbatim all those philosophy lessons father put me through"

Chuckling at how formal his maid was, Paul wanted to lighten the mood between them both, given that they will be together for a long time.

Turning around to meet the deep-blue eyes of Corrinthia, he smile gently as he spoke to her truthfully with all his heart.

"Father and the others might see you as just my servants, Corrinthia, but to me, you're just as much my family as my mother is"

"In this world, I will no doubt have to question many times who I can and can't trust. So to you, my most faithful maid, I would like to gift you a token of my trust…you're not just my subordinate, you're my family, alright?"

Hearing how much Paul thought of her, Corrinthia couldn't help but feel her heart overflow with loyalty.

Being reminded of how he first held out to her as a toddler, saving her from the fate of being under the thumb of her ruthless coworkers, Corrinthia was in the full belief that her life's greatest blessing was meeting Paul Notos Greyrat.

Taking a deep bow in reverence, shocking the young boy, Corrinthia reaffirmed her vow of loyalty to him.

This time not in front of his parents and the head butler and maid of the estate, but to the noble person she will serve for the rest of her years.

"Come hell or high water, I, Corrinthia of house Emblem, do swear with all my heart to serve you with all my heart and soul, Young Master Paul!"

"H-Hey, what did I just say? Stop being so formal around me all the time. Just be yourself"

Having not grown used to such intense displays, Paul quickly tried to dissuade his maid from making such a scene in the middle of the estate, but Corrinthia still held firm to showcase her loyalty.

"If it is your command for me to do so, I will readily oblige, Young Master"

"...𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝…you know what I would say, Corrinthia"

"Hehe, my apologies, Young Master. I simply believed it best for you to smile once more. Such an apparent scowl doesn't befit someone of your age"

Despite most people treating Paul with reverence due to his supposed natural intellect, Corrinthia was not one to subscribe to such beliefs.

Knowing how it felt to oblige with pressuring duties due to her lot in life, the young maid simply wished for her young master to enjoy his childhood, no matter how gifted he may be.

'Madame Valentina entrusted me to take care of the Young Master. Seeing how his eyes lit up as he read by himself in the library, or when he observed the estate's knights in training, it would be a waste to burn out his grandeur with the world so early'

Resolving the sudden display, Paul and Corrinthia continued walking together through the halls of the Notos Greyrat estate.

A master and servant in appearances, but family cultivated between them both. A bond that will last for many years to come.

…

..

.

"HMPH!"

𝙁𝙒𝙊𝙊𝙊…

Inside his personal chambers, Paul could be seen performing quick movements as his young body was showered in the glow of moonlight.

Sweat reflected the moon's veil as his body moved with deftness and precision. Mana coursed through his muscles and bones as he ordered himself to perform the movements he had been memorizing so much.

'Remember. How the legs and arms moved. How the whole body acts together to result in a strike of tremendous speed'

To befit their status, the Notos Greyrat household employed many knights to not only uphold law and order in their lands but to defend themselves from the many assailants who wish to do them harm.

The order of knights could be seen throughout the garrison of the estate, a location Paul frequented quite a lot in passing in order to make use of his natural adeptness at visual learning.

The way the trained warriors moved was broken down near-instantaneously in his mind. The minute details of their body's employment of motion and force picked up at a level of detail that surprised him.

𝙁𝙒𝙊𝙊𝙊…

Imagining a sword in his hand, Paul began to shadow the movements of his family's knights near perfectly. Imitating a series of sword movements that formed the basis of the sword-god style.

Victory is achieved to he who strikes first. A style famed for its quick movements and hyper-aggressive fighting style.

"Fuuu…"

Finishing the basic movements and letting out a sharp exhale, Paul began to perform much less intensive movements to cool down his body, knowing that stopping such straining exercise all at once would be detrimental to his body's development.

'As expected of a genius in the sword He was able to learn advanced water-god style from getting beaten up by Lilia's father for a few months'

'Most people take years to even advance to such a level. I'm just performing beginner sword-god style and it's already quite a breeze…you wasted so much, original Paul'

Finally taking a break, Paul began to consider his future training. Though the knights of the Notos Greyrat house employes a handful of intermediate-level swordsmen and one advanced-level swordsman as the order's captain, he wasn't in a rush to graduate from beginner-level so quickly.

'It's one thing to memorize a martial art, it's a whole other thing to become proficient in employing it'

'Until I fully master each stage, I won't become greedy and mess up my development in the future'

『Water ball』『Breeze』『Heat hand』

Casting beginner-level spells of the water, wind, and fire element at low power, Paul began to wash off the sweat he had accrued in his secret training.

'Ugh. This room is so hot. Need to open the window…'

Opening the large ornate glass windows of his room to let out the heat in his room. Paul began to relish the coming cold air that refreshed his senses.

With his room finally cooling down, the young boy sat by the window sill as he enjoyed the calm and quiet night. At least, as quiet as it could be in an Asuran noble household.

"Ahn~"

"Damn it, dad"

Paul's face scrunched up as he began to hear his father plowing what he believed to be his mother so late at night.

Not relishing the idea of hearing his parents' love-making, or having any other person listen to his mother's loud moaning, Paul bemoaned his inability to cast sound-cancelling magic.

'I don't want to trap my heavy-breathing parents in a soundless vacuum, and I don't think I'm capable of transmuting acoustic paneling in their room without noticing…'

'I guess I'll just plug in my earplugs for tonight yet again. At least that perverted bastard of a father isn't forcing himself on another maid…'

Just as Paul was about to head to sleep his enhanced senses picked up on a peculiar sound. The muffle noises of a scream.

"That sound… it's coming from over our estate's walls…that should be the street that eventually leads to the slums…"

Narrowing his eyes, Paul recognized what was probably going down in the streets of the slums so late at night.

In a world like Mushoku Tensei, crimes such as sexual assault were hardly ever enforced much. Especially in a place like the Asura Kingdom.

Hell, even as the daughter of an advanced-level water-god swordsman, Paul was able to go unpunished for forcing himself on Lilia. Something that greatly displeased his sensibilities as a person from the twenty-first century on Earth.

He would like to help, but in a world where the slightest actions could lead to the human god catching wind of his reincarnation, it was simply too risky.

'Don't play hero, Paul. Only people who can help themselves have the privilege of helping others…'

"MMMFFF-"

'The moment the human god gets suspicious, it's all over. This second life would be wasted immediately…'

"MMPPHH-"

Paul tried his best to ignore the obvious cries for help. Such horrible acts were performed around this world without rest.

If he didn't commit himself to ending such things from occurring altogether, saving this one person would be nothing more than a self-serving act for his own ego.

He had more concerns to deal with than to help some helpless person he didn't know, much less someone he couldn't benefit from.

It was high risk with no rewards…

"...help…"

But Paul would begin to take such an obvious mistake…

"Damn it"

It was the voice of a child no older than him. It was an act that wasn't fueled by his belief in justice or out of the goodness of his heart, but if he didn't, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep.

"To hell with all those moral debates on the internet. Anyone who just ignores a child being assaulted has something wrong with their head"

Justifying his actions as best as he could under a veil of common sense, Paul began to wrap his face with a thick and expensive knitted scarf his mother had given him.

'As long as I don't associate with the person I save beyond this time, there should be no risk of that damned human god seeing a future involving me'

'He only noticed Rudy after he met Roxy, seeing himself lose at the hands of their daughter. Just get in and out without being seen, Paul'

Standing by the windowsill as covered as he could manage, the young boy began to empower his body's functions with mana.

Coating his muscles and skeleton with an energy that pushed them far beyond their normal capabilities, Paul took off into the night, jumping off his window before deftly landing on the grass below.

'I'm not becoming a vigilante. I just want a peaceful night's rest!'

…

..

.

'And if I do end up caught by the human god, I'll take them down with me. Rudeus was able to beat Orsted with his makeshift nuclear blast. I can sure as hell beat down Badigadi with a more refined nuclear attack!'

…

..

.

Leaping and maneuvering through the roofs of his family's territory in the dead of night, the young boy appeared like a passing phantom as he quickly headed to the source of the disturbance.

In a dark alley, Paul followed the sound of the noise until he arrived at the scene of the horrendous crime.

Much to his displeasure, he was already too late to start its beginning. Three men in total began to use a young girl to pleasure themselves.

From the little glimpses he caught of her from the brutish men's filthy bodies, she was around six to seven.

"..."

She was gagged with a filthy piece of cloth around her mouth. Her legs and arms were bruised and her eyes overflowed with tears.

𝙁𝙒𝙊𝙊𝙊…

Instantly activating his mana once more, Paul began to imagine casting the spell 『Aero Ball』A spell he was intimately familiar with.

But he began to modify with his immense knowledge of beginner-level wind magic. Instead of converging gales of wind into the form of a sphere, he would do the inverse.

'I can't afford to alert anyone beyond the victim to my presence. Just like what I hypothesized earlier with my parents' lovemaking…trap them in a soundless vacuum…'

Cut off their capability to breathe. Make them turn their attention away from further assaulting the victim. Incapacitate their ability to feed blood to their disgusting lower half. Cut off their option to make a ruckus.

'If they're swordsmen, they won't be able to gather energy to empower themselves. If they're magicians, they won't be able to chant. Quick and easy'

All he needed was to fine-tune the aiming of his magic. With the phenomenon he wanted to reproduce clear in his head, mana at the ready, and his coordinate locked in, Paul sentenced three vile men to their deaths.

『Vacuum Ball』

In an instant, Paul's magic began to take effect. The three men began to grow confused as they were no longer able to breathe heavily to continue their rapture in pleasures of the flesh.

They began to writhe in agony as their tired bodies began to quickly burn away at the remaining oxygen they had.

They struggled to get to their swords and turned their heads whichever way to find who was responsible for this act upon them.

But they were unable to do so. Their vision began to grow dark as an immense feeling of pain struck their chest as their lungs dried up and their heart began to beat faster.

It was slow and painful. They open their mouths to scream for help, but not a single ounce of sound was let out into the world.

It was as if the world itself had given up on them, knowing naught of the concept of a vacuum, they feared that their sins had finally caught up to them.

Saliva poured out of their mouth as their body began to convulse in a desperate attempt to breathe once more.

One man fell to the ground as he finally ran out of oxygen, unable to support his bodily functions no longer.

One man sliced his neck apart in the belief that it would allow him to breathe once more. Alas, his technique was amateur, only causing him more pain as he felt the warmth of his blood coat his chest before succumbing to the coldness of death.

For the last man, seeing his comrades die, began to lose himself in hysteria as he began to vent his pain and frustration at the closest target.

"!!!"

The young girl shriveled in fear as the dying man stared at her with his bloodshot eyes. He crawled on the ground like an unintelligent beast.

But just as he was about to reach her, to resume once more his defiling of such a young maiden, he was stopped in his tracks.

『Fire Ball Variantion…Fire Bullet…』

An immense but small burst of flame pierced through the man's head before he eventually slumped to the ground.

"HHhhhaaa…HHhhhaaa…"

Not knowing what just happened, the young girl was greatly horrified by what unfolded before her.

But before long, the light of the moon began to shower down the dark alley, revealing the shadow of the person who had done all this.

In the darkness, she couldn't figure out much, but the figure seemed small. Just as he was about to walk away, he stopped.

Feeling a chill down her spine, she recognized that she was being looked at by the figure.

After a series of moving and stopping, the figure slumped his shoulders as he jumped down to the ground and began to approach her.

"!!!"

The young girl tried to scream for help now that she was able to, but her mouth was quickly blocked off.

"Quiet. I'm not here to hurt you"

The figure moved quickly in an instant as if he had become a flash of light. The young girl naturally began to struggle, but the figure took hold of her much more strongly than the three men before.

She was confused. She was scared. Just when she thought she was safe, she was going to be hurt again.

'Please! Stop! What did I do?! Why did I deserve this?!'

But just as she braced herself for the worst, she was instead met with a cooling sensation that calmed her down.

"...?"

"Stay still. I'm trying to heal you"

A green light took over the alleyway and she began to realize that she was being treated with healing magic.

"I'll remove the pain and restore your hymen…your virginity if you don't know what that is…"

"...!"

The young girl became shocked by the words of the mysterious figure. She had thought she had become permanently soiled. No longer to be desired by any man for the rest of her days.

The burning of her vaginal walls began to disappear as did her immense bleeding from her underdeveloped body being abused in such a rough manner.

The essence of the vile men began to be expelled as she felt her stomach began not to feel as exposed as before.

The figure's hand gently hovered above her lower stomach as an immense amount of mana began to course through her body.

'Damn, this is taking up a lot of my energy'

In the figure's mind…in Paul's mind, he began to bemoan how much energy it was taking for him to complete such a basic task.

He was not yet versed in healing magic capable of healing internal wounds and repairing damaged tissue, so Paul began to simply use his imagination and knowledge to manifest his desired outcome.

As such, tons of his mana became wasted as he used an unrefined method that simply brute-forced the magic to perform what he wanted it to do.

'Stimulate the healing process of the vaginal walls, as well as speed up the reconstruction of the hymen…with this, she won't have to be ostracized for the archaic belief that a hymen equals virginity…'

Paul cursed how fucked up and backward his current world is. It was archaic. It was absurd. It was something his modern sensibilities could never accept.

But as he lost himself in his frustration, Paul began to hear the soft sobbing of the young girl he was treating.

"Thank…you…𝙝𝙞𝙘…thank…𝙝𝙞𝙘…you…𝙝𝙞𝙘…"

She spoke poorly. It was obvious that she was hardly educated to speak despite her age. Her pronunciation was odd and a bit hard to understand, but her intentions were conveyed loud and clear.

"..."

Paul began to ask when was the last time he was ever thanked. His work went unnoticed and unappreciated for so long.

His existence was relegated to a mass of other people similarly skilled as him. He was nothing of note in his past life, so he was hardly commended for anything excellent.

He barely had friends, and few emotional moments with his family after college, so to hear himself being thanked was foreign to Paul.

"You…kind…stranger…"

The young girl smiled as best as she could through the tears and relief he had brought her.

The sight of his actions having meaning was a thrill that Paul had never experienced before.

Because of his choice, he was able to avert the destiny this young girl originally planned to have.

How much suffering would follow her in a world that saw regular girls like her as objects for marriage and pleasure?

How much isolation and torment would she experience for being the victim of an event far outside her control?

"Do you have a family?"

"Huh?"

Continuing his healing, Paul began to learn more of the young girl, breaking his rule to not get involved more than he should.

"Family. Father. Mother. Brother. Sister. Do you have those?"

"U-Uh…n-no…no parent…no sibling…live in church…"

"Church? Ah, the local orphanage. Why were you outside so late at night?"

"O-Other kid sick…priest…bar…want…help…"

"One of the kids was sick, and you wanted help, but the priest was outside…in a bar?"

"Y-Yes!"

"Which bar?...does it have red lights at the entrance?..."

"Yes! Bar where scary men see me…I run…but they fast…they attack me…"

"..."

Paul thought deeply about the words of the young girl. The Notos Greyrat family were well-respected for their good governance compared to other Asuran nobles, but even under their jurisdiction, such heinous events played out frequently.

In his past life, Paul abhorred the naturally gifted who wasted their talents on pointless endeavors that turned their potential to moot.

Whether it be a celebrity who crashed and burned in the vice or a genius student who lost their spark in the pursuit of popularity.

He hated such people all his life, and yet here he was, gifted with knowledge that could help him become the best of the best, all for what?

To live yet another quiet life as one of the many observers? For all his clamoring to be a protagonist, to just end up as another side character once he ensures his own safety?

"Hey, what's your dream?"

"Dream?..."

"What do you want in the future? What would make you most happy?"

"Happy?..."

The young girl was confused as she struggled to comprehend the concept of a dream, something that tugged at the heartstrings of Paul who remembered the desires of Corrinthia to maintain his childhood innocence as best as she could.

The duty of a child was to laugh and dream beyond their capabilities. Enjoy life without having to worry about anything, and yet here was a young innocent girl under his family's rule…who didn't even know how to dream.

"Ah! Sparkly walls! Soft pillow! Yummy stew!"

"..."

Sparkly walls, a dream that her home may be cleaner and be rid of filth. Soft pillow, a dream to rest in comfort and in a secure embrace. Yummy stew, to eat delicious food far beyond what she knows.

"No traveling? No money? Do you not want a big house or countless toys?"

"Hm? No! I want happy friends!"

"..."

Mushoku Tensei. A story about a washed-up loser who closed himself from the world, reincarnating and making the most of his second life. Vowing to never regret his life once again.

How could Paul have forgotten such an essential theme to a story he followed for so long? He was given such a miraculous chance, and he only wanted to secure his own safety?

After a life of mediocrity and being fated to be remembered by none, he was fine with repeating his life choices once again? Even with all the opportunities he could give himself with his circumstances?

"Badigadi. Radiation. Deadly cancer. Turn his regeneration against him as he struggles to out-heal his own body trying to kill itself"

"Fighting god armor. Immense series of nuclear blasts to overpower it's defenses? Gather the attention of notable figures to repel the threat? Phenomenon regarding the warping of space might be more effective"

"The other currently active apostles? Easier. With their identities in my memories, I can easily counter his influence"

"The false god is limited in capability until Laplace's resurrection…I can do it if I dedicate myself…"

Hearing the various complex words Paul spoke, the young girl grew confused at what he was trying to say.

She grew a bit saddened as she was unable to understand, but her sadness was quickly dissuaded as she felt his hand begin to pat her head.

Taking the cloak of one of the dead men and washing it with his magic, Paul quickly clothed the girl as he finished up his healing procedure.

"Thanks, young girl, you taught me to no longer be afraid. Who cares if some faceless bastard can see me, right?"

"Huh?..."

"Haha, don't worry about it…you said your friend is sick? Bring me to them, I'll heal them as well"

"H-Huh?! N-No! Too much!"

"It takes a hell of a lot of kindness for it to be considered too much. Just bring me to your friend. I won't take no for an answer!"

"Ehm! Thank you!"

Exiting the alley of filth and crime, Paul began to happily walk with the young girl as he locked himself in a path of no return.

It's such a hassle and pain to live like a self-centric protagonist. What's wrong with helping people when you can? What's wrong with changing the world to be better?

He's going to be living in this world for a long time, better for it to not be such an intolerable mess of perversion and sin.

'I'll live this second of life of mine to the fullest! I'll not be a background character again!'

…

..

.

In the barren world located at the center of the six-faced world, a lone god stood in a realm of white, grinning to himself as he peered into the various timelines where he succeeds.

But, like a rogue wave, all of the timelines he saw began to warp immensely. Turning what used to be a favorable outcome for him to be a complete and utter defeat.

"What?!"

In various timelines, the human god began to see only one outcome for him, being imprisoned and helpless in the face of a peerless swordsman.

Behind him was an army of incomparable size and strength than anything he could've anticipated.

But the most frightening aspect of it all was that he couldn't infer anything from his all-knowing future sight.

The figures whose fates sealed his destiny were like an enigma that he can never seem to understand. Hid behind a veil that didn't allow him to peer through.

"!!!"

The human god began to scrub through the future and pasts of these timelines where he failed to establish absolute control.

But even in the unfathomably large time that passed inside the barren world, the false god wasn't able to pick up a single clue as to what happened to make him lose.

"What's happening?! Any threat should've been completely exposed to me outside of Orsted, but this blankness…it far exceeds that dragon god's unique nature!"

As to make up for Paul's streak of misfortune, a great stroke of luck descended upon him just after he began to reincarnate into the world of Mushoku Tensei.

『Head-amdinistrator of After Life has reviewed this case after the automatic customer service system has been flagged for multiple errors』

『Head-administrator of After Life has determined the recompensation inadequate, To ensure proper treatment, recompensation given has been upgraded free of charge』

『Copied Ability:[Orsted's Foreign Body]has been upgraded to[Complete Foreign Body] 』

『Case has now been hereby closed』

…

..

.

AN:

Thank you for reading this chapter.