Leon Greyrat: The Second Son - Mushoku Tensei OC

Chapter 47 - An Elemental King is Born

— Nanahoshi Shizuka —

"Leon! Leon, get up!" the redheaded girl screamed, gripping the fallen hand with all her might, trying to keep the dying boy on the mortal plane. "Please get up, Leon... Don't leave me..."

Then there were the two children also making their way towards the body, sobbing as they got closer.

This... left quite a bad taste in my mouth.

"...That was quite harsh," I said to my travelling partner and benefactor.

"It was needed," Orsted answered evenly. "He was always a troublesome one, and he's stronger than he should be at this point. When he lives, he becomes a Water King in the strife zone ten years from now before meeting Ariel... this must be another change too."

I nodded before looking back at the scene playing out in front of me.

Ever since coming to this world, I have seen many people die.

It was one of the reasons I hated this place.

It was cruel and disgusting, but still... I didn't care.

I rationalized that I was not part of this world, thus, I should not interfere nor care.

After all, to me, this was simply a story.

A bad dream that would end once I figured out a way home, and my state of temporal stasis would finally end.

It was a coping mechanism, my way of thinking. I was smart enough to know that.

It way to rationalize that the tragedies I had witnessed were nothing but fake. And as sociopathic as that thinking might be... it was something I needed, lest I break from the stress.

But still... seeing the little girls desperately cast healing magic on who I assumed to be their brother, at least from what they were screaming, while the redheaded girl held his head close to her chest, desperately telling him to wake up...

It shook me.

I had seen Orsted dispatch a fair share of people, but it was usually just a passing bandit he didn't feel the need to hold back on.

Never was it someone this young, and never someone so... loved.

The bitter taste in my mouth got worse as memories came up in my mind.

What was it... four years ago? Two years before I was sent here, right before I entered high school.

My older brother had died.

The one that was always there for me when my stupid younger self got in a fight with our parents or had trouble with school.

He had left me behind, much like these three were experiencing right now.

It wasn't anything so dramatic, it was simply the disease winning out, but still... when we were gathered on his deathbed... the grief I felt...

Haa... truly, this world was the worst.

"Could you... save him?" I asked.

"Why?" Orsted asked in return.

"It's just... a pity," I said.

Plus, before that insane final attack that burned a line across the road and destroyed that mountain was fired, I did hear the words 'nuclear fission' come from his mouth.

...Aside from how terrifying of a concept that was to appear in this place, was he... from my world? Or was it simply something I misheard?

I was slightly curious, and it was a good excuse to use for this... interference.