Anime, starting from Re:Zero (Zero - Starting Life)

Chapter 58: Confluence

"Father, I have something to discuss with you."

Paul's body trembled at the sound of this familiar address. Had he done something wrong again? He quickly turned his head, feigning composure, to look at his precocious and impressive son, Rudy, who was already as tall as his waist. He rubbed his head awkwardly.

"Rudy, did I make a mistake again? Why are you yelling so seriously?"

Rudy's face was serious. He shook his head and said frankly:

"No, what I'm going to ask of you next isn't exactly the right thing to do, but even so, I hope to get your permission and help."

Paul had already guessed what his son had said. He smiled and comforted him:

"Just say what you want to say. As a father, I will support you as much as possible, even if I might make mistakes. Rudy, you are a very good son, a thousand times better than I was at the same age. You don't have to push yourself too hard or pursue perfection. Making mistakes is also an experience and a way of learning."

Dad's words made sense, but Rudy, who thought he was still atonement, couldn't apply them to himself. He took a few deep breaths before speaking nervously:

"Father, I want to go to Roya to find Gawain and Sylphy. I'm worried about Gawain's current mental state and that they won't be able to adapt well to the new environment."

Paul guessed right. He laughed triumphantly and relievedly, patted his son's shoulder, and pushed him to stagger. He shrugged and said indifferently:

"If you want to go, then go. Rudy, don't you usually just stay in the small house behind the house, minding your own business? This family is the same with or without you! Leave the work of convincing your mom and Lilia to me. As a dad, I'll make them agree even if it means dying."

After saying this, Paul almost burst into laughter. His speech must have been very impressive, and his son must have been very moved and admired! Anyway, this matter had already been discussed with Senis and Lilia, and they had already agreed.

Rudy grumbled dissatisfiedly:

"You just said I was a good son."

After mumbling, Rudy sighed again. He had obviously been struggling for a long time. After all, Gawain and Sylphy left nine days ago. He wanted to help Uncle Roltz and the others who stayed behind, but he couldn't do it. After all, as the son of a knight, he had little contact with the villagers over the years.

Rudy confessed:

"But, Father, I'm worried about home, and about Norn and Aisha. If I can't be there for my sisters as they grow up, wouldn't I be an unworthy brother? I also want to help mothers take care of my sisters. I want to teach them important knowledge when they're older. I want to nurture their growth and be a good brother. Besides, if I stay in the village, I can protect Gawain's parents more easily than you can, right?"

Yes, Brother Gawain may be mentally fragile, but he still has Sylphy by his side. They are both very capable and smart. They will definitely be able to live well even without him, the dark-minded military strategist.

Aren't the family members left behind in the village weaker, more vulnerable, and more in need of help? Do I really want to help Brother Gao Wen? Am I really not still nostalgic for the good old days before, unable to leave? Have the three years I've spent with the four masters and apprentices not been a sign of growth for me, but rather a more spacious bedroom in my home, where I'll be safe from criticism?

Rudy has been very confused lately.

He didn't know whether he was escaping or deceiving himself. He had done this too many times, so he couldn't trust himself anymore.

Paul didn't know what his son was really worried about. He just patted Rudy's head in annoyance and sighed heavily:

"I say, Rudy."

"Aren't you taking yourself a little too seriously? You're just our son, just a little kid. People like me wouldn't run away from home until we're ten, and you've already started thinking of yourself as the head of the family? Even if you're precocious, you shouldn't be precocious in this area, right?"

"Protecting this home is my duty and the duty of the three of us adults. Rudy, you are indeed protecting this home. We are all deeply moved because this is proof of your love for us and this home. But that is your love, not your obligation."

"Rudy, don't confuse love with duty."

"Same here, Rudy. Raising and protecting our daughter is our duty. You can certainly help a lot, and even do things that we useless adults can't do. But this is a different matter, Rudy. Don't forget, you are also our child, the one we are raising and protecting."

"Also, I feel guilty and miserable for not being able to protect Lolz and the others, for turning them and you into what you are now. Protecting children from harm and good people from bullying in the village is my duty, Paul Greyrat, but I failed to protect them, and I failed to protect our family and friends. So, no matter what, protecting Lolz and Debbie is something I will definitely do. It's a mistake I need to make up for."

"So, Rudy, you go to Roya."

Rudeus gradually clenched his fists and nodded vigorously:

"it is good!"

As a result, Paul immediately had his tics again, rocking back and forth, rubbing his head and chin, and finally, with a click of his tongue, admitted:

"Actually, I received a letter from Philip two days ago. In the letter, he told me about what Gawain had been doing in Roya recently and asked me a lot of questions."

"Rudy, you have a good heart for your best friend."

"But I still say that, Rudy, have you taken yourself more and more seriously in the past few months? Do you really think you are capable of taking responsibility not only for your family's lives, but also for Gawain, Sylphy, and the others?"

"Rudy, I've seen situations like yours many times during my adventurer days. Because they've encountered terrible things and want to avoid them again, they become increasingly controlling of their own and their teammates' actions, as if everyone will die if they don't obey. But it's really just an overly strong sense of responsibility and fear that's gradually driving them crazy."

"Rudy, they're both doing well. There might be areas where you can help, or even areas where only you can help. But I don't think you need to hang around them every day, observing and criticizing their every word and action, watching over them like a baby."

"On the contrary, most of the time you might be the one holding us back."

"You need to grow up too, son."

After hearing these words, Rudy seemed to calm down, his heart slowly returned to its place, and he felt comforted and at ease.

Maybe this is what I want to hear.

Things I worry about will not happen, and everyone can live well without me. Although I will feel a little lonely, as if the earlier awakening seems to have lost its value, isn’t this what I want?

Rudy suddenly thought of his previous boast: "Not living life to the point of being bored is a remarkable achievement." Now, the situation is probably similar, right?

Rudy smiled gently:

"Dad, do you have any ideas?"

Paul smiled mysteriously:

"I'll help you get a great interview opportunity. You can be a tutor for Philip's daughter in Roya. How about that? The salary is two gold coins a month, with room and board provided. If you perform well, you'll get a year-end bonus. Just remember to send some extra money home regularly to show your appreciation for raising you."

At this moment, Senis and Lilia, who had been listening at the corner of the stairs, rushed down, grabbed Paul's ears, and cursed:

"What was that stupid last part?!"

The family started to fight until they heard Nolan crying from upstairs, and then they calmed down.

The next day, after packing his luggage, before the carriage arrived, Rudy reluctantly agreed to what Paul called the "graduation battle."

The two sides were three meters apart, and Paul was "killed" three times by Rudy in the first second of the sparring.

A few hours later.

Rudy, who was traveling alone for the first time, arrived in the familiar city of Roya. As soon as he got off the car, he saw two familiar figures waving at him not far away.

This was the end of my first solo journey.

Postscript (skip)

It's a long story, so if you're not interested, I suggest you skip it.

Or scroll to the end to read the notes.

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Throughout the childhood, or in other words, in the Buena Village chapter, the only people who deserve more attention are actually a few adults, two middle-aged people in terms of age, Lokisi and Rudius, and Gawain.

Actually, I designed this opening at the beginning because I wanted to write more about Sylphy. After all, based on the plot of the original novel, my preference ranking of the three heroines is: Red > White > Blue.

(By the way, looking at all the official works, my preference is probably this: Homecoming Red > Academy White > Single Wife First Marriage White > Manga Blue > Tutor Blue > Missing Person Blue > Childhood Sweetheart White > Enlightenment Red > Travel Blue > Sword Training Red > Post-Marriage White > Post-Marriage Red > Post-Marriage Blue > Guardian White. Skip Future Diary and Snake Foot.)

(The evaluation is that after the personal chapter ended, the character was quickly flattened.)

But because I want to write a Vitrum protagonist, it is basically impossible for me to include Red Mom, or even Urine Mom and Gold Mom (after all, they look down on swordsmanship).

Closer to home.

In short.

The focus of the childhood characterization must be on Roxy and Rudeus, these two pseudo-Old Dengs who are almost 40 years old but are still stuck in the crisis of adolescence and have not been able to overcome it.

By the way, I will write about Rudy's family and the Lorzes. However, due to the amount of information provided by the original work, the Greyrat family will definitely be the focus of the description. Just like Rudius uses Gawain as a mirror and a partner to reflect his own growth, Gawain will also use the Greyrat family's experience as a benchmark to achieve his own growth.

So I personally don’t think it’s off topic.

After all, Gawain in his childhood was actually still a child similar to Sylphy. The things he didn't understand, the contradictions, and the things he didn't want to accept were still accumulating in his heart, and his adolescent crisis had not yet arrived.

But compared to the purer Sylphy, Gawain carries more things on his shoulders, and his intellectual development is more advanced, so Gawain will occasionally have thoughts and changes in his childhood, but it is basically unlikely that Sylphy will have a personal role.

Everyone can only use the original work as a reference to see the changes in Sylphy.

In fact, Sylphy is also a very good standard.

Sylphy is the person Gawain cares about the most at this stage, and the person he actively interferes with the most. But in fact, Sylphy has only undergone changes that are natural in the current environment, and at most has become more brotherly and maternal because of Gawain's active factors.

In other words, Gawain's subjective interference with the outside world is actually relatively small. Unlike a common fan fiction protagonist, he does not desperately use his will to change the people around him and the world. He just improves himself according to his own ideas, and factors such as social interaction are also very casual.

However, the characters' destinies still underwent tremendous changes. This was caused by the characters' spontaneous actions and decisions after the interference factor Gawain was cast. It is commonly known as the characters also having their own lives (×).

In practical terms, this is because after considering the entire "Re:Zero" series, Rudeus and Roxy are the two characters that have been portrayed the most and most fully. They have different but reasonable lives because of a little change, which I think is one of the biggest highlights of the "Re:Zero" fan fiction.

From my perspective on the characters, I think both Rudeus and Roxy are adults with a lot of experience, capable of navigating their own predicaments. Rudeus needs to leave the traumatic situation and realize he's safe enough to make changes; Roxy, on the other hand, needs a chance to stop dwelling on her past and realize she's trying to protect and care for herself, not hurt herself.

I am dissatisfied with the growth outcomes of these two characters and Sylphy in the original work.

Li Bu Jin does a pretty good job of dealing with the dilemmas of adolescence; after all, this is one of the selling points of the work.

But when it comes to marriage, family, and children, his incomprehensible level is exposed. I think he has not given any thought to these things at all. Rudius's level of personal setting should be much better than the original author's.

First, Rudeus is not a good father at all. In his father phase, Rudeus seems to have been possessed by a modern Japanese elite father, then given the added bonus of not pushing his children too hard, as if elite fathers who don't push their children too hard are the perfect human beings. It feels okay when written, but there's really no need to seriously refute it; Rudeus's own attitude is enough to negate it. "Show your true ability" is too disconnected from the family hero phase.

Secondly, Roxy's later characterization is well-known. My sincere thoughts on the character of Roxy are as I wrote them, as detailed in Chapter 22. In this book, that's the first step in Roxy's new journey. If we consider the Roxy Gaiden as canon (which this book does), Roxy's past life can be roughly summarized as "I thought I wanted it, but it didn't turn out that way." Are her views on magic, mazes, and travel really that different from those on desserts? I think not. If we ignore the fact that Roxy is a kind person who cares about others and contributes to their cause, then I think it wouldn't matter to her whether she ultimately became the principal of a magic academy or the owner of a top-notch dessert shop, renowned internationally and recommended by food magazines.

I even think the series deliberately avoided depicting Roxy's fundamental transformation. Otherwise, how could Roxy, who hadn't lost her self-esteem and realized her true nature, be with Rudeus? At least not in that short moment. Roxy's reliance on others to save her in times of crisis is simply a form of admiration for the strong. Even after striving to grow, if she still feels she's inadequate, wouldn't all her struggles be in vain? Is the purpose of striving to grow just to hold on until the great savior arrives to save her? Not to mention, their subsequent marriage is entirely due to the unwavering inferiority complexes of both Roxy and Sylphy.

Roxy, the self-proclaimed concubine, gradually transformed after marriage. Rather than being helped by her husband, it's more the inevitable result of two people with low self-esteem teaming up with a swordsman who's a complete idiot. To put it bluntly, it's a safe environment, friendly people, a stable life, and generally happy life. (This doesn't have to factor in low self-esteem either; Roxy and Sylphy must have a very low threshold for happiness, and Red Mom is even more of a shrewd person.) She unexpectedly found the family and happiness she truly desired, so it's only natural that things have become normal, not much different from a lucky break. Perhaps this is also the result of Roxy's hard work. After all, after her sacrifice, she could easily have been like an ordinary adventurer, bitten by a dog. But even though she felt she had no chance, she stubbornly refused to give up the possibility of marriage.

Finally, there is actually nothing much to say about Bai Ma.

While the story is quite lengthy, and the post-marriage portion is dominated by Bai's mother, her personality is truly troublesome, a mixture of low self-esteem and stubbornness. (Incidentally, I attribute Bai's low self-esteem to the bullying she faced in the original story and to Lortz, and her stubbornness to Debbie.) Honestly, I've known people like this in real life, and they've driven me crazy many times. Of course, this twisted personality would be quite delicious in Axolotl.

Therefore, I can give you a spoiler: after the Great Transformation, Sylphy won't be dropped into the Royal Capital, which would have resulted in Ariel's immediate demise. Even though Sylphy isn't as self-conscious in this game, she's still a good person, and will likely be easily persuaded and befriended by Ariel (with something like, "Stay here, and I'll use my influence to help you," etc.), before being killed by Gawain, who shows up to kill her. I'm racking my brains trying to figure out how to save Ariel. She's someone who would be scorned by the Ankylosaur King before she's fully grown, and running into Gawain, who's half-crazed after the Great Transformation, is basically a dead end.

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In addition to these, there are also the parents of the supporting characters.

The most difficult part of Buena Village to deal with is actually Paul's cheating. If I hadn't decided to stick to the original series as much as possible (referring to the decree that Aisha must be born), I would even want to delete Aisha and the cheating.

This is very simple. As long as Rudeus is aware of the situation and guards himself against it, or in other words, he can come up with a reasonable strategy after the first failed attempt at cheating.

But this is actually a form of escape.

After much thought, I decided that this version, although not perfect, is the answer I think is reasonable.

I haven't read many fan fictions of "Music - Starting a Job" yet, and I think I've only read two that planned to change this part of the plot, but basically, they changed it after the cheating was successful.

If the affair was successful, then Senice would indeed be a pure victim, at least 99% of her would be a victim.

I also had some thoughts in mind at the beginning, but later when I was writing about Paul's confession and the *** plot, I suddenly realized that if the attempted infidelity was unsuccessful, then Senise would not be a perfect victim at all.

Even from the perspective of the moral values ​​of the world of Zero Job, she is still one of the perpetrators.

As a follower of Milis, she had never truly stopped Lilia from being raped, and had never restrained her own unbridled lust, not to mention the servants. Rudius had already shown such precociousness and intelligence, but she still sang high notes every night. As a mother, she was already quite unqualified.

And Paul, although he died early, did he ever atone for his sins?

To Rudeus, and even to Nolen, Paul is a good father, but what about Aisha?

Paul, Lilia, and Rudeus all played significant roles in Aisha's distortion. Paul failed as a father and destroyed and distorted her mother, Lilia. Although Lilia was a victim, her mistakes as a mother were not diminished. Rudeus, as both a brother and a half-father, demonstrated his astonishing wisdom in educating Aisha.

My evaluation is.

Li Bujin must be a person with low self-esteem, otherwise he wouldn't be unable to write a book without this element of low self-esteem.

I seriously suspect that the place with the least despicable content in the world of Musashi Reincarnation is the Holy Land of Swords.

(Referring to Garr muttering to himself: A guy of my level.)

By the way, let me mention Lolz and Debbie.

These two are actually very important.

But I can't write too much about it, after all, it is basically purely original. If I write too much, it will seriously affect the direction of the plot.

Moreover, Roltz can only be said to be a hunter who should be able to read and write in theory. He only has a few lines in the entire series. If his mother was not Elina Lijie, Roltz, whose social status is so low, probably would not have anything worth writing about. After all, this is fan fiction, not folk literature.

Debbie is a character without even a name. There is only a family photo in the animation. She is probably just an ordinary illiterate village woman in ancient times.

If I had to point out the most important qualities about them, it would probably be: love and kindness. They were just the typical good parents in rural operas.

If I were to extend this to something I consider reasonable, I'd say they both have low self-esteem, a simple kind of low self-esteem. We have no money, no social status, no education, and no power, so we feel low. Perhaps their understanding isn't enough to justify the same low self-esteem as Luo Qixi's. Or rather, rather than calling it "low self-esteem," it's more like a clear understanding of one's social status.

Therefore, they would think that Gao Wen must look down on their family.

Therefore, they would try to please Gawain and feel sorry for him.

Therefore, they would be cautious not to lose their manners in front of the Knights, nor would they want to lose their superficial face.

Therefore, they will do their best to take care of their guests.