Ruijerd, Protector of Children

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Part 2 Episode 16 was a good episode. “Isn’t every Mushoku Tensei episode a good episode?” To an extent, yes. But, so far, Season 2 Part 2 hasn’t been all that exciting. Episode 16, however, was a good episode.

One of the main reasons it was a good episode was because Ruijerd was in it. Though, his mere existence isn’t enough. Ruijerd made the episode good because of the information we got from him. We know who he’s seen, who he hasn’t seen, and who he’s been traveling with.

Let’s start with who Ruijerd met up with before traveling to Ranoa. Obviously, he saw Paul, who tasked him with escorting Norn and Aisha. And, this is important because it shows that Paul trusts Ruijerd with those most important to him. Ruijerd also met Roxy, and we learned that she’s still terrified of Superds.

Who didn’t Ruijerd meet? Well, he didn’t meet Eris. He hasn’t seen her since he split off from Rudeus and Eris when they arrived back in Fittoa. Unfortunately, that means he can’t tell Rudeus (and us) what Eris has been up to. But, that lack of information is information in itself.

Ruijerd had to hear about what happened between Rudeus and Eris from Rudeus. And, he rightly points out that Rudeus might not have understood what Eris was trying to say. After all, Eris has never been good with her words. When Ruijerd said that, it showed me how well he knows those two.

Finally, who has Ruijerd been traveling with? Of course, there was Norn and Aisha. But, there was also someone else: Ginger. Who? I had to look her up because I forgot — she’s apparently a former guard of Zanoba’s.

The Maid and the Student

Norn and Aisha are very different. They’re effectively twins since they were born at about the same time. But, they have different mothers. Norn is Zenith’s daughter, making her Rudeus’s full sibling. And, Aisha is Lilia’s daughter, making her Rudeus’s half-sibling.

That’s not what I mean when I say they’re very different, though. I mean that their personalities are complete opposites. Norn is shy — she likes her parents, Aisha, and now Ruijerd. Aisha is extremely outgoing and seems to be able to make friends wherever she goes.

These differences are very apparent when both girls interact with Rudeus. Norn hates Rudeus, which I’ll discuss more in the next section. On the other hand, Aisha loves Rudeus and wants to do everything she can for him. However, Rudeus doesn’t treat either of his sisters differently. Who their mothers are or how they treat him doesn’t matter.

There were a few reasons why Paul sent Norn and Aisha to Rudeus. He didn’t want to have to take them on the dangerous journey to save Zenith. He wanted them to stay with family. And, he wanted them to be able to go to school.

Norn doesn’t want to live with her family (Rudeus). And Aisha doesn’t want to go to school (the University of Magic). So, Rudeus makes deals with both of them.

He’ll allow Norn to live in the dorms as long as she does well in school and visits at least once every 10 days. And, he’ll let Aisha be his maid instead of going to school if she does well on the entrance exam.

Aisha has no problem passing the exam, thus proving that she’s smart enough already (I guess?) But, things aren’t going to be so straightforward with Norn.

Why Does Norn Hate Rudeus?

Let’s talk about why Norn hates Rudeus. In this episode, she gives two reasons. First, she says that he’s with a different woman than the last time she saw him. And second, she says that he hit their father. Both of those things are true.

But, I think there’s actually something else that’s the real reason why she doesn’t like him. Before I get to that, though, let me explain why her reasons don’t make much sense.

Okay, so, has nobody told Norn who the woman Rudeus was with the last time she saw him was? That was Eris — Rudeus’s cousin. Sure, Rudeus loves/d Eris. But, that doesn’t change the fact that they’re cousins. It’s not like they were a romantic couple like Rudeus and Sylphie are.

Norn should understand that her brother and her cousin aren’t together.

What about Rudeus hitting their father? Well, should that even matter at this point? Paul trusts Rudeus enough to send Norn and Aisha to live with him. Shouldn’t that show Norn that there are no hard feelings between them? Norn trusts Paul and Paul trusts Rudeus.

If we say that’s not enough, then what about Ruijerd? Norn trusts Ruijerd to the point that she asks if she can continue traveling with him. But, we also know that Ruijerd trusts Rudeus. Surely, Ruijerd told Aisha and Norn stories of his travels with Rudeus and Eris. I guarantee Aisha asked him about that many times.

And, if Ruijerd told those stories, I’m sure he focused on Rudeus’s good points.

There’s even more evidence working against Norn, though. What about the fact that Rudeus cares about her despite how she treats him? All of this is why I think something else is going on.

Final Thoughts

My prediction is that Norn “hates” Rudeus because he wasn’t there for her when she was growing up. Now, that’s not Rudeus’s fault — he got teleported to the Demon Continent. But, I can see how Norn would grow up thinking that Rudeus “abandoned” her or that he wasn’t there because he “didn’t care.”

What do you think? After watching Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Episode 16, do you think there’s a different reason for why Norn acts the way she does? Do you think she secretly wants to live with Rudeus instead of in the dorms? And, do you think she knows that how she perceives Rudeus is based on false assumptions?

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about the perks of supporting this blog, check out DoubleSama.com/support.

My review of Episode 17 is available now.