The wind and rain howled outside the window.
Senis looked at the door with concern. It had been a while since the two of them had left.
"Do you think Allen will agree?"
Paul, who had been serious all afternoon, suddenly seemed to relax. He slouched into his chair and replied:
"It would be best if he didn't."
He winked at his wife and raised two fingers.
"But if he did agree, wouldn't that be a good thing?"
Senis glanced at Paul's fingers, her expression froze. She quickly looked at the children across from her and gave Paul a swift kick under the table.
"Ouch! What was that for?"
Lilia covered her face helplessly. Senis's face darkened.
"No, it's nothing, dear. Go on."
Paul realized what Senis was thinking and looked a bit distracted, but when he noticed Rudy's twitching mouth from the corner of his eye, he quickly reined in his expression.
Too many kids—better keep things serious.
He ticked his fingers one by one.
"First, even though Allen acts more mature than kids his age, I still think he's a child who lacks love. Even though we've always treated him as family, he was distant until last winter. Not until the Snow Valley incident did I feel like he truly accepted us."
"I still think that placing him closer to his real family will help his growth, no matter the outcome."
"Second, our family can no longer afford to pay his salary. I've already fudged the numbers a few times."
Senis and Lilia both nodded in understanding.
Raising kids takes both energy and money.
Paul used to have some extra income from village duties, and Senis brought in money from her clinic. But with two new money-eating beasts in the family, neither parent had time to work anymore.
The household income had sharply dropped.
"So, it's a good chance to let Rudy go out and make some money."
Rudy's face twisted, as if he'd just seen a dog slip in its own mess on the toilet:
?? Don't I lack love? Was I adopted? Lord Paul!!
While the adults talked, Alice sat across from them with her mouth covered, her legs swinging wildly under the stool. Her red pupils kept trying to sneak glances at Sylphy beside her, though her gaze stayed fixed on the air in front of her.
But her lifted brows betrayed her delight.
"Sylphy! Do you know magic?"
Sylphy responded gently.
"I do."
"Who's better, you or Rudeus?"
"He is."
"Huh?? That little dwarf is that good?"
Rudy: ?? Sylphy is half a head shorter than me!
Alice gave Rudy a wide-eyed look. Rudy turned away and rejoined his family's conversation, pretending he didn't hear.
Smooth.
Alice snorted and kept going.
"What about the taller one—Allen? How's his swordsmanship? Gilenu said before we came here that he was supposed to be really good, but he looks so ordinary! Hmph, he didn't even dare come out when I called him!"
In the young lady's eyes, height was an important measure of power.
Her initial discontent with Rudy had also stemmed from this "teacher" being shorter than herself.
Hearing this, Sylphy subconsciously frowned and looked at Alice.
"Allen is the strongest."
Her tone was no longer soft, but solemn.
Alice was about to get mad, but when she saw Sylphy's serious expression—completely devoid of provocation—she held back. She just pouted.
"I won't argue with you. We're all going back anyway. Let Gilenu train with him! I want to see if he's really that strong!"
Sylphy opened her mouth to speak but hesitated. She reached down and touched her dirty white skirt.
Her eyes dimmed.
Alice caught sight of this from the corner of her eye. She turned her head sharply to glare at Sylphy, but her expression shifted—first surprised, then quietly annoyed with herself.
She turned and yelled at Rudy.
"What! You're such an eyesore!"
Rudy turned to her slowly, exasperated.
"What does that have to do with me? Are you taking your anger out on others now? Can't you self-reflect if you did something wrong?"
"Who did something wrong? You're the one who's arrogant!"
"What, are you gonna hit me again?"
"Huh? You think I won't?"
Alice stood up with a bang. Her brows arched, and Rudy flinched slightly, clearly panicked.
At that moment—
The door opened.
A gust of wind burst into the room, cutting short the tension before it could escalate again.
Outside, Allen stood as if wrapped in a misty layer of water vapor.
The moment he stepped into the room—
The shield shattered.
Raindrops hit the floor like falling crystal beads. Allen casually brushed away nonexistent rain from his body and walked inside.
A translucent panel appeared before him like smoke.
[Expectation (2/2), responded in advance. Time duration: 4 hours, 37 minutes, and 21 seconds.]
[Philip's original "expectation" conversation was supposed to take place in his study in Roa. He valued it deeply and didn't want to have it on a rural roadside.]
[But he never imagined the family card wouldn't work on you. When you exposed his intentions, he was forced to start this important conversation right here in Buena Village.]
[You used your "response" to choose your tutoring path.]
[Expectation 1: Philip's ambition — rejected.]
"With power, strength will naturally follow?" You obviously disagreed. You don't want to waste time in power struggles.
[Expectation 2: Philip's gift — accepted.]
After traveling through time, you won't reject a freebie—even if it's from your biological father.
[Task reward: Participation score +10 points]
[Current stage: Juvenile tutoring period. Cumulative participation score: 17 points.]
[Evaluation: You originally needed a reason to intervene in the tutoring period, and now you've secured a free master. This is a win for the freeloaders. You win.]
The smoke dispersed as Allen blinked.
So Philip's current quest line still has an unresolved condition...
If I'm right, it's a test of strength.
Gilenu didn't show up, did she?
Allen glanced behind him.
Philip returned from the rain, his clothes soaked through.
But his expression was spirited.
A new fire had been lit in him.
"I've already talked it through with Allen. He's agreed to return to Roa with me! Paul, you have no objections this time, right?"