Paul didn't look at his wife. Instead, he gazed up at the ceiling, thinking about Allen's situation and the things he had once said.
Allen had promised to support Rudeus's future. Maybe Rudeus really didn't need to hone his swordsmanship all that much. With their current abilities, the two of them could already function as adventurers in a labyrinth. But still… it stung. How could his child lack talent in swordsmanship?
"Well…"
"Master Paul," Allen cut in calmly. "There's no doubt it's viable. I'm terrible at magic, so if Rudeus specializes in it and I in swordsmanship, we can complement each other's weaknesses. Besides, rather than being a teacher and student, I'd prefer to be friends or comrades with Rudeus."
Paul blinked, glancing at the now proper and composed Allen, sitting up straight and looking serious. Paul subconsciously nodded.
"...Alright, we'll cut sword training by one hour."
Allen turned to Rudeus, who blinked rapidly, then gave Allen a big thumbs up under the table.
——
"Thank you, sensei."
In Rudeus's room, Allen watched the boy's messy brown hair stick up and couldn't help but feel it was all a bit surreal.
He had worked so hard for Rudeus's approval—and in the end, it just happened when he had given up. Was that fair?
"Guiding my father's thoughts is something I do regularly," Rudeus said casually. "Didn't expect you'd be a comrade in arms, sensei."
"Ah… right."
"Please keep it up. And if you could help me avoid sword training in the future, that'd be great. Surely you've noticed I prefer magic over swordplay."
"Ah… sure."
Wait a minute… this brat just wants me gone so I'll disappear from his sight, huh?
Rudeus gave Allen a knowing look—the same one he used when Paul was being dumb. Then he turned serious.
"I heard from Father that you ran into Roxy on your way here?"
Allen blinked.
"Yes, more or less. I owe her a favor."
Rudeus nodded furiously, then hesitated, his expression tangled with nerves.
"Did she… mention me?"
Allen looked at him.
"She did."
Rudeus lit up.
"What did she say??"
"She called you a glib, perverted little weasel."
Rudeus's smile fell flat.
"Huh?"
"She also said you stole her underwear."
As soon as the word "underwear" left Allen's lips, Rudeus's eyes snapped to look under the bed. Then he slowly turned to Allen, throat stiff.
"You actually did steal her underwear?"
"I can explain! Please don't tell Father or Mother!"
"Give me a break."
Allen approached the bed and peered underneath.
"There it is. A small, white pair of panties shoved between the floorboards."
Even though he had mentally prepared, seeing it in person made him feel, again, just how much of a degenerate Rudeus really was.
Allen sighed and turned toward Rudeus, whose expression had gone stiff.
"What about a shrine? Isn't that where these usually go?"
Rudeus blinked.
"What?"
"No shrine?" Allen asked.
Oh right… maybe that hasn't happened yet. Wrong timeline.
He blinked, ready to make something up—but Rudeus suddenly shouted:
"Genius!!"
Rudeus looked at him like one looks at a deity, taking Allen's hands in his.
"Genius! Yes! A relic like this should absolutely be enshrined! You're a genius, sensei!"
Allen stared blankly.
Goddammit. I just got endorsed by a pervert.
[You have once again gained Rudeus's favor. Host's abilities are repeatedly verified as effective.]
Can we not celebrate this kind of thing?!
Rudeus blinked, curious.
"Shrines like that exist where you come from?"
Allen shrugged.
"Yeah, my hometown is pretty remote, so there are a lot of odd spiritual traditions. Every household worships a different god."
"Gods?" Rudeus tilted his head.
"For example, Haiqing's god is Ouhou. The god of contracts is RNG. The god of abstraction is Zhiyin."
"…Those names sound odd. Is that your hometown dialect?"
Allen nodded.
"Sure. My family worships the Three-Color God—Blue Mama, White Mama, and Red Mama."
Rudeus scratched his head, now understanding the words but not their meaning.
What's this guy babbling about?
Allen watched him quietly, then remembered something.
"By the way, I've noticed you running outside a lot these days. Did you make any friends? If you have, maybe bring them home for dinner? I'm sure the lord and lady would be happy to see you making friends."
Rudeus blinked.
"Friends? No… I was just scouting terrain."
"I see."
Allen studied his face. Rudeus probably wasn't lying. In his previous life, he'd been kicked out of his home. In this one, his outside excursions were likely just survival drills—preparing in case he got kicked out again.
In the original story, Rudeus met Sylphy soon after Roxy left. But realistically, there was a gap between those events. He was just doing survival stuff in the meantime.
He likely wouldn't meet Sylphy until summer, and it was only late March now.
That meant Sylphy would be bullied for a while longer. She was bullied for her green hair. Probably from as early as she could remember.
Allen sighed.
Helping Rudeus rescue her early shouldn't cause a butterfly effect… at most, they'd just meet six months earlier.
"You don't hang out with the village kids?"
Rudeus tilted his head.
"Maybe we're just not compatible."
Allen looked at him.
"Hey… would you say we're friends?"
Rudeus's mouth twitched.
I thought this scary little dude was mature, but turns out he's just like every kid who wants to talk about nakama and friendship.
Rudeus forced a cutesy smile.
"Of course. Especially since you got my sword lessons cut by an hour!"
Allen reached out and poked his cheek.
"Don't be fake. I actually want to be your friend."
Rudeus blinked.
Allen turned and headed for the door. Just before leaving, he glanced back.
"Tomorrow, I'll help you build a shrine. And don't worry—I won't tell your parents about the underwear."
Rudeus's eyes lit up.
"Deal!"
Smoke and system text floated in front of Allen's eyes.
[Free-Time Mission—Gain Sylphy's Favor: Now Available]
[Reward: Barrier Magic Slot Unlocked]
[You may choose the mission start time freely before the original story encounter. Once started, you must complete it within one day. Begin now?]
(End of Chapter)
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