Seeing Rudeus speechless, Allen stopped bothering with him. He turned to face the group of 'children' before him, who used their youth and so-called 'justice' to mask their inner malice and the pleasure they took in bullying. He let out a heavy breath.
He then subconsciously reached up and slicked his obedient hair back from his forehead. The splash from the sword earlier had wet his hair, and combined with its stiff texture, it gave him a hair-gelled look. The sharp posture made Rudeus instinctively look away.
Allen had already strode up to the tallest of the boys, a chubby kid who was only half a head shorter than him. Although he had done as Allen said, his eyes clearly showed his defiance, especially after hearing that Allen was only nine.
"You don't seem convinced."
"You're bullying us just because you have a sword!"
Allen smiled, leaned down, and gently patted the boy's cheek.
"You bullied the weak because you had numbers and strength, and she was helpless. Now, I bully you because I am armed. What will you do about it?"
Allen continued patting his cheek, smiled, and leaned in close to his ear. In the manner of a friendly neighborhood big brother, he patiently and earnestly taught him a lesson.
"I am strong, and you are weak. Isn't that... how it should be?"
The chubby boy's face turned red.
"We're not bullying the weak! She's a demon!"
Allen scoffed.
"If she's a demon, then I'm your dad. Come on, call me Dad."
The chubby boy's expression froze. He had never encountered this kind of debate logic before. His face twisted a few times, and then he burst into tears with a loud wail.
"Did I say you could cry?"
The crying stopped abruptly.
"The next time I see you bullying her, I will twist your heads off and feed you to the monsters. Alright, cry. Cry and then get lost."
The little brats ran off, wailing and wetting their pants.
Allen pursed his lips, turned his head, and looked at Sylphie, preparing to admire the beautiful girl's face.
The beautiful girl's face and head were covered in mud, making it impossible to see her features clearly. She was sitting on the ground, staring at him blankly. And beside her, the trench that Allen had carved with his Touki was only half a body's length away.
Sylphie hadn't been hit by the kids' mud this time, but she had been splattered by Allen's display.
Allen opened his mouth, at a loss for words, and turned to look at Rudeus.
Rudeus had also been splattered. However, he was staring at the retreating backs of the brats, looking somewhat dazed.
Allen waved a hand in front of his face and said awkwardly.
"Um, Rudy, why don't you use your water magic to clean her up... uh... and maybe yourself, too."
Rudeus turned his head, blinking as he looked at Allen in a daze.
"...Okay."
Just then, Sylphie seemed to snap out of it. She suddenly jumped into the paddy field. Under Allen and Rudeus's stunned gaze, her small body waded through the water and with great difficulty, dragged Allen's sword back. After getting ashore, she held out her small hands and respectfully offered the sword back to Allen with both hands. But she didn't look at him, just at her own soaking wet shoes.
Her bangs were still matted with muddy water, which dripped onto the ground with a soft pat-pat sound, in rhythm with the trembling of her pointed ears.
Allen blinked, took the sword, and sheathed it. He looked at Sylphie, who only came up to his chest, and subconsciously reached out to touch her head.
She flinched, and Allen's hand missed.
His expression instantly stiffened. Only then did he realize that he had been acting entirely on the residual resentment from his dream and hadn't paid any attention to the system.
Crap. I haven't gotten the favorability notification yet. Did I scare the kid?
After her instinctive dodge, Sylphie now seemed to become flustered seeing Allen just standing there. She hugged her head, quickly glanced at Allen, and then, timidly and hesitantly, shuffled over until she was in front of him.
She brought her head under Allen's hand, which was still hovering in the air.
[Free Instant Quest—Obtain Sylphie's favor—has been completed. Time elapsed: 4:23:17. Evaluation: A hero of justice! I'd call you the King of Children!]
[Barrier Magic Slot has been unlocked.]
Smoke-like text, almost tangible, crawled over the Dragon Saint Touki nucleus in Allen's abdomen. A buzzing sound, audible only to his soul, echoed as the new sigil was inscribed. After a moment, next to the dim brown slot, a new slot appeared.
It had a white base, like a stalactite.
Allen blinked, coming back to his senses. He found his hand was still on Sylphie's head. And though some time had passed, Sylphie was just standing quietly in front of him, her eyes blinking rapidly, looking left and right at the ground, but she hadn't moved away again.
Suddenly, he felt an intense gaze on his face. Allen turned his head, stunned.
He saw Rudeus looking suspiciously from Allen's hand to Sylphie's face, then back to Allen's face.
Over and over again.
Sylphie's features were exquisite. Even though Allen had been mentally prepared, he was still stunned by her beauty.
First, her eyelashes were very long, her nose small but straight, and her jawline was very smooth. Her long ears trembled slightly.
Most importantly.
Her skin was so fair that under the sun, you could almost see the faint blue of the veins beneath her skin.
Honestly, she was much prettier than in the anime.
Especially her reddish-brown eyes, which shone brightly.
Eyes like these shouldn't—couldn't—be vacant and numb.
The owner of the reddish-brown eyes blinked, looking down at the grass in front of her, her green hair flying in the air.
A Tony named Rudeus was currently blow-drying it for her.
While washing Sylphie's hair earlier, Rudeus had already discovered that she didn't have the red magic eye on her forehead, confirming that Allen was indeed playing the hero.
Allen probably saw this little shota being bullied when he first came to the village. But why did he have to drag me along? Was he afraid of getting his pay docked for acting on his own? So it was better to have the excuse of accompanying me? But it was terrifying, using his sword skills on a bunch of kids... All I have to say about that is...
'Nice one, Lord Allen! Uh... it would have been even better if I wasn't just part of the background, though.'
But it doesn't matter. Now my group of companions has one more little shota. This way, my reverse strategy of attracting girls will be even more effective. More handsome guys in my resources... hmm... It's a pity he's a shota and not a loli. Otherwise, this timid, unconfident look would be perfect for my nurturing needs... ah, sorry, I let that slip. I was just kidding... eh, wait, is he really a shota?
Rudeus looked down. Sylphie was wearing boy-style coarse trousers, unlike the other girls her age in the village who wore skirts.
Could it be! Allen saw this and that's why! Damn it, what a sly old fox! No wonder Allen and Paul are always exchanging glances. So you, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, are into that!
Rudeus ranted silently in his mind with the characteristic perverted tone of a NEET from his past life. His hands, however, were skillful. In no time at all, he had finished drying Sylphie's hair.
Sylphie blinked and stood up.
The three of them were on a small hill near the fields. There was only one tree on the hill, nearly reaching the sky, its shade lush and green.
A breeze blew past, and the shadows of the leaves on the ground danced with it, specks of light flickering between them.
Sylphie curled her toes and whispered in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
"Thank you..."
She glanced at Rudeus, then slightly to the side, at her back.
Allen was leaning lazily against the large tree, looking up at the canopy-like shade.
A speck of light danced on the corner of his mouth, swaying with his smile.
Softer than the wind.
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