In front of the courtyard.
The sun shone on Allen's face. He raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly in a daze.
Above his nose, smoke and dust, visible only to himself, floated like a hazy veil.
And Allen's thoughts raced.
'As expected, proactively 'farming' my old man's 'favor' will get me some points.'
Allen was now very clear about what constituted favorability. Influencing the original characters, things like "importance," "recognition," "admiration," "friendship," "family affection," "brotherly love" were all included, not just what he had subconsciously thought back then—
"romantic love."
'Two tests, with a short time limit. Two expectations, with a longer time limit.'
'Based on previous experience, the system always issues tasks based on the actual situation. From this, it can be inferred that the 'tests' are immediate and will happen soon if I'm not mistaken. The expectations, on the other hand, will come a bit later, perhaps after returning to the capital.'
'One of the two tests is already completed, and it's even specially marked as [Completed in advance]? Was it because my performance was more in line with his XP... uh, more appreciated by him, so he recognized my ability in advance?'
'More or less. One of the two tests is 'ability,' so the next one...'
'Will probably be 'strength'...'
Allen recalled the feeling of being 'pried upon' from the carriage as it passed by just now and grinned.
'If I'm on the right track, this test will most likely be conducted by Ghislaine, right? The eyes of a cat-beast. Although it was just a fleeting glance, I saw it clearly. I have to say, the Boreas family's tastes have some surprisingly practical uses in unexpected places.'
'But why didn't Ghislaine come out? Is she the type to hide?'
[Who knows?]
Allen broke free from his thoughts, but he didn't hear a response from Brother Paul. He looked at Philip, who still had a smiling expression, and then looked at Paul in confusion.
The Miracle Worker was still farming mobs.
No, Brother Paul was still in a daze.
He had been like this ever since Philip's sudden arrival.
The letter on the desk upstairs had only arrived in Buena Village yesterday. He had been agonizing over it all day, thinking about how to reasonably smooth things over and then reply.
Excuses like, "This little brother named Allen has absolutely no relation to your son, he's just a good brother I often cross swords with."
But before he could even pick up his pen.
His 'good brother's' father had shown up at his door.
Huh?
The moment Brother Paul saw Philip, he was completely dumbfounded.
Besides the chaotic emotions of concern for Allen, he even felt a ridiculous sense of panic, like when he was caught by a girl's father back in his noble school days.
This must be his imagination...
And now, seeing how Allen had defused the crisis with just a few words, he couldn't help but think of his former teammate in the 'Black Wolf's Fang,' the thief Ghis Nucadia.
His skill in handling social interactions was strikingly similar to Allen's.
Paul quickly shook his head, throwing these absurd and baseless thoughts out of his mind, and looked at Philip, who was waiting for his reply with a smile.
Philip...
This distant cousin of his had never extinguished the flame of his ambition for power. Even back then, his willingness to help him had a hidden meaning—after all, he was the eldest son of the Notos family, the legal heir. Running away from home was something that could be negotiated, wasn't it?
Only later, when he discovered that he was genuinely willing to settle down in this rural village, did he stop asking about his political leanings, clearly disappointed.
He had become a discarded pawn.
Even so, he had never said a single bad word about Philip in front of Allen.
Because he sincerely hoped that Allen could experience true family affection and not repeat the misunderstanding he had with his own father, which had become an irreversible regret.
But now...
Paul glanced at Allen, who was looking at him with a (—) expression, and couldn't help but sigh.
'Allen reacted so quickly, he's so calm.'
'He was able to instantly determine that not acknowledging his family on the surface is the best choice for Philip, himself, and even Sauros in Roa right now... Philip must have already confirmed that he is Allen. No, with what I know of Philip.'
'He had probably already confirmed it when he wrote the letter.'
And beside Paul, in his line of sight, Philip was still looking at him with a grin, as if waiting for his answer. The former looked at the latter's squinting eyes and couldn't help but ask himself.
'Does Allen want to go to Roa?'
'I proposed it the year before last, and he seemed to have rejected it outright, right?'
'To live under his own father's nose? Does he like Philip?'
'He doesn't. What he likes is this home now.'
'Since he doesn't like it.'
'I'll refuse for him.'
'But fortunately, there's no need to deliberately hide Allen's identity now. Everyone has a tacit understanding... So all I need to do next is to refuse Philip directly.'
Although in Allen's eyes, Paul had been in a daze for a very, very long time, for an ordinary person like Philip, compared to the reaction speed of swordsmen, it was just a slightly longer daze.
"Uh... I haven't discussed it with them yet. I didn't expect you to come so soon."
Paul gave a dry laugh, put on a serious face, and said thoughtfully.
"I've considered your letter, but I can't make the decision for Allen and Rudeus... After all, they have their own thoughts. And don't you think it's a bit early, Philip? Aren't they a bit too young for recruitment and all that..."
But he couldn't adapt to the sudden change, and his words were stammering.
At this moment.
Rudeus had already breathed a sigh of relief and was now curiously sizing up Philip.
Sylphie's face, however, had only slightly relaxed. Her small face was pale as she watched Paul's opening and closing mouth, her fingers twisting the dress she usually cherished.
Allen also looked at Brother Paul, a hint of a smile on his lips.
'This is probably what it means to be flustered by concern. When faced with a sudden change, people subconsciously care about what they cherish...'
The word "change" rippled in Allen's heart. In the corner of his eye, Philip's smile hadn't changed.
His lips were moving slightly... as if he was about to say something.
The gaze that had swept past him by the irrigation canal echoed in his mind.
Allen's smile suddenly froze.
The smoke and dust that had turned into the system panel were still floating before his eyes.
That sentence floated before him.
[You did not wait for the 'test' content that Philip had originally set up.]
'Wait, no way...'
He jerked his head up and looked at the door of the second carriage. The sound of rustling clothes and struggling from inside the carriage was clearly audible to him.
The next instant!
"THUD!"
The carriage door was suddenly kicked open!
A wave of vibrant red surged in the air.
It was a hair color as vivid as red paint, beating against the air in layers.
Hotter than fire.
"I told you not to cover my mouth!!"
"My lady!! You must be a lady outside, mind your manners!! We agreed that you wouldn't come out until the master spoke!"
"Hmph!"
A girl with high-spirited eyebrows jumped down from the carriage, shouting impatiently at the cat-eared maid behind her. With her arms crossed and legs apart, she issued a declaration of her 'arrival' to all the dumbfounded people in front of the courtyard, like a young lioness!
"Who is Allen?!"
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