The newcomer was Roxy.
After responding to her hasty warning, Allen's mind couldn't help but recall the plot of the original story.
Without a doubt, her appearance at this time and place, carrying a suitcase, meant she had just parted ways with Rudeus's family and was setting off on her adventures again from Buena Village.
He had missed it.
But in a way, he had also made it.
*Sort of.*
So, the question was this: The Transmigration Guide's mission required him to participate in the major events of each of Rudeus's growth stages, leaving his "mark" in the eyes of the main characters to earn participation points. Was this his chance?
According to Allen's plan, getting close to Roxy was a surefire way to rack up a lot of points—as he'd told himself before, Roxy was far too important to the original story.
In Rudeus's growth, the conflict with the Man-God was the main plotline, and Roxy was the *reason* the Man-God appeared. After the Teleport Incident, Roxy helped Rudeus search for his family. During this time, they fell in love. It was precisely because of their union and the birth of their child, Lara, that a key figure who would one day seal the Man-God came into being. The Teleport Incident altered causality, and the Man-God, seeing his own end through his future sight, began to interfere with Rudeus, thus kicking off the main story.
The opportunity was right in front of him, yet Allen hesitated. As someone who had read the books, his greatest advantage was his pseudo-future sight, with the system being a close second. This meant that, first and foremost, he shouldn't let his personal feelings for the original characters excessively interfere with the plot. It would be best to participate in the major events as a relatively strong side character.
If he caused too much of an impact... and was discovered by the Dragon God, who wandered through cycles of time, it was highly likely Orsted would gut him without listening to a word of explanation. Instant death. Based on his current system attributes, confronting the Dragon God was still a long way off.
His future sight was more important... By using it, he could avoid an early encounter with Orsted.
Roxy, seeing Allen's increasingly serious gaze, shifted her legs uncomfortably. She tugged at a lock of her blue hair, her eyes fixed on the blood-stained grass beside her, trying to find the words to say something.
Just then, clouds of smoke materialized from thin air, blocking his view of Roxy.
He blinked in confusion.
*'Huh? Why is the system popping up now? My swordsmanship shouldn't have improved enough to warrant an update...'*
Then, bold, underlined, and red text solidified in the air, and Allen's face instantly stiffened.
**[Transmigration Guide Instant Quest Issued.]**
**[First Encounter with Roxy.]**
**[Quest Background: The host has once again missed the event of Roxy tutoring Rudeus during his childhood. Roxy separated from Rudeus two days ago. This chance encounter is the host's only remaining opportunity to make up for it.]**
**[Quest Description: Obtain Roxy's favor within one hour. Obtain Rudeus's favor within four days.]**
**[Quest Reward: Healing Magic Slot - Unlocked (2/4).]**
**[Healing Magic Slot: Four magic sigil slots will be inscribed on the host's Dragon Saint Touki nucleus, corresponding to the four types of magic in the healing system: Healing Magic, Detoxification Magic, Barrier Magic, and Divine Strike Magic.]**
**[The host can acquire a sigil through physical contact with a creature that has cast one of these four types of magic within the last minute. The system will copy and solidify the magic's fluctuation into a sigil in the slot. Once activated, the sigil will continuously apply the corresponding magic effect to the host's body until the host's mana is depleted. Note: The sigil's effect only applies to the host's body and cannot be used on external objects.]**
**[Quest Start.]**
**[Roxy: Countdown: 0:59:59. Completion will unlock the Healing Magic Slot.]**
**[Rudeus: Countdown: 95:59:58. Completion will unlock the Detoxification Magic Slot.]**
*Wait? What? Favor???*
*Huh?*
*Seriously, system? Are you for real? Roxy's favor, fine... but what the hell is Rudeus's favor?? And you're holding back with this '2/4' thing? You can't fool me! It's obvious the other two are the other heroines!*
Watching the rapid changes in Allen's expression, Roxy finally couldn't stand it anymore. Attempting to break the awkward silence, she scratched her cheek in embarrassment and said, "Um... I was traveling by night and saw the firelight in the forest, so I came closer... I happened to see the monsters attacking a person... I subconsciously cast a spell, but I didn't expect you to be able to handle them yourself... It seems I was being meddlesome, and I almost hit you..."
Her cute, stuttering voice, a sign of her social awkwardness, snapped Allen out of his stupor. The system panel had dissipated, and he could see Roxy clearly again.
In the firelight, the "Goddess" (a nickname from Rudeus in *Mushoku Tensei*) shifted her legs nervously. Her black knee-high socks had slipped slightly, revealing a faint red mark on her fair skin. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes darted around, looking everywhere but at Allen.
At that moment, as the surging Touki in his body subsided, Allen felt a warmth in his nose. Very quickly, a nosebleed started. (Keep reading, it's not from looking at her legs.)
He dazedly touched his nose, glanced at Roxy's two blue pigtails, and seemed to hesitate for a long moment... but it was only an instant.
Then, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted, falling straight to the ground.
Of course, he was faking it.
As for the nosebleed...
—The North God Style's 'Nijuuzan' was a rapid iai slash that relied entirely on physical conditioning and proficiency. In his current state, his body, which had not yet fully matured, couldn't handle unleashing five consecutive slashes in such a short time. The rapid surge of Touki had ruptured his capillaries. This was also why his North God Style rank wasn't higher—he couldn't sustain the use of its practical techniques in continuous combat. As for the more bizarre techniques of the style, he had yet to master many of them. It wasn't that he couldn't, but that he was unwilling.
He could do some of them, like the flashy North King from the Asura Kingdom succession war who covered his entire body in mirrors. But unless it was a last resort, he really didn't want to turn himself into a walking disco ball.
Normally, a mere ruptured capillary wouldn't have made Allen 'faint.'
But... the quest had been given, the countdown was ticking, and the opportunity had presented itself.
So, no hesitation.
—To gain Roxy's favor in a short amount of time, fainting was the easiest and most effective method:
The Ben Franklin Effect.
The most direct way to win the favor of a stranger you've just met isn't to help them, but to ask for their help.
First, it gives the other person a sense of 'self-importance,' making them feel valued.
Second, as they help you, a subconscious desire to not let their effort go to waste will naturally make them invest more attention in you in subsequent interactions, leading to more positive feelings.
The result is: "You ask about my relationship with him/her? Let me think... I helped him/her once, so I guess we get along pretty well~"
And now was the perfect time to apply the Ben Franklin Effect. Allen's fainting was a reasonable and natural pretext to "ask for help."
Furthermore, since Roxy's water ball had nearly hit Allen by mistake, she already felt a bit of guilt towards him.
It was obvious.
—Now! Right now, at this very moment! This was a limited-time opportunity to ask for help that would absolutely not be refused!
*Thump.* Allen hit the ground.
*'Come on, Ben Franklin Effect, do your thing! Mama Roxy... please help this child! (An in-joke for Mushoku Tensei fans, not to be taken literally). You are the one true goddess of Mushoku Tensei, please say a prayer and let your faithful believer rise again!'*
Allen closed his eyes and prayed for the goddess's favor. Sure enough, he soon heard Roxy's flustered muttering and the sound of her pacing back and forth.
"He... he fainted? D-did the water ball hit him after all? W-w-what do I do??"
Allen (internally): *Use healing magic!!*
"Should I... r-r-run away?"
Allen (internally): *What???*
"Wait, wait, Roxy, don't panic. Calm down, calm down."
A cool hand touched Allen's lips.
"He's... still breathing. It's an external wound. I'll use healing magic. With my skill level, there's still time!"
Allen (internally): *...I'm saved. Thank you.*
He sighed in relief. Roxy's panicky reaction reminded him of the time in the novel when she used the Water Saint-tier spell, Cumulonimbus, and the resulting lightning stunned Rudeus's family horse, throwing her into a similar panic.
It was real, more real than in the anime or the novel. The stoic-faced Blue Mama looked so serious, but the clumsy Blue Mama had a completely different, adorable charm.
Ugh...
Though, attempting to flee the scene and abandon the body was also pretty realistic.
Spoken like a true adventurer.
Roxy's slightly rushed voice rang out.
"O Mother Goddess, full of mercy! Please heal this person's wounds! Let him be restored to health! Healing!"
Allen had been waiting. The moment the incantation finished, he shot up, sitting straight like a board!
It was very fast!
He swiftly reached out and grabbed Roxy's hand. Amidst her wide-eyed shock, embarrassment, bewilderment, and relief, he spoke with a sincere and earnest expression.
Allen: "Thank you! Goddess."
Roxy: Σ(°ロ°)!!
As soon as he spoke, the smoky system panel appeared before him.
**[Successfully obtained Roxy's favor. Time elapsed: 2 minutes 47 seconds.]**
**[Evaluation: Fast. Aggressive. The makings of a home-wrecker.]**
**[Healing Magic Slot unlocked.]**
**[Detecting physical contact with Roxy. Searching for Healing Magic cast by Roxy within the last minute.]**
**[Search successful. Sigil inscribed: Intermediate Healing.]**
Allen blinked, feeling a little emotional as he stared at the panicked, startled face of the legal loli before him.
For a moment, he couldn't tell if the sudden favor was due to the Ben Franklin Effect or simply because he had praised her.
But one thing was certain:
This was the 'Goddess.'
Generous, fair-skinned, beautiful, and cute.
The Goddess's cheeks flushed red. She pulled her hand out of Allen's grasp, smoothed her bangs, and averted her gaze again.
"...'Goddess' is a bit much... It's just a regular Intermediate-tier healing spell. Calling me a goddess is too exaggerated..."
And easy to please.
Allen looked at Roxy, who was now sitting with her legs tucked under her, a short distance away. Her half-lidded eyes, as if from lack of sleep, gave her a somewhat cool expression, but her flustered demeanor, mixed with the clear happiness from being praised as a goddess, completely contradicted her expression.
Gap moe.
*Tsk, Rudeus Greyrat.* The tastes of a thirty-four-year-old Japanese NEET, thoroughly seasoned by eroge.
He was not wrong.
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