The next morning, Zenith stared at Allen in astonishment during breakfast.
The boy sitting at the table had washed his hair, letting the soft brown locks fall naturally to cover his freshly trimmed, straight eyebrows. He was wearing a pair of black, square-rimmed glasses—though if one looked closely, they would see the lenses had been removed.
He had changed into one of Paul's old shirts. It was slightly loose on him, with a lower collar that gave him a somewhat lazy, relaxed vibe.
He smiled amiably at everyone around the table.
His entire aura had shifted instantly from "sharp and dangerous" to "gentle and harmless."
Allen nodded gratefully to Lilia, who was standing by the side adhering strictly to her maid duties and not eating with them.
"Thank you."
Lilia blinked.
Last night, Allen had suddenly knocked on her door, begging for a pair of glasses, saying his face might be too scary for Rudeus. Although she found it odd, she gave him an old pair she no longer used.
Now, looking at him, it suited him unexpectedly well.
"You're welcome. It suits you."
Allen smiled and nodded to himself.
This should be much better. I spent ages in front of the mirror last night modifying my look. Surely Rudeus won't be so afraid of me now... Er... why do I feel like I'm playing a galgame?
He turned to look at Rudeus.
Rudeus made a horrified face, lowered his head, and began to shovel food into his mouth frantically.
A cross-dressing pervert!
Allen's mouth twitched, unsure how to proceed.
However, this look seemed to hit Paul's strike zone. He stared straight at Allen's glasses, his gaze drifting down to the defined muscles visible through the loose shirt, then nodded occasionally at Lilia, looking extremely satisfied.
[Congratulations, Host. You have once again gained Paul's goodwill...]
Allen smiled while casually waving his spoon through the air to scatter the System text, then scooped up some soup.
This is f*ing ridiculous.
All morning, Allen tried to subtly get close to Rudeus. At lunch, he even attempted the Franklin Effect again—deliberately dropping his spoon and asking Rudeus to pick it up.
He expressed his thanks with a sincere "Dead Horse Face" (a stiff, awkward smile).
But seeing this, Rudeus made a face like he had just seen the Dragon God Orsted in a light novel illustration. He seemed even more terrified of Allen.
By afternoon, Rudeus went out to "scout terrain" and didn't even come back. Naturally, the sword lesson was cancelled.
Instead, Paul enthusiastically dragged Allen into a "True Man 1v1 Sword Fight."
Rudeus only returned at dusk. By then, Paul had fought to his heart's content and didn't even care if Allen, the nominal teacher, was actually doing his job.
Lying in bed that night, accompanied by the System joyfully announcing Paul's skyrocketing favorability, Allen drifted into a painful sleep.
Day 2.
Early in the morning, Paul called Allen out for sword practice.
Unable to refuse such hospitality, Allen accepted.
This time, Rudeus stayed home.
The problem was, this "hearty sword fight" lasted the entire day.
Allen could clearly feel that Paul, whose skills had rusted from country life, was actually regaining his proficiency.
That night, Allen once again fell asleep in agony.
What is this...
Day 3.
Things took a turn.
Rudeus finally had to face his sword teacher. After observing for two days, he realized Allen just had a resting villain face and wasn't actually a bully like in his past life.
But there was still no goodwill. Naturally, Rudeus just treated Allen as a passing NPC.
The afternoon sword practice was the opportunity...
But accidents happen. When the absent-minded Rudeus let his wooden sword fly out of his hand again, Paul, who had been sitting on the sidelines with brows furrowed deep enough to trap a fly, stood up abruptly.
He picked up the wooden sword and started wrestling with Allen!
Allen looked at Rudeus in horror. He saw Rudeus looking at Paul with worshipful eyes, as if seeing a god descend.
Then Rudeus turned around, went into the house, grabbed his plant encyclopedia, and ran out to play, leaving Allen staring blankly at his retreating back.
At dusk, the System notified Allen that he had "promoted the bond between Rudeus and Paul" and awarded him 5 Participation Points.
That night, Allen slapped his own face in pain, determined to complete the Rudeus Goodwill Mission tomorrow.
Allen, oh Allen... how have you fallen so low??
Day 4.
Sword fighting. (With Paul).
Evening.
Allen stared at his rice bowl with a miserable expression, feeling his mental state on the verge of collapse.
[Rudeus: Countdown: 9:16:47]
[Hang in there, Host. If you keep this up, Paul might propose to you.]
Allen buried his face in his bowl in agony.
Zenith cast a confused glance at him.
"What's wrong, Allen? Are you not feeling well?"
I'm feeling terrible. Do you know that if this continues, I'm going to become the mistress before Lilia does?
Allen struggled to pull his face out of the bowl and forced a crooked smile.
"Nothing. The food is delicious. I like it very much."
"Really?! Honey! Allen has been praising my cooking for days!"
Paul nodded with a grin, agreeing wholeheartedly, then looked at Allen with appreciation.
"He also praises my swordsmanship often."
Bro Paul, don't do this. I'm scared...
Allen held his forehead and looked at Rudeus, who was burying his face in his food across the table.
Rudeus seemed to sense his gaze, looked up, and squeezed out a trace of amusement.
Allen exchanged a defeated look with him and nodded.
Just then, Paul suddenly spoke.
"Rudeus, I've noticed you haven't been very focused on swordsmanship these past few days."
Rudeus's eyes lit up. He glanced quickly at Allen, seemingly understanding Allen's earlier nod as a signal. He spoke up.
"Father, actually Teacher Allen's swordsmanship is excellent. It's just that my talent seems to lie in magic. Plus, the weather is getting warmer, and the plants outside are growing lushly. I unconsciously want to go out and identify more plants from the encyclopedia. I'm sorry."
Hearing Rudeus deliberately make excuses for his "teammate," Allen actually felt Rudeus was quite considerate. He couldn't help but feel some goodwill toward him.
[Reverse Uno Card! Rudeus has successfully obtained the Host's Goodwill!]
F**, kill me. Right now!*
Paul rubbed his chin and looked at the ceiling. After a long silence, he dropped a bombshell.
"To be honest, I didn't think so before, but now that Allen is here... by comparison, I really think you aren't material for the sword..."
Allen looked at Paul in horror.
My goodwill mission is already on the brink of failure! Paul-bro, don't sabotage me!!!
The steam from the food suddenly swirled.
[Successfully obtained Rudeus's Goodwill. Time elapsed: 86 hours 31 seconds. Evaluation: Survival from a desperate situation. A tricky angle. Paul is definitely someone you can entrust your life to.]
[Detoxification Magic Crest unlocked.]
Allen stared dumbfounded at Rudeus. Rudeus shot a quick, grateful glance at Allen, then widened his eyes and looked at Paul with feigned innocence.
He chose his words carefully, the smirk at the corner of his mouth barely visible in the lamplight. The dagger was revealed.
"Then Father... can I shorten my sword practice time to focus on magic? I feel like... swordsmanship only needs to be good enough for fitness, right? After all, I'm not cut out to be a master swordsman."
Paul paused, instinctively looking at Allen.
Allen's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish.
Rudeus, you magnificent bastard. I concede.
But Paul, why the f** are you looking at me instinctively?*
For raising your child... you should be looking at your wife!!