Paul didn't look at his wife. He stared at the ceiling again, recalling Allen's situation and what he had said before.
Allen had promised to protect Rudeus's future. In that case, Rudeus didn't seem to need to master swordsmanship excessively... With their current abilities, they were already perfectly suited to tackle labyrinths as an adventurer duo.
But I still feel a bit unreconciled... How can my child have no talent for the sword?
"Well..."
"Master Paul, this is undoubtedly feasible. Because I am utterly clueless about magic. In this way, Rudeus can specialize in magic, and I can specialize in the sword. We can cover each other's weaknesses. Moreover, rather than a teacher-student relationship, I would prefer to be Rudeus's friend or partner."
Paul paused, looking at Allen, who had suddenly sat up straight and was looking at him with utter seriousness. Subconsciously, he felt Allen made sense.
"...True. Then let's shorten it by one hour."
Allen turned to look at Rudeus. The boy blinked rapidly and gave Allen a thumbs-up under the table.
"Thank you, Teacher."
In Rudeus's room, Allen looked at the tuft of brown hair sticking up on Rudeus's head and felt a wave of unreality wash over him.
I worked my ass off trying to win your goodwill, and it was useless. But the moment I gave up, laid flat, and accepted being a salted fish, the goodwill points just rolled in?
Is this reasonable?
"Reasonably guiding Father's words and actions is something I do often. I didn't expect you to be a fellow practitioner, Teacher."
"Ah, yes."
"Please, keep up the good work. In the future, please make sure I don't have to learn swordsmanship anymore. As you can see, I prefer magic to the sword."
"Ah, yes."
Allen paused.
Wait, you brat. You're basically wishing for me to lose my job and disappear from your sight.
Rudeus watched Allen's dazed expression, the corner of his mouth twitching into the benevolent smile he usually reserved for watching Paul be an idiot.
But seeing Allen look back, he suddenly turned serious again.
"Father said you met Roxy on the road?"
Allen blinked.
"Yes. I owe her a favor, in a way."
Rudeus nodded like a pecking chicken, then scrunched up his small face. He looked conflicted—wanting to ask but afraid of not getting the answer he wanted, yet unwilling to not ask.
"Did she mention me?"
Allen looked at Rudeus.
"She did."
Rudeus instantly brightened up.
"What did she say??"
"She said you have a glib tongue and are a pervert."
Rudeus's smile collapsed.
"Huh?"
"She also said you stole her panties."
The moment the word "panties" dropped, Rudeus whipped his head toward the bottom of his bed. Then, realizing what he had done, he stiffly turned his neck back to look at Allen.
Allen narrowed his eyes.
"I didn't think you actually stole them..."
"I can explain! Please don't tell Father and Mother!"
"Oh, come on."
Allen walked to the bedside while Rudeus watched in terror, and looked down.
Just as expected, a small pair of white panties was tucked into the gap under the bed frame...
Even though I was mentally prepared, seeing it in person really makes me sigh. Rudeus, you B-tier bastard, you really are a pervert...
Allen's mouth twitched. He turned to look at the stiff-faced Rudeus.
"Where's the shrine? Shouldn't they usually be placed in a shrine?"
Rudeus froze.
"What?"
Allen raised an eyebrow.
"You don't have one?"
Wait... at this point in the timeline, he hasn't put it in a shrine yet. I got the timing wrong...
He blinked, ready to fabricate an excuse.
But Rudeus shouted loud enough to make him jump.
"Genius!"
Rudeus looked at Allen with the expression of seeing a long-lost family member, grabbing Allen's hands with both of his own.
"Genius! Yes! A Holy Relic should be enshrined! Teacher, you are truly a genius!"
Allen looked at him, his face twitching.
Numb. I just received a professional certification from a pervert.
[Rudeus's Goodwill obtained again. It seems success is no accident; the Host's ability has been verified multiple times.]
F** off. Can you give me some normal tasks?*
Rudeus blinked and looked at Allen suspiciously.
"Does the concept of a 'shrine' exist in your hometown too?"
Allen curled his lip.
"Ah, yes. My hometown is quite remote, so there are some strange spiritual sustenance practices. Every household worships their own gods."
Rudeus asked curiously.
"...Gods?"
"For example, the God of High Notes is Oh-豪 (Ou Hao), the God of Contracts is RNG, and the God of Abstract Art is Chicken (Ji Yin)."
(TL Note: Chinese internet meme references. Ou Hao = Actor meme; RNG = eSports team contract meme; Chicken/Ji Yin = Kun/Basketball meme).
Rudeus looked bewildered.
"...These gods have strange names... is it a local dialect? Uh... then what god does Teacher's family worship?"
Allen glanced at Rudeus.
"My family worships the Three-Color Goddesses: Blue Mama, White Mama, and Red Mama."
Rudeus scratched his head. He understood the words this time but failed to comprehend the meaning.
Why is this guy talking nonsense...
Allen looked at Rudeus. Speaking of the "Three-Color Mamas" reminded him of Sylphiette. He asked:
"By the way, I see you running outside every day. Did you make any friends? If you really have friends, you can invite them home for a meal. I'm sure the Master and Mistress would be happy to see you make friends."
Rudeus looked blank.
"Friends? No. I'm just scouting terrain."
"Is that so..."
Allen studied Rudeus's face. He felt the boy probably wasn't playing dumb. In his past life, Rudeus was kicked out of his house, so playing outside in this life really was just to train his survival skills in case he got kicked out again.
In the original story, after Roxy left, Rudeus soon met Sylphiette. But there should be a time gap. During this period, he was doing exactly this.
As for meeting Sylphie, that probably happened in the summer. It was barely the end of March or early April now.
That means Sylphie still has to be bullied for a while... She's bullied because of her green hair. She's probably been bullied since she was old enough to run outside...
White Mama's gray childhood had a profound impact... Her subservient traits in the Newlywed Arc are directly related to this.
Allen sighed silently.
Guiding Rudeus to save Sylphie early shouldn't cause too much of a butterfly effect... Logically, the related events won't change much, just knowing each other half a year earlier.
"...Don't you play with the other kids in the village?"
Rudeus looked away, scratching his cheek.
"Well... we probably can't play together."
Allen looked down at him.
"Say... do you count us as friends?"
Rudeus's mouth twitched.
...I thought this fierce-looking brat was mature, but turns out he's just like a kid, always talking about 'tomodachi' (friends)...
Rudeus put on his signature "good boy" smile.
"Of course we are! After all, Teacher just won me an hour less of sword practice today!"
The next moment, Allen poked his cheek.
"Don't be fake. I really want to be friends with you."
Rudeus froze.
Allen looked at him, turned, and walked out. At the door, he turned back.
"Tomorrow I'll help you make a shrine. Also, I'll keep the panties thing a secret."
Rudeus's eyes lit up with divine light.
"Deal!"
Smoke materialized in front of Allen's eyes.
[Free Immediate Mission — Obtain Sylphiette's Goodwill, available for release.]
[Mission Reward: Barrier Magic Slot, Unlocked.]
[Before Rudeus encounters Sylphiette in the original timeline, you may choose when to start this mission. Once started, must be completed within one day. Release early?]