Allen, seeing the situation, no longer paid attention to Rudeus. He turned toward the group of children who used youth and so-called "justice" to cover their inner malice and pleasure in bullying, and let out a heavy breath.
He unconsciously brushed his wet bangs back. The water splashed by the earlier blade toss made his hair look stiff, almost like it was gelled. The sharp aura he exuded made Rudeus instinctively look away.
Allen stepped in front of the tallest chubby kid, who was only half a head shorter. Though the kid had obeyed, his eyes betrayed defiance—especially after learning Allen was also only nine.
"You look unsatisfied?"
"You're just bullying us because you have a sword!"
Allen chuckled, lowered his head, and lightly patted the boy's cheek.
"You ganged up on a helpless girl because she was weak. Now that I'm stronger and armed, I'm bullying you. Seems fair, doesn't it?"
He leaned in like a patient older brother, his voice soft but edged with iron.
"I'm strong, you're weak. Isn't that... perfectly natural?"
The chubby boy flushed red.
"She's a demon!"
Allen sneered.
"She's a demon? Then I'm your dad. Come on, say it. Say 'Dad.'"
The boy froze, unfamiliar with this kind of verbal sparring. His face twisted, and then—
"Waaaah!"
"Did I say you could cry?"
The crying stopped.
"If I ever catch you bullying her again, I'll twist your heads off and feed you to monsters. Cry now. Then get lost."
The brats ran off bawling.
Allen scoffed and turned toward Sylphy, intending to finally get a proper look at the beautiful girl.
What he saw was a muddy-faced child, too messy to see clearly, staring up at him in a daze. Next to her, the trench Allen had carved into the earth with his douki was only half a body's width away. Though the kids hadn't hit her, Allen definitely had.
Sylphy hadn't been hit by mud—but she'd been splashed all over by Allen's stunt.
Allen opened his mouth awkwardly and looked at Rudeus.
Rudeus had also been splattered but was too dazed, still watching the retreating bullies.
Allen waved in front of his face.
"Hey, Rudeus, maybe you can help her clean up with water magic. Uh... and maybe wash yourself, too."
Rudeus blinked, looking hazy.
"...Okay."
Just then, Sylphy seemed to come to herself. She suddenly jumped into the waterlogged paddy and—under Allen and Rudeus' stunned eyes—struggled to retrieve Allen's blade. After dragging it back onto dry land, she solemnly returned it to him with both hands without meeting his eyes, focusing instead on her soaked shoes.
Mud-dripping bangs hung over her face, dripping softly. Her pointed ears twitched to the rhythm.
Allen blinked and instinctively reached to pat her head.
Sylphy flinched away.
His hand froze midair. Crap. He'd acted entirely on leftover rage from his dream without checking the system once.
Was the favorability not triggered? Did he scare her?
Sylphy, having dodged, now seemed flustered by Allen's silence. Hugging her head, she shuffled nervously and tilted her head under Allen's hovering hand.
[Instant Free Mission: Gain Sylphy's Favorability – Completed. Time Spent: 4:23:17. Rating: True Hero of Justice! I dub thee King of Children!]
[Barrier Magic Slot Unlocked]
Smoke-like douki slithered through Allen's core, buzzing in a way only his soul could hear. A new white, stalactite-shaped slot appeared beside the previous dull groove.
Allen blinked. His hand was still on Sylphy's head. She hadn't moved since. She just stood there blinking, looking around at the ground, but didn't back away again.
A burning gaze seared into Allen's cheek. He slowly turned.
Rudeus was watching with suspicion, eyes flicking between Allen's hand, Sylphy's face, and Allen's face again—on loop.
Sylphy's features were exquisitely delicate. Even though Allen had braced himself, he was still stunned.
Long eyelashes, a petite and defined nose, elegant jawline, and twitching long ears.
And that skin.
So pale, you could almost see the veins under her skin in the sunlight.
Frankly, she was more beautiful than her anime version.
Especially her reddish-brown eyes, sparkling like jewels.
Such eyes shouldn't look dull or numb.
Sylphy blinked, eyes cast down at the grass. Her green hair floated in the breeze.
Rudeus, styling her hair like a makeshift Tony hairdresser, was focused.
He'd confirmed Sylphy lacked the red demon eye—so Allen truly had played the hero.
'Maybe Allen saw someone bullying this little "boy" when he arrived and planned to intervene all along… but why drag me into it? Was he afraid of losing his job if he acted alone? Or just needed a witness? Still, pulling a sword on kids—that's wild…'
'Actually, good job, Allen-sama! Uh, just wish I hadn't been the background prop.'
'Well, at least I've got a new cute boy ally. That helps my reverse charm strategy. The more handsome dudes I'm around, the better my odds with girls... Too bad it's a boy, not a loli—this shy type would be perfect for training—wait, kidding! …Wait, is he really a boy?'
Rudeus glanced down. Sylphy was wearing rough boyish pants, unlike other girls in the village.
'No way! Did Allen know?! That sly fox… No wonder he and Paul have such good chemistry—Allen, you traitor!'
Rudeus ranted mentally like a true NEET, but his hands worked fast. Before long, Sylphy's hair was dry and neat.
She blinked and stood up.
The trio sat on a grassy hill near the farmland. A single towering tree provided shade, leaves casting flickering shadows.
Sylphy tucked her toes in, voice barely audible.
"Thank you..."
She glanced at Rudeus, then shyly peeked behind her.
Allen was leaning lazily against the tree, gazing up at the canopy. A patch of dappled sunlight danced on his lips.
Softer than the breeze.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]