Roxy, with a nostalgic expression, shared her childhood fantasy.
"I longed for adventure, hoping to meet him, and then through one adventure after another, we would develop feelings for each other, eventually embracing and saying 'I love you.'"
Roxy paused, gazing at the young man before her, and smiled, "When I saw you, I thought, maybe the prince on the white horse is you."
Upon hearing this, even with the thickest skin, Roa couldn't help but feel his face heat up.
Looking into those clear eyes, he felt a bit guilty.
Roxy continued, "In the future, there may be many troubles, and there may be arguments, but there will be more sweet happiness. Those hardships will only be decorations sprinkled on the cake, just as food cannot lack seasoning; all of this is worth it."
"Feelings will deepen, and life will become long-lasting. Everything will continue to change. We will have a lovely daughter or a mischievous son; this will be the fruit of our love."
"And what I hope for is, at the last moment of life, in a small courtyard, there will be two figures leaning against each other, sitting quietly in the small yard, enjoying the beauty of time, picking up fragments of memories. Everything will be just like in the beginning, with the sun peaceful and the trees rustling. The only change will be that the youthful figure in the crowd will have crossed through the throngs and come to my side, accompanying me through hardships, through wedding dresses, sharing the same pillow, and living a lifetime together."
Roa was genuinely moved this time. Roxy's innocent and flawless face was right in front of him, and he never expected Roxy could say such words.
This was also the girl's most genuine thought, the thing she had always fantasized about.
Things are beautiful, but reality is always cruel. Just thinking about the surrounding distractions made Roa feel a bit guilty towards Roxy.
Roxy's gaze shifted away from Roa, and he noticed that her face had unknowingly taken on a faint blush, her cheeks glowing like a morning glow, making her look exceptionally alluring.
Looking at such a girl, Roa swallowed hard, reached out to hold Roxy's hand, and sincerely said to her, "I will definitely make you happy."
This was also Roa's heartfelt words.
Although, in a certain sense, he was straddling multiple boats, wanting to make the girls happy was also Roa's intention.
He reached out to stroke Roxy's silky hair, the azure strands flowing through his fingers. Roxy's hair was long, and being close allowed him to catch a whiff of her scent, which was not entirely fragrant; there was a faint smell of sweat. However, in a certain sense, this was also a novel experience.
He lifted the girl's chin, and a blush quickly spread across her face. Roa gently kissed her.
Tasting Roxy's lips again, Roa felt a bit restless, his physiological instincts stirring once more.
Young men are always impetuous, especially someone like him.
But glancing at the sky, Roa decided to stop there.
Roxy stared at him with her beautiful eyes, a hint of daze in them. At this moment, she looked shyly at Roa, her face flushed, and her clothing slightly disheveled.
Undoubtedly, this was the work of the villain in front of her.
Feeling a bit embarrassed under Roxy's gaze, Roa cleared his throat, trying to change the subject, "So, what does Master Roxy want to eat?"
"You still remember I'm your master?" Roxy shot him an annoyed glance but didn't continue to dwell on what had just happened.
Roxy pondered for a moment, then excitedly pulled Roa down the mountain, rushing towards the bottom.
Having stayed in this country for so long, Roxy was not completely unfamiliar with the surrounding areas; she knew quite a bit.
For instance, which shops had good food, which items were expensive, which were cheap, and where the flesh trade was conducted; Roxy was well aware of all of it.
After a day of wandering, night had already fallen.
Nighttime was always exciting; it was often when mercenaries were most active, and the noble lords would light up their banquet lamps, the brilliant flames illuminating the entire city, casting a warm yet bright light that blossomed in every inch of the streets and alleys.
Of course, Roxy didn't want Roa to experience the nighttime world too much. After dinner, she hurriedly pulled Roa back to the palace.
Perhaps in Roxy's mind, Roa was still that innocent and kind-hearted boy from her childhood.
How open the world is, Roxy, as an adventurer, knew all too well. Here, almost anything could be bought for a night of romance with just a little silver coin.
Although Roxy still had confidence in Roa, she couldn't help but worry about those flirtatious individuals approaching them.
To prevent Roa from being tempted by women outside, Roxy directly dragged him away and sternly warned him not to associate with those casual women, advising him to firmly refuse any advances from those girls.
Roa nodded vigorously, putting on a well-behaved appearance.
However, the more he acted this way, the more it made Roxy feel a bit anxious.
Not to mention Roa's appearance, just the personalities of his family made Roxy quite worried.
Such thoughts only appeared in her mind for a moment, as Roxy was soon enveloped in sweet happiness.
Returning to the not-so-spacious room, what would happen next goes without saying.
————————————A Night Without Words——————————
The battle lasted a long time, and this time, Roxy became even more clingy.
Perhaps sensing that a long time would pass before their next meeting, the girl was always filled with anxiety.
In this instance, Roxy also fiercely tried to regain her ground.
It was evident that after resting for a month, Roxy's body had noticeably improved, and her combat power was significantly stronger than before.
However, in the end, the battle concluded with Roa's victory.
The next morning arrived.
Around nine o'clock, Roa got out of bed and gently stroked Roxy's soft hair beside him.
Roxy was awakened by Roa's movements, opened her eyes, glanced at Roa, who was already getting dressed, and asked, "Are you ready to leave?"
Roa nodded and said, "I have things to take care of. I'll write to you later."
Roxy turned over, exposing her fair neck and snow-white collarbone.
Covered by the blanket, recalling the madness of the previous night, a faint blush appeared on Roxy's face.
Pulling the blanket to cover her body, Roxy kicked Roa with her foot, showing an annoyed expression, and said, "What are you looking at? Didn't you see enough last night?"
Roa grasped her slender foot, stopping Roxy's movements.
With her ankle held by Roa, Roxy struggled symbolically a couple of times but couldn't break free, her face showing dissatisfaction.
Roa stepped forward, grinning, and kissed Roxy on the cheek.
"Good morning, Master Roxy."
"Still calling me Master Roxy? Do you like that title?"
Roa released his grip, and Roxy pulled her legs back, curling up in the blanket, realizing how dangerous that action had been.
The guy in front of her was truly full of energy.
Waving her hand, Roxy turned away, lying on her side with her back to Roa, and shouted, "If you're going, hurry up. Seriously."
Roa chuckled softly, of course, he didn't just leave as Roxy suggested.
Like a concerned father, Roa nagged Roxy, "When you're out, make sure to take care of yourself and don't get tricked by others."
"If you're going to take risks, make sure to find familiar adventurers. Not all adventurers out there are good people."
"Oh, right, here, take this."
Just as Roxy was impatiently holding her head, Roa pulled out a magic stone from his pocket.
Roxy lazily raised her eyes to glance at the magic stone, then became surprised. She sat up in bed, her face showing an unusual expression.
"What is this?"
Roxy asked curiously.
"This is a life-saving item. Just keep it safe; it will be useful at critical moments," Roa said with a mysterious smile, placing the magic stone around Roxy's fair neck.
The magic stone was beautiful, emitting a faint blue light, which was something Roa had specifically chosen.
In a way, this magic stone resembled a crystal pendant, but Roa had carved some runes on it and infused it with some magical power.
At critical moments, as long as magical power was used as a guide, the magic contained within could be activated. It was another life-saving item that Roa had prepared for Roxy.
No matter how many life-saving items one had, it was never too many; one would regret it if they waited until they needed it to realize its importance.
Roxy held the necklace around her neck, her face breaking into a happy smile, the slight curve of her lips and the sight of her white teeth made Roa feel a bit dazed.
"This time, I might not be able to see you for a while. I may have to go on a long trip," Roa said.
Roxy played with the beautiful magic stone in her hand and sighed, "Where are you going?"
"To the Holy Land of Swords."
According to the timeline, there were still two to three years before the transfer event occurred, and only then would the Human God officially show its claws.
If it followed the original story, the Human God's plans would mainly target Rudeus.
But since Roa had appeared, it was more likely that the focus would shift from Rudeus to himself.
Honestly, he could probably guess what the Human God was targeting.
It would still be from the family aspect; whether it was Paul, or Zenith, or Roxy, as long as he could handle the transfer event well and wait for the Human God to set the stage, the drama would truly begin.
With a package in hand, dressed in a short shirt, he walked out of the palace and disappeared in a few flashes toward a certain place.
Before heading to the Holy Land of Swords, he still needed to go back and see his foolish little sister.
Rudeus's Perspective
Rudeus was not doing well, or rather, ever since Roa left, he had been struggling.
When Roa was around, the girl would listen to him a bit, but after Roa left, her attitude had completely changed.
And this state had worsened over time.
The simplest example was the current scene.
Rudeus sighed, holding a math book in his hand, feeling somewhat dejected as he spoke to the red-haired, red-eyed girl in front of him, "Eris, how many times do I have to say it? Math is very important."
"Yes, yes, I know," Eris replied impatiently, glancing at Rudeus standing beside her, staring blankly at a page of paper.
The paper contained math problems that Rudeus had taught Eris, suitable for first and second graders, and they weren't too difficult. With a little thought, she could basically arrive at the answers.
At least, that's what Rudeus thought.
However, Eris was not like other children; her reactions to such things were always a beat slow, as if she was naturally not good at this.
Rudeus rubbed his forehead and sighed, "If Brother Roa came back and saw that your arithmetic has regressed compared to before, I wonder what he would think."
Eris froze at his words, then suddenly slammed her pen on the table, her fiery red eyes sparkling.
"Is that guy coming back?"
Rudeus looked at Eris, who was inexplicably excited, with a strange expression, but he still thought for a moment and said, "According to the timeline, it should be about time."
Eris crumpled the test paper in her hand, picked up a wooden sword placed nearby, and said to Rudeus, "Then let's have a match first. When that guy arrives, I want him to see my growth. I'm no longer the same me as before."
Roa, as Rudeus thought, had already arrived at the border of the Asura Kingdom. Originally, he planned to return home to see Paul and his two younger sisters, but after thinking for a moment, he decided to bring Rudeus back home with him.
Although Paul had explicitly forbidden Rudeus from returning home, hoping he could train well at Eris's place, Roa still believed it would be better for Rudeus to see his two sisters and the girl he had always been thinking about, Sylphy.
Rudeus was not an honest person; after all, how many people who had crossed over were truly honest?
Bonds were still very important, and letting Rudeus see his sisters was a good thing.