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The result of "coming up for a bit" led Allen and Roxy to his own bedroom.
First, the main gate downstairs was locked at night, so Allen naturally climbed through the window and quietly opened the door. Roxy, not wanting to disturb everyone's sleep in the middle of the night, hesitated for a moment before entering. She wandered around, unsure of where to go.
Somehow, this back-and-forth naturally evolved into the strange development of, "Why don't you come up to my room for some water?"
The candlelight flickered on the table between them, casting a warm glow as the two sat in silence.
Earlier, under the cover of darkness and the enchanting moonlight, the two had managed to close the distance between them with just a few words. But now, under the bright candlelight, their faces were clearly visible, and the awkwardness of having only met once—and not having seen each other for two months—was palpable.
Actually, things might have been fine up to this point. What pushed the atmosphere to the edge of the cliff was...
Roxy's miniature figurine was still on Allen's desk. And it was the detachable kind...
Allen stared blankly at Roxy, who was frowning as she examined the figurine.
[Even after witnessing it multiple times, the host's seamless techniques are still astonishing. First, you skillfully pulled her into your bedroom, then deliberately let her see the figurine on the desk, implying a metaphor of longing...]
The words floated into Allen's mind, and he covered his face in despair.
'...Stop it. I completely forgot about the figurine... As for the pulling... I can explain. It's actually a simple reason. Under the darkness effect, people tend to...'
[The darkness effect, huh? Should I blow out the candle and excuse myself?]
'...That won't be necessary... Thank you.'
[I should remind the host that even if Roxy's favorability continues to rise, it will only be by a few points at most. Hmm... Could this also be part of the host's plan? I've said too much. I wish you a wonderful night.]
'Yeah, great. If you don't know how to speak, I suggest you leave.'
[Goodnight~)]
As the words faded, Roxy's cool voice reached Allen's ears.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Allen looked up in surprise to see Roxy, who had taken off her magic robe, sitting stiffly on the chair, trying to appear calm but clearly a little uneasy.
At some point, she had shifted her gaze from the figurine to Allen.
The candlelight flickered in her deep blue eyes, like ripples in a serene lake, with hints of green shimmering within.
Allen stared into Roxy's eyes and murmured, "I was feeling unwell earlier, but now I'm fine."
At this moment, it felt just like that time.
...
Seeing Allen's sudden dazed expression, Roxy blinked.
"Are you... saying something flirtatious again? I don't quite understand."
Allen was delighted.
"That's great!"
[...]
Roxy gave him a strange look but didn't press further. Instead, she turned her attention to the room, glancing around.
"It's so nostalgic... This is the room I lived in for two years."
"Yeah, the other rooms don't have beds. This is the only guest room. If we want to clean up another room, we'll have to wait until the master and mistress wake up tomorrow. So, for tonight, let's just make do here... Uh..."
Allen suddenly froze mid-sentence.
'Damn, what kind of line is that?!'
Roxy, however, didn't seem to misunderstand. She calmly turned her gaze back to the figurine on the desk.
"...That's true. It's too late now. I'll just have to make do by sleeping on the desk. By the way... is this doll something Rudy made?"
Allen glanced at the hyper-realistic miniature version of Roxy on the desk, his temple twitching.
"Uh... Maybe you should ask him yourself tomorrow."
Roxy turned her head, looking at Allen with a puzzled expression.
"Oh? Could it be that you made it?"
As she spoke, Roxy reached out to touch the figurine, then shook her head helplessly. She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand, and leaned forward to rest her head on the desk.
Her gaze returned to Allen, who was still frozen in place.
"The familiar earth magic... It must be his work... That kid is always up to something... Oh, I almost forgot, you're also quite young... By the way, Allen, what exactly happened in the capital? Why did your family... Uh... If it's not something you can talk about, that's fine."
Allen scratched his head.
"It's not that I can't talk about it. It's just the usual power struggles among nobles. You might not know this, but the Boreas family has a tradition where the next head of the family is decided through a competition among the heirs during their childhood. The winner becomes the candidate for the next head, while the losers are required to give up their male children to the winner as 'adopted sons' to prevent future internal conflicts over power."
At this point, Allen pointed to himself.
"And I am one of those adopted sons. Although I was raised by James in the capital, I am actually the eldest son of Philip, the mayor of Roa."
Roxy, resting her head on her arm, widened her eyes slightly.
"Mayor Philip? Then... how did you find out you were his child?"
Allen lied without hesitation, choosing the most plausible explanation to cover up the fact that he had read the novel and knew about the events of Mushoku Tensei.
"My so-called mother treated the children so differently that it raised my suspicions. By calculating her pregnancy periods, I realized that another child born around the same time, whom she clearly favored, was her real son. After that, it was easy to confirm by asking around about the Boreas family's traditions."
"The assassination attempt... Did they find out about your investigation?"
"...I'm not sure, but I've always lacked respect for James. He might have suspected something. He's very power-hungry, and Philip, who's quite ambitious, is a huge threat to him. Arranging an assassination attempt on me is completely within his motives... Besides him, I haven't offended anyone else."
"...I see..."
"As for why I sought refuge with my uncle, it's because I couldn't directly reveal myself to Philip. If I did, James would definitely notice. Thankfully, my uncle accepted me..."
Allen stopped speaking. He looked at Roxy, who had already fallen asleep on the desk.
He smiled at her sleeping face and, using his fine control over the Flow technique, gently moved her to the bed without waking her. Then he turned and blew out the candle.
From the drawer, he took out a map and a pen.
Moonlight spilled onto the aged map as Allen slowly drew a new circle—the forest northeast of Donadieu Territory, Rigert City.
Allen's murmurs filled the room.
"...The bandit hideout in the forest southeast of Rigert City, involved in human trafficking, has been tracking my movements. Roxy's return to Buena Village is the direct trigger of the butterfly effect... This location... Will there be more butterfly effects in the future?"
"How annoying."
On the bed, Roxy, exhausted from her journey, lay on the soft bedding and soon began to breathe softly and evenly in her sleep.
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 85 on my patreon, go take a look.