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Time flows back to the present, one day later.
The setting sun blazed like fire, and everyone stared in stunned silence at the snow, now stained a deep red.
At that moment, Zenith and Paul's expressions suddenly changed. They grabbed shovels and began frantically digging through the snow. Paul's aura had long been exhausted, and now he relied purely on physical strength to drive his movements.
Shovel by shovel, the snow in the valley was cleared, revealing patches of crimson snow.
Everyone stared at the scene, their expressions shifting in unison.
The sight of blood instinctively evokes thoughts of death.
That was why everyone had turned pale moments ago.
But upon closer thought...
With so much blood, how many deaths would that entail?
Deaths?
Were there even people in the valley?
Yes.
Only two victims.
But how could there be so much blood?
Then...
Where did all this blood come from?
And why was there so much of it?
Who was dying?!
And who was killing them?!
How long would it take to figure out the answer?
In the next instant, a fiery determination ignited in everyone's eyes! They grabbed their shovels and began digging with all their might!
Shovelfuls of snow.
Shovelfuls of blood!
Finally, the blood broke through, and a fountain of real blood gushed out, splattering everyone's faces.
Paul's eyes lit up, and he was about to continue digging when a chain reaction began.
The pressure imbalance caused more black snow to collapse.
With a rumbling sound, the thin wall of snow before them completely crumbled.
At this moment.
Though they were in the mountains, everyone present heard the sound of the "sea."
The tides, the waves.
A sea of blood!
It surged from the newly opened crack in the valley!!
In an instant, the overwhelming, almost tangible stench of blood filled the air, and the waves submerged everyone up to their knees.
No one paid attention to their feet; their gazes were fixed on the valley.
The evening glow from the mountain pass illuminated the blood-red sea within the valley.
A line of blood stretched across the surface of the sea, extending endlessly into the valley.
Countless monster corpses floated on the sea, rising and falling with the winter breeze.
In the sea of corpses, a blood-stained figure stood with his back to everyone, rooted in the blood.
Waves lapped at his knees, ripples spreading outward from his body.
The evening glow bathed the red sea, its shimmering waves reflecting the light.
The figure's silhouette.
Radiant and majestic.
Could the imagery of death be so beautiful?
Everyone remained silent, no one daring to step forward.
But even so, the collapsing snow had disturbed the figure.
The man in the sea turned to look at the crowd.
The glow of the sunset outlined his figure, obscuring his face.
But his voice, as lazy as ever, carried across the blood-red waves to everyone's ears.
It was soft, distant.
But it was loud enough!
He said.
"Next year."
"There won't be another monster tide."
Paul stared intently at Allen, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.
Zenith's shovel fell into the bloody waves. She gazed at the scene, listening to the familiar voice, and smiled at first, but her smile soon faded.
She covered her face.
Tears seeped through her fingers, dripping down and creating ripples in the blood at her knees.
Lilia patted her shoulder, laughing and crying at the same time.
Rudy, however, stared straight at Allen, muttering words only he could hear.
"Saved, saved, Allen, Sylphie... saved..."
"I'm saved..."
Laws looked beside Allen—Sylphie was floating on a piece of ice, clearly created by magic. The evening glow illuminated her hair, dyeing it a deep crimson.
She waved at everyone at the valley's entrance.
"We're fine~ Sorry for worrying everyone! We just finished dealing with the monsters and were trying to figure out how to get out when you all showed up~"
Her deliberately lowered voice kept the villagers, who were on the verge of cheering, calm. Who knew if shouting might trigger another avalanche?
So everyone fell silent, only jumping up and down in the blood to express their excitement.
But some were already running through the blood!
Rudy! Zenith! Paul! Lilia!
One by one, they waded through the blood, and to Allen's surprise, they embraced him tightly!
The hugs came one after another, sending Allen's thoughts floating into the air before plummeting back to earth.
Each hug added to the warmth and intensity.
Zenith's tears fell continuously onto Allen's face.
He looked dazed, his throat dry. The explanations he had prepared about the current situation remained unspoken.
At this moment, whether the monsters had been completely eradicated, whether there would be another monster tide next year—these urgent matters seemed unimportant.
What were they concerned about, then?
The warmth of the hugs provided the answer.
The emotions that had been interrupted by the swarm of monsters the night before, unable to fully form, now surged within Allen, creating massive waves in his heart.
As the waves of emotion rolled, fragments of memories flashed through his mind like a tide.
The lost expressions of Paul and Zenith after the revenge mission.
Zenith's careful conversations with Rudy after her pregnancy, ensuring Allen didn't feel like an outsider;
The tears and gratitude during the affair scandal;
The carefully prepared gifts and performances on his birthday;
The table set in advance every morning, the goodnights before bed.
Too many memories, too many suppressed emotions.
How could they ever be counted?
A panicked voice pulled him out of his frozen thoughts.
He instinctively turned his gaze.
Sylphie had been discovered with her changed hair color and was now stammering an explanation. But the moment Allen's gaze fell on her, she noticed and turned to look at him from within her mother's embrace.
Their eyes met.
Her white hair fluttered in the air, glowing like fire in the evening light.
Allen looked at Sylphie's now-white hair, his thoughts swirling, tugging at his heartstrings.
After a moment of silence, he slowly withdrew his hands from the embrace of his "family."
He opened his arms.
And returned the hug.
Amid Zenith's increasingly uncontrollable sobs, Allen's voice was faint.
But Sylphie heard it clearly.
This time, there were no clever words, no ulterior motives, no attempts to gain favor or points.
Just two simple words.
"Thank you."
The words dissolved into the wind, turning into invisible dust.
[When the gaps between hearts are bridged, that's when true family is formed.]
[You have become a part of Paul's family.]
[Childhood participation level increased.]
[Current stage: Childhood. Cumulative participation score: 100 points. Rewards distributed. Positioning system activated.]
[Evaluation: If the "chasm" is just one step away, it means you've already been walking on this path. Who needs a reminder for that final step?!]
[Allen, this is the meaning of transmigration.]
[This is your own journey in Mushoku Tensei!!]
[Congratulations, host. Childhood arc, perfect completion.]
The sunset bathed the blood-red sea.
But Allen couldn't smell even a trace of blood.
——
Night.
Because everyone was covered in blood, it took over two hours for them to take turns bathing and cleaning up. By the time dinner was ready, it was almost ten o'clock.
Paul was drunk.
The only man who hadn't cried today clung to Allen, tears and snot streaming down his face.
It was downright embarrassing.
The most absurd part was that no one came to his rescue. Everyone just watched with smiles on their faces.
Even Rudy looked at Paul with a loving gaze, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
Allen's face twitched.
Wait, who's your dad? And who's your dad?!
In the end, Allen finally managed to free himself from Paul's clingy embrace.
Why? Because Paul was so exhausted that he turned into a puddle of mush in Allen's arms.
And then fell asleep??
What the hell!
Allen carried Paul back to his bedroom in a princess carry, then returned to his own room under the gentle gazes of Zenith and Lilia in the hallway.
The door closed, and their soft voices came from outside.
"Allen, you must be exhausted. Go to sleep~"
"Don't worry about waking up early tomorrow~ I'll save some breakfast for you."
"Okay~"
Their footsteps faded away, and Allen stepped out of the darkness.
He moved to the desk.
Lit a candle.
Opened the drawer.
Pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.
And held it over the flame.
The writing curled and blackened, the densely packed words shrinking into ash.
The words of "Future Sight" burned away, trembling and jumping, replaced by the system panel.
[How do you feel?]
Under the candlelight, Allen smiled wildly.
"To hell with Future Sight."
...
Outside, it wasn't snowing.
Because spring.
Was about to arrive!
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 130 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 70 power stones I will publish the next chapter.