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In front of the courtyard.
The sunlight fell on Allen's face, and he raised his eyebrows slightly, as if lost in thought.
Above the bridge of his nose, only visible to himself, a faint mist of dust floated like a thin veil.
Allen's mind raced.
'Just as expected, actively "grinding" the old man's "favor" will earn me some points.'
At this point, Allen was already well aware of how "favor" worked. Influencing the original story's characters—whether through "importance," "recognition," "appreciation," "friendship," "family bonds," or even "brotherly affection"—all fell under this category. It wasn't just limited to "romantic feelings," as he had once subconsciously assumed.
'Two tests, with shorter mission durations. Two expectations, with longer mission durations.'
'Based on past experience, the system always releases missions based on real-world circumstances. From this, I can infer that the "tests" are immediate and will likely happen soon. The "expectations," on the other hand, might come later, perhaps after returning to the royal capital.'
'One of the two tests has already been completed, and it was specifically noted as [completed ahead of time]? Is it because my performance aligned with his preferences—er, because he appreciated my abilities—that he acknowledged me early?'
'That's probably it. If one of the tests is about "ability," then the next one...'
'...is likely about "strength."'
Allen thought back to the sensation of being watched as the carriage passed by earlier and grinned.
'If my guess is correct, this test will probably be carried out by Ghyslaine, right? Those cat-like beast eyes—though they only glanced at me for a moment, I saw them clearly. I have to admit, the Boreas family's peculiar tastes can sometimes have practical uses.'
'But why didn't Ghyslaine come out? Is she the type to hide?'
[Who knows?]
Allen snapped out of his thoughts, but he still hadn't heard Paul's response. He glanced at Philip, who was still smiling with his eyes narrowed, and then looked at Paul in confusion.
The "miracle worker" was still out in the field.
No, Paul was still in a daze.
He had been like this since Philip's sudden arrival.
The letter on the table upstairs had only arrived in Buena Village yesterday. After reading it, Paul had been struggling to figure out how to tactfully respond and smooth things over.
He had planned to write something like, "This Allen fellow has absolutely no connection to your son; he's just a good friend I often spar with."
But before he could even pick up his pen...
His "good friend's" father had shown up at his doorstep.
Huh?
The moment Paul saw Philip, his entire body went numb.
Aside from his concern for Allen, he even felt a bizarre sense of panic, as if he were back in his noble school days and the father of a girl he'd wronged had come knocking.
This must be an illusion...
But now, seeing how Allen had effortlessly defused the situation with just a few words, Paul couldn't help but think of his former teammate from the Black Wolf's Fang—Ghyslaine Nukadia.
Her ability to handle social interactions was strikingly similar to Allen's.
Paul quickly shook his head, dispelling these irrelevant and nonsensical thoughts, and turned to Philip, who was still waiting for his response with a smile.
Philip...
This distant cousin of his had never let go of his ambitions for power. Even back then, when Philip had offered him assistance, it had been with ulterior motives—after all, Paul was the eldest son of the Notos family, the legal heir. Running away from home still left room for negotiation, didn't it?
But when Philip realized that Paul had genuinely chosen to settle down in this rural village, he had been deeply disappointed and stopped asking about his political leanings.
He had essentially written Paul off as a lost cause.
Even so, Paul had never spoken ill of Philip in front of Allen.
Because he sincerely hoped that Allen could experience true familial love and not repeat the misunderstandings he had had with his own father, which had led to irreparable regrets.
But now...
Paul glanced at Allen, who was looking at him with such a (——) expression, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
'Allen reacts so quickly, so calmly.'
'In an instant, he understood that not acknowledging their relationship was the best choice for Philip, for himself, and even for Sauros in Roa. Philip must have already confirmed that he's Allen. No, knowing Philip...'
'He probably confirmed it when he wrote that letter.'
Meanwhile, Philip was still smiling at Paul, waiting for his answer. Paul looked at Philip's narrowed eyes and couldn't help but ask himself...
'Does Allen want to go to Roa?'
'I brought it up a couple of years ago, and he flatly refused, didn't he?'
'Living under his father's watchful eye? Does he like Philip?'
'No, he doesn't. What he likes is this family we have now.'
'Since he doesn't like it...'
'I'll refuse on his behalf.'
'Fortunately, we don't have to hide Allen's identity anymore. Everyone knows, so all I need to do is firmly reject Philip.'
Although in Allen's eyes, Paul had been frozen for an eternity, in reality, for someone like Philip, who wasn't a swordsman with heightened reflexes...
It was just a slightly long pause.
"Uh... I haven't discussed this with them yet. I didn't expect you to come so quickly."
Paul forced a dry laugh and put on a serious face, carefully choosing his words.
"I've thought about your letter, but I can't make decisions for Allen and Rudeus. They have their own opinions, and besides, Philip, don't you think it's a bit early? They're still so young. Recruitment and all that..."
But he was clearly flustered by the sudden turn of events, stumbling over his words.
At this moment...
Rudeus had already relaxed and was curiously observing Philip.
Sylphiette's expression had only slightly softened. Her face was still pale as she watched Paul's mouth open and close, nervously twisting the hem of her dress, which she usually took great care of.
Allen also looked at Paul, a faint smile on his lips.
'This must be what they mean by "concern leads to confusion." When faced with sudden changes, people instinctively focus on what they value most.'
The word "change" rippled through Allen's mind, and in his peripheral vision, Philip's smile remained unchanged.
His lips were slightly moving, as if he was about to say something.
The sensation of being watched earlier by the irrigation ditch echoed in his mind.
Allen's smile suddenly froze.
The system panel, transformed into a mist of dust, still floated before his eyes.
A line of text drifted across his vision.
[You did not wait for the "test" Philip had originally prepared.]
'Wait, it can't be...'
He abruptly looked up at the door of the second carriage. The sound of fabric rustling and struggling inside was now clear to his ears.
In the next instant!
Thud!
The carriage door was kicked open!
A wave of vivid crimson hair tumbled through the air.
It was a shade of red as bright as fresh paint, cascading and rippling like flames.
Hotter than fire.
"I told you not to cover my mouth!!"
"Miss!! You must act like a proper lady in public! Remember your manners!! We agreed that you wouldn't come out until the master spoke!"
"Hmph!"
A young girl with fierce eyebrows leapt out of the carriage, shouting impatiently at the cat-eared maid behind her. She stood with her arms crossed and her legs spread wide, declaring her presence to everyone in the courtyard like a young lioness.
"Who is Allen?!"
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 150 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 60 power stones I will publish the next chapter.