Allen swore he was just watching what he thought was a family sitcom. His gaze had shifted from the envious and resentful Lilia on the balcony to the flirting and butt-pinching Paul and Zenith in the yard.
He was also taking the opportunity to identify everyone's faces.
First, Lilia had a somewhat cool expression, her features leaning towards an Eastern appearance. She wore round-framed glasses and a maid's uniform.
Paul had the face of a classic Notos scoundrel. On his rugged features, the beauty mark under his eye was actually quite handsome. Combined with his sturdy physique, it was no wonder he attracted women so easily.
Zenith, on the other hand, had the typical gentle and refined appearance of a noble lady, with very smooth golden hair.
Overall, they all met Allen's expectations, especially the fact that the wife and the mistress had similarly sized 36E chests.
Paul, oh Paul, you dog...
Just as he was thinking this, Allen saw Rudeus—the protagonist of the world of Mushoku Tensei.
His hair had inherited Zenith's smoothness and Paul's brown color. His features were very soft, almost feminine at his young age. He was currently making a helpless, grinning face as he dealt with his 'father's' nonsense.
Then, as if he had realized something, Rudeus's neck stiffened, and he slowly turned his head to look at Allen.
Allen subconsciously thought of his favorability quest.
And then.
He put on the most gentle, kind, and friendly expression he could muster and gave Rudeus a well-intentioned smile.
The next moment, Rudeus, as if he had seen a ghost, gave Paul a headbutt to the gut.
Paul stumbled and fell to the ground, then turned to glare at Allen.
His expression was quite unfriendly.
Allen's smile froze on his face. He felt that his subconscious attempt to show friendliness...
...had just cranked up the difficulty on his favorability quest.
Paul's displeasure flashed for a moment before he quickly composed himself. As the knight sent by the Fitoa Territory to Buena Village, responsible for overseeing the villagers' harvest and protecting the peace, he was used to visitors showing up at his door every few days.
He patted the dirt off his clothes and stood up.
During this process, Rudeus kept his back to Allen the entire time, his body moving stiffly, as if wound up, to hide behind Paul.
Allen, not giving up yet, tried to salvage the situation with an even brighter smile.
"Excuse me, are you the village knight, Lord Paul? Is that your child? He's so cute~"
As soon as he spoke, Rudeus's expression changed drastically. He hitched up his pants and ran into the house.
He was terrified.
Allen's mouth hung open as he watched him leave, then he looked awkwardly at Paul.
The latter seemed to be in a daze. He didn't respond to Allen's words or Rudeus's reaction. He just silently sized Allen up from bottom to top, his gaze pausing for a moment on the sword hilt at his waist, then sweeping over his tattered swordsman's uniform.
Finally, his gaze rested on Allen's face and didn't move.
Allen also looked up and met his gaze.
Paul was nearly 180 centimeters tall, so Allen could only look up at him.
After a long moment, Paul seemed to snap out of it. He broke the silence. "...Sorry, Rudy isn't good with people. What can I do for you?" "It's like this, Lord Knight. I'm a wandering adventurer. I lost my money in a labyrinth, so I'm looking for work to earn some. Coincidentally, on my way here, I met a blue-haired demon magician. She said I might be able to try my luck here and see if your child needs a swordsmanship teacher..." "Why are you lying?" Paul instantly saw through Allen's lie. He looked down at him, his expression serious, as if he were scolding a child. The latter didn't show any signs of panic. He just squinted and smiled as he looked back up at Paul. "How can you tell?" "...From what you said, you might have really met Roxy. But she knows that I'm Rudeus's swordsmanship teacher. He doesn't need an extra one. So, you could only have come here on your own initiative, not on her advice." Allen lowered his eyes. Just as expected, he's not easy to fool. If I say I just want to be Rudeus's home tutor now, my motive will seem impure. If I try to persuade him on the pretext of making money, there are obviously better opportunities in the big cities. There's no reason to try my luck in this small village. The excuse doesn't hold up.All paths are blocked... is revealing my identity the best choice? "But... being Rudeus's swordsmanship teacher... is also an option." A flash of surprise appeared in Allen's eyes. He looked up at Paul. Paul was just looking at the sword at his waist. "To be honest, as an instinct-based fighter, I lack the ability to awaken Rudeus's passion for the way of the sword. If someone else were to try, it might have a miraculous effect..." Before Allen could react to why Paul had suddenly stopped caring about his intentions, he heard Paul continue. "I'm willing to hire you for a seven-day trial. If you can prove your talent during this period, I will officially hire you as our Rudy's swordsmanship teacher. As for the salary, two silver coins a month. I won't treat you unfairly." As he spoke, Paul leaned in, as if trying to see Allen more clearly, and met his gaze. "But not just anyone who calls themselves a swordsman is qualified to be our family's sword master. You look a bit too young... Come, prove your ability. If you can pass my test, I'll give you a seven-day trial. How about it?" Allen raised his eyebrows. This plot development is a bit rushed and unreasonable... "...This is very reasonable."
The setting sun stretched the shadows of the two figures, one large and one small, in the yard.
Zenith and Lilia stood nervously on the steps by the door, while Rudeus peeked out from behind Zenith.
Zenith clasped her hands tightly as she watched the situation, then turned her head slightly and whispered to Rudeus.
"What's going on? Why is your father suddenly dueling with a child? Is he a swordsman? Rudy, do you know what happened?"
Rudeus shook his head. He deliberately avoided looking at Allen and focused on Paul.
"I don't know, Mother. They hadn't even started talking when I ran inside."
What happened? Did that pervert provoke Paul?... How dare he threaten me! Go get him, Lord Paul! It's time to show your authority as a father!
Paul drew the longsword from his waist. It was a double-edged straight sword. The hilt was somewhat exaggerated, a trapezoid with hollowed-out inverted triangles on the sides, giving it a religious feel. Above the trapezoid, the blade extended, a black fuller running its entire length. He raised the sword above his head, assuming a standard high stance (jodan).
Allen looked at Paul and drew his sword with his right hand. His blade was straight, but unlike Paul's, it was more slender. The forged pattern extended to the tip, which then curved beautifully.
The single-edged blade cut through the air and was positioned by Allen's hip, the tip angled. It was a defensive middle stance (chudan).
He looked at the sword in his hand and felt a fire in his heart.
Paul, Advanced-rank in all three styles, with a comprehensive strength at the quasi-Saint level in his prime. He's been retired for many years and his skills have declined. He should be at the level of a normal Advanced-rank swordsman now. But even so, he's stronger than my system's assessment of my strength...
He licked his lips and looked at the equally enthusiastic Paul.
"So, shall we begin?"
Three meters away, Paul squinted and smiled.
"From the moment you drew your sword, it has already begun..."
The flash of the sword cut through the evening glow, instantly appearing by Allen's face! The blade hummed!
The last of Paul's words fell.
"...begun."
It was already by Allen's ear.
Join my patreon For Early access to Chapter : patreon.com/TheWorldGod
Tiamat 130 Chapter
Honkai 100 Chapter
Lobotomy 100 Chapter
MushokuTensei 50 Chapter