Watching Loquishe work didn't stop Allen from focusing on the Dragon Saint Qi embryo core nestled in his abdomen. In his vision, wisps of smoke drifted off the folds on its surface, revealing a small magic seal on one side.
It was a delicate tree-shaped emblem, faintly glowing with a soft blue light.
An instinct surged in Allen's mind—if he activated this magic seal now, the intermediate healing spell would immediately take effect.
The healing magic seal could only affect himself and couldn't be cast outward. That meant activating it was essentially like applying a healing buff on his body—a pseudo-immortality? Did this erase the physical limitations of the Hokushin-ryu practical combat style?
Wait, using it consumed his own mana. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure how long his current mana pool could sustain continuous use of an intermediate healing spell. Maybe it was better to rely on the lower-level healing spell that consumed less mana. Plus, his mana recovery was too slow, and the skill's cooldown would surely be long.
He also wondered if the Dragon Saint Qi's buff—which reduced mana conversion costs—could stack with the healing magic seal. After all, Dragon Qi was essentially mana. It should be possible, but that might also consume the Dragon Saint Qi itself. Since he didn't have much of that either, activating the healing magic seal might reduce the quality of his Dragon Qi.
He decided to test it later and see what would happen.
A pair of small hands waved in front of his eyes, pulling Allen back to reality.
Now is not the time for this.
Allen turned to look at Loquishe.
Because while traveling yesterday, his mind had been busy thinking about what to say when he first met Rudeus and Loquishe. Naturally, last night he dreamed of the two of them, but unfortunately, in the dream, they appeared as two-dimensional anime characters, lacking any real presence.
But now, the real Loquishe was right in front of him.
The sense of reality was much stronger.
He focused his gaze on Loquishe's face.
Before his eyes, the cold-faced blue-haired girl gradually became clearer.
Unlike the soft and cute middle school anime version he remembered from a past life, this Loquishe looked much younger but with features far too refined to be that of an underdeveloped child.
Her lips were a little thin but looked very soft. Her small, narrow nostrils cast slight shadows; the tip of her nose tilted up slightly. Her half-lidded eyes matched the color of her hair.
The wind flickered through the campfire, and the highlights in her eyes shimmered like a deep blue lake rippling.
Within those ripples were equal parts anxiety and worry.
"You—you've been silent this whole time. Do you have some hidden injury? Are you feeling unwell?" she asked.
Allen blinked and shook his head, thoughts swirling in his mind.
The three-dimensional Loquishe was far more realistic and beautiful than the two-dimensional anime image.
Truly, a delight to the eyes and heart.
Unwell?
No, uncomfortable? No!
Too comfortable? Yes!
Loquishe noticed Allen staring at her and instinctively touched her cheek.
"You don't look injured. Then why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
Comparing the two- and three-dimensional versions of Loquishe in his mind, Allen casually replied,
"No, your face looks great. Actually, it looks even better than the one in my dream last night—much more realistic and delicate in every way."
His words hung in the air.
The campfire flames licked the wood, amplifying the stillness of the deep forest night.
Allen waited a long time for Loquishe's reply but got none. He blinked and suddenly realized what he had just said.
He looked into Loquishe's deep, lake-blue eyes, which now stared blankly back at him. His expression froze.
Loquishe's hand stopped mid-motion on her cheek. Her cold, half-lidded eyes slowly widened under Allen's gaze, the lake within her eyes rippling.
The two locked eyes in complete silence.
Crack! A piece of burning wood snapped sharply. The wind swept between them.
It stirred up nonexistent dust.
[6.] (Bold, underlined, in red.)
[Maintain status, keep going, gain favor with Rudeus.]
[Rudeus: Countdown — 91:54:02]
Allen was stunned. To be precise, he realized he had been spacing out after making 'flirtatious remarks' to a 'stranger.' Then, the system's perfectly timed message poured fuel on the fire, leaving him even more dumbfounded.
That's what counts as 'flirting' now?
Apparently, yes.
In the world of Mushoku Tensei, there were no T0-level players—culturally backward, with a kind of dumb charm reminiscent of the medieval era.
The teasing between men and women was more blunt and straightforward than cheesy pick-up lines, yet it worked wonders.
Such overly direct compliments and flirtations were essentially the same thing.
Loquishe stared at Allen for a long while, then blinked vaguely. She forced a half-smile on one side of her mouth and instinctively glanced sideways.
The crimson eyes of the defeated wild boar head glared furiously at Allen, as if utterly despising him without even catching his breath.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to look back at Allen with a stern face.
Allen pulled out a few strands of his hair, carefully checking if they were yellow.
This slightly annoyed expression actually looked fitting for his age in Loquishe's eyes.
He's annoyed because he didn't get the reaction he expected from me. Up close, his face still looks somewhat immature—probably young, just tall. No way I'm the short one, T_T. But his swordsmanship... it's quite skillful.
Genius boy? Why have I met so many geniuses these past two years? Rudeus, this kid—everyone's got this mischievous, cunning vibe, always saying things to tease girls. He clearly never met me before, so how did he dream of me?
Maybe he thinks I'm his peer and is trying to flatter me deliberately.
Loquishe took off her mage's hat and spoke in a teaching tone, like scolding a child.
"If you want to flatter me, don't say things like that. Don't look at my height—I'm actually old enough to be your mother. Saying those flattering things won't work on me."
Allen looked at his still brown hair, then shifted his gaze to the twitching tuft of hair atop Loquishe's head.
"Flattering, huh? Uh... alright, Blue Mom!"
Loquishe stared in shock, her mouth agape as Allen immediately covered his lips after his slip of the tongue. Then, flustered and embarrassed, she deliberately put on a gloomy expression.
"I don't grow up because I'm a demon," she said.
As she spoke, she held a strand of her hair up to the firelight. Beneath the orange glow of the campfire, the tips of her hair shimmered faintly with a greenish hue. She leaned close to Allen, narrowing her eyes to meet his gaze.
"See that? A green-haired demon. I'm from the infamous Sperud tribe. If you keep calling me 'mom' or teasing me like I'm a kid on purpose, I'll get mad—and I might just eat you."
Allen loosened his grip and blinked, looking at the blue-haired girl so close before him.
Her gaze was serious, her eyelashes trembling slightly in the firelight.
"Well then," he said.
"Go ahead. Eat me. Right now."
Loquishe froze.
The next moment, just as his words finished, Allen wrapped a swirl of fighting spirit around his finger and flicked the air in front of Loquishe's forehead.
The gust of wind swept aside her bangs; her deep blue hair danced, revealing her smooth forehead beneath.
With a slightly stunned expression, Loquishe watched as Allen poked her forehead through the empty space, indicating that there was no trace of the Sperud tribe's signature red mana-sensing eye.
"A god mustn't lie," he said.
"Demon, blue hair, small stature. You're from the Miglud tribe, not the Sperud tribe."