The eldest lady Alice was so loud!
Her voice, like a small trumpet, made the eardrums of everyone standing there buzz!
Paul opened his mouth and looked at the cracked carriage door. He never thought things would develop this way.
Allen, on the other hand, slowly moved his eyes away from Alice's flaming red hair and looked hard at Philip, who was still smiling and about to speak.
If you want to observe whether there's life beneath calm waters, the simplest method is to throw a stone.
If you want to test whether someone possesses a particular ability, the easiest way is to push them into a sudden variable.
Philip usually observes people like this.
So, he prepared two variables for this trip.
One, the surprise visit from a magnanimous "biological father," meant to give Allen a shock.
Two, the "little sister" as irritable as a rabid dog that no one can control, meant to give Allen a fright.
He didn't even bring Ghislaine, the only one who could restrain that mad dog! Instead, he brought a beast-eared maid!
This was very real.
Allen gnashed his teeth at the proud Philip, who looked like he was quite satisfied with his son's reaction.
You really are my real father!!
This logic is exactly the same as the hidden plot behind Alice beating Rudy in the original story—testing the other party, then evaluating their investment value based on how they react!
Testing how well they respond to sudden changes—classic investor behavior.
But you do this to your own son too!!
Damn it! Damn it!!
Allen turned back toward Alice, then instantly smiled brightly as if flipping a switch.
Damn! Why is my sister so cute!!
The system panel still hadn't disappeared—because it had more to say. Perhaps stunned by Allen's expression, the handwriting froze in the air for several seconds, then flipped again, reformatting the text into a new task.
[.]
[Instant Mission Triggered]
[Meeting with Sister – Alice]
[The wheel of fate moves forward. I've already said too much about butterflies flapping their wings. You are now meeting Alice under a perfectly "coincidental" necessity.]
[Mission Objective: Within 48 hours, obtain the awe that a younger sister should have for her older brother.]
[Be careful. This task is not easy.]
[Reward: Unlock "God's Strike – Magic Groove"]
[Mission Start]
[Alice Mission Timer: 48:00:00 – Upon successful completion, "God's Strike – Magic Groove" will be unlocked.]
[Best of luck.]
Yeah, yeah, I know already. Move aside—I want to see Mama Redhead!
[.]
[Real.]
Philip looked at Allen, who had suddenly lost composure, his expression switching rapidly between himself and Alice. His face flickered between sadness, joy, confusion, and glee. Philip couldn't help but feel a little amused.
Was he startled by Alice? Seems like it, but also curious. The fondness and warmth in his eyes aren't fake. A child who values family affection? Maybe his resentment is only directed at me. With all these rich expressions, he really is still just a child.
Looks like bringing Alice was the right choice. I needed a "variable" to gain more insight into Allen.
He turned his gaze to the stunned Greyrat family, especially Rudy, who was slowly hiding behind Allen while trying to keep a terrified expression.
Then Philip explained:
"You misunderstood. The simple job I mentioned is meant quite literally. It just so happens that Alice needs two tough tutors."
"It's been difficult finding teachers for this girl. The only ones she accepts are Edna, who teaches etiquette, and Ghislaine, who instructs her in Sword God Style swordsmanship. She doesn't have any friends her own age."
"Allen is a boy like Rudy, and they're close in age. This way, everyone can receive elite education together in a friendly environment."
"If Allen can teach Alice arithmetic and other things, it might even spark Alice's competitive nature. The children grow up happily, and there's payment—what could be better?"
Allen had been watching the energetic Alice, but upon hearing this nonsense, he couldn't help but cover his face.
As for the eldest daughter of Boreas, Alice, she wasn't the type to listen to reason.
But Philip's mention of "two children" was clearly heard by her.
She stood with arms crossed, lips curled up in a smirk, eyebrows raised high, and scanned her surroundings.
As Philip said, there were two children present.
One was Sylphy—terrified, with shoulder-length white hair, pointed elf ears, looking like a dumpling. She stared at Alice with a face that said: How could such a person exist?
Whatever odd thoughts Sylphy had earlier were completely swept away by Alice's forceful entrance.
The other was Rudeus—equally terrified, his whole body screaming "Don't come near me!" through his posture.
Alice's eyes paused on Sylphy's white hair and pointed ears.
"You're Rudeus, right!"
Sylphy: ?
Rudy: ??
Before Sylphy could answer, Alice turned her gaze to Rudeus, who was now clearly confused and hiding behind Allen.
"You must be Allen!"
Sylphy: ?
Rudy: ??
Allen: ????
Rudy was stunned. He had no idea what this red-haired whirlwind was thinking.
He frowned slightly and asked, "Me? Allen? You…"
Slap!
Alice smacked Rudy across the face. He staggered and stared at Philip, completely baffled.
"What! This guy's younger than me! How could you let someone like him replace Ghislaine to teach me swordsmanship?!"
Philip looked at Alice, dumbfounded. Then he looked at Rudy, who was covering his cheek and still couldn't make sense of anything. Then he looked at Paul, Zenith, and Lilia—who were all frozen in shock.
Finally, his gaze landed on Allen.
But Allen had covered his face at some point.
Though his fingers were spread apart, his eye peeking through was filled with delight. His face twitched, but clearly his internal thoughts were not as simple as his actions.
If you haven't witnessed the legendary scene of Rudy getting slapped in "The Untold Story," then what's the point of crossing worlds?!
Oh, you're saying there's a deviation? Alice was supposed to slap Allen, but ended up slapping Rudy?
Doesn't matter.
Allen is just a name.
You can be Allen.
I can be Allen.
So Rudeus can obviously be Allen too.
Makes perfect sense.
Right?