Chapter 39: Day of Reunion, Time for a Night Talk
In the end, "coming up to sit for a while" turned into sitting in Allen's own bedroom.
First, the main door downstairs was locked for the night. Allen naturally had to climb up to the window and then tiptoe down to open it. Roxy, not wanting to disturb everyone's sleep in the middle of the night, paced back and forth after entering the house, unsure of where to go.
One thing led to another, and it naturally evolved into the strange development of, "Why don't you come up to my room for a drink of water?"
A candle flickered on the table between them. In the firelight, they sat opposite each other in silence.
Just moments ago, under the "darkness effect" and the blessing of the beautiful moonlight, the two of them had been able to close the distance between them with just a few words. But now, in the bright candlelight where they could see each other's faces clearly, the awkward atmosphere of two people who had only met once and hadn't seen each other in two months was laid bare.
This much was still manageable. The key thing that pushed the atmosphere to the brink of a cliff was—
The miniature figurine of Roxy was still sitting on Allen's desk. And it was the detachable kind...
Allen stared at Roxy, who was frowning as she observed the figurine, and fell into a daze.
[Even though I have witnessed it many times, the host's interlocking techniques are still astonishing. First, a bit of push and pull to get her into your bedroom, then intentionally letting her see the figurine on your desk, implying that you were thinking of her while looking at it...]
The text floated up hazily. Allen covered his face in utter agony.
...Stop it. I completely forgot about the damn figurine... As for the push and pull... I can explain. It's actually a very simple reason. Because of the 'darkness effect,' it's easy for people to...
[The darkness effect, you say? Should I blow out the candle and make myself scarce?]
...That won't be necessary... Thank you.
[A reminder to the host: even if Roxy's favorability continues to rise, it will at most result in a few evaluation points. Uh... could it be that this was also within the host's calculations? My apologies for speaking out of turn. I wish you a wonderful evening.]
'Right. If you don't know how to talk, I suggest you get lost.'
[Good night~ :)]
The moment the smoky text dissipated, Blue Mama's characteristic cool voice reached Allen's ears.
"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
Allen looked up in shock at Roxy. She had already taken off her magic robe and was sitting primly on the chair, looking a bit constrained but trying hard to maintain a calm demeanor.
At some point, she had shifted her gaze from her own figurine to Allen.
The candlelight flickered in her serene, lake-blue eyes, creating beautiful ripples of green.
Allen looked into Roxy's eyes and murmured, "I wasn't feeling well just now, but I'm feeling better now."
This moment, right now, was just like that moment, back then.
Seeing Allen's suddenly dazed expression, Roxy blinked.
"Could it be... you're saying something to tease a girl again? I don't quite understand."
Allen was overjoyed.
"That's great!"
[...]
Roxy gave him a slightly strange look but didn't press the matter. She then turned her head to look around the bedroom.
"This brings back memories... This is the room I lived in for two years."
"Yeah. The other rooms in the house don't have beds. This is the only guest room. To tidy up another one, we'd have to wait for the Master and Mistress to get up tomorrow. For tonight, you'll have to make do and sleep here... uh..."
Allen froze mid-sentence.
'Crap, what kind of line is that!'
Hearing this, Roxy's gaze returned to the figurine on the desk, but she didn't misunderstand anything. She just said calmly, "...That's true. It's too late. I'll just have to make do and sleep at the table for a night. By the way... this doll was made by Rudy, wasn't it?"
Allen's temple twitched as he looked at the overly realistic, miniature Roxy on the table.
"Uh... maybe you should ask him yourself tomorrow."
Roxy turned her head and looked into Allen's eyes inquisitively.
"Oh? Could it be that you made it?"
As she spoke, Roxy had already reached out to touch the figurine. She shook her head helplessly, then covered her mouth and yawned, leaning forward to rest on the table.
Her gaze once again fell on the dazed Allen.
"The familiar earth magic... it must have been him. He's so mature for his age... oh, I almost forgot, you're also very young... By the way, Allen, what kind of trouble did you actually get into in the capital to make your family... uh... it's okay if it's inconvenient to say."
Allen scratched his head.
"It's nothing that can't be said, really. It's just the usual business of power struggles among nobles. You probably don't know, but the Boreas family has a tradition where the successors to the next head of the family have a contest for the position when they are young. The winner is chosen as the next candidate to be the head, and the other losers are required to give their male heirs to the winner at birth, to be raised as the winner's 'biological children'. This is to avoid future internal strife over power."
At this, Allen pointed a finger at his own face.
"And I am one such adopted son. Although I was raised by James in the capital, I am actually the eldest son of Philip, the mayor of Roa."
Roxy, resting her head on her arms, had her half-lidded eyes widen slightly.
"Mayor Philip? Then... how did you know you were Mayor Philip's son?"
Allen lied without batting an eye, choosing the most plausible explanation at the moment to hide the fact that he had read the novel and was trying to participate in its major events.
"My so-called mother's differential treatment of the children was so obvious it made me suspicious. Then, by calculating her pregnancy periods, I determined that another child from the same period, whom she clearly favored, was her real son. The rest was simple. I just had to ask outsiders about the Boreas family traditions to find out."
"The assassination... could it be that they found out you were investigating..."
"...I'm not sure. But I've always lacked the necessary respect for James, so he might have been suspicious. He cares a lot about power, and the ambitious Philip is a huge threat. He had a clear motive to arrange my assassination... There's no one else. I haven't provoked anyone."
"...I see."
"As for seeking refuge with my uncle, it's because I can't directly acknowledge Philip. James would definitely find out. It's a good thing my uncle took me in—"
Allen stopped talking. He looked at Roxy and saw that she had fallen asleep on the table.
He smiled at her sleeping face. Using the fine control of power from his Flowing Secret Art, he moved her to the bed with almost no disturbance, then turned and blew out the candle.
Then he took out a map from a drawer and a pen.
The moonlight spilled onto the old map. A new circle was slowly drawn by Allen—Rigate City in the Donati territory, the forest to the northeast.
Allen's murmur filled the room.
"...A bandit hideout for smuggling and human trafficking in the forest southeast of Rigate city, constantly searching for traces of me... the direct trigger for the butterfly effect of Roxy returning to Buena Village... Will this location cause more butterfly effects in the future?"
"What an eyesore."
On the bed, the travel-worn Roxy, having suddenly been laid on a soft mattress, soon fell into a deep sleep, her breathing even and almost inaudible.
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