Roxy turned her head to look at Alan.
He held the sword with both hands, moving it through the air in an extremely slow arc, finally bringing the tip to rest on the grass.
Perhaps it was a trick of the light.
For a moment, Roxy felt as if the blade had created an afterimage.
As the afterimage trembled, a few leaves drifting in front of Alan slowly fell… and fell…
Then split apart.
"126!"
As Sylphie's soft voice counted, Roxy stared at the tip of the sword and blinked.
"…Can he cut unsupported falling leaves with such a slow swing?"
Rudy, seeing Roxy's expression, scratched his head in frustration and looked exasperated.
"…Teacher, look again. Look carefully. Don't look at the sword."
As Rudy spoke, Alan had already raised the sword above his head again, tracing the same path as before, slowly bringing it down with flawless precision.
From above his head, down to shoulder level, then in front of his abdomen, and finally, it stopped, hovering steadily above a blade of grass swaying in the wind.
Rudy's words concluded.
"…Look at his arm."
The sword's shadow once again danced with the light.
Roxy shifted her gaze from the blade, up the hilt, to Alan's arm.
As the sword's shadow trembled, Alan's arm also trembled slightly. His sleeve, as if pulled by an invisible hand, suddenly snapped taut, then fell limply back against his skin.
Roxy's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"…Does that mean… when the sword tip touched the grass… Alan had already executed another swing? Amazing."
As she finished speaking, the amazing Alan let out a sharp breath, his face suddenly turning pale. He staggered over to Rudy and said.
"Got any more in stock? One more, please."
Rudy: …
Roxy: …
After a rapid chant, the light of a healing spell shone again. Alan immediately straightened up, revitalized, picked up his sword, and started his practice swings once more.
Rudy sighed, placing a hand on his forehead. He turned to the stunned Roxy, who said in a daze.
"…I feel like Alan has all the qualities of a top-tier adventurer."
"Uh… isn't Alan already an adventurer?"
Roxy blinked, then remembered that when they were aligning their stories, Alan had told her that within the Greyrat family, only Paul and Zenith were supposed to know his identity.
At that thought, Roxy subconsciously tugged at the hair on her forehead, her eyes darting left and right.
"Ah, I mean an S-rank adventurer. Alan's skills are far beyond his current adventurer rank…"
Seeing Roxy like this, Rudy felt a bit distracted. He quickly glanced at the focused Alan, suppressed a pervy smile, and said to Roxy.
"Speaking of which, Teacher, you were an adventurer before, too. Did you ever meet… any boys you liked?"
Roxy's face went blank. She scratched her cheek, answering awkwardly.
"Well… in Millis, I was ostracized because of my hair color, and at one point, I was completely broke… Luckily, someone from my hometown took me in, and I started working at a tavern. Later… I fell for him. We even formed an adventuring party with another well-endowed lady…"
Rudy's face stiffened.
"Ah… and what happened after that?"
Roxy scratched her ear in embarrassment, hesitating for a moment before whispering.
"Then… they got together."
'Excellent! She's a god who's never been in a relationship!'
Roxy looked at Rudy, who had suddenly stood up, and her expression became even more awkward.
"…I guess no one would like a body like mine… It's like a child's."
But Rudy was completely serious.
"I actually think that's what makes you more likable, Teacher~"
Roxy's mouth twitched.
"I told you, that would be more convincing if you said it ten years from now. But… you might be interested in a body like mine now, but that will probably change in the future…"
Rudy declared with conviction.
"Impossible! I like your type exactly, Teacher!"
'Half-lidded eyes, loli, and a cool expression. A perfect god!'
"Liar."
Although Roxy said he was a liar, her expression clearly showed a hint of pleasure at the compliment.
Just as Rudy was about to say more, Alan walked over again, his face pale.
"One more… please."
A flash of green light, and Alan was revitalized again. He thanked them while casually asking.
"Why are you so worked up? I think I heard you say something like… 'I like this type exactly'? Are you guys talking about love?"
"No, Teacher is just not confident about her body. I was comforting her."
Hearing this, Roxy looked down and started drawing circles on the ground with her foot.
'So it was just comfort, after all… T_T.'
Alan glanced at Roxy.
"If she's not confident about her body, then you shouldn't comfort her about her body. Even if you're being sincere, she will subconsciously think you're just trying to placate her."
At this, Roxy looked up at Alan, her pupils widening slightly. Light filtered through the leaves, landing on her eyes and making the deep blue pools shimmer like a lake.
Alan's gaze lingered on Roxy's eyes for a moment before he turned and walked away. His unfinished sentence drifted back to them.
"Her eye color is so beautiful. You could have just complimented her eyes."
He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
The sound of the sword cutting through the air started up again, making the silence between the others feel even more profound.
Rudy swallowed hard, reluctantly tearing his gaze away from Alan to look at Roxy beside him.
She was twisting a lock of hair at her forehead, her face flushed as she muttered.
"What was that… such a smooth talker…"
Her voice was carried away by the wind before it could even reach them.
Seeing this, Rudy remained silent for a moment, then, gritting his teeth, decided to change the subject.
"…So, Teacher, when you leave in a few days, are you still planning to go adventuring in the labyrinth near the Wyrmroost Mountains?"
Roxy glanced at Alan, who was swinging his sword with vigor, and looked up at the sky.
"Yes… that's the plan…"
Rudy tentatively asked.
"So, for the next ten years, will you be staying on the Central Continent, Teacher? Or…"
Roxy thought for a moment, then said hesitantly.
"Well, there aren't many adventurer quests on the Central Continent to earn extra money. I'll probably travel and adventure to continue improving my magic, while also looking for some home tutoring jobs to support myself… Ten years is a long time. I haven't thought that far ahead yet."
"I see… I think… you could stay on the Central Continent, Teacher. That way, maybe when I grow up, I could join your adventuring party."
"…But I suggest you go to a magic university to study first, Rudy, before you consider becoming an adventurer."
Rudy's face lit up with a smile.
"Then it's a deal! I'll go to a magic university first, and then we can form an adventuring party together!"
"…Let's talk about that after you graduate from magic university."
Rudy chuckled.
"But Teacher, why are you so set on being an adventurer and going into labyrinths? I think you could easily become a professor at a magic university. That way, maybe when I go to the university, you could still be the one teaching me magic."
Hearing this, Roxy rubbed her foot on the grass shyly.
"Why I'm set on being an adventurer… Well… despite my appearance, I also dream of romance… Maybe one day… a young man, full of masculinity, tall, but with a boyish expression, will save me deep inside a labyrinth. And then… we'll become adventurers who rely on each other, and feelings will gradually blossom, and then…"
Roxy suddenly paused, her head turning involuntarily to look at Alan beside them.
The sword swung down again.
"139!"
Not far away, Sylphie's elven ears had been picking up on Rudy and Roxy's conversation. Now, her expression as she looked at Alan became grave.
Rudy was completely frozen. He turned his head stiffly to look at Alan, looking as if he were about to cry.
'Full of masculinity, tall, a boyish expression, and a young adventurer… Look! Here's a freshly made candidate who perfectly fits Roxy's standards for a partner! What a coincidence… Damn it! I never should have agreed to let Paul make him my sword instructor!'
Silence fell around them, with only the sound of the sword wrestling with the wind.
Alan was about to continue his swings when he suddenly sensed that everyone had gone quiet. He stopped and looked around at the three of them.
He found everyone staring at him.
He paused, then asked.
"?? Uh… what's wrong? Why are you all looking at me?"
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