"A monster tide??"
Allen looked in astonishment to his side. Sylphie, with her head tucked into her fluffy collar, sat on the stool, her legs dangling and swaying slightly. Her gaze met Allen's direct stare; her eyelashes trembled, and her pointed ears twitched.
This winter, Sylphie had been 'studying' at the Greyrat's home. During the day, either Roles or her mother would bring her over, and in the evening, they would pick her up.
In front of her lay the book, The Ecology and Weaknesses of Monsters in the Fitoa Region. Many parts of it were marked with small notes and expanded stories in the margins.
Those were anecdotes from Roxy's 'travels across the continent,' which she had written down over a week after getting Zenith's permission in advance. Her original intention was to have stories ready to tell the two little ones each night, so she wouldn't suddenly get stuck and lose her authority as a teacher.
Blue Mama was very serious about teaching.
Now, this book had become like a supplementary magic reader for Sylphie, who had read it over and over again. She was very fond of it.
"Father said so a few days ago. I didn't ask for details, but he didn't look well."
Allen noticed that some of her shoulder-length, jade-green hair was getting tangled in her fluffy collar. He casually tucked the collar for her, then rested his chin on his hand and began to think with a frown.
'I think the original story mentioned a plot point like this, but that was supposed to be during Rudeus's time as a tutor after leaving Buena Village. I remember the specific reason for the monsters becoming overly active was...'
At this thought, Allen's face darkened for a moment.
'The summoning magic of the Great Teleportation Incident caused the magical power in the entire Fitoa region to fluctuate excessively, which made the monsters active... but I remember the monster unrest was supposed to be during the tutoring period, not now. What's going on?'
Sylphie's gaze followed Allen's hand as it reached out and then pulled back. She rested her chin on her hand and quietly looked at Allen's face. An expression of tenderness, unsuited for her age, appeared on her young face.
Just as Rudeus had mentioned in his letter, she had become much 'quieter' this past year. The main reason was that Allen himself was not a chatty person. During the formative years of childhood, when one is most easily influenced by others, Sylphie naturally and subconsciously began to imitate him after spending a long time with him.
Growing children always like to imitate those they 'admire' and 'aspire to be.'
As for whether Allen was the former or the latter in her heart...
Who could know?
At that moment, Rudeus, who was reading a magic book nearby, looked up at Allen's expression, a look of recollection on his face.
"When Uncle Roles came for help before, I overheard their conversation. They said that because of the accident Uncle Roles had last year, the villagers were a bit fearful about clearing out the monsters. And since Father and Allen, who saved him, couldn't participate in the winter monster hunt, they didn't even dare to go too deep into the forest. So even though they pushed the net very deep last year, they didn't manage to hunt many monsters at all."
Allen looked up and met Rudeus's blinking eyes.
'The resolution of the affair and pregnancy incident led to Paul staying home all winter to take care of the two pregnant women... It seems this so-called monster tide is another butterfly effect I unintentionally caused... but it shouldn't have too much of an impact this time, right?'
Nearby, Zenith, who was cooing at the baby, looked a bit embarrassed and said guiltily.
"If I had known, I shouldn't have made him keep his promise to stay home and take care of us last year. Delaying the monster clearing is the real major issue..."
Allen raised an eyebrow at her words, his gaze sweeping past his bangs to give Rudeus a meaningful look.
Rudeus had also grown taller, but his face hadn't changed much, just maturing from a cherubic boy's face to that of a young teenager. After more than a year together, he had long understood what Allen's various expressions meant. He discreetly waved his hand, signaling that he would act even if Allen didn't urge him.
He stood up from the table, walked over to Zenith, made a funny face at Norn, and said casually.
"Lullaby~ Clearing monsters is a big deal for the village, but taking care of pregnant mothers is a big deal for the Greyrat family, isn't it?"
Zenith paused, then chuckled, reaching out to lovingly stroke Rudeus's head and pulling him into a hug.
Allen adjusted his glasses and, from the side of the table where Zenith couldn't see, gave Rudeus a thumbs-up. Rudeus returned a look that said, "It was nothing," and they exchanged a glance.
This scene was reflected in Sylphie's reddish-brown pupils. She blinked, first looking at Zenith who was stroking Rudeus's hair, then looked up at Lilia in the distance.
Lilia, however, was not looking at Rudeus. She was gently looking at Allen while cooing at Aisha in the cradle.
Seeing this, Sylphie blinked rapidly, a very restrained, satisfied smile appearing on her face as she lowered her head to continue reading the book on the table.
Just then.
Knock, knock, knock!
A rather urgent knock came from the door.
The four people in the room turned their heads in unison towards the door. Lilia got up to open it.
The person standing in the snowstorm was a blond elf.
Sylphie's father—Roles.
A thick layer of snow had accumulated on the shoulders of his coat. He first nodded apologetically to Lilia, then waved a greeting to Zenith. To Lilia's surprise, he only slightly closed the door, leaving a crack just big enough for a face to block the wind and snow.
He showed no intention of stepping inside.
"Father."
Sylphie thought he had come to take her home. She quickly glanced at Allen and Rudeus behind her, closed the monster encyclopedia in her hands, hopped off the stool, and trotted to the door, murmuring softly.
"Father... it's just past noon. Are we going home early today?"
Roles looked at Sylphie's long, jade-green hair with a sigh. Just over a year ago, Sylphie used to constantly ask her mother to cut her hair short. Since Allen arrived, that request had never been made again. In fact, Sylphie had a smile on her face all day long.
Apart from her smiling demeanor resembling Allen's, there were no other issues.
Roles nodded. He glanced at Allen, who was about to come over and greet him, and smiled.
'Allen isn't old, but he's really reliable... in every aspect.'
"Sylphie, I'm not here for you. I'm here for Allen. We're a bit short-handed in the forest, so Lord Paul asked me to come and get Allen to help out. So... I'll have to borrow him from you for a few days. I'll return him later."
Sylphie's expression was gentle as she listened to the first part of her father's words, but when she heard the last sentence, her eyes suddenly widened. She hurriedly stood on her tiptoes and waved both hands frantically in front of Roles, as if to block his view. Roles caught her hands and looked amusedly at Sylphie, who had suddenly reverted to her panicked state from a year ago.
By now, Allen had already walked to the door with his hand on his sword, followed by Rudeus.
"...We'll have to trouble you, Allen."
Allen smiled nonchalantly.
"It's my duty."
Roles nodded and squatted down to hug Sylphie, whose small hands were frozen in the air now that she realized Allen was beside her.
"Sylphie, please have Rudeus walk you home today. We'll probably be spending the night in the forest..."
"It's fine, let Sylphie and Rudeus come along too. When dealing with a monster tide, a mage's AOE... I mean, large-scale magic, would surely be faster than us killing them one by one with swords and bows, right?"
Allen said as he casually patted Sylphie's head, glancing at Rudeus behind him, who had a look of apprehension.
'It's unreasonable not to bring a PVE expert for a mob grind, right? Besides, Sylphie is clearly interested in new things, always poring over that monster book. She must be very interested in monsters. It's a good opportunity to let them see the world. One is an Intermediate-rank mage, and the other is a Saint-rank mage. With some experience now, it should increase their chances of survival after the Great Teleportation, especially considering how perilous Sylphie's landing was in the story.'
Hearing this, Sylphie snapped out of her daze. She first looked down at the 'storybook' in her arms, then looked up at Allen, only to see him wink at her.
Rudeus scratched his head.
"Um... is it really okay for me and Sylphie to go? It's a monster tide... Listening to the teacher talk about it is one thing, but facing it for real might be a bit reckless... And we have to spend the night outside. Although I think spending the night with you guys would be nice, it feels like those days when the teacher came back, but wouldn't it be inconvenient? Ouch! Sylphie, why did you step on me?"
"Sorry Rudeus, my foot was asleep. I wanted to move it and accidentally stepped on you."
"Huh? But I'm far from your leg. How could you step on my foot by stomping in place? Ouch!"
"...See, I can."
"??"
A surprised Roles didn't notice the two little ones' actions. He looked at Allen, who was now only half a head shorter than him and didn't seem to be joking at all. He suddenly realized that this 'reliable person' he had naturally come to for help was also a 'child' only four years older than Rudeus and Sylphie, who could also be reckless and willful...
'Rudeus and Sylphie are mages, and Rudeus's magical talent has been proven in many ways, but at their age, can they really handle this kind of situation... Even if I let them go, wouldn't Lady Zenith be worried?'
Just as he was about to subconsciously refuse Allen's reckless suggestion, he heard Allen continue.
"Sylphie and Rudeus are probably more of a threat to the monsters than many of the adults in the village right now. One is an Intermediate-rank mage, and Rudeus has long been at the Saint-rank. The mages in some adventurer parties might not even be as skilled as them. It would be good to take them along to gain some experience this time, right? A fledgling that stays in the greenhouse will never grow, right, Uncle Roles?"
Roles's lips moved, but no sound came out. He looked past Allen to Zenith inside the house. As a former adventurer, she would surely be more persuasive than him.
But to his surprise, although Zenith also looked astonished, she agreed with Allen's words about 'fledgling growth' and recognized his strength. Recalling her own experience of being tricked after running away from home, she thought for a moment and nodded without much hesitation.
"I think it's a good idea. Paul has always said similar things to me, but I never agreed. Now that I think about it, Rudeus is a child, but he is indeed more capable than the mages in many adventurer parties. He just lacks some experience. This is a really good opportunity. Although Rudeus is smart, he still lacks a bit in worldly wisdom compared to Allen."
Allen: ???
Rudeus: ?????
"This..."
"Besides, with Allen around, I don't need to worry about their safety. Hmm... Allen's abilities are enough for him to be the main swordsman in an S-rank adventurer party. Let me think, he has both Paul's adaptability and Ghislaine's sharpness..."
Rudeus: ?????
Allen shook his head, recovering from this Mushoku Tensei version of "other people's kids" strange praise. He looked at Zenith's face, lost in thought, then turned to the stunned Roles and waved the hilt of his sword in the doorway in front of him.
As the scabbard slowly swept through the air, the snowflakes that had drifted into the house were caught in the wind from his blade, creating a snow dance, and then returned to the snowstorm outside through the gap around Roles's body.
This action reminded Roles of the scene last winter.
Back then, it was the blade of light squeezed from the air by this very boy that had saved him from the brink of death.
He hesitated for a moment, looked at the eager Sylphie, and although he still felt it was inappropriate, he nodded.
"Alright, then."
In the end, under the watchful eyes of Zenith and Lilia, Allen, Rudeus, and Sylphie, carrying some extra bread made at home over the past few days, followed Roles into the snowstorm.
"Sir Knight! The monsters are attacking the protective net!"
A burly-looking villager, through the hard vine net, repeatedly thrust his sword through the gaps in the mesh. On the other side of the net was a dense swarm of demonic beasts.
The blade plunged in and was pulled out again.
Gushes of hot blood spurted out like a faucet, splashing all around. Scraps of monster flesh and fur littered the ground, and the surrounding snow had been stained into a sea of red.
On the other side of the net, Forest Snakes and Great-Toothed Demon Rats writhed and fell from the sea of blood, the snow making soft thudding sounds. But if one looked closely, one could see that many of the snakes and rats were already fighting each other. Only a small portion of them realized there was more delicious 'food' nearby and tried to attack the villagers.
Most of them were locked in combat with each other, their battlefield just happening to extend to the protective net.
Even so, the vine net creaked ominously, as if it would shatter at any moment.
There were too many monsters.
Just in front of this villager, a glance revealed a tangled mass of more than ten monsters.
Seeing that the net might not hold, the villager dropped his sword and grabbed a pitchfork from the snow beside him to prop up the net.
But at that moment, the snowdrift in front of him suddenly rose and then exploded!
A rabbit-like monster, half the size of a human and covered in iron spikes, shot out from the snow! It seemed to have been waiting for the villager to drop his sword, taking this opportunity to leap over the net and attack the long-coveted human.
In his panic, the villager instinctively tried to block with the pitchfork.
In the next instant, a violent wind howled through the snow. A figure shot into his field of vision, tearing the monster and the snowdrift apart, carving a deep trench in the ground.
The wind pressure showered the villager from head to toe with monster limbs and organs. He watched Paul's timely arrival, his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.
Paul flicked his sword, shaking off the remaining limbs, and looked grimly at the ground exposed by the trench.
The severed head of the Saw-Spiked Rabbit lay in the trench, and on both sides of it, countless dark monster burrows were exposed to the air.
A few Great-Toothed Rats cautiously poked their heads out of the burrows, intending to gnaw on the rabbit's head, but were immediately cut into pieces by Paul's sword.
"Damn it! Why are there so many this year? The ground is riddled with monster burrows."
Paul reached out and pulled the villager up, looking around.
Nearly half of the adult male villagers were here, and every one of them looked at Paul with extreme exhaustion on their faces.
Seeing that no one was injured, Paul let out a long sigh of relief and sat down in the 'trench' carved out by his sword aura. The deep snow on either side reached his cheeks when he sat down.
He was about to suggest everyone take a rest when he heard a rustling sound by his ear.
It sounded like some hard object rubbing against the packed snow.
Paul's expression changed. He turned to look at the cross-section of the snow beside him.
In the cross-section of the snow, among the countless burrows made by the demonic beasts, crimson eyes lit up one after another.
The monsters had been hungry for a long time.
Human flesh must be even more delicious.
The reason why the monster tide is early has a very clear logical/causal relationship, and the foreshadowing will be laid until the end of the tutoring arc to be fully revealed, creating a major plot point.
Well, that's all I can say for now, any more would be a spoiler.
Thank you for all the donations yesterday, I was moved to tears. It really pulled me back from the brink.
Thank you again. For those who are true followers, you don't need to donate 100 anymore, or rather, paying for other novels also counts as my true following.
Thank you all for your recognition of my writing. Honestly, it was unexpected.
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