Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Day of Reunion, the Hour of Night Talk

One thing led to another, and before they knew it, they found themselves sitting in Allen's bedroom.

The main gate downstairs was locked for the night, so Allen had naturally climbed through a window before sneaking back to unlock the door. Roxy, feeling awkward about disturbing the rest of the household in the middle of the night, paced back and forth, unsure of where else to go.

This back-and-forth dance had naturally devolved into the cliché—and somewhat suspicious—invitation to come up to his room for a drink of water.

Candlelight flickered on the table between them. They sat opposite each other in silence.

Under the influence of the "darkness effect" earlier, combined with the enchantingly beautiful moonlight, they had managed to shorten the distance between them at lightning speed. But now, in the bright candlelight, they could clearly see each other's faces. The awkwardness of having met only once before and not having seen each other for two months hung heavy in the air.

Actually, it would have been fine up to this point, but the factor that pushed the atmosphere to the edge of a cliff was...

Roxy’s miniature figure was still sitting on Allen’s desk—the detachable kind, no less.

Allen stared at Roxy, who was frowning as she inspected the figure, and fell into a stupor.

[Even though I have witnessed it many times, the Host’s interlocking techniques are truly breathtaking. First, you drag her into your bedroom, then you deliberately let her see the figure on the table, implying a sentimental metaphor of "seeing the object and thinking of the person"...]

The text floated into view. Allen covered his face in profound agony.

"...Cut it out. I completely forgot about the figure. As for the 'dragging'... I can explain. It’s actually very simple; because of the darkness effect, people find it easy to—"

[The darkness effect, is it? Do you need me to blow out the candles and excuse myself?]

"...That won't be necessary... thank you."

[I must remind the Host that if Roxy's favorability continues to rise, it will only amount to a few points of evaluation at most. Er... could it be that this is also within the Host's expectations? I have spoken too much; I wish you a wonderful night.]

"Yes, very good. If you have nothing useful to say, I suggest you get lost."

[Good night~]

The moment the text dissipated, the characteristically cold tone of the "Blue Mom" system echoed in Allen's ears.

"What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

Allen looked up, startled, at Roxy. She had already taken off her magic robe and was sitting upright in the chair, looking slightly uneasy yet trying hard to maintain an indifferent demeanor.

Without realizing it, she had moved her gaze from her own figure to Allen.

The candlelight shimmered in her eyes, which were like deep blue lakes, stirring up faint, beautiful ripples of green.

Allen looked into Roxy’s eyes and muttered.

"I wasn't feeling well before, but I feel fine now."

At this moment, it was exactly like that moment back then.

...

Watching Allen’s sudden dazed expression, Roxy blinked.

"Could it be... are you saying those flirtatious things to girls again? I don't quite understand."

Allen was overjoyed.

"That’s great!"

[...]

Roxy gave him a slightly strange look upon hearing this, but she didn't probe further. She turned her head and looked around the bedroom.

"It’s so nostalgic... this is the room where I lived for two years."

"Right. There are no beds in the other rooms; this is the only guest room. If we wanted to clean another one, we'd have to wait until the master and mistress wake up tomorrow. You'll have to make do with this for tonight... er..."

Allen froze before he could finish his sentence.

*Damn, what kind of line is that!*

Roxy shifted her gaze back to the figure on the desk. She didn't misunderstand anything, just said calmly:

"...You’re right. It’s too late. I’ll just have to make do by sleeping at the table. By the way... this doll is Rudy’s handiwork, isn't it?"

Allen looked at the overly realistic, miniature version of Roxy on the table, his temple twitching.

"Er... maybe you should ask him yourself tomorrow."

Roxy turned her head, looking into Allen's eyes with suspicion.

"Oh? Could it be that you made it?"

As she spoke, Roxy reached out to touch the figure, shook her head helplessly, then covered her mouth to stifle a yawn, leaning forward to rest her head on the table.

Her gaze landed once again on the dazed Allen.

"Familiar earth magic... it must be his work... such a precocious child... oh, I almost forgot you are quite young as well... Tell me, Allen, what exactly did you do in the Royal Capital... to make your family... er... if it's inconvenient to say, that’s fine."

Allen scratched his head.

"Actually, it's nothing that can't be said. It’s just the usual power struggle among nobles. You might not know this, but the tradition of the Boreas family is that the successors to the head of the house engage in a struggle for leadership during their childhood. The winner is chosen as the next candidate, while the losers are required to have their male offspring adopted out as the 'biological children' of the winner immediately upon birth, to avoid potential internal family infighting over power in the future."

Having said this, Allen pointed to his own face.

"And I am one of those adopted children. Although I was raised by James in the Royal Capital, I am actually the eldest son of Philip, the Mayor of Roa."

Roxy, pillowed on her arms, squinted, her eyes widening slightly.

"Mayor Philip? Then... how did you know you were Mayor Philip's child?"

Allen lied without blinking. To hide the fact that he had read the novel and was trying to participate in the major events of the "Jobless Reincarnation" world, he chose the most reasonable explanation he could think of on the spot.

"My so-called mother’s differential treatment of the children was far too obvious... which aroused my suspicion. Later, by tracking her pregnancy, I judged that the other child, who was conceived at the same time as me and whom she clearly favored, was her true son. The rest is simple; one only needs to ask around about the Boreas family traditions, and the truth becomes clear."

"As for the assassination... was it because your inquiries were discovered?"

"...I'm not sure, but I have always lacked the necessary respect for James. Perhaps he was suspicious. He cares deeply about power, and the ambitious Philip is a huge threat to him. He has every motive to arrange my assassination... there's no one else it could be. I haven't offended anyone else."

"...So that’s how it is..."

"As for coming to my uncle, it's because I couldn't directly acknowledge Philip; James would definitely notice. Fortunately, my uncle took me in..."

Allen stopped speaking. He looked at Roxy; she had already fallen asleep on the table.

He smiled at her sleeping face, and using his subtle control over his "Flow" energy, he moved her onto the bed with barely a tremor. He turned and blew out the candle.

Then, he took a map out of the drawer and picked up a pen.

Moonlight spilled onto the aged map as Allen slowly drew a new circle—the forest to the northeast of Gate City in the Donati territory.

Allen’s murmur echoed in the room.

"...A bandit stronghold involved in human trafficking in the forest southeast of Gate City. They have been tracking my movements. This is the direct catalyst for the 'butterfly effect' of Roxy returning to Buena Village... at this location... will there be even more butterfly effects to follow?"

"What an eyesore."

On the bed, the exhausted Roxy, suddenly finding herself on the soft mattress, began to breathe in a slow, imperceptible rhythm.