Chapter Forty-Seven: The Night Before Parting, Underlying Currents Stir

Ultimately, Roxy half-heartedly accepted the fact that she had picked up yet another stray apprentice.

Rudeus possessed a markedly superior talent to Roxy's, but in terms of teaching, the latter was undeniably the more professional, spending the entire afternoon explaining various magical concepts to Sylphie in a clear and accessible manner.

Shortly before nightfall, after a brief consultation among the group, Roxy decided that since she would be leaving soon, she would subject Sylphie to a high-pressure tutoring regimen over the next few days.

Following everyone's performance the next day, a preliminary schedule was hammered out:

Morning: The three of them gathered on the hill to practice magic, while Allen practiced his swordsmanship nearby.

Afternoon: Theoretical magic lessons were conducted at home, while Allen practiced his swordsmanship nearby.

Evening: In the bedroom that originally belonged to Allen but now belonged to Roxy, Sylphie was treated to an expansion of world magic lore—which, truth be told, was essentially just storytelling.

Naturally, Allen was still practicing his swordsmanship nearby.

However, because these "classes" extended into the night, Sylphie often didn't return home until late. Consequently, the group approached Rholz together and successfully talked him into letting Sylphie stay at Rudeus's house until Roxy's departure.

It is worth mentioning that upon hearing the proposal, Rholz agreed almost without a second thought, while Sylphie's mother stood close by, gently cheering her daughter on.

Her child, who had always been bullied in the village, seemed to have finally found a genuine, close friend.

And so, time slipped rapidly away amidst Allen’s constant refrain of, "Come on, just one more time, I'm begging you." Before they knew it, the eve of Roxy's departure had arrived.

---

"Alright, Sylphie, stop crying. You were so poised just a week ago, how is it that you're starting to waterworks now?"

Sylphie wiped away her tears, completely indifferent to Rudeus's well-intentioned head-scratching consolation. After all, she was still young; it was only two months ago that she had made her very first friend in life, and just a week prior, she had acquired a kind-hearted, beautiful mentor-figure on the cheap. These novel experiences and the lively, joyful atmosphere had filled her every waking moment with fluttering anticipation...

And then, parting had arrived abruptly.

At the very moment Roxy announced the end of their lessons, Sylphie felt the ground drop out from beneath her soaring expectations.

She immediately burst into tears.

Roxy already seemed somewhat overly silent today, and at this moment, she was flustered and completely at a loss as to how to comfort Sylphie.

As for Allen... the fellow was executing an awkward swing with his blade from the side of his elbow, the sword body trembling as the tip reached the lowest point of its slashing trajectory.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, looked at Sylphie's tear-streaked face, and spoke with a somewhat strained expression.

"—Sylphie, cast a healing spell."

Sylphie wiped away her tears with one hand while extending the other toward Allen, sobbing as she intermittently chanted:

"—O goddess of maternal benevolence, please heal... this person's wounds, restore... his healthy body, heal... Healing Spell!"

Allen's complexion improved, and he drew his blade to resume his empty swings.

Watching Allen, Rudeus dropped the joking tone he usually used, looked at him calmly, and slowly began to speak.

"Allen... don't you usually have a clever retort for everything? How is it that with the teacher leaving tomorrow, you're putting on such an unconcerned, calm face instead? Didn't you see Sylphie crying her eyes out?"

Hearing this, Roxy walked over to Rudeus, intending to nip the potential brewing argument in the bud, but after her lips parted and moved silently for a moment, she ultimately said nothing.

Allen gripped his sword. This time, instead of slowly performing empty swings as he had done during the past few days, he casually flicked his wrist to spin the blade into a flourish, slicing forcefully through the halo of candlelight beside his face.

"—Rudeus, tell me, what kind of reaction would be considered appropriate? So what if Sylphie is crying? Are you saying crying isn't allowed? Should sorrow not be accepted either?"

Rudeus froze for a split second, while Roxy and Sylphie also stared blankly at Allen.

Allen reached out, his fingertips tracing the forged grain along the flat of the blade all the way to the tip.

"I've always felt that... in human relationships, joy is certainly worth remembering, but pain shouldn't be deliberately avoided. No matter what emotion you're experiencing at the moment—whether happy or sad, excited or melancholic—you shouldn't suppress your feelings. Feel it, experience it; that is the undeniable proof that this experience truly existed..."

"B-But... if you do that..."

Allen flicked the edge of the blade with his finger, producing a crisp, clear chime.

"Only then will you have the 'strength' to look forward to the next reunion."

He sheathed his sword with a sharp *clack*. A gust of wind stirred up around him, fluttering everyone's hair as the three of them stared at him in astonishment.

"Isn't that right?"

After a brief moment of daze, Rudeus snapped back to reality.

"—Then what about you? By your logic, you're neither crying nor laughing, just keeping a totally calm expression. Does that mean you feel nothing at all about the teacher leaving? Wasn't it you who invited her to stay a few extra days?"

Roxy was momentarily stunned, instinctively averting her gaze from the clash between the two boys, though she could not shut out their words.

She heard Allen's lazy voice echo through the room.

"Because I am certain we will meet again in the future, I am calm."

Rudeus looked at Roxy. The latter acted as though she hadn't heard Allen at all, simply tilting her head to watch the candle flame on the table, blinking.

The forked tongue of the candle flame licked at the air, entirely unmoved.

Observing this scene, Rudeus suddenly felt somewhat defirited, losing any desire to speak further.

Then, Allen suddenly reached out and wrapped an arm around his neck, bringing a smiling face close to inspect him. Rudeus glared at him for a moment before snapping irritably,

"—Get away from me. Trying to butter me up won't work now, you smooth-talking bastard."

Allen chuckled.

"Rudeus, tell me... how about... we use magic to celebrate tonight?"

"Huh? What do you mean by using magic to celebrate?"

"If you mix a fireball with a shockwave or something similar, could you create a combined spell and shoot it straight up into the sky to explode into a brilliant, sparkling sphere of fire? Wouldn't that look amazing? I'm sure both Roxy and Sylphie would love it."

Rudeus paused for a moment and blurted out instinctively,

"Hanabi?"

Allen feigned confusion and smiled.

"What?"

Rudeus looked at Roxy and Sylphie beside him, both of whom wore curious expressions. He scratched his head, then walked over to the window. Pushing it open, the nighttime breeze from the quiet village of Buena swept into the room, disheveling the hair of Roxy, Sylphie, Allen, and himself.

Looking back at Allen's smiling face, Rudeus sighed inwardly.

In truth, as an adult with a mental age of over thirty, he certainly wouldn't indulge in such childish dramatics as picking a fight with Allen simply out of sentimental sorrow over a parting.

His reaction just now was purely an excuse to vent his frustration on Allen—nothing more.

After all, he was the one who had met Roxy first.

Why was it that she clearly had a much more favorable impression of Allen?