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"What's wrong with calling him by his name?"
As he finished speaking, Allen just quietly watched the approaching ship, ignoring Darius's words.
Darius, for his part, was completely unbothered by Allen's rude demeanor. He glanced at Sauros's distant figure at the bow of the ship and chuckled.
"Sir Allen, you and I are now on the same side. We should get along, shouldn't we? We don't really have any conflicts, do we? Even though you killed that fellow, Thomas, I didn't come to you seeking to start a war, did I?"
Allen scoffed.
"You overextended your reach, and I cut it off. Is that something you should blame me for?"
Darius's eyes narrowed into a cheerful smile.
"That was just an 'accident.' Thomas was merely a pawn that His Majesty and I placed in the Fittoa territory to watch Sauros. Do you think Sauros didn't know? He was well aware, he just never had a good excuse to get rid of him before. I, on the other hand, personally provided the 'excuse,' didn't I?"
This was the first time since his transmigration that Allen had encountered someone so adept at taking advantage of a situation, or more accurately, someone so shamelessly thick-skinned.
He was genuinely amused to the point of laughter.
"So, should I thank you on my grandfather's behalf?"
Darius laughed. "I will accept that, because Sauros, that boy, wouldn't be as reasonable as you and thank me..."
Before he could finish, pat, a hand landed on Darius's shoulder.
He turned to look to his side.
What met his eyes was a pair of dark grey pupils.
They were incredibly close.
The look in those eyes—was one of someone watching a dead man.
Allen suddenly leaned in close to Darius's face, pressing down on his shoulder in a seemingly intimate gesture. The murderous intent surged like a tide, pounding against Darius's body. The latter was drenched in sweat in an instant.
But having seen God-rank masters and grand occasions before, he was only momentarily stunned. Under Allen's gaze, he used his pocket square to wipe the sweat from his forehead with a slightly stiff smile.
Allen tilted his head and leaned in close to his ear, speaking in a voice that only the two of them could hear.
"Then I suppose I should also thank you, Lord Darius, for your invaluable role in the assassinations from Red Dragon's Jaw, to outside Rigrit City, to the road to Ranoa, and then to the road to the royal capital."
Darius, upon hearing this, still did not show the slightest anger. He only spoke with an awkward expression.
"There's no need for that. Although I was just providing 'whetting stones' for you, I did indeed cause some offense."
His tone was so sheepish that Allen was momentarily silent.
It was not easy for Darius's thick skin to reach a point where it could negate insults.
It seems that to provoke his emotions and shatter his resolve to make [Persuasion] more effective, he couldn't use sarcasm as a starting point.
He would have to use oppression.
However, [Persuasion] couldn't be used yet. The plan to avoid the Great Teleportation was also completed. In addition, with Reida standing between them, killing Darius required careful planning, so there was no need to rush.
Bang!
As his thoughts ran, the ship docked at the gangway.
Allen straightened up. Seeing this, Darius immediately composed himself and threw his pocket square into his butler's arms.
The ship dropped anchor, and the gangway was laid out.
Soon, the people from the ship came down.
The first was Sauros, still with that menacing and imposing demeanor.
He ignored Darius and stopped right in front of Allen, staring at him intently.
Allen only returned a smile.
Sauros's face twitched.
"You and your reckless actions! You're so audacious! Allen Boreas Greyrat!"
Allen, however, responded with a quiet 'Heart of Iron' salute.
—Reward kindness with kindness, and repay injustice with uprightness. Killing James was something he had decided long ago.
The conversation on the tower a few months ago was still fresh in his mind.
How could that have been just a...
...threat?
Sauros narrowed his eyes at Allen's chest, then let out a heavy grunt.
He chose to let the matter of 'patricide' go.
This was truly the behavior of a pragmatist. James's death was a fact that could not be changed. Since Allen had already made a name for himself in the royal capital, possessing more 'influence' in just a few days than James, he could only clean up after this 'unfilial son' who had the Heart of Iron of the Boreas family.
He turned and looked at Darius, who had been watching him with a tilted head.
"Let's go, Darius. Didn't His Majesty say he wanted to summon me?"
Darius shook his head, glanced at Allen, then turned to lead the way.
"Let's go. Is this how you treat an 'old friend' you haven't seen in so many years?"
"F*** you. Don't act all chummy with me. It's disgusting."
"Tsk, you really haven't changed a bit..."
Their voices, along with the carriage wheels, gradually faded into the distance.
Allen watched the two of them head to the royal palace. He mentally reviewed the current situation in the royal capital, confirming that Sauros's life was not in danger for now. Then he turned.
He met the gaze of the person who had now arrived in front of him.
Philip looked at Allen, still with his usual narrowed-eye demeanor, but upon closer inspection, one could see a complex expression in his eyes, with a hint of quiet relief.
He seemed to want to say a lot, but as a thousand words reached his lips, he only shook his head and uttered a single sentence.
"I saw it. Perfect 'power' and 'authority.' Is this your answer?"
This was a response to Allen's parting words to him, "You'll see."
Allen shook his head.
"No, this is just the process."
Philip was momentarily stunned, then he looked at Allen deeply.
"Are you still obsessed with brute force? But the essence of this matter still came down to your schemes, Allen. Don't ignore your own talent."
Allen smiled, looking into Philip's eyes, and caressed the hilt of his sword.
"Schemes? That's because I needed my 'force' to be seen."
"But next time, I won't need to."
"Because when I draw my sword, no one will be able to ignore its sharpness."
Philip was silent for a moment.
"Perhaps."
"You'll see."
Philip looked up at Allen's eyes. "I don't doubt it, Allen. You are the Boreas family's most brilliant star. If you want to prove yourself, then I'll be watching."
"I, too, look forward to that day."
"And finally..."
He looked at Allen, staring intently at Allen.
Then he suddenly smiled, a helpless smile that caused his shoulders to relax, and his eyes, which were always squinted into a slit, opened.
In them, was Allen's face.
"This time, it's really good that you're okay. Allen."
This time, it was Allen's turn to be slightly stunned. He looked at Philip's face and noticed that his hair wasn't as neatly arranged as usual; some strands were even tangled. The stubble on his chin was cleanly shaven, but perhaps because he was too hurried, or perhaps because he was too elated from hearing some news, or just a momentary lapse in concentration...
At the bottom of his chin, there was a tiny cut from a razor.
It was so small that Allen, a swordsman of the Water God Style, had almost missed it.
He looked at Philip for a long while, then he too broke into a smile.
He reached out and, under Philip's astonished gaze, gently hugged him.
"I really don't understand what you're thinking all day. Anyway, I'm fine. Thank you all for coming for me."
The hug was brief, cautious, and ended as soon as it began.
Philip, however, just stared at Allen blankly, his face a little dazed. He stood there for a long time, then lowered his head.
He clenched his fist.
His voice was heavy.
But the tone was very soft.
"Allen..."
"...It's good that you killed James. It's good..."
"Allen..."
A figure could no longer hold back and squeezed out from behind Philip's right side. Red waves stretched out in the sunset, embracing both Philip and Allen.
It was Hilda.
Allen reached out and hugged Hilda back, feeling the front of his shirt gradually become damp.
He spoke softly with an apologetic tone.
"I'm sorry, Mom, for making you worry. I'm okay. I heard you were sick, are you feeling better?"
Hilda shook her head.
"...Knowing that I was going to see you today, all my fatigue instantly disappeared..."
She composed herself, took a deep breath, stood up straight, and looked up at Allen.
"Allen, you seem to have gotten taller. Is that my imagination?"
Allen glanced at Philip, who had suddenly turned to talk to a gloomy-faced Paul behind him, and looked back at Hilda.
"...Is that so...? I don't feel it. Do you think I've grown taller, Mom?"
Hilda's dark grey pupils, which were the same as Allen's, looked at his face and she gestured with her hand.
"Yes, you have grown taller. The clothes I made these past few months... I guess I'll have to alter them..."
"I knew I shouldn't have grown."
She laughed through her tears. "What kind of thing is that to say? But... where are Eris and Sylphy?"
Allen smiled and said.
"Her Highness the Second Princess visited this afternoon, so they were a little delayed. When you came over, Isolte, uh, was a little nervous and started preparing dinner very early. There were so many people, so since meeting the ship isn't a big deal, I left them behind to help."
Hilda hesitated for a moment. As expected of a mother, she quickly understood.
"Isolte..."
Allen's face stiffened. He was about to start explaining. "About that..."
Then, he suddenly stopped speaking.
Hilda's smiling face in his eyes still made him feel happy.
However, behind his mother, the conversation that drifted over on the wind caused his soaring emotions to suddenly plummet.
After a brief, stunned moment, Allen immediately turned his head to look at Philip and Paul behind Hilda!
The former was patting the latter's shoulder, saying something about thanking him for treating his wife and apologizing for having to come here due to the sudden summons, and that he would arrange for a ship to pick up Zenith once she was feeling better.
The latter, with dark circles under his eyes, nodded in agreement. Seeing Allen looking at him, he scanned him up and down, and when he confirmed he was okay, his expression visibly relaxed, but the frown on his brow would not loosen.
"It's okay. Zenith... it's okay. She must just be tired..."
Hearing this, a flurry of thoughts churned in Allen's mind. He suddenly felt his throat become very dry. In a panic, he patted Hilda's shoulder, and his body swayed, abruptly squeezing in front of Paul and Philip.
Before the two could react in surprise, he asked anxiously.
"What happened to Madam Zenith?"
Paul patted Allen on the shoulder, pinching the bridge of his nose, looking very tired.
"Zenith... she suddenly got sick this morning. She's a little unable to take care of herself, so Lilia and the others need to look after her now. The children can't be separated from their mothers, so we've placed them in Flowing Falls City for now..."
Allen suddenly grabbed Paul's shoulders.
"Which inn?"
Paul felt his shoulders being squeezed painfully. "Uh, Allen, you don't have to be so nervous. It's probably just from over-exhaustion, a sudden release of tension. It's a bit like that time we were trapped in the dungeon for a month and came out. Neither healing magic nor detoxification magic worked... Maybe..."
He was worried. "She just needs more rest, and she'll get better..."
The corner of Allen's eye twitched wildly. Even so, he still pinched his own forehead, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.
He spoke again, asking one more time.
"Uncle! Which inn?"
"Water Capital Inn..."
Allen looked up at the ship in front of him, confirming that no other passengers had gotten off. He turned to look at Philip.
"Did you charter the entire ship? Can we sail back tonight? I'm very worried about Madam Zenith. After all..."
He gritted his teeth as he spoke, but his expression was one that inspired trust.
He was beginning to lie.
"This matter started because of me... I... know a relatively famous magician in the Water Capital who has a good reputation in detoxification magic. I can ask him to take a look... If there's nothing wrong, I'll have them brought over tomorrow morning."
Everyone was stunned by his words. Even Rorze and Noda, who had just walked to the front of the two of them, looked helpless.
While they knew Allen was very responsible, was it really necessary to go back that same night?
Paul, however, suddenly became a little excited.
"Then I'll go back with you..."
"I'll go alone!"
Before he could finish, Allen cut him off. He licked his lips and forced a smile as he looked at Paul.
"Uncle, you should go back. Pilemon is still in prison. Now is a crucial point in time. You need to take the trouble to visit Her Highness the Second Princess tonight to discuss the future. This is a more important matter for you, for Madam Zenith, for Lilia, for Rudy, Norn, and Aisha."
Paul was speechless for a moment. He wanted to object, but he felt that it was really not good for him to have such a lack of ambition.
After all, Allen had only been in the royal capital for such a short time, and he had already paved the way for him.
Making a fuss about not returning to Notos would only make Allen look down on him.
"Okay."
Allen nodded quickly and turned to look at Hilda.
"Mom... wait for me to come back to the royal capital."
"Okay..."
After saying this, Allen smiled at everyone. At this time, the maids had already moved all the luggage off the ship. He turned and walked onto the ship.
His steps were steady. Under everyone's gaze, he walked away one step at a time.
From slow to fast, in just a moment...
...he was moving at a brisk pace.
He came face-to-face with Ghislaine, who was a porter at the back of the group.
The clumsy big cat didn't sense anything amiss with the situation. She was even about to greet Allen and praise him for his increased Sword God Style vigor.
But she was stunned.
Allen had already brushed past her.
Only one sentence was left in the air.
"Ghislaine, please protect everyone. I'm counting on you."
Evening, the Altiere River lock chamber was so dark that you couldn't see your own hand.
The light from the ceiling, which was in the shape of a square, gradually shrank.
The person standing at the bow of the ship was breathing heavily. He no longer had the leisurely mood he had on the way here.
The water level in the lock chamber continued to sink, and finally.
Click! The ship landed in the bottom lock chamber and was fixed in place by the magic circle of the blowing magic within the dam body.
Rumble, rumble, the lock chamber's gate was agitated by water magic, and the chains slowly rose.
Outside, the river surface shimmered with a fiery red like the evening glow, which was rapidly fading due to the onset of darkness.
And the flickering light of the surrounding magic circles fell into his constantly flickering grey-black pupils.
Rising with his inner monologue.
'Divine Child Transformation! Zenith has transformed into a Divine Child ahead of schedule! Why? Why at this critical moment!? Even if I changed the fates of the characters, the Great Teleportation should have been what happened early, not Zenith's Divine Child Transformation??'
'In the original story, it was influenced by magic after she fell into the dungeon. What's the situation now? No, the Divine Child has always been a mystery in the original. Was there any explanation? A human with the power of a god? A mortal favored by a god? What else? F*... it was handled vaguely. Unreasonable, why do you always do this? How can you write a book like this?'
'Wait, a book?? No, if it were a real system, it would be fine to pull me into a book. But looking at it now, the world of Mushoku Tensei is a truly existing world, otherwise, how can I explain Lala arranging for me to come in? From this perspective, the reason Unreasonable vaguely handled some things is more likely because he himself didn't know. He caught the information particles floating between worlds in a 'flash of inspiration' and then wrote the Rudy story?'
'So Rudy really existed? In the same world as me? In that case, Unreasonable was likely nearby during the car accident, because he saw Rudy's transmigration process? Influenced by the information particles that leaked out of the dimensional rift, and inspired by the scene of the car accident itself, he wrote a book titled Mushoku Tensei?'
'...What random stuff am I thinking about? This isn't the time to think about this... Zenith...'
'System, come out!!'
No smoky words appeared.
'F*. Anyway, I need to get back and see the situation first. This is definitely a butterfly effect I caused, but what went wrong...'
His inner monologue stopped abruptly, and his pupils contracted into pinpricks.
Allen looked at the sight before him, revealing a bewildered expression for the first time since his transmigration.
As the lock chamber gate was completely pulled up, the light on the dense magic circles embedded in the dam walls was extinguished.
The ship swayed. It should have floated outwards with the current.
But because the anchor hadn't been raised, it just trembled in place, because the boatmen's expressions were the same as Allen's.
In everyone's line of sight, the endless Altiere River snaked into the distance.
To the east, to the east.
On both sides of the river, the densely packed buildings changed color under the setting sun.
Changing, colors.
Just like, the eastern sky.
The east? What evening glow?
It was a twisted red.
The red was changing, irreversibly transforming into brown, black, purple, and yellow.
Like filthy splotches on a palette.
Piling up, twisting, wriggling, melting.
The magic chaos began, and the colors of the sky swirled into a vortex.
The Great Teleportation.
Countdown: 2:11:22.
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if you want more updates == supports with power stones
Power Stones==Bonus Chapter