Paul didn't look at his wife. Instead, he raised his eyes to the ceiling, recalling Allen's situation and the words he had once said.
Allen had promised to safeguard Rudy's future. It seemed Rudy didn't really need to focus too much on swordsmanship. With their current abilities, the two of them could even perfectly fit the role of adventurers in a dungeon. Yet Paul still felt a bit uneasy. How could his child lack talent in swordsmanship?
"Well then…"
"Master Paul, this is undoubtedly feasible. Since I know nothing about magic, it makes sense that Rudy specializes in magic while I focus on swordsmanship. We can complement each other's weaknesses. Moreover, rather than a teacher-student relationship, I'd prefer to be Rudy's friend or partner."
Paul was momentarily stunned. He looked at Allen, who suddenly sat up straight with a serious expression, and instinctively felt that Allen was right.
"...That makes sense. Then let's shorten your training time by an hour."
Allen glanced at Rudy, who quickly blinked and gave him a thumbs-up under the table.
—
"Thank you, teacher."
In Rudy's room, Allen watched the soft brown hair that curled slightly above Rudy's head and felt a sudden wave of unreality.
I struggled desperately to gain his favor, but it was useless. I almost gave up and resigned myself to being a couch potato. Yet somehow the favor finally came? Does this even make sense?
"It's common for me to subtly influence Father's words and actions. I didn't expect you, teacher, to be the same."
"Ah, yes."
"Please, keep up the good work and don't make me study swordsmanship anymore. You must have noticed I prefer magic over swordsmanship."
"Ah, yes."
Allen was momentarily speechless.
Wait, are you secretly hoping I get fired and disappear from your sight?
Rudy saw Allen's stunned expression and grinned benevolently, the same expression he often made when watching Paul act goofy.
But when Allen looked his way, Rudy suddenly became serious.
"I heard from Father that you met Roxy on your way?"
Allen blinked.
"Yes, you could say I owe her a favor."
Rudy nodded vigorously, then scrunched up his face in hesitation, caught between wanting to ask and fearing he won't get the answer he wants.
"Did she mention me?"
Allen looked at Rudy.
"She did."
Rudy instantly brightened.
"What did she say?"
"She said you're slick-tongued and a bit creepy."
Rudy's smile faded.
"Huh?"
"And that you stole her underwear."
The moment the word 'underwear' dropped, Rudy spun to look under the bed, then stiffened his neck and slowly turned back toward Allen.
Allen narrowed his eyes.
"Looks like you really did steal her underwear."
"I can explain! Please don't tell Father or Mother!"
"Yeah, right."
Allen walked over to the bed, staring down.
There, tucked into the gap beneath the bedboard, was a small pair of white underwear.
Though he had mentally prepared himself, actually seeing it made Allen sigh inwardly — Rudy really is a pervert.
Allen's lips twitched as he turned to Rudy's blank expression.
"The shrine, isn't it usually kept in a shrine?"
Rudy looked stunned.
"What?"
Allen raised his brow.
"Isn't there one?"
Wait, maybe it hasn't been placed in the shrine yet. I got the timing wrong.
He blinked and prepared a quick excuse.
Suddenly Rudy shouted, making Allen jump.
"Genius!"
Rudy looked at Allen like a family member, holding his hands tightly.
"Genius! Exactly! Sacred relics should be enshrined! Teacher, you really are a genius!"
Allen's face twitched at him.
'Great, certified by a pervert as a like-minded expert.'
[You have once again gained Rudy's favor. Success is clearly no accident — your abilities have been verified multiple times.]
'Can you please do something a little more normal?'
Rudy blinked suspiciously at Allen.
"Does your hometown have something like shrines?"
Allen sneered slightly.
"Oh yes, my hometown is quite remote, so there are some strange spiritual beliefs. Every household has their own gods they worship."
Rudy asked curiously.
"Gods?"
"For example, the god of Haiqing is Ouhau, the god of Hetong is RNG, and the abstract god is Zhiyin."
Rudy's expression grew somewhat confused.
"The names of these gods sound a bit strange… Is that your hometown dialect? Uh… then what gods does your family worship, teacher?"
Allen glanced at Rudy.
"Our family worships the Three-Colored Mothers: Blue Mother, White Mother, and Red Mother."
Rudy scratched his head. This time he understood the words but still couldn't grasp the meaning.
'What nonsense is this guy talking about?'
Allen looked at Rudy, and when mentioning the Three-Colored Mothers, he couldn't help but think of Sheruff. Then he asked:
"By the way, I've noticed you've been going out a lot these days. Have you made any friends? If you have, you could invite them over for a meal. I'm sure Master and Mistress would be happy to see you making friends."
Rudy's expression turned puzzled.
"Friends? No, I'm just scouting the terrain."
"I see."
Allen studied Rudy's face carefully. He felt Rudy wasn't pretending to be clueless — in his past life, Rudy was kicked out of his family. So this time, his wandering outside was really about improving his survival skills in the wild, just in case he got kicked out again.
In the original story, after Roxy left, Rudy soon encountered Sheruff. But realistically, there should be some time gap, during which Rudy was doing this very thing.
As for meeting Sheruff, it likely happened in summer. And now it's only the end of March, almost early April.
That means Sheruff might have to endure some bullying for a while. Sheruff gets bullied because of her green hair — probably since the day she started wandering outside.
White Mother's gray childhood left deep scars. Her subservient traits in the newlywed arc are directly connected to this.
Allen sighed quietly.
If he guided Rudy early to rescue Sheruff, it shouldn't cause too many butterfly effects… Judging from the connections, nothing else should change — just meeting her about half a year earlier.
"Don't you play with other kids in the village?"
Rudy tilted his head, scratching his cheek as he looked slightly upward.
"Well, I probably don't get to play with them."
Allen lowered his head to look at Rudy.
"Do you think… we're friends?"
Rudy's mouth twitched.
'I thought this fierce little guy was a bit more mature, but turns out he's just like a kid who likes to put his hands near his mouth all day.'
Rudy showed his trademark innocent, obedient smile.
"Of course we are. After all, teacher just got me an hour less sword training today!"
The next moment, Allen poked Rudy's face with his finger.
"Don't be fake. I really want to be your friend."
Rudy was taken aback.
Allen glanced at him, then turned and walked out. As he left the room, he looked back and said:
"I'll help you build the shrine tomorrow. Also, I'll keep quiet about the underwear."
Rudy's eyes sparkled with joy.
"Great!"
A haze of smoke appeared before Allen's eyes.
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