"Allen!"
The shout from the young lady Eris was so loud it felt like it came with a built-in bullhorn, making everyone's eardrums buzz and ring on the spot!
Paul stood there, mouth agape, staring at the now-splintered carriage door, having never imagined things would play out like this.
Allen, meanwhile, froze for a moment before reluctantly tearing his gaze away from Eris' fiery red hair to look at Philip, who was still smiling serenely, just about to speak.
If you want to test whether there are creatures beneath the calm surface of water, the easiest way is to throw in a stone.
And if you want to test whether someone has the qualities you seek… the easiest way is to push them into a sudden "variable."
That was how Philip always read people.
So for this visit, he had prepared two variables.
First: to suddenly appear in person—a "surprise" from his dignified, open-minded birth father.
Second: his volatile, untamable "little sister," a "shock" no one could quite prepare for.
He didn't even bring the only one who could actually leash this "mad dog," Ghislaine—he sent just a beastkin maid instead!
Truly authentic.
Allen clenched his jaw as he glared at the completely at-ease Philip, his expression screaming you've got to be kidding me.
You really are my dad, huh?!
This whole setup, this whole logic, is exactly like the hidden thread in the original story, where Eris beats on Rudy to test his reaction and see if he's "worth investing in."
It's all about seeing how the investment target responds to sudden chaos…
But… you really had to pull this on your own son?!
Damn it! Damn it!!
Then, as Allen turned his eyes back to Eris, his expression flipped into a beaming smile, like changing masks.
Damn it! Why is my little sister so damn cute!!
The system interface above his nose hadn't faded—because it still had a mission to deliver. Whether out of shock at Allen's manic grin or some other reason, the letters paused for a few seconds before slowly reshaping into new text.
[…][Instant Mission: Issued.]
[Meeting your sister—Eris.]
[The wheels of fate roll forward, the butterfly flaps its wings, blah blah we've said it enough already. In this perfectly "coincidental" inevitability, the host meets Eris.]
[Mission Description: Within 48 hours, instill in your sister a proper sense of respect and deference toward her older brother.]
[Be careful—this mission isn't simple.]
[Mission Reward: God Strike Magic Slot—Unlocked.]
[Mission Begins.]
[Eris: Countdown: 48:00:00. Complete to unlock the God Strike Magic Slot.]
[Good luck]
Yeah, yeah, I get it. Move aside already. I wanna watch Red Mama!
[…][Truly.]
Philip glanced at Allen, whose expression was shifting by the second—calm one moment, then bursting into tears of joy the next, then twitching with barely restrained emotion as he flicked his gaze between himself and Eris—and Philip couldn't help but find it amusing.
Shaken by Eris' presence? Looks like it. But also clearly curious about his little sister. That fondness and indulgence in his eyes isn't fake. So it's just me he holds a grudge against? …Well, with a face that expressive, he's still very much a kid.
Bringing Eris along was the right choice after all. I needed a variable to see more of Allen's true colors.
Then he turned his eyes on the equally-stunned Greyrat family. His gaze briefly caught Rudy, who was slowly inching behind Allen with a look of sheer terror while trying to keep his composure. Philip spoke:
"You've misunderstood. When I said a simple job, I meant it quite literally. It just so happens that Eris… hmm… let's say she's short two tutors."
"She's a difficult one, you see. At present, the only teachers she likes are Edna, who teaches her etiquette, and Ghislaine, who teaches her Kenjutsu in the Kensei-ryuu (Sword Saint Style). She doesn't really have peers her age."
"Allen here… and Rudy, as fellow boys close in age, wouldn't it be wonderful if they could all learn and grow together? It might even spark her competitive spirit. The children can 'happily' grow alongside one another—and there's pay. Isn't that a good thing?"
Allen, still lost in Eris' presence, couldn't help but cover his face at Philip's ridiculous euphemisms.
As for the Boreas young lady Eris herself—she wasn't exactly the type to listen to what people said.
But the phrase "two kids" from Philip's mouth had clearly caught her attention.
She stood there, arms crossed, her fiery brows knotted in an angry little inverted V, eyes darting around.
Just as Philip said—there were two kids present.
One was a white-haired, pointy-eared little girl who stared back at Eris with an expression that said "Is this creature even human?" That was Sylphy, whose earlier worries had been completely swept aside by this whirlwind of a young lady.
The other was Rudy—visibly terrified, his entire body screaming "Don't come near me!"
Eris' gaze lingered on Sylphy's white hair and pointed ears for a beat… then she declared loudly:
"You're Rudyus, right?!"
Sylphy: ?Rudy: ??
Before anyone could react, Eris' sharp red eyes locked onto Rudy—who had been inching back behind Allen this whole time—and she suddenly bellowed:
"You're Allen, right?!"
Sylphy: ?Rudy: ??Allen: ?????
Rudy froze, utterly unable to understand what this scarlet-haired hurricane was even talking about.
He instinctively furrowed his brow and said:
"Me? Allen? You—"
SMACK!
A crisp slap landed across Rudy's cheek, knocking him staggering. Eris then spun to Philip, shouting indignantly:
"What's the meaning of this! He's even younger than me—how could you have someone like this take Ghislaine's place and teach me Kenjutsu?!"
Philip stared at her, momentarily dumbfounded. Then he looked at the dazed Rudy, clutching his cheek in shock. Then at the stunned Paul, Zenith, and Lilia.
Finally his gaze settled on Allen.
And there, to his surprise, Allen was already covering his own face.
But through his parted fingers, the little twitching at the corners of his eyes and the happy crinkle of his cheeks betrayed a very different feeling inside.
If you're gonna get isekai'd into Mushoku and you don't even get to watch Rudy take his legendary beating… what's the point?
Oh? You say there's a little deviation? That the person Eris was supposed to hit was Allen, but now she smacked Rudy instead?
Doesn't matter.
Allen's just a name.
You could be Allen.
I could be Allen.
So Rudyus can be Allen too.
Sounds perfectly reasonable, right?
(End of Chapter)
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