"So delicious!"
The red, sinewy pork was neatly cut into palm-sized square slices of almost equal thickness. They were folded and skewered on water-soaked branches, then passed back and forth through the flames.
Amidst the sizzling sound, the Maillard reaction turned the meat an appetizing reddish-brown. Oily bubbles continuously seeped out of the meat and burst.
Droplets of water still clung to the hair on Allen's forehead as he focused on grilling the meat.
The praise came from Roxy's mouth.
She watched as Allen continuously sprinkled a strange powder on the meat. Resting her cheek on one hand, her mouth was stuffed full of grilled meat, like a squirrel, a look of pure satisfaction on her face.
"I've neber had this kind of seasoning."
"It's the ground seeds of the Bartels flower. It has a very faint toxicity that causes a slight tingling sensation on the tongue, but the seeds themselves are sweet. A natural sweet and spicy seasoning. They say the Migurd tribe loves sweets, and it seems to be true."
Roxy nodded enthusiastically.
Allen finished grilling all the meat and placed it on a freshly washed leaf in front of Roxy. He stretched and stood up.
His swordsman's uniform was still tattered, but he had already taken it off earlier and asked Roxy to wash and dry it. Although it looked wrinkled now, it was much better than being covered in blood.
'Good thing the inner shirt didn't get bloody, so I had something to wear while she washed my clothes.'
Still, Roxy had kept her back turned to Allen the entire time, her face stern. She only washed his hair after he had put his clothes back on.
So shy...
She's like a completely different person from the home tutor in the anime who would secretly watch Paul and Zenith at night and break out in a sweat.
[Mushoku Tensei Major Event Participation Score Increased.]
[Current Stage: Childhood. Cumulative Participation Score: 25 points.]
[Pending Instant Quest: Obtain Rudeus's favor.]
[Rudeus: Countdown: 87:02:37]
Allen looked at the text floating before him. A sudden bright light from the side shone through the gaps between the letters and onto Roxy's face. Her eyelashes trembled, and she looked up at Allen.
Daylight had broken.
The dawn leaped over the horizon, casting a hazy glow between the tree trunks, enveloping the two of them.
Roxy's smile blossomed in the light.
Being in the forest, Allen hadn't realized that the road was less than two kilometers to his south. When Roxy led him out of the woods, he was somewhat dazed.
Under the sun, occasional sections of decaying fences lined the road. Beyond the fences were endless fields of uncultivated wild grass, dotted with a few trees.
Allen subconsciously took out his map to confirm his location.
"We are now at..."
A small, fair hand reached out from over Allen's shoulder and pointed to the southwest of the Fitoa Territory on the map, less than a fingernail's distance from the red-circled Buena Village.
Allen turned his head, only to be poked in the face by a single, upright strand of hair.
Roxy looked up at him.
The lighting had been poor last night, so the height difference wasn't obvious. Now, under the sun, it was clear that Allen was a good 15 centimeters taller than Roxy.
This was a Yordle goddess you didn't need to look up to.
The goddess spoke.
"With your physical fitness, if you hurry, you should... be able to reach the village tonight... S-Sorry for delaying your journey."
Allen rubbed his slightly sore wrist with a helpless expression.
Roxy was laden with large and small packages of grilled meat wrapped in leaves... and in her hand, she held a jar of the Bartels flower seed powder Allen had given her.
All the tasty parts of the Finisher Boar—the thigh, tenderloin, and ribs—were hanging from Roxy.
Of course, they were already cooked, which had taken Allen a full hour.
"By the way, can you eat all this? Won't it taste bad when it's cold? We could have just hunted and eaten fresh."
Roxy shook her head, her gaze fixed on the scabbard at Allen's waist as she mumbled.
"My knife skills aren't good enough... I can't cut it into thin slices like you did... This way, I can just use fire magic to reheat it when I'm hungry... Thank you for grilling the meat for me and giving me the seasoning."
"True..."
An awkward silence fell between them.
After a moment, Allen looked up at the sky.
"Well then. I should get going... to the village..."
But unexpectedly, Roxy suddenly looked up and interrupted him.
"Perhaps you could travel with me. Since you're hiding out in the countryside anyway, wouldn't it be better to leave the Asura Kingdom altogether to hide your tracks? With your skills, you could easily be a successful adventurer. After a year, once you've made a name for yourself, you can return to the Asura Kingdom in style."
Allen froze and looked at Roxy.
Roxy's face was slightly red, but it was clear she was serious about her suggestion.
Logically, her judgment was sound. In the world of Mushoku Tensei, it wasn't uncommon for oddballs to leave home and go on adventures at the age of ten or so.
The formidable person right in front of him was a prime example. She ran away from home at fourteen to become an adventurer and never returned, her parents not even knowing if she was dead or alive.
A slightly more distant example was Paul 'Go-for-it' Greyrat. After his coming-of-age ceremony at ten, he quickly unlocked the 'noble group activity' achievement at his aristocratic school. The result was that the cuckolded husband reported him to his family. After a huge fight with his father, he left without a word, and then...
Wait, this plot development... could it be... Roxy is assuming the same about me? We're both nobles from the Asura Kingdom, and we even share a surname...
Hiss... it couldn't be that bad, could it? After all, I'm a decent...
"And by then, that girl will probably have given up on you. She might even have a new lover by the time you return from your travels. Her family should let you off the hook then."
"???"
The decent Allen was flabbergasted, staring at the chattering Roxy.
He subconsciously retorted.
"No, you just want to kidnap a free cook, don't you? And a child laborer at that."
"! No!"
Roxy puffed out her cheeks.
"You may look young, but you should be in your teens, right? How can you call yourself a child laborer?"
Allen blinked.
"I'm nine this year."
Roxy froze, her eyes widening as she stared at Allen.
"Nine..."
Allen, looking at Roxy's stunned expression, frowned and fell into thought.
This butterfly effect is coming a bit too fast... I've only just met the first important character, and after just one night, I've received a tempting OFFER from the goddess. Setting aside whether it will affect the future plot, my participation score is in a bit of danger if this continues.
Just as he was about to formulate a polite refusal, Roxy spoke first.
"Nine years old is still too young. I think you should go to the Water God Style dojo in the Asura capital and study swordsmanship for two years after you've laid low for a bit. Then it would be better to go out on your own... uh... you're a noble, isn't that the age when you start to inherit the family business? In that case..."
Roxy lowered her eyes.
"Maybe we'll never see each other again after this brief meeting... first Rudy, and now you..."
"We will."
Roxy looked up.
Under the sun, Allen's smile was brilliant.
"We will see each other again. Not just me, but Rudy too."
Roxy nodded blankly.
"Yes... it's getting late. I should go too, or I might not make it to the village before nightfall."
"...Okay."
Allen turned around. He hadn't taken more than a few steps before he suddenly turned back to look at Roxy.
"...Life is full of chance encounters. As long as you're on the right path, you'll always meet again."
He turned his back to Roxy and waved his hand nonchalantly.
Then he broke into a run and disappeared down the road.
Whether it was an illusion or not, Roxy felt that his retreating figure had a hint of a hasty escape.
She watched as Allen's back grew smaller, then turned and walked in the opposite direction.
"...Life is full of chance encounters, huh..."
Roxy smiled and started walking towards the distance.
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