Chapter 67: Stagnant Points, Sylphie's Life-or-Death Question
The snow in Buena Village was thick.
Four figures, two large and two small, were faint outlines in the snowstorm. Amidst the crunching sound of footsteps on the snow, Rudeus's questioning voice could be heard.
"Uncle Roles, what are the main types of monsters in this outbreak? So I can target them with my magic."
Roles led the way at the front, with Rudeus a step behind him. Allen and Sylphie walked side by side behind them.
Roles glanced at the two behind him and replied.
"Mainly some D-rank monsters with strong reproductive abilities: Forest Snakes, Great-Toothed Rats, Saw-Spiked Rabbits, Frost Tide Frogs, Wolverines, Red-Eyed Demon Monkeys, Frost Weasels..."
As Roles listed them off like ordering from a menu, Rudeus's face grew paler and paler.
"So many?"
"There are this many every year, but this year is particularly bad... We should have cleaned them up properly last year... We also asked for help from other villages, but they said they have monster tides there too..."
Roles's words were filled with regret, shattered by the wind and snow.
In contrast to the chatter of the two in front, Allen and Sylphie were unusually quiet.
Allen's attention was clearly not on their conversation. He casually cleared the snow around Sylphie, distractedly looking at the snow in the air, lost in thought.
Sylphie walked beside him, still small in stature, only reaching Allen's chest. She had indeed grown a lot this year, but Allen had grown even faster, making her seem even 'shorter' in comparison.
But time had undoubtedly left its 'mark' on her.
She had shed many of her childish features. Although her clothes were still loose, the lines of her waist and legs already had the grace of a young girl. At this moment, with her hands behind her back, she took large, steady steps on the flat ground Allen had cleared...
Her green hair danced in the wind and snow. Through the gaps, her reddish-brown pupils slanted towards the mechanically snow-clearing Allen beside her.
Crunch, crunch.
"Would fire magic be better..."
The conversation between Roles and Rudeus mixed with the sound of footsteps on the snow. Sylphie pulled her gaze away from Allen's side profile, suddenly took a large step forward to his side, and turned to look into his eyes.
"Allen, has something been bothering you lately?"
Allen was taken aback, looking at Sylphie's little face, reddened by the cold.
"Huh? No? Why do you ask?"
The next moment, Sylphie leaped slightly, her hair flying as she reached out and gently poked his brow.
With a soft thud of her feet landing, she continued to walk backward, facing Allen, her eyes fixed on his face.
Her uniquely soft, slow, and deliberate voice drifted into Allen's ears.
"If nothing's bothering you, then why have you been frowning for the past six months? And you've become much quieter..."
"...Have I?"
Sylphie tilted her head, quietly looking at Allen's deliberately smoothed-out brow.
"Not only have you become quieter, but your gaze has also become a bit strange, as if there's something very distant right in front of you that you're always trying to grasp, but can't..."
Allen met Sylphie's gaze through the snowflakes drifting in the wind.
In the space between their gazes, snow and dust swirled.
[Current Stage: Childhood. Cumulative Participation Score: 90 points.]
[It seems you are only one step away from a perfect score, but often the most crucial step is a chasm.]
Allen looked at the system panel that appeared. Even with Sylphie's face on the other side of it, he couldn't manage a smile.
A year.
Ninety points was still ninety points.
No progress.
For the past year, he had been using his usual methods to curry favor with Paul's family, but there was no notification of any score increase.
He had even gone to Mrs. Somar's place to try.
Uh... the story of being scared away by the overly enthusiastic lady won't be elaborated on.
And now, there were only six months left in the childhood period.
He was getting anxious.
Whether the positioning system was good or not was secondary; it was the feeling of being so close yet unable to reach it that frustrated him immensely.
'Hey, system, you keep repeating "a chasm." Every time I ask for details, you disappear. Can you give me a real hint?'
The panel remained frozen for a long time before finally reorganizing its characters.
[To be honest, letting you get into trouble on your own might lead to some gains. But if I tell you what to do, you might never get those ten points.]
'Are you playing riddles? Speak plainly.'
[...Allen, you are too rational, too focused on results, you like logic, and you're good at summarizing patterns. You think everything through clearly and then make subconscious choices that favor you.]
[I understand this is related to your pre-transmigration social environment, and your experience of getting into university on a scholarship from an orphanage has fueled this mentality. This mentality has indeed given you some 'abilities,' and you have indeed used these 'abilities' to obtain the healing magic pattern; you responded quickly in the affair incident, came up with a solution, and won the favor of Lilia, Zenith, and the others; you've accumulated a large number of points.]
[But this does not mean you are on the right path.]
[Do you understand what I mean by this?]
The 'future vision' on the 'memo' page in his bedroom flashed through Allen's mind. He was speechless, wanting to refute the system, but the words were stuck in his throat.
Rationally considering every choice, choosing the "optimal" solution for the current situation, and playing the role of a stable 'adult.'
Isn't that what all working adults do?
What's wrong with seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages?
As Allen murmured to himself, the panel seemed to no longer want to communicate with him, and with a gust of wind, it dissipated into the snowstorm.
Sylphie, who was walking backward to get a better look at Allen's expression, now moved her gaze from his face to the fresh snow on her feet when he didn't respond for a long time. She slowly began to speak.
"Allen... could it be..."
The soft voice 'awakened' Allen from his stupor. He blinked, his expression a little dazed.
'...I was so busy arguing with the system, I forgot I was talking to Sylphie... She actually noticed something was wrong with me? "A distant thing right in front of you that you can't grasp"... that's a very accurate description.'
'Eh? Wait, could it be that the future gentle and understanding White Mama, in her childhood form, can offer some constructive advice?'
Thinking this, Allen broke free from his confused and stunned state and looked down at Sylphie, waiting for her to finish her sentence.
Sylphie's eyelids were lowered, looking at the snow by her feet.
"Could it be..."
Allen nodded, repeating in his mind, 'Could it be.'
"You're thinking of Teacher Roxy?"
'I'm thinking of Ro...'
'Huh?'
Allen, who had been silently repeating the words, was stunned.
The snowstorm still raged around him.
But for a moment, he felt the surroundings were too quiet.
Then he belatedly realized what Sylphie was actually saying.
'What??? No, what do you mean the reason I have something I want to grasp but can't is because I'm thinking of Roxy? Does that logic even make sense?'
He opened his mouth to argue with Sylphie, but when he looked up, he froze.
Roles and Rudeus had stopped walking at some point and were now both turned around, staring at Allen.
One large and one small, with completely different standpoints, yet their expressions were surprisingly identical.
Very grave.
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