Mushoku Tensei: the Apostle of God

Rudeus's healing magic hadn't reached the intermediate level yet. Considering that the matter couldn't be kept hidden, Allen decided not to use his healing magic rune. Instead, he apologetically asked Zenith to heal his hand.

Paul, meanwhile, examined the broken bed frame with a look of amazement.

Then he turned to Allen.

"You were that forceful in your dream? Since your hand's healed, let's go practice swordsmanship. You need to burn off some of that excess energy."

'...Please, Paul, just let me be...'

Allen silently rolled his eyes in his mind.

"Master, today I'd like to accompany Rudeus to explore the plants around Buena Village..."

Both Paul and Rudeus looked at him in surprise.

"Looking at plants? That's nowhere near as exciting as swordsmanship!"

'A man of action, huh... Last night, he said he wanted to be friends with me, and now he's rushing to make it happen today... What a hurry... Fine, I'll take the tagalong today. After all, he did me a favor yesterday by keeping the sacred object a secret.'

Allen remained silent, simply staring at Paul.

Paul blinked, glanced at Rudeus, then back at Allen.

'I almost forgot this kid is only nine years old too. It's good for him to be friends with Rudeus... What a shame, though. Today's going to be lonely... Wait, Zenith isn't helping at the clinic today, and Lilia's going to the market to shop... Hehe, the house will be empty... It's been a while since I've tried putting Zenith on the kitchen counter...'

Zenith, noticing Paul's expression, suddenly realized what he was thinking and unconsciously tightened her grip on Allen's hand.

"Haha... I see... Alright, you two go ahead. Just remember not to go too deep into the forest. There are monsters there..."

Paul, who had been grinning lecherously, suddenly paused and glanced at Allen.

"Uh... With Allen around, it should be fine. Go ahead, but make sure to come back early."

Rudeus looked at Paul's face, his mouth twitching.

'Hey, hey, Paul, your thoughts are written all over your face! And there's an outsider here!'

Rudeus turned to look at Allen.

The latter was staring at his hand, lost in thought.

'Rather than completing a task, it feels more like using the task's countdown to give myself a sense of urgency... Being bullied... Something similar happened in the orphanage in my past life... Thinking about it now only makes me want to forget... Sylphie... I wonder if she has short hair now... The dream I had last night must have been because I was thinking about her too much...'

——

After breakfast, the three adults saw the two children off at the door. Just as they were about to leave, Rudeus turned to Allen.

"Do you want to go somewhere farther away today, or just around the village?"

Allen stroked his chin.

'Sylphie's father often goes hunting in the forest. Sometimes he also takes shifts with Paul at the watchtower on the village's edge to monitor the forest for monsters. If Sylphie is bringing him food, the place where she gets bullied should be somewhere between the village and the watchtower. The forest is to the north...'

"Let's head north from the village, up to the edge of the forest."

Rudeus blinked.

'He's very goal-oriented. This kid's got a plan.'

He turned to Paul.

"Father, we'll be exploring the area between the village and the northern forest. If we're not back by evening, it means we've gotten caught up in something. Please come looking for us along this route..."

"No need to report. There's nothing around Buena Village that can threaten me, whether it's monsters or people. Besides, today, being with me might be safer than staying at your house."

Rudeus blinked again, looking up at Paul. Paul, however, seemed distracted, his eyes occasionally glancing at Zenith's legs. He had heard Allen's words but didn't react much.

Then Rudeus turned to Allen, who was still deep in thought, as if the somewhat arrogant statement hadn't come from him.

'This guy's strength seems to have completely earned Paul's approval. His words even implied that he might be stronger than Paul, and Paul didn't refute it.'

'Wait, no. The condition he set was "today"... Today, Paul and Zenith are going to be busy making a little brother or sister, so they won't have time to look after us. That's why being with him is safer...'

'Right, this guy looked completely unfazed when he saw underwear. Plus, he's an adventurer, so he's probably used to this kind of thing. Damn, I'm so jealous... So he instantly understood what Paul and Zenith are going to do... He might have even suggested going out with me today because he noticed that Paul hasn't been intimate with Zenith since he arrived, so he's giving them some privacy...'

'He's more mature than I thought.'

"Alright, if that's the case, let's get going."

"Be careful on your way~"

Zenith called out cheerfully as they left.

Once the two were out of sight, Lilia glanced at Paul and Zenith, then bowed.

"I'll head to the market to do some shopping now, Master, Madam."

"Alright~ Oh, I heard the old lady at the northern end of the market sells particularly fresh mushrooms... Could you go a bit out of your way to buy some?"

Lilia looked at Zenith, who was smiling as she made the request, and nodded before leaving.

The moment Lilia was gone, Paul and Zenith snapped out of their frozen states. Paul immediately scooped Zenith into his arms, his hands wandering under her skirt, while Zenith wrapped her legs around Paul's waist. Their faces pressed together.

"Darling... You've been so... restrained since that child arrived... You haven't..."

"Well, he's Philip's child after all. Having him here feels like Philip's watching us... But I've gotten used to it these past few days... We'll continue as usual from now on... What do kids know anyway..."

"...Okay..."

Paul lifted Zenith with both hands, and she straddled his arms as they moved into the house.

The door slammed shut.

Soon, faint noises drifted through the window, completely unrestrained.

After all, the houses in the village were spaced far apart, so no one could overhear them. And today, the house was unusually empty.

"Darling... Not like this... Ah..."

"Not like what? Hmm?"

"You're... so mean..."

"The mean part is just starting. Be prepared!"

"...Darling... Just like that... Yes..."

Outside the gate, Lilia leaned against the wall, her brows furrowed in apparent distress. The basket in her hand had fallen to the ground at some point.

Her hands moved—one upward to adjust her maid's blouse, the other downward to lift her maid's skirt.

She slowly crouched down.

After all, the houses were spaced far apart, so no one could see the corner of the Greyrat family's front yard...