Mushoku Tensei: the Apostle of God

The next morning at breakfast, Zenith looked at Allen with a stunned expression.

The boy sitting at the table had washed his hair, and his soft brown locks slightly covered his newly trimmed, straight eyebrows. He was also wearing a pair of black square-framed glasses, though the lenses had been removed. If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't notice.

His clothes had been replaced with Paul's, which were a bit loose and hung low at the collar, giving him a relaxed, lazy appearance.

He smiled warmly at everyone at the table.

His overall demeanor had shifted from sharp and intimidating to gentle and amiable.

Allen nodded gratefully to Lilia, who was standing beside him, dutifully performing her maid duties and not joining them at the table.

"Thank you."

Lilia blinked.

Last night, Allen had suddenly knocked on her door, asking for a pair of glasses. He said his face might be too scary and didn't want to frighten Rudeus. Though she found it strange, she gave him an old pair of glasses she no longer used.

Now, they seemed to suit him surprisingly well.

"You're welcome. They look good on you."

Allen smiled and nodded to himself.

This should be much better. I spent a long time in front of the mirror last night trying to fix my appearance. Hopefully, Rudeus won't be as scared of me now... Huh... Why does this feel like I'm playing a galgame?

He turned to look at Rudeus, but...

Rudeus had a horrified expression on his face and immediately lowered his head, focusing on eating and drinking as fast as he could.

'A disguised pervert!'

Allen's mouth twitched, unsure of how to respond.

However, this seemed to hit Paul's sweet spot. He stared intently at Allen's glasses, his gaze drifting down to the muscles on Allen's chest, then turned to look at Lilia, nodding occasionally as if very satisfied.

[Congratulations, host. You've gained Paul's favor again...]

Allen smiled, using his spoon to scatter the system's text, then scooped up some soup.

This is so f***ing ridiculous.

Throughout the morning, Allen made subtle attempts to get closer to Rudeus. At lunch, he even used the Benjamin Franklin effect, deliberately dropping his spoon and asking Rudeus to pick it up for him.

He then sincerely—and deliberately—put on a serious face to express his gratitude.

But when Rudeus saw this, his expression turned to one of horror, as if he'd just seen the Dragon God Orsted in a novel illustration. He seemed even more afraid of Allen now...

By the afternoon, Rudeus, who had gone out to survey the area, didn't even return home. Naturally, the sword training session was canceled.

Instead, Paul enthusiastically challenged Allen to a real man's 1v1 fencing match.

They dueled until evening, when Rudeus finally returned home. By then, Paul was thoroughly satisfied and didn't even bother to check if Allen, his supposed sword instructor, was actually doing his job.

That night, as the system cheerfully announced another surge in Paul's favorability, Allen fell into a troubled sleep.

The next day, early in the morning, Paul came to call Allen out for another fencing match.

Unable to refuse, Allen agreed.

This time, Rudeus was at home.

But the problem was, the two of them dueled intensely for the entire day.

During this time, Allen could clearly feel that Paul's sword skills, which had dulled from living in the countryside, were starting to improve again.

That night, Allen once again fell into a troubled sleep.

What the hell is this...

On the third day, things took a turn.

Rudeus finally had to face his sword instructor. After spending the past two days together, he also realized that Allen's face might look intimidating, but he wasn't actually a bully like those from his past life.

However, he still didn't develop any fondness for Allen, which was only natural. Rudeus simply saw Allen as an ordinary passerby.

The afternoon sword training session was an opportunity...

But then, an accident happened. When a distracted Rudeus once again dropped his wooden sword, Paul, who had been sitting nearby with a furrowed brow, suddenly stood up.

He picked up the wooden sword and started sparring with Allen!

Allen looked over at Rudeus in horror, only to see him staring at Paul with admiration, as if he were witnessing a god descending from the heavens.

Then, Rudeus immediately turned and went inside. A moment later, he rushed out the door, clutching a plant encyclopedia, and went out to play under Allen's despairing gaze.

That evening, the system notified Allen that he had helped improve the relationship between Rudeus and Paul, rewarding him with 5 points in the Jobless Reincarnation major event participation rating.

That night, Allen slapped his face in frustration and solemnly vowed to complete Rudeus's favorability mission the next day.

Allen, oh Allen, how could you fall so low??

The fourth day.

Fencing.

By evening, Allen was staring gloomily at his bowl of rice, feeling like his mental state was on the verge of collapse.

[Rudeus: Countdown: 9:16:47]

[Keep it up, host. At this rate, Paul might propose to you.]

Allen buried his face in his bowl in agony.

Zenith looked at him with concern.

"Allen, are you feeling unwell?"

I'm feeling very unwell. Do you know that if this continues, I'll become your husband's mistress before Lilia does?

Allen struggled to lift his face out of the bowl and forced a crooked smile.

"It's nothing. The food is delicious. I really like it."

"Really?! Darling! Allen has been praising my cooking these past few days!"

Paul nodded with a smile, looking at Allen with appreciation.

"He's also been complimenting my swordsmanship."

Bro, please don't do this. I'm scared...

Allen held his forehead and looked across the table at Rudeus, who was burying his head in his meal.

Rudeus seemed to sense his gaze and looked up, giving him a faint, amused smile.

Allen, feeling utterly defeated, met his gaze and nodded slightly.

At that moment, Paul suddenly spoke up.

"Rude, I've noticed you haven't been very focused on sword training these past few days."

Rudeus's eyes lit up. He quickly glanced at Allen, as if realizing the meaning behind his nod, and said,

"Father, actually, Instructor Allen's swordsmanship is excellent. It's just that my talent seems to lie more in magic. Plus, with the weather getting warmer, there are so many plants growing outside. I can't help but want to go out and identify the plants in my encyclopedia. I'm sorry."

Hearing this deliberate attempt to cover for him, Allen actually felt that Rudeus was quite considerate and began to develop some goodwill toward him.

[The tables have turned! Rudeus has successfully gained the host's favor!]

'Damn it, just let me die. Right now. Immediately.'

Paul stroked his chin and looked up at the ceiling. After a while, he dropped a bombshell.

"To be honest, I didn't think so before, but now that Allen's here, I can see that you're really not cut out for swordsmanship..."

Allen looked at Paul in horror.

'My favorability is already hanging by a thread. Paul, don't screw me over!!!'

The steam from the food seemed to rise more intensely.

[You have successfully gained Rudeus's favor. Time taken: 86 hours, 31 seconds. Evaluation: A narrow escape, with a clever approach. Paul is definitely someone you can entrust your life to.]

[Detox Magic Slot Unlocked.]

Allen stared at Rudeus in shock. Rudeus quickly glanced at Allen, showing a hint of gratitude, then widened his eyes and looked at Paul with an innocent expression.

He carefully chose his words, his lips curling into a barely noticeable smile under the lantern light, as he delivered the final blow.

"Then, Father, can I reduce my sword training time and focus more on studying magic? I think swordsmanship is only necessary for physical fitness anyway. After all, I'm not really suited for it, right?"

Paul was taken aback and instinctively looked at Allen.

Allen's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish's.

Rudeus, you really pulled off a slick move. I'm impressed. But Paul, why the hell are you looking at me?

This is about raising your child. You should be looking at your wife!!!