Mushoku Tensei: the Apostle of God

Paul didn't look at his wife. Instead, he raised his head and stared at the ceiling, recalling Allen's situation and the words he had spoken before.

Allen had mentioned that he wanted to safeguard Rudeus's future. If that was the case, then perhaps Rudeus didn't need to focus too much on swordsmanship... With their current abilities, they could already function perfectly as adventurers in a dungeon... But still, it felt a bit unsatisfying. How could my child not have talent in swordsmanship?

"Well..."

"Master Paul, this is undoubtedly feasible. I'm completely clueless about magic, so if Rudeus specializes in magic and I focus on swordsmanship, we can complement each other's weaknesses. Besides, rather than a teacher-student relationship, I'd prefer to be friends or partners with Rudeus."

Paul was taken aback. Seeing Allen suddenly sit up straight, looking serious and earnest, he instinctively felt that Allen was right.

"...Alright, let's reduce it by one hour then."

Allen turned to look at Rudeus, who quickly blinked and gave him a thumbs-up under the table.

"Thank you, teacher."

In Rudeus's room, Allen looked at the slightly tousled brown hair on Rudeus's head and couldn't help but feel a sense of unreality.

I worked so hard to earn your favor, but it was all for nothing. Just when I was about to give up, lie down, and accept being a useless lump, how the hell did this favorability suddenly appear?

Is this even reasonable?

"Gently guiding Father's behavior is something I often do. I didn't expect you to be a kindred spirit, teacher."

"Uh, yeah."

"Please, keep it up. Make sure I don't have to learn swordsmanship anymore. As you can see, I prefer magic over swordsmanship."

"Uh, yeah."

Allen paused.

Wait a minute, you little brat. Are you trying to get me fired so I'll disappear from your sight?

Rudeus, seeing Allen's stunned expression, grinned with the same affectionate look he usually reserved for Paul's silly antics.

But when Allen looked over, Rudeus quickly straightened his face and became serious again.

"Father mentioned that you met Roxy on your journey?"

Allen blinked.

"Yeah, I owe her a favor, I guess."

Rudeus nodded vigorously, then hesitated, his face scrunching up as if he was torn between asking a question and fearing the answer.

"Then... did she mention me?"

Allen glanced at Rudeus.

"She did."

Rudeus instantly perked up.

"What did she say??"

"That you're smooth-talking and perverted."

Rudeus's smile dropped.

"Huh?"

"And that you stole her underwear."

As soon as the word "underwear" left Allen's mouth, Rudeus immediately turned to look under his bed. Realizing what he'd done, he slowly turned his head back to Allen, his neck stiff.

Allen narrowed his eyes.

"So you really did steal her underwear..."

"I can explain! Please don't tell Father and Mother!"

"Cut the crap."

Allen walked over to the bed and bent down to look underneath.

"A small pair of white underwear was tucked into the gap under the bed..."

...Even though I was mentally prepared, seeing this still made me realize once again that Rudeus is a total pervert...

Allen's mouth twitched as he turned to look at Rudeus, whose face was now expressionless.

"Where's the shrine? Don't you usually keep it in a shrine?"

Rudeus looked confused.

"What?"

Allen raised an eyebrow.

"You don't have one?"

Wait... I think I got the timeline wrong. He probably hasn't started using a shrine yet...

He blinked, trying to come up with an explanation.

But before he could, Rudeus suddenly shouted, startling him.

"Genius!"

Rudeus looked at Allen with the expression of someone who had found a kindred spirit. He grabbed Allen's hands.

"Genius! Yes! Sacred relics should be enshrined! Teacher, you're a genius!"

Allen's face twitched as he stared at Rudeus.

'Great, I've earned the approval of a pervert.'

[You've gained Rudeus's favor again. It seems success is no accident—your abilities have been proven time and time again.]

'Screw off. Can't you give me something normal to work with?'

Rudeus blinked and looked at Allen suspiciously.

"Do people in your hometown also have shrines like this?"

Allen shrugged.

"Yeah, my hometown is pretty remote, so we have some strange customs. Every household enshrines their own gods."

Rudeus asked curiously,

"...Gods?"

"Yeah, like Haiqing's god is Ouhao, contracts' god is RNG, and the abstract god is Chicken."

Rudeus looked puzzled.

"...These gods' names sound a bit strange... Are they in your hometown's dialect? Uh... What god does your family worship?"

Allen glanced at Rudeus.

"Our family enshrines the Three-Colored Goddesses: Blue Mama, White Mama, and Red Mama."

Rudeus scratched his head. This time he understood the words but still couldn't make sense of them.

'Why is this guy talking nonsense...'

Allen, thinking of the Three-Colored Mamas, was reminded of Sylphie and decided to ask,

"By the way, I've noticed you've been going out a lot lately. Have you made any friends? If you have, you could invite them over for dinner. I'm sure Master Paul and Lady Zenith would be happy to see you making friends."

Rudeus looked confused.

"Friends? No, I've just been surveying the area."

"I see..."

Allen studied Rudeus's face and realized he probably wasn't lying. In his past life, Rudeus had been kicked out of his home, so in this life, he was preparing for the possibility of being cast out again by honing his survival skills.

In the original story, after Roxy left, Rudeus soon met Sylphie, but in reality, there was a gap between those events. During that time, he was doing exactly this.

As for meeting Sylphie, that likely happened around summer, and it was only late March or early April now.

So it seems Sylphie will have to endure being bullied a little longer... Sylphie was bullied because of her green hair, so she's probably been suffering since she was old enough to go outside...

...White Mama's gray childhood had a profound impact... Her submissive traits in the wedding arc were directly related to this.

Allen sighed inwardly.

Guiding Rudeus to rescue Sylphie earlier shouldn't cause too many butterfly effects... Based on my reasoning, the related events wouldn't change much. They'd just meet half a year earlier.

"...Don't you play with the other kids in the village?"

Rudeus tilted his head and scratched his cheek.

"Well... I guess we just don't get along."

Allen looked down at Rudeus.

"Tell me... do you think we're friends?"

Rudeus's mouth twitched.

'...I thought this scary-looking kid was mature, but it turns out he's just like any other child, always talking about friendship...'

Rudeus put on his signature well-behaved smile.

"Of course! After all, you just helped me reduce my swordsmanship training by an hour today!"

The next moment, Allen poked Rudeus's cheek.

"Stop pretending. I genuinely want to be your friend."

Rudeus was stunned.

Allen glanced at him, then turned and walked toward the door. Before leaving, he looked back and said,

"I'll help you make a shrine tomorrow. And don't worry, I'll keep the underwear thing a secret."

Rudeus's eyes lit up.

"Deal!"

A faint haze appeared before Allen's eyes.

[Free Immediate Task—Gain Sylphiette's Favor. Available to issue.]

[Task Reward: Barrier Magic Slot Unlocked.]

[You may choose to issue the task before Rudeus's chance encounter with Sylphiette in the original storyline. Once issued, the task must be completed within one day. Issue in advance?]