Mushoku Tensei: the Apostle of God

Seeing that Rudeus had nothing more to say, Allen turned his attention back to the group of children in front of him. These so-called "children" used their youth and a false sense of "justice" to mask their malicious intent and the pleasure they derived from bullying. Allen let out a heavy sigh.

He instinctively reached up and brushed his hair back from his forehead. The water from the sword's splash had soaked his hair, and since his hair was naturally stiff, it gave off the impression of being styled with gel.

His sharp demeanor made Rudeus instinctively look away.

Allen stepped forward and stood in front of the tallest of the group, a chubby boy who was only half a head shorter than him.

Although the boy had done as Allen instructed, his eyes clearly showed defiance, especially after hearing that Allen was only nine years old.

"You seem unhappy about this?"

"You... You're just bullying us because you have a sword!"

Allen laughed, leaning down and lightly patting the boy's cheek.

"You gang up on someone weaker because you're stronger and outnumber them, and they can't fight back. Now, I'm bullying you because I have a weapon. What are you going to do about it?"

Allen continued patting the boy's cheek, his tone almost like that of an older brother giving advice.

"I'm stronger than you, and you're weaker. Isn't that just how it should be?"

The chubby boy's face turned red.

"We're not bullying her because she's weak! She's a demon!"

Allen sneered.

"If she's a demon, then I'm your father. Go on, call me 'Dad.'"

The boy's expression froze. He had never encountered such twisted logic before. His face twisted a few times, and then he burst into tears.

"Did I say you could cry?"

The crying stopped instantly.

"If I ever see you bullying her again, I'll rip your heads off and feed them to monsters. Now, cry all you want, then get lost."

The children wailed and ran off, stumbling over themselves in their haste to escape.

Allen smirked and turned to look at Sylphie, ready to admire the face of the future beauty.

However, Sylphie's face was completely covered in mud, making it impossible to see her features. She was sitting on the ground, staring at him in shock.

Beside her, the trench Allen had carved with his sword energy was only half a body's length away.

Sylphie hadn't been hit by the mud the children threw, but she had been splashed by Allen's attack.

Allen awkwardly opened his mouth, then turned to Rudeus.

Rudeus was also covered in mud. However, he was staring off into the distance, watching the children run away, seemingly lost in thought.

Allen waved a hand in front of Rudeus's face, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Uh, Rudeus, maybe you could use water magic to clean her up... and yourself too..."

Rudeus turned to Allen, blinking as if coming out of a daze.

"...Alright."

At that moment, Sylphie seemed to snap out of her shock. She suddenly jumped into the waterlogged field and, under the stunned gazes of Allen and Rudeus, waded through the water to drag Allen's sword back. After climbing back onto the shore, she held the sword out to Allen with both hands, her head bowed as she stared at her wet shoes.

Her bangs were still dripping with muddy water, creating a soft plop plop sound as the droplets hit the ground.

Her pointed ears twitched in time with the rhythm.

Allen blinked, sheathed his sword, and looked down at Sylphie, who only came up to his chest. He instinctively reached out to pat her head.

She flinched and dodged, causing Allen's hand to fall short.

His expression stiffened for a moment before he realized that he had been acting purely on the lingering frustration from his dream and hadn't paid attention to the system at all.

Oh no, the favorability prompt hasn't shown up yet. Did I scare her?

After dodging, Sylphie seemed to panic when she saw Allen's stunned expression. She hugged her head and quickly glanced at Allen before timidly shuffling closer to him.

She leaned her head toward Allen's still-outstretched hand.

[Free Immediate Task—Gain Sylphie's Favor: Completed. Time: 4:23:17. Evaluation: A righteous companion indeed! I dub thee the King of Children!]

[Barrier Magic Slot Unlocked.]

A faint, almost tangible mist crawled over the nascent Dragon Saint Fighting Spirit core in Allen's abdomen, emitting a faint buzzing sound that only his soul could hear. After a moment, a new slot appeared next to the dull brown one.

This new slot was white, like the color of stalactites.

Allen blinked, coming back to his senses, and realized his hand was still resting on Sylphie's head. She had been standing quietly in front of him this whole time, her eyes darting left and right but never moving away.

Suddenly, Allen felt a burning gaze on his face. He turned to see Rudeus staring at him with a suspicious expression, his eyes shifting from Allen's hand to Sylphie's face and back again.

Sylphie's features were delicate, and even though Allen had mentally prepared himself, he was still struck by her beauty.

Her eyelashes were long, her nose small but straight, and her jawline smooth. Her long ears twitched slightly.

But what stood out the most was her skin—it was so pale that in the sunlight, you could almost see the faint blue veins beneath it.

To be honest, she was much more beautiful than in the anime.

Especially her reddish-brown eyes, which sparkled with light.

Eyes like those shouldn't—and couldn't—be dull or lifeless.

The owner of those reddish-brown eyes blinked, looking down at the grass in front of her. Her green hair fluttered in the wind.

Rudeus, the self-proclaimed "Tony," was busy styling her hair with wind magic.

While helping Sylphie wash her hair earlier, Rudeus had noticed that she didn't have the red Demon Eye on her forehead, confirming that Allen had indeed been acting out of a sense of justice.

'Maybe Allen saw someone bullying this little boy when he first came to the village, but why did he drag me along? Was he afraid of acting on his own and getting his pay docked? So he used accompanying me as an excuse? Still, it's terrifying that he used his sword skills on a group of kids... All I can say is...'

'Well done, Lord Allen! Though it would've been better if I weren't just a background character.'

'But it's fine. Now we have another little boy as a companion, which means my strategy of reverse attraction will work even better. More handsome resources, right? Hmm... Too bad he's a little boy and not a little girl. Otherwise, his timid, unconfident demeanor would've been perfect for my nurturing needs... Oh, sorry, I let that slip. Just kidding... Wait, is he really a little boy?'

Rudeus glanced down and noticed that Sylphie was wearing boyish rough cloth pants, unlike the other girls in the village who wore skirts.

'Could it be!? Allen noticed this too! Damn, he's cunning! No wonder he and Paul have been making eyes at each other. You, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, are actually into this!?'

Rudeus mentally rambled in the lecherous tone of his past life as a NEET, but his hands were busy. In no time, he had finished drying Sylphie's hair.

Sylphie blinked and stood up.

The three of them were on a small hill near the fields, with only one towering tree providing shade.

A breeze blew past, causing the shadows of the leaves to dance on the ground, with spots of light flickering between them.

Sylphie curled her toes and whispered in a voice as soft as a mosquito's.

"Thank you... both..."

She glanced at Rudeus, then slightly turned her head to look behind her.

Allen was lazily leaning against the tree, looking up at the canopy above.

A spot of light fell on the corner of his mouth, swaying gently with his smile.

Lighter than the breeze.