Re:Zero: No Job, No Magic, Just a Stupid Romance System

Alan snapped out of it under Lokisi's gaze.

"How is this possible? How can you be back?! This doesn't make any sense."

Lokisi immediately covered Alan's mouth with her hand, glancing around in panic. She put a finger to her lips.

"Shh! Keep your voice down—everyone's still asleep."

Alan blinked and looked down at her hand. Lokisi met his eyes and blinked too, then quickly withdrew her hand as if scalded. She subconsciously brushed back the hair on her forehead and whispered:

"…I just came back to see if you were okay. Seems like you are—you've successfully joined the Greyrat family. Congratulations. Don't shout. I'm leaving again soon."

Alan stared at her, still confused.

Why? Why did Lokisi suddenly come back? Up until tonight, everything was still under control. What's going on now? And what did she mean by 'seeing if we're okay'?

"We only came back to take a look, so we don't have to travel overnight. You've seen me now—so I'll leave. But what about Paul, Senis, and Rudy? Won't they see me too? That doesn't match what you said, right?"

Lokisi scratched her cheek, not minding that Alan wasn't using honorifics anymore. After a brief pause, she seemed to make up her mind.

"I'll just tell you what I found, even though it seems like you're not in danger now."

She pulled a neatly folded, high-quality sheet of paper from her magic robe. After glancing at Alan's face, she handed it to him.

Alan frowned, took it, and unfolded it—his expression quickly shifted to one of surprise.

It was a job posting. The paper was worn, showing it had been posted for some time. The handwriting had a clear noble tone.

To all adventurers:

I am James Boreas Greyrat. My beloved son, Alan Boreas Greyrat, disappeared without a trace on the Upper Jaw of the Red Dragon Mountains while on his way to school. I am deeply worried. Despite extensive searching, no clues have been found.

I am now seeking someone to help locate him.

My son Alan is only nine years old, but he's as tall as an adult woman and has a strong physique. He has brown-gray eyes, slightly curly hair, thick eyebrows, and sharp eyes. He often ties his hair back. When speaking, his eyebrows tend to lift unconsciously—he is sharp yet composed.

If you have any information, please report it to the Boreas Mansion in the royal capital.

Verified clues will earn 200 gold coins.

Successfully returning him to the mansion will earn 1,000 gold coins.

Thank you.

—James Boreas Greyrat

Alan narrowed his eyes and remained silent for a while. Then he looked at Lokisi and said quietly:

"…I'm sorry. When I bumped into you, I panicked and hid some things. I was thinking about concealing my whereabouts."

Lokisi blinked, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Well, I understand. Adventurers rarely tell the full truth. Technically, you did tell me the truth—you just didn't say what the actual trouble was. I just made some wild guesses. Sorry."

Alan still looked confused. He decided to probe further.

"But even if that's true… you didn't have to come all the way back just to ask me about it, right? You could've written a letter. So there must be another reason you returned?"

Lokisi hesitated, then pulled out another piece of paper—this one with curled edges and rough texture. She handed it to him.

Alan unfolded it—and his face darkened instantly.

It was a bounty notice, written in crude, aggressive handwriting—sharply contrasting the elegant job post from James.

Night Lion Thieves' Bounty Notice:

Target: Alan Boreas Greyrat

Description: Brown hair, gray eyes, and an annoyingly smug face.

Bounty: 1,000 gold coins.

Alan is a Water God Style Swordsman at the Senior level. He killed nine of our best fighters in the Red Dragon Upper Jaw. If interested, we suggest dispatching specialized personnel to hunt him.

Special Note: Only the corpse is needed.

Upon completion, contact the nearest Night Lion Thieves Group. Payment upon delivery.

This bounty is long-term and open.

—Night Lion

Alan narrowed his eyes for a long while, then let out a cold chuckle.

"I see. No wonder Lokisi came back so suddenly—a bounty of a thousand gold coins from the Night Lion thieves. Tsk tsk, James... You never disappoint when it comes to disappointing people. Killing me is a lot faster than bringing me back to the capital, huh? And this wanted notice is so public…"

He looked up at Lokisi, who appeared a little flustered.

"You found this in the Adventurer's Association? Funny—Uncle Paul's been helping me quietly too, but it seems he hasn't caught wind of this bounty."

Lokisi had read both documents multiple times on her way back. She knew what this meant—the job post and the bounty couldn't be more different. One was a noble mask of concern, the other a clear death sentence. It was obvious: James only cared about maintaining appearances. The reality was, he wanted Alan dead.

She thought of her own past. She had only been looked down on for not being able to read. But Alan? His father had issued a kill order on him.

A nine-year-old boy. What could he have possibly done to earn such hatred? Murder? Arson? He didn't seem like that. No wonder he was so cautious this whole time. But even so, he gave me the only money he had.

She took a deep breath and said:

"Actually… I was heading to Rigate when I got stopped by three thieves who jumped out of the forest. I got that bounty notice from them. I think the notice is only being circulated in certain shady circles. At the Adventurer's Association, I only found the job post—nothing else. Honestly, the Adventurer's Association in the Asura Kingdom is pretty empty. Not many commissions, so it was easy to spot."

Alan's expression turned grim.

"Thieves jumped out of the forest near Rigate? Were they looking for me?"

Lokisi nodded.

"According to what they said, there's a group of thieves combing the southern edge of the Red Dragon Mountains—looking for you."

Alan's face darkened even more.

"…That doesn't make sense. I deliberately left traces pointing north. Why would they be searching in the south?"