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"That's the gist of it."
"Hm."
In the familiar living room of the Greyrat household in Buena Village, the dining table—doubling as a guest reception area—separated the two figures locking eyes.
Allen sat on the left. Paul on the right.
The former instinctively reached to adjust his glasses, only to remember he'd long since stopped wearing them.
The latter sat upright, exuding the dignified air of a household head as he listened to Allen's surface-level reasons for heading to the capital.
…
At least, he would have looked dignified—
If not for his misaligned shirt buttons and the very obvious marks on his neck.
Paul fell silent for a long moment, his expression grave as if weighing the dangers of the capital.
Then, with a deep frown, he finally spoke.
"So…"
"How long have you all been here?"
"Thirty-four minutes before entering the house. Fifteen minutes since stepping inside." Allen answered instantly, nailing Paul with precision.
Paul: "..."
Rudeus, sitting nearby, buried his face in his hands.
Lilia, standing dutifully to the side, kept eyeing Paul's crooked buttons. She nearly spoke up several times—wanting to point out how hard her lord was failing at looking authoritative—
But each time she opened her mouth, Allen's sharp glance silenced her.
Honestly, how couldn't she feel ashamed?
A maid who'd abandoned her duties—and her own child—to join her master and mistress in bed, her shameless pleas fully overheard by the very man who'd saved her life…
Now that the bed-god had released her and her brain was working again, Lilia just wanted to crawl into a hole.
How could someone like me raise a proper future maid?
I even made Aisha a little maid outfit recently to start her 'Allen Service Plan'…
And now, after slacking off like this, Allen's seen everything.
She felt utterly ashamed.
…
Or so she thought.
In reality—
This was all a misunderstanding.
"Allen~! Hehe!"
Aisha clung to Allen like a stubborn burr, arms wrapped around his neck, having not let go for a single second since he'd picked her up upstairs.
Total Attachment Time: 15 minutes.
Meaning: She'd been glued to him since arrival.
Perhaps it was because she hadn't seen Allen in half a year, but Aisha was exceptionally clingy today.
Allen, with zero experience handling kids, was at a loss. With Paul temporarily stunned into silence and Aisha nuzzling his neck relentlessly, he shot another pleading look at the girl's actual mother.
Lilia bowed her head even lower in shame.
Allen: "..."
His eye twitched as he looked down at Aisha.
She blinked up at him innocently.
Allen's mind flashed to her older version from the anime. The cognitive dissonance made it impossible to treat her as just some random kid. After a pause, he carefully pried her arms off his neck.
Aisha grinned—a little bat-like smile—and reattached herself.
Allen blinked. Tried again.
Aisha, still grinning, re-latched.
Allen: "..."
For some reason, despite her angelic smile, he couldn't shake the feeling that this brat was playing him for a fool.
Wait, when I left Buena, Aisha wasn't even six months old. I've only visited three times since, and winter kept me away entirely. Shouldn't she be scared of strangers? Even if I played with her half a year ago, would she really remember me?
His eyes flicked to Norn, who was hiding behind Paul, gripping her father's clothes like a scared puppy.
Norn: (⊙_⊙;)
Yeah, this is the normal reaction. Kid was sleeping peacefully, then some rando climbs through the window—of course she'd cry. That's logical.
He looked back down.
Aisha: (^__^)
What the hell.
"Aisha… can you understand me?" Allen asked cautiously.
Aisha blinked, then nodded vigorously.
Relieved, Allen patted her head. "Okay, I need to talk to Uncle Paul. Can you go to Mommy for a bit?"
Aisha froze. Stared.
Then—
Aisha: (?_? )
Allen stared back.
…
Oh.
She's pretending not to understand.
This early?!
And why was she this attached to him? He wasn't even her real brother!
His gaze slid to said real brother.
Rudeus: (?_?)
Allen: Are you fucking kidding me?
Without hesitation, he smacked Rudeus upside the head. The reincarnator yelped, rubbing his skull before sighing and holding out his arms to Aisha.
"C'mon, Aisha~ Big brother's got you~"
Aisha turned.
Aisha: (?_? )
Allen: "..."
Rudeus: "..."
Is the 'playing dumb' thing genetic?
At this point, Allen could only turn to Isolte—who'd been watching his struggles with far too much amusement—hoping her natural charm would solve this.
(Sylphie? She'd rushed off with Eris to visit her family fifteen minutes ago.)
Isolte's lips curled. She stood, offering Paul a flawless noble's bow.
"Lady Zenith has been in the kitchen for a while. I'll check if she needs help."
Then—shockingly—she walked off without waiting for Paul's acknowledgment.
Allen: Abandoned.
Aisha, sensing victory, snuggled even closer.
Her smile? Pure evil.
Isolte's smile faded the moment she left the room.
As a devout Millis believer in monogamy, she'd seen plenty of men like Paul in the capital—but that didn't mean she understood them.
Moving soundlessly with Water God techniques, she paused at the kitchen doorway.
Glanced back at Allen—still wrestling with Aisha—and after a moment, her smile returned.
A soft tap of her foot, and the humming from inside the kitchen stopped.
She stepped in.
The stove's low flame licked at the teapot. Zenith looked up, startled.
Isolte bowed gracefully.
"Lady Zenith, we'll be leaving soon, so I came to thank you. Your kindness in sheltering my senior two years ago means much to me."
Zenith instinctively smoothed her hair—a noble habit resurfacing—before returning the bow with slightly rusty elegance.
"It was only natural. Allen is Phillip's son. Your name is Isolte, yes? A lovely name."
Isolte's eyes flickered at Zenith's posture but hid her surprise well. She moved to the teapot, gauging the tea's color with a glance before expertly adjusting the heat.
"You flatter me… Your hair is truly beautiful—like sunlight given form. Though in Asura, such a shade is often seen among royalty."
Zenith barely had time to react before Isolte effortlessly took the pot-holder from her hands, her motions aristocratic yet practiced in a way no true noble would be.
"Oh, my hair? I've no relation to Asura's royals. I'm actually from Millis."
Isolte wiped the pot's rim, smiling. "I see. May Saint Millis bless you."
"And may Saint Millis bless—"
Zenith froze mid-sentence.
Blinked at her own hands.
Looked up—
To find Isolte watching her.
The moment Isolte left, Paul dropped the act, waggling his eyebrows at Allen like a proud uncle. "Attaboy! That's the Greyrat blood for ya!"
The sheer lack of shame was staggering—just like his original self, who'd egged Rudeus on since childhood.
Allen just stared.
Paul's grin faltered. Realizing Allen wasn't playing along, he scratched his head awkwardly before actually apologizing.
"Uh… sorry. That was… an accident?"
The reason?
Last year, Allen had specifically lectured Paul about childcare—how Aisha and Norn weren't as easy as Rudeus, how the household was short-handed, and how he mustn't neglect them.
Paul had agreed enthusiastically. Who's the parent here, huh?
And then—
This happened.
Literally 'this'—as in, 'plunging into the pool'.
Now, prideful as he was, even Paul couldn't withstand Allen's disappointed dad stare.
Because unlike Rudeus, Allen interacted with them as an equal—mature, reliable, and painfully competent (see: the cheating incident and the snow valley rescue).
So the second Isolte—the outsider—left, Paul had tried to play it off.
And the second that failed, he'd folded like wet paper.
Lilia couldn't take it either. She bowed deeply. "This is my fault. Please don't—"
Thud.
A heavy pouch hit the table.
Paul and Lilia froze.
Looked up.
It was a bag of gold coins.
Paul gaped at Allen.
The boy smiled back—a calm, steady gaze that somehow reassured Paul. For a fleeting moment, Allen felt…
Like his own child.
Then Allen spoke, his voice smooth and persuasive, weaving through Paul's thoughts like mist through a night forest.
"Uncle, I'm not blaming you."
First—dismissing the 'mistake' outright.
Paul blinked at the gold. "But… this is too much. Last time's money was plenty—"
"Money's meant to improve our families' lives, right? Even our tutoring in Roa was partly to ease financial strain. Aisha and Norn are girls—clothes, food, all that adds up. A knight's salary can't cover it all, can it?"
Paul mumbled, "Well, Zenith helps at the clinic sometimes…"
"She shouldn't."
Paul stiffened.
Allen poked Aisha's cheek, still smiling. "After a year raising Norn and Aisha, you know not all kids are as easy as Rudeus. It's exhausting, right? So why make Lady Zenith work and add to your and Lilia's burdens? We're not short on money. And Lilia's worked hard enough, hasn't she?"
Paul glanced at Lilia, who stared at Allen with moved eyes.
"...Yeah. You're right."
Allen nodded to Lilia, gesturing to a chair. "Sit, Lilia. There's something else I'd like to discuss—while Sylphie's not here."
Lilia hesitated, but Allen's serious tone made her obey.
"Family matters. Laws and Norn's parents are struggling too. Laws hunts for scraps, and Norn only sews at home. We should help."
Paul and Lilia immediately grasped the subtext—Laws and Norn were future in-laws.
Allen continued, "So here's my idea: Hire them during the day to help with Aisha and Norn. Norn's gentle and experienced—she could ease Lilia's workload. Laws could tend the garden."
"Five adults for two kids? Much easier."
"And if you offer, they'll accept more easily than if I just gave them money. Right?"
"What do you think?"
Paul's first thought was That's too many people—but Allen's follow-up about direct charity reframed it.
This was Allen caring for his future wife's family.
Given how fiercely he protected his loved ones, the logic was flawless.
Paul nodded.
Lilia and Rudeus saw no issue either—the former owed Allen too much to object, the latter (raised in East Asia) found this totally normal spousal support.
Allen smiled. "Then it's settled."
Paul nodded again. "Yeah. Got it."
Allen lifted his head.
Total Persuasion Time: 3 minutes.
Paul shook off his daze quickly, scratching his head but voicing no objections.
[Persuasion]—Success.
At that moment—
A wisp of smoke swirled before Allen, almost indignant.
[Using [Persuasion] for this? Wasteful.]
Allen caught Aisha's wandering hands.
'Oh? So it's not strong enough to make enemies slit their own throats? Then this is exactly where it's useful.'
The smoke trembled—then vanished in frustration.
Allen chuckled, tickling Aisha. 'Next time, give me something actually combat-worthy, yeah?'
Then, to the giggling girl:
"So cute."
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