Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and Romance!

Allen ignored Rudeus and turned to face the group of children before him—those who cloaked their malice and thrill for bullying beneath the excuses of youth and so-called "justice." He exhaled heavily.

Almost absentmindedly, he reached up and pushed his hair back from his forehead. The splash from his earlier throw had soaked the front of his hair, and with his stiff hair texture, it now looked like it had been gelled into shape.

His sharp, predator-like presence made Rudeus instinctively avert his gaze.

Allen had already stepped in front of the tallest kid in the group—a chubby boy who was only half a head shorter than him.

Even though the boy had followed Allen's order, his eyes radiated defiance, especially after learning Allen was only nine.

"You seem unconvinced?"

"You're just bullying us because you've got a sword!"

Allen smiled. He bent down and lightly patted the boy's cheek.

"You lot ganged up on someone weak and defenseless. Now that I'm using my strength to bully you, what's the problem?"

Allen leaned in close, a neighborly big-brother smile on his face, and patiently "taught" the kid with a quiet voice.

"I'm strong, you're weak. Isn't that how it's supposed to go?"

The chubby boy's face turned beet red.

"We weren't bullying the weak! She's a demon!"

Allen scoffed.

"She's a demon? Then I'm your dad. Go on, call me Dad."

The boy froze—he'd never encountered this kind of argument before. His face contorted several times before he burst into tears.

"Did I say you could cry?"

The crying stopped instantly.

"If I catch you bullying her again, I'll twist your head off and feed it to the monsters. Cry if you want—but cry fast, and then scram."

The snot-nosed brats scattered, bawling and tripping over themselves as they fled.

Allen snorted and turned around, intending to get a better look at the face of the pretty girl he'd just saved.

The pretty girl's face was completely caked in mud. She sat motionless on the ground, staring at him blankly.

Right next to her was the trench Allen had gouged into the earth with his aura—just half a body's length away.

She hadn't been hit by the kids' mud, but Allen's dramatic knife throw had splashed her plenty.

Allen opened his mouth awkwardly, then turned to Rudeus for help.

Rudeus, also splattered with mud, was still staring at the receding backs of the fleeing kids, stunned.

Allen waved a hand in front of his face, voice a bit sheepish.

"Uh, Rudeus… mind using [Water] Magic to clean her up a bit? And, uh… yourself too, while you're at it."

Rudeus blinked, his daze not fully cleared.

"…Sure."

Just then, the girl snapped out of her trance. With a sudden motion, she jumped down into the paddy, wading through the water with her small body and dragging Allen's sword back to shore.

When she reached him, she solemnly held the sword out with both hands—but didn't look at him. Her gaze was fixed on her wet shoes.

Mud-drenched strands of hair clung to her forehead. Droplets fell from her bangs and landed on the ground with faint plinks.

Her long, pointed ears trembled in sync with the droplets.

Allen blinked and sheathed the blade. He looked at the green-haired girl who barely reached his chest, and his hand rose instinctively toward her head.

She flinched, dodging his touch.

Allen's expression stiffened.

Only now did he realize: everything he'd done since arriving had been driven by the lingering anger from that dream. He'd completely forgotten to check the system.

Shit. I didn't get the favorability notification. Did I scare her too much?

After instinctively avoiding his touch, Sylphiette noticed Allen's frozen expression. She suddenly looked nervous, wrapped her arms around her head, then glanced at Allen with hesitation.

Slowly, with small shuffling steps, she approached—and pressed her head gently against his hovering hand.

[Free Real-Time Quest: Gain Sylphiette's Favorability – Completed]

[Time Elapsed: 4:23:17]

[Evaluation: A true ally of justice. I hereby crown you King of Children!]

[Barrier Magic Rune Slot Unlocked]

Dust and motes swirled visibly around Allen's [Dragon-Saint Aura Seed], climbing through his core like physical smoke. A low, resonant hum echoed—not to the ears, but in the soul.

A new rune slot formed beside the dull brown one. Its base color was milky white, like a stalactite.

Allen blinked and came back to himself—his hand was still resting atop Sylphiette's head. She remained motionless beneath it, her blinking eyes shifting side to side, casting curious glances at the grass, but never moving away.

Suddenly, Allen felt a burning gaze on his face. He turned, puzzled.

Rudeus was staring, eyes narrowed, glancing from Allen's hand… to Sylphiette's face… and then back to Allen's.

Over and over again.

...

Sylphiette's facial features were exquisitely delicate. Even though Allen had been mentally prepared, he was still struck by how beautiful she was.

Her eyelashes were long, her nose small but well-shaped, her jawline smooth and clean. Her long ears twitched ever so slightly.

But most striking—

Her skin was incredibly fair. So pale that the faint blue of her veins could be seen beneath it in the sunlight.

Honestly, she was more beautiful than her anime counterpart.

Especially her red-brown irises, gleaming with subtle highlights.

Eyes like that shouldn't ever look blank or numb.

Sylphiette blinked slowly, looking down at the grass before her, her green hair dancing in the breeze.

Nearby, Rudeus—playing the part of her personal stylist—was blow-drying it.

While helping her wash up earlier, he'd confirmed she didn't have the characteristic red demon eye on her forehead. That meant Allen had truly acted out of justice.

So he must've seen someone bullying this small shota-looking kid when he first came to the village. But why drag me along? Was he afraid of acting without a witness, like he'd lose his pay if something went wrong? No, that's too much. More likely, he wanted to make it easier to explain afterward by saying he was out with me. But still, using actual swordsmanship on a bunch of kids...

All I can say is—hell yeah, Lord Allen! …I just wish I wasn't a background extra in this scene.

Well, it's fine. Now we've got a little shota ally. That'll really help my reverse social engineering plan to attract girls. The more handsome kids I'm surrounded by, the better the contrast. …Too bad this one's a shota and not a cute little loli. That meek, insecure personality would've been perfect for raising—I mean, mentoring… Er, whoops, exposed myself. Just kidding. Wait… is he really a shota?

Rudeus looked down.

Sylphiette was wearing roughspun boy's trousers—not the skirts the other village girls usually wore.

Don't tell me! Allen noticed this too?! Damn, that sly fox! No wonder he and Paul are always exchanging glances—turns out this thick-browed bastard swings that way!

Rudeus mentally ranted in the skeevy tone unique to NEETs from his past life. Still, his hands kept moving skillfully, and before long, he'd finished drying Sylphiette's hair.

She blinked up at him and stood.

The three of them were now on a grassy slope near the fields. A single, towering tree stood nearby, its shade spreading thick and wide.

Wind rustled the leaves, casting dappled shadows across the ground.

Sylphiette curled her toes, then whispered softly, barely louder than a mosquito:

"…Thank you."

She glanced once at Rudeus, then shyly peeked behind her.

Allen was leaning lazily against the tree trunk, gazing up through the leaves at the canopy above.

A sliver of sunlight fell across his lips.

And with it, a faint smile.

Lighter than the breeze.