Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and Romance!

Allen blinked, finally snapping out of it under Roxy's gaze.

"Wh…what the—how can you be here?! That makes no sense—mmph."

Roxy immediately clapped a hand over his mouth, glancing around in panic. She brought a finger to her lips.

"Keep your voice down! Everyone's still sleeping."

Allen blinked again, gaze dropping to the hand on his mouth. Roxy blinked too—then yanked her hand back at lightning speed, fidgeting as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"…I just came to check if you were all okay. Seems like things are fine here… and you've ended up with the Greyrats, huh? Good for you. Don't shout. I'm leaving again soon."

Allen stared at her, still trying to catch up.

Why? Why would Roxy suddenly come back? Everything up until tonight had been on track, but now… What does she mean, "came to check if we were okay"?

"You came all the way back just to see us? In the middle of the night? You've seen me—now you're just going to leave? What about Paul? Zenith? Rudeus? You're not going to see them? That's not what you just said."

Roxy scratched her cheek. She didn't seem too bothered by Allen's switch to informal speech. After a moment's thought, she made a decision. Even if Allen looked fine, he still had a right to know.

"I came because I passed through Donati Territory—Rigait City, specifically—and stopped by the Adventurers' Guild. I found this."

She reached into her robe and pulled out a neatly folded sheet of high-quality parchment—carefully handled, more like an official letter than a casual flyer. She glanced at Allen's expression, then handed it over.

Allen frowned and took it, unfolding it to read. His eyes widened.

It was a missing persons notice—old, from the look of the paper. The ink bore the flowery tone of a noble's hand.

To All Adventurers:

I am James Boreas Greyrat. My beloved son, Allen Boreas Greyrat, recently disappeared without cause on his journey to school. He was last seen near the Upper Jaw of the Red Dragon Mountains. I am devastated. Despite sending out search parties, we have yet to locate any trace of him.

I now issue this contract in hopes that brave adventurers may help in recovering my son.

My son Allen is nine years old, but already stands nearly as tall as an adult woman. Sturdy build. Brown hair, gray eyes. Slightly wavy hair usually brushed back. Sharp gaze. When speaking, he tends to raise one eyebrow unconsciously. Calm, but with a commanding presence.

If anyone has seen someone matching this description, please report to the Boreas Estate in the royal capital.

If your lead is verified: 200 gold coins.

If you return my son safely: 1,000 gold coins.

Apologies for the imposition.

Allen finished reading and was silent for a long moment. Then he looked up and said carefully,

"Sorry. When I ran into you back then, I… hid some things on instinct. I was trying to keep my trail hidden."

Roxy blinked at the way his brow arched unconsciously. She found herself suddenly embarrassed.

"Well, um… I mean, you did tell the truth. Mostly. You never said what you did wrong, and I guess I jumped to weird conclusions on my own… sorry about that."

Allen still felt uneasy. Something didn't add up. So he probed gently.

"Even so, you wouldn't come all this way just to scold me, right? A letter would've done the job. So… there's something else, isn't there?"

Roxy hesitated. Then she pulled out another sheet of paper—worn, rough, edges curled from weather and handling.

She handed it to him.

Allen took it, unfolded it—then his expression darkened.

A bounty notice. Crude wording. No flourish. A stark contrast to James's noble prose.

Bounty – Night Lion Bandit Gang

Target: Allen Boreas Greyrat

Description: Brown hair, gray eyes, a face that pisses you off just looking at it.

Reward: 1,000 gold coins.

Target is an advanced-level Water God Style swordsman. Killed nine of my men in the Upper Jaw of the Red Dragon Mountains. Recommend setting up a coordinated ambush for the hunt.

Note: Corpses only.

For payment, contact the local Night Lion Bandit Gang. Delivery on sight.

This bounty is long-term.

—Night Lion

Allen squinted at it for a while—then smiled. Coldly.

So that's it. No wonder Roxy rushed back. A 1,000 gold bounty from a bandit gang... James, James—you never fail to disappoint. Killing me would be a lot faster than bringing me back, wouldn't it? Must be why the bounty's so brazen. But why hasn't Paul said anything? Philip asked him to look into this…

He looked up, meeting Roxy's uneasy eyes.

"This bounty—did you find it at the Adventurers' Guild too? Paul's been helping me search for news, but he hasn't mentioned any bounty…"

On her journey back, Roxy had reviewed both posters several times. She had no doubt they came from the same source: House Boreas in the royal capital. The "missing child" was just for show—a polite noble façade. But the bounty? That was the real command: kill Allen.

She didn't even know how to tell Allen that. She'd left her own village after being ostracized for not understanding written words—but even that didn't compare to this. Allen had been named by his own father. A child—just nine—being marked for death.

What could he have possibly done in the capital? Murder? Arson? But he doesn't seem the type… No wonder he's been so careful all this time. He probably guessed something like this would happen. And even so, he still gave me the last of his money back then…

She took a deep breath.

"I actually got this one from a group of bandits who ambushed me on the road near Rigait. They jumped out of the woods. That bounty's only circulating in the gray zones. I didn't see it posted in the Guild—only the missing persons notice. Honestly, the Asura Kingdom's Guilds are practically empty. There were hardly any jobs, so I spotted it right away."

Allen's brow twitched violently.

"Bandits?! On the road to Rigait?! Don't tell me they were searching for me?"

Roxy nodded.

"According to them, yeah. One gang's combing the eastern forests beneath the Red Dragon range."

Allen's expression grew grim.

"That doesn't make sense. I left false tracks heading north. Why would they be looking in the southern foothills of the Red Dragon Mountains?"