An Illogical Development, Paul Bro, You're So Fast

Allen swore he was just watching a family drama unfold, observing Lilia, who stood by the window sill, her expression a mix of envy and resentment, before his gaze drifted to Paul and his wife in the yard, flirting and playfully pinching each other's bottoms.

He took a moment to identify everyone's faces.

First, Lilia's face held a certain coolness, with features that leaned towards an East Asian look. She wore round-rimmed glasses and a maid's uniform.

Paul, on the other hand, had the ancestral scoundrel face of the Notos family. His rugged features, particularly that tear mole, gave him a certain handsomeness, and combined with his sturdy physique, it was no wonder he easily attracted the opposite sex.

Zenith was the epitome of a gentle, refined young lady, with soft, flowing blonde hair.

Overall, they all met Allen's expectations, especially the fact that both the original wife and the mistress boasted a similar 36E bust size.

Oh, Paul, you rascal...

As this thought crossed his mind, Allen saw Rudeus—the protagonist of Mushoku Tensei.

His hair inherited Zenith's softness and Paul's brown color. His features were very gentle, even somewhat feminine when he was a child. He was currently dealing with his 'father's' nonsensical ramblings with a wry, helpless grin.

Suddenly, Rudy seemed to realize something. He stiffened his neck and slowly turned to look at Allen.

Allen instinctively thought of his favorability quest.

Then, with the gentlest, kindest, and most approachable expression he could muster, he gave Rudeus a benevolent smile.

The next moment, Rudy, as if he'd seen a ghost, gave Paul a headbutt straight to the chest.

The latter stumbled and fell to the ground, then turned to glare at Allen.

His expression was quite displeased.

Allen's smile froze on his face. He felt that his instinctive attempt to show amiability…

…might have just made the subsequent favorability quest a bit harder.

Paul's look of displeasure flashed, then quickly disappeared. As a Knight sent by the Fittoa Region to Buena Village, tasked with overseeing villagers' harvests and protecting the local safety, such house calls were a frequent occurrence, happening every few days.

He brushed the dirt off his clothes and stood up.

During this process, Rudeus remained facing away from Allen the entire time, his body moving as if wound up, slowly shifting behind Paul.

Allen wasn't giving up. He tried to salvage the situation, forcing out an even brighter smile.

"Excuse me, are you Sir Paul, the village knight? And is that your child? So cute~"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Rudeus's expression changed dramatically. He hitched up his pants and dashed home in a flash.

He had been startled.

Allen stared, mouth agape, watching him leave, then awkwardly looked at Paul.

The latter seemed somewhat dazed and didn't respond to Allen's greeting or Rudy's reaction. He simply scrutinized Allen silently from bottom to top, his gaze pausing slightly on the hilt of the sword at Allen's waist, then sweeping over Allen's tattered swordsman's uniform.

Finally, his gaze settled on Allen's face and didn't move again.

Allen also looked up and met his gaze.

Paul was nearly six feet tall, so Allen had to look up at him.

After a long moment, Paul seemed to snap out of it. He spoke, breaking the silence.

"...Sorry, Rudy isn't very good with people. May I ask what brings you here?"

"Well, Sir Knight, I'm a wandering adventurer. I accidentally lost my money in a dungeon, so I'm looking for some work to earn some. Coincidentally, on my way here, I met a blue-haired Demon Race Magician. She suggested I might try my luck to see if your child needs a Swordsmanship teacher."

"Why are you lying?"

Paul instantly saw through Allen's lie, lowering his head to examine his face, his expression serious, as if scolding a child.

The latter showed no sign of panic, merely narrowing his eyes and smiling as he looked back at Paul.

"What makes you say that?"

"...According to you, you might have truly seen Lokkishi, but she clearly knows that Rudy's Swordsmanship teacher is me. He doesn't need an extra Swordsmanship teacher at all. Therefore, you must have wanted to come here yourself, not based on her suggestion."

Allen lowered his eyes.

Just as I expected, he's not easy to fool. If I were to say now that I just want to be Rudy's tutor, my motives would seem impure. If I only tried to persuade him under the guise of earning money, then there are clearly more and better opportunities in big cities. There's no need to come to this small village to try my luck; that reason wouldn't hold up.

All paths are blocked... Is revealing my identity the best choice?

"However... becoming Rudy's Swordsmanship teacher is certainly an option."

A hint of surprise flickered in Allen's eyes. He looked up at Paul.

Paul merely glanced at the sword at his waist.

"To be honest, as someone who relies on intuition, I do lack the ability to ignite Rudy's passion for Sword Dao. If someone else were to teach him, it might have a miraculous effect."

Allen hadn't yet processed why Paul had suddenly stopped caring about his intentions when he heard Paul continue.

"I'm willing to hire you for a seven-day trial. If you can prove your talent during this period, I will officially hire you as our Rudy's Swordsmanship teacher. As for the salary, it'll be two silver coins a month; you won't be short-changed."

As he spoke, Paul leaned closer to Allen's face, looking as if he wanted to see through him, meeting his gaze.

"However, not just any self-proclaimed swordsman is qualified to become our family's Sword Dao teacher. You seem a bit too young... Come on, prove your abilities. If you can pass my test, I'm willing to give you a seven-day trial period. How about it?"

Allen raised an eyebrow.

The plot development feels a bit rushed and illogical.

"No, this is perfectly logical."

***

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two figures, one large and one small, in the yard.

Zenith and Lilia stood nervously on the steps at the doorway, while Rudeus peeked out from behind Zenith.

Zenith clasped her hands together, watching the situation unfold, then tilted her head slightly and whispered to Rudy, "What's going on? Why is your father suddenly sparring with a child? Is he a swordsman? Rudy, do you know what happened?"

Rudeus shook his head. He deliberately avoided looking at Allen, instead focusing on Paul.

"I don't know, Mother. When I ran in just now, they hadn't even started talking."

What's going on? Did that pervert provoke Paul? How dare he threaten me! Go, Lord Paul! It's time to show your paternal authority!

Paul drew a double-edged straight sword from his waist. The hilt was somewhat exaggerated, trapezoidal with hollowed-out inverted triangles on the sides, giving it a rather religious feel. Above the trapezoid, the blade extended, with a black groove running the length of it.

He raised his sword above his head, assuming a standard overhead stance.

Allen watched Paul, his right hand drawing his blade from its sheath. His blade was straight, but unlike Paul's, it was much more slender. Forged patterns extended to the tip, then curved gracefully.

The single-edged blade cut through the air and rested at Allen's hip, its tip slightly angled.

It was a middle stance, leaning towards defense.

He looked at the sword in his hand, feeling a surge of excitement.

Paul, Three-Style Upper-tier. At his peak, his overall strength was Quasi-Saint Level. He's been retired for many years now, and his skills have declined. He's probably just a normal Upper-tier swordsman now, but even so, he's stronger than what the System rated my abilities.

He licked his lips, looking at Paul, who was equally enthusiastic.

"So, shall we begin now?"

Paul, three meters away, narrowed his eyes and smiled.

"The moment you drew your sword, it already began..."

A flash of sword light, like a fiery sunset, instantly appeared beside Allen's face! The blade hummed!

Paul's words trailed off.

"...now."

The blade was already right next to Allen's ear.