Sylphy Isn't Deliberately Waiting for Anyone

The conclusion was clear: Zenith was Allen's goddess.

Hearing the commotion outside, she burst from the kitchen, rushing to Allen's rescue.

"I can assure you on Allen's behalf, he will absolutely not intimidate Somal again. I am truly sorry," Paul said, bowing his head repeatedly to Mrs. Somal. Zenith, meanwhile, stood by with a cold expression, saying nothing. For this woman who constantly eyed her husband, the usually gentle and kind Zenith rarely showed a pleasant face.

Mrs. Somal's face was slightly flushed as she looked at the ground. Then, under Allen's dumbfounded gaze, she adopted an expression that seemed to say, 'Since you've apologized, I suppose I'll reluctantly accept,' and spoke softly to Paul.

'Auntie! How were you just a moment ago, and how are you now? Are you playing innocent with me here?!?'

After watching Mrs. Somal leave, glancing back every few steps, Paul finally straightened his face, put his hands on his hips, and turned to Allen.

"Allen, what happened?" he demanded, sounding as if he was about to lecture a child.

After all, in Paul's eyes, Allen was the son of his good friend and cousin. No matter how much fun they usually had fencing, upon realizing Allen might have made a mistake, he naturally adopted an adult demeanor.

Just as Allen was about to explain, Zenith snorted coldly, stomped her foot, and turned to walk back to the kitchen.

Paul looked in surprise at Zenith, who had been so happy last night, wondering what had happened.

Allen covered his face and immediately leaned in to whisper to Paul.

"Uncle, sir, you might be a bit slow. It seems Mrs. Somal is quite interested in you."

Paul was startled at first, then his eyes lit up, and he turned to Allen.

"Really?"

Allen: ... Rudy: ...

Rudy covered his face, looking at Paul's expression.

'The anger on your face just now vanished instantly, didn't it? Lord Paul, you're as easy to read as ever.'

Allen rubbed his forehead.

"Yesterday, I saw Somal bullying Rolls's child by the paddy field, throwing mud at her. So I just gave them a slight scolding, but I promise, I absolutely didn't... uh... lay a hand on them."

Paul paused, then his eyebrows shot up.

"That happened? Mrs. Somal always says her child is very well-behaved! She's always chatting with me about how good her child is... Wait, could it be..."

"...Yes, exactly. She was just finding excuses to talk to you, sir. Madam probably already knows Mrs. Somal's intentions, which is why she's upset."

Paul swallowed, then glanced nervously at Lilia, who was quietly standing nearby, and quickly ran towards the kitchen.

"Zenith! Let me explain! I really didn't know..."

Rudy, meanwhile, looked at Allen, who was gazing thoughtfully at Lilia, and leaned in to whisper to him.

"Mrs. Somal hasn't gone far yet, hurry and chase her! Just tell them you're going out to find Sylphy—ouch!"

Allen gave Rudy a flick on the forehead and said irritably, "Go to the kitchen and use your cuteness to rescue your father, or do you not want breakfast? I can smell something burning."

Rudy paused, then quickly scrambled towards the kitchen.

Allen turned to Lilia, who quickly looked up at Allen, then pushed up her glasses.

"I'll go help too."

Allen watched Lilia practically flee into the kitchen, resting his chin in his hand, deep in thought.

'Were the seeds of the affair already planted? In the original story, Lilia only got involved with Paul after Zenith became pregnant and Paul had nowhere to vent his energy. But now, at this point, the two already have... No, last night's situation wasn't like that. It's more like Paul occasionally harasses Lilia, but she doesn't resist.'

'When will this family drama finally unfold? If I were to warn her now, Aisha might not be born... or maybe not. After all, Paul was the one who actively snuck into her room. Warning him at this point would probably be pointless.'

Allen smiled.

'Life in this household is getting more and more exciting. Aisha, Norn, how long until you're born?'

Breakfast was delayed by an hour.

This was because Paul spent that entire time coaxing his wife in the kitchen.

Fortunately, a scoundrel's tongue is always effective, and it wasn't long before Zenith forgave him.

By the time they finally ate, Paul was in high spirits, even smiling as he told Allen and Rudy that if they wished, they could bring Sylphy home for a visit.

Perhaps considering that the two children had made new friends, he very generously announced that today's swordsmanship lesson was canceled, allowing them to go out and play.

However, when it was time to say goodbye, Paul kept clutching Zenith's hand. The latter, under Lilia's gaze from behind, secretly tried to pull away several times but couldn't.

Perhaps having no children at home was more conducive to marital harmony.

"By the way, I didn't get to say goodbye to Sylphy yesterday, and I didn't ask where she lives. How are we going to find her?" Allen asked, pulling his gaze away from Paul and Zenith and shrugging.

"That hillside from yesterday, I think Sylphy might go there."

"Really?"

"Just a guess. We've got nothing else to do anyway, so let's go take a look."

Allen ignored Rudy, as he was currently arguing with the System.

Instant Quest: The Temptation of the Big Truck, Failed. Rating: A pity, 2 points are still points.

A pity what?! What kind of nonsense is this? Do you even know what 'big truck' means before you just throw it around? I'm clearly taller than her, so even if she's older than me, she can't be called a big truck!

Oh, so you weren't tall enough. My apologies. Next time for sure.

Ugh.

***

Sure enough, by the time they reached the hillside, a small figure was standing under a tree. She wasn't playing, just looking around, and when she saw the two figures approaching from a distance, she actually bounced a few times on the spot. Then, as if her limbs weren't obeying her, she twisted for a while before regaining a normal running posture and sprinting towards them.

Allen couldn't help but smile at the sight, his steps becoming much lighter. He greeted her from afar.

"Morning! Were you waiting here specifically for us?"

Sylphy nearly stumbled, visibly flustered.

"No! No! I…"

"See! I told you Sylphy wouldn't specifically wait for us, Allen! You were so sure she would, but it was clearly just a coincidence."

Rudy retorted in an annoyed tone.

"Alright, alright, you're right."

Sylphy had already reached them. Hearing Allen's words, her expression changed, and she grabbed Rudy's head, trying to hide him behind her while he flailed his arms.

Both of them were small, so Sylphy couldn't hide Rudy behind her at all.

"No! Allen! It's not! I was…"

Allen looked at the nearly suffocating Rudy, smiled, and casually patted Sylphy's head.

"Sorry, it was my oversight yesterday that caused you two to be poisoned. Are you still feeling unwell?"

Sylphy's ears twitched. Her reddish-brown eyes reflected a magnificent glow in the sun, and she slowly lowered her hand from Rudy's forehead.

"No, I'm not."

"Ha!"

Rudy finally broke free, gasping for air as if he had just surfaced from water, glaring at Sylphy and Allen.

"Hey, hey, I'm the one who's unwell!"

Allen rubbed his chin, watching the two of them.

Speaking of which, Sylphy also has the Laplace Factor. It's earlier than in the novel's plot. If she starts mana increment training now, she'll have a better chance of landing safely when falling from the sky after the Great Transfer.

"Rudy, why don't you teach her Magic?"