The Day of Reunion, The Time of Night Talk

As it turned out, sitting down for a chat meant going all the way to Allen's own bedroom.

First of all, the main gate downstairs was locked at night, so Allen naturally climbed in through the window and then tiptoed to unlock the door. Lokkishi, not wanting to disturb everyone's sleep in the middle of the night, paced back and forth once inside, unsure of where to go.

This back-and-forth naturally led to the awkward suggestion, "Why don't you come up to my room for a drink of water?"

A candle flickered on the table between them, its light illuminating their silent faces as they sat opposite each other.

Just moments ago, with the Darkness Effect and the beautiful moonlight, they had rapidly closed the distance between them with just a few words. But now, under the bright candlelight, they could clearly see each other's faces, and the awkwardness of having only met once and not seen each other for two months was glaringly obvious.

Actually, up to this point, things were okay. What pushed the atmosphere to the edge of a cliff was...

Lokkishi's mini-figure was still on Allen's desk, and it was the kind that could be disassembled.

Allen watched Lokkishi, who was frowning as she stared at the figure, and fell into a daze.

Even though I've seen it many times, the host's interlocking techniques are still amazing. First, you pulled her into your bedroom, then you deliberately let her see the figure on the table, implying the metaphor of seeing an object and thinking of the person.

The words floated into view, and Allen clutched his face in profound distress.

'Don't mess with me. I completely forgot about the figure. As for the "pulling," I can explain. It's actually a very simple reason: under the Darkness Effect, it's easy for people to—'

The Darkness Effect, you say? So, should I blow out the candle and then excuse myself?

'No, that won't be necessary. Thank you.'

I need to remind the host that even if Lokkishi's favorability continues to rise, it will only be a few points at most. Uh... Could it be that this was also within the host's expectations? I spoke out of turn. Then, I wish you a wonderful night.

'Hmm, good. If you can't speak properly, I suggest you quickly get lost.'

Goodnight~)

The instant the smoke dissipated, Blue Mom's characteristic cool voice reached Allen's ears.

"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

Allen looked up in surprise at Lokkishi, who had already taken off her magic robe. She looked a little flustered but tried her best to appear composed, sitting primly in the chair.

And at some point, her gaze had shifted from her own figure to Allen.

The candlelight flickered in her eyes, which were like deep blue lakes, creating faint, beautiful green ripples.

Allen looked into Lokkishi's eyes and mumbled, "I wasn't feeling well just now, but I am now."

At this moment, it was just like that moment.

Seeing Allen's sudden dazed expression, Lokkishi blinked.

"Are you... saying something to flirt with a girl again? I don't quite understand."

Allen was overjoyed.

"That's great!"

...

Lokkishi glanced at him, a little puzzled by his words, but didn't press the issue. She then turned her head to look around the bedroom.

"It's really nostalgic... This is the room I lived in for two years."

"Yeah, there are no beds in the other rooms at home. This is the only guest room. If we were to tidy it up, we'd have to wait until tomorrow when the master and mistress wake up. So tonight, you'll just have to make do and sleep here... Uh..."

Allen froze before he could finish speaking.

'Damn, what kind of line is that?!'

Upon hearing this, Lokkishi's gaze returned to the figure on the desk, but she didn't misunderstand anything, merely saying calmly, "...Right, it's too late. I'll just have to make do by sleeping on the table tonight. By the way... this doll was made by Rudy, wasn't it?"

Allen looked at the overly realistic miniature Lokkishi on the table, his eye twitching.

"Uh... why don't you ask him yourself tomorrow?"

Lokkishi turned her head, looking at Allen with a puzzled expression.

"Oh? Could it have been made by you?"

As she spoke, Lokkishi reached out and touched the figure, shaking her head helplessly. Then, she yawned, covering her mouth, and leaned forward to rest on the table.

Her gaze returned to the dazed Allen.

"The familiar Earth Magic... it must have been him. He's a child who acts like an adult, oh, I almost forgot you're very young too... By the way, Allen, what exactly did you do in the Royal Capital to cause trouble for your family? Uh... if it's inconvenient to say, that's fine."

Allen scratched his head.

"Actually, there's nothing I can't say. It's just about the power struggles between nobles. You might not know this, but the Boreas Family's tradition is that the successors to the next head of the family engage in a battle for the position when they are young. The winner is chosen as the next successor, while the other losers are required to hand over their male offspring at birth to the winner, to be raised as the winner's 'biological child,' thereby avoiding potential family infighting due to power struggles in the future."

At this, Allen raised a finger and pointed to his face.

"And I am one such adopted child. Although I was raised in the Royal Capital by James, I am actually Philip's eldest son, the mayor of Roa City."

Lokkishi rested her head on her arm, her eyes half-closed but widened slightly.

"Mayor Philip? Then... how do you know you're Mayor Philip's child?"

Allen lied without missing a beat, choosing what seemed like the most reasonable explanation at the moment to hide the fact that he had read the novel and wanted to participate in the Jobless major event.

"My so-called mother's obvious favoritism towards the children made me suspicious. Then, based on her pregnancy, I deduced that the other child, conceived at the same time as me and clearly favored by her, was her legitimate son. The rest was simple; inquiring about the Boreas Family's traditions to outsiders naturally revealed the truth."

"Assassination? Did they discover what you were looking into?"

"...I'm not sure, but I've always lacked due respect for James, so perhaps he grew suspicious. He cares a lot about power, and Philip, with his ambition, is a huge threat. I had every motive to arrange an assassination… there's no one else but him. I haven't provoked anyone else."

"...I see."

"As for seeking refuge with my uncle, it's because I couldn't directly acknowledge Philip. James would definitely notice. Luckily, my uncle took me in."

Allen paused, looking at Lokkishi, who had fallen asleep with her head on the table.

He smiled at Lokkishi's sleeping face. Using the subtle control over power granted by the Flow Arcana, he moved her to the bed with hardly any disturbance, then turned and blew out the candle.

He then took a map and a pen from a drawer.

Moonlight fell on the old map, and Allen slowly drew a new circle — Rigette City in the Donardi Territory, the forest to the northeast.

Allen's murmur rose.

"...In the forest southeast of Rigette City, a bandit stronghold that traffics people has been consistently searching for my whereabouts. Lokkishi's return to Buena Village was the direct inciting point for the Butterfly Effect. Will there be more Butterfly Effects stemming from this location later?"

"How annoying."

On the bed, the tired Lokkishi, having suddenly laid down on the soft bedding, soon began to breathe evenly, almost imperceptibly.