After Paul slapped his forehead and assured Mrs. Somal that Allen had not bullied Somal, she finally left with a satisfied blush under Zenith's intense gaze.
Yeah.
As expected of Buena Village's sole champion of pure love, in every sense of the word.
Afterward, egged on by Allen and with Lokkishi not being good at refusing people, the group soon formed a circle in the yard and began testing Sylphy's control over magic and her mana capacity. Zenith and Lilia also came over to watch.
"All right, Sylphy, cast a Water Ball Spell. Ah, be careful not to hit the trees Mrs. Zenith has so carefully raised."
"Okay! Water Ball Spell!"
"Hey! Sylphy, you poured the Water Ball Spell over my head! Where are you even looking?!"
". . . S-sorry, Rudy!"
Sylphy apologized in a flustered, absentminded manner, but her gaze kept drifting back to Lokkishi.
Lokkishi looked at the two of them helplessly and scratched her cheek.
By then, Lilia had already gone inside to fetch a dry towel and was wiping Rudy's hair.
Zenith, meanwhile, wore a helpless yet doting smile as she stood quietly to the side, watching the children fool around.
The scene was like a painting, etched into Allen's eyes. He grinned happily.
In ten years or so, when Rudy settles down in Sharia of the Ranoa Kingdom, perhaps there'll be a similar scene there too. I feel like I've vaguely caught a glimpse of the future.
He blinked, took two steps back, and looked at the five of them again.
Rudy. Lokkishi. Sylphy. Lilia. Zenith.
The summer sunlight was dazzling, illuminating all five of their faces with perfect clarity.
But the smile on Allen's face slowly faded.
The characters I've seen at this point in the story. Everyone who should be in Rudy's home in Sharia in the future is here.
Someone who shouldn't be absent in the future. As the thought echoed in his mind, Allen turned to look behind him.
Not far away, Paul leaned against a tree trunk. The shade spread like an umbrella, concealing his figure in the shadows beneath the tree.
He was not basking in the same sunlight as Zenith and the others.
The leaves cast dappled shadows. Allen could sense that Paul's gaze had remained fixed on those in the sunlight, yet he could never make out his expression clearly.
Squinting, he turned and stepped into the shade beside Paul, then looked toward his face.
Paul leaned quietly against the tree with his arms folded and a smile on his lips. He silently watched his wife and child beneath the sunlight, seemingly at ease. He did not turn to look at Allen as he approached, merely keeping his eyes on the distance as he said with a smile,
"Oh? What brought you over here?"
Allen looked at Paul's profile and remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.
"Uncle, honestly, I don't really understand what family means, so I've always wondered: if I died, what would my family think?"
Paul froze and turned to look at Allen. After hesitating for a long time, he finally sighed.
"Well, I really want to tell you something nice, but sorry, Allen."
Paul glanced at Zenith and Rudy in the distance, then looked apologetically at Allen.
"Honestly, I can't empathize with you. But I think—"
Allen immediately cut him off.
"But suppose, just suppose, you put yourself in that situation. One day in the future, Uncle, you die in some accident. As you're dying, would you have any regrets regarding your family? Would there be anything you wanted to say?"
Seeing Paul's surprised expression, Allen finished what he had been about to say.
". . . Or would you say nothing in the end, merely look at your family, then quietly welcome death?"
Just like in the original story.
Paul had been somewhat irritated, but when he saw Allen's serious expression and realized that he currently had no family to rely on, he inwardly sighed and chose not to take offense at Allen's rash words.
After a moment of silence, he thought for a long time before speaking.
"If it had been during my adventurer days a few years ago . . . I probably wouldn't have said a word and would have calmly accepted death. To be honest, I've always regretted not being able to speak face-to-face with my late father and resolve the knot in my heart, so death doesn't mean the end to me. Besides, adventurers face all kinds of danger every day. Everyone is mentally prepared to die in an accident."
Allen blinked and was about to speak when he saw Paul raise his head toward Zenith and Rudy, a gentle smile appearing on his face.
"But now, I can't be so open-minded. If something really happened to me in the future and I died, then if possible, before I died . . ."
"I'd want to see Zenith and Rudy one more time."
Allen looked up at the mole by the corner of his eye.
"See them one more time?"
Paul's smile gradually faded.
"Yes, to see whether they're all right. If they're safe, I might feel a little more at ease. Heh, aside from that, there's also my own selfish wish. I might wonder . . ."
"Would everyone cry for an incompetent head of the household like me?"
Allen stopped looking at Paul and lowered his head toward the sword sheath at his side, while Paul's voice continued.
". . . If Zenith, Rudy, and even Lilia would all cry for me."
"That would be wonderful."
After he said that, the two fell silent for a moment.
"But if I could only look once, I'd still be unwilling to accept it."
Allen did not raise his head, his eyelids lowered.
Paul gave a self-deprecating smile.
"Anyone can say pretty things. If that day really came, I might indeed try my best to accept reality and put on a calm face as I welcomed death. But deep down, I'd definitely be screaming things like, I don't want to die, because . . ."
". . . There are still far too many things I want to do."
". . . I couldn't bear to leave Zenith. Maybe in a few years, we'll even have more children. And I couldn't bear to leave Rudy either. I want to watch Rudy and the children grow up. Are they going to school properly? Will they be bullied? If things go well, when I'm old, having my grandchildren gather around me and call me Grandpa . . . that would be nice too."
"Sure enough, I still don't want to die. Just thinking about it, there are too many things worth clinging to."
Allen unconsciously began rubbing the sword at his waist.
"Then what if you and Rudy were in an extremely dangerous situation, and only one of you could survive? Or rather, what if things were so critical that you would die to save him? What would you think then, Uncle?"
Paul froze. Rudy's distant figure reflected in his pupils.
Unlike before, he did not pause from time to time to choose his words. He merely blinked once, then immediately turned to Allen.
"Even though there are still so many things I want to do, if I absolutely had to choose one of us, then so be it."
He smiled.
"I should die instead."
Regarding the plot: readers of the novel might feel something from this, but anime-only viewers may find it incomprehensible. Uh . . . if you're still following the anime, you might get it in about a week.
Before you continue