Even as Allen observed Roxy, part of his attention remained focused on the Ryūsei Tōki (Dragon Saint Aura) core inside his abdomen. In his mind's eye, thin trails of smoke drifted off the surface of the wrinkled sphere, revealing a small embedded magic sigil on one side.
It was shaped like a miniature tree, faintly glowing with a soft blue light.
His instincts flared—if he willed it now, the sigil would activate, and Intermediate Healing Magic would immediately take effect.
So this is the healing magic sigil… Only effective on himself, not castable on others. Which meant—activating it would place a self-applied healing buff. A pseudo-immortal body?
Did this effectively erase the biggest physical weakness of a Hokushin-ryū (North God Style) practitioner?
Wait, no—activating it consumes his own mana. With his current reserves, he wasn't sure how long he could sustain Intermediate Healing. In hindsight, Basic Healing Magic might've been more efficient. The bigger problem was his abysmally slow mana recovery rate. The cooldown on this ability was likely massive.
Could the Ryūsei Tōki's passive mana efficiency buff apply here? Aura was technically mana too, so probably yes. But that also meant the healing might consume his precious aura reserves. If so, the quality of his aura might suffer.
He'd need to test that later.
A pair of small hands waved in front of his face. Allen snapped out of it.
Now was not the time.
He turned to look at Roxy.
Last night, during his travels, Allen had spent so long thinking about how to approach Rudeus and Roxy that he ended up dreaming about them. Unfortunately, it had been the anime versions—two-dimensional and emotionally flat.
Now the real Roxy stood right in front of him.
The difference in realism was overwhelming.
His gaze settled on her face.
She came into view more clearly—this blue-haired, cool-faced loli.
Unlike the soft and cutesy face of a junior high anime girl, the real Roxy looked young, but her features were far too refined for a child. Her lips were a little thin but looked soft. Her delicate nose had a shadowed bridge and a slight upward tilt, matching the blue of her half-lidded eyes.
The fire danced in her eyes, like ripples across a still-blue lake.
Inside those ripples were equal parts worry and unease.
"Y-you're not saying anything. Are you hurt somewhere? Does something feel wrong?"
Allen blinked and shook his head, his mind racing.
Three-dimensional Roxy was even more beautiful than the anime.
A pleasure for the eyes. A blessing for the soul.
Uncomfortable?
Uncomfortable ✕
Too comfortable ✔
Roxy fidgeted under his gaze and subconsciously touched her own cheek.
"You don't look injured, but you keep staring… Is there something on my face?"
Still mentally comparing 2D and 3D Roxy, Allen replied casually:
"Nope. Your face is great. Hmm… too great. Way more realistic and delicate than in my dream last night. Everything about it's really nice."
As soon as he finished speaking—
The fire crackled.
The forest fell into deep, deathly silence.
Seconds passed. Roxy didn't reply. Allen blinked, and then…
Suddenly realized what he had just said.
He stared at Roxy's lake-blue eyes—once half-lidded, now widening in silent astonishment.
The two locked eyes.
The only sound was a crack from the firewood. A cool wind passed between them, stirring imaginary dust in the air.
Then—
[6.]
Bold. Underlined. Red.
[Maintain this state. Continue winning Rudeus's affection.]
[Rudeus: Countdown – 91:54:02]
Allen's soul left his body.
He realized far too late he had just flirted with a stranger without thinking. And right on cue, the system came in and dumped gasoline on the fire.
That counted as flirting?!
…Yeah, it did.
This world didn't have top-tier flirty veterans. The culture was medieval and adorably stupid.
Romantic dialogue between men and women was simpler than cheesy pickup lines—but shockingly effective.
So yeah. That absolutely counted as a bold compliment.
Roxy stared at him for a long time before finally blinking in a daze. She puffed one cheek slightly, then glanced to the side—toward the crimson-eyed boar head still glaring at Allen, frozen in eternal disapproval.
She took a deep breath, then forced her gaze back to Allen.
Meanwhile, he was pulling at a few strands of his hair and checking them anxiously.
Still brown.
From her perspective, this little moment of regret made him look just the right amount of childish.
'He didn't get the reaction he expected from me, so he's embarrassed? Up close, his face is still youthful. He's probably just tall—not older than me. T-Totally not because I'm short. But his swordsmanship... it was incredible.'
'Another prodigy? Lately I keep meeting geniuses. Rudeus, and now this kid. Both way too mature for their age… And such silver tongues. He even said he dreamed about me—how's that possible if we've never met?'
'Maybe he thinks I'm his age… and is trying to impress me?'
Roxy took off her mage hat and shifted into "teacher mode."
"…That's not really how you flatter someone. Don't let my height fool you—I'm old enough to be your mother. Flattering young girls won't work on me."
Allen stared at his still-brown hair, then moved his gaze to the trembling ahoge on top of her head.
"Flattery? Uh… alright then, Blue Mama!"
Roxy froze, mouth half-open, as Allen immediately clamped a hand over his mouth in regret. Her cheeks flushed red with both embarrassment and anger.
With a dark expression, she scowled.
"I haven't grown much because I'm from a demon race."
As she spoke, she held a lock of her hair to the firelight—revealing the subtle green shimmer at the tips. Then she leaned close, half-lidded eyes locking with his.
"See? Green hair—demon race. I'm a Spe… red, hated, infamous Spelled. So if you keep calling me 'Mama' just to mock me for being small, I'll get angry. I'll eat you."
Allen blinked, releasing his hand from his mouth. He looked at the blue-haired loli face inches from his own.
Her gaze was serious, her lashes trembling in the firelight.
"Then…"
"Eat me. Right now."
Roxy was stunned.
In that very moment, Allen wrapped Ryūsei Tōki around his finger and flicked it in the air before her forehead.
A gust of wind blew her bangs aside, exposing her clean, unmarked forehead.
In Roxy's dazed expression, Allen reached out and gently tapped her forehead—pointing to the absence of the red mana-sensing gem that defined the Spelled.
"Gods shouldn't lie."
"Demon race. Blue hair. Small size. You're from the Migurd tribe, not the Spelled."
(End of Chapter)
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