Buena Village is located at the northernmost tip of the Fitoa region. As an important agricultural area, it was a tradition to repair the roads annually to facilitate transportation. This was a very flat dirt and sand road, wide enough for two carriages to travel side-by-side. On a fine day, one wouldn't feel much of a jolt in a carriage.
At this moment, the downpour had not ceased and had been going on for some time. The road was naturally muddy and treacherous. The carriage was also very bumpy.
How bumpy was it?
White strands of hair whipped back and forth in the carriage, the glowing tips brushing against Alan's cheeks. Sylphie had used earth magic to secure the candle to the tabletop, but the flame still flickered unsteadily. Sylphie was practically sitting on Alan's lap.
Eris, on the other hand, was already sitting on the cat-girl maid, leaning against her with her eyes closed and breathing evenly. The bumpy carriage was like a cradle, and the soft embrace carried the scent of her favorite furry beast-girl. She was sleeping soundly.
Alan, in an effort to resist looking at the cat-girl's tail swaying with the carriage's jolts, kept his head turned, staring at the top of Sylphie's head, thinking about what was to come. The latter, feeling Alan's 'intense' gaze, tucked her head into her chest like a quail, but her eyes remained fixed on her knees, which kept bumping against Alan's with the carriage's movement.
Perhaps it was her usual bedtime; she only felt that as time passed since getting into the carriage, her mind grew increasingly fuzzy, as if she were floating on a cloud. She could have easily cast a puff of air magic to wrap around herself, 'pressing' her body to the carriage seat to stop her knees from swaying, but she couldn't seem to command the magic within her. So, she just let her knee keep touching Alan's... separating, then touching again.
'921.'
That was the number of times they'd touched.
"Sylphie, are you not feeling well? Why have you been keeping your head down since this afternoon?"
'92?'
!!!
Sylphie straightened up with a start, immediately tensing her legs and holding them properly together in front of her. The number in her mind was stuck at 922. She sat steadily now, her magic instantly returning! "No! I'm not, Alan!"
Alan had already noticed that Sylphie had been unusually quiet since her cry that afternoon. He looked down at her, looking like a little quail with her soft white hair, and blinked.
"That's good. Do you want to sleep for a while?"
Sylphie looked a bit dazed. "Sleep for a while?"
"Yes, it will be several hours before we reach Roa. You can sleep for a bit like Eris."
Sylphie's gaze lifted to the other side. 'Eris is asleep... in the cat-eared big sister's arms... If I were to sleep like her, where would I sleep...'
Alan's chest flashed in her peripheral vision. Her reddish-brown pupils began to quake! "I! I! I'm not sleepy!" Her soft voice trembled!
Across from them, Eris was awakened by the voice. She sleepily rubbed her eyes, shifted her position, and fell back asleep. The carriage was silent for a moment before Alan replied.
"Oh, then don't sleep. It's good to stay awake."
Only after hearing Alan's still calm voice did Sylphie relax from her stiff posture. "Okay..." Her knees started to sway again.
But Alan couldn't focus on such things. A gust of wind blew the carriage curtain open, and shattered raindrops floated before his eyes.
'System, show me the unfinished task progress.'
A cloud of smoke appeared.
[Assessment (1/2), Countdown: 16:49:23. Task Reward: Participation Score: 5 points.]
[Obtain the reverence a younger sister should have for her older brother.]
[Task Reward: Divine Strike Magic Slot - Unlocked.]
[Eris: Countdown: 40:41:07. If completed, the Divine Strike Magic Slot can be unlocked.]
Alan's eyes scanned the task timer. 'The assessment task has only 16 hours left... The system's task time can't be arbitrary, and based on previous verifications...'
'Philip's first assessment for me is 'ability'. This has been verified by the system, and Philip also explicitly stated this during our conversation in the rain. He is very satisfied with my potential in this area and hopes to personally teach me, to cultivate me into a qualified 'politician', and to go to the capital together in the future, to re-enter the whirlpool of power struggles.'
'But it's important to note that before he came, he actually had no confidence in me, this 'brat' who was famous for his martial prowess in the Water God Style dojo since childhood. That's why he only set up a few simple variables, pushed me into them, and observed my reactions to judge my 'ability'. As for him being satisfied, that was purely an unexpected surprise.'
'So, based on this information, the main focus of the pre-set assessment shouldn't be 'ability'.'
Philip's words resurfaced in his mind. 「Alan... I know how excellent your swordsmanship talent is. You don't need to be modest. You can definitely be of great help with just your martial strength alone.」
Alan narrowed his eyes and made his judgment. 'It's martial strength, or rather, swordsmanship skill.'
Thinking this, Alan reached out and lifted the carriage curtain, poking his head out to look at the two carriages following behind. 'The fourth carriage is not right. A single beast-girl and an empty carriage, although they say it's for our luggage, it's completely unnecessary. Luggage doesn't have to be placed on the carriage seats. If she were moved to Eris's carriage, the fourth carriage would be completely empty.'
With this thought, Alan turned his head, looked at the cat-girl opposite him, and smiled gently. His voice was also very gentle.
"Hello, miss. I have a question for you."
The cat-eared beast-girl's ears twitched. She seemed surprised that Alan would suddenly speak up. Beside her, Sylphie jumped and immediately sat up straight again. Eris, who had been sleeping lightly, had already shown signs of waking. Hearing Alan's not-so-quiet voice, she rubbed her eyes and mumbled, "So noisy."
Along with the young lady's voice, Alan's question rang out.
"Where is Ghislaine?"
The cat-eared beast-girl's smile froze.
Hearing Ghislaine's name, Eris's eyes snapped open. "Hah? Is Ghislaine here??" She sat up abruptly, looking left and right in the cat-girl maid's arms, but there was no sign of Ghislaine anywhere. "What are you guys doing..."
As she spoke, the wind flapped the curtains.
Alan had already gotten the answer he wanted from the cat-eared beast-girl's expression. He turned his head to look at the rainy night outside the window. At the same time, from the carriage next to his, Philip's gaze was cast over.
A familiar feeling of being watched.
The perception of the Water God Style.
Even through the heavy curtain of rain, he could feel Philip's 'gaze'. He still had that squinting, unruffled expression. As the curtains fluttered, dark shadows rushed towards them from the distance.
It was... the forest in the rain.
It was too late.
(Author's Note)
This plot point has been brewing for a long time, involving multiple threads. It's been killing me to write. I'm dying.
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