Roxy looked surprised.
"...Boreas Greyrat? You...?"
Allen smiled.
"A noble. Surprised?"
Roxy shook her head quickly, as if piecing something together.
"Are you... heading to Buena Village?"
Allen countered calmly.
"...How did you know?"
Roxy scrutinized Allen's face. Unfortunately, there was no resemblance between Rudeus and Allen.
Rudeus had soft, delicate features, with hair that hung gently over his forehead and cheeks. This boy, however, had sharp, aggressive brows and eyes. His dirty hair was swept back messily, with only a few strands falling loose at the sides.
Allen realized what Roxy was looking for and found it amusing.
He and Rudeus weren't even from the same family line. Forget looks—even their inherited XP (sexual preferences) was different.
The Notos line, represented by Paul, liked big breasts. Although Allen hadn't confirmed this personally, the novel had made it abundantly clear. The Boreas line, represented by Eris, liked beast-kin... er...
Allen himself could attest to that.
Of course, Rudeus, being a reincarnated soul with "impure ingredients," didn't fully inherit the family XP. The proof was the Blue Mama standing right in front of him.
Wait. Something's wrong.
Allen's "ingredients" aren't pure either, right?
Why is he still a furry fan?
This...
While Allen was undergoing a crisis of self-reflection, Roxy continued.
"To be honest, for the past two years, I was employed by Sir Paul Greyrat, the knight of Buena Village, as a tutor for his son, Rudeus Greyrat..."
She paused.
"Are you going there to seek refuge with them?"
Allen snapped back to reality and feigned surprise.
"What a coincidence! To be honest, I caused some trouble in the Royal Capital of Asura... so I came specifically to hide out with Uncle Paul for a while. It's remote here... so, Roxy, if you're heading to the capital and anyone asks, please don't reveal my location."
Allen clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture.
Roxy actually breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Allen's bedraggled state after crossing the mountains, she had worried he wasn't seeking refuge, but revenge.
Caused trouble at home? A Boreas... and in the capital. He must be the child of the Boreas heir apparent. Philip Boreas Greyrat, the mayor of Roa in the Fittoa Region, only has one child, a daughter who is apparently quite a headache...
What kind of trouble leads to this state? Allen seems steady, not the type to cause random chaos... Wait. His skill in teasing girls is very practiced... Did he cause 'that' kind of trouble? A scandal involving women? Did he get chased out of the capital by the other party's family?
Hmm... Greyrat men are all lechers... and glib tongues run in the family.
Improper relationships are common among Asura nobles... The moral standards there are quite loose. I've heard aphrodisiacs are sold openly on the streets... completely different from Millis.
If a scandal became a laughingstock, nobles usually use this kind of "exile" as a cold treatment to save face. Wait a year or so for the heat to die down, then bring him back. That explains why he has no guards...
Allen didn't know exactly what Roxy was thinking. But watching her face change colors several times, then stare at him with a look reserved for scum, and finally clap her hands with a "Mystery Solved" expression... he could guess she was pretty close.
I have to say, having a smart woman like Roxy who fills in the blanks for you is a good thing right now.
A woman whose brain moves on its own is a good woman.
It saves me the trouble of explaining.
As for being scum... whatever.
If you're handsome and they call you scum, it doesn't matter. Because everyone here is scum.
At that moment, Roxy generously granted Allen's request.
"I'm just going to the capital to catch a carriage to tour the area near the King Dragon Realm... Asura Capital seems to be the only place with long-distance carriages around here. I won't be staying long, so I probably won't hear any rumors about you. Don't worry!"
Don't worry? You've already written the whole fanfiction in your head, Blue Mama.
"Thank you. By the way, I trekked through the forest to avoid attention... but what about you? Why aren't you taking a carriage?"
Roxy froze, blinking at Allen.
Allen raised an eyebrow.
"Don't tell me... you're broke? Did Uncle Paul hire ch—er, illegal labor?"
Roxy did her trademark cheek-scratch.
"Mr. Paul paid me, but... my funds are still a bit short... Long-distance travel is very expensive..."
Allen's mouth twitched.
Even a God can be poor. It's real. The Taiwanese translation calls you 'Roxy' (Lok-si), but the 'Lok' sounds like 'Broke'. Being poor makes sense.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out three or four Asura Kingdom coins. One of them was actually a gold coin.
He held them out to Roxy.
"I have some money. Consider it repayment for your help earlier, and a hush fee. You know nobles don't lack money. Take it and get a carriage."
Roxy didn't take it.
"I don't need money for helping... and a hush fee is too much... I can't accept this, right?"
"Why not?"
"It's just... no."
"It must be yes."
"Yes."
"Wait, you can't say no?"
Suddenly saying "yes," Roxy blushed furiously and snatched the money from Allen's hand before he could retract it, her eyes darting to the forest.
"Consider it a loan! To tell you the truth, traveling the world costs too much money. Asura is okay, but on the Millis Continent, someone with my appearance basically has no chance to earn money... Tuition at the Magic University drained my savings... so I really am short on cash. Since you're Mr. Paul's relative, you can ask them about my character!"
"So..."
Roxy peeked at Allen carefully.
"You can give me an address, and I promise to mail it back to you..."
Allen stared blankly at Roxy's flustered expression.
God really has been traumatized by poverty. Being discriminated against on the Millis Continent meant no savings... Accepting a job for two silver coins a month speaks volumes.
Part of it is also that Asura relies on commerce and agriculture. To protect citizens, they regularly purge monsters, meaning there are no "real" adventurer jobs. So she had to take a tutoring gig to survive.
And partly... the prejudice against her hair color never stops, even here in Asura, far from the Demon Continent.
Allen's eyes shimmered as he watched Roxy struggle with the moral dilemma of keeping the gold coin.
"No need to pay it back. Actually, I have another request for you. With this, we're even."
Roxy paused.
The night wind blew, rustling the leaves.
Under the firelight, a lone boy and a lone girl stared at each other.
"As the price for lending money... you wouldn't want..."
Allen leaned in closer to Roxy.
She leaned back, eyes wide and round.
The next moment, Allen pointed a finger at his blood-soaked clothes.
"You smell the stench on me, right? Please use Water Magic to wash my swordsman tunic. And my hair. If you can dry it, even better. After all, meeting Uncle Paul for the first time covered in stinking blood would be rude... Also, we need to wash the Terminator Boar meat. I hear the meat quality is quite good..."
Grrrroooowl.
A sound interrupted Allen.
He looked at the legal loli clutching her stomach in embarrassment and smiled.
"It seems."
"You agree."