"Delicious!"
Fresh, red boar meat with beautiful marbling was sliced into neat, palm-sized squares. Folded and skewered on water-soaked branches, the meat danced in the flames.
Sizzle, sizzle.
The Maillard reaction turned the meat a mouth-watering reddish-brown, while bubbling fat seeped out and popped crisply.
Small beads of water still clung to the tips of Allen's hair as he focused intently on grilling.
The praise came from Roxy.
She watched Allen sprinkle a strange powder onto the meat, her cheek resting on one hand. Her mouth was stuffed full like a squirrel, and her face radiated pure satisfaction.
"I've never tasted this seasoning before."
"It's ground Batils flower seeds. Mildly toxic—causes a slight stinging pain on the tongue—but the seeds themselves are sweet. A natural sweet-and-spicy condiment. They say Migurdians love sweets; seems the rumors are true."
Roxy nodded enthusiastically.
Allen finished grilling the last batch and placed it on fresh, washed leaves in front of Roxy. He stood up and stretched.
His swordsman tunic was still tattered, but he had taken it off earlier for Roxy to wash and dry with magic. It was wrinkled now, but infinitely better than being caked in blood and filth.
Luckily the inner shirt didn't get bloody. When we swapped for laundry duty... I still had something to wear.
Roxy had kept a strict face and turned her back to him for the entire process. Even the hair-washing part was only done after he was fully dressed.
So shy.
She's a completely different person from the anime version who peeked at Paul and Zenith's night activities and sweated buckets.
[Mushoku Tensei Major Event Participation Score Increased.]
[Current Phase: Infancy. Cumulative Participation Score: 25 Points.]
[Pending Immediate Mission: Obtain Rudeus's Goodwill.]
[Rudeus: Countdown: 87:02:37]
Allen looked at the floating text. Suddenly, a beam of bright light cut through the gaps in the words, illuminating Roxy's face. Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she looked up at him.
Dawn had broken.
Morning light leaped over the horizon, casting a hazy glow through the trees that enveloped them both.
Roxy's smile blossomed in the light.
Because they had been deep in the forest, Allen hadn't realized he was less than two kilometers north of the main road.
When Roxy led him out of the woods, he felt a bit disoriented.
Under the sunlight, the road was lined with occasional stretches of rotting fences. Beyond lay endless uncultivated grasslands, dotted with sparse trees.
Allen instinctively pulled out his map to check his position.
"We are currently at..."
A pale, small hand reached over his shoulder, pointing to the southwest of the Fittoa Region. On the map, it was less than a fingernail's distance from the red circle marked Buena Village.
Allen turned his head, only to be poked in the cheek by a stray ahoge standing at attention.
Roxy looked up at him.
Last night the lighting had been poor, masking their height difference. Now, under the bright sun, the fact that Allen was 15 centimeters taller than her was undeniable.
She was a Yordle-God who didn't require him to look up.
God spoke.
"With your physical fitness... if you hurry, you should... arrive at the village by tonight. S-sorry for delaying your journey."
Allen rotated his sore wrist helplessly.
Roxy was draped with large and small leaf-wrapped packages of roast meat... She was even clutching the jar of Batils flower powder Allen had given her.
The thigh, tenderloin, and ribs of the Terminator Boar—basically all the good parts—were hanging off her.
All grilled to perfection, costing Allen a full hour of labor.
"By the way, can you really eat all that? It won't taste good cold. You could have just killed fresh game later."
Roxy shook her head, looking down at the scabbard on Allen's hip. She mumbled.
"My knife skills aren't good enough... I can't slice it into thin sheets like you do... And if it gets cold, I can reheat it with fire magic... Thank you for grilling it, and for the seasoning."
"Fair point..."
A strange silence fell between them.
After a moment, Allen looked up at the sky.
"Well then. I should get going... the village..."
But Roxy suddenly looked up and interrupted him.
"Maybe you could come with me? You're going to the countryside to hide anyway. Leaving the Asura Kingdom entirely would hide your tracks even better, wouldn't it? With your skill, you could easily be an independent adventurer. In a year, once you've made a name for yourself, you could return to Asura in glory."
Allen froze, looking at Roxy.
Her face was slightly flushed, but it was clear she was offering a serious suggestion.
Logically, her judgment was sound. In this world, plenty of oddballs left home at ten to adventure alone.
The closest example was the badass standing right in front of him—left home at fourteen, became an adventurer, never went back, parents didn't even know if she was alive.
A slightly more distant example was Paul "The Stallion" Greyrat. Completed his adult baptism at ten, quickly unlocked the "Multi-player Action" achievement at noble school, got sued by a cuckolded husband, fought with his dad, left without saying goodbye, and then...
Wait. This plot progression... Is this how Roxy is interpreting me? We're both Asura nobles, same surname...
Hiss... surely not to that extent? I'm a decent person...
"And by then, that girl will have given up on you. When you return from your travels, she'll probably have a new lover, and her family will let you off the hook."
"???"
"Decent Person" Allen stared, dumbfounded, at Roxy who was speaking with confident authority.
He retorted instinctively.
"No, you just want to kidnap a free chef, right? A free child laborer chef at that."
"! No!"
Roxy puffed out her cheeks.
"You look young, but you must be in your teens, right? How can you call yourself child labor?"
Allen blinked.
"I'm nine."
Roxy froze. Her eyes widened.
"Ni—"
Allen watched Roxy short-circuit and furrowed his brows in thought.
This butterfly effect is coming a bit too fast... I've barely met the first major character, spent one night, and I'm already getting a tempting job offer from God herself. Leaving aside how this affects the future plot, my Participation Score is in danger if I leave.
Just as he was preparing a polite refusal, Roxy spoke first.
"Nine... that's too young. I think... after lying low, you should go to the Water God Style dojo in the capital to train for two years. Then go adventuring. That would be better... Uh... you're a noble. At that age, you'll probably have to start inheriting family duties... in that case..."
Roxy lowered her gaze.
"Maybe... after this one meeting, we'll never see each other again. Like Rudeus... and like you..."
"We will."
Roxy looked up.
In the sunlight, Allen smiled brilliantly.
"We will meet again. Not just me. Rudeus too."
Roxy nodded blankly.
"Mm... It's getting late. I should go. Or I won't make it to the village before dark."
"...Okay."
Allen turned around. He took only a few steps before suddenly turning back to look at Roxy.
"...Life is full of meetings and partings. As long as we walk the right path, we will meet again."
He turned his back to her and waved his hand as if it didn't matter.
Then he broke into a sprint, disappearing down the road.
Maybe it was an illusion, but Roxy felt his retreating figure looked a bit like he was fleeing in panic.
She watched Allen's back shrink into the distance, then turned around, facing the opposite direction.
"...Life is full of meetings and partings... huh."
Roxy smiled, and began walking toward the horizon.