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After Paul patted his head and assured Mrs. Somar that Allen hadn't bullied her son, the woman finally left, her face flushed under Zenith's intense gaze.
Hmm...
As expected of the only "Pure Love Warrior" in Buena Village, in every sense of the word.
Soon, at Allen's instigation, and since Roxy wasn't good at refusing, the group gathered in the yard to test Sylphie's magic control and mana level. This attracted the attention of Zenith and Lilia, who came to watch.
"Alright, Sylphie, cast a Water Ball spell. Ah... be careful not to hit the trees Mrs. Zenith has been carefully nurturing."
"Okay! Water Ball!"
"Hey! Sylphie, you poured the Water Ball on my head! Where are you looking?!"
"S-sorry, Rudeus!"
Sylphie apologized in a flustered manner, her eyes still darting toward Roxy.
Roxy, standing nearby, scratched her cheek with a somewhat helpless expression.
Meanwhile, Lilia had already gone inside to fetch a dry towel and was now drying Rudeus's hair. Zenith, on the other hand, stood quietly nearby, watching the children's antics with a tender, indulgent smile.
This scene, like a painting, was etched into Allen's eyes as he chuckled happily.
'In about ten years, when Rudeus settles in Sharia in the Kingdom of Ranoa, perhaps a similar scene will unfold... I feel like I'm catching a glimpse of the future...'
He blinked, took a couple of steps back, and looked at the five of them again.
'Rudeus... Roxy... Sylphie... Lilia... Zenith...'
The summer sunlight was dazzling, illuminating their faces clearly...
But Allen's smile gradually faded.
'Among the characters I've met so far in the story's progression... everyone who should be in Rudeus's future home in Sharia is here...'
'And those who shouldn't be there in the future...' Allen muttered inwardly, turning his head to look behind him.
Not far away, Paul leaned against a tree trunk, his figure hidden in the shade of the tree.
He wasn't bathed in the same sunlight as Zenith and the others.
The dappled shadows of the leaves obscured his expression, but Allen could feel Paul's gaze fixed on the group in the sunlight, though his face remained unreadable.
Squinting, Allen walked over to Paul's side, stepping into the shade, and turned to look at his face.
Paul stood quietly against the tree, his arms crossed, a faint smile on his lips as he watched his wife and son from afar. He seemed at ease, not turning to look at Allen as he approached, but simply continued to gaze into the distance, saying with a light chuckle,
"Oh? What brings you over here?"
Allen stared at Paul's profile for a long time before finally speaking.
"Uncle, to be honest, I don't have a concept of family, so I've always wondered... if I were to die, how would my family feel? What would they think?"
Paul was taken aback, turning to look at Allen. After hesitating for a while, he sighed.
"Well... I'd like to say something comforting, but sorry, Allen."
Paul glanced at Zenith and Rudeus in the distance, then looked back at Allen with an apologetic expression.
"Honestly, I can't really relate to your situation... but I think..."
Allen cut him off.
"What if... just what if, you put yourself in that position? If, in the future, you were to die due to some accident, would you feel any regrets in your final moments? Would there be anything you'd want to say to your family...?"
Allen looked into Paul's surprised eyes and finished his thought.
"...Or would you say nothing at all, just look at your family, and quietly accept death?"
'Just like in the original story...'
Paul was initially annoyed, but seeing Allen's serious expression, he realized the boy's current state of having no family to rely on. He sighed inwardly and didn't take offense at Allen's blunt words.
After a long silence, Paul finally spoke, choosing his words carefully.
"If this were a few years ago, during my adventurer days... I might have gone silently and accepted death without a word. To be honest, I've always had a regret—I wanted to talk to my late father and resolve some things. So, for me, death didn't feel like an end... Besides, adventurers face danger every day, and we're all prepared to die unexpectedly."
Allen blinked, about to speak, but then Paul looked up at Zenith and Rudeus, a gentle smile spreading across his face.
"But now, it's different. If something were to happen to me in the future, and I were to die... I'd want to see Zenith and Rudeus one last time."
Allen glanced at the mole near Paul's eye.
"See them... one last time?"
Paul's smile faded slightly.
"Yes, to make sure they're safe... If they're okay, I think I could rest a little easier. Haha, and then there's my own selfish thought... I'd wonder..."
"Would they cry for me, their unreliable family head...?"
Allen didn't look at Paul anymore. Instead, he lowered his gaze to the scabbard at his side. Paul's voice continued.
"...If Zenith, Rudeus, and even Lilia were to cry for me..."
"That would be... wonderful."
After a moment of silence, Allen spoke again.
"But just seeing them once wouldn't be enough, would it?"
Paul let out a self-deprecating laugh.
"Pretty words are easy to say, but if that day really came, I'd probably try to accept it calmly and face death with composure. But deep down, I'd be screaming things like 'I don't want to die'... because..."
"...There's still so much I want to do..."
"...I can't bear to leave Zenith... Maybe in a few years, we'd have more children. I can't bear to leave Rudeus either... I want to see him and the kids grow up. Are they going to school? Are they being bullied? If everything goes well, when I'm old, I'd love to have grandchildren calling me Grandpa... That would be nice."
"Really, I don't want to die. Just thinking about it, there's so much to live for..."
Allen unconsciously began to fiddle with the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"What if... you and Rudeus were in a dangerous situation where only one of you could survive? Or if things were so dire that saving him would mean your death... What would you think then, Uncle?"
Paul froze, Rudeus's figure reflected in his pupils.
Unlike before, when he paused to choose his words, this time he only blinked once before turning to look at Allen.
"Even though there's so much I still want to do, if it came down to a choice between us..."
He smiled.
"I'd choose to die."
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 90 on my patreon, go take a look.