Chapter Six: The Price of Borrowing... You Wouldn't Want That Either...

Loquishi was somewhat surprised.

“...Boreas Grelart? You...”

Allen smiled.

“A nobleman, didn’t you expect that?”

Loquishi quickly shook her head, as if she had just realized something.

“Could it be... you’re heading to Buena Village?”

Allen leisurely retorted.

“...How do you know?”

Loquishi stared intently at Allen’s face, scrutinizing him carefully. Unfortunately, there was no resemblance between Rudy and Allen.

Rudy had a delicate, gentle appearance, with smooth hair falling over his forehead and sides of his face. But this young man before her had sharp, piercing eyebrows and eyes; his dirty, messy hair was tied back, with only a few strands hanging by his forehead.

Allen noticed why Loquishi was examining him and found it amusing.

He and Rudy weren’t even from the same lineage, let alone looking alike—their genetic traits were entirely different.

The Notos family, represented by Paul, favored large chests. Although Allen hadn’t seen it himself, various novels had long established this fact. Meanwhile, the Boreas family, represented by Alice, favored beast girls, a fact Allen could personally confirm.

Of course, Rudy probably didn’t fully inherit the family traits because he was a traveler from another world, making his bloodline impure. The woman known as Blue Mama standing before them was proof of this.

Wait? Something seemed off.

The problem was that Allen’s own bloodline was also impure.

So why was he still a fan of furry things?

...This...

While Allen was lost in self-questioning, Loquishi spoke again.

“To be honest, over the past two years, I have been employed as the private tutor for Rudyus Grelart, the son of Sir Paul Grelart, the knight of Buena Village...”

She paused.

“Could it be that you’re going to seek refuge with them?”

Allen quickly snapped back to attention, feigning surprise.

“What a coincidence! To be honest, I got into some trouble in the royal capital of Asra... so I came to hide out with Uncle Paul because it’s more remote here... so if you’re going to the Asra royal capital, Loquishi, please don’t reveal my whereabouts if anyone asks.”

With that, Allen pressed his palms together in a pleading gesture.

Loquishi breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried that Allen’s weary appearance from traveling through mountains and rivers suggested something other than seeking refuge—perhaps vengeance.

Trouble at home... The Boreas family was still in the royal capital. It should be the heir of the Boreas household, the mayor of Roya City under the Fitoya territory, Philip Boreas Grelart, who reportedly had only one offspring—a somewhat troublesome young lady.

What kind of trouble could cause this situation... Allen seemed steady and calculated, not the type to cause random trouble... Wait, he was quite skilled at teasing girls... Could it be some romantic scandal that got him chased out of the capital by family members?

Hmm... The men of the Grelart family were known for their lustful nature—and a hereditary smooth tongue.

Unusual relationships between men and women were common among nobles in Asra’s capital; the atmosphere there was said to be quite unusual, with aphrodisiacs openly sold on the streets—a stark contrast to Miris.

If a scandal spread and became a laughingstock, nobles usually handled it discreetly with exile or cold treatment until the storm passed, usually about a year or so, before taking the person back. Hence, Allen had no bodyguards with him.

Allen didn’t know what Loquishi was thinking, but noticing her changing expressions as she stared at him with a look of disdain and then clasped her hands with a ‘deduction complete’ expression, he roughly guessed what she was thinking.

It was better that Loquishi’s imagination was running wild now; women who actively think are usually good women.

Allen meant this spared him the trouble of explaining.

As for being a scoundrel... it didn’t matter.

Being handsome and called a rogue was fine—everyone here was a rogue anyway.

At that moment, Loquishi generously agreed to Allen’s request.

“I’m only planning to take a carriage to the royal capital and then travel near the Royal Dragon Mountains. It seems that only the Asra royal capital has a direct long-distance carriage... so I won’t stay there long, and there’s probably little chance of rumors about you spreading. Rest assured!”

Couldn’t stop her imagination—she had already pictured Blue Mama.

“Thank you... By the way, I moved through the forest to avoid being seen... What about you? Why not take a carriage or something?”

Loquishi blinked in surprise, looking at Allen.

Allen raised an eyebrow.

“Could it be that you’re broke? Is Uncle Paul employing child... err... illegal labor?”

Loquishi performed her signature face-scratching motion.

“Mr. Paul has already paid me, but unfortunately, I’m still a bit short... long-distance travel by carriage is expensive...”

Allen’s mouth twitched.

Even the god of poverty is a god—honest. The Taiwanese translation calls her Lockshi; her name contains ‘ck’, so being poor isn’t entirely unreasonable.

He then pulled out three or four coins of the Asra Kingdom currency from his swordsman outfit pocket, including a gold coin.

He extended his hand to Loquishi.

“I have some money here. Consider it repayment for your kindness and... hush money. You know how nobles don’t lack money—please accept it and take the carriage.”

Loquishi refused.

“What kindness? No need to spend money, and this hush money is too much... I can’t accept it.”

“Why not?”

“Because I just can’t...”

“Must accept.”

“Fine.”

“Cannot refuse... huh?”

Suddenly standing, Loquishi blushed and quickly pocketed the money from Allen’s hand, her gaze drifting to the nearby forest.

“Just think of it as a loan. To be honest... traveling the world is too costly. The Asra Kingdom is okay, but on the Miris continent... with my appearance, there’s basically no opportunity to earn money... I spent all my savings at the Magic University, so I’m quite short on funds. Since you’re related to Mr. Paul, you can ask them about my character!”

“So...”

Loquishi looked up cautiously at Allen.

“You can leave your address—I promise to pay you back...”

Allen stared blankly at Loquishi’s flustered expression.

She genuinely seemed to be in dire straits. It was true that Loquishi was discriminated against and ostracized on the Miris continent and had no savings. The fact that she was hired for a monthly salary of two silver coins attested to that.

But this was also partly because the Asra Kingdom was based on commerce and small-scale farming. To protect its citizens, it periodically organized monster hunts around its borders, leaving no real adventurers with jobs. So she could only take on tutoring jobs to make a living.

...Another part of the reason was the persistent prejudice against Loquishi’s hair color, even within the Asra Kingdom far from the demon continent.

Allen’s eyes flickered as he watched Loquishi clutch the gold coin, struggling over whether to accept it.

“No need to return it. I also have a favor to ask, and this will cover it.”

Loquishi was taken aback.

The night breeze stirred the rustling leaves.

By the firelight, the lone young man and woman met each other’s gaze.

“As the price for the loan... surely you wouldn’t want to...”

Allen pretended to lean closer to Loquishi.

She widened her eyes and leaned back.

The next moment, Allen pointed at his bloodstained clothes.

“Smell the stench on me? Please help me wash my swordsman outfit with water magic, and my hair too. If you can dry it, even better. After all, it’s my first time meeting Uncle Paul, and showing up covered in blood and smelling bad would be awkward... Also, I need to soak and clean the boar meat I hunted. I hear this kind of monster meat is quite good...”

A sudden stomach growl interrupted Allen’s words.

Allen laughed softly as he watched the legitimate loli clutch her stomach.

“Looks like...”

“You’ve agreed.”