While observing Roxy, Allen simultaneously focused his attention on the Dragon Saint Touki nucleus within him. In his 'mind's eye,' wisps of smoke were dispersing from its wrinkled surface, revealing a small magic sigil on one side.
It was shaped like a tiny tree, glowing with a faint blue light.
An intuition washed over him: if he were to activate this sigil, the Intermediate Healing spell would take effect immediately.
A healing magic sigil... it only works on me and can't be cast externally. Does that mean activating it is like applying a healing BUFF to my body, creating a pseudo-immortal physique? Does this negate the physical limitations of the North God Style's practical school?
Wait, it consumes my own mana... It's a pity I don't know how long my current mana capacity can sustain an Intermediate Healing spell. I was careless. For now, a Primary Healing spell with lower mana consumption might be more suitable. The problem is my mana recovery is too slow, so the skill's cooldown will definitely be long.
I wonder if the buff from the Dragon Saint Touki, which reduces mana conversion loss, can stack with the healing sigil. Touki is essentially mana, so it should be possible... but the problem is that it might also consume my Dragon Saint Touki. I don't have much to spare. Activating the healing sigil will surely affect the quality of my Touki.
I'll have to test it later and see...
A small hand waved in front of his face, pulling Allen back to reality.
This wasn't the time for that.
Allen looked at Roxy.
Yesterday, while traveling, his mind had been preoccupied with what to say during his first meeting with Rudeus and Roxy, so naturally, he had dreamed of them last night. Unfortunately, the dream featured their 2D anime versions, which lacked a sense of reality.
But now, the real Roxy was right before him.
The sense of realism was much more pronounced.
He focused his gaze on Roxy's face.
In his view, the blue-haired, cool-faced loli gradually came into focus.
Unlike the soft, middle-schooler face from the anime of his past life, the real Roxy looked young, but her features were far too exquisite to be those of someone who hadn't fully developed. Her lips were a bit thin but looked incredibly soft. Her nose was small with narrow nostrils that seemed to have their own natural shadow, the tip slightly upturned. Above it, her half-lidded eyes were the same color as her hair.
As the wind fanned the campfire, the light in her pupils flickered, like ripples on a serene blue lake.
Within those ripples were five parts panic and five parts concern.
"A-Are you... not talking because you have some hidden injury? Are you not feeling well?"
Allen blinked and shook his head, his mind racing.
The 3D Roxy was much more real and beautiful than her 2D anime counterpart.
Pleasing. To. The. Eye.
Not feeling well?
Wrong! Feeling too well!
Roxy, seeing Allen staring at her, subconsciously touched her face.
"You don't look hurt... so why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?"
While mentally comparing the 2D and 3D versions of Roxy, Allen replied casually.
"No, your face is fine. Well, it's more than fine. It's much more real and exquisite than in my dream last night... every part of you is beautiful."
His words hung in the air.
The fire licked at the firewood.
The silence of the deep forest night became even more profound.
Allen waited for a long time, but Roxy didn't answer. He blinked, suddenly realizing what he had just said.
He looked at Roxy's lake-blue eyes, which were now wide with shock, and his own face went blank.
In his view, her hand, which had been touching her face, was now frozen. Her cool, half-lidded eyes widened under his gaze, the lake within them churning.
They stared at each other in silence.
With a crack, a red-hot log snapped. The wind blew past them.
Stirring up non-existent dust.
[6.]
Red, bold, underlined.
[Maintain this state. Keep up the good work and win Rudeus's favor.]
[Rudeus: Countdown: 91:54:02]
Allen was dumbfounded. To be precise, he'd started to space out the moment he realized he was flirting with a 'stranger,' and the system's timely addition of fuel to the fire made him even more stunned.
That... that was 'flirting'?
Indeed, it was.
The world of Mushoku Tensei lacked the smooth operators of his old world. The culture was more primitive, possessing a kind of medieval, innocent charm. Flirtatious words between men and women were even more direct and simple than cheesy pickup lines, yet they were surprisingly effective.
This kind of overly direct praise was essentially no different from hitting on a woman.
Roxy stared at Allen for a good while before blinking dazedly. She puffed out one cheek and subconsciously glanced to the side. The crimson eyes of the Finisher Boar's severed head glared at Allen, as if in utter contempt.
She took a deep breath, forced a stern expression, and looked back at Allen.
He was currently plucking a few strands of his own hair and carefully examining them, checking if they were yellow.
This seemingly remorseful act, in Roxy's eyes, was actually in line with his age.
'He didn't get the reaction he wanted from me, so he's annoyed... Looking closely, his face is still quite boyish. He must be young, just tall for his age. It's not that I'm short, I swear T_T. But his swordsmanship... is exquisite.'
'A child prodigy? Why have I been meeting so many geniuses these past two years? First Rudy, and now this boy. And they're both mature for their age, saying things to tease girls... so glib... He's never even met me before, so how could he dream of me?'
'Perhaps he thinks of me as someone his own age, so he's deliberately trying to flatter me.'
Roxy took off her mage's hat and adopted the tone of a teacher lecturing a child.
"That's not the right way to flatter someone... Don't be fooled by my height. In fact... I'm old enough to be your mother. Saying things that would please little girls won't work on me."
Allen, still looking at his brown hair, shifted his gaze to the single strand of hair (ahoge) sticking up and quivering on top of Roxy's head.
"Flattery? Uh... okay, Blue Mama...!"
Roxy's mouth fell open as she stared at Allen, who immediately slapped a hand over his own mouth. She then became flustered and angry, deliberately putting on a gloomy face.
"The reason I don't grow is because I'm from the Demon Race..."
As she spoke, she held a lock of her hair up to the fire. In the orange glow, the tips of her hair had a faint green sheen. She moved closer to Allen, her half-lidded eyes meeting his.
"See? The green-haired Demon Race... I'm one of the infamous Supard tribe. If you call me 'Mama' sarcastically to tease me for being a child again, I'll get angry. I'll eat you."
Allen let go of his hair and blinked, looking at the blue-haired loli's face, now just inches away.
Her eyes were serious, her eyelashes trembling slightly in the firelight.
"Then..."
"Eat me. Right now."
Roxy froze.
The next instant, as soon as the words were out, Allen wrapped his fingers in Touki and flicked the air in front of Roxy's forehead. The pressure from the wind scattered her bangs, revealing the smooth skin beneath.
As Roxy stared blankly, Allen extended a finger and poked the air where her forehead was, indicating the absence of the Supard tribe's characteristic red magic-sensing eye.
"A goddess shouldn't lie."
"Demon Race, blue hair, small stature. You're from the Migurd tribe, not the Supard tribe."
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