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"If only we'd thought of this earlier! We wouldn't have wasted half a year! Though she might still be a bit young in certain aspects... But based on my understanding of Allen, his tastes are completely different from Father's."
"Pajamas would work!"
"They'd absolutely work!"
Rudeus spoke with both corners of his mouth curled up, revealing that lecherous grin he hadn't shown in a long time.
He seemed extremely pleased with his own suggestion—after speaking, he even nodded approvingly while rubbing his hands together, exuding the dignified air of an "educator."
As his words faded—
Click. Click.
A familiar sound echoed through the air.
Suddenly, Rudeus felt an unnatural chill in the stuffy, windowless dining room. The back of his hand prickled with goosebumps.
...?
His expression froze. Bewildered, he opened his eyes.
In his line of sight—
The ice blade materializing in Sylphiette's hand was impossible to ignore.
It looked nearly identical to the one Allen wielded—thin, straight, cold, sharp, and glinting ominously.
A stark contrast to Sylphie's still-gentle, smiling face behind the "blade."
"Rudeus, what exactly are you saying? I don't quite understand..."
Rudeus opened his mouth slightly, then paused.
As a Saint-tier magician, why would he be afraid of an ice blade? What concerned him more was the hidden meaning behind Sylphie's words.
Doesn't understand?
What part doesn't she understand?
Is it the "methods" after entering the room—because she's still too young? Or is it the underlying motive behind my suggestion itself?
If it's the former... Allen would probably teach her, right? Sylphie seems like the passive type, so as long as Allen takes the initiative...
Rudeus's face stiffened.
Wait! Allen acts mature, but is he actually experienced in this kind of thing? If left to him, they might just spend the whole night discussing sword theory!
Am I supposed to be their "life guidance teacher" now, on top of teaching literacy, arithmetic, magic, and history?!
Well... Let's not worry about that scenario yet. If it's the latter, though...
That'd be troublesome.
After a dazed moment, his eyes flicked toward the ice blade in Sylphie's hand—more of an emotional deterrent than an actual threat—then to the blush spreading from the tips of her ears across her entire face.
He blinked, suppressing the urge to laugh it off, and instead straightened his expression into one of seriousness.
"Sylphie, which part don't you understand? Should I explain in more detail?"
The moment he said this, Sylphie's eyes widened, her face turning completely red—reminding Rudeus of boiled shrimp from his past life.
Staring at his dead-serious expression, she stammered several times before finally speaking in disbelief:
"R-Rudeus... Are you actually being serious right now? H-How would that even work?! And even if it did... shouldn't it be the teacher who... who does it...?"
Rudeus's lips twitched.
As I thought.
Sylphie still hasn't realized Allen likes her.
Nor has she fully grasped why Allen's "desire" has stalled recently.
He grabbed his hair in frustration.
Initially, I was just supposed to be the side character next to Allen—a fallback option for any leftover beauties who might glance my way when he ignored them. But now, not only has the goddess been stolen by him, there aren't even any "leftovers" to speak of...
And yet here I am, having to coax a white-haired, long-eared elf girl into making a move on the "irresistible" Allen?!
What kind of side character hell is this?!
Lord Allen, you're truly something else!
How do I nudge Sylphie naturally...?
Just then, a gentle voice interrupted their thoughts.
"Excuse me, Lady Sylphiette... May I have that ice blade?"
Rudeus looked up.
Beside them stood the head chef—a cat-eared maid in a white apron, slightly bowing as she made her request. Though her words were directed at Sylphie, her eyes kept darting toward the ice blade.
Sylphie hurriedly handed it over with both hands.
"O-Of course!"
"Thank you."
The chef carefully wrapped the blade in a thick cloth, bowed again, and left in high spirits—leaving a dumbfounded Rudeus and Sylphie behind.
This strange phenomenon had been occurring since summer. It began when Sylphie, during a meal, threatened a trash-talking Rudeus with a perfectly crafted ice blade—just like today.
Then, out of nowhere, this chef had appeared!
After lavishly praising Sylphie's "craftsmanship," she'd stunned Allen, Rudeus, and Sylphie by asking to keep the blade.
As the head chef of Boreas—one of Asura's Four Great Noble Houses—she adhered to the capital's extravagant culinary traditions, where no detail was too refined.
One particular dish required slicing meat from a live fish-type monster, serving it near-transparently thin, then pouring boiling water over it for a uniquely crisp, fresh texture.
The catch? It had to be cut with an ice blade.
Previously, maids would retrieve ice from the cellar and painstakingly carve blades—a process prone to breakage and frostbite. Other mages' ice spells were too crude for kitchen use.
So when the chef first saw Sylphie's flawless ice blade... she'd been mesmerized.
Convenient, isn't it?
Silently, the two watched the catgirl's happily swaying tail disappear into the distance—each lost in their own thoughts.
Rudeus focused on that swishing tail beneath her skirt, sparking a new idea: Maybe adding a tail to Sylphie would deliver a critical hit to Allen's defenses?
Forcing Sylphie to pursue Allen? —Wrong!
Making Lord Allen recognize Sylphie's charm and lose control? —Correct!
Meanwhile, Sylphie stared at the perky cat ears, reminded of the beast maid—whose ears would twitch proudly while serving tea to the madam during breakfast.
The madam...
Sylphie blinked, her blush fading.
"Rudeus... Do you think encouraging the madam to interact with Allen might help him commit? He clearly cares about her, doesn't he?"
Rudeus rested his chin on his hand, barely paying attention as he pondered tail designs.
"I thought about that too, but Allen's actively avoiding her, no? He notices her watching from the second floor and runs to the roof to train. So this plan's useless. You're better off just—"
Sylphie cut him off before he could finish.
"Then—then we just need to make it impossible for Allen to avoid her!"
Rudeus paused, turning to her.
"...You want to send the madam to the roof too?"
Ignoring his absurd question, Sylphie pressed on.
"Right now, the only class Allen never skips is..."
Rudeus's jaw dropped.
"...Etiquette lessons?"
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 230 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 75 power stones I will publish the next chapter.