The two of them looked blankly at each other, before letting out a sigh.
“I don’t want to, it’s absurd.”
“What do you mean it’s absurd? I am really worried about this!” Allen shot right up at Mihara’s nonchalant response.
Stroking her chin, Erika hummed, "... it's rare for Charlotte to make such a request. After all, if her true identity was exposed and she was caught, it would cause trouble for big brother. Perhaps, that’s why she had been withholding her request."
No wonder she immediately retracted her request back then…
Charlotte had said with a wry smile, "Please forget about my request."
The forlorn look on her face ignited a fire in Allen's heart.
Allen leaned back against the door and covered his face.
"When you put it that way... it compels me to grant her wish."
"Well, that was a pretty easy win, wasn't it?" Erika said, raising a brow, unimpressed. She was expecting more of a fight from Allen.
Miaha gave her a half-shrugged, "He's just being a worrywart."
Allen was annoyed by their unfazed attitude but there was nothing he could refute. They were absolutely right, down to every last word. With his magic, Charlotte's true identity would never be revealed.
Convinced of this, Allen finally agreed to Charlotte's request.
Finally, the day arrived when Charlotte would visit town by herself. However—
"What?" Erika said irritatedly with a deadpan face. "It's just a short 20-minute trip from here to the city."
"What do you mean it's just a short trip?! That's quite a distance on the uneven forest path! What if Charlotte tripped and fell?!"
"The 'father' is being overprotective again," Miaha said to Erika as they leveled a glare at Allen.
Even for a simple stroll in the forest, Allen was always by Charlotte's side. Except for when they were having their personal time, they were almost always together, and he was constantly there, watching out for her.
Yet, the said Charlotte was currently on a 20-minute walk to town by foot.
Allen felt like he was going to lose his mind, "But… this is Charlotte's first request! If I can't even grant this, then my pride as a man will be shattered!"
Besides, Charlotte is preparing for her departure in the house right now. There's no way he could say it was a bad idea after all the preparation she had been making since the crack of dawn.
Although Allen is thick-skinned and doesn't care about the opinions of others, he definitely didn't want to do anything that could make Charlotte sad.
At that moment, it suddenly occurred to him, "... Lately, I've begun to worry more and more about her. Why is that?"
"I want to hear her laugh, and I don't want to see her cry." Allen thought, growing more puzzled by the minute. His desire had remained consistent, only that it had grown in scale compared to before.
Though Allen doesn't quite understand the reason for this, as he finds himself on the verge of thinking something absurd, he hurriedly brushes off the preposterous thought.
Erika was disappointed with Allen's slow wit.
Even so—
"You know, there's an easy way to solve your troubles."
"Really?"
"She's right," Miaha nodded, "Since you want to let her go but you're worried… then, there's only one thing the Demon Lord can do."
"Me? What can I do?" Allen frowned, the wheels in his head working twice as hard.
Suddenly, Allen's brows quirked with surprise.
A fantastic idea has popped into his head. "What if… I sneak along with her so I can secretly watch over her?"
"What took him so long to figure out this 'brilliant plan'?" Erika huffed, annoyed.
"Well, the person you're talking about is an idiot." Miaha lifted a corner of her shoulder in a half-shrugged.
Although the two girls were talking about him behind his back, Allen was burning with a new determination.
And so, today's mischief was decided. It was–
To head out by yourself!