The morning after that strange meeting, Philip called me up to his room to talk. I had already prepared a super long apology speech and was ready to take full responsibility, like personally teaching Eris reading, math, or whatever. After all, I was the one who single-handedly ruined Eris's best chance to get a saintly teacher.
As a man, I have to take responsibility!
But what Philip wanted to say was completely opposite to what I had anticipated.
"Tomorrow morning, I want you to take a trip to Buena Village, Atur."
I froze for a few seconds.
"To Buena Village?" I asked again. "Paul's village?"
Why? How? For what? Haven't I cursed that guy enough?
"That's right." Philip nodded. "I know you don't like Paul's plan, but it wouldn't be right for me to flat out refuse a family member. So I think you should try going there to re-evaluate Rudeus."
"No matter how I re-evaluate him, I don't think I'll change my mind, sir. Because I don't think he's the problem."
Besides, I'm not sure I won't punch Paul the next time we meet. Even though I probably can't beat him, I'm still really salty about him.
"Whether you change your mind or not is up to you; I won't force you. But going is mandatory."
…
And that's what Philip said. With that tea-colored haired man, it seems this trip is also part of the 'head tutor' duties, so I have no right to refuse.
Actually, I only said I wouldn't change my mind, I didn't say I didn't want to go. Why?
Because I really want to meet that kid named Rudeus, why else!
Great! I can finally meet a real talented mage in person. I tried to suppress my joy as I skipped back to my room to pack. No matter how much I hate Paul, Rudeus still seems like an interesting kid. I have a feeling I'll get along with him very well.
"Why do you look so happy, Atur?" But a certain red-haired element spotted me and glared as I passed the turn to my room. "Hiding something fun from me, are you?"
"Eek." I started and took a few steps back. "Where did you come from?"
And why didn't I sense her? Normally I can smell Eris from a kilometer away. Or her killing intent would be flaring up. Yet today I didn't sense anything at all.
Maybe because I was too excited and let my guard down?
"Hmph." Eris didn't answer my question but put her hands on her hips. "Answer my question first. You're planning to go on an adventure without inviting me again, right?"
"Not at all." I immediately explained. "Lord Philip just gave me a task to go to Buena Village to meet someone."
"What's Buena Village? Are there magical beasts?"
"Probably not." If there were, it would be dangerous. "Buena seems to be just a normal farming village."
"Pfft, boring. So how long will you be gone?"
"Probably 2 or 3 days."
"That long? Who are you planning to meet there?"
Why do I feel like a weak husband being interrogated by a controlling wife for coming home late? Ah no, more like a child being asked by his mother where he's planning to go play. With this temperament, if Eris has a lover or husband in the future, she'll be very possessive.
"Hehe, I'll tell you something that'll shock you. The person I'm about to meet is a Water Saint-rank mage. He's even younger than me, isn't that amazing? And he can use chantless magic. I'm planning to go meet him to see if he's worthy of being your tutor."
For some reason, every time I mention these things, I want to rush straight to Buena even more to see who this Rudeus really is.
"Saint-rank mage?" Eris, on the other hand, didn't seem interested at all. "Weak mages aren't worth caring about. Besides, I don't need a tutor! Magic, math, and reading aren't interesting at all."
"Listen here. You can say you don't need to know how to read or do math, but magic is wonderful." I started wiggling my fingers. "Like snapping your fingers to summon rain and call the wind, it's super cool."
"Will it help you defeat Ghislaine?"
"Well, no, but... um... with magic, you can do many things, like creating wind for the hot summer."
"If it's hot, I'll just tell the servants to fan me."
"Um, then you can create ice to eat ice cream anytime."
"My house already has a whole ice freezer in the basement."
Rich people really have it easy, don't they?
"Anyway, high-level magic can defeat a whole pack of magical beasts at once." I tried to salvage the situation. "It's also very important when conquering labyrinths. Ghislaine's party also had a mage."
"In the end, they're just the type to hide behind swordsmen, right? I think swordsmen who are ready to face danger like you and me are the best!"
That hiding-in-the-shadows type is exactly the type I want to be, my lady. I'm a swordsman only because life pushed me into it.
"In short, I don't allow you to go." Eris pointed at me and bluntly declared. "You promised to help me defeat you, and now you plan to run away?"
"I'm only going for a few days..."
"No objections! I forbid you to go!"
"Yes, mom..."
Ugh... Eris never ceases to surprise me with her unreasonableness, does she? But indeed, this situation isn't good. If I go, Eris will definitely be angry because I disobeyed her, and it will be hard to talk to her later. But if I don't go, I'll be disobeying Lord Philip.
Then there is only one way.
…
"Whoaaaaaa! It's been so long since I saw a forest!"
Eris sat in the carriage and looked out at the stretching fields and wild forests, marveling. It seems this young lady hasn't been out of the house for a long time. Which makes sense; with that temperament, who would dare let her out?
"Hey hey Atur! There's a strange bird! It keeps walking around on the ground without flying!" Eris tugged my shirt excitedly.
"It's a chicken. The kind I usually fry for you to eat."
"Eh? But why does it have feathers?"
"What chicken doesn't have feathers?"
"But the ones you fry don't have feathers?"
"Because they're dead..."
"Oh."
Did she think real chickens in the wild come pre-plucked?
"Ah, and what about those round yellow birds following the chicken? I wonder if they taste good."
"Those are chicks. And don't eat them."
Yeah, so in the end, I had to take Eris with me to Buena. Initially, I just asked for form's sake, never expecting her to agree. And surprisingly, Lord Philip also agreed to let me take Eris along. So suddenly my solo trip had four people in the carriage: me, Eris, Ken, and Ghislaine. I wonder if Paul's house is big enough to hold all four of us.
Even if it is, I'd rather sleep in the carriage than in that guy's house.
"By the way, Ms. Ghislaine, have you ever met a Saint-rank mage?" I asked.
"Yes." Ghislaine answered almost immediately.
"How strong are they usually?"
I'm genuinely curious. After all, I already know how terrifying the strength of a Saint and King-rank swordsman looks. But as for mages, I don't really know what level they're at.
"If they had to fight, a Saint-rank mage would be weaker than an Advanced-rank swordsman, maybe even an Intermediate-rank swordsman as well."
"Eh? Really? I thought even an Advanced-rank mage could create powerful attacks."
"That's true, but a mage's weakness is chanting and close-range self-defense."
This is true; chanting is indeed a fatal weakness.
"What if they use chantless magic?" I asked curiously again. "Like I usually use to heal during sparring."
"You can do it because you're a swordsman; if it were a normal mage, it wouldn't be so easy. A swordsman's speed far exceeds a mage's. Besides, a swordsman can block Intermediate magic with battle aura quite easily."
I've heard that swordsmen with battle aura can cut through magic attacks, but I've never actually seen it. If that's true, then mages really are significantly weaker.
But I have heard of the existence of an entity named Demon God Laplace, who was one of the Seven Great Powers. In the war over 400 years ago, that demon god, with his powerful mana and magic, nearly drove humanity to extinction. Although I don't know too much about the content of that war because every source is somewhat different. Most agree that Laplace was the strongest mage in history and he was very, very, very strong. To the point where he alone could face the Seven Great Heroes of Humanity, including the first North God and the legendary hero Armored Dragon King - Perugius Dola. So I believe that with a truly talented mage who can be trained well enough, they could be stronger than even God-rank swordsmen.
But is comparing that Rudeus kid to Demon God Laplace a bit too much? After all, I heard mana is something fixed with a person when they are born. So even if Rudeus is terribly strong at this moment, it's not certain he will be stronger in the future. But reaching Saint-rank is already amazing. That amount of achievement is still astonishing.
"By the way, young lady. Don't go hitting anyone on your own later, okay? If you cause trouble, I won't fry chicken for you anymore."
"What...! Ugh... Fine. But if that mage you want to meet starts something first, I can't promise anything."
I didn't mention specifically who, but Eris knew who I was trying to refer to. So she really intends to pick a fight with Rudeus.
"That mage is definitely not the type to start trouble."
"How do you know for sure?"
"I heard he single-handedly defeated a group of kids his age to protect a bullied friend. Someone like that certainly wouldn't start trouble with anyone."
Thinking back, in my previous life, I also saw a few peers being bullied but only knew how to turn a blind eye. Yet a child willing to stand up and protect others like that is truly admirable.
"Hmph." Eris puffed out her cheeks and turned away, she seemed annoyed. "But I absolutely refuse to accept him as a tutor."
"That can only be decided when we meet him. Who knows, you might be the one demanding he teach you magic."
"Never." Eris crossed her arms and lifted her chin. "Magic is boring."
"We'll see." I shrug.
Saying that, but I have no intention of actually accepting Rudeus as Eris's tutor anyway. I can't let Paul have his way, right?
…
Our carriage traveled for about 4-5 hours to reach Buena Village. It was noon in early summer, but I didn't feel very hot. Actually, the climate here is much cooler than in Roa. Maybe thanks to being near a forest and having a cool breeze blowing through in bursts, the sky was white with clouds but not gloomy at all.
Truly an ideal place to live.
Slowly entering the village, I could see a few villagers noticing the existence of a strange carriage. Especially the rural children, they looked at us from afar and ran after us trying to peer inside curiously. Though I guess what they noticed was the red-haired young lady sitting next to me right now.
"So pretty! Dressed so nicely, she must be a noble lady."
"Her red hair is so beautiful! Looks like a rose."
Yes, roses have thorns, so don't get close, boys. If you get beaten up, I can't stop her.
If I have to admit it, Eris sometimes looks very lovely. Especially when she keeps her mouth shut, doesn't act violent, or do that 'nya nya' thing of the Boreas family. Because of that, I feel worried for some reason. Because an attractive appearance usually brings more trouble than advantages. If she catches the eye of someone like Darius, there will be a lot of problems.
Luckily Roa is quite far from the Royal Capital, so that Prime Minister probably won't dare to pull any tricks.
Besides, I also heard a few whispers about me and Ghislaine. The Sword King being noticed is clearly not just because she is a beast folk. Ghislaine's build is much taller and bigger than normal people, if measured, she must be equal to basketball players with tons of toned muscles. Yet her outfit is quite... um... lacking fabric, I don't really understand that way of dressing but since it's eye candy, I have no opinion. Also, she always wears an eyepatch on one side. I guess it's probably the result of some battle in the past, which might make some people feel terrified, but to me, she looks incredibly cool.
As for me, no need to explain. With this 'silver hair with no intention of changing back' color, I'll probably be noticed for a long time.
Perhaps the most normal-looking person here is Ken - who is driving the carriage. Although I don't understand why he's wearing a full set of armor for a trip a few hours away from Roa, I'm not curious. I'm too tired of trying to understand what goes on in that bald knight's head.
Come to think of it, the people near the town center seem pretty busy, don't they? I see quite a crowd gathering over there.
Ah, that's right. It is late-spring, after all. They must be preparing for the festival. I've heard that villagers in many regions hold festivals before summer to pray for a bountiful harvest. It looks like I'll finally get a chance to witness one with my own eyes.
Entering the village for a few minutes, we also reached a house next to a large open field. Outside in the yard was a man I met yesterday - Paul, standing with arms crossed waiting.
Ghislaine was the first to get off. She went straight to Paul as if they knew each other from before. Ah, I forgot, they used to be teammates when they were adventurers.
"Where's the mage kid?" Ghislaine asked bluntly; she seemed to dislike beating around the bush.
"That's for later." Paul, still with arms crossed, replied. "Let's go inside and talk first."
So Eris, Ghislaine, and I went into Paul's house while Ken decided to wait outside by the carriage. As I passed Paul, I could see the dissatisfied look on this man's face directed at me. And I returned a similar look to him.
Although not saying a word, we gave each other a very equivalent amount of annoyance.
So we followed Paul into his house.
Indeed, compared to the simple exterior, the inside was truly spacious and airy, even quite comfortable. Although I only studied architecture for a short time with the professor at the Royal Academy, I knew part of the theory. And when applied to this house, they satisfied quite a few criteria that a good house should have, from space, light, air circulation to the division of room roles.
This is exactly the kind of house I want to live in when I start retiring at the age of 20.
A good house, a wife, a job in a remote countryside, respected by people, having talented and obedient children, perhaps except for Paul getting the maid pregnant, he has exactly what I've always dreamed of.
And it seems one of the things I dreamed of has also appeared, Paul's wife (?)
"Ghislaine! Long time no see. Are you well?"
It was a blonde woman with enormous breasts smiling extremely happily. This must be Zenith, Paul's wife and also the priest of the legendary party Fangs of the Black Wolf.
Although she doesn't look much like an adventurer.
"I'm still well." Ghislaine replied with a voice and face devoid of much emotion as usual, however, her black cat tail was wagging back and forth continuously right in front of my face. "I heard you just gave birth again?"
"Yeah. This time it's a lovely baby girl." Zenith nodded proudly. "Right now Norm and Aisha are being put to sleep by Lilia so I can't show you yet, but around afternoon it will be possible."
"Mm." Ghislaine nodded slightly.
Immediately after, Zenith looked over at me and Eris. Her eyes lit up again.
"This must be Atur and Lady Eris, right? I heard Paul say you two would stop by. You two are so cute!"
"Hmph! Don't think with those sweet words I'll let your child teach me."
Although saying that, Eris's face turned red. Truly a tsundere.
But if they knew Eris would also come, then Paul and Philip must have guessed the young lady would demand to come along. Yet the mayor didn't bother to say it straight, making me spend two hours thinking about how to persuade him.
I'll hold him accountable when I get back.
"Hello, Mrs. Greyrat. Please excuse Lady Eris's temper. It's her first time traveling far, so she's not in a good mood." As for me, I used the noble greeting posture to start. According to what I found out, the lady of the Greyrat house is also a noble's daughter in the Holy Nation of Milishion, so I can't greet casually. "My name is Atur. I have heard of your talent and beauty through many stories. Now meeting you, the rumors are still too modest compared to reality. Truly, one can never trust rumors."
"Oh my. Don't say those things. I'm so embarrassed."
Hehe. My mouth still works well, doesn't it? Look at her holding her face in embarrassment. And most importantly, look at Paul's annoyed face glaring at me. This is exactly what I wanted, teasing this guy to vent my anger.
But why is Eris also glaring at me?
"Anyway, let's go inside. You've traveled far, so you must be tired; I have tea ready here."
So the group of three of us went to Paul's dining table. And somehow, miraculously, another person suddenly appeared there.
The reason I say 'miraculously' is because I didn't see her earlier. Yet in a flash, a dark red-haired woman with enormous breasts in a maid outfit stood there. Not to mention her beautiful face full of seriousness radiating the aura of a true kuudere.
But why did I look at her chest first? Probably because of the height. But it's really eye candy.
"Cookie and tea are ready, please enjoy, young masters and mistresses."
Oi oi, the voice is good too, deep and charming. SSR waifu is here!
"Wow, the tea smells so good. This must be high grade?" So I start acting.
"Young master, it's just normal grade," the maid replied.
"Then for it to be this good, it must be due to good skill."
"Thank you for the compliment, young master."
Hehe, although not showing it outwardly, I probably got +1 affection point.
But wait, this is the Greyrat family's maid, which means this is Paul's second wife? Damn lucky bastard.
For some reason, Eris punched me, luckily I dodged. "What?"
"Hmph! Nothing."
Eris crossed her arms and turned her face away, then grabbed the teacup and drank it in one gulp, then thrashed about because it was still hot. I know this young lady is unreasonable, but sometimes she's really hard to understand.
"Everyone make yourselves at home," Zenith said with a joyful smile. "Tonight Lia and I will cook a really delicious dinner to treat you."
"You cook?" Ghislaine suddenly spoke up. "Then forget it. Last time you cooked, the whole group got food poisoning."
"Mooh! Give me some faith. I know how to cook now!"
"Zenith cooks very well lately." Paul suddenly spoke up after a long silence; he walked right next to Zenith and hugged his wife's waist. "If you don't eat, don't regret it when I eat it all."
But contrary to his expectations, Zenith elbowed Paul in the stomach and dodged to the side.
"Don't take advantage. These words won't make me forgive you."
"Ugh ugh... honey..."
Although I don't understand what's happening, I feel very satisfied haha.
"But may I ask where Rudeus is?" I raised my hand to ask. After all, that's the main reason I'm here, not to watch Paul get the cold shoulder from his wife.
At this point, Paul's face suddenly became serious. He crossed his arms and sighed. "He's probably wandering around with that girl Sylphie. Let me go call him back."
"Hold on! Let me go find him." I immediately stood up, flashing an extremely innocent smile in front of everyone. "After all, Ms. Ghislaine hasn't seen her old teammate for a long time, so everyone should sit and talk. Letting us kids meet first is fine."
"Huh? What are you scheming now?"
Paul was immediately pinched on the side by Zenith as soon as he finished speaking. "Don't talk to guests in that tone."
"Ouch ouch! I'm sorry!"
Serves him right hehe.
After 'dealing' with Paul, Zenith bent down to face me and smiled. "Atur is young but so sensible. Indeed, I also want to sit and talk with Ghislaine a bit." Zenith patted my head; although I don't want to admit it, the feeling isn't bad. Then the lady of the Greyrat house turned to Ghislaine with a smile. "What do you think, Ghislaine?"
"Is this village safe?" Ghislaine looked at Paul.
"Of course it is, I am the guardian knight of this place after all." Paul immediately put on airs. "For the past seven years, there hasn't been a single magical beast attack on the village."
"Hmm." Ghislaine didn't seem impressed; she turned to Eris. "What about you, my lady?"
"I'll follow Atur!"
"Then please protect the young lady for me."
So I was entrusted by Ghislaine with the responsibility of protecting Eris.
But for some reason, I have a feeling the main task is to protect the villagers of Buena from Eris.
…
After greeting the adults and asking where Rudeus usually frequents, Eris and I left the Greyrat house and headed towards the hill said to have a large tree.
This village is indeed as peaceful as Paul said. Everyone is smiling and working without complaint. The kids who chased our carriage earlier also got bored and left, playing some mindless games like tag together. Seeing that scene, Eris immediately put on airs.
"Just a bunch of stupid playful kids. Probably your mage is only at that level too."
"Don't be so quick to judge others, my lady." I chuckled, although trying to hide my excitement, my face must be beaming. "Just meet him and see."
So we walked for about five minutes and reached the foot of the small hill Zenith mentioned. From below, I could see a large tree and two children playing together. A boy with light brown hair and a girl with green hair, that must be Rudeus and Sylphiette - who Paul mentioned before.
I took a deep breath, feeling like meeting an idol for the first time in my life, and approached with a bright smile.
"As I taught you before, you can change the size of both your spells at the same time if you focus about it. Like this."
Rudeus held out a hand, creating a water ball, and then fire appeared right after, creating a water ball emitting sizzling steam. The ball also changes shape to a smaller size with ease.
Damn, this is melded magic. This kid always surprises me, doesn't he? That's what makes him worthy of being my idol.
But suddenly a thought flashed in my mind about the meeting with Paul two days ago. About the phrase I told myself that one should never meet their heroes, and I started to tremble a little. If that guy Rudeus is also a jerk like Paul, it would be very troublesome. Like, is he sexist or something? Like seeing me and saying 'ew, boys get away' or something. Or worse, using some magic to seduce Eris...
"Hey, you brat!"
But while I was still worried about meeting Rudeus, Eris rushed straight in front of the two kids. She didn't know when she had drawn a wooden sword, pointing it straight at the young mage's face.
Damn, don't tell me she picked up the sword at Paul's house!
No, what's more important is what's about to happen.
"I challenge you! If you lose, don't dream of being my tutor!"
"..." I looked.
"..." Rudeus looked.
"Ah..." Sylphy also looked but involuntarily let out a frightened cry.
Rudeus and Sylphy froze for a few seconds, then the boy acted first; he stood shielding Sylphy, an act of protection. Good, well done, kid.
"Do you... have the wrong person?" Rudeus tried to force a smile and also took a step back, showing caution.
"No mistake!" Eris immediately rushed up holding the sword to slash Rudeus. "Now fight me!"
But the mage boy wasn't to be trifled with; he immediately dodged to the side, causing Eris's slash to cut only air.
"Oh." My mouth involuntarily made a sound of admiration. This is the dodging technique of the Water God Style; it seems this magic kid also knows sword footwork.
But I probably shouldn't be surprised about this. Paul is a legendary adventurer swordsman after all, so him teaching Rudeus swordsmanship isn't strange. Especially the practice sword Eris swiped from the Greyrat house is clearly child-sized; that must be Rudeus's practice weapon.
This is also a good opportunity to see Rudeus's combat level. I'll just be a spectator for now. If the young lady gets hurt, I'll just use healing magic to fix it hehe.
"What... Hmph! All childish tricks."
After Rudeus's surprise dodge, the Boreas young lady didn't seem too flustered. She immediately spun in mid-air and landed on both feet, lowering her center of gravity to turn it into a sudden pounce. That's the Backslash skill - a Sword God Style attack when the initial strike misses and hasn't eliminated the target.
However, on the opposite side, Rudeus had raised his hand, preparing to use some magic. This is getting tense!
But wait… I don't know how strong that boy is, but I have a feeling things are gradually getting out of hand. In the worst case scenario, Rudeus would injure Eris and that would be a damn big trouble.
"Wait!"
Immediately, I dashed to Eris using Flow, one hand blocking the incoming sword, the other holding her wrist to throw the young lady to the ground.
So I subdued the red-haired girl.
Seriously... why did I take this head tutor job?
"Let me go! I have to test how strong your Saint-rank mage is!"
Eris continued to struggle. This situation looked exactly like the first time I met her. But this time I didn't intend to hurt her, so I just restrained her without squeezing.
"If you want to test his strength, there are plenty of ways. No need to use violence."
But... Um... when was he mine? I mean I don't mind kidnapping a genius boy to be my own kid instead of letting him be the son of a father like Paul. But talking like this is easily misunderstood.
"Let me go!"
"When you calm down, I'll let go." I sighed.
Now I have a pair of red eyes looking at me with hatred. And two pairs of eyes from the other two children looking with extreme confusion. But why is that green-haired girl casting a huge wind ball? So scary!
"Um... Sorry, my mistress is a bit hot-tempered." I tried to force a wry smile and looked at Sylphiette. "Can you... stop that?"
Sylphiette looked at Rudeus as if asking for his opinion, he nodded. So the scary-looking wind ball also vanished.
Phew... lucky.
"By the way, who are you guys?" Rudeus spoke up, still keeping a safe distance, eyes not leaving the glaring Eris. "And mentioning the tutor thing... Ah, are you the future clients I'm supposed to teach?"
Huh? This reaction is outside my expectations. I thought Rudeus knew nothing about this teaching thing.
"You know about the teaching job?" I asked back.
"Yeah, I requested it myself."
Wait, what? Now I look like an idiot trying to stop him from doing what he himself wants to do.
"Rudy... What about the teaching job?" Sylphiette suddenly spoke up, and woah, an elf's voice sounds really pleasant.
"Ah, I haven't told you yet, right?" Rudeus smiled. "I plan to work part-time to earn enough money for us both to go to Ranoa."
"You... are telling the truth?" Sylphiette's eyes suddenly filled with tears. "You do that because of me?"
Rudeus immediately held his friend's hand and nodded. "Yeah. I promised I wouldn't leave you didn't I?"
Ah... puppy love. Although I don't mind seeing this scene. On the contrary, I feel quite happy. After all, my goal was to protect the friendship and happiness of these children. Now witnessing such sacred things with my own eyes makes me feel like crying.
Wait, I forgot I accidentally sat on the young lady for a bit too long.
Seeing Eris seemingly not resisting anymore, I let her go and turned back to Rudeus with a bright smile.
"Let me introduce myself first, my name is Atur." I placed my hand on my chest and bowed slightly to perform the greeting politely. After all, Rudeus is also a noble, right? Not greeting with proper etiquette would be rude. "I'm serving as the head tutor in Roa under Lord Philip. It's nice to meet you."
Seeing that, Rudeus also awkwardly followed my greeting gesture just now. "And my name is Rudeus Greyrat, nice to meet you, Lord Atur."
And Sylphiette did the same, even more awkwardly than Rudeus. "My name is Sylphiette..."
"Girls don't greet like that, Sylphiette; you gently hold the sides of your dress and bow slightly like this."
"Like this?" She immediately followed and completed it correctly with 5 out of 10 points, beating Eris already.
"Yes, like that!" I gave a thumbs up and grinned. Then turned to Rudeus again. "And no need to use 'Lord', I'm actually your cousin, Rudeus."
"Cousin?" Rudeus asked back.
"Yeah. I'm the son of Paul's younger brother." I nodded.
"Oh. It's the first time I heard about that."
"I would share the same experience then. I just found out about you recently." I smile. "And actually, you two don't need to greet in the noble style because I'm actually not a noble. Ah... rather, not anymore."
"So you also ran away from home like Paul?"
"Yeah, that's right."
Smooth response, huh? This Rudeus boy is indeed bright as Paul said.
"Ah right." Suddenly remembering the important character, I gestured towards Eris. "And this is Lady Eris Boreas- Eh?"
But when I turned around, Eris had vanished.
Looking around, I immediately saw her running down the hill.
"My lady!" And I immediately had to chase after that young lady, into the forest.
…
Having to use all my strength and a full ten minutes of chasing, I finally caught up with Eris.
"Wait! Huff..." I grabbed Eris's hand, pulling her back, breathing as if my breath was about to cut off. "What... are you... doing... huff...."
Meanwhile, Eris didn't seem tired at all. She turned her head, showing a complicated face, a mix of annoyance, irritation, and... a bit of pain.
"Let go!" Eris shouted. "Go play with your mages! You like them so much!"
"What... mage of... huff... mine? And what do you mean like?"
"The way you..." Eris was about to say something but gritted her teeth. Then, she kicked my leg. Normally I would have dodged, but because I was too tired, I had to take the hit.
"Ouch! You again-"
"I hate you!"
I froze when I heard this.
"I hate you! I hate you!" Eris repeated it two more times. "I don't need you anymore! Get out of my sight!"
Then Eris threw my hand off, running into the forest.
Leaving me collapsing on the ground watching her figure disappear.
Instead, the image I always wanted to forget appeared again. Along with them, were words full of coldness...
"Disgusting."
"I hate you! Stay away from me!"
"I will call the police!"
…
"You are the last thing I want to see."
…
Ah… I fucked up again didn't I?
…
NAME: "Eris B. Greyrat"
OCCUPATION: Granddaughter of Fittoa's liege lord
PERSONALITY: A little violent
DOESN'T: Mind listening to what people have to say
READING/WRITING: Can write her own name
ARITHMETIC: Can add single digit numbers
MAGIC: No clue
FENCING: Sword God Style/North God Style – Beginner-tier
ETIQUETTE: Can do a normal greeting and fighting-like dance
PEOPLE SHE LIKES: Grandfather, Ghislaine
PEOPLE SHE WANTS CONSIDER AS FRIEND(?): None
LIKE: Deep Fried Chicken KFC Style and listen to adventure tale