Chapter 13: “Do you make it yourself?”.

When I came to, I found myself inside a dingy warehouse.

Sunlight leaked through a barred window.

My whole body ached, but at least I confirmed no bones were broken.
I quietly cast a healing spell under my breath.

My hands were bound behind my back.
No big deal.

“All right.”

Fully recovered.
My clothes weren’t even torn.

Just as planned.

1. Head to a clothing store in town together with the young lady.
2. Being the wild one she is, she wants to slip outside alone.
3. Normally Ghislaine would follow, but this time she “happens” to look away, and the young lady steps out.
4. I tag along, but to her I’m just some brat she beat up earlier—she doesn’t care.
5. She drags me along like a minion, heading farther and farther toward the edge of town (apparently she idolizes adventurers).
6. That’s when the Greyrat-connected kidnappers appear.
7. They knock us out easily and abduct us to the neighboring town.

And here we are.

All that’s left is for me to escape in style using magic, knowledge, wisdom, and courage.

I’m going to improvise a lot to keep it realistic.
The rough flow from here:

8. Use magic to break out of this holding place.
9. Somehow figure out we’re in the next town over.
10. Use the coins hidden in my pants to take a stagecoach.
11. Return home and lecture the young lady with smug authority.

…Is this really going to work…?
I’m anxious…

Still—something feels off.

This warehouse is covered in dust, and in the corner lie broken chairs and armor full of holes, all dumped haphazardly.
I’d heard it would be a cleaner place…
Well, they said they’d go all-in so it wouldn’t look staged.
Guess this is about right.

A while later, the young lady woke up.

She tried to spring up—then realized her hands were bound behind her.

“What is this?!”

She immediately started shouting.

“Don’t screw with me! Do you even know who I am?! Untie me right now!”

Her voice was insanely loud.
I’d noticed it back at the manor too—she never bothers to lower her volume.
Maybe she’s used to making sure her voice reaches the far ends of that oversized mansion…
No, she probably doesn’t think about it at all.

Her grandfather—Sauros—is the type who intimidates people just by yelling.
She must have watched him berate servants and Philip countless times.
Children imitate—especially the bad stuff.

“Shut the hell up, you damn brat!”

While she was screaming, the door burst open roughly and a man stormed in.
Rough clothing, reeking from head to toe. Bald head. Scruffy beard.
If he handed me a business card that read “Bandit,” I’d believe it.
Perfect casting.

“Wha—! You stink! Stay away! You reek!
Do you have any idea who I am?! Once Ghislaine gets here, you’re dead—eek!”

Thud.

With a sickening sound, she was kicked flying.
She let out a very unladylike yelp and sailed through the air.
She floated for a moment before slamming into the wall.

“Fuckin’ hell! Who the hell do you think you’re talking to, huh?!
We already know you’re the lord’s granddaughter!”

The man stomped down mercilessly on her bound, helpless body.
Isn’t this going a bit too far?

“It hurts… stop… guh… stop… ugh… stop…”

“Peh.”

He kept kicking her for quite a while.
Finally he spat on her face, then glared at me.
The moment I averted my eyes, a kick flew into my face.

“…Ouch!”

It hurt.
Even if it’s acting, could you hold back a little?
I mean, I can use healing magic, sure, but still.

“Tch! Look at you—grinning like an idiot…!”

He stormed out of the warehouse.
Through the door, I heard voices.

“Did she quiet down?”
“Yeah.”
“You didn’t kill her, right…? Too much damage and the price drops.”

Something about the conversation felt off.
Amazing acting…
…It better be acting.
This might actually be one of those situations.

“Huh? Well, doesn’t matter. Worst case, we can just sell the boy.”

No good.
What are you saying?!

“…”

After the voices faded, I counted a full 300 seconds before moving.

I burned the ropes off with fire magic and went to the young lady.
She was muttering under her breath with blood running from her nose, eyes vacant.
I listened—
“I’ll never forgive you,” “I’ll tell Grandfather,”
and a few other disturbingly violent phrases.

For now, I checked her injuries with a light touch-examination.

“Hii!”

She flinched—probably from pain—and looked at me with terror in her eyes.
I held a finger to my lips: quiet.
While watching her reaction, I assessed the damage.
Two broken bones.

“O merciful mother goddess… (mumble)
Close this one’s wounds… (mumble)
Restore vigorous health once more… (mumble)
Ex-Healing… (mumble)”

I used intermediate healing to mend her body.
Healing magic doesn’t get stronger just by pouring more mana into it.
I hope it healed properly.
I’d hate for the bones to knit together wrong…

“Ah… huh? The pain…”

She looked down at her body in wonder.
I leaned close to her ear and whispered.

“Shh—quiet. Your bones were broken, so I used healing magic.
It seems we’ve been abducted by ruffians with ill will toward the lord.
So…”

She wasn’t listening.

“Ghislaine! Ghislaine, help! They’re going to kill me! Hurry—save me!”

I quickly hid the burned ropes under my clothes,
backed into a corner, put my hands behind me, and pretended I was still bound.

She screamed with all her might.

Bang!
The man burst in again.

This time she got kicked even more.

What is learning ability, anyway…?

“Shut the hell up! Make another sound and I’ll kill you!”

By the way, I got kicked twice too.
I didn’t do anything—why kick me…?
I’ll cry, you know…

Anyway—I moved over to her.

“Kh… khh…”

This is bad…
I can’t tell about the ribs,
but she’s coughing blood—possible internal rupture.
Hmm.
Her limbs are broken too.
I’m no medical expert, but…
If we leave this, won’t she die?

“Divine power, rich nourishment…
Grant strength once more to this weakened one…
Healing (mumble)”

For now, I used beginner-level healing.
The bleeding from her mouth stopped.
She probably won’t die now… hopefully.

“Kh… it… it still hurts…
Fix it… properly…”

“No thanks. If I heal you, you’ll just get kicked again.
Use magic yourself.”

“I… I can’t… do that…”

“You could have if you’d learned.”

With that, I moved toward the warehouse entrance.
Then pressed my ear to the door.

I wanted to hear a bit more of their conversation.
Something was seriously off.
Kicking her that hard is way too much.

“Did she settle down?”
“Yeah.”
“You didn’t kill her, right…? Too much damage and the price drops.”

They’re seriously talking about selling us.
Like when you ask a friend to rough up a girl for show, but a real pro gets involved by coincidence.

Where did the gears slip?
Maybe the people we hired to kidnap us got targeted instead.
Or maybe from the moment we were attacked.
Or—did Philip sell his own daughter?
No, probably not that last one.

…Whatever.
Doesn’t change what I have to do.
The only difference is that “safety” is no longer guaranteed.

“Either way, the ransom’s worth more than selling them, right?”
“Yeah, let’s decide by nightfall.”
“Doesn’t matter either way.”

They’re debating whether to sell us or demand ransom from the lord.
They plan to move out by night.

Then we have to move while it’s still light.

Now—how to proceed.

Break the door with magic, take down the kidnappers with magic.
The young lady respects me for defeating the men who beat her…

Yeah, no way.
She’d probably just think “I could’ve won if I wasn’t tied up.”

Besides, resolving everything with violence is the wrong lesson.
If I don’t teach her that violence solves nothing,
she’ll keep getting beaten forever.
I want to give her a deeper sense of helplessness.

…Oh, right—there’s no guarantee I can even beat the kidnappers.

If they’re as strong as Paul, I lose.
No question.
They’d kill me.

Okay—for now, no touching the kidnappers.
Just escape this place.

I checked behind me—
the young lady was glaring at me with rage-filled eyes—then began.

First, I used earth and fire magic to seal the gaps around the door.
Then slowly melted the doorknob with fire magic until it wouldn’t turn.
Now it’s just a door that won’t open.
They could still kick it down, but it’s insurance.

Then I approached the window.
Iron bars.
I considered burning through them, but it’d get too hot—so I passed.
Instead, I slowly dissolved the surrounding earth with water magic
until I could remove the entire barred frame.

“Young Lady. It seems we’ve been abducted by ruffians who bear ill will toward the lord.
They’re discussing how to torture and kill us all together tonight once their friends arrive.”

Of course, a lie.

Her face went pale.

“I don’t want to die, so I’m escaping… farewell.”

I grabbed the edge of the unbarred window and pulled myself up.

At the same moment, voices came from the door.

“Hey—the door won’t open!
What the hell?!”

Violent banging.
I looked at the young lady—she was glancing desperately between the door and me.

“Ah… d-don’t leave me… help…”

Oh? She broke faster than expected.
Even someone like her finds this situation terrifying.
I quickly moved close and whispered in her ear.

“…If you promise to obey me until we get home, I’ll take you with me.”

“I-I promise… I’ll obey…”

“No shouting. Promise? Ghislaine isn’t coming.”

“I promise… I promise… h-hurry… they’re coming… that guy’s coming…!”

She nodded frantically.
Her face—full of terror and panic—was completely different from when she was beating me.
Good to know how it feels to be one-sidedly pummeled.

“If you break the promise, I’ll leave you behind next time.”

I spoke as coldly as possible.
No emotion—just flat.
But with the tone that said I know you’ll do it again.

I sealed the door completely with earth magic.
Burned her ropes off, fully healed her with healing magic.
Then I pulled her up through the window frame.

—

Once outside the warehouse, we were in an unfamiliar town.

No city walls—so definitely not Roa.
Bigger than a village, but if we don’t act fast, we’ll be found soon.

“Phew—now we’re safe!”

The young lady, apparently thinking we’d escaped, suddenly shouted at full volume.

“You promised no shouting until we get home.”

“Hmph! Why should I keep a promise to you?!”

This damn brat…

“Fine then. We part here. Farewell.”

She snorted and started walking off.
But the next instant, angry shouts came from far away.

They couldn’t have broken through the door that fast.
They must have noticed it wouldn’t open, checked the window, seen the bars gone,
realized we escaped, and started chasing.

The young lady hurried back.

“T-That was a lie! I won’t shout anymore! Guide me home!”

“…I’m not your servant or maid, you know.”

I snapped back a little, irritated by her convenient attitude.

“Wha—but you’re my tutor, aren’t you?”

“No.”

“Huh?”

“You said you didn’t like me, so I haven’t been hired yet.”

“I-I’ll hire you…”

She reluctantly turned her face away.
I want a firm commitment here.

“You say that now, but once we’re back at the manor, you’ll break the promise again like before, right?”

I made my voice as cold as possible.
Flat, emotionless.
But with the undertone of I know you’ll do it.

“N-No, I won’t break it… h-help… please help…”

“If I hear you promise—no shouting, obey me—then I’ll take you along.”

I thought good girl to myself as I took action.

First I took out the five Asura large copper coins I’d hidden in my pants.
That’s my entire fortune right now.
By the way, one large copper = 1/10 silver.

While moving away from the occasional angry shouts, I headed for the town entrance.
There I handed one large copper to the bored-looking gate guard.

“If anyone comes looking for us, tell them we left town.”

“Huh? Kids? Got it, but… what, playing hide-and-seek or something?
Whoa—that’s a lot of money… what kind of nobles are you…?”

I asked him earnestly to please do it.
Should at least buy us some time.

Near the entrance was the stagecoach waiting area.
I went straight there.
I’d already checked the usage instructions on the wall.
Also confirmed our current location and fares.

“Looks like this is a town called Weeden—two stops from Roa.”

I whispered to the young lady.
She—keeping her promise not to shout—whispered back.

“How do you know?”

“It’s written right there.”

“I can’t read…”

Good, good.

“Being able to read is useful. It even tells you how to use the stagecoach.”

Still—being carried this far in one day.
An unknown town is nerve-wracking…
My trauma’s resurfacing.
No, no—I’m not the same guy who didn’t even know where the job center was back then.
Speaking of—Paul and “harowa” (job center) look kinda similar in writing.

While I was thinking that, I sensed angry shouts drawing closer.

“! Hide…!”

I pulled the young lady into the waiting-area restroom and locked the door.
Heavy footsteps pounded outside.

“Where are you?!”

“You think you can get away?!”

Ugh—scary.
Stop searching with that voice.
At least use a softer, cat-like tone…

The young lady was covering her mouth, trembling.

“…A-Are we okay?”

“Well—if they find us, we’ll resist with everything we’ve got.”

“Y-Yeah… okay…”

“Though we’ll probably lose.”

“R-Really…?”

She was starting to get motivated, so I corrected course.

“By the way—I checked the fares earlier.
From here we need to change stagecoaches twice.”

“…?”

What about it?—that was her face.

“Stagecoaches run five times a day, every two hours starting at 8 a.m.—same in every town.
It takes three hours to the next town from here.
The one leaving now is the fourth. Which means…”

“Which means?”

“Even if we reach the next town, there won’t be any coaches to Roa.
We’ll have to spend the night there.”

“! …I-I see… h-hmm.”

She looked like she almost screamed but held it in.

“We have four large coppers left.
Fare to the next town, lodging for one night, fare from there to Roa.
If we spend on all three—it’ll be tight.”

“Tight… but it’ll cover us, right?”

“It will.”

She let out a relieved breath.
Too soon.

“Assuming they don’t short us on change.”

“Ch-Change…?”

She looked confused.
Maybe she’s never bought anything with her own money.

“When people see kids like us, they’ll assume we can’t do math.
Then they might cheat us on the change.
If we point it out right away, they’ll give the correct amount.
But if we can’t…”

“What happens?”

“We won’t make the last coach.
And those men will catch up…”

She started trembling again.
Looked like she might wet herself.

“Young Lady—the toilet’s right there.”

“I-I know!”

“Then I’ll check outside for a moment.”

As I tried to leave the stall, she grabbed my hem.

“D-Don’t go…”

After getting suitably excited watching her pee scene, I stepped outside.
By the way—this country’s toilets are pit-style.

The men didn’t seem to be around.
Maybe they started searching outside the town, or maybe they’re still combing the streets.
If they find us, I’ll have to blast them with magic and neutralize them.
I pray they’re opponents I can beat.

I hid in a corner of the waiting area and waited.
Then—at departure time—I paid the driver and boarded the coach.

—

We reached the next town without incident,
stayed in what was basically a shack of an inn,
and slept on straw.
The young lady was too excited to sleep.
Every little sound made her jump up and glare fearfully at the door.

The next morning we took the earliest coach—
and after several hours arrived back in Roa without major problems.
She spent the whole ride watching the road behind us anxiously.
A few lone riders passed us from behind, but they weren’t the kidnappers.
We’d come pretty far—they might have given up.
I thought that casually.

We passed through the reassuring city walls
and saw the lord’s manor in the distance.
A wave of relief hit me.
We’re safe now, I unconsciously thought.
People call that letting your guard down.

The young lady was dragged into an alley.

“…Huh?”

It took me two full seconds to notice.
In those two seconds—while my eyes were off her—she vanished.
I genuinely thought she disappeared.
In the corner of my vision—a scrap of cloth the same color as her dress caught on the corner of a building.
I chased immediately.
No way she’d wander off to play now after everything.

Inside the alley—two men were carrying her toward the far side street.
I instantly raised an earth wall with magic to block their path.

“What the—?!”

She was gagged and in tears.
Gagged in seconds. Skilled. Very practiced.

Her cheek was swollen red—probably punched once.
Two men. Both male.
One was the brute who kicked me earlier.
The other was probably the one talking in the warehouse.

Both dressed like bandits.
Unlike back then, they now had swords at their waists.

“What’s this, brat? If you’d stayed quiet you could’ve gone home…”

They were startled by the sudden wall,
but when they turned and saw me, they grinned.
The brute started walking toward me carelessly.
The other held the young lady.
No more companions, apparently…

For now—I conjured a small fireball at my fingertip as a threat.

“Wha—! You little shit!”

The brute drew his sword.
The other instantly went on guard, pressing the blade to her throat and slowly backing away.

“You were too calm—should’ve known you were a guard mage…
No wonder she escaped so easily. Damn—we got fooled by your looks!”

“I’m not a guard. I haven’t been hired yet.”

“What? Then why’re you interfering?”

“Well—I’m planning to be hired soon.”

“Heh—after money, huh?”

Money.
Yeah—for Magic University tuition.

“Can’t deny it.”

“Then join us.
I’ve got a connection—a perverted noble who’ll pay top coin for highborn girls…
Or we can demand ransom. The lord here dotes on his granddaughter—he’ll pay anything.”

“Hou…”

I made an impressed sound.
She turned pale and looked at me.
She probably heard I’m working for tuition.

“Specifically—how much?”

“Not some petty one or two gold a month.
Roughly a hundred gold.”

He said it smugly.
I don’t know exact prices here,
but it felt like “100 million yen—amazing, right?”
Very elementary-school energy.

“Heh—you’ve got the look of someone who’s suffered because of how you look, huh?
Then you know how important money is, yeah?”

“I see.”

Makes sense to strangers, I guess.
My mental age is over 40, after all.
Bullseye.
Not bad, bandit-san.

“Yeah—I’ve lived long enough to really understand the value of money.
I’ve even been dumped penniless and half-naked in a completely unknown place before.”

“Heh heh heh.”

Though before that I lived without ever worrying about money.
Nearly twenty years as a NEET.
My half-life soaked in eroge and MMOs.
From that—I’d learned one thing.
What it means to betray the young lady here.
What it means to save her and build the next event.

“That’s exactly why—I also understand there are things more important than money.”

“Cut the pretty words!”

“They’re not pretty words. Money can’t buy ‘deredere.’”

Whoops—true feelings leaked.
The brute looked baffled—“Deredere? What’s that?”—
but he clearly understood the negotiation had broken down.
His sleazy grin vanished; he turned grim and pressed the sword harder against her throat.

“Then she’s a hostage! First—shoot that fireball into the sky or something!”

“…Just into the sky?”

“Yeah. Don’t even think about pointing that fingertip at us.
No matter how fast you are, I’ll cut this bitch’s throat and use her as a shield first.”

They don’t just say dispel it?
Maybe they don’t know.
Chanted magic fires automatically once cast.

“Understood.”

Before launching, I manipulated the mana and tweaked the fireball.
I created a second, special fireball inside it.

Pew.

With a goofy sound the fireball rose.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

A massive explosion erupted in midair.
Deafening noise, blinding light, searing heat rained down.

“Wha—!”

“Wha—?!”

“Nngh—?!”

The moment everyone looked up—
I ran.

While running, I built two spells on reflex.
A wind vacuum blade to sever the brute’s arm.
At the same time, an earth rock shot toward the other man.

“GYAAAH!”

The brute dropped the young lady.
I caught her firmly—princess carry.
Looking at the other—
the rock had been cleaved clean in two.

“Uwah…”

Oh no… oh crap.
He cut the rock.

Swordmaster type.
No idea which school, but seriously dangerous.
If he’s Paul-level—I’m done.

I blasted a wind-fire shockwave under my feet and flew backward.
The impact felt like it might break my legs.

A moment later, a sword passed through where I’d been.

Close call.

But he’s not as fast as Paul.
Calm down—I’ve simulated fighting swordsmen countless times.

While airborne, I prepared the next spell.
First—a slow-moving fireball straight at his face.

“Something like this?!”

He read it and raised his sword to intercept.
The delay until impact.
In that window, I used water and earth magic to create a sticky bog under his feet.
The fireball was blocked—
but his calves sank into viscous mud, stopping his movement.

“What—?!”

Yes—won!

“You’re not getting away!”

…Huh…?

He suddenly threw his sword.

Not desperation.
Paul once told me:
North God Style has a technique for when a mage stops your feet—you throw the sword.

I instinctively knew I couldn’t dodge.
But strangely—I was calm.
The sword flew toward me in slow motion.

Trajectory—my head.

…At least pray I don’t die.
…Namu.

Clang!

The moment something brownish flashed in front of me—
a sound like pottery clashing—
the sword fell.

“…Huh…?”

At the same time, the head of the man stuck in the mud fell.
The tiger tail of the brownish muscle mass twitched—
and the wrist-clutching brute’s head fell too.

Dead.

My brain couldn’t keep up.
I just stared blankly as two bodies—several meters away—collapsed.

It didn’t feel real.
I didn’t even understand what happened.

“Hm. Rudeus. Were there only two enemies?”

The voice snapped me back.

“Ah—yes. Thank you, Ghislaine…-san.”

“No ‘-san.’ Just Ghislaine.”

The mass of brownish muscle—Ghislaine—turned and nodded.

“A huge explosion went off in midair, so I came to check. Good thing I did.”

“Y-You got here so fast. And you killed them in seconds…”

Less than a minute since my first spell.

“I was nearby. And it wasn’t fast. Any Dedoldia warrior could instant-kill at that level.
By the way—first time fighting North God Style?”

“First time killing anyone, actually.”

“I see. They never give up until they’re dead. Be careful.”

Until they’re dead…

Thinking back to the flying sword, my legs nearly gave out.
That was killing intent.
It just… happened in the flow, but that was a life-or-death fight.
In my NEET days I fantasized about battles and killing countless times,
but I never imagined the smell of blood in real life.
It’s sickening…

“L-Let’s go back.”

If I vomit here, all the effort to win her over will be wasted.
With that thought—I left the scene.

—

Back at the manor, the young lady collapsed limply to the ground.
The tension finally broke; her legs gave out.
Maids rushed over in a panic.

When they tried to help her up, she swatted their hands away.
Then—shaking like a newborn fawn—she stood on her own.
Arms crossed, standing tall.
Maybe returning home restored her spirit.

The maids sensed something unusual and froze.
She pointed sharply at me and declared in a booming voice:

“We promised—until we got home!
So now I can talk, right?!”

“Yes, Young Lady. You can talk now.”

Hearing that loud voice—
I instinctively knew.
I’d failed.
It was shallow thinking after all.
There’s no way a few events could change someone so spoiled and violent.
If anything—I was the one shaking after my first real kill.

Maybe she sensed that.
She realized I’m weak after all—despite all my big talk.

“I’ll specially allow you to call me Eris!”

But her words caught me completely off guard.

“Huh?”

“It’s special, so don’t get cocky!”

O-Oh!
For real?!
It worked?!
Yes!

“Thank you! Eris-sama!”

“No ‘-sama’! Just Eris!”

Eris—imitating Ghislaine’s tone—
promptly collapsed backward onto the floor.

And so—I became Eris Boreas Greyrat’s private tutor.