Chapter 17: Language Learning.
Since Eris’s tenth birthday, she has become noticeably more obedient.
She now listens seriously during lessons, and the frequency of being punched has drastically decreased.
I have finally been liberated from the terror of domestic violence
and gained some mental breathing room.
So, I decided to focus on my own studies.
—
First, using the history books I found in the library, I began researching a rough outline of this world’s history.
According to the history books, the world has existed for over 100,000 years.
It was an incredibly fantastical history.
Dividing it roughly into a timeline, it looks something like this:
—More than 100,000 years ago—
The world was divided into seven realms, each ruled by a god.
This period is called the Age of the Ancient Gods.
The seven worlds and their gods were:
– The Human World — Human God
– The Demon World — Demon God
– The Dragon World — Dragon God
– The Beast World — Beast God
– The Sea World — Sea God
– The Heavenly World — Heavenly God
– The Void World — Void God
At that time, each world was separated by barriers, making travel between them nearly impossible.
The inhabitants of one world were unaware of the existence of the others.
Only a handful of gods and exceptionally powerful individuals capable of passing through the barriers knew about the other worlds.
—20,000 to 10,000 years ago—
An evil Dragon God was born in the Dragon World.
Possessing overwhelming power, this Dragon God shattered the barriers
and led his five Dragon Generals to destroy the other worlds.
The survivors of the ruined worlds fled to the last remaining one: the Human World.
Just as the end seemed near, the five Dragon Generals betrayed the Dragon God.
Led by the Dragon Emperor and the four Dragon Kings, they fought the overwhelmingly powerful Dragon God in a five-on-one deathmatch.
The result was mutual destruction.
The aftermath of that battle caused the Dragon World to collapse.
Only the Human World remained.
That is this world.
—10,000 to 8,000 years ago—
Known as the Age of Chaos.
The ancestors of the original human inhabitants and the refugees from other worlds fought chaotically among themselves.
Almost no documents from this era survive.
However, scholars believe that over a long period, the various races gradually separated and settled in their own territories.
Beast tribes took the forests, Sea tribes dominated the oceans, Heavenly tribes claimed the highlands.
Almost no dragons remained, but those that did hid away quietly.
The Void race could live anywhere, so they were everywhere.
Only humans and demons continued to fight over the plains.
At that time, the Central Continent and the Demon Continent were still connected by land and called the Great Continent.
—Approximately 7,000 years ago—
Martial techniques and magic developed, and populations grew.
This led to the First Human-Demon Great War.
A literal large-scale frontal clash between humans and demons—
equivalent to a world war in my previous life.
Not just humans and demons—other races were also dragged into this long conflict.
—Approximately 6,000 years ago—
The First Human-Demon Great War continued for a thousand years, alternating between fierce battles and lulls,
until the hero Ars, leading six companions, defeated the Five Great Demon Kings and the Great Demon Empress Kishirika.
From the name, the Great Demon Empress was probably female.
In my mind, I pictured Eris in bondage fashion cackling loudly.
Also—Hero Ars? Is this Dragon Quest or something?
—Approximately 5,500 years ago—
Humans, being foolish, misunderstood their victory over the demons as proof of their own strength.
They started wars against other races and fought among themselves.
Demons were enslaved during this period.
A Sengoku-like era of constant warfare lasted nearly 500 years.
—5,000 years ago—
The Second Human-Demon Great War began.
To vent a thousand years of resentment, demons rose up under the banner of Great Demon Empress Kishirika.
Again, Kishirika… is this some kind of title succession?
No—she is said to be an immortal Demon Empress.
Even if killed, she revives after about a thousand years.
She is called Great Demon Empress because she stands head and shoulders above other Demon Emperors.
The demons allied with the Beast and Sea tribes and overwhelmed humanity, driving them to the brink.
—4,200 years ago—
The Second Human-Demon Great War ended.
War-loving humans refused to admit defeat for 800 years and eventually pushed back.
A hero named the Golden Knight Aldebaran played a major role.
He was an outrageous cheat character:
single-handedly annihilating armies of over 10,000, defeating all prominent demon leaders,
and fighting the Great Demon Empress of that era in single combat.
His final ultimate technique opened a massive hole in the Great Continent,
splitting it into the Central Continent and Demon Continent and creating the Ringus Sea in between.
One theory claims he was the Human God himself.
The Aldebaran I know is the guy who dies the moment he uses his special move,
but this world’s Golden Knight seems to be on another level entirely.
The continent-splitting part may be exaggerated,
but it is fact that this war split the continent in two and created a new sea in the middle.
In any case, the division of the continents brought the long-desired peace.
—4,200 to 1,000 years ago—
The timeline jumps dramatically here.
The world was peaceful, but demons were gradually driven out of the Central Continent.
Humans, being cunning, used diplomatic means to confine demons to the Demon Continent.
The Central Continent is fertile and easy to live in.
The Demon Continent is barren, with mana pools forming easily.
Over more than 3,000 years, humans slowly strangled the Demon Continent with silk thread—
gradually sealing it off in collaboration with other races,
hoping to prevent another Human-Demon Great War.
The demons probably resisted.
But against an opponent slowly advancing through diplomacy without starting a war,
they couldn’t do much.
Eventually, demons stopped questioning why they couldn’t leave the Demon Continent.
In a harsh environment with scarce resources, they naturally fell into civil conflict.
The demons became naturally toughened, but their numbers dwindled.
—1,000 years ago—
The birth of Demon God Laplace.
Throughout history there have been many Demon Kings and Demon Emperors,
but only one being was ever called Demon God—Laplace.
He swiftly unified the demons and pacified the Demon Continent.
Records of the battles from that time remain and have been passed down as war chronicles.
Even now, Laplace is something of an idol on the Demon Continent.
Over a long period, he built the Unified Demon Empire
and raised the entire demon race to be tough and resilient.
—500 years ago—
The Laplace Campaign began.
After long years of persuasion, Laplace convinced the Sea and Beast tribes to join him
and invaded the Central Continent.
Humans were forced into battles far more brutal than anything before.
He first invaded from the south, drawing human forces southward.
He released Red Dragons into the Central Continent’s mountains, making passage impossible.
Then invaded from the north, splitting human forces,
and swiftly overran the south.
In this way, he quickly seized the northern and southern parts of the Central Continent
and advanced on the west from both directions.
—400 years ago—
Driven into a corner, humans made a final gamble.
Seven heroes persuaded the Sea tribe to lift the naval blockade
and set sail for the Millis Continent, which had been spared from invasion.
Reasons for Millis being untouched include:
the barrier of Holy Millis, the powerful Holy Knights,
terrain unsuitable for large-scale landings, etc.
They had also been isolated due to the Great Forest to the north—
the Beast tribe, allied with demons, had been glaring at the Millis Holy Kingdom.
So the seven heroes persuaded the Beast tribe.
Or rather—went around to each Beast tribe chief,
took their children hostage, and intimidated them.
The records are heavily beautified (“the children cooperated willingly”),
but I’m not fooled.
On the day of the decisive battle,
the only remaining human nation—the Asura Kingdom—threw everything into the fight.
Slightly later, the seven heroes, leading the Millis Holy Knights and Beast tribes,
launched a surprise assault on Laplace’s main force.
After a fierce battle in which four of the seven heroes died,
they annihilated Laplace’s lieutenants and succeeded in sealing the Demon God Laplace.
The three survivors:
Dragon God Orsted, North God Kalman, Armored Dragon King Pergius.
They are called the Three Heroes Who Slayed the Demon God.
…They didn’t slay him, though.
Though Laplace was defeated, humanity was severely exhausted and could not continue fighting.
So they made a treaty with the moderate Demon Kings who had not followed Laplace and remained on the Demon Continent.
The blockade of the Demon Continent was lifted,
allowing demons to walk freely on other continents.
Other discriminatory practices against demons were also prohibited by treaty.
In my previous world’s terms—it was like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
—Up to the present—
While discrimination against demons remains deeply rooted in the Central Continent,
the world is generally at peace.
—
From this history, several things became clear.
– Why the number seven is considered auspicious
This comes from history.
Seven heroes, seven worlds.
Seven is the lucky number.
Six is ominous.
There are Five Dragon Generals and Five Great Demon Kings,
but including the boss makes six.
– Long-ear tribe (Elves), Coal-mining tribe (Dwarves), Halflings, and various other races
They are technically classified as demons.
But there is also a theory they are new species born during the Age of Chaos.
They may also be related to the Void race mentioned earlier.
The reason such a long history has been preserved
is because there are races with no lifespan limit.
Great Demon Empress Kishirika is one,
and there are many other “immortal” Demon Kings.
There may be magic that makes the body immortal.
—
After studying history, I also learned a bit about the languages of this world.
The main languages currently in use are:
– Human Language — used on the Central Continent
– Beast God Language — used on the Millis Continent
– Fighting God Language — used on the Begaritt Continent
– Heavenly God Language — used on the Heavenly Continent
– Demon God Language — used on the Demon Continent
– Sea God Language — used across the seas in general
In short, each is named after the god of the race living there.
Only humans don’t use “Human God Language.”
How blasphemous.
The Central Continent, where Human Language is spoken, is divided into three regions,
each with slightly different dialects of Human Language.
But the difference is about the same as American vs. British English.
I speak the western dialect of the Central Continent.
It’s understandable in the north as well.
But it’s better not to speak the western dialect in other regions.
People from the west are assumed to be wealthy.
That makes them easy targets for pickpockets and thieves.
The Millis Continent is also divided—
Beast God Language in the north, Human Language in the south.
Across the seas live the Sea People tribe.
I’ve heard the term “Sea Fish tribe,” but I’ve never seen them in town.
—
Now—
In addition to my monthly salary,
I’ve been earning pocket money in various ways:
selling figures I made,
doing day labor on holidays (helping Philip),
buying goods one day and reselling them months later, etc.
I had been saving up to buy Sig’s Summoning Technique.
But by the time I had enough, the book had already sold out.
Summoning magic—I was interested,
but oh well.
Can’t buy what isn’t there.
So I decided to spend my money on something else.
Something I could buy for about five gold coins.
Actually—no need to spend it all at once.
What caught my eye was a book written in an unknown language.
After learning about history and languages,
I remembered how important it is to learn new languages.
So I decided to study another language.
First, the Beast God Language that Ghislaine can speak.
I also want to learn Demon God Language.
I’ll write to Roxy asking her to at least teach me the basics.
—
I turned nine.
It has been two years since I became Eris’s private tutor.
—
It took one full year to master Beast God Language.
Ghislaine helped a great deal.
It didn’t actually take that long to learn.
There aren’t many characters to memorize,
and once you grasp the patterns, spoken language is simple.
In my previous life I was terrible at foreign languages…
but this body has an abnormally good memory.
And now—
I am studying Demon God Language.
Books written in Demon God Language were cheap.
The bookstore owner even warned me upfront:
“I don’t know what’s written in it, you know?”
Seven silver coins.
I haggled down to six.
—
Another three months passed.
Translation is surprisingly difficult work.
No—let me be honest:
I have no idea what’s written here.
If I at least knew the title, I might be able to guess the content and fill in the blanks.
But when I don’t know the content or the language, I’m completely stuck.
The reason Beast God Language was relatively easy was partly because of Ghislaine’s help,
but also because the textbook I used was a side story from The Legend of Pergius
about a Beast tribe hero.
Having the main Legend of Pergius on hand made picking out vocabulary much easier.
But Demon God Language—I’m completely lost.
How did archaeologists in my previous world ever decipher ancient scripts?
They probably picked out repeated words and hypothesized meanings.
Something like that.
Yeah… but first I need to figure out what even counts as a word.
I’m totally stuck.
—
Finally, a letter arrived from Roxy.
It had been over a year without contact,
so I was starting to worry that something had happened to the letter
or that Roxy had already left the royal palace of Shirone.
At last.
Just seeing a letter from Roxy makes me happy.
I wonder if my master is doing well.
Suppressing my excitement, I accepted the package from the maid.
A letter…
Actually, it was a small parcel.
A heavy wooden box.
About the size of a phone book.
Inside were a letter and one thick book.
The book had no title; its cover was made of animal leather.
It looked like a phone book with a dust jacket.
First, the letter.
I sniffed it—
and it seemed to carry Roxy’s scent.
‘To Rudeus-sama,
I have read your letter.
I am amazed at how much you have grown in such a short time.
I never imagined you would become the private tutor to the daughter of the Fittoa Region’s lord.
My jaw dropped in surprise.
By the way—I was rejected at the interview for that position.
Is this the power of connections?
If I weren’t currently tutoring a prince, I might have been jealous.
Moreover—not only that,
but you have become acquainted with Sword King Ghislaine and even taken her as your disciple.
Sword King Ghislaine is a very famous person, you know.
After all, she is the fourth strongest in the Sword God Style.
Sigh… where has the Rudeus gone who peeked at my bath when he was five years old?
You’ve become so distant.
Now to the main topic.
You said you wanted to learn Demon God Language.
Each demon tribe possesses many original magics unknown to humans.
There may be no surviving literature,
but if you can speak Demon God Language,
in the future you might be able to visit a tribal settlement and be taught—
provided you build a good relationship, of course.
An ordinary mage would find it impossible,
but if it’s you, Rudeus, you might even master it.
With that hope in mind, I have written a textbook especially for you.
This is my own handwriting.
It took quite a long time, so please treasure it—
don’t sell it or throw it away.
If I ever see it being sold in a bookstore… I might cry…
Speaking of shops—
the other day the prince secretly slipped out of the castle
and bought a statue that looks exactly like me.
The robe is removable, and even the moles and body shape are identical.
It’s creepy.
I may be cursed and killed soon.
I have no idea why…
If nothing happens, I’ll write again.
—Roxy
P.S. Among adventurers, there is a common belief that “if you have a staff, you’re a mage.”’
I see.
The bath-peeking thing is a misunderstanding.
I didn’t peek on purpose.
I just happened to see.
It was an accident. Really.
I did know Roxy’s bathing schedule,
and I did intentionally walk around the house at that time,
but it was still an accident.
Also—Ghislaine is fourth in the Sword God Style?
Sword God, Sword Emperor, Sword King… wait?
There are two Sword Emperors?
Meaning there’s only one Sword King?
I’d heard there were tons of Sword God Style practitioners worldwide.
I thought there would be at least ten Sword Kings or so,
but apparently it’s a very narrow gate.
Also—Roxy’s lookalike statue ended up being delivered right near her by coincidence.
The prince has good taste.
Oh—more importantly.
The enclosed book is apparently handwritten by Roxy herself.
No matter how long delivery takes,
she couldn’t have spent more than half a year writing it.
She put real effort into making this for me.
It will surely help with decoding Demon God Language.
I’ll do my best too.
With that thought, I sat back down and opened the book.
NOW READING.
Rudeus reading time, heh.
“Whoa—this is insane.”
I couldn’t hide my surprise when I looked inside.
It was both a textbook and a dictionary.
Every Demon God word was translated into Human Language.
She probably copied from some language dictionary in the Shirone royal palace.
It covers everything—from individual words to detailed phrases and pronunciation.
But that’s not even the most surprising part.
The second half contains everything Roxy knows about every demon tribe.
This tribe hates that, that tribe forbids this.
The illustrations are crude, but she even added arrows saying “THIS IS THE FEATURE!!”
If Roxy worked hard to write all this, it’s kind of heartwarming.
The Migurd tribe entry spans five full pages—the most detailed of all.
If she wanted me to understand her people better, that’s really sweet.
“Migurd tribe members basically all like sweet things.”
Really?
Anyway—if she wrote and compiled all this in less than a year,
I truly feel I can never repay Roxy.
If we ever meet again, I might even ask to lick her feet.
They’re probably delicious.
Now then.
This is, without question, the strongest textbook possible for me right now.
I wasn’t exactly a great student in my previous life,
but this body has freakish memory.
With another half-year, I should be able to master this book completely.
At the very least—I want to be able to handle simple conversation.
Let’s do this.
—
—Ghislaine Perspective—
Rudeus has shut himself in his room again.
He’s probably working on something new.
That boy never stops surprising me.
When I first met him, I thought he was just some frail kid.
I assumed the arrogant Paul had dumped him on me out of parental pride.
I owed Paul a debt—more than just obligation, though not quite affection.
So I planned to at least recommend that—even if he couldn’t become Eris’s tutor—
the manor should let him stay.
But in no time at all, he won Eris’s trust and secured the tutor position.
The kidnapping incident was apparently planned by Rudeus himself.
I heard the butler tried to exploit it for money,
but when I arrived at the scene,
Rudeus was fighting the two men the butler hired on equal footing.
One of them was supposedly an Advanced North God Style swordsman,
yet Rudeus used two different magics—sometimes combining them—
in an extremely unique fighting style that completely overwhelmed them.
He still had some childish carelessness,
but for his age, that battle sense is pure talent.
Even I might lose if the fight started more than 100 meters away.
It’s not just his combat sense.
He created a lesson plan for Eris,
implemented efficient teaching methods.
His lessons are easy to understand.
To think that I—someone once told my brain was made of muscle—
would learn to read, write, do arithmetic…
and even receive a wand.
I was the worst troublemaker in my village,
sent away to a wandering swordsman before I turned ten,
reached Sword King,
yet was rejected by every party I joined,
and even in the one I finally settled in,
was constantly told by that frivolous, womanizing man
“you’re too stupid, just don’t think.”
If I went back to my village now,
what faces would they make?
Just imagining it almost makes me smile.
I never thought the day would come when thinking of my old village would make me feel this way.
I have never received so much from a boy young enough to be my own son.
After the party disbanded,
every day was just about being taken from.
Scammed out of everything,
yet strictly taught by my master never to steal from others,
so I couldn’t even resort to theft.
Starving, barely able to work,
on the verge of death by hunger—
it was Sauros-sama and Eris-sama who picked me up.
I hold the same respect for Rudeus as I do for those two.
Calling him “master” might make Sword God-sama angry—
“How dare you put that kid on the same level as me!”—
so I should call him “teacher.”
I respect Rudeus as my teacher.
He patiently teaches me arithmetic and magic.
I keep making the same mistakes over and over—
I’m not quick to learn.
But Rudeus never looks annoyed.
He explains kindly and patiently,
changing his wording each time until I understand.
Thanks to him, in just two short years
I have mastered beginner-level fire and water magic.
Following Rudeus’s teaching philosophy,
he doesn’t rush to intermediate—
he trains us until we can use what we’ve learned chantlessly.
Being able to use simple magic even with both hands occupied is very practical.
So it’s easy to understand.
And when I understand, I can put in the effort.
Though effort alone doesn’t always lead to success.
My sword master—Sword God-sama—
spent endless time drilling “rationality” into my thick skull.
“Rationality is the foundation.”
Those were Sword God-sama’s words.
The foundation of any school that has been honed over long years
is a mass of rationality.
To me as a child who hated boring basics,
my master relentlessly hammered them in—
over and over and over.
Thanks to that, I somehow reached the ridiculous rank of Sword King.
Rudeus’s teaching method closely resembles Sword God-sama’s.
Eris sometimes complains when Rudeus isn’t around—
“I want to use flashier magic!”
—but I think the current approach is correct.
In real combat, the most reliable mage
is not the one who spends long chants on powerful advanced spells.
It’s the one who rapidly switches between beginner and intermediate spells
according to the situation.
I used to think mages were useless in fights between people.
But not anymore.
After seeing Rudeus, I can say that clearly.
If there were an opponent who could run at high speed
while simultaneously using movement-blocking and attack magic,
they would be the ultimate nightmare for any swordsman.
I heard Paul was his only opponent back in the village.
Knowing that irresponsible man,
he probably just beat Rudeus down with brute force.
If that resulted in Rudeus developing near-perfect anti-swordsman tactics…
an injury that turned into a blessing.
Even Paul does something right once in a while.
Of course—one misstep and Rudeus might have given up on fighting entirely
and buried his talent forever.
The fact that he didn’t give up
probably comes from inheriting Paul’s refusal to lose.
Someday—I’d like to teach him a technique that can defeat Paul.
That said—Rudeus has no talent for Sword God Style.
He seeks rationality too much and overthinks.
He tries to make already-rational movements even more rational—
and ends up with irrational results.
Given his personality, that’s not necessarily bad.
He probably assumes he’ll be using magic anyway.
But Sword God Style—
where everything is decided by a single step-in
and resolved in a single instant of crossing blades—
does not suit that mindset.
Paul apparently never taught him this,
but North God Style would probably fit him best.
Unfortunately I can only use Sword God Style.
I can’t teach him.
But I have connections.
If in three years Rudeus still wants to continue swordsmanship,
I’ll introduce him to someone from North God Style.
All I can do is keep drilling Sword God Style fundamentals into him.
If the foundation is solid, he’ll improve quickly even after switching styles.
Assuming he still wants to learn swordsmanship, of course.
Right now he seems stuck without a proper master,
but eventually Rudeus will succeed as a mage.
God-rank is inhuman territory, so I don’t know—
but he might at least reach Emperor-rank.
What path should I recommend for Rudeus’s future?
I’m sure his magic master—Roxy—also agonized over the same question.
In the end she ran away, which I find pathetic,
but I won’t blame her.
If anything—I should be grateful to her.
Because of her, I became able to use magic.
Learning under an incompetent master only stifles the student.
…Someday I too might find teaching swordsmanship painful.
My thoughts wandered.
Right.
Rudeus is doing something again.
Unlike Eris, who has too much free time on rest days and gets bored,
Rudeus is always trying something new.
Recently he said he wanted to learn Beast God Language
and came to my room after dinner with a book in hand.
I wondered what he planned to do with a language only spoken in the Great Forest,
but in half a year he completely mastered it.
Beast God Language has no complicated expressions.
He can now handle everyday conversation perfectly.
“With this, I can go to the Great Forest anytime.”
What does he plan to do in such a closed-off place?
When I asked—
“Huh? No… nothing in particular…
Oh—there might be cute girls there. With cat ears.”
At that moment, I became convinced.
This boy is definitely Paul’s son.
He carries the blood of the Greyrat family.
Yes.
For some reason, Greyrat men look at me strangely.
If it were just as a woman, I wouldn’t mind—
but it’s not that.
It’s a very peculiar gaze.
Usually males look at my face first,
then pretend to look elsewhere while sneaking glances at my chest.
Then their eyes slide down—stomach, crotch, thighs.
From behind—they stare at my butt.
I don’t particularly mind.
But the Greyrat men are different.
At first I thought they were looking at my face and butt too.
Well—looking is fine.
I didn’t think they expected anything more.
Only someone as perverted as Paul would.
But I soon realized the focus of their gaze was strange.
When looking at my face—they looked slightly upward.
At my butt—they looked slightly to the side…
When I asked why they were looking at my ears,
Philip answered without changing expression:
“The Boreas family likes beast people.”
He said it while staring at my ears.
I was also told that Rudeus doesn’t carry the Greyrat noble name—
he’s from the Notos branch—so it’s different.
“But since he’s Paul’s son, there’s no doubt he’s a womanizer.”
He added.
At the time I thought—makes sense.
But after meeting him—
Rudeus was so gentlemanly I couldn’t believe he was Paul’s son.
He was hardworking in a way Paul’s son shouldn’t be,
diligent in a way Paul’s son shouldn’t be,
restrained in a way Paul’s son shouldn’t be…
or maybe not.
Still—I did think for a moment he might not be Paul’s son.
But I’ve changed my mind.
There’s no doubt.
Rudeus Greyrat carries Paul’s blood.
“You really are Paul’s son.
You’re not satisfied with just the females of your own kind?”
“I was joking. Please don’t phrase it like that.”
No—it probably wasn’t entirely a joke.
This boy will become a womanizer in the future.
Lately I’ve started seeing a hint of color in the way Eris looks at Rudeus.
I’m not good at romance,
but even I can tell that much.
It’s the same look Zenith had when she started falling for Paul.
That Rudeus has recently started learning Demon God Language.
After Beast God Language, now Demon God Language.
Is this boy planning a journey to search for girls all over the world?
Paul once said something similar.
“I’ll travel the Central Continent and build a harem.”
In the end he gave up when he got caught by Zenith in Millis,
but perhaps Rudeus is carrying on that will.
What a hopeless father and son…
No—I respect Rudeus.
That’s not a lie.
The one I despise is only Paul.
Rudeus has only shown a glimpse of it—he hasn’t done anything yet.
Not yet. Nothing yet.
He is a boy worthy of respect.
Yes.
—
“What’s wrong, Ghislaine?”
While I was lost in thought, Eris appeared in front of me.
She has grown a lot over these two years.
It was about five years ago when I first met her.
At first I thought she was an uncontrollable spoiled brat.
On the very first day of sword training,
I “pampered” her until her legs gave out—
then that night she attacked me in my sleep with a wooden sword.
After I repelled her, she behaved for a while,
but for months afterward her eyes blazed as she watched for openings.
Having been quite the troublemaker myself,
I felt a strange affinity for her actions.
I used to be just like that.
At first,
even during sword training she would complain—“I don’t like this, I don’t like that.”
But lately she has become much calmer.
Since around her tenth birthday,
she almost never shouts anymore, and she doesn’t get her clothes dirty.
It’s probably not just thanks to etiquette lessons—
she wants to look good in front of Rudeus.
He must have said something to her on her tenth birthday.
Probably one of Paul’s signature lines that makes a girl’s womb tremble.
He definitely sweet-talked her.
Come to think of it—on her tenth birthday,
Eris apparently slept in Rudeus’s room.
No way… surely not.
But if someday these two become mates,
I wouldn’t be surprised.
There aren’t many men who can handle Eris.
“Rudeus.”
“What is it?”
“I was thinking about Rudeus.”
“Hmm? Why?”
Eris tilted her head.
There’s a faint trace of jealousy in her eyes.
Don’t worry—I’m not going to take him.
“Why is he learning the language of the Demon Continent?”
“He said it before.”
Did he?
I try to remember everything Rudeus teaches me,
but I don’t recall why he suddenly started learning languages.
“What did he say?”
“That it might be useful someday.”
Come to think of it—
when he first arrived,
while checking prices and item names at shops,
he did say something like that.
Did those notes ever become useful?
Come to think of it—
the thief in our old party was very knowledgeable about consumable prices.
He once found a shop and said “the healing potions here are half price—let’s buy them all,”
and we ended up with counterfeits.
That was an unpleasant memory.
But now that I think about it—
if you don’t know market prices,
you might buy fakes for two or three times the price without realizing.
I said I didn’t understand back then,
but upon reflection—knowing market prices really is important.
Thanks to learning arithmetic from Rudeus,
I no longer get shortchanged—
but I could still be overcharged from the start.
Knowing arithmetic doesn’t make you a merchant.
“Never mind about Rudeus.
I probably wouldn’t understand even if I thought about it.
More importantly—Ghislaine.
If you’re free, give me sword training.”
Eris has recently become very enthusiastic about swordsmanship.
I don’t know the reason,
but perhaps she feels a sense of urgency.
Rudeus is nine.
Eris met him when she was nine.
Compared to Eris at that time,
the current Rudeus is clearly far more mature.
Reading, writing, arithmetic, magic—of course—
but even social common sense and conversation skills.
He lacks etiquette but has manners.
His demeanor is as polite as a merchant’s.
He has humor.
His occasional perverted pranks are a bit much,
but that’s just charm.
Is he really only nine?
If I only exchanged letters with him,
I might believe he was in his early forties.
Come to think of it—
there’s a scam popular in the Dragon Kingdom
where literate thieves pretend to be noble youths,
write letters to noble daughters over a long period to gain trust,
then suddenly summon them and sell them to slavers.
Perhaps Eris thought—
“I want to surpass Rudeus in at least one thing.”
And that thing is swordsmanship.
As her sword teacher, that makes me happy.
“Understood, Eris. Let’s go to the courtyard.”
“Yes!”
Eris nodded energetically.
Eris has talent for Sword God Style.
If she seriously pursues the path of the sword,
she might surpass even me someday.
She’s only Intermediate now,
but the results of three years of relentless fundamental training
are finally starting to show clearly.
Her steps are sharp and swift.
Her body has begun to carry Fighting Spirit.
Once she can consciously control Fighting Spirit,
she will officially become an Advanced Sword God Style swordsman.
If she masters it completely—she’ll be Sword Saint.
That day isn’t far off.
I don’t know how far Eris will go,
but if she reaches Sword Saint while I’m still teaching her,
I’d like to introduce her to my master.
And if possible—bring Rudeus along too.
I wonder what face my master would make.
I’m looking forward to it.