Chapter 14: “The Savagery Hasn’t Declined”.

A month passed.

Eris refuses to attend lessons.

Whenever arithmetic or reading/writing time comes around, she disappears,
and she never shows her face until sword training begins.

Of course, there are exceptions.
She listens seriously only during magic lessons.
The first time she successfully cast a Fireball,
she was overjoyed, jumping around excitedly—
and accidentally set the curtains ablaze, causing a small fire.
While staring proudly at the flames she had created, she declared:

“Someday, I’ll make a huge firework just like Rudeus!”

Her eyes burned with determination.
I quickly put out the fire
and strictly forbade her from using fire magic anywhere I couldn’t see.
She nodded obediently.

Her motivation is more than enough.
I thought the other subjects would be fine too.

But I was wrong.

She completely ignores arithmetic and reading/writing.
If I try to reason with her, she runs away.
If I try to catch her, she punches me and flees.
If I chase her, she circles back, punches me again, and runs off once more.

Even though she should have understood the importance of arithmetic and reading/writing after that recent incident.
She really, really hates them.

When I reported this to Philip, he simply replied:

“Getting her to attend lessons is part of your job as a tutor.”

I forced myself to accept that and went looking for Eris again.
Ghislaine is also learning reading/writing and arithmetic,
but needless to say—she’s just an extra.
I can’t focus only on her.

However, she’s not easy to find.
I’ve only been in the manor for a month,
while Eris has lived here for years.
The difference in familiarity with the layout is overwhelming.
Hide-and-seek is out of the question.

Still, apparently all the previous tutors managed to find her somehow.
And then they were brutally beaten and quit…

Some tutors even managed to overpower Eris.
But then she ambushed them at night with a wooden sword while they slept,
leaving them bedridden for months.
Only Ghislaine has ever managed to fend off both nighttime and morning attacks.

By the way, there’s one more tutor who’s still around—
Eris’s wet nurse. Somehow she’s managing.

Even if I find her, the future is hospitalization.
Honestly, I’d rather not find her.
I don’t want to get pummeled.
If she’ll just listen to magic lessons, then magic alone should be fine.
But Philip insists I teach arithmetic and reading/writing too—
with the same emphasis as magic.
He says it’s even more important.
Fair enough.

Maybe I should stage another kidnapping.
Some kids only learn after proper punishment…

“Suu~… suu~…”

While I was thinking that, I finally found her.

Buried in a pile of straw in the stable,
belly button exposed, sleeping peacefully.

She’s sleeping soundly.
Her sleeping face is angelic.
But don’t be fooled by appearances—she’s a reverse devil.
The kind of devil that beats you bloody.

Still—I can’t just leave her here.

First, so she doesn’t catch a cold, I tug her clothes down to cover her navel.
Then I give her chest a little squeeze.

My inner sage evaluates:
“Hm, still AA-cup territory. But the growth potential is high.
Keep massaging daily to monitor progress.
That too is training. Ho ho ho.”
Thank you, sage!

After enjoying myself sufficiently, I whisper:

“Young Lady, time to wake up. Eris-sama.
Fun, fun arithmetic time~”

No response.
Can’t be helped~
Bad girls get their panties pulled down, you know~?

Just as I was about to slip my hand under her loose long skirt—
her eyes snapped open.

Her gaze slowly moved from my hand touching her leg…
up… up… to my face.
Her sleepy expression twisted with the sound of grinding teeth.

Here it comes!

A fist flew an instant later.
Thinking it was aimed at my face, I crossed my arms in front of me in panic.

“Gueh…!”

The punch sank deep into my solar plexus.
I dropped to my knees in agony.
No reverse this time—just pure devil.

“Hmph!”

She snorted, delivered one kick to my side,
slipped past me, and left the stable.

—

No helping it.

I asked Ghislaine for help.

Even Paul called her “brain made of muscle.”
If she explains the importance of reading/writing and arithmetic,
surely it’ll carry more weight.
Eris will listen to her.
That was my simple reasoning.

Ghislaine initially told me to handle it myself,
but when I fake-cried using water magic, she reluctantly agreed.
Easy.

—

Now—let’s see what she can do.
I decided not to interfere and left it entirely to Ghislaine.

She made her move during a break in magic lessons.

“I used to think a sword was all I needed.”

She began talking about her past.
About her wild childhood self,
the master who accepted her,
and the companions she gained after becoming an adventurer.

What followed after that long preface… was a tale of hardship.

“When I was an adventurer, everyone else handled things.
Weapons, food, consumables, buying and selling daily goods, contracts, maps, signposts.
The weight of a water flask, securing fire, a torch blocking the left hand…
I only realized how important they were after we split.”

Apparently the party disbanded about seven years ago.
More precisely—when Paul and Zenith got married and settled down in the countryside, the party dissolved.
I’d vaguely suspected, but they really were in the same party.

“There was talk of continuing with the remaining members,
but with Paul—the skirmisher—gone, and Zenith—the only healer—gone too,
it would’ve fallen apart eventually anyway.”

By the way, it was a six-person party:
Swordsman, Swordsman, Warrior, Thief, Priest, Mage.
That was their rough composition.

Even back then, Ghislaine was Sword Saint-level—her attack power was overwhelming.

Warrior: Tank
Swordsman Paul: Sub-tank + Attacker
Swordsman Ghislaine: Attacker
Mage: Attacker
Priest Zenith: Healer

Very well-balanced.

The “Thief,” according to Ghislaine, was basically the handyman title.
Lockpicking, trap detection, tent setup, negotiating with merchants—
all handled by someone quick-witted who could read and write.
Usually from merchant families.

“They could’ve at least called him a Treasure Hunter…”

I muttered without thinking, but—

“That guy constantly stole from the party funds for gambling. ‘Thief’ suits him perfectly.”

Harsh.

“Didn’t he get beaten up if caught?”

“No. He actually had talent for gambling—often came back with more. Rarely went below half.
He restrained himself when we were low on funds.”

Apparently.
Even with restraint, come on.
Why did they tolerate that…?
I can’t comprehend it.
Not to brag, but gambling is the one vice I never touched.
Though I did spend over 100,000 on MMOs…

Well—there was also a womanizer like Paul in the party,
so morally it probably wasn’t a very strict group.
Everyone draws their own lines.
Every group has its own rules.

“By the way—what’s the difference between Swordsman and Warrior?”

I asked out of curiosity.

“If you use a sword and follow one of the three great schools, you’re a Swordsman.
If you use a sword but follow a different school—or use something else even if you’re from the three great schools—you’re a Warrior.”

“Huh. So Swordsman is a special title.”

More like the three great schools are special.

When Ghislaine cut down the kidnappers, her swordsmanship was incredible.
I couldn’t even see the moment she drew.
One moment she moved—next moment, heads were rolling.
Later she told me it was an ultimate technique called “Light of the Blade” or “Light Sword Technique.”

“What about Knight?”

“Knights are knights. Appointed by a country or lord.
They’re educated—so they can read, write, do arithmetic.
Some can even use basic magic.
Most come from noble families, so they’re prideful.”

Probably because they attend school or something.

“Was Father not a knight back then?”

“I don’t know the details, but Paul called himself a Swordsman.”

“I’ve heard of Magic Swordsmen or Magic Warriors too.”

“Some attack mages call themselves that.
You can call yourself whatever you want, regardless of profession.”

“Hmm~”

Eris listened with sparkling eyes.
I’m worried she might drag me or Ghislaine to a nearby labyrinth soon.
Anxiety.

I’d rather spend my days surrounded by girls in erotic bliss than go adventuring.

“Ah—but I messed up.”

I was supposed to have Ghislaine explain the importance of reading/writing and arithmetic.
I got carried away with my own curiosity.

Mistake, mistake.

—

But—

Eris started attending arithmetic and reading/writing lessons.

Thanks to Ghislaine.
After that, whenever the opportunity arose,
Ghislaine shared more hardship stories.

They were always stomach-churning tales,
but the effect was outstanding.
Eris must have accepted them as necessary.
I wish we’d done this from the start…
But no—without that kidnapping incident,
she probably wouldn’t have listened at all.
She looked at me like a bug back then.
So it wasn’t wasted.

—

First, as basic lessons, I taught the concept of the four arithmetic operations.
Thanks to previous school and tutors,
she could already do simple addition.

“Rudeus!”

“Yes, Eris-kun.”

I pointed at her raised hand.

“Why do we need division?”

She didn’t understand the importance of multiplication or division.
She was especially weak at subtraction—
the kind where digits change.
Classic case of giving up on arithmetic at borrowing.

“It’s not so much ‘necessary’—it’s just the inverse of multiplication.”

“I’m asking where we use it!”

“Right. For example—if you have 100 silver coins and want to split them equally among five people.”

Eris slammed the desk.

“That’s exactly what the last tutor said!
So why?! Why do we need to split things equally?!”

Yes.
Kids who don’t want to do it always come up with these objections.
But honestly—that part isn’t important at all.

“Well… you’d have to ask those five people why they want it equal.
Division is just convenient when you want to divide equally.”

“Convenient means we don’t have to use it, right?!”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.
But there’s a big difference between choosing not to use it
and being unable to use it.”

“Mu…”

If I ask “Can’t you do it?”, her pride will shut her up.
But that doesn’t solve the root problem.
She keeps making excuses to avoid learning arithmetic.
In times like this—Ghislaine.

“Ghislaine—have you ever struggled because you couldn’t divide things equally?”

“Yes. Once in a labyrinth we dropped our food and had to turn back.
We tried to divide the remaining food by the days left to return—and failed.
We went three days without food or water.
Thought we were going to die.
Halfway through, I couldn’t take it anymore and ate monster droppings I found on the ground.
Got terrible diarrhea.
While enduring nausea, stomach pain, and diarrhea,
a pack of monsters surrounded us—”

A stomach-churning story continued for about five minutes.
I listened with a pale face,
but to Eris it was apparently an epic tale.
Her eyes were sparkling.

“That’s why I want to learn division. Please continue the lesson.”

When Ghislaine says that, Eris quiets down.
The Boreas family seems to love beast people—
Eris doesn’t show it much, but she clearly adores Ghislaine.
She listens silently to anything Ghislaine says.
Like a little brother clinging to his big sister and copying everything she does.

“Then let’s continue with fun, repetitive drills.
Solve all these problems and bring them to me.
Ask questions whenever you don’t understand.”

Like that—things gradually started going smoothly.

—

Ghislaine turned out to be an excellent teacher too.

“Remember your stepping posture. Watch your opponent closely.”

With a sharp clack, my wooden sword was flicked away by Eris’s.

“If you step in faster than your opponent, read their movement and strike there.
If you step slower, shift your body half-off their sword’s path!”

I failed both and took a solid hit from Eris.
Even through padded leather armor stuffed with cotton,
the heavy impact came through.

“Predict their actions from their toes and line of sight!”

Another hit.

“Rudeus! Stop thinking with your head! First—focus on stepping in faster and swinging your sword!”

Think or don’t think—which is it?!

“Eris! Don’t let your hands rest! Your opponent hasn’t given up yet!”

“Yes!”

Eris still had energy to reply. I didn’t.
Can you feel the difference?
Until Ghislaine called a stop, Eris kept beating me.
She vented all her frustration from arithmetic lessons—relentlessly.
I could only counter about once every eight strikes.
Damn it.

But over this month, I could clearly feel my skill improving.
Ghislaine pointed out my flaws one by one and gave advice.
Paul did too—but only “here’s bad, there’s bad”—never how to fix it.

Plus—having Eris as an opponent of similar level was great.
Similar… both beginners.
Though honestly, Eris is ahead.
She’s been training her body and swordsmanship under Paul for years—frustrating, but inevitable.
She’s also been with Ghislaine for a while, so no helping it.
Even if an impala and a lion train the same way, the lion will always be stronger.

Still—the gap is tiny compared to Paul or Ghislaine.
I can at least understand what my opponent is doing.

If I understand, the next step opens up.
Last time I got hit by that technique.
So next time I’ll watch for it and move like this.
I can think that way now.

With Paul, the skill gap was too wide—I couldn’t understand anything.
I got hit without knowing what was happening.
Even with advice, the fundamentals were so far apart it didn’t stick.
I kept doubting everything I did.

Ghislaine’s teaching was clear enough to convince me.
But she also taught counters and responses at the same time.
That actually creates hesitation when executing techniques.

With Eris, though—
small tricks or slight changes in movement could change the outcome.
Since our skill levels are close, things actually work.

What worked yesterday might not tomorrow.
She might do something different.

What I couldn’t do yesterday, I can today.
What didn’t happen yesterday happens today.

While receiving Ghislaine’s instruction, I accumulate these tiny discoveries.

A rival really is valuable.
A nearby goal to catch up to and surpass.
Even if the difference is only 1 or 2 points,
to the people involved it’s a huge leap—being overtaken and overtaking again.
Those tiny changes pile up unnoticed—and you get stronger.

Though Eris is growing faster…

“Rudeus—you’re still so weak!”

Eris looked down at me sprawled on the ground, arms crossed.
Ghislaine scolded her.

“Don’t get cocky. You’ve held a sword far longer than he has. And you’re older.”

During sword lessons only, Ghislaine calls Eris by name only.
She says it has to be that way.

“I know! Besides—Rudeus has magic too!”

“Exactly.”

Eris acknowledges only my magic ability.
If there’s even one thing she respects, she’ll listen.
At least in that field.

“But Rudeus—your movement gets strangely stiff when attacked…”

“I’m scared. Having someone charge at me with killing intent right in front of me.”

When I said that—Eris smacked me on the head.

“What?! How pathetic! No wonder people look down on you!”

“No—Rudeus is a mage. That’s fine.”

Ghislaine cut in immediately. Eris nodded smugly.

“Oh? Then I guess it can’t be helped!”

Huh?
Why did I get hit?

“Sorry—I don’t know how to fix the flinching habit. Figure it out yourself.”

“Yes.”

For now I flinch against everyone—so it’ll take a while.

“But since you started training under Ghislaine,
I feel like I’ve gotten a lot stronger.”

“Paul is instinct-based. He’s probably not great at teaching.”

Instinct-based!
Oh—so they have that term here too?

“What’s ‘kan-kaku-ha’?”

I answered Eris’s question.

“People who just go ‘this feels about right’ and somehow manage to do it.”

Eris pursed her lips.
She’s probably instinct-based too.

“Is it bad?”

When asked if it’s bad—I’m not sure how to answer.
This is sword class—let the teacher handle it.
I looked at Ghislaine.

“It’s not bad.
But even with talent, if you don’t use your head you won’t get stronger—
and you won’t be able to teach others properly.”

“Why can’t you teach properly?”

“Because you don’t understand what you’re doing.
And if you don’t fully understand everything,
you can’t reach the next level.”

According to the Sword King—
up to Advanced is fundamentals and application.
Master all fundamentals, use them freely in any situation—
only then can you become Sword Saint.
Beyond that—tireless effort and talent.
So it still comes down to talent.

“I used to be instinct-based too.
But once I started using my head and building proper theory—I reached Sword King.”

“Amazing.”

I genuinely admire her.
Changing your own way and succeeding—
not many can do that.

“Rudeus—you’re already Water Saint-rank, aren’t you?”

“I’m instinct-based too…
Besides—unlike swordsmanship, magic has parts you can do as long as you have mana.”

“Hm… I see… but fundamentals are important, right?”

“I know.
More importantly—I only reached Saint-rank because my master’s teaching was excellent.”

Looking back—
even though she stressed fundamentals,
her lessons always pushed me toward more advanced applications.

Actually—come to think of it—
what fundamentals of magic am I even missing?
Roxy always skipped ahead.
She was a genius type—maybe she didn’t emphasize basics much either.
Hmm…

“I’m not trying to get that strong anyway—so it doesn’t matter!”

While I was lost in thought, Eris puffed out her chest and declared.
I gave a wry smile.
I said the same thing in middle school.
“I’m not aiming for first place” —and slacked off.

I thought I should correct her, but—

“But I’ll work hard to reach at least Rudeus or Ghislaine’s level!”

Never mind.

She has a proper goal.
She’s different from who I used to be.

—

Morning lessons and afternoon sword training end—
and free time begins.

Since Eris and Ghislaine had magic textbooks,
I wondered if the manor library might have grimoires.
I asked a dog-eared maid to show me.

On the way I passed Philip’s wife (Hilda, apparently).
Red hair—and a chest that promises Eris’s future development.

We’d been introduced once,
but we had almost no contact.

Um… right hand to chest, slight bow…

“Madam, on this fine day—”

“Tch.”

She clicked her tongue and ignored my greeting.
A little hurtful.
Apparently I’m disliked.
Better stay away…

Come to think of it—does she have any children besides Eris…?
No—if I ask, something even scarier might appear
and triple or quadruple my workload.
Better not poke the bush.

I reached the library—Philip was there.

“Interested in the library?”

When I asked to see it,
Philip looked at me with some kind of expectation.
What is he expecting?

Unfortunately—no grimoires like Roxy’s.
Only a ton of restricted financial documents.
Grimoires are apparently extremely rare—only a few copies in the world.
Makes sense.

But I did find some history books on a back shelf.
I’ll study them when I have time.

—

When the day ends, I prepare for tomorrow’s lessons in my assigned room.
Mainly creating arithmetic drills.
Copying exercises for reading/writing.
And previewing the magic textbook.

There’s no strict curriculum.
Since I have five years, I keep the pace slow so I don’t run out of material.
The policy is to go thoroughly and repeatedly—
no weak spots.

Same approach I used with Sylphie.

For magic preview—the problem is I forget chant spells.
I don’t say them often, so they slip my mind.
The only ones I properly memorized are healing types and Detoxification.
I never bothered memorizing attack spells.

The magic textbook was exactly the same as the one at home.
Eris and Ghislaine had it too.
Apparently it’s been copied hundreds of times
and has been a bestseller for about a thousand years.

According to Philip—
since this book appeared, the average level of mages has risen dramatically.

Before that—if you wanted to learn magic, you needed a master.
And most masters could only use beginner magic at best.
Many people apprenticed and learned almost nothing useful.

As far as I know—
this world has no printing press, let alone copying technology.
Even a bestseller would be limited in number—
and unlikely to reach people uninterested in magic.

It only started spreading widely about fifty years ago.
Thanks to cheap, widely available magic textbooks—
the number of mages exploded.
Not quite a “mage boom,”
but even among Asuran nobles,
it’s now commonly taught as part of education.

I wonder what caused the sudden increase in copies…
Looking at the colophon—‘Published by Ranoa Magic University.’

Clever business…

—

My days as a private tutor passed in the blink of an eye.