Solving the Problem

Rudeus felt a powerful force grab him by the collar and yank him backward. Eris's slap missed him by a hair, striking only the air in front of him.

Rudeus let out a long breath of relief. He was just about to offer his thanks when Roa glared at him fiercely.

To be honest, he had no idea how to deal with a difficult girl like Eris.

At this point, all he could do was agree to her request and become her tutor.

After all, Paul hadn't asked him to learn swordsmanship from Ghislaine for nothing. Ghislaine had agreed to Paul's request, so Paul had to agree to hers in turn.

Roa sighed helplessly. Meeting the brute strength of a young lady with force was undoubtedly the wrong choice—at least for now. But if he acted servilely toward her, well, putting everything else aside, Roa himself would be rather unhappy. And it probably wouldn't help much anyway. With Eris's personality, she'd most likely take it for granted.

Eris's fiery red eyes were fixed on Roa. "Are you sure you want to interfere?"

Roa was completely at a loss. She was the one paying them. He took a deep breath and said slowly, "Eris, please don't hold it against Rudeus."

Eris still looked furious. If she'd been any taller, Roa had every reason to believe she would have lunged at him.

Seeing her glaring up at him, Roa reached out and patted her on the head.

He tried to make her yield through the kindness of a senior. Eris froze for a moment and stared blankly at him.

Roa wore a gentle smile (or so he thought) as he said, "Don't make a fuss, Eris. Be good and pay attention in class."

Before Roa could finish, Eris's fist was already flying toward his stomach.

Roa's smile stiffened, but he didn't dodge. Eris's fist was surprisingly strong, which caught him off guard. The girl had the strength of five Rudeuses.

But that was still nothing compared to him. He was as strong as fifty Rudeuses.

He let a little mana coat the spot where Eris had hit him, turning her punch into nothing more than a tickle.

Eris, however, felt as if she'd punched a rock. She quickly pulled her hand back and looked at it, her little fist already a bit swollen. Her eyes grew misty.

Roa sighed pointedly and reached out to pat her head again. She dodged to the side, but Roa's hand still landed squarely on her head.

Eris's smooth, fiery red hair brushed against the boy's fingers.

Roa spoke again. "Be good, Eris. I'll make you stronger, I promise. I'm not lying."

Eris smacked his hand away and snapped, "I don't care about getting stronger or any of that! Leave me alone!"

The corner of Roa's mouth lifted. Eris might not have realized it, but her reaction showed that she was powerless against him.

That was only natural. If it were a servant in the household, they might be intimidated by Eris's status.

Rudeus, on the other hand, might be careful around her because he couldn't beat her at all. One wrong move, and she could chase him all around the house.

But Roa? Did he look like someone she could threaten?

And indeed, he wasn't.

In truth, Philip had also wanted to discipline Eris.

As long as Roa and the others didn't go too far, Philip would turn a blind eye.

"Eris, since I'm going to be your teacher, come see me tomorrow morning after your swordsmanship lesson. Actually, it probably isn't realistic to expect you to come to me, is it? I'll come find you instead," Roa said.

Eris snorted and ignored him. She turned to leave, but before she went, she shot Rudeus a vicious glare.

Rudeus: "???"

What are you looking at me for?

Roa yawned and turned to Philip, shrugging. "You saw what happened. I'd say my task is complete."

"Oh? Is that so?" Philip replied noncommittally.

He turned to Rudeus and said slowly, "Perhaps your task is complete, but Rudeus's may not be. I hope you'll both prove capable of handling your duties."

Philip waved his hand. The butler stepped forward, and Philip said, "Butler, assign each of them a room. Hmm, give them each a superior guest room."

The butler bowed slightly to Roa and Rudeus. "Please follow me."

Roa followed him without objection.

The butler led Roa and Rudeus through the living room and upstairs. Roa glanced around casually, growing more and more amazed as he looked.

As expected of a great noble family—their wealth and heritage ran deep.

In this era, the palace alone was magnificent enough to be called a work of art. They walked up the stairs to the second floor, where a vivid red carpet covered the floor, soft underfoot. The butler pointed to the door at the very end of the hallway. "That is your room, Lord Roa."

Then he turned to Rudeus and pointed to the second-to-last door. "And this one is yours."

He reached into his coat, took out two keys, and handed one to each of them.

Roa nodded and glanced at his foolish little brother. "Well then, Rudeus. See you tomorrow."

Rudeus gave a quiet "Oh" and walked toward his room.

Their rooms were next to each other, but there was quite a bit of space between them.

Roa put the key in the lock and pushed open the door. A spacious room appeared before him.

A bed nearly two meters wide stood against the wall. The floor was clean and tidy, and an oil lamp hung on the wall. Beside the bed was a cabinet about as tall as the bed.

There was also a table near the corner of the room, its surface spotless.

In fact, everything in the room was clean. It was completely bare.

The room was large. Roa's home had been spacious too, but this room was at least twice the size.

Roa looked around with some satisfaction. The room had a pleasant feel to it, and he could see the lawn outside through the window. All in all, he was quite pleased.

He went back out and found the butler, then listed everything he needed.

Bedding, blankets, and the like. The butler nodded and gave instructions to the maid standing nearby.

As expected of a noble family—their service was fast. Before long, a Cat-eared Beast Girl arrived at Roa's bedroom carrying a set of bedding.

Roa was sorting through the things in his luggage, taking them out one by one.

Brothers, today's trial begins!!!

Whether I make it depends on you all.