New Environment

I walked into the room I had been assigned.

Every furnishing looked extremely high-class.

There was a large bed, along with exquisitely decorated furniture.

Beautiful curtains and brand-new bookshelves.

It really was a nice room... Maybe they had prepared a guest room for me instead of a room for hired staff because I was also a member of the Greyrat family?

Speaking of hired staff, for some reason, many of the maids were beastfolk.

I had heard that this country was especially discriminatory toward the Demon Race, but was it actually quite friendly toward beastfolk?

I flopped straight onto the bed and felt its softness.

"Ugh..."

I rolled over and felt the bruises on my body still aching.

Damn it... It was hard to imagine she was a nine-year-old child.

Had she inherited that from her grandfather? After all, her father didn't look like the type to get angry easily.

Teaching her, huh... I felt like she would fly into a rage no matter what angle I approached it from.

"...No wonder she got kicked out of school."

Her movements when fighting were extremely practiced.

They were the movements of someone already used to hitting people, methods meant to beat someone senseless regardless of whether the other party resisted or not.

Could I really teach someone like that?

Teaching Sylphie magic had gone so smoothly that it had given me the idea that being a teacher shouldn't be that hard...

"In any case... I should sleep first."

When I woke up the next day, I had just finished washing up and opened the door when I saw a beastfolk maid standing outside my room.

"Young Master Rudeus, please follow me."

She led me to the place where the staff ate.

Even though the place I stayed in was a guest room, I ate together with the hired staff?

All right, it didn't really matter.

After breakfast, that maid led me toward the courtyard again. The moment I stepped into the courtyard, the beastfolk maid left.

She had only said that one sentence the entire time. Truly efficient.

I walked farther into the courtyard.

Bang! Bang!

I was very familiar with that sound. It was the sound wooden swords made when they struck each other.

I walked toward the source of the sound.

Ghislaine... and Eris.

They were practicing swordsmanship.

No wonder she was so violent. So her teacher was also the type to start swinging at the slightest disagreement...

When Ghislaine saw me arrive, she stopped.

"Rudeus, spar with Eris."

She tossed the wooden sword in her hand to me.

"Good! If Rudeus loses, then he's not worthy of being my teacher!"

Eris spoke in a loud, unrestrained way.

So did I get beaten up for nothing yesterday?

"Mm, fine. If I win, then you have to obediently listen to me."

"Ah! You're not allowed to use magic!"

"I know."

I smiled.

She was only a nine-year-old child.

I had practiced swordsmanship for several years, at least. No matter what...

"Begin!"

At Ghislaine's command, I finally realized just how absurdly wrong I had been.

That red hair charged straight toward me, her movements much faster than I had expected.

I swung horizontally at her, but she vanished from right in front of me in an instant.

She lowered her stance, dodged my strike, then swung her wooden sword into my stomach.

This girl... Why did she always attack there...

"I surrender..."

I dropped to my knees, clutching my stomach with both hands.

"Sacred power is fragrant grain; grant strength to those who have lost it, that they may stand once more—[Healing]."

After using healing magic on myself, I stood back up.

At that moment, Eris stood over me with her arms folded, looking down at me like a victor.

"I won!"

"Yeah, you won..."

I had lost to a nine-year-old child.

I couldn't find any excuse. A loss was a loss.

This girl... Maybe she really was a genius with the sword.

Paul had clearly said my swordsmanship was already far better than other kids my age, so why had this happened?

Could the little girl in front of me really be a swordsmanship genius?

While I was racking my brains, Ghislaine, who had been standing off to the side, spoke up.

"Rudeus."

"Hm?"

"You focus too much on forms. Without speed and strength, knowing forms alone is meaningless."

Was that so? I focused on forms?

I had just picked up my sword and hadn't even gotten into a proper stance before I was beaten. In Ghislaine's eyes, did that count as focusing on forms?

Anyway, I should agree with her first. She was the expert.

"That's true..."

"And why have your reactions become so sluggish? When I fought you the first time, your reaction speed was clearly far more absurd than it is now."

"That's because..."

Before I could finish, Eris cut in excitedly.

"What! You fought Ghislaine!"

"Yes..."

"Who won? Who won?"

She was like a child who wanted to know whether the cartoon's protagonist had beaten the final villain, even though in her heart she was sure Ghislaine had won, yet still had to ask.

"Of course I lost."

"I knew it!"

After getting the answer she wanted, Eris beamed and grabbed me, wanting to continue training.

Ghislaine, however, spoke up.

"Rudeus, you still haven't answered my question."

I scratched my head and said, "First, I released a wide-range spell that wouldn't fade. Then I used mana to sense your movements. Finally, I fought you by predicting what you'd do. It wasn't reaction speed like you said."

Hearing my answer, Ghislaine's eyes widened as if she had heard something incredible.

"As a mage, your way of fighting is the most outstanding I have ever seen. It is also the first time I have heard of using mana to sense an opponent's actions."

"It only works if I sense through magic I've cast myself... If I hadn't released such a wide-range spell at the start, I wouldn't have been able to sense you."

"I see... Then it seems I must be careful of a mage's actions after they cast wide-range magic. Though I have never heard of magic that can sense actions, after fighting you, I will keep it in mind."

"Yeah. If there's anything about magic you don't understand, you can ask me anytime."

After I said that, I clearly saw the tail behind Ghislaine swaying.

Was that a sign she was happy? Like a dog?

"Eris, in that fight, I actually came close to losing."

Ghislaine turned her head and said that to Eris.

"Huh?!"

"Rudeus's mastery of magic surpasses the vast majority of people in this world. If he is truly willing to teach you, he might be able to train you into an advanced-rank mage."

Hearing Ghislaine say that, Eris froze for quite a while.

She walked up to me and spoke.

"Rudeus! Use your strongest magic once and show me!"

Oh—so Ghislaine had been speaking up for me, making Eris accept me as her teacher wholeheartedly.

Though I didn't know whether Eris had any talent for magic, right now, as long as I showed her overwhelming power, she should listen.

And I'd be able to go straight home in three years. After that, the rest would be up to her.

So I nodded.

"All right, then. I'll show you my ultimate secret art."

I took out the staff Roxy had given me.

Overwhelming power... wasn't actually necessary.

For a child, the magic she wanted wasn't the strongest magic, but the flashiest, coolest magic.

And for me... that was very easy.

To raise her expectations, I opened my mouth.

"O demon flames that burn unceasing in the depths of hell! In my name, I summon you forth! Become my magic sword and crush all who stand in my way! Fire Ball!"

I chanted all that, but in truth, it was just a giant fireball spell. The chant was something I'd made up on the spot, too.

Though I hadn't researched fire magic much... fire magic was the easiest to control.

And so, in Eris's eyes, a giant dragon made of flame appeared in the air. Once it fully spread its wings, it almost covered the entire courtyard.

After two minutes, I dispelled the magic.

Mainly because I'd honestly made it too big, and I was afraid it might cause some kind of trouble.

"So... so amazing!!"

Eris's eyes shone.

Sure enough, this was exactly how kids would react when they saw this kind of magic.

Ghislaine... didn't really react. I imagined she could sense that it was just a fireball spell.

"Rudeus, teach me that magic!"

"Hmm~ let me think..."

"Fine! I admit you're my teacher! Now hurry up and teach me!!"

Eris completely gave up on her earlier stubbornness.

"Well, I suppose it can't be helped~ Teaching students is what a teacher is supposed to do, after all."

And so, I prepared to start teaching Eris from low-level fire magic.

I walked over beside Ghislaine and said quietly, "Thank you, Ghislaine."

Ghislaine tilted her head.

"What are you talking about?"

All right, so I'd been flattering myself.