Teacher

Half a year had passed since I became a private tutor.

Eris quickly became the kind of child who refused to attend lessons.

Whenever it was time for arithmetic or reading and writing, she would vanish without a trace, only showing up again when sword training was about to begin.

Of course, there were exceptions.

She was still willing to learn magic.

The first time she used Fireball, she danced around with an incredibly happy look on her face.

Watching the curtains rapidly catch fire, Eris made this vow:

"One day, I'm going to cast magic even more amazing than Rudeus!"

Of course, I immediately put out the flames and strictly ordered her to use Fireball only when I was present.

Lit by the flames from the burning curtains, she wore a deeply satisfied expression. No matter how I looked at her, she seemed like a pyromaniac, but she certainly was motivated.

If that was the case, the other subjects should be fine too, right?

That was what I had thought, but I had no choice but to admit my own insight had been poor.

Eris had absolutely no intention of accepting lessons in arithmetic or reading and writing.

Even if I tried to admonish her, she would run away.

Every time I tried to catch her, I had to fight another fierce battle with her, then drag her, exhausted, to class.

I won more often than not, but I gradually began to feel it.

If she kept growing like this, I would absolutely lose if I fought her in close combat again, because every time, I secretly used wind magic, the sort of magic that was hard to notice, to assist myself.

And so now, I was discussing with Ghislaine how to get Eris to obediently attend class.

"Hmm... Eris just doesn't understand the importance of arithmetic and reading and writing. We need to think of a way to make her understand."

I said that to Ghislaine beside me.

She nodded and offered no thoughts of her own.

"How about this? Later, when I drag her back to class, you casually talk about your experiences as an adventurer. Of course, talk about the worse things you went through because you couldn't do arithmetic or read and write."

Since Paul had said even Ghislaine's brain was made of muscle, if someone like her talked about the importance of arithmetic and reading and writing, then Eris should be willing to learn a little too.

"Mm... All right."

Ghislaine thought for a while, then nodded.

So you really have been through that... I was originally planning to make up a couple stories for you to memorize.

Since she had, that was best. After all, having experienced it herself meant it came with genuine feeling.

After making that plan, I finally found her.

Eris was lying in the straw pile in the stable, belly exposed, apparently sleeping quite sweetly.

"Zzz... zzz..."

She was sleeping soundly. This face of hers was still quite cute when she was asleep.

But that was only an appearance. If she opened her eyes, I was sure she would start fighting me again.

In any case, to keep her from catching cold, I pulled Eris's clothes down to cover her stomach.

"She can sleep this deeply even in a pile of straw...?"

I had thought a pampered child could never possibly get used to this kind of environment.

Apparently that was not entirely true... Eris did not look much like a young lady. She was always like some kind of wild child... even though her father and mother both fit my idea of nobles...

After Eris slept for another ten minutes, I moved closer to her side.

"Eris, it's time to get up and study arithmetic."

She opened her eyes slightly. When she saw it was me, she seemed to think she was dreaming, then simply closed her eyes again.

Honestly...

Fine.

With a vague urge to give up, I sat down beside her.

Her eyelids twitched, but she still kept her eyes shut.

"Eris, arithmetic and reading and writing are actually very important, you know."

No response.

"If you really want to go adventuring, arithmetic and reading and writing are essential. Otherwise, an adventurer who doesn't even know how to write her own name will definitely be cheated until she has nothing left."

"Th-then... I just have to know how to write my own name..."

Eris murmured softly.

"What about money, then? Think about it. Say you're in a five-person party, and after killing a monster, you obtain ten gold coins. How should they be divided?"

Hearing my question, Eris thought for a long while.

In the end, as if she had given up, she shouted, "I don't need it!"

She sat up and ran straight outside.

All right... That answer really had the air of a young lady.

There was nothing I could do.

In the end, the next day, I still dragged Eris to class by force, using the method Ghislaine and I had discussed beforehand.

During class, Ghislaine suddenly spoke up.

She talked about her experiences as an adventurer, first describing the process of hunting monsters, then explaining how she had been tricked.

I never expected Ghislaine to know how to build suspense like that. She was pretty good at telling stories! It was just that the man who tricked her in the story felt somehow familiar to me...

"Rudeus! Ghislaine! If I learn arithmetic and reading and writing, will you go adventuring with me?"

Going adventuring with the young lady, huh...

It sounded pretty nice. Though I had hated this kid at first, after spending half a year with her, I had gradually realized it.

She was just a brat with a good heart. That was all. Of course, she was still a bit too much of a brat.

"Of course. I'll support you from the back as a magician."

Ghislaine nodded as well.

"Then it's a promise!"

And just like that, Eris became full of motivation.

That motivation lasted a week before fading away.

Eris lay sprawled across the desk without moving, sighing, her eyes lifeless.

It was completely normal. Like children going to school in my previous life, they might start working hard because of one bad grade, but before long that feeling of determination would fade, and they would return to normal.

That was children's nature. There really was no need to suppress it.

Looking at it that way, I was still a master of education.

"Eris, once you finish these few problems, you can rest."

I used the most common line in the book, but today she seemed to have made up her mind about something and ignored me.

Hmm... Maybe I should adopt some systems from my previous life. For example, two days off a week... No, in this world, it should be three days off a week.

It was not like Eris was competing with anyone. As long as she had the basics of arithmetic and reading and writing down, that was enough. Mm!

"Eris, do you want to take tomorrow off?"

I spoke softly. After I said it, I clearly saw Eris's ears seem to twitch, but she did not get up right away.

"How about two days? If you finish your homework, I'll give you two days off..."

As soon as I said it, Eris immediately stood up, slapped the desk, and said, "Good! It's a promise!"

"Mm. You should get a proper rest too. But after you're done resting, you still have to study."

"I know already!"

Eris said it openly and confidently, then began doing her homework.

And so, half an hour later, I received a paper where nearly two-thirds of the arithmetic was wrong.

"How is it!"

Eris seemed very confident, hands on her hips and a beaming smile on her face as she looked at me.

How should I put it? I knew Eris was a hardworking child. Though she was always unwilling on the surface, she did listen in class and do her homework... Mm... As long as she actually came to class.

But why? Why could she do multiplication, yet become completely hopeless once it came to division?

Looking at her confident expression, I opened my mouth, then pressed my lips shut again.

No... I could not deny a child outright. At the very beginning, she had not even known addition and subtraction... I had to be a little gentler. I could not hurt her confidence.

"Mm... There's plenty of room for improvement. In any case, that's it for today's lesson. We'll correct it after your break is over."

"Oh!"

And just like that, Eris happily left the classroom.

As I was tidying up and preparing to leave, "Rudeus, this is mine."

Ghislaine handed her own paper to me.

I picked it up and looked it over. She had even more mistakes than Eris...

I raised my head and looked at Ghislaine again.

Her tail was swaying gently, and there was a smile on her face.

Damn it...

"Mm... You've improved. We'll go over the corrections together after the break."

"Okay!"

Ghislaine also left the classroom with a smile.

Ah... I really was such a soft-hearted teacher.