Ten Years Old

After Eris turned ten, it was as if something had clicked for her.

Of course, I didn't just mean that her arithmetic had improved dramatically. It was just that after she turned ten, she stopped skipping classes.

She listened seriously to every lesson I taught, and sometimes she even asked questions on her own when there was something she didn't understand! It would have been even better if she could get the problems right...

Still, it felt terrifying. A child really could grow up in a single instant.

As for swordsmanship, Eris's rate of improvement began to slow down.

In the past, though I was always the one who lost when I practiced swordplay with Eris, I could still feel her improving every time.

I was a little worried, but Ghislaine didn't care in the slightest.

"A swordsman with true talent will suddenly awaken at some moment."

Come on... She wasn't worried at all that Eris might stop making progress, and she didn't expect me to suddenly awaken either.

And so, in this way, Eris, Ghislaine, and I passed another two years in our daily lives.

I was ten years old.

Over these two years, besides Demon God Language and Beast God Language, I had also learned Fighting God Language.

Fighting God Language was like a dialect from my previous life. It was just Human Language with a different tone, so it wasn't difficult to learn.

It felt like English mixed with a bit of German.

As for Eris, over these two years she had gone from intermediate to advanced, so I was now completely unable to serve as her opponent.

Of course, if she deliberately trained in the subject of [How to fight against magic], I was still somewhat useful.

"It's already been ten years since I came to this world..."

I felt a little emotional, and I missed Paul and the others a bit too.

Still, after this birthday passed, I would be able to go back, and Eris should be graduating as well.

As my student, she really was ready to graduate.

I had basically given up completely on arithmetic. As for magic... she was very average. But I had indeed made her memorize a lot of words, and I felt a little proud of that.

Even if I continued being her teacher, there wasn't much left I could teach her.

Although Eris had once said she wanted her magic to reach the same level as mine, I had seen with my own eyes how much she loved the sword.

How did that saying go again?

Swordsmanship was pure love, and magic was just... an interest?

When there was still a month until my birthday, the people in the mansion, led by Eris, began to get busy.

Had something happened? Was some important person going to visit?

I was a little puzzled, so I decided to investigate a bit.

I performed a brilliant tailing technique behind Eris. Mainly because I didn't dare follow Ghislaine. She would absolutely notice.

Then I saw her happily chatting with the maids in the kitchen.

"I can't wait to see Rudeus get shocked! Maybe he'll be so happy he cries!"

"Well... judging by the way Teacher Rudeus usually acts, even if he's startled inside, he might not show it."

"But he should be happy, right?"

"Of course. Teacher Rudeus is from a branch family, so he must have suffered a lot."

Actually, I hadn't suffered.

If eating together with servants counted as suffering, then the nobles of this world were far too extravagant.

Still, what were they discussing...

"We have to make it in time for Rudeus's birthday!"

"If you get too impatient, you might not do it well."

"If I don't do it well, do you think he'll refuse to eat it...?"

Eris's tone suddenly softened.

"No, I think no matter what it is, Lord Rudeus will be willing to eat it."

"Really?"

"Yes, as long as Lady Eris made it."

I see...

They were preparing for my birthday.

"If only Rudeus hadn't been born into that kind of family..."

It seemed Eris had quite a few complaints about Paul.

Fine. I did not really have any complaints; I just missed seeing my little sister grow up over these three years. Of course, I missed Zenith too.

I quietly left. After all, they were preparing a surprise for me, and it would be bad if they knew I had found out.

The day of my birthday.

I pretended not to notice the chaotic atmosphere in the manor.

After the afternoon lessons ended and free time began, Ghislaine came to my room.

She was unusually nervous, even her tail standing straight up.

"There's... there's something I want to ask about magic."

Ghislaine's eyes darted left and right.

It was honestly kind of cute, like a golden retriever I had seen in my previous life after it had done something wrong.

"Oh? What is it?"

I played along and answered.

What kind of difficult question would it be?

After all, she needed to keep me occupied.

"Could you let me see a Saint-tier spell?"

"I can, but it would damage the town."

"Are there any that aren't offensive?"

Now that question really stumped me.

I had always been studying magic, and naturally, I had also researched healing magic.

But for some reason, my healing magic had only reached Advanced tier.

I could use any other kind of magic up to Saint tier, but healing magic... I had only reached Advanced, and I needed an incantation to get that far.

Without chanting, I was probably only at Intermediate level.

I had heard that King-tier healing magic could even heal a severed arm.

Hmm...

"There are, but I can't do them."

"I see... What a shame. What are Saint-tier offensive spells like?"

"Hmm... If we're only talking about the ones I know, they're probably spells where storms and lightning fall nonstop, or magic that can freeze an entire city."

"You can do that?"

"Yes. I can do both of the ones I just mentioned."

"That's truly... astonishing."

"So do you have any other questions?"

Her tail suddenly shot straight up with a [swish!].

Ghislaine was usually so calm, so seeing her like this today was really rare.

It was kind of fun.

Fine, I would be the one to bring up a topic.

"By the way, Ghislaine, how did you get to know my father?"

"...He used to be in the same adventurer party as me."

"Really? So you were comrades-in-arms. What was Father like back then?"

"Hmm... He was pretty strong. In the party, he and I were usually the main fighters."

"Oh! Not bad."

"One day, he attacked me."

"Hm?"

Wait, what was going on?

How had the topic gone in a direction I never expected?

"By attacked, you mean...?"

"He mated with me."

...For a moment, I had no idea what to say.

Paul... You could even bring yourself to make a move on Ghislaine?

For some reason, Ghislaine was extremely pure in my mind, yet you could even bring yourself to make a move on such a pure Ghislaine?!

"Uh... Isn't it about time for dinner?"

"Oh... Hmm... It'll probably still be a little while?"

Her tail shot up nervously again, but just then, a maid came to tell us it was time to eat.

"All right, Rudeus, it's time to eat. Let's go!"

Ghislaine stood up and began urging me along.

I walked into the dining room, and applause rang out.

Everyone I had seen in the mansion was gathered there.

"What... what is this?"

I put on an act of being at a loss.

"Rudeus! Happy birthday!"

Eris, dressed in a bright red gown, held a huge bouquet of flowers.

Keeping my startled expression, I accepted the bouquet.

"Ah, right. I turned ten today..."

What kind of face was I supposed to make?

To think this many people would celebrate my birthday...

So after ten years in this world, this many people knew me...

"Um... thank you... I don't know... what... to say... Thank you."

I didn't cry. I just suddenly found it a little hard to speak smoothly.

Even knowing about it ahead of time, I was like this. If they had really managed to keep it from me, I might have burst into tears.

Eris asked the butler in a panic what she should do next.

Was my getting a little choked up from being moved really such a serious matter?

So I smiled.

"Thank you, Eris."

Suddenly, Eris threw her arms around me.

"D-don't mention it! Because Rudeus... is my teacher... and my family too! So of course! A-as a member of the Greyrat family... this little thing is nothing! Right? Father! Grandfather!"

Eris really had grown up... I thought with deep emotion.

My teacher... and my family too, huh...

Hm? I had said that to Roxy too...

I felt like I could really understand how Roxy had felt back then. It was nice...

Saul suddenly roared:

"W-we're going to war! War with Notos! Kill that bastard Pylemon and put Rudeus in the head's seat! Philip! Alphonse! Ghislaine! Come with me! First, we gather the army!"

"F-Father! Restrain yourself! Please, restrain yourself!"

"Philip—! Are you going to stand in my way?! You must think Rudeus would make a better head than that idiotic bastard too!"

"I do think that, yes, but please calm down! Today is a day of celebration! And we cannot go to war. The Zephyros family and Euros family would become our enemies too!"

"Fool! I can win even on my own! Let go of me! Let me go!"

Saul was dragged out by Philip just like that.

Even after he left the dining room, his roars could still be heard for a while.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

"Ahem... ahem!"

Eris coughed deliberately.

"L-let's leave Grandfather aside for now... Today, we prepared a present that will make Rudeus jump out of his skin!"

A present that would make me jump out of my skin... It couldn't be Eris's math test with full marks, could it?

If it really was, I really would jump out of my skin.

"A present that'll surprise me?"

"What do you think it is?"

A test paper was actually pretty unlikely... Eris wasn't that smart.

A present for me... don't tell me...

"Is my family here?"

At those words, the room quieted down quite a bit.

Eris's expression fell too.

Looks like I'd guessed wrong.

"P-Paul... Uncle Paul said the monsters in the forest have been getting more active lately, so he couldn't come... B-but he also said that even if he wasn't here, you'd be fine, Rudeus... Aunt Zenith couldn't come because one of the little ones suddenly came down with a fever..."

My little sisters were sick... There probably wasn't any need to worry. Zenith had healing magic.

If they didn't come, they didn't come. I was going back in a few days anyway. That had been the agreement from the start...

"Um... well... Rudeus... you see..."

Eris started getting flustered.

I had to say, she really was pretty cute like this.

"Don't worry, Eris. I'm not sad. Right now, I'm happy."

"Uh... ah... ah! Alphonse! Bring out [that]!"

Eris seemed to have been holding it in for a long time, and finally blurted the words out in one go.

Originally, she seemed to have wanted to snap her fingers to match the gift's entrance, but she failed.

Eris went bright red with embarrassment, but Alphonse paid it no mind as he brought out a long staff from behind a statue in my blind spot.

A magic staff...?

It was a wooden staff with uneven, curving bends, and a large magic stone that looked extremely expensive set into its tip.

I saw through it at a glance.

This staff... was expensive.

Because I had made two magic staffs myself, I could tell.

"Looks like you really like it!"

As I was appraising the staff, Eris nodded with a satisfied look on her face.

"Alphonse, explain!"

After listening to the explanation, I gained an even more direct understanding of the staff's value.

It even had a boost for water magic... This really was... a gift that took me by surprise.

"My lady, please hand this staff to Master Rudeus yourself."

Eris held the staff and passed it to me.

I had just been about to take it.

"Its name is [Arrogant Water Dragon King]!"

That name... was pretty cool!

"Hurry up and take it! This is a gift from the Greyrat family! Father and Grandfather had it custom-made! Rudeus is such an amazing magician, but he doesn't even have a staff. That's way too strange!"

Only when I heard her voice did I come back to myself and accept the [Arrogant Water Dragon King].

Contrary to its appearance, the staff was very light.

I gave it a few swings. It felt remarkably comfortable in my hand...

"Thank you... Not only did you throw me a birthday party, you even gave me such an expensive gift..."

"You don't need to worry about the price! Hurry up and get back in line! Otherwise, the food we prepared specially is going to get cold!"

Eris cheerfully pulled me over to the birthday seat at the front, where a huge cake had been placed.

"I made food too!"

The thing Eris had made for the first time looked absolutely terrifying, but it tasted surprisingly good. A maid must have helped her.

After the party ended, I found Eris, who should have gone to sleep long ago, sitting on my bed.

"Y-you're back...!"

She was wearing red one-piece pajamas, and looked especially cute.

No... should I say sexy...?

"Why did you come over at this hour?"

When I asked that, Eris turned her face away, blushing hard.

"B-because... today is your birthday! So... I'll be nice and sleep with you tonight...!"

This was...

Philip must have said something to her. Otherwise, there was no way a girl like Eris would be sitting on my bed like this. Besides, she had acted completely normal during the party.

I let out a soft sigh.

"Eris, do you know what this means?"

"I... I know! It's... it's like Mother and Father..."

I shook my head.

"No, Eris. You're still young right now, so you definitely can't understand..."

Before I could finish, Eris got up, grabbed me, and threw me onto the bed.

Was this what you'd expect from an Advanced-level swordswoman? She was seriously strong.

At least, with us face-to-face like this, I probably couldn't put up any resistance.

"Rudeus! You're always like this! You're clearly two years younger than me, but you always treat me like a child!"

"Eris... calm down..."

"I don't want to! Dad just told me! In a few days, you're going back! Why didn't you tell me about it? Were you trying to hide it from me!?"

So it was Philip after all...

What the hell was that guy trying to do?

"Dad told me... as long as... as long as we... like Mom and Dad... sleep together... Rudeus won't leave!"

That bastard Philip... what did he think his own daughter was...

I didn't know how to explain it to Eris. Continuing to be her teacher didn't really have much meaning anymore, though I could still keep teaching her, of course...

"Rudeus... do you hate me...?"

At some point, tears had gathered at the corners of Eris's eyes.

Did I hate Eris? Maybe when we first met. But the Eris now was a good kid. Even if she could be a little awkward, she was still a good kid.

"How could I?"

"Then why are you rejecting me...?"

"Eris... we're still young... At least... we should at least wait until we're adults for this sort of thing, right?"

"Th-then... then it's a promise! After we're adults... we'll... we'll... Until... until then, you can't leave!"

Eris definitely didn't know what that meant...

Oh well...

"Eris, how about this? In a few days, you come back with me too. I can keep being your teacher. I just want to go back and see my family. How's that?"

"...Okay! I... want to meet Uncle Paul and... Aunt Zenith too..."

In any case, I'd managed to calm Eris down.

Right now, we were on the same bed.

"Rudeus... sleep together..."

"Really? In the same bed, you know."

"Mm...!"

Although we didn't do anything, we fell asleep together in the same bed just like that.

Adults, huh...