Asking for Trouble Again

The disturbance Rudeus caused soon died down, and everyone's daily life was not affected.

Every morning was spent practicing swordsmanship, while the afternoons were free time.

Everything was very peaceful.

Paul said he would ask someone about matters related to finding work, and it had already been some time since he had deliberately written and sent out a letter. Although no reply had arrived yet, judging from Paul's calm, unruffled manner, the matter was probably as good as settled.

One night.

Hilde got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and as she passed through the corridor, she suddenly noticed light coming from the study. She went closer and looked through the crack in the door, only to find Paul sitting alone at the desk in the study, no telling what he was thinking about.

"Hilde?"

Paul suddenly spoke.

"Huh?"

Hilde froze. He knew it was her without even turning around?

A swordsman's intuition was terrifying...

No, he had probably recognized her from the subtle difference in her footsteps, right?

"Father, you still haven't gone to bed?"

Hilde pushed the door open and went in.

"Usually by this time you'd already be going at it with Mother until the world turned upside down, wouldn't you? Is the abstinence agreement still going on?"

"Ah, the abstinence agreement has been lifted, but taking care of a baby is still pretty troublesome, so we're all exhausted during the day. Once the child gets a little older, probably... What am I saying to my daughter?"

Paul suddenly trailed off midway.

He changed the subject. "You should go to bed early too, Hilde."

Hilde's gaze fell on the desk in front of Paul. On it was a letter sealed with wax.

On the opened envelope beside it, a noble crest had been printed in golden ink.

Was this...

The reply to the letter Paul had sent out before?

"About Rudeus going to school, it's been decided," Paul suddenly said.

"He said he wanted to save up tuition for Sylphy, so he asked me to help find him a high-paying job. I tried asking an old friend who could be considered a relative, and they can arrange for him to work as a private tutor. Of course, it's a little far from here, so he probably won't be able to come and go as he pleases."

"I see."

Hilde nodded.

In other words, it was finally time to part with Rudeus...

It would be a lie to say she felt no reluctance. Although they had not known each other before coming to this world, by now they had already been blood siblings sleeping in the same bed for seven years. The sense of belonging that came from both being travelers from another world, the familial affection of shared blood, and the bond formed from being together day and night—all of these made Hilde regard Rudeus as someone special.

But no two flowers in the world were the same.

Even if they grew from the same soil, with the passage of time they would shift onto different paths. One day, she and Rudeus would have to separate and each pursue the scenery they wanted in this world. Hilde knew all of that.

So there was no need to be sad.

They would simply meet again at the summit.

"Oh, right. Since this is a good opportunity, I'd like to hear what you think, Hilde," Paul said.

"What do I think about what?"

"This time, if we send Rudeus off to work as a private tutor, then he and Sylphy will definitely be separated. I imagine neither Rudeus nor Sylphy will be willing. What do you think, Hilde?" Paul asked.

"Sylphy, huh..."

Hilde thought it over seriously.

She seemed to understand what Paul wanted to say.

"I think it's good for them to separate. After all, Sylphy has always relied on Rudeus too much. With Rudeus's abilities, taking good care of Sylphy probably wouldn't be a problem, but that's not a good thing for Sylphy. Besides, Rudeus might end up like Father in the future, with three wives and four concubines, and when that happens, Sylphy's position will be very awkward."

"What do you mean, three wives and four concubines... I only have Zenith and Lilia, okay?"

"Hm? Don't tell me Father has only ever slept with them?"

Hilde widened her eyes, her face full of disbelief.

"I thought that with Father's personality, you'd be the type to spend every night with a different woman. Maybe someday, some guy claiming to be Father's illegitimate child will suddenly pop up."

"...Can we not talk about this for now?"

Paul's expression was about to crack. He really did not want to discuss this topic with his daughter.

Hilde smiled.

"Also, from my own perspective, I don't want my future sister-in-law to be such a useless pushover either."

"Mm, that makes sense."

Paul nodded. And so the matter concerning Rudeus and Sylphy was settled just like that.

"Well then, good night, Father."

Hilde said that and was about to leave.

When she reached the door, she suddenly heard Paul's voice.

"Wait, Hilde. One more thing."

"What is it?"

"Have you thought about what you're going to do next?"

"I..."

Hilde hesitated for a moment. "If Rudeus is going to school, does the family still have enough leeway for me to choose?"

"Of course we do. You're both very talented."

Paul smiled. "Besides, if Rudeus is going to school, that's still four or five years away at the earliest."

"In that case, I'd like to go to a dojo for further training."

"Any dojo is fine. I want to improve my swordsmanship even more. If Father could give me some advice, that would be best," Hilde said seriously.

"I see. Hmm..."

Paul sank into thought for a moment.

If he had to choose between Water God Style and Sword God Style, he personally leaned more toward Sword God Style. Even Hilde showed a clearer tendency to use Sword God Style in battle, but she was equally talented in both schools. No matter which path she chose, her final accomplishments would not be low.

So if he considered it carefully...

Damn it. Wouldn't that mean he had to go ask those people for help again?

Though lately, that was all he had been doing...

After thinking for a long while, Paul let out a long breath, stood up, and patted Hilde on the shoulder. "All right, go back and sleep, Hilde. You can't slack off on tomorrow's sword training either."

"Mm. I won't."

Hilde turned and left the study.

When she returned to the bedroom and was just about to climb into bed, she suddenly saw a pair of round eyes staring at her.

Rudeus was actually awake.

"If you're awake, move over. Make some room for me."

Hilde kicked Rudeus in the butt twice.

Rudeus slowly shifted to the side. After Hilde lay down, he suddenly sat up again.

"Hilde, are we going to be separated?"

"Of course we will. Someday..."

Hilde suddenly thought of what Paul had just said.

"No, maybe we're going to be separated very soon."

"Separated very soon? What do you mean? Did you hear something from Paul?" Rudeus sounded a little nervous.

"Because I might be going to a specialized dojo to train in swordsmanship."

"Oh, I see..."

Rudeus relaxed slightly when he heard that.

Sylphy glanced at him.

Needless to say, Rudeus was definitely thinking about Sylphy right now.

Just now, he had probably been worried that if he was the one who had to leave somewhere far away, he would not be able to stay with Sylphy anymore.

That was why, when he heard that only she was leaving, he looked so relieved.

It was a little...

No, it was extremely annoying.

"Rudeus."

"What is it?"

"Get up a little earlier tomorrow morning."

"Oh... I can, but is there something going on?"

"Before breakfast starts, let's have a sparring match for the first time in ages."

"...Huh?"

Rudeus was dumbfounded.

There was nothing wrong with sparring.

But why say something like that before bed?

Who could possibly sleep well knowing full well they were going to get beaten up first thing tomorrow morning?