An Unfriendly First Meeting

Sauros's loud, echoing laughter had yet to fully fade from the reception hall.

"Looks like Father is in quite a good mood! What happened to make you so happy?"

At that moment, a gentle voice completely unlike Sauros's rough one came from the doorway.

A refined-looking man walked in.

His smooth flaxen hair was impeccably groomed, his build slightly lean, and he wore a well-fitted set of noble casual attire.

If Sauros looked like a warrior, then this man resembled a frail scholar or magician who spent his days buried in a study.

His gaze was gentle, and a perfectly measured, pleasant smile rested on his face.

"Philip," Sauros said, glancing back at him, his coarse voice still as grating as ever.

"Of course I'm happy because I found excellent tutors for my adorable granddaughter—Alice."

"A Sword King of the Sword God Style and a Saint-level swordswoman. You won't find anyone better in Fittoa."

With that, Sauros ignored them and strode away with a booming laugh.

The man called Philip shook his head helplessly, apparently long accustomed to his father's ways.

"Ah, Father has always been like this."

"Nice to meet you. I am Philip Boreas Greyrat."

"Alice's father. My father, Sauros, is rather rough by nature. Please forgive him if he has been discourteous to either of you."

Philip smiled gently, placed his right hand over his chest, bowed slightly, and lowered his head.

He gave Cui Ciyou and Ghislaine an impeccable Asuran noble's greeting.

Noble etiquette? Cui Ciyou and Ghislaine copied Philip's gesture and politely returned the bow.

Such a domineering, crude old man somehow raised such a refined son. Should I say that Alice resembles your father more than she resembles you? Cui Ciyou silently complained.

Without any further small talk, Philip immediately signaled for the male servant, Thomas, to lead Cui Ciyou and Ghislaine to see his daughter—Alice.

After passing through several corridors decorated with exquisite murals and suits of armor, they arrived before an ornate door carved with roses.

Thomas respectfully knocked, but there was no response from within.

Just as Thomas was about to knock again...

Bang! The door was violently pulled open inward.

A sudden childish yet rude voice, accompanied by vulgar words, reached Cui Ciyou's ears.

"What? You're bringing in two more people to be my tutors?"

"Didn't I already say it? What's the point of learning boring stuff like arithmetic, reading, and writing? I only need to learn swordsmanship!"

"And if you're hiring a swordsmanship teacher, can't you find someone who looks stronger?"

"That beastman over there looks passable, but what's with this pretty boy?!"

At the doorway stood a petite red-haired little girl, hands on her hips as she glared furiously at Cui Ciyou and the others.

She was exceedingly cute, with a pair of brilliant ruby-like eyes. Yet those eyes were currently turned fiercely upward, filled with provocation and disdain.

Her long red hair resembled blazing flames, draped casually over her shoulders like a living fire.

She wore an elegant white blouse, a dark brown skirt that fell past her knees, and a pair of pure white lace stockings.

Although she was dressed elegantly, the way she held her chin high and looked down her nose at them gave off a ferocious aura utterly at odds with her age and appearance.

Like a bulldog ready to leap forward and tear into its prey at any moment.

Pretty boy... is she talking about me?

Cui Ciyou remained expressionless, but calmly complained inwardly.

Clearly, Philip's face fits that definition better than mine does.

She looks like an utterly adorable little girl. But this personality is truly awful beyond measure.

It's rare to see a red-haired, white-stockinged little girl who inspires absolutely no affection.

"Mad Dog," huh?... That really is a fitting nickname. There are only mistaken names, never mistaken nicknames.

Cui Ciyou silently pondered as he stared at her without expression.

"Hey! What are you thinking about?"

Seeing that Cui Ciyou merely looked at her expressionlessly without reacting at all, Alice felt completely ignored.

Her anger instantly reached its peak.

Alice suddenly roared at Cui Ciyou, "Quit putting on that arrogant look! Don't you dare ignore me!"

Alice's small body shot toward Cui Ciyou like a cannonball. Her right hand clenched into a fist as she fiercely punched at his lower abdomen.

The punch was incredibly fast, and a faint reddish stream of energy vaguely coiled around it.

She's only five, yet she can already instinctively gather a trace of Battle Aura?

No wonder she beat noble classmates her own age into near-death when she was five. Her talent truly is astonishing.

In that split second, Cui Ciyou reacted swiftly.

His right hand moved like lightning, striking after her yet arriving first. When Alice's fist was still a few centimeters from his abdomen—

He casually opened his palm and steadily enclosed that small fist, which contained such ferocious power, within his hand.

Alice only felt the weak Battle Aura gathered around her fist vanish the instant it touched his palm, like ice and snow beneath the blazing sun.

"H-How?!" Alice's little face filled with stunned disbelief.

Cui Ciyou turned to Philip and said calmly,

"If she acts like this, I can fight back, right?"

"Don't worry, I won't hurt her. I'm just teaching her a lesson—some simple physical punishment. At most, I'll spank her."

"Huh?" Philip clearly had not expected Cui Ciyou to be so direct. He said awkwardly,

"If she won't be hurt, then... but Alice is a girl, after all."

"Father?! You actually... Ah!..."

Alice cried out in disbelief, but before her furious protest could fully leave her mouth, it turned into a short yelp.

Cui Ciyou gave her no chance to continue throwing a tantrum. His right hand firmly held her down while his left decisively drew the scabbard of the ordinary iron sword at his waist.

He brought it down on her pert little backside.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

The crisp sounds echoed through the room.

"You bastard, damn it!... You actually dared to hit me! Let me go! I'll never forgive you!"

Alice screamed furiously, her little legs kicking wildly in the air as her body twisted and struggled nonstop.

After more than a dozen strikes, Cui Ciyou felt Alice's struggles gradually weaken, and her furious screams turn into intermittent sobs.

Forget it... She may be an incorrigible brat, but she's still just a child.

With that thought, Cui Ciyou stopped swinging the scabbard and prepared to put her down.

However, at the instant his arm relaxed!

Alice, who had appeared to surrender, suddenly erupted with a beast-like ferocity in her eyes.

She twisted her body sharply from an extremely tricky angle, using her waist to generate force, and tightly grabbed Cui Ciyou's right arm with both hands.

Borrowing that force, her small body leaped upward like a cat and flipped through the air.

She opened her mouth and bit viciously into Cui Ciyou's right shoulder with all her strength!

"Alice! Stop it! Let go!" Philip shouted in panic at the sight.

"Young Miss!" The servant Thomas cried out as well.

Ghislaine frowned, tightening her grip on her sword hilt. But when she saw Cui Ciyou's signaling look, she relaxed again.

"You bastard, you damned pretty boy..."

"Damn it, you dared to hit me! I'll never forgive you."

"What kind of skill is bullying someone smaller than you? Today, I'll show you what happens when people don't do as I say."

Alice's teeth sank into Cui Ciyou's shoulder, and the rusty taste of blood filled her mouth.

Her voice was muffled, her tone filled with violence.

My sense of pain... seems to have diminished greatly as well. This is the first time I've been injured since coming to this world, isn't it? If this even counts as an injury.

Cui Ciyou clearly felt the sting from his shoulder, but the pain was far milder than he had expected.

If this kind of bite had happened on Earth, it would have hurt so badly I couldn't bear it.

But now... although it hurts a little, it feels more like... the faint pain of someone forcefully slapping the back of my hand.

Cui Ciyou looked down at the blood seeping from his right shoulder, still having the leisure to think about the changes in his body.

"Alice! Let go!"

"Ciyou, do you need help?"

"Young Miss! You cannot treat your tutor like this!"

Philip, Ghislaine, and the servant Thomas all cried out one after another, and the scene descended into utter chaos.

After a long bout of frantic scrambling, the three of them finally worked together to pull Alice, who was hanging off Cui Ciyou like a koala with blood all over her mouth, away from him.

Philip held her back, but she still glared viciously at Cui Ciyou. Her ruby-like eyes were filled with rage.