More than a month had quietly passed since Cui Ciyou and Ghislaine had begun serving together as the tutors of Eris Boreas Greyrat.
At present, the young lady had three tutors responsible for her education.
Besides Cui Ciyou, who taught arithmetic and literacy, and Ghislaine, who taught swordsmanship, there was also a middle-aged female teacher named Edna Lelen, who was responsible for teaching the tedious knowledge required in noble society.
Teacher Edna had a kindly face and always wore a gentle smile. Her voice was soft as well, brimming with patience.
Her lessons covered the etiquette, bearing, family histories, and basic noble knowledge required in Asla Kingdom noble society.
Naturally, Teacher Edna's results... seemed rather limited.
For instance, just yesterday afternoon, Cui Ciyou happened to pass by the reception room.
There, he saw Teacher Edna holding a cup of black tea, trying to teach Eris how to hold a cup and drink elegantly.
"Young lady, please remember, your little finger must naturally be raised. It represents your refinement..."
"Ah—what a pain... Can't I just drink it in one gulp?"
Eris impatiently grabbed the teacup and downed it with a gulp, as though she were drinking alcohol.
Then the tea proved too hot, making her bare her teeth in pain. She also "accidentally" knocked the cup onto the floor with a sharp clatter.
Faced with the mess on the ground, Teacher Edna's gentle smile stiffened slightly.
Cui Ciyou could only offer the woman silent sympathy in his heart.
Judging by Eris's usual restless, careless, even somewhat crude behavior, Teacher Edna's earnest teachings were clearly useless.
There was even less need to mention arithmetic and literacy; he had only just managed to bring his student back into the classroom.
Of the three teachers, the only one who had achieved notable "results" in teaching was Ghislaine.
Every morning, at the broad training ground behind the Boreas Estate.
One could always see Eris and Ghislaine—one tall and one short, one red-haired and one gray-haired—clashing fiercely.
Or, more accurately, Ghislaine was unilaterally "instructing" Eris.
What was surprising was that Ghislaine, originally solitary and poor at dealing with people;
Had somehow produced a strange chemical reaction with Eris, who was equally hot-tempered and difficult to get along with.
They got along remarkably "well."
Of course, that harmony was built upon their merciless sparring in the training ground, as well as Ghislaine's concise, almost command-like manner of communication in daily life.
More than once, Cui Ciyou had observed and analyzed this peculiar phenomenon with great interest.
Perhaps Ghislaine's formidable strength had won over Eris, who already admired power;
Perhaps Ghislaine's beast-like directness and refusal to beat around the bush unexpectedly suited Eris's equally straightforward and fiery nature;
Or perhaps it was simply because Ghislaine was one of only two people who dared to, and truly could, "suppress" Eris.
Cui Ciyou pondered to himself.
Alphonse the butler mentioned privately that the only tutors who dared to beat the young lady soundly seemed to be Ghislaine and me.
Still, Ghislaine hit Eris far harder than I did.
Therefore, Cui Ciyou stubbornly believed that the main reason the two got along so well.
Was definitely because Ghislaine was a beastfolk.
After all, the Boreas Greyrat Family's bloodline seemed to possess an innate affinity for beastfolk, and Eris was no exception despite being a girl.
In short, Eris displayed unprecedented... closeness and relative obedience toward this beastfolk swordswoman with long silver-gray hair.
Eris listened seriously to every one of Ghislaine's swordsmanship instructions, though she often yelled in frustration when she could not manage them right away.
During breaks, she would also trail after Ghislaine like a little shadow, asking question after question without leaving her side.
Though most of her questions concerned combat and monsters.
For example: "How can I kill a Doom Boar with one slash?" "What is the strongest monster in Fittoa Forest?" and "How strong are adventurers at each rank?"
Eris's attitude toward Ghislaine had already improved.
Specifically, she no longer called Ghislaine things like "you" or "female cat," and instead called her "Ghislaine."
Ghislaine also seemed to enjoy spending time with Eris.
Though she was a woman of few words, whenever she guided Eris through swordsmanship training.
A faint trace of something like the gratification an elder showed toward a gifted junior would occasionally flicker in her sharp beast eyes... perhaps?
More than once, Ghislaine had evaluated Eris before Cui Ciyou in her uniquely concise manner:
"Young Lady Eris... has talent."
"Natural... combat instincts. Natural... Sword God Style."
Cui Ciyou remembered that, at first, Ghislaine did not seem to like Eris because Eris had bitten her.
Yet without anyone noticing, these two people with somewhat "special" personalities had become exceptionally close.
"Her talent for swordsmanship truly is astonishing." Cui Ciyou deeply agreed regarding Eris's talent with the sword.
After watching Eris and Ghislaine train several times, he had no choice but to admit it.
Although Eris was still young, and her strength, speed, and endurance remained in the developmental stage.
The talent she displayed in swordsmanship could only be described as breathtaking.
Her faint yet already formed Battle Aura, her cheetah-like speed and agility, her innate precision in grasping the timing and angles of attacks, and that fierce spirit that feared neither death nor setbacks...
All of it clearly demonstrated the extraordinary swordsmanship talent within her.
Especially her fighting style—her reckless drive forward and pursuit of overwhelming offense—or perhaps it was simply her personality.
It was practically tailor-made for the Sword God Style, a school that emphasized killing in a single strike and placed offense above all else.
In just over a month, under Ghislaine's brutal "hellish" training, Eris's swordsmanship foundations had advanced by leaps and bounds.
In Ghislaine's words:
"She now... at least knows to thrust with the point, and cut with the edge."
"She no longer... holds a sword... and wildly smashes things."
Though the assessment sounded plain and unadorned, coming from a Sword King of the Sword God Style, it was already the highest praise.
On the training ground, the little red-haired girl clenched her teeth as she faced Ghislaine's lightning-fast slashes again and again.
Sweat had long soaked through her training clothes, yet blazing fighting spirit burned in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Ghislaine was like the strictest, coldest instructor, mercilessly correcting every tiny error in Eris's movements.
Usually, she simply struck her with the wooden sword in her hand as a reminder.
"Your wrist is too stiff—smack."
"Your center of gravity is unsteady—smack."
"Your swing is three centimeters off—smack!"
The crisp sounds of impact, along with Eris's muffled groans as she endured the pain, echoed across the training ground.
Yet occasionally, after Eris made a fine counterattack or successfully imitated a difficult movement.
Ghislaine would give an almost imperceptible nod.
That tiny acknowledgment alone was enough to make Eris leap for joy, as if she had received the praise of the entire world.
For these two, perhaps the clash of swords was the best way to communicate their feelings?
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