A few days had passed since Rudeus brought up the idea of getting a job to Paul.
Paul came home rather late that day. Apparently, he had been delayed because he had sent a letter to an old friend.
An old friend... He sent it to Ghislaine, right?
Looks like everything's going according to plan...
"Dad! How's finding me a job going?"
Rudeus grabbed Paul's arm and shook it as he asked impatiently.
"Ah, Rudeus, I took care of it! An old friend will come pick you up in a few days," Paul said with a smile.
"What kind of job is it? Where is it, and what will I be doing?" he pressed, pretending he knew nothing about it.
"You'll be hired as a young lady's tutor. The job's in the city of Roа, and your employer... is your uncle, I suppose."
"What about the pay?" Rudeus continued.
Paul grinned and put a large hand on Rudeus's head, ruffling his hair.
"Well, two silver coins a month, and after five years you'll receive enough funding to cover your enrollment at Ranoa University of Magic."
"That's great!" Rudeus jumped up excitedly and hugged Paul.
The next few days went on as usual. He tinkered with magic in the mornings and practiced swordsmanship in the afternoons, and four days passed in no time.
That afternoon, someone suddenly knocked at the courtyard gate.
Rudeus immediately ran out to check and found a tall, aloof, mature beauty with wheat-colored skin and revealing clothes standing at the gate. Even more strikingly, she had a pair of fluffy beast ears on her head.
The sight made his little heart pound. Could this be another effect of his Greyrat blood?
"H-hello... Wh-who are you looking for?" he asked nervously, swallowing.
The woman looked at Rudeus and spoke in an indifferent tone.
"I'm Ghislaine. I'm looking for Paul."
"Oh! Wait a moment!"
Rudeus immediately turned and ran back inside, then grabbed Paul and pulled him out.
Sylphie, Zenith, and Lilia heard the commotion and followed them out.
When Paul saw Ghislaine, the two stood together and talked about something, with Ghislaine glancing over at Rudeus from time to time.
Ghislaine also greeted Zenith and the others. Zenith seemed very excited, and, carrying Norn, she came up to Ghislaine and said something with a delighted look on her face.
Ghislaine nodded, but her expression looked... hard to describe. In any case, it was a little strange.
Lilia stood quietly in a corner, watching with Aisha in her arms.
Later, Paul waved me over.
"Rudeus, this is Ghislaine, a friend of mine. She's a Sword King, you know! I can't hold a candle to her when it comes to swordsmanship..."
At that, Paul leaned close to my ear and whispered:
"Except in bed..."
Rudeus's mouth twitched awkwardly, and he glanced at Ghislaine beside them. Hadn't she just rolled her eyes?
With a beastfolk's ears, she should have been able to hear that, right?
"Anyway, once you're there, you can also ask her about swordsmanship. As for the young lady..."
"Well... I've heard she's unruly and quick-tempered, but you should be fine, Rudeus."
Paul turned to Ghislaine.
"Ghislaine, I'm really sorry for the trouble."
"Heh... Compared to the trouble you used to cause, this is nothing."
"Ah, heh heh..." Paul chuckled sheepishly.
"I won't stay long. I can't be away from the young lady for too long." Ghislaine looked at Rudeus as she spoke, signaling him to follow her.
"Wait for me a little longer!"
Rudeus called out hurriedly, then strode over to Lilia.
"Lilia, can you promise me something?"
Holding Aisha, Lilia smiled faintly, her expression gentle and calm.
"Is this a request before you leave, Master Rudeus? Rest assured, I'll do as you ask."
Rudeus looked intently at Aisha in her arms and spoke softly.
"About Aisha, I hope you won't be too strict with her. Listen to what she thinks more often, and give her more chances to make her own decisions, all right?"
Lilia was taken aback for a moment, then nodded solemnly.
"I understand, Master Rudeus."
With her assurance, Rudeus finally felt relieved and turned to Sylphie.
"Sylphie, there's something I want to give you before I go..."
He took a necklace from his magic pocket and held it out to her.
"Sylphie, please keep this safe. Whenever you miss me, just pour some mana into it."
Sylphie took the necklace and clutched it tightly in her hand. As if she had suddenly made up her mind, she hugged Rudeus and gave him a light peck on the corner of his mouth, then ran away shyly, her face red.
Rudeus turned to Paul one last time, gave him a confident look in return, and climbed into the carriage.
Everyone watched the carriage depart. Sylphie stood at the window inside the house until it disappeared from sight.
She opened her hand and looked at the necklace, then poured a little mana into it. A familiar voice suddenly came out.
It was Rudeus's voice.
"..."
Tears welled up and spilled from her eyes...
Inside the carriage, an adult and a child sat facing each other in a somewhat awkward atmosphere.
"Um... Ghislaine, you used to go adventuring with my parents, right?" Rudeus was the first to break the silence.
"Mm," Ghislaine answered curtly.
"What was Dad like back then?"
"Trash."
"Uh... I see..."
The atmosphere seemed to freeze again, turning awkward.
"Um... I also hear Dad talk about you a lot, Ghislaine..." Rudeus continued, searching for a topic.
At that, Ghislaine's beast ears twitched slightly. She turned away from the window to look at Rudeus, as if waiting for him to continue.
"He said he was a little surprised when he first met you. You were strong and had big breasts, but unexpectedly you were a stu... uh... a straightforward, good woman." Phew-close one. I almost let it slip.
"Heh, he probably said that on purpose in front of his son," Ghislaine said with a chuckle, unconcerned.
"Hmm... I can't help wondering if something happened between you and my dad before, Ghislaine. I mean, I know what my dad's like too. I'm his son, after all."
"No harm in telling you. It was an autumn night, and our party had just finished a job... I was in heat, so while I was bathing in a hot spring, Paul took the chance to sneak up on me. Elinalise happened to walk in halfway through and joined us... and then we..."
"Wait, wait, wait! Stop right there! Any more and we'll end up in the black room!" Rudeus hastily interrupted.
Ghislaine put on another indifferent expression and looked out the window again.
"Then how do you feel about Paul now, Ghislaine?" Rudeus asked cautiously.
"..." Ghislaine fell silent, though she seemed to have something she wanted to say.
Rudeus continued.
"Actually, everyone's young and impulsive at some point. Sometimes people get carried away and do things that aren't very sensible."
"But I think if someone sincerely repents, there should still be room for forgiveness."
Ghislaine's ears twitched again, and she seemed to be thinking about something.
"Did Paul teach you to say that?"
The carriage creaked and rocked.
Ghislaine abruptly sat up straight and stared at Rudeus in surprise.
"You weren't saying all that on purpose for my sake, were you?"
"Not at all. I meant every word from the bottom of my heart. There wasn't a hint of a lie in it!"
"Hmph! That idiot Paul! He could never have come up with anything like that!" Ghislaine snorted.
"Say no more! I don't want to bring up that man again!"
Ghislaine ended the conversation, crossed her legs, and looked silently out the window.
Rudeus said no more either. He likewise leaned back and gazed at the scenery outside.
A long, long time passed...
After an unknown amount of time, the carriage finally stopped.
As if sensing something, Rudeus opened his eyes.
He got out of the carriage with Ghislaine, and someone soon came up to meet them.
The person was probably there to help carry my luggage, but upon realizing I didn't have a single bag, he smiled awkwardly and led the two of them into the mansion.
Once inside, a butler led them to what looked like a reception room, with two rows of sofas arranged side by side ahead of them.
"Please sit here and wait a moment..." the butler said.
Rudeus nodded and sat down, while Ghislaine stood silently in a corner against the wall.
She seemed to be able to see the entire reception room from where she stood. There was something a little melancholy about the way she stood...
He looked carefully around the reception room and noticed that all the maids here were beast-eared girls.
They seemed to be sneaking looks at Rudeus too, and two maids standing together kept glancing at him.
When they noticed his gaze, they immediately looked away shyly and pretended to be busy.
How interesting.
"The young master will be back shortly. Please wait a little longer."
After speaking respectfully, the butler set about making tea.
As he came to the step of shaking the tea, Rudeus noticed that his movements were a little unpracticed, lacking some ease and rhythm.
Rudeus gently reminded him:
"Tea should be shaken slowly. Rush it, and the flavor scatters."
The butler was slightly taken aback, surprise flashing in his eyes. Then he spoke apologetically.
"My apologies, Master Rudeus. I'm sorry you had to see that. I didn't expect you to be so well versed in the art of tea."
As he spoke, he took an elaborately decorated silver teacup from beside him, carefully filled it with tea for Rudeus, and held it out to him with both hands.
It was red. Rudeus picked it up, took a sip, and smacked his lips as he savored it...
It tasted like black tea. That mellow, fragrant flavor was unforgettable.
He had loved drinking black tea in his previous life, and he hadn't expected to find it here too.
Just as he was about to take another sip, he suddenly heard-
Bang! A tremendous crash rang out.
The door seemed to have been kicked open.
"Where is he? Is he in here?"
A sturdily built man of about fifty roughly opened the door and entered the room.
Although his dark brown hair was streaked with white, he still gave the impression of a man in his prime.
Rudeus had a good idea who this was: Eris's grandfather.
He immediately stood, stepped back with his left foot, drew a circle with his left hand, and dipped slightly in a proper noble's greeting.
"It's a pleasure to meet you! My name is Rudeus Greyrat."
The man looked utterly shocked at the sight of Rudeus's manner.
"That Paul actually has a son like you?"
Puzzled, he wondered to himself, What's wrong with me? Is that a compliment or an insult?
"My mother is the second daughter of House Latreia, an earl's family. I've received a fine education from her since I was little."
"Is that so? I can hardly believe it, but I'm very pleased with you. I permit you to stay in this mansion!"
With that, the man turned and left.
Rudeus looked back at the butler, giving him a questioning look.
"That was Lord Sauros Boreas Greyrat, the lord of Fittoa. He is also Lord Paul's uncle."
"Oh, so he's my great-uncle?"
"Yes," the butler answered.
"What is it, Thomas? Why is the door open?" Just then, a slender but relaxed-looking man with smooth brown hair walked in through the doorway.
"Father looked to be in a very good mood just now. Did something good happen?"
"My apologies, young master. The master met Master Rudeus earlier and was very pleased with him."
"A child Father likes?... Did we pick the wrong person?" With that, the man sat on the sofa opposite me.
Rudeus once again offered a noble's greeting and introduced himself.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Rudeus Greyrat."
The man looked a little surprised, but quickly regained his composure and spoke calmly.
"I'm Philip Boreas Greyrat, the mayor of this city."
Philip leaned comfortably against the sofa and gave Rudeus a brief appraisal as he spoke.
"Tell me, how much do you know about the situation?"
"I'm to teach the young lady, Eris Boreas Greyrat, and receive funding for Ranoa University of Magic after five years."
"Is that all?"
"There's much more... I heard that you lost the struggle to become head of House Boreas, Uncle Philip, and were sent away to the city of Roа as a result. Is that right?"
Philip nodded in surprise. "Who told you that?"
"That doesn't matter. I also know that your ultimate goal is to make your branch of the family the legitimate line of House Boreas, and I'm willing to help you when necessary."
Philip stared at Rudeus in disbelief for a long time before speaking.
"There's no way you're that guy Paul's son, is there? Who are you really?"
"Don't joke, Uncle. None of this is top secret. You can figure out the gist just by asking around town a little."
"Is that so? It's still incredible that a seven-year-old child like you could do that much."
"You're too kind."
Philip smiled, took a sip of tea, and continued.
"Since you say you'll help me, you must not be offering to work for free, right? What do you want in return?"
Rudeus pondered for a moment.
"Well... I haven't decided yet, so let's leave it open for now... But I promise it'll definitely be something you can afford."
"Do you... like girls?" Philip asked.
"I like any girl who's cute," Rudeus answered bluntly.
"I see... Then you pass." Philip smiled.
"Thank you for your approval, Uncle."
"At present, the only teachers that child likes are Edna, who teaches her manners and etiquette, and Ghislaine, who teaches her swordsmanship.
"She's dismissed more than five teachers so far. One of them was a man who used to teach in the royal capital."
"More than five..." Rudeus murmured to himself.
"Well? Are you confident?"
"Let's at least meet first, shall we? But I should warn you, my teaching methods might be a little unusual, so I hope you'll be understanding when the time comes."
"As long as you don't hurt my daughter, it's fine."
"That's only natural." Rudeus looked Philip in the eyes, his manner sincere.
"All right, then let me introduce you to my daughter. Thomas! Lead the way!"
Philip rose to his feet and called out.
Rudeus stood as well, and they left the conference room together...