## (Rudeus Greyrat) - (Point of View)
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the middle of a dirty warehouse. Sunlight filtered through a window with metal bars.
I was sore, but as far as I could tell no bones were broken, so I whispered a healing spell to recover.
"Done."
I had fully recovered. My clothes weren't even torn. This was going exactly as I had planned.
My plan to deceive the Young Lady was exactly as follows:
1 — Go to a clothing store in the city with the Young Lady.
2 — Let her twisted nature do its work and make her want to go off on her own.
3 — Have Ghislaine escort her as always, and then "accidentally" look away and allow the Young Lady to escape.
4 — I would follow her, but since I was the kid she had beaten up, she wouldn't worry about me.
5 — She would treat me like a servant and drag me to the edge of the city (because apparently she had a deep interest in adventurers).
6 — Have someone from the Greyrat household appear.
7 — Have both of us knocked unconscious, kidnapped, and locked up somewhere in a nearby town.
8 — Use magic to stage an escape.
9 — Once we were free, I would tell her I thought we were in a nearby town.
10 — Use the money I hid in my underwear to pay for a cart ride.
11 — We would return home safely, and I would hold my chin as high as possible while scolding the Young Lady.
Right now, my plan had smoothly reached step seven. All that remained was for me to use my magic, knowledge, wisdom, and courage to perform a magnificent escape. To make things more realistic, I would improvise a bit from here. I was a little nervous about how well that would go.
## (Daiki Greyrat) - (Point of View)
Too much time had already passed since my brother executed that plan. A full day, exactly. And yet, I couldn't sleep peacefully. Every time I tried to close my eyes, Analysis would start throwing data at me about possible failures, risks, variables that could have gone wrong... and of course, it wouldn't leave me alone. I just wished it would calm down for once.
[If he's taking this long, he's in trouble...]
"But he's strong... he can do it. I trust him."
[Still, you should go to—]
I didn't give it time to finish.
I grabbed the same sword my father had given me when I turned five, and without thinking twice, I jumped out the window, propelling myself with mana reinforcement.
I was running across the rooftops at full speed.
Maybe I was overreacting... My brother was strong, more than capable of handling himself. But still, that insistent doubt wouldn't leave me alone. This time I was strong enough to act too, wasn't I?
I kept thinking too many things, until I saw what looked like an explosion illuminating the sky, a flash too similar to...
That must be him. I knew something bad had happened.
I arrived at the battlefield just as Rudeus was casting earth magic.
"Brother!" I appeared suddenly, falling from the rooftop.
"DAIKI!"
I approached, ignoring what the others were saying.
"If you didn't have to protect Eris, you would have defeated them easily," I said quietly. "But don't worry, you're not alone."
"Be careful, Daiki," Rudeus murmured. "That one's fast..."
"You think you're an adventurer, brat?" The bald man laughed with a hoarse, unpleasant laugh, drawing his sword. "Another kid playing hero. That makes three today."
"Let me guess," said the other bandit, scratching his beard. "You're also here to rescue the little princess? The noble pays well, kid. We could share the reward if you join us."
I turned toward them.
"I'm not interested in your dirty money."
The bandit didn't give me any more time to think. He lunged at me, leaving a small crack in the ground where he pushed off.
I used the Water God style and deflected his attack.
CRACK
Both swords clashed, but his wobbled until it fell into my hand.
"Father is harder to follow..." I said, examining the stolen sword. "A good swordsman doesn't let someone steal his sword."
"Damn brat!"
The bandit pulled a dagger from his belt and tried to stab me, taking advantage of my being "distracted" and having no defensive stance.
What he didn't know is that this is my combat stance. I can switch between three different styles in an instant.
And, in a movement that seemed like slow motion, I employed Water God and counterattacked.
It was a powerful CRACK that ended the fight.
The man had all his fingers dislocated in unrecoverable positions.
He fell to the ground, unable to adjust his fingers.
"Ahhh! My fingers! Damn demon! Kill him, Garth! Kill him now!"
"Oh, I see you have a serious problem..." I crouched to his level, ignoring his screams. "I can heal you, you know? But first..."
The other took advantage of my distraction and executed a North God technique. Even Rudeus, who wasn't a swordsman, recognized it instantly.
"Die!" He threw his sword with all his might.
I was already expecting this attack...
And as I had predicted, the sword shattered into a thousand pieces before touching my neck. In less than a second, the man's head rolled on the ground.
Ghislaine appeared on the battlefield.
"So... Who hired you?" I said, as if nothing had happened behind me.
Silence.
"I-I... I just..." he stammered. "The butler! It was the butler of the Boreas family! He hired us... said a noble wanted the girl..."
"For what?" I asked, my voice cold.
"To... to make her his..." he swallowed. "...Please, I just needed the money, I have a family—"
"I don't believe you. If you had a family, you'd know what the terror of having your daughter or someone of your blood sold feels like. And if you really have one, how would you feel if I sold her? You know I can do it, so tell me more information."
He started telling me more details between sobs. The "noble" wanted to buy Eris.
Take away all her will to live. Leave her "hollow," so she'd only smile or nod. Basically, kill her while alive.
That was too disgusting and at the same time... it reminded me of when I was someone empty. When I only existed without really living.
"Daiki..." Rudeus said. "What are you going to...?"
Ignoring my brother, I started remembering something from my past life. I had killed, but I was in "empty" mode; I wasn't human per se. This time would be the first time I'd do it while feeling something.
But I had to protect Eris and my brother.
Besides, if I'm going to follow the path of the sword, it won't be the only time I'll have to kill.
So...
In a quick movement, I slashed the bandit's throat.
"One less scum..."
"Very good," said Ghislaine.
"Although we don't know who the noble is, only that the butler has something to do with it..."
Of course, it made sense, he knew about the plan and took advantage of the moment.
I approached Rudeus. The poor guy was rigid, his gaze lost in the blood on the ground. It was the first time he had faced something like this, and his body had simply refused to react.
"Brother... I'm here. Look at me." I took his shoulders firmly, bringing him back to reality. After a few seconds, his eyes finally focused.
"I... ah..."
"It's normal to tremble," I told him, keeping my voice as steady as possible. "The hard part isn't fighting, it's accepting what comes after. And this path... won't give us rest."
"Y-yes... thank you so much, brother..."
"Don't thank me. You could have finished this alone. You were exhausted, and you still tried to protect her. With that weight on you, anyone would have faltered. It wasn't weakness... just bad circumstances."
## (Eris Greyrat) - (Point of View)
Barely a day had passed since that black-haired runt made me dance like an idiot in front of my father and Ghislaine, and now... now he had killed a man as if it were part of daily training.
I don't understand. I really don't.
Is that the strength he wants to teach me? Or was he just born that calm?
Ugh. Sometimes those expressions of his give me chills, but at the same time... well... it's not like I care.
Obviously not! It's just... curiosity.
It bothers me a little, yes. But also... it fascinates me. And that annoys me even more.
I was walking two steps behind, next to Rudeus. Daiki had insisted I should go ahead, "as is proper," he said. Nonsense. With Ghislaine here, not even a hundred thieves would approach us. But he always has those weird ideas about "formation" and "positioning."
Daiki walked ahead as if he'd come from a reading lesson and not from slitting an adult's throat.
And I... well... I couldn't stop looking at him. But it's not for anything weird, okay? Just... surveillance. Yes. That.
He noticed. He always notices. It's like he has eyes in the back of his head.
"Is something wrong, young Eris?"
That voice of his! The same voice he used yesterday to say "young Eris" while I spun like a fool in front of everyone.
I felt my face explode with heat.
"Nothing! Nothing's wrong with me!"
Perfect! I sounded like a five-year-old. Great, Eris, you're incredible.
Daiki barely tilted his head, with that gesture of his that meant "I've already figured everything out."
"You're holding your left arm," he said.
HE SHOULDN'T BUTT IN!
"It's just a scratch! I don't need a seven-year-old brat to tell me if I'm hurt or not!"
He just stopped and turned around.
"Scratches get infected," he said. "And those who try to act tough usually die before asking for help."
Who the hell talks like that at seven years old?
And now he's getting closer...
"What are you doing now, runt?"
He didn't even answer me.
In a blink he had his hand on my wrist.
He didn't even respond.
In a second he had my wrist trapped.
HIS HAND IS COLD!
Or warm...
WHATEVER!
"Hey! Let me go, I told you that...!"
Then I felt it: that warm green light. A magic that made the burning disappear, closed the wound and erased the mark as if it had never existed.
Two seconds. Just two damn seconds.
He released my hand immediately and stepped back, putting on his usual face: expressionless, cold, impossible to read.
I stood there staring at my arm like an idiot.
"...What the hell did you just do?"
"Advanced healing," he answered, as if saying "have an apple." "The cut was superficial."
"I told you I didn't need help!"
"And I decided you did need it."
THE VERY... THE VERY...!
I took a step toward him, ready to yell something I'd probably regret later.
"You have no right to touch me without permission!"
Daiki held my gaze without blinking.
"Yesterday you didn't have permission to try to break my face twelve times in a row either... We're even."
I opened my mouth.
I closed it.
I opened it again.
Nothing... came out.
Because again... he was right!
I hate it when he's right!
I stood still, red to my ears.
He was already walking again.
"Hey! I'm not done with you!" I yelled, running after him.
Daiki didn't even turn around.
"When we get home you'll put on a clean bandage even though you don't need it anymore," he said, without stopping. "And next time tell me before you get cut, young Eris."
## (Omniscient Narrator) - (Third Person)
When they finally arrived at the mansion, Eris collapsed on the floor, completely exhausted. Her legs must have given up now that her nerves had disappeared.
Daiki stopped two steps behind, watching silently. His posture remained impeccable, as if the miles of walking hadn't affected him at all.
The maids eagerly crowded around Eris. When they reached out to help her, she pushed their hands away and stood up by herself. Her legs trembled like those of a newborn deer, but she stood imposingly, with her arms crossed over her chest.
Maybe she had recovered her spirit now that she was home.
Seeing her like this, the maids seemed to understand that something was strange and kept their distance.
Eris's gaze moved between Rudeus and Daiki. She took a deep breath, as if preparing for an important announcement.
"I will grant you the special privilege of calling me by my name, Eris!"
"Huh?" Rudeus blinked, surprised.
"Not just anyone gets that, okay?!" continued Eris, clearly imitating Ghislaine.
Rudeus lit up.
"Thank you so much! Eris-sama!"
"Drop the formalities! Just call me Eris!"
There was a brief silence.
Daiki hadn't said anything.
Eris turned toward him, expecting some reaction. The black-haired boy simply held her gaze with those impossible-to-read red eyes.
"Well?" she demanded, hands on her hips. "Aren't you going to say anything?"
"Understood, young Eris," Daiki responded in his usual tone, completely neutral.
The silence was immediate and deadly.
"'Young Eris'?"
"Yes."
"I just gave you permission to call me just Eris!"
"And I appreciate the gesture," Daiki responded with the same irritating calm, "but 'young Eris' is more appropriate."
"Appropriate?!" Eris took a threatening step toward him, ignoring how her legs trembled. "Rudeus is going to call me Eris! Ghislaine calls me Eris! Everyone's going to call me Eris!"
"I am a guest in your family's mansion," Daiki explained, as if speaking the most obvious logic in the world. "You are the heir of the Boreas. Maintaining proper respect is necessary."
"Respect doesn't matter now!"
"It always matters."
Rudeus watched the exchange with growing amusement. His older brother had a special talent for making Eris lose her mind without even changing expression.
"Look!" Eris pointed accusingly. "This is an order! Just Eris! No 'young'! No formalities! Understood?!"
Daiki considered this for a long moment.
"No."
"What?!"
"You are the granddaughter of Sauros Boreas Greyrat," he continued in his unflappable tone. "I train under the guidance of your teacher, Ghislaine-sama. The hierarchy must be respected."
"And what does Ghislaine have to do with this?!"
"Everything," Daiki simply replied. "She accepts me as her disciple. You are her main student. Therefore, technically you are my superior in this dojo."
Eris blinked, processing that twisted logic.
"...Superior?"
"Correct. That's why 'young Eris' is appropriate. It acknowledges your position."
Eris opened her mouth. She closed it. She opened it again.
"I hate it when you do that," she finally muttered, crossing her arms with a pout.
"Do what, young Eris?"
"Be right all the time..."
For the first time, something briefly crossed Daiki's red eyes. It wasn't a smile, but it wasn't his usual neutrality either.
"When you're able to defeat me in combat," he said calmly, "I'll reconsider the terms."
Eris's eyes widened.
"Are you serious?"
"I'm always serious."
A fierce smile began to form on Eris's face, despite her exhaustion.
"Then... then you're going to eat those words, runt. I'm going to..."
And then her legs finally gave out.
Daiki moved.
"Young Eris!"
Daiki ran, catching her.
She looked at him from his grasp, too exhausted to keep fighting, but still with that determination burning in her eyes.
"I'm going... to beat you..." she murmured, closing her eyes. "And then... you'll have to... call me Eris..."
"I'll be waiting for that day," Daiki responded quietly, carefully passing her to the maids.
"Make sure she rests," he ordered the maids. "And check if she has more injuries."
The maids took the young lady away, who kept muttering something about "defeating the black-haired one..."
Rudeus observed the entire scene with a mixture of astonishment and admiration.
"My brother is a genius."
Until now, Eris trained because her grandfather demanded it, because Ghislaine pressured her, or simply because she liked it. But this... this was different. Daiki had just given her a personal, tangible goal, something she could visualize and achieve.
"We should report to Philip-sama about the incident," said Daiki, beginning to walk toward the interior of the mansion.
"Yes, you're right," Rudeus nodded, following his brother.
And so it was that Rudeus became Eris Boreas Greyrat's tutor. In a way, Daiki also shared that role. He wanted to teach her the fundamentals of mana reinforcement, which for the moment he called "aura," because it seemed similar to the concept of Ki in Dragon Ball. And, as Paul's letter said, Daiki should teach them some subjects depending on the situation. He had only come to train with Ghislaine and teach her to read and write, in order to pay for his lessons—which were quite expensive, though worth it.
Name: Eris B. Greyrat
Occupation: Granddaughter of the feudal lord of Fittoa
Personality: Fierce
What she doesn't do: Listen to what people say
Reading/Writing: Can write her own name
Arithmetic: Can add
Magic: Not interested
Swordsmanship: Sword God Style - Beginner Rank
Manners: Can perform the Boreas-style greeting
People she likes: Her grandfather, Ghislaine... And though she finds it hard to admit, Daiki a little.
Daiki was an enigma to her. Not that she was fascinated or anything weird; it was just that... she didn't understand how he could stay so calm when she yelled at him. That irritated her. And at the same time... not.
She still remembered that ridiculous moment when he made her dance. He looked at her in a way no one had ever dared. As if he could see all of her.
No way was she going to think too much about that.
Although, every night, the memory came back the same.
## (Eris Greyrat) - (Point of View)
Was I too foolish?
NO
"He should have apologized or given up! Idiot!"
The first time he called me "Young Eris" I... liked it. Yes, I liked it. But today I complained about it... did I do right? Of course I did! But he... he's not going to stop saying it. Not even if I try to ignore it.
Speaking of that...
Ghislaine will have to make my training harder!
He gave me a reason to improve!
But... why the hell do I listen to him?
"AAARGH!!"
I threw the pillow at the window. It wasn't anger, no... it was my way of showing how I feel, even though he would never notice. Because he... he's like water. Always calm, always unflappable. As if he were the Water God himself walking among us.
The Water God himself walking among us...
Tch. How stupid that sounds.
But... it's what I thought.
Tomorrow will be another day.
Tomorrow will be another day... maybe... just maybe... I can see him again.
But... why do I want to see him?
"Why the hell do I care?! I shouldn't... right?"