A year just flew by like that. I'm almost nine now.
In general, the days were a blur of studying, playing, researching, strolling, sword practice, and occasional summer and winter trips back to Buena village - nothing truly remarkable to write home about. If anything, I don't know what miracle happened, but it seems Zenith and Paul have reconciled. Rudeus's two younger sisters are now crawling, and Aisha seems to be the smarter one, able to speak and even read basically, despite being only two years old.
Rudeus and I seriously thought Aisha was another reincarnator, trying all sorts of past-life languages like English, Japanese, and even Spanish, but she didn't react. Just as we were sighing in relief that she wasn't, Aisha suddenly dropped a 'konnichiwa', almost giving us two old reincarnators a heart attack and leading to us rapid-firing Japanese at her for the rest of the day.
Ultimately, it seemed Lilia's daughter was just repeating words we said, not genuinely understanding. I could tell from her behavior; she acts exactly like an actual child.
I can guarantee that because I have the Water God Style's 'Reading' skill, and I'm extremely proud of it. Unless that child is an exceptionally talented actor. Either way, she's still a child who needs to be watched closely.
In other news, I suppose I can now be considered Paul's 'friend.' Every time I return to Buena village, he inevitably drags me and Rudeus out for a sparring match to test our progress. He always goes all out and beats me to a pulp. However, after a long period of training with Ghislaine and continuous self-improvement, I've managed to raise my win count against Paul (when he uses North God Style and Sword God Style) from zero to one.
A momentous leap.
Granted, I won that match using a dirty trick, but whatever, a win is a win. And thanks to that win, Paul suddenly informed me:
"You've reached Intermediate-tier North God Style now, kid."
So, another achievement unlocked: Intermediate-tier North God Style, achieved through playing dirty. Plus, Beginner-tier Sword God Style - which I didn't exactly want to learn it, but as Ghislaine's student, Sword God Style training is inevitable. To be frank, I'm genuinely the worst of the four of us in this aspect.
That's right, I lose to both Sylphiette and Rudeus. The sheer shame.
Oh, and I'm an Intermediate-tier Water God Style swordsman now, too, which is great news. I can finally use 'Flow' to parry. Now I just need to master effective counter-attacking to reach Advanced-tier hehe.
Meanwhile, Eris's swordsmanship has progressed leaps and bounds. The young lady Sword God Style is now Intermediate-tier, despite being just over nine years old. According to Ghislaine, she'll probably reach Advanced-tier around 12, 13 or even sooner.
If I weren't someone who'd trained in Water God Style since forever, Eris would probably be wearing me out. Take Rudeus over there, for example.
*Whack!*
"Haha! Rudeus is still weak!" Eris crossed her arms and looked down at Rudeus sprawled out on the front yard of Paul's house.
"Don't say that, Eris. You're older than him, so winning is no surprise."
Then they started another session of analyzing swordsmanship and the psychological issues during dueling. It's a shame my swordsmanship level is too high for the rest of the group, so I can't join those sessions. Instead, I get to fight terrifyingly strong people like Ghislaine and...
"Come on! Ten more rounds before you rest. Starting today, I'll use all three sword styles on you, kid!"
Paul grabbed me by the collar, and we fought until the end of the day. The result was a clean loss for me. I just barely tasted the sweet flavor of victory, and now... what a pain.
***
After a week's break in Buena during the summer break, we returned to Roa and resumed our daily studies.
Aside from swordsmanship, I've also made decent progress in magic. I can now combine Water and Fire magic in combat. For example, I'll cast a fog spell and then charge in to attack when the opponent's visibility is zero. This technique is quite effective; I once used it to defeat both Rudeus and Eris simultaneously in a practice match. However, it's a one-trick pony because it's easily countered - provided the opponent stays calm and can dispel my fog with Wind magic. Or, for opponents with abnormal environmental awareness like Ghislaine, it's absolutely fricking useless.
On the plus side, I also learned a rather interesting skill. The Beast Race's 'Howling' magic, taught to me by Ghislaine. I tried researching it and combined it with the light-burst ability of my exorcism bracelet to create a stun bomb - blinding and deafening with light and sound. That, incidentally, is exactly how I won that one match against Paul. And, just like Ghislaine, Paul easily foiled that strategy by charging in and hitting me before I could finish the Howling spell.
While it doesn't sound like an effective combat strategy, I at least have one more trick up my sleeve for dangerous situations. After all, in reality, having it work even once can be the difference between life and death.
Oh, and I officially have enough mana to comfortably use Advanced-tier magic now. Though it's not very useful, it's a reminder that I'm making progress in this field, yay.
And another important thing is the progress of our magic tool crafting and the study of magic circles by me, Rudeus, and Sylphiette.
In essence, a magic circle is like programming through a special language to communicate with the world's magic. Like computer programming. But unlike computer programming, we seem to have to figure things out and experiment again and again to test each principle. This seems to be the only area where Rudeus isn't ridiculously talented at. Is it perhaps because it's too dry and boring? Anyway, it's similar to my work in a lab, so I'm used to trying the same thing hundreds of times; it's no big deal.
It's nice to finally have something that Rudeus doesn't effortlessly excel at in the realm of magic, and I'm somewhat proud of that.
Meanwhile, Sylphiette learns quite fast too. But since her time is limited, she mostly just joins Rudeus to hear me lecture on my research findings and co-create magic tools. With my elf friend's skillful hands, I've saved a lot of ruined materials.
I'm not sure where my skill level with magic circle principles stands. It's clearly a completely separate system, and there's no real way to assess it. But based on the circles I've created myself and decrypted from books, my current magical proficiency is probably:
**Combat Magic:**
* Water: Advanced-tier
* Fire: Advanced-tier
* Wind: Intermediate-tier
* Earth: Intermediate-tier
**Healing Magic:**
* Healing: Beginner-tier
* Detoxification: None
* Divine Strike: Beginner-tier
* Protection: Beginner-tier
**Summoning Magic:** Beginner-tier (?)
It's safe to say my combat magic is well-researched because finding books to reverse-engineer circles and study the nature of the magic isn't hard. However, Healing magic at Intermediate-tier and above is very difficult to find documented in books for sale. They usually circulate internally among Milis Church members; if you study it, you're only taught how to use it, but resources on the specific principles are completely off-limits.
As for Summoning magic, I did find books to study, but the first time I tried it, I summoned a fucking Fiend, which completely terrified me. Luckily, it was only a thumb-sized Fiend, so I was able to squash it myself. But to learn from experience, I've temporarily put that subject aside.
Anyway, with my current proficiency, I can create magic tools.
With the help of my two friends from Buena village and my guidance, we managed to create a genuinely useful magic tool: a washing machine. Yes, simply channeling the equivalent of an Intermediate-tier spell is enough to wash a large load of laundry - very simple, right?
However, this problem arose:
"Uh... wouldn't hiring a laundry maid be cheaper than hiring a mage?" - someone said that, I don't remember who, but they were right.
Thus, another very useful product that couldn't be commercialized. But upon reflection, Rudeus realized it had another purpose.
"How about we sell this thing to the Ranoa Magic Academy?"
I thought Rudeus was crazy and glared at him. "Are you messing with me? You know they are my business rivals right?"
Well actually I'm just a self-proclaimed rival but whatever.
"Think about it, Atur. Our washing machine isn't suitable for commoners, but it would be very useful for students at the Magic Academy."
"Hmm... you mean because everyone there is a mage, so there's no shortage of people who can use it?" I asked, rubbing my chin, realizing I might understand my friend's point.
"Exactly," Rudeus beamed. "Plus, washing with our machine is fast and clean, very convenient for a school with dormitories."
I think I've said this many times, but this time I couldn't help but pat Rudeus's shoulder. "You're a genius."
And that's how we submitted our product to the Ranoa Magic Academy. Surprisingly, it was actually accepted. We agreed to sell the formula and design to the academy for 60 gold coins. Just like that, each of us pocketed 20 gold coins.
While that's not a huge number, the academy also promised us a commission if the product was sold commercially, so it's not bad.
The funny thing is, we suddenly became kinda well-off. Rudeus and Sylphiette could totally go to Ranoa right now if they wanted to, but they decided to stay until Eris is at least 15.
By then, Rudeus and Sylphiette will be 13, a very suitable age to start studying at Ranoa, and they'll graduate around 20, the perfect age to truly mature with a wide-open future. If I have no issues then, I might even go with them.
Oh wait, Eris will probably drag me off to be an adventurer by then. So nevermind…
***
A few more months passed, and Eris's 10th birthday was approaching.
Like any other noble child, 5th, 10th, or 15th birthdays are celebrated with a grand party, inviting other nobles to join the festivities. This event is arguably one of the most important parties in Eris's life.
It's still a month away, but the servants are already busy decorating and preparing everything. The normally humble reception hall where we play hide-and-seek has now become a magnificent reception area. The ballroom is decorated with red accents matching Eris's hair color, along with ribbons and roses. On the ceiling, there's even a special magic tool that can change the color of the chandelier, creating ethereal lighting effects.
It's safe to say Lord Sauros and Philip have poured a lot of effort into this party, ignoring the whispers starting to surface everywhere. As the birthday approaches, the whispers grow louder.
Based on what I heard about Eris's 5th birthday party years ago, she punched every child she met. She even stepped on and broke the leg of some poor young boy on the dance floor and knocked out someone's teeth. Oh, not just one, but I heard three or four guys rushed her and all got beaten up.
In short, that party was a disaster. Eris has been dubbed a noble society catastrophe ever since, and everyone called her the *Red Gorilla*. That's why I initially called Eris by that name. Back at the academy, I often overheard people using Eris's name for cruel jokes like 'someone as ugly as you is only fit for that Red Gorilla in Roa' or something similar.
That's why I've resolved that the upcoming party will be a resounding success!
I was so confident that I went and asked Lord Sauros to make it a dance party. Because I was certain my young lady could dance!
...Eris can't dance!
Ah, no, to be more accurate, Eris can dance. She learned to dance wonderfully. Her footwork is more refined than even the most talented dancers now. All thanks to the dedicated instruction over the past two years from both me and Ms. Edna. However, maybe due to the method of incorporating swordsmanship footwork into dancing, Eris completely fails at dancing normally.
To explain the specific problem, it's like this:
"The young lady dances wonderfully, but if her partner isn't skilled enough to follow, they won't be able to keep up with her."
Hearing Ms. Edna's comment, I nodded. That's precisely the problem Eris is facing. She's too forceful and has no intention of harmonizing with her dance partner. As things stand, aside from me, probably no one can dance with the young lady.
**AND THAT SHOULD NOT HAPPEN!**
For a genuine educator like me, teaching someone a skill they can't apply in real life is a humiliation. I absolutely refuse to accept this result.
And anyway, it's all my fault.
This is likely the consequence of my over-thorough application of swordsmanship footwork to dancing. While Eris can move and execute the steps perfectly, it lacks the necessary softness and flexibility to harmonize with her partner. In other words, Eris is too individualistic and powerful; she could probably use this dancing skill to fight, but it's utterly ineffective when randomly dancing with someone whose rhythm you don't know.
Dancing is supposed to be for two people, after all. If everyone dances their own way, it just becomes a fricking 'hip hop battle.'
"Now I have to figure out a way for her to keep rhythm with less skilled people. Ugh... this looks harder than teaching from scratch." I sighed.
Meanwhile, Eris pouted, hands on her hips. "If they can't keep up, it's their fault!"
"That's true, but given your previous reputation, people will automatically assume it's your fault, Eri."
People would be hard-pressed to accept that a young lady notorious for violence and lack of etiquette dances better than some well-behaved child. Welcome to the world of prejudice, Eris.
"Hmph. If no one's good enough, you can just dance with me."
"Ah, I can't attend your birthday party."
"WHAT!? WHY!?"
The reason is Ken - my protective knight - who occasionally disappears for unknown reasons, has reappeared. It seems he's serious about keeping me hidden from others' eyes, so he decided to stay in Roa until Eris's birthday is over. And he was the one who proactively said I shouldn't appear at the party; Philip even gave me the same advice.
The reason?
No way will I answer that it's because there are some people I'm afraid might show up here. Specifically, Prime Minister Darius (urggg) and some of his henchmen. I'm not sure, but if someone recognized my existence through my scent or whatever, I'd be screwed. So better safe than sorry.
I was forced to come up with a lie to rationalize my absence from the party.
"You know I have a somewhat unusual appearance, right?" I asked.
"Yeah. I heard you're a Dragon Tribe or something. But since you're weaker than Ghislaine, probably not."
Why is Eris the most sober person in this situation? Even Rudeus and Sylphiette were initially curious if I was really human. Especially Rudeus find it ironic because my past life's name was Ryuuji; even though it's not that 'Dragon' Ryuuji but the 'Flow' one.
"Yeah, I'm not a Dragon Tribe, but my appearance is easily misunderstood." I began to bullshit my excuse. "Since this is your birthday party, it wouldn't be right for me to show up and steal all the attention. Lord Sauros wouldn't be pleased that way."
"Hmph. Fine." Eris pouted but seemed to understand.
I occasionally use Lord Sauros as an excuse, and it's quite effective with Eris. But I don't dare use it often because I'm afraid the liege lord will be unhappy. A few times I saw him punching Philip like a Chinese father on Earth, and it scared the hell out of me.
"Even if you don't go to the party, you still have to take me to register as an adventurer!" Eris pointed at my face, reminding me of the old promise.
"Okay, okay."
Although I promised to guide Eris only if she could actually dance at the party, given her efforts lately, regardless of the party's outcome, I will take her to register as an adventurer.
"Hmph! Now practice dancing with me!"
And I danced with Eris again, trying to help her be more mindful of her partner. But still, no positive results.
At times like this, the only option is to ask Rudeus—who is also practicing dancing with Sylphiette.
"Rudy, do you have any ideas?"
"I've only been practicing for two days, how should I know what advice to give?"
"I forgot." I shouldn't have asked Rudeus; I'm sorry. "How about you start practicing dancing with Eri from now on?"
"I'm afraid of breaking my leg."
"If it breaks, I'll heal it." I've learned Intermediate-tier healing magic, so a broken bone is a small matter.
"Even so, I only want to dance with Sylphie."
Why must you choose this moment to be so devoted, Rudeus!!! Arggggggg!
Out of options, I switched to Japanese.
"If you don't help, I'll tell Sylphie you worship your master Roxy's panties." I threatened, glancing at Sylphiette, who was standing nearby watching us curiously.
"If you do that, I'll tell Ghislaine you stare at her armpits and chest." Rudeus wasn't about to back down, smirking and threatening back immediately.
"You stare at Ghislaine's butt and the other maids' too."
"Truce?"
Alright, this round is a draw; we won't reveal each other's perversions just yet. We shook hands, like two real gentlemen.
But what now?
There's only one way left: find out which little brat will show up and ask Eris to dance, then kidnap him so I can give him a crash course. Otherwise, that kid will absolutely fail.
Or should I just kidnap all of them? I have the list, after all... Ah, no, no. Doing that would make me look like a pervert, wouldn't it? Kidnapping little boys, at that—I'd get a worse reputation than Darius.
"I wish there was a way to make Eris's dance partner move at her pace..."
Hmm... Why does my brain always turn stupid at important moments?
"If it's Eris, the only way is for them to be stronger than her, strong enough to restrain her. Someone like you, *Acchan*."
"Yeah..." I sighed after hearing Rudeus's assessment.
Wait, what the hell did this bastard just call me?
"What the hell is Acchan?" I glared at Rudeus.
"Just a nickname, you know, for friends," Rudeus explained, pointing at himself, Sylphiette, and Eris who were sprawled on the dance floor. "You guys call me Rudy, Sylphiette is Sylphie, Eris is Eri."
Then he pointed at me. "Atur is Acchan."
Are you serious?
"You could call me Atu or something, couldn't you?" I think a vein was throbbing in my head.
"Acchan sounds cuter, right, Eri?"
"Yeah! I think Acchan is fitting! Right, Sylphie?"
"Um... I also think Acchan suits him."
Now I'm being bullied by my three friends with a 'cute' nickname. But come to think of it, it's not bad. Back in my past life, I was called 'Sugar' because of my name. Being called Acchan isn't all that bad.
It would be silly to throw a fit over a name now.
"Fine, you guys can call me Acchan from now on."
And the three of them clapped in celebration. Looking at them, it seems the four of us have truly become a friend group, haven't we?
I might have been the one to bring everyone together initially, but everyone becoming this close is thanks to Rudeus's guidance. He always finds new ways to naturally steer everyone in the direction he's planned, like digging a ditch for water to flow by itself.
Wait a minute... digging a ditch for water to flow by itself...?
Suddenly, I had an idea. And I immediately put my hand on Eris's shoulder with a cheerful face.
"Eri. From now on, I'm going to teach you how to use Flow."
That's right, turning Eris into a Water God Style swordsman.
"No. I don't want to learn that cowardly sword style." Eris, of course, refused immediately.
"Not swordsmanship, just the application of the skill." I clarified.
Meaning, instead of Eris having to learn the basics of 'Reading' and so on, I'd let her jump straight to one of Flow's skills: *leading*. But not leading with a sword, but using her own movements.
In other words, Eris needs to learn how to lead the rhythm of others.
It sounds incredibly difficult, but perhaps because she's been subjected to my frequent use of Flow lately, Eris grasped the feeling somewhat and started to understand my intention. Now, instead of just dancing, Eris has begun to learn how to guide her partner to move exactly as she intends.
Even though Eris will be stuck in the leading position which should be a male's role, let's just go with it. As long as the dance is good enough, I believe no one will complain.
And indeed, this method worked. In just one month, Eris could dance with Rudeus—who had no dancing experience whatsoever.
"Haha! Now no one will dare laugh at me!" Eris laughed thoroughly.
And I could now be confident that the upcoming party would be a resounding success.
***
The day of the party finally arrived.
Carriages lined up all over the front yard of the mansion; dozens of nobles from minor to major families attended. This is the first time I've seen so many nobles at a party like this.
Compared to my own fifth birthday party, this one is clearly much more crowded. Maybe Pilemon only invited mid-level families back then. Or maybe he was afraid I'd cause some damage and intentionally invited fewer people to minimize the fallout.
But either way, that's in the past. Now, I'm sitting in the library reading a book with Sylphiette—who also shouldn't attend the party. The reason is quite obvious: her hair color. She seems to know this herself, so she didn't look sad or anything; instead, she said she was happy to wait with me so I wouldn't be lonely.
I have to admit, Rudeus must have lived a very virtuous past life to have such a kind-hearted 'girlfriend' now. There aren't many people in the world with a soul as genuinely kind and good.
And perhaps because we've been friends for over a year and trust each other more, this time Rudeus was 'relieved' to leave Sylphiette alone with me. Otherwise, he'd be saying things like 'don't you dare be alone with Sylphie' and glaring as if I was going to steal his girlfriend.
But sitting here doing nothing is boring. I tried to read a book to pass the time, but it wasn't really effective.
Maybe I should make small talk.
Let's see... ah, maybe talk about what Sylphiette is reading. Huh? *'Ballads of the Troubadours'?* Since when did she get interested in these things? But it's true that Sylphiette's voice would be lovely for singing. Once again, Rudeus is one lucky bastard.
"Why are you learning troubadour songs?" I peered over and asked. "Planning to sing for Rudy?"
"Ah!"
Sylphiette immediately closed the book and threw it away. What an overreaction!
"I'm not. Um... I'm not practicing singing for anything important..."
"Yeah, got it."
So it's definitely something important. But since it probably doesn't concern me, I'll ignore it. Back to reading to kill time.
"Acchan."
Sylphiette suddenly called my 'name.' She seemed to have wanted to say something for a while but only now dared to speak up. That's why I started the conversation first, to give her an opening. Compared to when we first met, my elf friend is more confident talking to me and Eris but still very timid.
"What is it?" I put the book titled 'Sig's Summoning Magic' down on the table.
"Are you worried?"
"If I said no, I'd be lying," I answered honestly. "But now all we can do is trust in Eri's ability."
I did my best; now it's time for my young lady to shine. Though I regret not being able to witness it.
"Mhm." Sylphiette nodded, but she didn't look any less worried.
Well, naturally. Eris isn't the only reason she's worried.
The truth is, there are a lot of beautiful, refined young ladies at the party. A few of them almost mesmerized me. If it were Rudeus, with his innate girl-magnet aura, inherited from Paul's good looks, he'd have a crowd of girls flocking to him. And my friend is known to be an extraordinary pervert, so the fact that Sylphiette is worried says a lot.
"Don't worry, I told Eri to keep an eye on Rudy. No young lady will dare approach him."
"Um… I know."
Only now did Sylphiette relax a bit more. Leaving Rudeus alone is definitely worrying, but with Eris there, we're all assured he won't try anything funny. Because Eris herself seems to be a captain in shipping Rudeus and Sylphiette afterall.
I remember the young lady once saying, "My grandfather said a Greyrat man can have many wives, but he must take the one he loves the most as his first wife!" or something like that when talking to Sylphiette. Thinking back, I feel a little uneasy. I hope Eris didn't instill some worrying ideology into my elf friend.
Especially since these Asura nobles are all a bunch of weirdos...
***
While waiting, we had a visitor.
More accurately, someone came looking for me. And to my utter surprise, it was a friend from my 'fan club' at the Academy. If I'm not mistaken, she mentioned her family lived near Roa, didn't she? Honestly, I was hoping to reunite with friends from the Royal Capital, but I was hoping to see someone like Isolde or Veronica more.
But running into an acquaintance still made me quite happy.
And the young lady seemed even happier than me; she immediately jumped up to hug me before greeting me normally. Just like that, the time spent waiting for the party to end had one more person to talk to.
I heard about the things happening in the Royal Capital. Mostly trivial things, like who's doing what. Which professor is strict, and so on.
But time was limited, so the young lady bid me farewell and returned to the party. Of course, she didn't forget to promise to meet me again later, as she planned to stay in Roa for a few days.
***
A few more hours passed like days. Although I tried to focus on reading, I couldn't stop thinking about the party I couldn't attend. But when I looked out the window and counted enough guests returning, I knew I wouldn't have to wait much longer before...
*Slam!
Before someone kicked the door open.
"I succeeded in the dance, Acchan!" Eris cheered with a radiant smile. Behind her, Ghislaine and Rudeus followed closely. "All those rotten nobles clapped like crazy, hahaha!"
I clapped too. "Congratulations. Our Eri is the best."
"I am the best, hahaha!"
I'd be lying if I said I didn't anticipate this. After all, right after Eris finished her first dance, I heard servants walking by whispering to each other.
"Actually, she just dragged people along to her rhythm," Rudeus elaborated, only to get a punch to the head from Eri.
"Shut up, it's because those guys are too weak. But stop the nonsense, let's go to the real party!"
Then we all went to Rudeus's room, where a table full of food had been prepared. Everyone knew that servants like Ghislaine and Rudeus wouldn't get to eat much at the party, and Eris would be too busy to put anything in her mouth. That's why we told the kitchen staff to prepare a separate portion for all of us like this.
Not only that, Rudeus had also prepared alcohol. I was going to stop him because there seems to be an unspoken rule in this world that only those over 15 can drink liquor (beer is unlimited). But since this was a rare occasion, I reluctantly agreed to his idea.
Because I wanted to get drunk too, hahaha! 70 gold coins are mine!
Although I don't usually like the food here, maybe because I was happy today and the ingredients for this meal were all top-notch, I found it very delicious. I have to admit a few dishes were exceptionally well-made, especially the birthday cake. Compliments to the head chef.
The meal started about five minutes then I saw Rudeus look at everyone and flash a mysterious smile along with a subtle nod.
Except for me.
And before I could understand anything, he clapped his hands three times in succession. I don't know how many times they practiced, but Rudeus, Ghislaine, and even Sylphiette had instruments in hand and gathered into a group, starting to play a song before my utter confusion.
"What are you waiting for? Ask me to dance!"
And when Eris stepped up next to me, hands on her hips, her cheeks flushed, I finally understood the purpose of this whole thing.
It must be your idea huh Rudeus? I think I will thank him later.
"Lady Eris, I have long admired your talent. May I ask for this dance?" I bowed slightly and offered my hand.
"Hmph! You may!"
Eris completely forgot her etiquette, grabbed my hand, and dragged me to the center of the room, starting the dance.
I might not have been there to see Eris succeed and receive praise. I might not be the one who has her first dance of the night below the colorful light.
But I'm probably the only one capable enough to lead the young lady's rhythm so she can let go and relax. Our dance isn't perfect, it's far from it, the melody from our friend instruments are exceptionally bad either. But we can laugh and dance without fear of anyone judging.
Like a real friend group.
"Hey stop stepping on my foot!"
"He he! It's your fault for now evasive enough Acchan!"
In the end, I failed to turn Eris into a proper lady.
But if I had to choose, I'd still rather see her like this. Not an obedient doll or just a simple tsundere girl.
Eris is special in her own way.
I fully believe this assessment because she was genuinely smiling so brightly.
I think my heart has skipped a beat.
***
The rest of the party was filled with eating and teasing each other. Finally, the gift-giving segment.
First, Rudeus didn't just give a gift to Eris but also gave me, Sylphiette, and Ghislaine each a wand. He said it was a gift from his master to students who had learned Beginner-tier magic.
Although he taught me Intermediate-tier magic and above, getting a gift still made me happy. Finally, someone knew to give me something I actually wanted. Thank you, Rudeus; if you were a girl, I would hug and kiss you.
Next was Sylphiette's gift to Eris. It was an amulet necklace that the elf friend made herself. A gift that no money could buy.
Eris seemed to understand the meaning of what Sylphiette once said at the bookstore and immediately cherished the gift, putting it on right away. Seeing this scene almost made me shed a tear of pride.
Ghislaine hadn't prepared a gift. More accurately, I only just learned that the Beast Race not only lacks the tradition of birthday parties but also doesn't give gifts to each other on birthdays. However, the Sword King still gave Eris her ring, which is said to have the ability to ward off wolves.
I must say, Eris was ecstatic. I think that was exactly the gift she wanted.
As for my part... It was a glove.
"This is the 'Adhesive Glove'," I explained. "It will help you grip your sword more firmly and make you harder to disarm. Plus, it gives you a slight strength boost for punching."
"Ooh..." Eris immediately put the glove on, her eyes twinkling like two stars. It's a gift purely for combat and suitable for a swordswoman. It also has the ability to absorb water to prevent sweaty hands and such, making it very suitable for going adventuring.
And that's precisely why I gave it to Eris.
"Can I try it on you?"
"Please don't. But on the next break, we will go register as adventurers together, you can try it by then."
I declared. And 'we' of course includes Rudeus and Sylphiette. I managed to convince them to join.
So the rest of the party was spent deciding on the name of the four children's party.
And drinking a lot of alcohol.
***
When Eris started to get drunk, she grabbed me by the collar.
"I heard your father had his first child when he was almost 10 right!?"
I swear, I don't know why this topic got brought up again.
"I heard you also met some other girl, didn't you!?"
So I was scolded for meeting another young lady. My mind was a bit hazy, so I wasn't entirely sure what Eris was yelling about, but I remember that one part clearly.
"I FORBID YOU TO HAVE A CHILD WITH THAT GIRL!"
I think I just had a heart attack. This must be why they set a minimum drinking age. Normally, Eris wouldn't be able to make such absurd conclusions and act so bizarrely.
I swear I sobered the hell up right then and had to explain for nearly 10 minutes that nothing was going on with that girl before Eris finally let go and ran off to tease Sylphiette or something.
...
A few hours passed. It was now midnight, and I had fallen asleep without realizing it.
Ugh... my head... I'm so dizzy. I really should have just passed out drunk; having to move around like this is exhausting.
I tried to rub my throbbing head and realized my body was completely stiff.
I looked over and saw Eris hugging me tightly.
We were both under one blanket, lying on the floor, quite cozy.
But Eris was hugging me as if I were a pillow. No, she was hugging me hard enough to break my bones.
And why did my little brother have to choose *this* moment to get up!? And don't put your hand on that place Eris!?
Saint Milis, please don't judge; I swear this is just a normal physiological reaction. Please don't put me in the same category as that old bastard Darius, please...
Ah, I have a way...
2NaCl + H2SO4 + H2O → Na2SO4+H2O + 2HCl.
CH4 (g) + 2O2 (g) → CO2 (g) + 2H2O (l) + 890.4 kJ
C2H5OH(ℓ) + 3O2(g) → 2CO2(g) + 3H2O(ℓ) + 1367 kJ
C2H5OH (ℓ) + 3O2(g) −1367 kJ → 2CO2(g) + 3H2O (ℓ)
...
So, after five minutes of reciting chemistry formulas, I calmed down again.
Always effective.
But when I tried to gently remove Eris's hand, she hugged me tighter, even burying her face right next to my ear and breathing softly there.
It's rising again!!! I'm gonna die!
"Acchan..."
And please don't call my name like that, Eris! I can't take it! Ah-ah!
"...Thank you for being... my…"
"..."
Just that drunken mumble from Eris, and I immediately calmed down.
I glanced at Eris, who was still asleep, and couldn't help but chuckle. I don't know what she intended to say after 'my', but I can guess what the word is.
And I feel the same way.
"Me too, Eri. Thank you."
I took her hand and let my mind into a deep thought.
Maybe I can finally find happiness huh.
...
NAME: "Eris B. Greyrat" - Eri
OCCUPATION: Granddaughter of Fittoa's liege lord
PERSONALITY: A little violent
DOES: Listen properly
READING/WRITING: Almost perfect at reading
ARITHMETIC: Can do numbers up to 999
MAGIC: Can chant almost all the basic spells
FENCING: Sword God Style – Intermediate-rank / North God Style – Beginner-rank
ETIQUETTE: Skilled like a proper lady
PEOPLE SHE LIKES: Grandfather, Ghislaine, >Acchan<, Rudeus, Sylphiette
WANT: To create an adventure team with her friends
LIKE TO: Hug Atur as a pillow
...
NAME: "Rudeus Greyrat" - Rudy
OCCUPATION: Reincarnator/Magic Tutor of Eris/Lifetime Alliance
PERSONALITY: A pervert but actually kind and smart
MAGIC: Water Saint Mage and a lot of other stuffs
FENCING: Sword God Style – Beginner-rank / Water God Style – Intermediate-rank / North God Style – Beginner-rank
WANT: To live a life to it fullest
RELIGION: Roxism
...
NAME: "Sylphiette" - Sylphie
OCCUPATION: A hunter's daughter
PERSONALITY: Starting to open up more
MAGIC: Very good at Wind Magic and other stuffs as well
FENCING: Sword God Style/Water God Style – Beginner-rank
WANT: To be with Rudeus
PERSON SHE LOVES: Rudeus