After all of that, I finally turned ten.
I dedicated most of the last two years to language studies. Besides the
Beast God tongue and the Demon God tongue, I also learned the Fighting
God tongue. It was extremely close to the Human tongue, so it was easy.
Somewhat like the similarity between the German and English languages.
The basics of grammar were the same as the Human tongue; the only
differences were expressions and vocabulary.
The languages in this world weren't that difficult. Once you learned
one, you could use it as a basis for learning the others. Probably a side-effect
of all the warring between the races.
However, there was no literature in either the Sky God tongue or the
Sea God tongue, nor any people who used those languages around here, so I
was unable to learn them. Oh well, speaking four languages was more than
enough for me.
As for swordplay, my skills were approaching the Intermediate tier. In
just two years Eris had gone from Intermediate-tier to Advanced-tier, so I
was no longer any match for her. You could really feel the gap in our
abilities.
Ah well, I thought. It seems she spent her days off training really hard,
so that's how it goes. While I spent my free time learning languages, she
spent hers with the sword. The gap between us was only natural.
As for magic, I only practiced through making figurines. I was able to
make them more and more detailed, which probably meant I was improving.
It was true that I had hit a wall though. Of course, that would be solved once I
began learning at the Magic University. There was no use in being impatient.
Ten years had passed since I came into this world, huh? The thought
made me a bit emotional.
***
As my birthday was about a month away, the people in the manor
began growing restless, Eris especially so.
What is it, I wondered. Was someone important supposed to be
coming? Like someone else from the Greyrat family, or perhaps Eris's
fiancée? No way, it couldn't be. Eris with a fiancée? I felt like a fit of strange
laughter might burst out of me. But the restlessness made me anxious, so I
decided to investigate.
After doing a magnificent job of tailing Eris, I spotted her chatting
happily with a maid in the kitchen. Ghislaine was there too, but she hadn't
noticed me. The brawny, animal-eared swordswoman was distracted by the
meat that had been set out for our next meal.
"I can't wait to see the look of surprise on Rudeus's face! He might
even weep with joy!"
"I'm not certain about that. It is Lord Rudeus we're talking about. Even
if he felt surprised, he might not let it show."
"But you do think he'll be happy, right?" Eris asked.
"Yes, of course. As part of the branch family, I'm sure he's had a
rough time of it."
I hadn't really had a rough time of anything. But what exactly were
they talking about? Were people gossiping about me? I was fairly confident I
had done a fine job of being good, but perhaps I was the only one who
thought so and the other people of this house actually found me unpleasant.
If that were the case, I was confident I would weep. Specifically,
confident I would create more work for the maids by using my pillow as a
tissue to soak up all my tears.
"I have to make sure it's ready in time!" Eris said.
"Being impatient won't make things go well."
"If I can't make it well, you think he won't eat it?"
"No, Lord Rudeus would eat anything you made for him," the maid
responded.
"Really?"
"Yes, as long as Lord Sauros is present."
Ah. I knew what this had to be. Preparations for a surprise party, huh?
"If only Rudeus hadn't been born to that house." There was pity in
Eris's voice as she said that.
Now that I knew what the conversation was about, I decided to take my
leave.
It turned out that I was someone who had to be kept from the public
eye. In the past, I might have thought they wanted to hide me because of who
my father was, but now I knew it wasn't that.
This was something I had learned in the past couple of years. Paul's
real name was Paul Notos Greyrat. Notos was the name of Paul's noble
family. A long, long time ago, Paul was disowned by the Notos household,
and his cousin or younger brother became the head of the household in his
place.
That was fine, it was the past. Except that there were those who
wouldn't, or rather, didn't, want to leave things in the past. Those in power
were full of paranoia. Worst case scenario, they might send assassins after
me. That was why it was necessary to hide me.
Ordinarily, I should have been treated as more important than Eris
since I was a boy, but instead I was being treated like a servant. Even the
tenth birthday celebration, one of the most important noble customs, had to
be limited in scale for me. That's why everyone kept saying, "Poor thing,
how awful."
That was why Eris had gone to her grandfather for the first time in a
long while to request a secret party for me. One just for the people in the
manor. A modest home party especially for me.
Still, that was close. I was glad I eavesdropped, because although I
knew about the customs here, a tenth birthday was nothing special to me. In
fact, my own idea of a party was a house party, not that gigantic celebration
that Eris had for her birthday. If someone had told me they were going to
throw me a birthday party, my reaction would be pretty flat. Like, "Oh,
really? Thanks," or similar.
But this was Eris's idea. I was the only one her age around here, so this
was the first time she'd done something like this. If I didn't act excited about
it, she would be disappointed.
I decided to practice making fake tears with water magic. Because I
was a man who knew how to read the situation.
***
My birthday.
I pretended I didn't notice how anxious everyone in the manor was.
Once afternoon lessons ended and we had our break, Ghislaine came to my
room. She was unusually nervous, her tail standing sharp and rigid.
"Th-there's some magic I want you to teach me." Her gaze, which was
usually unwavering, was suddenly shifty. Apparently, she wanted to keep me
in this room.
Okay, okay. I would board this train.
"Ohh? Like what?" I asked, knowing whatever answer she gave was
surely planned.
She looked me dead in the eyes and in a very serious voice replied,
"Will you show me what Saint-tier magic looks like?"
"Sure, but it will damage the city."
"What? Just what kind of magic is it?"
"Saint-tier water magic involves gale force winds and a lightning
storm. If I try hard enough, I can probably submerge the entire city."
"That's amazing… I would like you to show me that next time then."
She was oddly excited about it. That must have been part of the plan.
All right then, let's tease her a little.
"If you're that interested, let's do it. If we ride out about two hours, we
should get a safe distance away. Let's leave now."
Her cheek twitched. "Two hours?! N-no, wait. If we leave now, we'll
get back late. Monsters come out at night. Even the plains aren't safe."
"Really? But we should be fine so long as you're there. You said
before that beastfolk are sensitive to sound, so you're just as vigilant at night
as you are during the day, right?"
"That's true, but it's never good to overestimate yourself."
"True. Plus, I do use an awful lot of magic when casting Saint-tier
spells. Let's do it on our next day off then."
"Yes, all right. That's good. Let's do that."
I found a good spot to drop that conversation. Normally, nothing could
fluster Ghislaine, so teasing her like this was pretty entertaining. Her tail went
rigid when she lost her composure too. Just one word from me made it
twitch. That alone was enough to amuse me.
"Oh yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't pour you any tea. Let me go get some hot
water."
"No, it's fine. Don't worry about it. Don't move. I'm not thirsty."
"All right then."
I could actually make the hot water myself, but she didn't seem to
realize that, so I kept it to myself.
I could see she would do whatever she could to keep me in here.
Maybe it was time for a little sexual harassment.
"By the way, this is one of the figures I made recently." From my shelf
I took a 1/10 scale figure of Ghislaine that I was still working on. I was
confident I had improved a lot since I first started making them. The
sculpting of the musculature alone was professional work.
Ghislaine let out a small breath as she looked at it. "Is this me? You've
gotten pretty good at this. You did a nice job before when you were making
one of Lady Eris, but this one is… Hm? There's no tail."
"Unfortunately, I only have a vague understanding about tails. I usually
create these from my imagination, but this time I'm being very picky because
I want it to look as close to the real thing as possible."
"Hm." Her tail twitched as if she were deep in thought.
Heh, I'm looking forward to seeing just what kind of face you'll make,
I thought.
"Would you let me see yours? The base of your tail that is."
"No problem," she said. She turned around and pulled her pants off.
She didn't even hesitate. Right in front of me was her firm, muscular behind
and the base where her tail attached.
Amazing! I knew it would be! She's so fearless! There's no winning
against her, I silently gushed.
No! I couldn't falter, not here. Ghislaine always had her guard up, but
right now my curiosity overcame me. "C-could I touch it for just a moment?"
"Sure. Go ahead."
It's hard, I thought. Huh?! Wait a second, this is her ass, right? Right?
It was as hard as steel. Yet at the same time, there was a certain
softness to it. The ideal balance, the perfect amount of muscle. A perfect
marriage of the properties of both red and white muscle! Any man, no matter
who he was, would admire this. It was a little bit difficult to find this sexy
though.
Lord of Muscles, God of Sex, how grateful I am for your existence,
however much the polar opposite of me you are, I thought. So grateful, so
grateful. Please, bless unto me muscles such as these.
"All right, that's enough." I lifted my hands away from her butt,
feeling mentally battered.
Ghislaine adjusted her pants then turned back to face me. "I once saw
an artist painting a portrait of Lady Eris. Seeing that made me want
something similar, something that could capture the current state of my body.
I look forward to seeing the finished product." She looked genuinely happy
as she confided this to me.
It felt like I had lost as a man in a battle of masculinity. Was there no
way I could win against someone as handsome as Ghislaine?
"It's about time for dinner, isn't it?"
"H-hm, I think there's still a bit of time left?"
I made her tail flinch one last time before the maid came to call us for
dinner.
"All right, Rudeus. It's time to eat, let's go." She stood quickly, as if trying to hurry me along. Apparently, the real show was about to start.
***
I entered the dining hall to a burst of applause. I had previously met
every person gathered here at least once. Of course, Sauros and Philip and
Hilda, whose presences were typically scarce, were also in attendance.
The party was being held in the same dining hall we always used. It
was beautifully decorated for the occasion, with an assortment of fancy food I
had never seen before lining the tables. Of course, not to the extent of what I
saw at Eris's party, but while the spread was not as pretentious, there was a
warmth to it.
I made a face like I didn't know what was happening and looked
around the room. "Wh-what's this…?" Behind me, Ghislaine was clapping.
"Eh? Huh?" I acted flustered.
"Rudeus! Happy birthday!" Eris wore a bright red dress and had a large
bouquet of flowers in her arms.
I kept the dumbfounded look on my face as I accepted them from her.
"Oh, that's right. I turn ten today." I recited the lines just as I had practiced
them, as if I had only just realized it was my birthday.
Then, just as I had planned, I scrunched my face up and covered my
eyes with my sleeve. At the same time, I used water magic to make tears well
from my eyes. After a few moments I sniffed.
"I-I'm sorry. I-I just, this is… This is the first time since I came here…
I kept thinking I couldn't screw up, that I wasn't welcome here… That if I
screwed up, it would just cause issues for my father… I never thought you all
would celebrate like this for me. Sniff…"
I lifted my sleeve to check out their reactions, only to see Eris looking
gobsmacked. Philip and Sauros and all the others in the room had ceased
clapping. They all stood with their mouths agape.
Crap. Was my acting too corny, I wondered.
No, that wasn't it. It was the opposite. It was too good. I screwed up, I should have acted with moderation. Sigh. I really was a
terrible adult for concocting this plan in the first place. Ah well, too late, best
to continue as I had planned.
Flustered, Eris turned to the butler asking, "What should I do??"
Were my tears that big a deal? Her reaction was so cute that I put my
arms around her. Then, in a nasally voice, I whispered words of gratitude in
her ear. "Eris, thank you."
"N-no big deal! Y-you're family after all! It's obvious I'd do this! Th-
this is nothing to the Greyrat family, r-right, father! Grandfather!"
Normally, she'd say something like, "You better be grateful!" But
instead she was making excuses and looking to Philip for backup.
That was when Sauros rose up, barking: "W-war! We'll go to war with
Notos! We'll kill Pilemon and install Rudeus as the head of the family!
Philip! Alphoooonse!!! Ghislaaaaine! Follow me! Let's gather the troops!"
And thus dawned the inter-family war between the Boreas Greyrat and
Notos Greyrat households. It was a bloody feud that enveloped the remaining
two Greyrat branch families as well, pulling the whole of the Asura Kingdom
into what would become a long, drawn-out civil war.
No, of course not. That didn't happen.
"F-Father, restrain yourself! Please, restrain yourself!"
"Philiiiip! Do you plan to stand in my way?! You bastard! Surely you,
too, think Rudeus would be a more fitting head of household than that
ridiculous buffoon?!"
"Yes, of course I do, but calm down! Today is a day of celebration!
Plus, war isn't a good thing, we would be making enemies of both Zephyros
and Euros!"
"You fool! I'll defeat everyone by myself! Release me, release
meeeee!" Sauros left the room, dragging Philip behind him. Even after he
was gone, I could still hear his voice.
I was dumbfounded.
"A-ahem," Eris cleared her throat once. "Leaving Grandfather aside for
the moment, I prepared something for today that will surprise you, Rudeus!"
She flushed red as she giggled and puffed out her chest in pride.
It was adorable. She recently began wearing bras now that her breasts
had started growing. Right now, they were just cute, but some day they
would grow into something incredible. Or so said the Wise Old Hermit.
Thanks, Wise Old Hermit.
"Something that will surprise me?" I echoed back.
"What do you think it is?!"
Something that would surprise me… What could it be? Something that
I would enjoy… A laptop and an erotic game? No, no. I had to think of
something that Eris seemed likely to come up with.
I considered my current situation. I was away from my parents and had
been alone for several years. She probably thought I was lonely, especially
since it was my birthday.
If it were Eris, what would she want? For Ghislaine or her grandfather
to come celebrate with her, right? If I applied that to me, then…
"Don't tell me, my father's here…?"
Her face clouded over as soon as I said that. Not just hers, but the
maids' and butlers' faces as well. It was a look of pity. An incorrect guess.
"M-Mister Paul…couldn't come because monsters have become more
active in the forest lately, he said. B-but he said you didn't need him here
anyway. As for Miss Zenith, she said the two young ones suddenly fell ill
with a fever so she couldn't come either." Eris gave a choppy explanation.
Ahh. So, they did invite them. Well, it couldn't be helped. The village
relied on Paul quite a bit, and if both the girls were sick, Zenith couldn't
leave their care solely to Lilia. It would have been nice to see them again,
since it had been so long, but oh well.
"U-uh, um, Rudeus. You know, um…" Eris started stumbling over her
words again. It was cute, like a cat that got itself into trouble after acting so
tough all the time.
But don't worry, I thought. It's better if Paul's not here.
"Oh, I see. So my father and mother didn't come then." I meant to
sound like I didn't mind, but since I had just stopped crying, my voice was all nasally. I probably sounded completely dejected instead.
One of the maids sniffled.
I'd screwed up big time. I hadn't meant to make the atmosphere so
glum. Sorry, guys, looks like I can't read the atmosphere after all.
Just as I thought that, Hilda dashed over and took me in her arms. I
dropped the bouquet of flowers I was holding by accident. "Argh!"
I barely spoke with Hilda. She had the same red hair as Eris and had
the aura of a widow still at the prime of her youth, radiating raw sexuality.
Someone who might appear in an erotic game with "young wife" or "widow"
in the title. Of course, she wasn't a widow so long as Philip was alive.
She shouted as she squeezed me tightly. "It's all right, Rudeus, you can
calm down. You're part of our family now!"
Huh? Didn't she hate me?
"I won't hear any complaints! You'll be our adopted… No, marry Eris!
That's right! That's a great idea! Do that!"
"M-Mother?!"
Hilda had taken leave of her senses. Marriage, she said. Even Eris was
surprised.
"Eris! Do you have a problem with our Rudeus?!"
"He's only ten!"
"Age has nothing to do with it! Now stop making excuses and spend
that time refining yourself as a lady!"
"That's what I'm doing!"
Hilda was on a rampage, with Eris firing back. I was told she married
into the family, but I guess she was still a Greyrat through and through. She
had the same wild presence as Sauros.
"Okay, okay, let's do this some other time."
"Argh! Darling! What are you doing! Unhand me! That poor child, I
have to save him!"
Philip gracefully escorted his wife from the scene after he returned
from restraining Sauros. Whenever a situation developed, he would address it with glacial composure while everyone else stood dumbfounded. He was
cool, like a master magician. A man you could rely on, someone you could
consult with about anything.
"So, what is it? The surprise you were talking about," I inquired, after
picking the bouquet off the floor.
Eris folded her arms, puffed out her chest, and stuck out her chin. It
had been a while since I last saw this pose.
"Hmph! Alphonse! Bring it here!" She snapped her fingers as if to
make a sharp, assertive sound, but it came out dull and flat. Her cheeks
flushed, but Alphonse seemed unperturbed as he produced a staff from the
shadows of a sculpture.
A staff, the same one that Roxy had used. A magician's staff. One
made of gnarled, knobby wood. At its tip was a large, costly-looking magical
crystal. The moment I saw it I knew. That staff was expensive. I knew
because I had made two wands myself.
The rank of a staff was determined by the wood and the stone at its tip.
Each type of magic had a certain affinity with different types of wood. Fire
and earth spells matched best with persimmon wood, while water and wind
matched best with pagoda wood.
But even if the affinities didn't match, it didn't mean the power of a
spell was diminished. The important thing wasn't the wood, but the magical
crystal. Channeling magic through the crystal increased the potency of a
spell. There were many grades of crystal, but the larger and more transparent,
the more effective it was. A crystal's price increased astronomically with its
effectiveness.
The crystals I used to make Eris and Ghislaine's wands were worth a
silver coin apiece. There were cheaper ones, but I remembered the
approximate size of the wand Roxy gave me and selected something similar.
They were about as big as the tip of my smallest finger.
This one was as big as a fist and was easily worth over a hundred gold
coins. Especially with its ultramarine hue. A crystal with color to it greatly
increased the potency of its magic.
Just how much did she spend on that thing? I wondered. Incidentally, the magic-imbued crystals found in labyrinths didn't have
an amplifying effect. Instead, they carried magic power of their own, so they
were either used in magical items or used to supplement a person's mana cost
when using a powerful spell.
"It seems you've taken a liking to it!" Eris said with a nod of
satisfaction as I examined it. "Alphonse, explain!"
"Yes, my lady. The wood for this cane comes from the branch of a
living elder treant in the eastern part of the great forest on the Millis
Continent. I'm sure you are already aware of this from your extensive
learning, Lord Rudeus, but it is said that an elder treant is a higher subspecies
of the lesser treant, born from the nourishment of the fairy spring. It's an A-
rank magical creature that can manipulate water magic. The crystal comes
from the northern part of the Begaritt Continent, from a wayward sea dragon.
Another A-rank item. The crafter is Chein Procyon, the greatest staff
craftsman, the Rod Director in the Asuran Royal Palace's Mage Guild."
Incredible. It seemed to be especially made for water magic. But it was
expensive, right?
"Please, accept the staff from the Young Mistress." The staff was
passed to Eris, and Eris offered it to me.
I wasn't going to worry about its cost right now. I told Eris not to
spend money frivolously, but it was fine on a day like this. It seemed she
ordered it especially for me, so I hadn't the heart to refuse her. Money existed
for things like this.
"Its name is Aqua Heartia—Arrogant Water Dragon King."
I paused; I felt like I'd just heard something really nerdy.
"Take it! This is a present from the Greyrat family! My father and
grandfather requested it! You're a great magician, Rudeus, so it's strange for
you not to have a staff of your own!"
Eris's voice brought me back to my senses and I accepted Aqua
Heartia.
Contrary to its appearance, it was quite lightweight. I took it in both
hands and swung it around. It was easy to lift and flip. Despite the large
crystal at its tip, it was balanced well. No surprise there, given how expensive it was. Though the name was a bit…special.
"Thank you. For the party, and for giving me such an expensive gift."
"Don't worry about the price! Now quickly, let's resume the party or
the feast we prepared will get cold!" Eris was in a good mood as she tugged
at me, guiding me to the birthday seat that had been installed in front of a
gigantic cake. "I helped too!"
Other than Eris's first home-cooked dishes, which were atrocious, the
rest of the food was delicious.
***
Once the party started, Eris's mouth went off like a machine gun,
talking about the cooking and the staff. I gave short responses as I listened,
but midway through her words began to slow. Perhaps it was the exhaustion.
She spoke less and less, beginning to mumble until she finally dozed off.
I wasn't sure if it was because she was exhausted from the excitement,
or because her nervousness had finally lifted. Either way, Ghislaine carried
Eris off like a princess so she could sleep in her own room.
Sleep well, I thought.
Sauros and Hilda returned partway through the party. Sauros turned
sullen after Philip intervened when he tried giving me alcohol. Hilda poured
the old man some instead, and eventually he got utterly smashed. He left for
his own room with a drunken smile and red tinge to his cheeks, laughing
merrily.
Hilda leaned over and gave me a final kiss goodnight before retiring to
her own quarters. Most of the food had been polished off by that point. The
maids cleared the last of the empty plates with sleepy looks on their faces.
That left only Philip and me. For a while Philip just quietly knocked
back his drink. Wine, I guessed. I learned during Eris's birthday that each
region of the Asura Kingdom had its own form of alcohol. In this area it was
largely made from wheat, but wine from grapes would be prepared for special
occasions.
Philip hadn't talked much during the party. He had admonished Sauros
and Hilda, but otherwise spent most of the time watching over us with a smile
on his face. It was now, when the two of us were left alone, that he let the words flow. "I lost the battle to become head of the family. Right now, Eris is
my only child."
So, it was going to be a serious conversation. I adjusted my posture and
gazed intently at him.
"Don't you wonder why it is that Eris has no brothers or sisters?"
I nodded quietly. "A little." I was curious, but I was never able to ask
about it.
"The truth is, it's not that she doesn't have any. She has an older
brother and a younger brother. Her younger brother is probably about the
same age as you, I think?"
"Was he killed in the battle to become head of the family?"
Philip looked at me, shocked; I'd asked the question a little too
directly. "No, of course not. He's not dead. He was taken to the imperial
capital by my elder brother as soon as he was born."
"Taken? What do you mean?" I pressed.
"On the surface, he took him there as an adopted son to let him study.
The truth is…it's a tradition, I suppose."
Philip explained the Boreas family's tradition, one that was connected
to the battle to become the head of family.
Sauros had ten sons. Among them only three were exceptional: Philip,
Gordon, and finally, James. It sounded like the name of a certain locomotive.
To decide who would be the head of family among these three, they
were made to compete. The result was that James would become the next
head of the family. Philip and Gordon had lost.
During the first half of the power struggle, James first secretly pulled
Gordon and the daughter of the Euros Greyrat family together. He
maneuvered things so neither one would know the other's background then
fanned the flames of their love. Gordon became too focused on that romance,
and just as James had planned, married into the Euros branch of the family.
That effectively cut off his path to becoming head of the Boreas family.
In the latter half of the struggle, Philip and James were evenly
matched. They continued to fight by manipulating people from behind the scenes.
But it wasn't like some dramatic development occurred. The battle
simply ended with Philip's defeat. It was a matter of influence. James was six
years older than Philip, widely known throughout the capital, and had served
as a minister's aide. He had connections, money, and, more than anything,
political power.
Philip was an excellent candidate, but that six-year gap was nearly
impossible to overcome. Once James became the head of the household, he
made Philip the mayor of Roa. At that time, Philip had yet to give up. He
tried to formulate a comeback strategy, but the lands in Fittoa were largely
rural, making it difficult to build political power.
While Philip was breaking his back trying to do what he could, James
stayed in the capital and built himself a rock-solid position as minister. That
made the gap between them impossible to bridge. Then, when Philip's son
was born, James claimed him as an adopted son.
"Isn't it a bit tyrannical of him to take all of your sons from you?"
"No, it's fine. That's the tradition."
In the Boreas Greyrat line, all sons born into the family were raised
under the care of the head of the household. This prevented those who had
lost in previous power struggles from participating in future ones. It ensured
they would not involve themselves to boost their own son's influence in the
next struggle for power.
This was a common issue, a problem that occurred all over Asura
Kingdom. Apparently, the Euros family which Gordon married into had a
different tradition, but Philip obeyed the Boreas tradition and surrendered all
his sons to James while they were still young and had no awareness of the
world. The only father they would recognize was James.
"The situation would have been reversed if I had won." The way Philip
calmly accepted the situation made me think he may not have been Sauros's
true-born child after all.
The same could not be said for his wife. Hilda was from a normal
noble family. Having her newborn baby taken from her wasn't something she
could so calmly accept. In the aftermath of losing her oldest son, she fell into
depression for quite a while. Once Eris was born, she seemed to recover, but when Eris's younger brother was taken, she became unstable again.
"She hated you. After all, why did the son of an outsider get to parade
around here as if he owned the place, when her own sons couldn't even do
that?"
I had already figured out that she hated me. At least now I knew she
had a reason for it.
"Plus, our only remaining child, Eris, turned out to be a tomboy instead
of a lady. I thought all hope was lost."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It would be difficult to try to use Eris to overthrow James."
By overthrow did he mean…? Ah, he still hadn't given up on
becoming the head of the family.
"But lately, after seeing you, I've started to feel a little bit of hope."
"Huh?"
"Your acting is good enough to deceive even Hilda and my father."
So, he noticed I was putting on a show. But the word "deceive" didn't
have a very nice ring to it. I just tried to act in a way that wouldn't make
things unpleasant.
Philip continued, "You understand the importance of money, and you
know how to be diplomatic. And you don't balk at the necessity of putting
yourself in harm's way to win over people's hearts."
He was probably referring to the kidnapping incident. Or the fact that I
stuck around even though someone my age (Eris) was punching me all the
time.
"But most of all, Eris has grown tremendously under your
supervision." Philip sounded like he never could never imagined this.
He had heard how exceptional I was from Paul, but as the son of
someone who spent all his time flipping skirts at my age, he probably thought
I would be the same type of delinquent. He figured something interesting
might happen by pitting his unruly daughter against me, like observing the
chemical reactions of a science experiment. Apparently, that was about as far
as he'd imagined it.
"I can still remember the day when Paul came running here crying,"
Philip muttered to himself.
I asked Philip to explain, who said Paul came crying because he was
going to get married but didn't have the money to afford a place and needed a
stable job. Yet at the same time Paul didn't want to return to his noble family.
Apparently, he got on his knees for my sake, something he didn't do even
when the incident with Lilia happened. Well, that was in the past, anyway.
"Wouldn't Eris have found a way even without me here?"
"Found a way? Of course not. Even I thought Eris was hopeless. I
thought she had no future as a member of a noble family. That was why I
hired Ghislaine to teach her swordplay so that she might at least become an
adventurer." After he said that, Philip recounted several of his past episodes
with Eris, every single one painful to listen to.
"So how about it? Will you marry Eris and help me seize control of the
Boreas family? If so, I'll tie her hands and put her in your bed right now."
That was a tantalizing offer… My mind conjured the image of getting a
pop-up screen like in a game, saying, "Are you sure you sure you want to
dispose of this (your virginity)? Once it's gone, it will be gone forever!"
No, no, wait, wait, wait! This is no joke. Read the previous line again, I
commanded myself. Seize control of the Boreas family?
"What are you trying to make me do? I'm ten!"
"You're also Paul's child, are you not?"
"I'm not talking about that!"
"I will be the one to seize control of the family. All you must do is take
the seat. If you want women, I'll give them to you."
Did he really think I would listen just because he said he'd give me
women? Paul's bad reputation truly was loathsome.
"I'll pretend you said all this because you're drunk."
Philip laughed quietly when I said that. "That's right, go ahead and do
that. All that stuff about the Boreas family aside, you're free to pursue
whatever relationship you want with Eris, you know? I have no responsibility
for her. Even if I did marry her off, she would surely come right back. I would prefer to hand her over to you instead." Another muted laugh.
If he married Eris off, she would probably punch her husband to death
within a couple of days. I could picture it easily. Just as easily as I could
picture myself dancing to Philip's tune if I took him up on that offer.
"All right, it's about time to sleep then."
"Yes, good night," I responded.
So ended the birthday party that Eris had staged for me.
***
When I returned to my room, Eris, who should have been asleep, was
sitting on my bed.
"Oh, w-welcome back!" She was wearing a red negligee. Extremely
sexy.
I was sure she had never worn anything like this before. What was
going on? Also, wasn't she supposed to be asleep?
"What are you doing here at this hour?"
When I asked, her cheeks burned red and she averted her eyes. "I-I
thought you would be lonely by yourself, so I was going to sleep with you
tonight!"
Apparently, she was still worried about what I said during the party,
about whether my parents were coming. After all, she was still clinging to her
parents at age twelve. Maybe imagining being without them for three years
spurred her into coming here.
No. Unlikely as it seemed, it was possible this was Hilda's idea. Maybe
she roused Eris, forced her to change, and sent her over here.
"…"
I took a second, hard look at Eris. Her body had not yet fully matured,
but it was beginning to. Probably because of all the sword practice, her arms
and legs were well toned. Whether it was because she was taller than the
average girl or the negligee she was wearing, she also looked more grown-up than usual.
Eris was already twelve after all. She was barely entering my strike
zone.
My body was still immature as well. I had yet to hit puberty, though it
would surely be upon me in a few years. Maybe then I would welcome the
opportunity to pop my cherry with this spoiled, tsundere loli.
The moment that thought crossed my mind I felt like that thirty-four-
year-old, homeless, jobless pervert again. I saw an image of him with his face
covered in acne and lips set in a disgusting smile, swooping down on Eris.
I snapped back to my senses. No, I couldn't. I couldn't touch her. That
would be playing right into Philip's hand. I would be planting my foot right
in the middle of an intense power struggle. The same one Philip had already
lost and Paul had run away from.
I didn't want to get involved in something that seemed to have so few
payoffs. So I just prayed I could get out of this peacefully.
She loathed my habitual sexual harassment, so maybe I could say
something to that effect to scare her off? "Th-that's right! I'm feeling pretty
lonely, so if you don't leave I might do something perverted to you!"
Or so I thought, but then I received an unlikely response.
"Y-you can do it. J-just a little bit!"
Seriously?!
You're really being bold today, Eris! You're really being bold today,
Eris! How's an old man like me supposed to resist when you put it like that?
What to do…
I debated internally and finally decided to take her up on her offer. Just
a little.
"…"
I sat beside her. The bed let out a small creak. If I were still my
previous self, it would've surely let out a much larger groan, effectively
killing the mood.
I wasn't thinking anymore, not about any of that complicated stuff.
This was playing into Philip's hands? Fine then. Three years ago, Eris had been so tsun, but now she was finally showing me her dere side. How could I
refuse when she was offering herself willingly? At times like these it was best
to just accept the risk and take the plunge, right?
"You're stuttering," I said.
"Th-that's just your imagination."
"Really?"
I petted her head. Her hair was so smooth. Even though this was a high
noble family, there was no bath in the manor, so it wasn't as if you could
wash your hair every day. Her hair was normally coarse and rough from
spending every day outside practicing swordplay from morning until dusk.
She must have cleaned it up today for me. For me.
"You look so cute."
"Wh-what are you talking about all of a sudden?"
She looked away, her face red to her ears. I wrapped my arms around
her shoulders and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Hngh!" Her body went stiff, but she didn't try to run.
Ah, so she really is okay with this? I thought. She was definitely the
type to run if she didn't like something.
"I'm going to touch you now." Unable to hold myself back, I reached
for her chest. The lumps were still small, but they were definitely breasts.
Being able to touch these was proof she had given me permission. Not like all
the times before when I had reached out in trepidation, fully prepared to be
punched as I groped them. It was through a layer of clothing, but there was
no doubt that I had true loli breasts in my small hands right now.
"Mm…"
It wasn't pleasure that made her hum, I was sure. She was just realizing
how embarrassing what we were doing really was. I knew that. She was
watching me with her lips clamped tightly together, tears in her eyes as she
struggled to tamp down her embarrassment and confusion.
I stroked her back comfortingly. Thanks to all her sword training, it
was firm with muscle. Not as much as Ghislaine's, of course, but well-toned
and smooth. Eris snapped her eyes shut and grabbed my shoulders like she was
clinging to me. Did this, perhaps, mean she was giving me the okay? She
was, right? If so, I was going to go the whole way. Right now.
O-okay, let's d-do it then, I thought.
I reached my hand toward the inside of her thigh. This would be my
first time ever touching a girl there. It was warm and soft, of course, but firm
with muscle.
"Nooo!"
She shoved me away. Then slapped me across the cheek, loud and
hard. I landed on the floor with a thump after being kicked. She continued her
attack, the sounds of her blows filling the room.
Rendered completely defenseless by my own confusion, I took the full
force of her attack. Once it was over, I looked up at her, flat on my back.
Eris was standing over me. Her cheeks were red. She was glaring at
me. "I told you just a little, didn't I?! You moron!" The door was left hanging
wide open after she kicked it and marched out.
***
I stared blankly at the ceiling. The feverish heat that had taken over had
dissipated completely.
"This is why you're a virgin."
I was filled with self-loathing. I completely misread the atmosphere. I
went way too fast. Halfway through, I forgot that she was still a child.
I completely forgot myself.
"Ah, dammit, what were you thinking?!"
After playing so many erotic games, I thought maybe I understood how
the heroines felt. In my previous life I used to watch thickheaded protagonists
be oblivious, and I would think to myself, Just hurry up and make your move,
then it'll be over.
What I'd just done was the result of that thinking. As a player, you could see the heroine's internal dialogue. The protagonist, meanwhile, had no
idea what she was thinking. That was why most protagonists were aware
something like this could happen, even if they knew the other person liked
them. So they took their time and slowly developed the relationship instead.
I was being completely short-sighted compared to them. Especially
after I'd had that conversation with Philip. What was I thinking, saying I
would pretend he only said all that because he was drunk? The things I said
and the things I did were in complete contradiction.
I knew what would happen if I had sex with Eris. We would sleep
together, she would get pregnant, we would get married. A grand series of
events that would make me an official member of the Boreas household. Or,
after all that, would I come to hate the ugly power struggle that followed so
much that I would run away? Would I plan not to take responsibility for my
actions? Was I just going to pass it off as a one-night stand?
Foolish. I would no doubt end up going after Eris every night. My sex
drive was quite strong in my previous life, and I had a feeling, without even
looking at Paul as an example, that it might be the same for my current body.
There was no way I would be satisfied by a one-time thing. She may have
come to me today, but the next time I would be the one going to her.
Philip and Hilda surely hoped for that. No one would stop me. I would
take the bait of temporary gratification and fall into the filthy trap that was
the Boreas household's inner power struggle.
"Ah!" The staff standing in the corner of the room caught my eye.
I couldn't forget Eris's feelings either. The money may have come
from Philip and Sauros, but she was the one who planned the party for me
and came up with the idea of giving me that staff. She was the one who
worried over our conversation at the party and came here to comfort me
tonight before I fell asleep. She thought about me all day long today.
Yet a moment ago, I'd been about to violate her out of lust. There was
a girl who genuinely considered my feelings as a person, and I tried to have
my way with her.
Remember how happy she looked when she was talking with that maid
before? You just tried to trample all over that.
"Haha…"
I was a piece of crap. I had no right to judge Paul. I had no right to
lecture anyone. I was a piece of crap in my previous life and nothing had
changed in coming to another world. Tomorrow I would gather my things
and leave. I would go die on the roadside like the garbage I was.
"Ah!"
I suddenly realized that Eris was standing in the doorway. Only part of
her body was visible, her face peeking out from behind the frame.
I panicked and tried sitting up, no stand… No! Should I just prostrate
myself!
"I-I'm sorry about what just happened." I balled up like a turtle,
prostrating myself before her.
"…"
I peeked up.
Eris's gaze was drifting as she fidgeted, her legs brushing against each
other with the motion. Then she slowly whispered, "T-today's a special day,
so I'll make an exception and forgive you."
Sh-she forgave me!
"Besides, I already know you're a pervert."
Who the hell told her that!
No, it was true though. I was the one. I was the pervert. It was my
fault. Everyone look over here. It's me, the pervert.
"But, i-it's still too early for us to do that, so…five years! In five years,
once you've grown up properly, then…mumblemumble…b-but until then,
hold it in!"
"Hahah!" I slumped forward.
"W-well then, I'm going back to bed. Bye, Rudeus. Good night. I'll see
you again tomorrow." After that choppy, disordered farewell, Eris vanished
from view. I could hear the rhythm of her footsteps as she took off.
I waited until the sound faded completely before I shut the door.
"Pheeeeeew." I slumped against the door and slid down. "Thank God!"
I was glad today was my birthday. I was glad today was a special day. I was glad I didn't do something worse than what I did.
"And yeeeees!"
Five years from now. A definite promise! From Eris! A promise!
All right, no more insincere advances until then, I told myself.
Five years. I would be fifteen. It was still a long time away, but I could
hold out. If there was a guaranteed prize at the end, I could work hard. Until
then, I would be a gentleman. Not a pervert, but a gentleman. I would stop all
the sexual advances.
Wine only had a depth to its taste after you let it sit for years. A
charged attack had more power behind it the longer let it build up after all. I
would become the kind of man that wouldn't yield no matter what kind of
temptation I encountered. This time, I would aim to be that thick-headed
protagonist. I would hold down the A button and not release it until those five
years had passed. That was the promise I made to myself.
Lolita good, touching bad.
Wait, five years from now…? The thick-headed protagonist? An image
of Sylphie's pale, angelic face and sweet smile suddenly popped into the back
of my head.
***
The next morning, I woke up to crusty underwear. Apparently, I had
accidentally released the A button. Oh well, I would just have to start again
tomorrow.
I had a word with the maid who came to collect our laundry and asked
her to keep quiet about this so Eris didn't find out. She giggled with a look of
mirth in her eyes. It was a little embarrassing.
***
NAME: Eris B. Greyrat
OCCUPATION: Granddaughter of Fittoa's liege lord
PERSONALITY: Sometimes violent, sometimes meek, depending on the
situation
DOES: Listen properly
READING/WRITING: Almost perfect
ARITHMETIC: Capable of doing division
MAGIC: Can't do any spells without chanting them, Intermediate-tier
spells also a challenge
FENCING: Sword God Style - Advanced-tier
ETIQUETTE: Currently studying difficult imperial court etiquette
PEOPLE SHE LIKES: Grandfather, Ghislaine
PERSON SHE LOVES: Rudeus