Fittoa Territory, Roa City.
This was part of the Asura Kingdom, and the lord of the Boreas family, Sauros Boreas Greyrat, governed here. His son, Philip Boreas Greyrat, served as the mayor of Roa City, and Ghislaine had spoken of Eris, Philip's daughter and the heiress of the family.
On the way to Fittoa Territory, Ghislaine repeatedly warned Wood not to provoke Eris Boreas Greyrat, the infamous young lady.
From what Wood learned through Ghislaine, Eris had a long record of misconduct. At the age of five, she had already been expelled from school for beating a classmate nearly to death.
Since then, the Boreas family had been forced to hire private tutors for her. Unfortunately, due to Eris's prideful, violent, and hot-headed nature, none of the well-paid tutors had lasted more than three days.
Ghislaine remained Eris's swordsmanship instructor only because Eris loved swordsmanship and because she had inherited her grandfather's fondness for beastfolk, which allowed Ghislaine to stay as her teacher.
While Eris tolerated her family to some extent, her temper towards outsiders was no joke. Ghislaine wasn't sure if Wood truly had the extraordinary talent Paul claimed, but she didn't want to see Paul and Zenith's child being seriously injured by Eris's violent outbursts.
The Boreas family mansion was unsurprisingly luxurious, with an expansive garden and training grounds. As Wood marveled at the opulence of medieval aristocracy, he thought to himself how decadent the nobles were.
Although Paul was distantly related to the Boreas family, he had given up his noble status, and since Wood was only his second son and not Paul himself, Wood's arrival garnered little attention.
Nonetheless, Wood was given his own room, and his meals were provided, so he couldn't complain.
After settling in, Ghislaine checked the time and quickly told Wood that it was time to see his abilities. With Eris's sword lesson about to start, Ghislaine decided to take Wood along to observe.
When they arrived at the spacious training grounds, a red-haired girl, taller than Wood by half a head, stood ready and waiting. She was clearly prepared for her lesson and looked impatient.
"Ghislaine, you're late!" Eris scowled at Ghislaine as she saw her arrive with Wood.
If it had been anyone else, Eris would have likely lashed out already. But Ghislaine was one of the few people Eris admired, so despite her annoyance, she held back her temper.
"Sorry, Eris. I had some other matters to attend to. Let's begin the lesson," Ghislaine replied calmly.
Eris's attention briefly shifted to Wood, curiosity flashing in her eyes, but it quickly faded as she focused on her sword and charged straight at Ghislaine.
Unlike the wooden swords Wood and Paul used for sparring, Eris and Ghislaine were using real iron swords in their training!
Eris's skill level genuinely surprised Wood. Her movements were agile, her body was flexible, and her attacks were decisive. No wonder Ghislaine had praised her as the most gifted swordsman she had ever seen.
Wood's current level was the result of experience and some outside help, but Eris, at only eight or nine years old, had reached her level purely through natural talent.
In terms of swordsmanship alone, Eris would easily defeat Rudy ten times over at his current stage. Although Rudy had mastered "Water Saint-level" magic, if Eris got close to him, he wouldn't stand a chance. Magic had many limitations in close-quarters combat.
Not only was it hard to cast spells quickly in such situations, but strong magic could also backfire and injure the caster as well.
"Eris, you've grown even stronger. At this rate, you'll reach the level of an advanced swordsman soon," Ghislaine commented.
Though Eris was talented, the gap between her and a Sword King like Ghislaine was immense. Even though Eris had given her all, exhausting herself in the process, she hadn't managed to land a single hit on Ghislaine.
During their spar, Ghislaine had remained on the defensive the entire time. Even as Eris wore herself out, Ghislaine didn't break a sweat. It was as if she had only been warming up.
"Now it's your turn, Wood. Show me what you've got. Let's see if the talent that amazed Paul is truly as remarkable as he says. Eris, lend Wood your sword. There's no need to waste time fetching another from the armory," Ghislaine said, shifting her attention to Wood.
At first, Eris was reluctant to hand over her sword, but when she heard that Wood was going to spar with Ghislaine, her interest piqued.
She had heard from the servants that a distant cousin would be staying with them for a while, but Eris hadn't cared much. Now, seeing this boy, who was two years younger and shorter than her, prepare to spar with Ghislaine, she grew curious.
With a quick motion, Eris threw her iron sword at Wood. But instead of a casual toss, the angle made it seem as if she was aiming to strike him!
If Wood didn't move, he would surely be injured. Though the sword wouldn't pierce him completely, there was no doubt he would be hurt.
Eris's thought process was simple: if Wood couldn't catch the sword, then he didn't deserve to study with her or challenge Ghislaine.
"As Ghislaine mentioned, this young lady is truly stubborn and violent... No, she's even more troublesome than I thought," Wood thought to himself as he watched the iron sword fly toward him.
Standing still, Wood made no attempt to dodge. The sword sped closer, and when it was mere inches away, even Eris panicked.
She had intended to test him, but she hadn't expected him not to dodge at all!
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 380+ at p@treon.com/Betek and change @ to a