Hearing Heathcliff's words, Roy exhaled silently in relief. He'd been genuinely worried the GM might decide to stir up trouble on a whim.
But just as he started to relax, Heathcliff added something that made the tension climb back into his shoulders.
"Oh, by the way, I find you rather interesting. We should duel sometime." Heathcliff gave Roy a hearty pat on the shoulder.
Roy's lips twitched involuntarily. Duel with this guy? Seriously?
The answer was obvious—absolutely not. While his own body stats had been recalibrated to match real-life conditions, Heathcliff's were not. The GM had full access to the game's systems, making him, for all intents and purposes, the god of this world.
What are my odds of defeating a god in their own realm?
Practically zero. GM privileges were akin to omnipotence. Roy had no desire to challenge someone who could manipulate the very fabric of this world on a whim.
A fair duel? Hardly. In the original story, Kirito—armed with the iconic Starburst Stream—barely managed to land a blow on Heathcliff before the GM casually activated Time Stop and ended the fight with a single strike.
It was less of a duel and more of a rigged game—a powerful entity toying with mere mortals under the guise of fairness.
Roy forced a polite smile, neither agreeing nor refusing.
Once Heathcliff departed, Asuna leaned in, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "Why didn't you accept his invitation? Joining them might make clearing the floors easier."
Roy shook his head. "It's not that simple, Asuna. That man... there's something off about him."
Kirito, who had been only half-listening, suddenly perked up, intrigued. "Something off? What do you mean?"
Roy hesitated. He couldn't exactly say, "Oh, that guy? He's Akihiko Kayaba in disguise." Instead, he adopted a grave expression and replied, "I don't know... it's just a feeling."
The others exchanged puzzled glances. Kirito chuckled, clapping his elder brother on the shoulder.
"C'mon, Nii-san. Just because he looks a bit intense doesn't mean there's something wrong with him."
Roy gave a cryptic smile, choosing not to elaborate further. The others shrugged it off, leaving the matter at that.
"Alright then." Roy announced, "Let's get back to clearing floors."
With that, the group resumed their steady progress, diving back into their quest.
...
Mushoku Tensei world.
Roy was entirely unaware of his Fool self was brewing. He had his own dilemma to deal with—figuring out how to handle a particularly stubborn student.
Eris.
Her attitude toward sword training was stellar—she wielded her wooden blade with enthusiasm, channeling boundless energy into every swing. But the moment magic lessons were mentioned, her demeanor soured.
And when Rudeus attempted to teach her to read, the girl promptly threw him out of the room.
Roy now stood before the tightly shut door, a headache brewing.
Raising his voice, he called out, "Eris! Let Rudeus back in. You can't go through life without learning anything!"
A sharp scoff came from inside the room, followed by the unmistakable sound of the door being bolted shut. There was no indication it would open anytime soon.
Rudeus, his face a canvas of bruises, glanced at Roy with an expression of utter dejection. "Nii-san, this girl… she's so mean." He said, his voice trembling with both pain and disbelief.
Roy nodded solemnly. "She sure is." Though Eris couldn't do much to harm him directly, her outright refusal to cooperate presented an entirely different challenge.
Here they were—Roy with a meticulously prepared magic lesson, and Eris sitting on the side, refusing even to glance his way. She busied herself by twirling strands of her hair, entirely ignoring his attempts to get her attention.
No matter how many times he tried to address her, his words fell on deaf ears.
Roy inhaled deeply and let out a slow, steady breath. Then, in a loud voice, he called out, "Ghislaine! Is that you?"
"Ghislaine? Where?" Rudeus spun around in confusion, only to be met with a firm smack on the head from Roy. Realization dawned immediately.
From within the room came the sound of hurried footsteps. A moment later, Eris peeked her head out, her eyes alight with excitement. "Ghislaine?"
Her enthusiasm evaporated the instant she realized she'd been duped.
There was no Ghislaine—only Roy, standing there with an expression so dark it sent a chill down her spine.
Eris instinctively began retreating back into her room, but Roy was quicker. Grabbing her by the collar, he hauled her out before she could make her escape.
With an icy glare, Roy stared her down. "Eris." He said, his voice cold and firm.
Eris gulped audibly. Defiantly, she raised her voice. "What are you planning to do? I haven't done anything! I've even been attending your lessons—what more do you want from me?"
Her tone carried a hint of grievance, as though she were the one being wronged in this situation. From her perspective, Roy's demands seemed unreasonable. She wasn't interested in learning, so why couldn't they strike a balance? She would show up to lessons just to satisfy him, and in return, he'd take his pay without pestering her further. Wasn't that a fair compromise?
This so-called solution was something Eris had spent an entire night crafting. It wasn't easy for someone like her, who hated thinking too much, to come up with such a plan. When she did, she even felt a sense of pride at her ingenuity.
If Roy had known her thoughts, he would have likely scoffed. This wasn't a compromise at all. It was Eris admitting partial defeat while stubbornly refusing to yield completely.
Essentially, her plan boiled down to: You continue teaching, and I'll continue being a spoiled brat.
The main reason she'd adopted this strategy was simple—she couldn't beat Roy.
In the beginning, she had resisted outright, attempting to confront Roy head-on. That had ended poorly. After being chased around the house, she'd sought help from her father and grandfather, only to find them smirking silently, clearly unwilling to intervene. That's when Eris realized her family had fully committed to pushing her into the fire.
Frustrated and cornered, she decided to barricade herself in her room.
Her logic was simple: if violence wouldn't work, she'd resort to nonviolent resistance. Locking herself in her room, she refused to eat for three days, believing this would force Roy to abandon his efforts.
And, to her credit, it almost worked.
Eris might not have been the sharpest, but her plan exploited her status as the family's precious treasure. When Philip heard that his beloved daughter wasn't eating, he immediately pressured Roy to back off.
Left with little choice, Roy resorted to unconventional methods. Sneaking into her room, he managed to corner her. What followed was a day of intense negotiations, which ended with a tearful Eris begrudgingly signing an unequal treaty.
The agreement had three key points.
Eris would unconditionally obey Roy during his tenure as her tutor.
She was forbidden from skipping lessons.
She couldn't use similar nonviolent resistance tactics to defy him.
Roy didn't actually expect Eris to adhere strictly to the agreement. Its primary purpose was to give her a way to save face while subtly asserting his authority.
After all, this little girl's pride and rebellious streak were as unyielding as steel.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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