While Rudeus was out drinking with the boys, getting wasted and shouting "What's a little drink or two!?"—
In the upstairs bedroom of the Rudeus residence.
Three women in their nightclothes had gathered on the giant bed, faces close together.
"Right then. I hereby call the twenty-sixth regular meeting of the Greyrat Household to order. Applause."
At the words of the white-haired, short-cut woman, the blue-haired girl clapped her hands together.
The red-haired woman, sitting in seiza, followed with a serious expression and dutiful applause.
There was approximately one among them who was perhaps a tad old to be called a girl, but pointing that out would cause the master of the Rudeus residence to fly into a rage like a Great Demon God, so caution was advised.
"She looks like a middle schooler, so what's the problem?" was the master's official stance.
If this weren't a fantasy world, that would be precisely the kind of logic that'd get you in trouble, but let's move on.
The red-haired woman—Eris—looked at the other two faces with a blank expression.
She'd been training in the courtyard in the middle of the night when Sylphie dragged her into this bedroom.
She hadn't received any explanation and was somewhat bewildered.
The white-haired woman—Sylphiette—cleared her throat with a small cough.
She was wearing her usual soft fabric two-piece nightwear, the kind Rudeus favored.
"Right, then. For the benefit of Eris, who recently joined our ranks, allow me to explain."
"Let me handle the explanation."
At that, the blue-haired girl—Roxy—stepped forward with a little hop.
She wore a one-piece nightgown with a design so cute that anyone unfamiliar would take her for a child.
"This meeting was organized by Sylphie so that we, who are in positions where it's easy to quarrel, can get along.
We each have our own agendas, jealousy, possessiveness, and whatnot.
But Rudy doesn't want us fighting over such things.
As wives, let's put in the effort to make this home a comfortable place for Rudy."
Eris looked down at her own outfit.
Plain and rough.
I'll go buy nightwear tomorrow, Eris decided firmly in her heart.
"Eris, are you listening?"
"I-I'm fine!"
Eris nodded vigorously.
It had been roughly twenty days since she came to the Rudeus household.
Lately, Eris had been drowning in a sense of defeat.
Mainly over Sylphie's overwhelming femininity.
Starting with cooking, then laundry and cleaning, from Rudeus's clothing to the household furniture—everything was selected with Sylphie's taste.
She looked after Rudeus with devoted care, helping with domestic matters.
On top of that, she worked as the princess's bodyguard, supporting Rudeus financially as well.
Neither of those were things Eris could have done while she'd been with Rudeus.
Even Eris couldn't argue with the fact that Sylphie was Rudeus's wife.
If anything, she felt a strange awkwardness at being treated as an equal alongside her.
"Anyway, if you have anything you want to say, say it here.
Let's not let our arguments reach Rudy.
Lately, he seems busy.
We should try not to bother him with our problems as much as possible."
"Understood."
Eris nodded earnestly.
No fighting inside the house.
Don't trouble Rudeus.
Lately, Eris had been thinking about nothing but being with Rudeus.
She'd fanatically believed that if that happened, she'd be happy.
Everything beyond that had been only vaguely considered, and having it slapped right into her face hit hard.
"So, today's agenda is getting to know each other.
We don't know Eris all that well,
and Eris doesn't know us very well either.
So let's get acquainted and deepen our bonds."
As she said this, what Sylphie pulled out from under the bed was a strong spirit common to the region.
Roxy retrieved cups, a tray, and some pre-prepared snacks from a shelf and set them in the middle of the bed.
Sylphie planted the bottle of spirits onto the bed like a flag and said:
"For starters, let's bare our souls tonight.
Each of us, from the moment we met Rudy up to now—
let's pour out just how much we love him."
"I'll take you on!"
Eris puffed out her chest in response.
When it came to how much she loved Rudeus, she intended to lose to no one.
"I'll go first. The first time I met Rudy was back when I was still in Buena Village.
I think I was about five years old—"
And so, the girls' night at the Rudeus residence was underway.
---
The girls' night at the Rudeus residence stretched deep into the night.
Roxy, being pregnant, restrained herself from drinking, and Eris—whether due to her constitution—was only at a "tipsy" level.
The only one completely plastered was Sylphie.
"My first friend ever was Rudy. From that time on, I've loved him the whole time.
Nostalgic, isn't it? Rudy hugged me tight, like this.
He didn't say anything, just… held me close, like this… hee hee…"
Sylphie, reeking of alcohol, clung to Eris with her entire body.
"What? I've been hugged by Rudeus too, you know."
"I heard that earlier. Eris is so lucky. You were with Rudy during the best time, and you got his first time, and all. What was Rudy like the first time? With me it was pretty amazing…"
"B-Because—! Besides, Sylphie, you… had Rudeus's first child and married him… I'm more jealous of that!"
Just as the conversation was about to take a concerning turn, it was Roxy who cut in.
"Well, it doesn't have to be the first time, does it? I didn't get anything of Rudy's firsts, but I'm still happy."
"Boo! Roxy's out! You're number one, Roxy! You're the one Rudy respects the most!"
"Respect… I wonder why Rudy respects me so much."
"Rudy said that Roxy taught him the most important thing! You must have taught him something amazing! Something Rudy would love, like something pervy!"
"Rudy was already pervy without any teaching, you know. He peeked when I was bathing, and… well, honestly, I just taught him regular academics… Hmm."
Roxy fell into deep thought.
What exactly had Rudeus taken a liking to in her?
It felt like he'd been awfully attached to her right from their very first meeting, but…
What had she taught him?
She truly had no idea.
"Well, aside from Roxy being in a league of her own, Eris is something else too. I'm starting to lose confidence…"
"Something else? What are you talking about?"
"Well, Eris, you're like… about the same strength as Rudy, aren't you?
Being able to stand beside him and fight together—that's enviable.
I've worked hard and gotten pretty strong, I think, but I still can't compare to Rudy.
Rudy acts like he's trying to protect me. That's nice, but…"
Sylphie muddled along, becoming increasingly wasted.
But Eris didn't feel superior watching her.
She had gone to the Holy Land of the Sword with the goal of being on equal footing with Rudeus.
In practice, it seemed she had achieved a rough parity.
She could even win against Rudeus in mock battles when he used magic.
That was what she'd aimed for, and she'd reached it. There was a sense of accomplishment in that.
But still, she couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy toward Sylphie and Rudeus's relationship.
She knew she could never have that kind of bond, which made it sting all the more.
Just as Sylphie agonized, Roxy tilted her head, and Eris crossed her arms—
The bedroom door opened.
"Pardon the intrusion, ma'ams."
"Oh, Lilia."
The one who entered was a middle-aged woman in a maid's uniform—Lilia.
On the tray she carried, something resembling a thick root vegetable stew steamed warmly.
"I've brought some additional late-night snacks."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Lilia," Roxy said, bowing.
"Not at all, Roxy. Attending to you ladies is simply a maid's natural duty."
Roxy bowed, and Lilia bowed in return.
"Th-thank you… very much," Eris managed.
"No need for thanks, Eris. Since you've become Rudeus's wife, you are my mistress now."
Eris, for her part, wasn't quite sure how to handle Lilia.
The Fittoa domain's mansion had plenty of maids.
But Eris had a vague sense that Lilia shouldn't be treated the same as the others.
She was the mother of Rudeus's sister.
In a manner of speaking, she was a wet nurse—or a second mother.
A psychological impulse operated within Eris that she absolutely could not be disliked by "Rudeus's mother."
"Also, you needn't be so stiff. I've heard quite a lot about you, Eris, from your time in Buena Village…"
"What… did you hear?"
"Well…"
Lilia hesitated.
The information she'd received about Eris from Buena Village had been… less than flattering.
"That she was so violent and uncontrollable that living as a noble lady was impossible… and that she was, well, a mountain ape."
"…………"
Eris pursed her lips.
Honestly, aside from her swordsmanship, she hadn't changed much from back then.
She'd had her period of effort, but in the end, she'd thrown it all away.
"But look at you now. A Sword King… The lord of the Fittoa domain would be proud to see the current Eris."
"Yes… but Father and Grandfather are already…"
"Oh, I'm sorry," Lilia said with a pained expression, bowing her head.
"It's all right. Tragedy is everywhere in this world.
Rudeus's father and mother, too…"
"……"
In an instant, the atmosphere turned somber, and only the warm stew still steamed away.
It was Sylphie who felt uncomfortable with that mood.
"O-Oh, come to think of it, Lilia, you even know what Rudy was like when he was born, right?"
"Yes. I was originally hired as Rudeus's wet nurse."
"What was Rudy like before he met me or Roxy?"
"You mean right when Rudeus was born?"
At those words, Lilia reminisced.
"That's right. At first, I found Rudeus rather… unsettling."
"Huh? Why?"
"Well, I wonder why… Rudeus was the type to appear and disappear without warning, and when you found him, he was usually grinning in a creepy way."
Lilia laughed, remembering those days.
Rudeus had been such a cute child—why had she avoided him so much?
Back then, she had genuinely found him creepy, but time had softened those memories, leaving only the fond ones behind.
"Ahh, but that hasn't really changed, has it?"
"No, it hasn't. Although, even back then, when I picked him up, he'd grab my chest and wear that lewd grin…"
"……That hasn't really changed either, has it?"
"……Now that you mention it, no."
Rudeus had been a perverted little brat from the start.
That revelation cast a slightly awkward air over the room—until one person let out a smug little "hmph" upon hearing it.
"If it was Lilia's chest Rudeus liked, then I should be fine too, shouldn't I?"
That remark came from the red-haired woman, who happened to possess an extremely voluptuous bust.
"I was a little worried, you know. Sylphie and Roxy are both small, so I wondered if I'd be all right…"
R-Rudy isn't that particular about such things!"
Sylphie said this, though her voice trembled ever so slightly.
"Come to think of it, even during our travels, he was always staring at women's chests."
"Even during travels? Oh, but now that you mention it, right after we got married, he was always trying to grope me whenever he got the chance. On our days off, he'd touch them all day long…"
"I haven't been groped very much, actually… Perhaps he's not fond of mine…"
Roxy said this with a slight droop, giving her own chest a squeeze.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much there to squeeze.
A tragedy, truly.
"Then, I'll be taking my leave…"
"Lilia, come drink with us too! Just for tonight."
Sylphie stopped Lilia as she was about to leave the room.
Roxy chimed in agreement.
"Come to think of it, even back in Buena Village, we never had a drink together, Lilia. I can't drink myself, but since the opportunity is here, why not?"
"Well, but I have to attend to Zenis…"
"Then bring Zenis too!"
"Exactly! We're all adults, so surely you can handle a little alcohol!"
Sylphie and Eris piled on.
Drunken people are forceful creatures.
In no time, Sylphie had roped Lilia in completely, and even swept up Zenis, building the revelry into a full-blown alcohol-fueled feast.
---
Elinalise was feeling lonely on a night without Cliff.
Today, Cliff had gone out.
He'd declared in his manly way that he had "man-to-man business to discuss with Rudeus" and headed out.
Elinalise, without bruising his pride, had simply said, "Have a good time."
She'd then luxuriated in how virtuous and wonderful she was as a woman.
But soon after, she grew restless.
Even pregnant, Elinalise had no qualms about cuddling up to Cliff, but without a partner, she couldn't satisfy her desires.
Then again, during pregnancy, her appetite for such things wasn't particularly strong.
A day without it now and then wouldn't kill her.
Even so, she decided to check on Sylphie and Roxy and headed over to the Greyrat residence.
What she found was five ladies of the Greyrat household thoroughly enjoying their drinking party.
"My, my, this looks like quite the interesting affair."
"Oh, it's Grandma! Grandma Rie, your belly's gotten big! Is that my little brother or sister in there? Wait—if Cliff's the father, then Rudy would be… um, um…"
When Elinalise arrived, Sylphie was kneading Eris's chest from behind.
Eris, showing no reaction whatsoever, simply stared straight ahead, eating her food and drinking in silence.
Zenis continued to fill Eris's cup with steady little *tok tok* sounds.
Beside her, Lilia was also drinking.
Being served by Roxy, she clung to her with rambling persistence.
"Roxy, why doesn't my daughter receive Rudeus's love!?"
"She does receive it."
Roxy, wishing she could drink but unable to with a child in her belly, answered Lilia's words with genuine sincerity.
"Though, only as a sister…"
"A woman's happiness is surely being loved by a man, isn't it!?"
"I am happy, but I don't think Rudy needs to be forced into loving me that way… Aisha is talented, and I'm sure she'll find a good partner someday."
"Someone greater than Rudeus!?"
"There aren't many men greater than Rudy… Actually, when I think about it that way, I didn't do so badly after all. I suppose I could say I bought into something early."
The moment Elinalise saw that scene, she was reminded of the gathering of unmarried women at the adventurer's guild.
Despite everyone present being married, that was what came to mind.
That, in turn, made her think of the deep karmic ties between Paul and Rudeus—
But she shelved that for the moment.
"My goodness, if Rudeus saw this, he'd cry! The only time it's appropriate for a woman to show herself drunk is when she's alone with a man!"
Elinalise strode gleefully into the gathering.
There was nothing she feared.
"Oh, Grandma, saying things like that! Oh, right.
Grandma, you were always teaching Roxy dirty techniques, weren't you?
Why won't you teach me? Huh, why?"
"Ugh, Sylphie, you've had way too much… The reason I didn't teach you those techniques was because I knew it would excite Rudeus more to think of you as a naïve girl who knows nothing…"
"Well, that doesn't matter anymore, right? You'll teach me all sorts of things now, won't you?
I'm tired of just lying there while Rudy does whatever he wants on the bed!
I want to make Rudy go 'ah, ah' for once!"
Elinalise took one look at that disaster and, within three seconds, abandoned all rational thought.
Her brain reached a single verdict: she needed to drink too and join the ranks.
"Well then, I'll have a drink."
Elinalise grabbed an empty cup and downed the contents in one bold gulp as if to make up for lost time.
Seeing that, Sylphie pointed a finger at her.
"Ah-ah! That's no good! Someone with such a big belly drinking that hard is no good!"
"Go tell that to Roxy, then."
"It's fine, it's fine—Roxy isn't drinking, so there's no problem! And even if she did, she could use detox magic, so no problem!"
This was the sort of thing sober Sylphie would never say, but tonight she was well and truly drunk.
Elinalise settled into a vacant chair with a cheerful heave and joined the conversation.
"I learned detox magic at the university too, you know."
"I can chant it without incantation, though~"
"Oh, yes, yes. How impressive. As expected of my granddaughter."
Elinalise lightly dodged the self-congratulatory Sylphie and popped a snack into her mouth.
"More like it's thanks to Rudy's teaching. Magic and in bed—I'll do whatever Rudy wants."
"A woman like that gets a man all riled up, you know~?"
"I know, right? On days Rudy's with me, he's so motivated! Hee hee."
By the time Elinalise caught up to Sylphie's pace, roughly an hour had passed.
---
That day, the five women drank without cease.
They drank, and drank, and drank some more, purging the filth from their hearts.
Their unease about Rudeus's recent secret dealings.
Their distrust of the Human God and Orsted.
But things would work out, right?—that optimism.
They interwove these feelings as the alcohol flowed stronger, granting them a temporary sense of bliss.
Roxy, the only sober one, sat with them as they drank themselves exhausted and fell asleep one by one, listening to their complaints. In the end, she cast detox magic on all of them.
Then she returned to her own room and got into bed, preparing for school the next day.
She still had work to do tomorrow.
It was the following morning that Roxy recalled the girl who hadn't been able to attend this gathering and had gone to bed alone, sulking.