One way or another, I was almost ten years old.
I'd spent this past year studying languages.
Besides the Demon God language and the Beast God language, I'd managed to learn the War God language too.
The War God language was close to human language, so it wasn't that hard to pick up.
It was like English with just a tiny bit of German mixed in.
Only the vocabulary and expressions were different.
The grammar fundamentals were the same as human language.
The languages of this world weren't that difficult.
Once you learned one, you could apply it to the others.
Maybe it was the influence of wars that had once engulfed the entire world.
Though I couldn't learn the Heaven God language or the Sea God language, since there were no documents and no one who used them.
As for swordsmanship, I was starting to look like I could make it to intermediate level.
I could really feel the talent gap.
Well, she'd been practicing on her rest days too, so I guess that was just how it was.
The time I'd spent on language study, she'd spent on swordsmanship.
Of course there'd be a difference.
For magic, I was mainly training in figure crafting.
Since I'd gotten better at fine detail work, my skills should have improved.
That said, I was hitting a wall.
Well, I could study at the Magic Academy.
No need to rush.
Even so, it had been almost ten years since I'd come to this world.
It was quite something to think about.
--- About a month before my birthday, the people in the mansion—starting with Eris—began to act all flustered.
What was going on?
Was some important person coming to visit?
Maybe someone else from the
Or Eris's fiancé...?
No way. No way, no way.
Eris having a fiancé? (lol) But it was making me anxious, so I did a little investigating.
I pulled off a magnificent tail on Eris.
And ended up finding her in the kitchen, chatting happily with a maid.
Ghislaine was there too, but she didn't seem to have noticed me.
Her eyes were glued to the ingredients for cooking.
"I can't wait to see the look on
"I'm not sure. Knowing Master Rudeus, he'd probably keep his surprise hidden even if he were thrilled inside."
"But he'd be happy, right?"
"Of course. He's had it rough living as a branch family member, after all."
It wasn't like I'd had it rough or anything...
But what on earth were they talking about?
Were they trash-talking me?
I was pretty sure we got along, but maybe it was just me, and everyone else in the house was actually annoyed.
If that was the case, I'd really cry.
"We have to finish before Rudeus's birthday!"
"Rushing won't make it turn out well."
"What if it doesn't come out right? Will he not eat it?"
"No, Master Rudeus would eat it even if it were charcoal."
"Really?"
"Yes, as long as Lord Sauros is around."
Oh.
This was... could it be...
A surprise birthday party?
"If only Rudeus weren't born into that kind of family..."
Eris said, looking sympathetic.
Ah, I understood the flow of the conversation now, and I left the scene.
Apparently I was someone whose existence was best kept under wraps.
Yeah, if I were that guy's son, I'd want to hide it too.
But that wasn't what they meant.
This was something I'd learned in recent years.
"Notos" was Paul's noble name.
Paul had been disowned by the Notos family, and his younger brother or cousin had become the current head.
Well, that was fine. It was in the past.
But there were apparently some people who hadn't let it go.
A faction that wanted to overthrow the current Notos head, who was even more of a scumbag than Paul.
The current head was also sensitive to these vibes and was doing his best to eliminate anyone who might replace him.
So it wouldn't go over well if I, currently under the protection of the Boreas family, loudly announced I was from the Notos family.
I had no such intention whatsoever, but it would be highly likely to be interpreted as Paul's son gaining the backing of the Boreas family to reclaim the Notos household.
Power-hungry people were paranoid like that.
At worst, they might send an assassin.
So I had to keep it hidden.
Anyway, back to the eavesdropped conversation.
Rudeus was pitiful.
He was supposed to be in a position to receive better treatment than Eris, but was being treated like a servant. Pitiful.
So among the nobles, it was tradition...
Even a tenth birthday party—essentially a milestone celebration—couldn't be held on a grand scale.
How pitiful. Truly pitiful.
So Eris had thrown a tantrum with her grandfather Sauros for the first time in a while, and they'd decided to hold a birthday party behind the scenes.
A modest home party, with just the people in the mansion.
For me.
Don't make me cry.
It was a close call, though.
I'd known this intellectually, but...
I didn't really have much of a sense that turning ten was something special.
And when it came to parties in my previous life, they weren't the grand affairs like Eris's recent birthday—they were home parties.
Even if someone told me they were having a birthday party just with family, all I'd be able to say was "Oh, that's nice. Thank you very much."
This time, it was Eris's idea.
There weren't any kids my age around, and this was probably her first time organizing something like this.
If I wasn't happy about it, she'd be disappointed.
I should practice crying using water magic.
I was a man who could read the room.
--- The day arrived.
The whole mansion was buzzing with nervous energy.
After finishing my afternoon lessons, Ghislaine came to my room.
She was unusually tense, her tail standing straight up.
"So, uh, there's something about magic I wanted to ask you about."
Her eyes were darting around.
She apparently wanted to keep me pinned down in this room.
Okay, okay.
I'll play along.
"Oh? Like what?"
"Could you perhaps demonstrate a Saint-tier magic spell?"
"I could, but it'd cause damage to the town."
"What? What kind of spell is it?"
"Saint-tier Water magic is storms and thunders. If I tried hard enough, I could probably flood this whole town."
"That's impressive... I'd definitely like to see it sometime."
Unusually, she was flattering me quite a bit.
So that was her strategy.
Alright, let me tease her a little.
"Fine. If you're that serious about it, let's do it.
If we ride horses for about two hours, we should be able to get outside the blast range.
Shall we head out now?"
Ghislaine's cheek twitched.
"W-wait. If we leave now, we'll be late getting back. Monsters come out more at night. It's dangerous even on the plains."
"Is that so? But with Ghislaine along, it should be fine, right? You said beastfolk were good at nighttime watch because they're sensitive to sounds too."
"O-overconfidence is dangerous."
"That's true. And Saint-tier magic uses quite a bit of my mana. How about we do it on my next day off?"
"A-ah. Right. Let's do that."
I cut it off at a good point.
Teasing the unflappable Ghislaine was quite entertaining.
When she got flustered, her tail would flick.
Her tail moved at my whim.
That alone made me happy.
"Oh, and I haven't offered you any tea. Let me get some hot water..."
"No, don't worry about it. Don't move. I'm not thirsty."
"Okay."
Well, I could get hot water for myself anyway.
I wouldn't tell her I'd noticed.
Good. At this rate, she'd do everything in her power to keep me from leaving.
Let me try something a little more risqué.
"Oh, by the way, the doll I'm currently working on..."
I took out the 1/10-scale Ghislaine figure from the cabinet.
I'd gotten considerably better compared to when I started.
This muscle definition was practically professional-grade.
"Oh. That's me? It's turning out quite well. The one you made of Lady Eris before was also quite good...
Hm? It doesn't have a tail."
"That area's always been hazy for me, so I usually make it from imagination, but since this one is turning out well, I wanted to go for a more realistic approach."
"Hmm."
Ghislaine flicked her tail in a thoughtful gesture.
Heh, I couldn't wait to see what face she'd make.
"Could you show me?
The base of the tail."
"Easy enough."
Saying that, Ghislaine turned around and flashed her rear at me without hesitation.
Zero hesitation at all.
Amazing!
That's our Ghislaine!
She's got guts!
I can't beat this woman!
No, don't back down.
Not yet.
This was a rare opportunity to openly do something perverted to the usually guarded Ghislaine.
"C-could I... touch it?"
"Sure. Of course."
I touched it.
Hard!
What!?
Wait a second—is this a butt?
This is a butt, right?
Incredible muscles.
It was like steel.
But somehow, it also felt flexible.
Like... ideal?
It was hard to find anything erotic about this.
This was an aspirational level of muscle.
Any man would dream of having these muscles once in his life.
Pink muscles that combined the properties of both red and white muscle fibers!
Lord Muscle was a blessed existence at the opposite pole from the God of Eros.
Blessed be, blessed be.
Please grant me muscles too...
"Okay, that's enough."
Feeling utterly defeated, I removed my hand from Ghislaine's rear.
"I once saw Lady Eris have an artist paint a self-portrait, and I'd been thinking I wanted to preserve my current form as well.
I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product."
She gave me a genuinely happy face.
I lost.
As a man.
In terms of manliness.
Damn it, I couldn't beat Ghislaine...
"...It's almost time for dinner."
"Mm. Isn't it still a little while off?"
When her tail twitched one last time, the maid came to call us for dinner.
--- The moment I entered the dining hall, applause erupted.
Everyone I'd seen around the mansion was gathered there.
Of course, Sauros and Philip were present. Even Hilda, who I rarely saw, was there.
"W-what is this...?"
I turned around and saw that Ghislaine was clapping too.
"Huh? Huh?"
I put on a flustered act.
"Rudeus! Happy birthday!"
Eris was wearing a bright red dress and holding a large bouquet.
Maintaining my bewildered expression, I accepted it.
"Oh, right... I'm turning ten today..."
After delivering the line I'd rehearsed, I scrunched up my face and covered my eyes with my sleeve.
At the same time, I used water magic to make tears well up from my eyes.
After a while, a tingling sensation hit the back of my nose and it started to stuff up.
"S-sorry... I... this is... this is... my first time...
I was so scared of... messing up...
I kept thinking... if I wasn't welcomed properly... and I messed up... it would cause trouble for Father...
I never... thought... anyone would celebrate... for me... *sniff*..."
When I lowered my sleeve, I saw Eris's stunned expression.
Philip, Sauros, and the others had all stopped clapping and were standing there dumbfounded.
Crap. Was my act too cheesy?
No, wait.
The opposite.
My act was too good.
I'd overdone it. I should've kept it somewhere in the middle.
Sigh.
To think I'd analyze it like that—I really had become a despicable adult.
Well, whatever.
Commit to the bit.
Let's ride this out.
Eris was panicking, asking the butler "What do we do? What do we do?"
Was my crying really that big a deal?
She looked cute, so I hugged her.
And in a sniffling voice, I whispered my thanks.
"Eris... thank you..."
"It's... it's fine! Rudeus is... f-family, you know! Of course we'd celebrate!
As... as a Greyrat, this much is... well... Father! Grandfather!"
The usual Eris would've said something like "Be grateful!" but instead she was desperately looking to Philip for confirmation.
I looked over, and Sauros was going berserk.
"This means waaar! War with the Notos family! I'll kill Pilemon and make Rudeus the heir! Philip! Alphonse! Ghislaine! Follow me! First, we gather the army!"
And so, the war between the Boreas Greyrats and the Notos Greyrats was set to begin.
A bloody war that would drag in the remaining two Greyrat branches and plunge the
...of course, none of that happened.
"F-father, calm down! Please calm down!"
"Philip! You'd stand in my way?! You too would agree that Rudeus would make a better heir than that bastard, wouldn't you?!"
"I agree, but calm down! Today is supposed to be a happy occasion!
Besides, starting a war would be bad—it would turn both Zepiros and Euros against us!"
"Fool! I can win on my own! Let go, let goooo!"
Sauros was dragged out by Philip, still kicking.
Dumbfounded.
"C-cough."
Eris cleared her throat.
"L-let's put Grandfather aside... Today, I have something to surprise Rudeus with!"
Eris puffed out her chest proudly, her face still bright red.
She'd recently started growing a bit and was now wearing a bra, and she was puffing out that cute little chest.
She was still cute now, but the sage had told me she'd grow up to be quite a handful.
Thanks, sage.
"Something... to surprise me?"
"Guess what it is!"
Something to surprise me.
What could it be?
Something I'd like.
A PC and eroge. No, no.
Something Eris would think of.
My circumstances.
Torn away from my family for years, alone.
I must've been lonely.
And on top of that, a birthday.
What kind of present would Eris want if she were in my shoes?
Probably for Ghislaine and Grandfather to come and celebrate with her.
If I applied that to my situation...
"Don't tell me... Father is here...?"
Eris's face clouded over.
Not just Eris. The maids and butler also looked sympathetic.
"P-Paul... said he couldn't come because the monsters in the forest have been more active lately... but he said Rudeus would be fine without someone like him... and
Eris stammered through her answer.
Ah.
So they had tried to invite him.
Well, can't be helped.
Paul was pretty relied upon back in that village, and with my sisters being sick, he couldn't just leave everything to
"U-um, well, you see, Rudeus. The thing is..."
Eris started fumbling with her words again.
Usually so bold, she looked like a confused kitty. Cute.
Don't worry.
Paul was actually better off not being at events like this.
"I see, so neither Father nor Mother could make it..."
I said it casually, trying to seem unconcerned.
But because I'd been crying, my voice was all nasal.
I probably looked quite disappointed.
Then one of the maids started sniffling too.
I'd screwed up...
I hadn't meant to make the atmosphere so heavy.
Sorry, I really couldn't read the room after all...
Just as I was thinking that, Hilda suddenly came running over and hugged me.
The bouquet fell from my hands.
"Whoa."
I'd barely ever spoken to Hilda.
She was a stunning woman with the same red hair as Eris, radiating the sex appeal of a widow in her prime—the very definition of a mature beauty.
She was the kind of woman you'd see in an erotic game with a title like "Young Bride" or "Widow."
Of course, as long as Philip was alive, she wasn't actually a widow.
Anyway, this woman—no wait, her boobs were huge!
Could it be... would Eris grow to this level too...?!
Ahhhh!
"It's all right, Rudeus. You can relax. You're our child now!"
Hilda cried out as she squeezed me tight.
Huh?
Didn't this woman not like me?
"I won't let anyone say a bad word about you! Adoption... no, you should marry Eris! Yes! That's a great idea! Do it!"
"M-mother!?"
Hilda suddenly flew off the handle.
Even Eris was shocked.
"Eris! What could you possibly find wrong with our Rudeus!"
"Rudeus is only ten!"
"Age doesn't matter! Stop making excuses and work on being more of a woman!"
"I am!"
Hilda was spiraling out of control.
Eris was pushing back.
I'd heard she was a commoner married into the family, but apparently she had the same energy as the rest of the Greyrats.
She gave off the same vibe as Sauros.
"All right, all right. Next time."
"Kyaa! You! What are you doing?! Let go! I have to save that poor child!"
Philip, who'd come back from restraining Sauros, swooped in and gracefully escorted Hilda out.
Philip was the only one who stayed calm through it all, observing the situation with ice-cold clarity.
Cool.
A great magician.
A reliable man. A role model in every way.
Now then, let me compose myself.
"So what is it?
This... surprise?"
I picked up the bouquet and asked again.
Eris crossed her arms, puffed out her chest, and thrust her chin forward—her classic pose.
I felt like I hadn't seen that pose in a long time.
"Hee hee hee! Alphonse! The usual!"
Eris tried to snap her fingers, but they just made a soft, raspy sound.
Blushing, Eris ignored the fumble as Alphonse, unconcerned, produced a staff from behind a statue I couldn't see.
A staff.
The same kind of magician's staff that
A gnarled wooden staff.
At its tip was a large, expensive-looking magic stone.
One look, and I knew.
This staff was expensive.
A staff's rank was determined by the wood and the magic stone.
The wood affected elemental compatibility.
Kurogaki was compatible with fire and earth elements.
Enju was compatible with water and wind elements.
That said, poor compatibility didn't reduce power—it was just that any wood would work.
The truly important factor was the magic stone.
Just by channeling mana through a magic stone, the spell's power would amplify—somehow at the same mana cost.
Magic stones ranged from cheap to astronomically expensive. The higher the clarity and larger the size, the greater the effect.
And the price rose accordingly. Astronomically.
The magic stones I'd used for the wands I'd made for Eris and Ghislaine cost one silver coin apiece.
There were cheaper options, but I'd gone with the size of the one on Roxy's staff, since I remembered it well.
That was about the size of a fingertip.
A fist-sized magic stone like this one would easily exceed one hundred gold coins.
Moreover, this was a slightly blue-tinted water magic stone.
Tinted stones received a massive boost to the corresponding element.
And the price went without saying.
How much would just this one stone cost...
Incidentally, the mana crystals found in dungeons were also a type of magic stone, but unlike regular magic stones, they didn't amplify mana.
Instead, they contained mana, so they were used in magical tools and high-cost spells rather than staffs.
As I was studying the staff, Eris nodded with satisfaction.
"Alphonse, explain!"
"Yes, my lady.
The staff material is from the arm of an Elder Treant inhabiting the eastern Great Forest of the Millis Continent.
As the well-read Master Rudeus surely knows, the Elder Treant is an A-rank monster born when a Lesser Treant absorbs nutrients from a Fairy Spring, capable of wielding water magic.
The magic stone is an A-rank specimen from the northern Vega Continent, obtained from a stray sea dragon.
The craftsman is Chain Prokion, the finest staff maker in the entire Asura Kingdom Royal Magicians Corps."
Wow, impressive.
It sounded like it was specialized for water magic.
But it had to be expensive.
Well, I wasn't going to worry about the price today.
I'd taught Eris not to waste money, but today was an exception.
She seemed to have had it custom-made for me, and refusing would make things awkward.
"The inscription reads: 'Arrogant Water Dragon King.'"
My hand froze for a moment.
Did I just hear something rather chuuni?
"Take it!
This is a gift from the Greyrat family!
Father and Grandfather commissioned it!
It's ridiculous for a great magician like Rudeus not to have a staff!"
Snapping back to reality at Eris's voice, I accepted the Arrogant Water Dragon King.
Lighter than it looked.
I held it in both hands and gave it a few experimental swings.
Despite the large magic stone, the overall balance was excellent.
You got what you paid for.
The name was a bit much, though.
"Thank you. Not just the party, but something this expensive too..."
"Don't worry about the price!
Now, let's get the party started again!
The food is getting cold!"
Eris, in high spirits, led me to the birthday seat where an enormous cake was waiting.
"I helped make it too!"
Wait, what?!
--- The party started, and Eris chattered like a machine gun for a while.
I was nodding along, but Eris gradually started nodding off, and eventually fell asleep.
Had she overexerted herself, or had the tension finally broken?
Ghislaine carried her to the bedroom in a princess carry.
Good work.
Sauros and Hilda returned partway through.
Sauros tried to get me to drink but was blocked by Philip, and he sulked a bit.
But Hilda poured for him, and he ended up dead drunk.
With a flushed face and a grin, he cheerfully retired to his room.
At the same time, Hilda gave me a goodnight kiss before heading to her own room.
The food was mostly gone, and the maids were clearing empty plates with sleepy looks on their faces.
Only Philip and I remained.
After the others left, Philip sat quietly drinking his wine.
Was it wine?
I'd learned during Eris's birthday that different regions of the Asura Kingdom drank different kinds of alcohol.
Around here, most of it was made from wheat, but for celebrations, they brought out grape wine.
"I lost the succession battle, you know," Philip said quietly.
"Were you ever curious about why Eris has no siblings?"
I nodded slowly.
I'd been curious, but I'd never asked.
"Actually, she does have siblings. Eris has one older brother and one younger brother. Her younger brother is the same age as you."
"...Did they pass away?"
Philip looked at me with surprise.
I'd blurted it out too directly.
How rude.
"They were taken by our older brother living in the capital right after they were born."
"Taken? What do you mean?"
"On paper, they were adopted to receive an education in the capital. But really, it was just... tradition."
And then Philip told me about the Boreas family's tradition—the succession battle and the tradition behind it.
Sauros had ten sons.
Among them, three had been particularly favored by Sauros.
Philip, who served as mayor of a town in the Fittoa territory.
Gordon, who had married into the Euros Greyrat family.
And James, who at a young age had secured a ministerial position in the capital.
A locomotive of a name, that.
Anyway.
Sauros had decided to pit the three against each other for the position of next head.
Let me cut to the chase.
The next head was James.
Philip and Gordon had lost.
The first phase of the power struggle.
James secretly orchestrated a match between Gordon and the daughter of the Euros family.
He arranged for neither to know the other's status, stoking their romance.
Gordon, consumed by love, was eventually whisked into the marriage through James's machinations.
His path to becoming the Boreas head was severed.
The second phase of the power struggle.
At the time, Philip and James had been evenly matched.
Each pulled strings behind the scenes, using every connection they had.
There was no dramatic turning point.
Philip simply lost.
It was simply a difference in raw strength.
James was about half a generation older than Philip.
He had extensive connections in the capital and held a ministerial assistant position.
He had connections, money, and most importantly, power.
Philip was competent too, but a six-year gap was hard to close.
James gave Philip the position of mayor of Lorea Town in the Fittoa territory.
He'd sent him far from the capital.
And even if James became the Fittoa lord, he intended to keep Philip in that job.
James was a minister and had no intention of leaving the capital.
Fittoa was the sticks—Philip couldn't easily build up power and make a comeback.
And then, James— whenever Philip had a son, he'd take the child away under the guise of adoption.
"Taking all the boys away—that's pretty tyrannical, isn't it?"
"No, that's fine. It's tradition."
In the Boreas Greyrat family, all sons were raised in the household of the next head.
This was a measure to prevent those who'd lost the succession battle from participating in the next round.
Using sons as pawns in a power struggle.
A tale as old as time.
This was meant to prevent that.
The Euros family, where Gordon had married in, apparently had a different tradition, but Philip had followed tradition and surrendered all his sons to James.
Before they were old enough to remember.
So they'd recognize James as their parent.
"If I'd won, it would've been the other way around," Philip said.
He understood.
He himself might not have even been Sauros's biological son.
But Hilda, his wife, did not accept it.
Philip's assigned wife was just an ordinary noble's daughter.
Having her newborn sons taken from her had left her deeply unsettled.
She'd been unstable until Eris was born.
After Eris was born, she'd stabilized for a while, but when Eris's brother was immediately taken as well, she'd become unstable again.
"She hated you, you know. Her own sons weren't here, but some other woman's child was walking around the mansion like he owned the place."
I'd had a vague sense I was being ignored.
So that was why.
"And on top of that, the Eris who remained was the polar opposite of a proper lady—a total hellion. I thought there was nothing to be done."
"Nothing to be done?"
"Meaning it would be hard to use our daughter to take down James."
Oh, so he hadn't given up.
"But recently, seeing you, I've started to feel a little hope again."
"...Sigh."
"You can act well enough to fool even Hilda and Father."
"Fool" sounded harsh...
I was just behaving in a way that wouldn't ruin the mood.
"You understand the importance of money, you know the art of social pleasantries."
"You're willing to put yourself on the line to win people's hearts."
He was referring to the kidnapping incident, probably.
Or maybe the years of being beaten up by Eris.
"And above all, it's thanks to you that Eris has grown so much."
Philip said this was completely unexpected.
He'd heard from Paul that Rudeus was talented.
But the son of a man who, despite being young, made flipping maids' skirts his reason for living...
At best, he'd be a somewhat clever troublemaker.
If you matched him against his own troublemaker, maybe something interesting would happen.
That was apparently the extent of Philip's expectations.
"I still remember the day Paul came crying to me," Philip reminisced.
Apparently, Paul had begged Philip for a lump sum of money, a place to live, and steady work because he was getting married—but he didn't want to return to the nobility.
Paul had even prostrated himself for me.
He hadn't done that for Lilia...
Well, whatever.
"Eris would've been fine even without me, wouldn't she?"
"Fine? Not at all. I was completely hopeless about Eris. I was so resigned that as a noble, she was a lost cause—I'd even had Ghislaine teach her swordsmanship because I figured she'd become an adventurer."
Philip then went on to tell me various anecdotes about Eris.
Every single one was painful to hear.
The hellion named Eris had been fully formed by the age of nine.
"How about it? Marry Eris and we take over the Boreas family together? If you want, I could put the bound daughter in your bed right now."
That was tempting...
The real Eris, bound and at my mercy.
I'd been feeling more and more pent-up lately, and what better way to blow off steam than in the ultimate scenario?
No, no. Wait, wait.
This was no joke.
Read the first part again.
Take over the Boreas family?
"What kind of thing would you have a ten-year-old do..."
"You're Paul's son, aren't you?"
"Not that way."
"I'll handle the takeover. All you have to do is sit there. If you want, I can throw in some other girls too."
Did he think giving me women would make me comply?
Paul's bad reputation was a curse.
"...Let's just call this talk for the drinking table."
Philip smiled quietly.
"Yes, that's for the best.
But never mind the Boreas stuff—feel free to do as you please with Eris. She's not responsible for any of this, and besides, even if we marry her off, she'll probably come right back."
Philip smiled quietly.
Eris, who after being married off would beat her husband to death within days.
I could easily imagine it.
And I could also imagine myself being made to dance in the palm of Philip's hand if I laid a finger on her.
"Shall we call it a night?"
"Yes. Good night."
And so, Eris's birthday party came to an end.
--- "Welcome... back!"
When I returned to my room, Eris—supposedly asleep—was sitting on the bed.
In a red negligee.
She'd never dressed like this before.
What was this?
Was she trying a little too hard?
Or had she not actually slept?
"What's wrong? It's this late."
"Well... you must be lonely by yourself...
So I thought I'd stay with you tonight...!"
Eris turned away, her face burning red.
She was apparently still worried about what I'd said at the party about my parents not coming.
Eris, even at twelve, was still a mama's girl.
Thinking about not seeing her family for three years probably made her feel unbearable.
Or maybe this was one of Hilda's schemes.
She'd woken Eris up, stuffed her into a negligee, and sent her over.
But looking at her like this...
Eris was twelve now.
She was still far from what you'd call womanly, but she was within my strike zone.
A low outside corner, barely over the plate.
My body was still prepubescent.
My manhood's day hadn't arrived yet.
But it would be soon.
My first time with the tsundere loli noble lady...
The instant that phrase popped into my head, my brain was seized for a moment by the vision of a 34-year-old unemployed NEET (with vaguely lolicon tendencies).
*(DISGUSTING MASTURBATION NOISES)* I saw a hallucination of a greasy, acne-faced creep with a slimy grin lunging at Eris.
I snapped back to reality in an instant.
No, no. I couldn't do this.
I couldn't lay a hand on her.
I'd end up dancing on Philip's palm.
I'd get dragged into a messy power struggle like the one Paul had fled from.
"I-I'm feeling lonely tonight, so I might end up doing something naughty, you know?"
I should politely decline.
Eris was usually repulsed by my groping.
If I said that, she'd retreat.
But to my surprise, she gave an unexpected answer: "J-just a little would be... f-fine!"
Seriously?!
Eris was really going for it today.
B-but when a girl says something like that...
An old man like me might lose all self-control...
Sitting down next to Eris, I had that thought.
The bed creaked with a small sound.
If it had been my old body, it would've creaked loudly and ruined the mood.
There were no difficult thoughts left in my head.
Dancing on someone's palm?
So what?
Three years ago, Eris was this dere?
I should accept a few risks for that.
"Your voice is shaking, you know?"
"I-it's your imagination."
"Is it really?"
I stroked Eris's head.
Silky hair.
Even as upper-class nobles, this mansion had no bath.
So she couldn't wash her hair every day.
Eris, who spent every day training in swordsmanship outdoors, usually had much rougher hair.
Today, she'd gotten herself ready for me.
"Eris, you're cute."
"W-what? S-suddenly..."
Eris was blushing all the way to her ears, looking down.
I put my arm around her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek.
"Hauh...!"
"I'm going to touch you."
Unable to hold back, I reached for Eris's chest.
Still small, but developing.
But this was definitely a breast.
A fruit I'd been granted permission to touch.
Unlike usual, this wasn't a tentative touch made with the expectation of being hit.
Through her clothes, I was now freely handling a young girl's breasts.
"Mmm..."
Eris wasn't feeling pleasure, of course.
She was just aware—and knew—that she was doing something embarrassing.
She was holding back her embarrassment and confusion, tears forming in her eyes as she watched me with her mouth shut tight.
Cute.
I gently stroked her back.
Thanks to her sword training, Eris's back had quality muscle.
Not as much as Ghislaine.
But appropriately toned—supple and youthful.
Eris squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed my shoulder desperately.
Wait—was this okay?
It was okay, right?
I could go all the way, right?
R-right.
O-okay then.
Let's do this.
Making that decision, I reached for Eris's inner thighs.
The first time touching a girl's inner thighs.
Warm, and not just soft—the flesh was packed tight.
"No!"
BAM!
She shoved me.
SLAP!
A slap across my face.
WHACK!
A kick sent me tumbling to the floor.
THUD! THUD!
Two follow-up strikes.
Caught off guard, I took them all defenseless.
Lying on my back, I looked up.
Eris stood.
Her face was crimson as she glared down at me.
"I said 'a little,' didn't I?! You idiot, Rudeus!"
Then she kicked the door open and vanished like the wind.
--- I lay there, staring at the ceiling in a daze.
The heat that had filled my head as if possessed by something had completely cooled.
"This is why virgins are..."
Self-loathing.
I'd completely misread the situation.
I'd gone way too far.
Somewhere along the way, I'd forgotten she was a child.
I'd lost myself.
"Ah, damn it, what was I thinking..."
Had I played too many eroge and thought I understood the heroine's feelings?
Back in the day, I used to think the dense-type protagonists were idiots—just push them down, problem solved.
This was the result.
With a player's perspective, you could see the heroine's inner thoughts.
But from the protagonist's perspective, you had no such luxury.
The world's dense protagonists— even when they were ninety percent sure the girl liked them— pretended not to notice, and gradually closed the distance, precisely because they knew this could happen.
Compared to them, how shallow I'd been.
Especially after that conversation with Philip.
What was with "let's just call this talk for the drinking table"?
Everything I'd said was the opposite of what I'd done.
I should've known what would happen if I touched Eris.
Touch her, do it, get married.
A three-combo to easily join the Boreas family.
Or was it that I'd run away because I didn't want to be involved in a sordid power struggle?
Was I not planning to take responsibility?
Was I planning to claim it was just a one-night thing?
Idiot.
I'd be pursuing Eris every night like an animal, no question about it.
In my previous life, I'd had a strong sex drive, and this body—going by Paul's example—was no different.
There was no way I could restrain myself once.
She'd come to me tonight, but next time I'd go to her.
Philip and Hilda both wanted it.
No one would stop us.
And I'd sink into a filthy power struggle, baited by a moment's pleasure.
My eyes happened to land on the staff leaning in the corner of the room.
"...!"
Right.
I'd even forgotten about Eris's feelings.
Philip and Sauros had paid for it, but the idea of gifting me a staff had been Eris's.
She'd planned the party to make me happy.
And worried about what had happened at the party, she'd come to comfort me before bed.
Today, she'd been thinking about me the entire time.
And yet I'd tried to violate her with my selfish desires.
She was someone who genuinely cared about me as a person, and I'd tried to have my way with her.
Remember that happy face Eris had when she was talking with the maid in the kitchen.
I'd been about to trample all over that.
"...Sigh."
I was trash.
I had no right to judge Paul.
I had no right to teach anyone anything.
Trash was still trash, even in another world.
Tomorrow, I'd pack my bags and leave.
Like the trash I was, I'd die somewhere in a gutter.
"Ah...!"
When I looked up, Eris was at the doorway.
Half of her face was peeking out.
I hurried to sit up and stand...
No, I should just prostrate myself here and now.
"I-I'm sorry for earlier."
Curled up like a turtle, I prostrated.
"......"
I glanced at her.
Eris averted her eyes, shifting her thighs together fidgetily.
Then, in a quiet murmur: "T-today's special, so just this once, I'll let it off...!"
I'd been forgiven...!
"I already knew Rudeus was really pervy."
Who told her that...!
Yes, I was pervy.
Sorry. It was me.
I'm the pervy man.
The groping man, right here. That's me.
"But this... this kind of thing is still too soon. Five years!
After five years, when Rudeus is a proper adult...
then... maybe...
b-but until then, just hold it in!"
"Y-yes...!"
I bowed flat on the ground.
"O-okay then, I'm going to bed now.
Good night, Rudeus. See you tomorrow."
Stammering, Eris actually left.
I could hear her running away.
I waited until the sound had completely faded before closing the door.
"Phewwwww..."
I slid down against the door and sat on the floor.
"Thank god..."
I was glad today was my birthday.
I was glad today was a special day.
I was glad I hadn't done something worse.
"And hell yes!"
Five years.
A firm promise!
That Eris!
Had made a promise!
Alright.
Until then, I wouldn't make any more frivolous moves.
Five years.
She'd be fifteen.
That was a long time.
But I could endure it.
When you knew for certain the goods were coming, you could grit your teeth.
Until then, I'd be a gentleman.
A gentleman, not a pervert.
I'd stop the groping and all that.
Aging wine for years was the only way to develop depth of flavor.
If you kept tasting it along the way, you might not enjoy the taste five years from now.
A charge shot grew more powerful the longer you stored it.
I'd become a man of iron will who wouldn't yield to any erotic event.
This time, I'd aim to be the dense-type protagonist.
I'd hold down the A button and not release it until five years had passed.
I swore it to myself.
Yes lolita, no touch.
Hmm?
Wait... five years from now...
Dense-type?
..........
The pale, gently smiling face of
Hawawa...
--- The next morning, I woke up to find my underwear stiff as cardboard.
Apparently I'd accidentally let go of the A button.
Starting tomorrow, I'd do my best for real.
Incidentally, when the maid came to collect the laundry and I asked her not to tell Eris, she gave me that warm, amused look you give when you find something endearing.
I was a little embarrassed.
:Status: Name: Eris Boreas Greyrat Occupation: Granddaughter of the Fittoa Lord Personality: Slightly violent. Occasionally docile Obedience: Listens when told directly Reading & Writing: Nearly perfect Arithmetic: Can do division Magic: Incantationless is impossible; intermediate is also difficult Swordsmanship: Sword God Style, Advanced Etiquette: Currently studying difficult court protocols Favorite Person: Grandpa, Ghislaine Most Beloved Person: Rudeus