Half a year had passed.
Why, how, what on earth did someone do!?, I panicked, but I realized something.
She had no days off.
--- After dinner, I called Ghislaine and the etiquette teacher to my room.
Incidentally, the etiquette teacher didn't live in the mansion. She commuted from her own home in town. So, I asked the butler to pass along the message.
"First, a pleasure to meet you. I'm
I placed my hand on my chest and gave a slight bow. Edna returned it with a refined, proper bow. As expected of an etiquette teacher.
Edna was a middle-aged woman with prominent fine wrinkles beginning to show on her face. She had a round, soft-faced appearance and her gentle smile gave a truly mild impression.
"I'm Ghislaine."
Ghislaine was her usual bundle of muscles. I offered the two of them chairs. After they sat down, I served the tea the butler had prepared and got to the heart of the matter.
"There's no special reason for inviting you two today other than wanting to discuss Miss Eris's lesson plan." "Lesson plan?" "Yes. Until now, I understand the schedule has been swordsmanship in the morning, free time in the afternoon, and etiquette in the evening. Is that correct?" "That is correct."
The subjects Eris was learning were reading/writing, arithmetic, magic, history, swordsmanship, and etiquette—six in total. In modern terms, it was something like Japanese, math, science, social studies, PE, and ethics.
Since there were no clocks, the lessons weren't divided into specific hours, but rather into morning, afternoon, and evening, separated by meals and snacks, covering only three subjects at a time. Breakfast → Study → Lunch → Study → Snack → Study → Dinner → Free time. That was the general flow. There was no teacher for history, but Philip apparently taught it when he had free time.
"With my arrival, we've been able to use the evening time and make it a full day." "That's right. Miss Eris's studies have been progressing well, and Master Philip has been quite impressed."
So he should be.
"It does seem to be going smoothly, but a problem has arisen." "A problem?" "Yes. Studying every day without rest is causing stress to build up in Miss Eris."
This was especially evident during arithmetic lessons. She was irritated throughout, and whenever she hit a slightly difficult problem, she'd lash out at me. It was very dangerous. I never knew when she might snap. Very dangerous.
"For now, things are manageable, but she might start acting out or skipping lessons eventually." "Well..."
Edna covered her mouth with her hand, but nodded with a look that said "can't blame her." I'd never seen her etiquette lessons, but Eris probably took them seriously. Edna was said to be a wet nurse, though... I wasn't quite sure why Eris liked this person so much.
"So, I'm thinking of creating one day out of seven where there are no lessons at all."
Incidentally, this world also had a calendar and the concept of months and dates. However, there was no concept of a week. There were a few rest days throughout the year, apparently, but there was no such thing as Sunday.
Seven. I used that number because it was easy for me to remember. Moreover, for some reason, the number seven was considered special even in this world. It was said to be lucky, and the ranks for things like swordsmanship had seven grades.
"With the remaining six days, I'd like to teach reading/writing, arithmetic, magic, history, swordsmanship, and etiquette—the six subjects." "May I ask one thing?" "Go ahead, Edna." "If distributed equally, that would mean only three etiquette lessons. Regarding my salary..." "That's no problem."
Don't blame Edna for the money issue, okay? I was doing this for the money too.
What Edna was concerned about was the possibility that "fewer lessons would mean less pay." I had already discussed this with Philip beforehand, so it wasn't an issue. In fact, since it was a monthly salary, she would get paid even if she taught not a single lesson. Of course, if she didn't teach at all, she'd likely be fired the next month.
She didn't need me to tell her that. Someone who couldn't figure that out deserved to be fired.
"Of course, I won't distribute them equally. Reading/writing and arithmetic can be taught just twice a week. Swordsmanship needs daily practice to be effective. Magic also needs daily attention, but since there's a limit to how much mana can be used in a day, long sessions aren't necessary. So, I plan to use the freed-up time for reading/writing and arithmetic."
Or rather, that's what I was already doing. Things like "Today, I used 'Water Bullet' X times and 'Water Fall' Y times. So, how many more times can you use 'Water Bullet'?" I'd substitute X and Y with the number of times Eris and Ghislaine used them to create the problem.
It seemed clearer than just staring at numbers in a room. Was it because it was personal? Mana usage was invisible, so it was hard to arrive at a precise answer, though...
Well, mental arithmetic was something you got better at the more you did it. Let's aim for the purpose of making her use her head.
Incidentally, I also planned to teach silent casting and eventually science. However, those could wait until her reading/writing and arithmetic had reached a certain level.
"I'm sorry, Edna, but this will mean reducing the etiquette lessons by about three or four times per month." "I understand."
Edna nodded readily.
Six days, three periods each—18 periods total. This would be distributed as: Etiquette: 5. Swordsmanship: 6, Reading/Writing: 2, Arithmetic: 2, Magic: 3.
I thought the class hours might be insufficient, but since it was mainly repetition practice, it would probably work out.
"Also, if for some reason you cannot hold a lesson, I'd like to be contacted." "And that means?" "I'm in the mansion on weekdays, so I can fill in the vacant hours with lessons. So, for example, it's no problem if you take a long vacation." "Weekdays...? Understood."
Edna was smiling the whole time. Did she really understand...?
"Also, I'd like to hold this kind of meeting at the beginning of each month." "Why is that?" "I thought if we teachers coordinated with each other, it would be easier to handle sudden incidents. It's not strictly necessary, but... to improve efficiency and, well, just in case. Is that not allowed...?" "No."
Edna smiled gently.
"Lord Rudeus, even though you're so young, you really do think carefully about Miss Eris, don't you?"
She looked at me as if watching something heartwarming. ...Well, whatever.
Just like that, I had obtained my (..) day off.
--- A week later, for the first day off, the young lady was all flustered. It seemed it was her first time with an entire day free. After a quick word of greeting to Philip, I decided to head out into town. That's when I found Eris and Ghislaine waiting at the entrance.
"Where are you going!?" "We're going sightseeing in the town of Roa."
I struck a pose, saying "Hey!"
"Sight...seeing? You mean looking around the town? Alone?" "Does it look like just two people to you?" "That's cheating! I've never gone out alone before!"
Eris stomped her feet in frustration.
"But if Miss Eris went walking alone, you'd get kidnapped." "Weren't you kidnapped too, Rudeus!"
Ah, right. That time I was kidnapped along with Eris, but since I was also seen as a member of the
"Well, even if I'm kidnapped, I can come back alone."
When I chuckled, Eris raised her fist. I moved to block it instinctively, but no blow came. A rare occurrence.
"I'm coming with you!"
So that was settled. Before, she would have said this after punching me. The young lady had grown.
Of course, I had no reason to refuse. Two was safer than one.
"Shall we go, then?" "You mean it!?" "Ghislaine is coming too, right?" "Yes. My mission is to guard the young lady."
During the meeting, Ghislaine hadn't understood the concept of a day off either. So, I recommended she just continue sticking with Eris as before. After all, she was originally hired as a bodyguard, so it was only natural.
"Wait! I'll go get ready right away! Alphonse! Alphonse!"
I watched Eris run noisily back into the mansion. Her loud voice was the same as ever.
"Rudeus."
Ghislaine called out. Turning around, I found her right beside me. I looked up. She was nearly two meters tall, so I'd probably be looking up at her even after I grew up.
"Don't overestimate your own strength."
She gave me a stern warning. Presumably about what I'd said earlier, about being able to return alone.
"I know. I just wanted to bring out Miss Eris's enthusiasm a bit." "I see. If anything happens, call me. I'll come help." "Right. In that case, another big firework or something..."
I suddenly remembered the kidnapping incident.
"Had you ever told Miss Eris the same thing before?" "Hmm? Yes, I did." "You should add 'as long as you're where your voice can be heard' to those words next time." "I understood, but why?" "That time she was kidnapped, Miss Eris screamed so much the kidnapper almost killed her." "......If I heard it, I'd come to help."
Hmm... Well, she was incredibly fast even then. Ghislaine would come no matter where she was. Her hearing seemed good too.
In fact, when Eris had called for help, it wasn't Philip or Sauros—it was Ghislaine. This woman was reliable.
"I should teach her about situations where she shouldn't scream."
As I was saying this, Eris returned. She was dressed for going out, in clothes I'd never seen before.
When I praised her outfit, I got a smack on the head. What was that for...
--- The fortress city of Roa, in the Fittoa Region, was the largest in this area. Of course, by largest, if you talked about area, it was smaller than the vast farmlands of
But this was a fortress city. A wall about seven or eight meters high encircled the entire town.
It wasn't a perfect circle, but curved according to the terrain, so the exact length was unknown. Its area was probably around 30 square kilometers. To me, it wasn't particularly large, but for a city surrounded by a wall, it was apparently of a size that was rare. In my previous life, I'd never been to a fortress city, but you could understand that building a wall of this scale wasn't easy.
Was there some magic that created city walls? If there was, it would probably be
As I was thinking this, I passed through the wealthy residential area and emerged into a busy square.
From around here, it was the commercial district. This area, near the aristocratic district, had many fine shops. However, I also spotted several stalls. Peering in, it seemed itinerant merchants were handling somewhat high-priced items.
"Hey there, young sir and miss. Take your time looking around."
Seduced by the shopkeeper's RPG item-shop-owner-like line, I browsed the goods one after another. Then, I wrote down the prices and items on paper. Honestly, they were all suspicious-looking items. An aphrodisiac for ten gold coins... Note, note.
"What are you writing! I can't read it!"
Eris peered over my shoulder and shouted in my ear, making my eardrums ache. Glancing down, I realized I'd unconsciously written in Japanese.
"It's a note, so it's fine as long as I can read it." "Tell me what it says!"
The young lady was tyrannical. But there was no reason not to tell her.
"The names of the items and their prices." "Why would you check something like that!" "Checking market prices is the basics of online games." "Net...what's that?"
Thinking she wouldn't understand if I just said it, I pointed at one of the items. It was a small accessory.
"Look. That same item that was being sold for five gold coins at that stall over there is being sold here for four gold coins and five silver coins, see?" "Oh, young sir. Got a good eye there! Our prices are a bargain!"
Ignoring the shopkeeper, I turned back to Eris.
"Eris. If you bargain hard here and get it down to three gold coins, then sell it at that other shop for four gold coins, what's the profit?" "Huh? Let's see, five minus three plus four... six gold coins!"
What kind of calculation was that?
"Buzz, incorrect. The answer is one gold coin." "I-I knew that!!"
Eris pouted and looked away.
"Really?" "Well, if you started with ten gold coins, you'd end up with eleven, right?"
Oh, she got it right... Well, she just added to it. But whatever. I should praise her. Her pride was high, so praising her was the way to go.
"Oh, correct this time. Wow, Eris, you're so clever." "Hmph, of course."
Our conversation was being listened to by the shopkeeper with a bitter expression.
"Hey, kid. That kind of thing is called scalping. It's not a very praiseworthy thing to do, so don't do it, okay?" "Of course not. So if I were to do anything, it would be to tell them, 'It's selling for four coins over there.' The information fee would be about one large copper coin."
The shopkeeper looked like he'd bitten into a bitter bug. He then sought help from Ghislaine behind us, but she was actually listening intently to what I was saying.
Realizing his words were useless, the shopkeeper shrugged and sighed.
Sorry about that. We were just window-shopping, so let it slide.
"Even if you don't plan to do business, you have to know the prices of various things." "What good does that do!" "For example, you can make a rough calculation without having to go all the way to a store." "What use is that?!"
What use...? Um, when scalping, you could roughly estimate the profit... Wait?
Okay, this was a job for Ghislaine.
"Ghislaine, do you think it's useful for anything?" "......No, I don't know."
Huh, seriously? ...She didn't know? I thought she might.
Well, fine. It wasn't like it was a lesson.
"Is that so. Then it might not be of any use at all."
It was my own study. It didn't matter if no one else understood. When I saw a market, my first move was always to check the prices of the things being sold there. It was something I'd always done, and it wasn't a mistake.
Or so I thought, but it was my first time checking on my own, and I wasn't even sure if it was worth doing.
"If it might not be useful, why do it?!" "Because I think it is."
Eris had a dissatisfied look on her face. It wasn't like I could answer everything. Think a little for yourself.
"Think about it yourself. If you think it's useful, do the same. If you think it's useless, point and laugh." "Then I'll be the one laughing!" "Ahahaha!" "What's the point of you laughing!"
I got hit. Ow.
I finished checking the stalls around the area. The upscale shops with their fine storefronts seemed a bit too high-class for me, so I passed.
--- I moved a bit toward the outskirts of town. The items for sale changed completely. The prices also dropped from around five gold coins to around one gold coin. Still expensive. There was nothing I could afford.
But there were more people. From those who looked like aristocrats to those who looked like adventurers. A gold coin was probably the borderline price—expensive, but just barely buyable.
As I was taking notes, a certain shop caught my eye. A bookstore.
I went inside. The interior had a rather desolate atmosphere.
You might call it the general fiction section of an adult-book shop. There were two bookshelves. Two to three copies of the same title were lined up.
Each book was about one gold coin. In the remaining space, books were arranged in cases with locks. These averaged eight gold coins, with the most expensive one being twenty gold coins. A loss-leader item, perhaps.
The moment the owner saw me, he correctly identified me as just a browser and didn't rush over. Good call.
I wrote down the titles one by one. The owner looked at me with a suspicious gaze. It's okay! I'm not touching the books! I won't copy anything!
"Plant Encyclopedia, seven gold coins..."
That's expensive. Assuming one gold coin was 100,000, that was 700,000. How much had my mother spent in my past life...
As expected, reference books were expensive. I really wanted to read something like 'Sig's Summoning Arts,' but it was ten gold coins. With my monthly salary of two silver coins, I had no chance of buying it.
The most expensive was '
"What are you looking at so longingly?"
Eris spoke to me. Since I'd been looking without taking notes, she was probably curious.
"I was just wondering if there were any interesting books." "Now that you mention it, I heard! You like books, don't you!?" "Who told you that?" "Father!"
Philip. I'd asked him to show me the library too.
"I...I could buy you one, if you want." "You say that lightly, but does Eris even have money?" "My grandfather will pay for it!"
Right. I shouldn't encourage that. I wanted the book, though... I wanted the book!
"No, thank you." "Why not!"
Eris pouted. That was her "bad mood" face. If it got worse, she'd attack with that demon-like expression. So, it was still okay. She still had her reason.
"It's not your money to spend as you please." "What do you mean?"
Eris furrowed her brows. She didn't understand, so she was getting more and more irritated. Lately, I felt I could see Eris's anger voltmeter. How should I explain this?
In the first place, was there even a point in teaching a noble daughter about money use? Oh, what the hell.
"Do you know how much I get paid per month for teaching you?" "......Five gold coins or so?" "Two silver coins." "That's way too cheap!"
Eris shouted. The shopkeeper looked annoyed by the noise.
"Well, for someone with no achievements and a young age like me, it's a reasonable amount."
There was also the matter of them potentially covering my tuition at the Magic University.
"Bu-but Ghislaine gets two gold coins! And Rudeus teaches her so much more!" "Ghislaine has achievements and holds the title of Sword King. She also serves as a bodyguard. It's only natural that Ghislaine's salary is higher."
Of course, it probably also included the Boreas Greyrat family's bad traditions. Given their family, they might have something like "Special treatment for beast race women!"
"Th-then what about me?" "A young lady who can neither do magic nor swordsmanship and has no achievements? No matter how high, her salary wouldn't exceed one silver coin." "Mmm..."
Incidentally, Eris didn't even get an allowance.
"So, buy things for others only after you can earn your own money." "Fine..."
Eris, for once, looked dejected. If she were always like this, things would be much easier...
"Well, let's ask Master Philip if we can get you an allowance when we get back." "Really!?"
*Ping!* Eris looked up. I felt her favorability rating increase...
Well, just giving money instead of things was another form of pampering. It might be better to give a little money and have her learn how to use it.
I jotted down the titles of the notable books and left the shop. In the course of the day, I had a rough idea of what I wanted and its price.
--- On the way back, I looked at the sky. A castle was floating there.
Among the clouds, faintly, but with perfect composure.
"Whoa!"
I looked up in surprise and pointed. The people around me glanced in the direction of my finger for a moment, then quickly lost interest. Eh? You can see it, right? Is it just me? Am I the only one who can see Laputa in the sky? Was my dad a liar?
"First time seeing it? That is the aerial fortress of 'Dragon God General' Perugius."
Ghislaine answered my unspoken question. She knew, huh... Ghislaine! An aerial fortress, though. Wow, that's cool.
"Perugius?" "You've heard of him, haven't you?"
I felt like I'd heard the name before, but couldn't recall.
"What was it again?"
Ghislaine looked a bit surprised, choosing her words. Then, Eris stepped in front of me, crossed her arms, and stood like a Nio guardian statue.
"I'll tell you!" "Please, do." "Alright! Perugius is one of the three heroes who defeated the Demon God Laplace!"
Eris puffed out her chest and declared. The Demon God Laplace...? Wait, that name sounded familiar...?
"He's super strong, and he led twelve subordinates to storm Laplace's stronghold in an aerial fortress!" "Wow, that's impressive." "Right!" "You're very well-informed, Miss Eris. Thank you." "Ufufu! Rudeus, you've still got a lot to learn!"
If I asked any more probing questions, I'd get hit again. I was learning, too.
So, I decided to look it up myself when I got back.
When I asked Philip, he said there should be a book like that somewhere. Before I could even ask, the butler found it and brought it to me. You've been a great help.
To cut to the chase, it was a book from my old home in Buena Village.
'The Legend of Perugius' – I'd always thought it was a fairy tale, but it seemed to be historical fact.
To summarize 'The Legend of Perugius,' it went something like this: No one knows where or when the one called 'Dragon God General' Perugius was born or raised. The oldest record was of him, still not famous in his youth, being brought to the
The 'Dragon God General' Perugius, as a king, neither reigned nor ruled, but simply flew across the skies of the world in his aerial fortress (Chaos Breaker). No one knew his true intentions.
Wait, 400 years... was he really still alive? Wasn't it just a masterless castle drifting around?
But someday, I wanted to go there.
--- The next day.
Eris was in the best of moods. It was probably because it was her first time having an entire day to play. Or maybe it was because she normally couldn't go all the way to the upscale shops?
Either way, creating a day off had clearly been the right decision.
"Take me again next time!"
She stood with arms crossed in her usual pose, but her cheeks were slightly flushed. Was this blush from anger or humiliation...?
Eh? Shyness? That was impossible. This was Eris we were talking about.
"Well..."
As I hesitated, Eris clenched her teeth. Then, holding her hair with both hands, she jutted out her hip...
"T-take me, pleath..."
"Okay, I'll take you, I'll take you! Now please stop that!"
I hurried to stop her. It might be cute, but it was bad for my heart. Each time she did it, my karma seemed to increase. And karma was settled with fists.
"Hmph! At least you understand!"
Eris let her hair fall. Before her red, waist-length hair had fully settled, she sat down firmly in her chair.
"Now! Continue the lesson!" "You're motivated today." "Either way, you'll say you won't take me if I don't behave!"
Our... our young lady was being so sensible...!
"That's... exactly right! If you behave, I'll take you again!"
I finished the day's lesson, filled with emotion.