33 The crimson general.

"What are you up to, father? Don't tell me you were actually spying on us. That really leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

Beothrice clutched his heart at his daughter's words. He looked at Eldric pointedly.

'Was it you, you bastard?'

Looking at Beothrice gaze, Eldric couldn't help but shrink a bit. It was unnerving.

"Anyway, we are going to be friends, are we not Eldric?" said Udel linking her arm with the shorter child next to her.

Eldric smiled, "Yes. Of course, we are."

James smiled looking at this interaction. It seems it was the right decision to do this. At the very least, his son now has a friend.

Beothrice however....

'What the hell did he do? My daughter is not so naive. I need to have a talk with him later!'

Everything was going too smoothly...

James had his own troubles with in-laws, reading the mood, he timely intervened. " How about we enkindled our old memories? We could go hunting like the old times Beo…"

"Tsk. Stop talking like we are old man. I'm barely in my thirties!"

Eldric's eyes shone for a moment, "May I go with you, father? I have kept up with my training, I shouldn't be too much of a burden."

James ruffled his son's hair. " I don't see why not, with our knights and Beo's, it shouldn't be too hard to take care of one child."

He hummed thoughtfully, "Maybe your sister Ellah can come too."

Eldric nodded,

"Right. She had been asking you for a while now."

Looking at the couple of father and son, Beo and Udel couldn't help but roll their eyes. Why were they talking about going beast hunting as if it were a privilege?

Beast hunting was only a way to get magic stones. There is no fun in it…

"Daughter, if you want to back off. This is the right time, I don't need to tell you, but this child is even worse than his father."

Beothrice grimaced,

"— something I didn't even think was possible."

At least he seemed a bit more alright in the head compared to his father. But Beothrice didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing…

Udel shook her head, "I don't know what you are thinking, father. But Eldric and I are only friends. We have more things in common than I thought."

The green haired girl tilted her head, "Isn't that what you wanted, father?"

Beothrice nodded his head. That was something that he wanted before he met the young child — a seven-year-old child— Beothrice doubted he even was that young sometimes.

It wasn't as if he were as smart as his daughter, he simply seemed somehow too experienced, he would act accordingly whenever given the chance. Maybe Beothrice was thinking too much, as usual, but he knew the child in front that was talking about hunting beasts so casually was rather 'special'.

The fact that he reached the [Fledgling] rank already at seven years old and was not as 'insensible' as James. He would make a fine partner for his daughter, much more than he initially thought.

'It's almost as he is blessed by Iradros himself.' dryly thought Beothrice.

The faint magic he could sense only added to the effect.

Losing himself in thoughts, Beothtrice disregarded the gaze his daughter administered to him.

'What are you thinking about, father?' Despite her not showing it, the respect Udel had for her father was immense.

He was her idol, the person she strived to be like. His opinion was very important to her.

"It's time to get you new armor, anyway." hummed James. "Let's go ask Ellah. I'm sure she wouldn't say no."

Images of Ellah training in the yard alongside him trailed off in Eldric's mind. Truth be told, other than Epine, Ellah was the only other person he could call a friend. The both of them got rather close in these months, if only because they trained together in the morning.

Just like him, Ellah never skipped her routine.

Although, as usual, she had to go to the noblewoman training lessons right after. Only after she took her time kicking up a fuss and whining at Eldric about how boring it is.

.

"How can you even do that?!!"

The red-headed girl screamed indignantly. She was wearing leather armor and light iron shoulder pads.

The faint early morning breeze caused the girl's long crimson hair to flutter in the wind. With fury in her eyes, she swung the wooden sword with purpose almost as if planning to snap the other child's body in half.

*Swish*

Like an eel, the silver-haired child effortlessly moved his body to the right and evaded her strike at the last moment— causing her to hit empty air.

Meeting those indignant crimson eyes, the comparatively less geared child, wearing only a light leather breastplate put his wooden sword on his shoulder, " What can I say, Ellah?"

A shit-eating grin slowly made its way to his expression.

"I'm just built different."

'Man. Is this how Epine feels… It kinda feels good to be the one doing the trolling for once.'

After the senseless beatings he received from Epine, taking on Ellah was only a matter of naturality. Of course, despite being the same age, Ellah was technically still physically stronger than him.

His half-sister has been training before him. A few months of training wouldn't suddenly make him stronger than her .

Alas, it didn't matter that much when he was vastly superior in technique.

"Tsk. You shameless bastard." huffed Ellah taking in the smug smile on Eldric's face. It was infuriating. His teasing only kept getting worse as the days went on.

'Damn! Wasn't it just four months ago when he couldn't even properly swing his sword? Where the hell did that noob go?!!'

Ellah remembered the day Eldric asked her to let him copy her moves barely a day after he recovered. It was the first time she ever truly talked to him. They were never allowed to talk to him, he had always been frail…

Unlike her other brother, at least from what she noticed these last months, Eldric doesn't use his free time to play dress-up and parade in the capital screaming rubbish. She would always see him with his creepy maid or training.

'The creepy maid...'

"It's the training that you are doing with that maid, isn't it?" muttered Ellah.

" I asked about her and no one wants to tell me anything. Or they simply don't know anything..."

Eldric tilted his head, " You did? Why would you do that?"

"I'm going to train with you and that maid!" shouted Ellah at the top of her lungs. She thrust her sword in the muddy ground and crossed her arms.

Eldric fake-gasped,

"That is not very lady-like of you, Ellah. As an Armsworth, it brings me great shame. I must say that am severely disappointed in your corundum."

Ellah laughed, " It's too late."

The eldest daughter of the Armsworth grinned, almost as if catching Eldric by the ears. "If I go down, you will go with me."

Eldric's mouth corners twitched and Ellah smiled victoriously.

It was true.

If either of their teachers heard their indignant talk, they would be studying for the next two weeks locked up.

Strangely, the teachers and tutors had authority over the children, whether they are nobles or not. Eldric didn't particularly hate studying, but he wouldn't want to stay holed up for two weeks.

... Boring.

"It's not that I don't mind, but are you sure, Ellah? It's not easy, you know. Are you sure about it?"

Ellah sneered, "How hard could it be?"

Eldric practically shuddered remembering the training that he just had with Epine.

"Very, very hard."

Ellah didn't seem that convinced by the act Eldric put on. She just assumed that it was another case of his

"Yes, of course, I'm sure."

Looking at Ellah's steel-eyed expression, Eldric shrugged his shoulders. Since she was motivated, there was no reason to say no to her. There was also not a single disadvantage to getting stronger, if she got stronger, that only means that he would have less to worry about.

And just like that, another victim was added to Epine's torturous crash course.... Maybe that was the real reason. Eldric desperately needed a buddy.

Proud of her 'negotiations', Ellah's hand darted toward the wooden sword in order to remove it from the ground. But she stopped mid-way as realisation slowly hit her.

"..."

"You mean you actually get up even before me?" shocked, Ellah muttered.

'But he would only come to train after I start...'

Eldric laughed, "Yeah. Why do you think I get so bruised before training with you?"

'What?' Elllah traced Eldric's figure for any signs of lies. She clasped her hands,

'I need to work harder, huh?'

"Let's go again!" Ellah shouted as she picked up her sword.

She smilingly looked at Eldric. There was much left to be done…

Surprised by her sudden surge of enthusiasm and smile, Eldric couldn't help but dumbly nod. Although, if one observed closely, you could see traces of a smile on his visage as well.

"Yeah, yeah."

Ellah's future enemies shuddered and cursed Eldric for this moment. The eldest daughter of the Armsworths, the one that would have been known in the future as the crimson general for the pungent river of blood that would follow her trail whenever a battle arises.

... She would only be getting stronger now.

.

Just as Udel has said, it was quite fortunate that Eldric had a good relationship with his siblings. As an only-child prior, it was quite refreshing.

'Cenric…'

Eldric sighed remembering his troublesome half-brother...

At this point, he had mixed feelings about him. Obviously, he would rather have a good relationship with him as well. But it seems like Cenric has no plans to let his 'grudge' go.