Chapter 252: Wood, Beloved by the Entire Boreas Family

"Good morning, Master Wood. Breakfast is ready. Please make your way to the dining room," a maid informed him.

When Wood woke up the next day, though he hadn't changed much himself, his status in the Boreas family had significantly improved.

The previous day's sparring session had ended in a way no one had anticipated. However, Old Master Sauros was gracious in defeat, and because of their wager, Wood was now treated like a member of the Boreas family's direct line.

Not only was he given a personal maid, but he also dined with Philip and Eris, and even received the same monthly allowance as Eris.

When Wood entered the dining room, guided by his maid, Philip and the lady of the house, Hilda, were already there. Philip greeted him with a friendly smile, while Hilda, on the other hand, turned her face away in obvious displeasure.

At first, Wood thought she was upset because he had kept them waiting. He figured he should apologize to smooth things over.

After all, he had experience dealing with similar situations with the women back home, like Zenith and Lilia.

So, Wood put on his most innocent childlike expression and offered a perfectly polished noble's apology to Hilda.

"As a guest living under your roof, it was terribly rude of me to keep you, Lord Philip and Lady Hilda, waiting. I sincerely apologize," he said.

Wood thought his apology was full of sincerity. Even the maid nearby was moved by his politeness. Surely Hilda would forgive him now, right?

But to his surprise, after his heartfelt apology, Hilda's expression only grew more complicated. Without a word, she left the dining room, not even staying for breakfast.

This wasn't how things were supposed to go! Not only Eris, but now Hilda was turning out to be another difficult character in the Boreas household.

Seeing Wood's bewildered expression, Philip looked a little embarrassed himself. Just as he was about to offer an explanation, Eris barged into the room, her usual loud self.

Eris was never in a good mood when she had to wake up early, and whenever she was woken up for no reason, she'd throw a tantrum. Philip looked from Wood, polite as ever, to his fiery-tempered daughter and couldn't help but sigh.

Wood, despite being a noble by birth, had grown up in the countryside after Paul had renounced his title. Yet, despite his rural upbringing, Wood's manners were impeccable—he behaved like a model aristocrat.

Eris, on the other hand, had grown up in the lap of luxury within the Boreas household, yet she lacked any of the grace expected of a noble lady. In fact, she acted more like a street thug.

"Eris, you could learn a lot from Wood. He's two years younger than you, yet in my eyes, he's much more mature," Philip said.

Already irritable from being woken up, Eris exploded with anger at her father's words. She shot Wood an angry glare and stormed out of the room.

Wood was at a loss. He hadn't been with the Boreas family for long, but he'd already managed to upset the two most important women in the household—and he didn't even know how!

The following days settled into a more stable routine. Wood would write letters home to Zenith and Lilia, and in his spare time, he trained in swordsmanship under Ghislaine's guidance.

The swordsmanship of this world was something to be admired, and under Ghislaine's tutelage, Wood's skills improved rapidly. His growth in both body and strength was evident, and in just a few months, he had reached the level of a "Sword Saint."

His magic, on the other hand, had hit a bottleneck. While he was still a "Saint" level mage, his visible skills remained at the intermediate level.

In return for Ghislaine's guidance, Wood began teaching her some basic magic techniques and the secrets of utilizing sword aura.

At first, Eris had been too proud to show any interest. But after seeing the impressive combat techniques Wood demonstrated, and witnessing Ghislaine quickly mastering the beginner magic he taught, Eris eventually couldn't resist joining in.

"Wood! Are you holding back on me? How come Ghislaine picks this up so fast, but I'm struggling?" Eris fumed, throwing her iron sword to the ground in frustration.

She had been trying to copy the cool sword-kicking move Wood had shown her earlier, but while Ghislaine had picked it up on her first try, Eris had failed several times. She was convinced Wood must have only shared the trick with Ghislaine, while keeping her in the dark.

"Miss Eris, Ghislaine is a Sword King and a beastwoman, so her reflexes and physical abilities are naturally far superior to ours," Wood explained. "When I first started learning, it took me half a year to get where you are now."

Having spent a few months with Eris, Wood had gotten used to her personality. The trick was to compliment her and keep her calm. Otherwise, she'd blow up like a volcano. Showering her with praise was the best way to defuse her temper.

Over time, Eris had even stopped calling him "hey" or "you," and had started addressing him by his name. In certain moments, she even listened to his advice, something that had surprised both Ghislaine and Philip.

The reason for Eris's change in attitude wasn't just Wood's strength and his almost limitless range of skills. It was also because Wood had saved her from a kidnapping a few months earlier.

In short, the affection points that should have been earned by Rudy were now going to Wood instead.

In fact, Wood had only been with the Boreas family for a few months, but he had already earned the respect of nearly everyone in the household.

Sauros and Philip, in particular, were quite impressed. Wood's talent was undeniable, and even if they were blind, they knew they should take advantage of his youth and build a good relationship with him now.

With such terrifying talent, it was only a matter of time before Wood became one of the strongest individuals on the continent.

Because his status within the household was now equivalent to that of a direct member of the family, Wood was required to join Eris in learning the various noble etiquettes and academic subjects.

However, after just three days, the etiquette instructor admitted there was nothing more they could teach him. Wood's manners and conduct were impeccable—so much so that even the palace's royal etiquette teachers would have struggled to find any faults.

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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 380+ at p@treon.com/Betek and change @ to a