Teach Me!

'A-rank, or maybe even S-rank…' Philip judged, watching Rudeus display his skill. 'But definitely not Saint-level yet. Why did Ghislaine bestow the title of a North Saint to him? Could she have been mistaken?'

But then, Philip's eyes suddenly widened. "That's-!?"

From his point of view, Rudeus had suddenly unleashed a wave of fire from his sword, though Ghislaine was able to disperse the flames with a swing of her own blade.

'Could that be a Magic Item? Paul must have given one to his son for protection.'

Mm, Paul must have done pretty well as an adventurer to be gifting Magic Items to his son…'

However, his thoughts changed when Rudeus demonstrated one spell after another, all with different effects.

The North Saint created daggers of ice and launched them to his opponent, used a blast of fire exploding out of his back to rocket towards Ghislaine, and then covered his sword in a layer of wind that glowed green.

'S-so many Magic Items? How many treasures did Paul discover when he was adventuring to able to hand over so many Magic Items to Rudeus?'

Though Philip was surprised, his shock could not compare to Eris' own when she saw the various magic being thrown around by Rudeus like it was nothing. Her eyes were opened as wide as she was physically capable of and her mouth hung open in astonishment.

She was not aware of the concept of Magic Items, so to her, she had no explanation for what she was looking at. Even if Eris did not want to admit, she was completely captivated by the sight.

Rudeus used his [Earthen Dash] in combination with successive castings of [Rock Pillar] to create a battlefield with a dozen pillars made of rock jutting out of the ground, and then proceeded to bounce around the pillars with rapid speed. Every time his feet landed on a rock pillar, he would use [Earthen Dash] to increase his velocity even more.

If it was anyone else weaker than Ghislaine, they would have not been able to see through Rudeus' seemingly random and would end up spinning in circles trying to keep up with the dizzyingly fast Rudeus.

However, the Sword King was able to predict Rudeus' trajectory and leap forward to intercept him before he even launched his own attack.

Philip finally understood how the boy was achieving this, despite how unbelievable it sounded in his head, after seeing the red crystal he recognized as an arcane focus that was embedded in the hilt of his sword.

'When you eliminate all that is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be true… Rudeus, this 7 year old boy, is actually chantlessly casting magic in conjunction with his swordsmanship!'

Philip was speechless. He had heard of incantation-less spellcasting before. There were rumors of a professor in Ranoa Magic Academy who could cast spells without chanting an incantation. And that was in Central Continent alone. It wasn't farfetched to believe that there were people who could do the same on other continents.

But to see it in front of his eyes, from a 7 year old child at that, Philip was dumbfounded.

Now he understood why Ghislaine had bestowed the title of North Saint to Rudeus. His own swordsmanship had yet to reach Saint-rank, but with the addition of incantationless magic that he could cast on the fly while engaging in close combat? Rudeus could easily be evaluated as being Saint-rank even by someone without much knowledge in swordsmanship like Philip.

'Even if Eris says otherwise, we definitely have to employ him! Someone as talented as Rudeus, who knows what he could accomplish in the future.' Philip was after all, the Mayor of Roa and future successor of the Lord of Fittoa. He had to keep such things in mind when making decisions that could affect the entire Boreas family.

Even though Rudeus' status as a child of a former Notos noble was politically sensitive, the status of their family would skyrocket if he one day manages to reach Emperor Rank. Not even the King of Asura Kingdom would be willing to casually dismiss an Emperor-rank swordsman. Thus, Philip was eager to form a relationship with Rudeus, especially given Rudeus' blood relation with the Boreas family.

This might sound cold and calculative to most people, but amongst the ranks of the nobility, it was just common sense. Politicking, schemes, and plots were a way of life for the nobility, especially for those seated at the highest ranks like the Greyrats. Even if it wasn't for any ambition to climb the aristocratic hierarchy, it was still necessary to scheme in order to protect their status quo.

The exchange between Rudeus and Ghislaine went on for several more minutes, with him displaying increasingly powerful and increasingly elaborate Magic Sword techniques. Since he was unaware of Philip's desire to overrule his daughter and employ him, the boy could only rely on aweing and impressing the haughty Eris. Thus, he elected to display techniques and combinations that were the flashiest.

Anyone would agree that seeing a wave of spikes erupt from the ground while blades of wind and fire swept the battlefield as a child who was surrounded by floating rock shields and ice swords swung his own blade with all his might was simply astounding.

The curtain finally closed, after Ghislaine decided that it was time to end the duel.

Sword God Style: Sonic Sword.

It was a technique that one needed to grasp in order to achieve the rank of Sword King. Though Ghislaine only performed the technique with the strength of a Sword Saint, it was still unbelievably fast. If she had used all her strength and speed however, it was a sword that surpassed the speed of sound.

BOOM! A sonic boom exploded from the sheer speed of Ghislaine's movement and the swing of her sword as she broke past the sound barrier. A shockwave erupted, throwing a large gust of wind that blew past the spectators, Eris and Philip.

Rudeus froze where he stood. If he had taken another step, Ghislaine's sword, which had suddenly arrived at and stopped an inch from his neck, would have drawn his blood. None of the fancy tricks he could pull out would have been able to stop this one sword from Ghislaine, proving to everyone that she could have ended this fight whenever she wanted.

He exhaled heavily as Ghislaine withdrew her sword, feeling the tension leave his body while the ache and weariness from fighting at the highest level he was capable of set in.

Rudeus lowered his head respectfully, "Thank you for your guidance, Master."

"Mm. You did well. It looks like you have already adjusted your techniques based on what I told you last time. You learn fast." Ghislaine praised.

"It was only because you are a good teacher, Master."

The Sword King smiled, patting Rudeus' head. Ghislaine really was rather fond of Rudeus. His respectfulness was one thing, but he was also very talented, more than anyone she had met before.

"Come, time for Eris to give her evaluation."

Rudeus nodded. This was the moment of truth. He had already done all he could to show off everything he knew. If even this was not enough to satisfy the little lady, there was nothing he could say except shake his head at her short sightedness.

As Rudeus and Ghislaine walked over to the others, Philip gazed at the North saint approvingly. He then glanced at his daughter, determined to overrule her if she decided to speak nonsense.

'Even father would approve, no matter how much he dotes on Eris.'

Rudeus stopped in front of Eris and performed the noble's greeting once more. "Lady Eris, I hope you are satisfied with my performance."

Eris was quiet, though her body was trembling slightly. She took a few more moments to process what she had just seen before looking back at Rudeus.

"You. How did you do that?"

He already knew this question was coming.

"It is magic, Lady Eris. I am able to-"

"It doesn't matter." Eris interrupted.

Philip frowned. 'As expected, she is being stubborn.'

She stepped forward and stood face to face with Rudeus, "What you just did. Teach me!"

"Eh?"

"Hmph, this lady is asking you to teach me. Releasing fire from your sword, jumping on air, making ice swords, all of that! Teach me!" Eris demanded, with her arms folded and head tilted upwards in superiority.

Rudeus was a little taken aback. This wasn't part of their deal. Although he wanted to spread the name of his Magic Sword style far and wide, his initial impression of this haughty girl was just far too poor. Did he really want to teach someone who wasn't asking, but demanding to learn his secrets?

"Lady Eris, that is… " He forced out, not being able to say either yes or no.

"What are you waiting for! Quickly thank me for this chance!" Eris arrogantly yelled.

'Ugh, this brat really has no respect for anyone. If you are asking to learn something how can you still be so arrogant? Teach her my techniques? No freaking way!'

Thankfully for him, Philip stepped in to diffuse the situation.

"Eris, don't be difficult. Rudeus is only here to be your bodyguard and teach you magic. He is not obligated to share his personal techniques with you."

"Isn't that magic? What's the difference?" Eris rebutted. She didn't understand what was so special about incantation-less magic. Neither did she know that there were only a handful of people in the world who could use magic without chanting.

"Did you not see that Rudeus did not chant any incantations when he used magic? Normally when magicians cast spells, they need to say a long line of magic words in order to cast a spell. But Rudeus did not need to do that."

"Oh. Then just teach me that then."

Philip shook his head, "But why should he? He was hired to teach you magic, not chantless magic. There is a big difference between these two things."

"Just pay him more then! I don't understand why this is so difficult." Eris concluded with exasperation.

"We can certainly do that, but it's still up to Rudeus if he is willing to do it or not."

She turned back to Rudeus and pointed at him, "Hey, you! Teach me!"

He frowned. If he kept acting subservient to this little lass, she would only grow to be even more arrogant than ever. Not to mention that this was his life's work she was demanding for! It was only a short life, sure, but he had poured his heart into developing Magic Sword. Without even a please or thank you, she wanted to just snatch it?

"My name is Rudeus, not 'you'. And no thank you." Rudeus answered firmly.

Eris widened her eyes in surprise and anger, "What!? What do you mean no? You want to stay here and learn from our Ghislaine right? Then you have to teach me! Or I will tell grandpa to chase you away!"

Rudeus sighed. There were many things he was willing to endure so that he could learn under Ghislaine, including being respectful to this disrespectful girl. But there was a certain line he had to draw before he started shilling out his principles and integrity. She had already crossed this line.

Most importantly however, Eris reminded him of a terrible memory. That driver who had hit him and cost him his legs had similarly relied on his fortune and backing to get off scot-free. Even if she was only a child now, Rudeus thought that this girl would grow up to be someone just like that. If he taught her his techniques, he couldn't imagine what kind of tyrant she would become in the future.

He turned to Ghislaine with a reluctant but resigned look, and bowed deeply.

"It seems that I am not fated to learn from Master. Though you have only taught me for a day, I will remember your lessons for the rest of my life. I bid you farewell then, Master."

Ghislaine frowned, not having expected such an outcome. "Rudeus…"

Upon hearing his words, Eris sputtered out, "You, you-!"

Philip hurriedly went to Rudeus, "Rudeus, wait, don't be impatient. We can slowly discuss things. Eris was out of line being so forceful. Regardless of what she says, our Boreas family is more than willing to employ you as a bodyguard. Of course, the best case scenario is if you would be willing to take Eris under your wing, but if not we can still find some other arrangements. Eris is not the only one who might need a bodyguard, after all."

"Papa!"

Rudeus looked at the indignant girl who was boiling with rage and shook his head.

"As long as I am not forced to give up my techniques then I am also fine with working for the Boreas family."

"Excellent! Then come with me, we will find some other arrangements for your employment. And as for teaching magic to Eris, are you still willing?" Philip smiled brightly.

Rudeus nodded, "I can teach her normal magic. Of course, only if she is willing to learn."

Seeing that things were getting out of her control, Eris stomped her feet, "I am going to tell grandpa! He will make you teach me!"

She then turned around and left the training ground, leaving the rest to sigh at her boorish behaviour.