Chapter 18 - Return to Roa

—-- Leon Greyrat —--

My baby sisters were now a week old, and much to my relief, they were normal, unlike Rudy when he was a baby.

Now it wasn't like I hated Rudy. Despite his… eccentricities, I loved him deeply as a brother. But with his advanced maturity, I didn't have many chances to act as an amazing older brother, or dote on him, which might also be due to me being two when he was born.

Anyway, Norn and Aisha were normal, and as a result, they cried. A lot.

When they wet themselves, they cried. When they were hungry, they cried. Even when nothing was happening, they cried.

But I understood them, to an extent.

Thinking back to my time as a baby, even though I didn't cry much, I remember how everything was new and a bit scary, even with my Miko-granted knowledge.

It might be this understanding that made me able to calm them down quite easily though my magic also helped.

You see, with healing magic, while it focused on healing injuries, it also had applications of calming down the patient. After all, even if you healed a large wound, it wouldn't really matter if the patient died from shock a moment later.

And so I used this application to the fullest, helping my baby sisters remain calm with all the new sensations in this big, scary world.

It was also due to this understanding that I didn't find their cries annoying.

Instead, I just found them endearing. I wanted to cuddle them and make them feel better and calm with love, rather than doing it just to shut them up.

Though I couldn't say the same for Paul…

This was his second time having children. Third if you count me when I joined the Fangs of the Black Wolf. And while I understood that Rudy and I weren't exactly normal, I still expected him to be a bit better after all this time.

But Paul was Paul, I suppose.

Luckily, Lilia was able to show off her maidly abilities, Mama always had that loving touch that babies would crave, and Rudy was surprisingly skilled at taking care of our sisters, so the four of us were able to easily fill in.

But yes. My sisters were healthy, and things were good.

Speaking of Paul, he had trained extra hard into the night for the two days after their birth, at least until the third day, where he defeated me in our spar.

He went back to his usual routine of only light morning training after that.

It was exactly as Mama said. Once his pride and confidence were renewed, he went back to being the bare minimum to keep up his current skills rather than aiming to advance them.

How disappointing.

But I guess he was retired, so I shouldn't have expected much else.

Anyway, while my swordsmanship had improved ever since my victory against Paul, or more specifically, after my 'enlightenment', I was still not better at the blade than my father.

I suppose my sudden improvement catching him off guard was the only reason for my win.

But I didn't mind.

I was still young and still had lots of time to improve, as well as experience to gain. I wonder what Ghislaine will think of my new abilities though… I hope she'll be proud of me.

And I wasn't the only one to improve my swordsmanship.

Eris and Rudy proved to be good sparring partners, as both were close in abilities and had both grown a noticeable amount in my time here.

Well, Eris was a bit better, but their strength was closer to equal than compared to the likes of Ghislaine, Paul, and I.

Eris was stronger, had better instincts, and at least in terms of the Sword God style, had better technique.

Rudy, on the other hand, was more patient, and with his training in the Water God and North God, more adaptable. And since he had been sparring with Paul for a while now, he also had more combat experience.

"Why are you slowing down!?" Eris yells.

"Because you're scary, Eris," Rudy explains smoothly.

"How pathetic!" she exclaims before continuing her assault.

Well… yeah, they were doing fine.

But we weren't the only ones practicing the sword.

"Try not to overstep. Okay, Sylphy? It messes up your balance and makes you easier to hit," I say, lightly tapping her leg with my wooden sword.

"Sorry… I just don't think I'm cut out for this," she pouts.

"I agree. You're definitely not a swordswoman," her pout deepens. "But this training isn't for you to learn swordsmanship, but rather to hone your battle instincts. With chantless magic, you're able to fight in close combat, so you should learn how."

Though it would be better for her to fight at range, of course, the world wasn't so kind as to play fairly like that.

"I understand. But… I don't plan on adventuring or anything. Why would I need to know how to fight?" she asks.

"Because you might need to defend yourself. Especially since you're so cute and talented," I explain.

It wasn't a lie or an empty compliment.

In this world, monsters weren't the most dangerous foe, but rather, people were.

Kidnapping, assassination, mugging… all that nauseating stuff.

And a girl like Sylphy would definitely be a prime target. Especially when she grew up into the beauty I expected her to be.

"H-Huh!? U-Umm, thank you, Leon. L-Let's continue!" she exclaims.

Ha. So she was embarrassed, huh?

I guess I did say some embarrassing things, so it was only natural.

"Alright. It would be better to not close your eyes, though," I smirk.

And with that, our little spar continued.

Hmm… once she got a bit better with combat, I think we could move onto magic-based sparring. Roxy had mentioned a class like that in Ranoa.

I too was interested in how chantless magic could be used in a fight.

—-- Information on the Six-Faced World —--

Lilia Greyrat

Lilia has reddish-brown hair that reaches her chest, though it is often tied up in a half-bun. She has violet-purple eyes and a slender yet voluptuous body with large breasts. She usually wears a frilly maid outfit with oval glasses and a hairband but has begun to wear more casual clothes since becoming Paul Greyrat's wife.

She was born to two commoner parents, although her father, Augusta, is an Advanced-rank Water God swordsman who is the instructor of his dojo and has ties to the Water God Rieda Reia. Lilia trained to become an Intermediate-ranked Water God swordswoman, but as it was not enough for her to inherit the dojo, she left to become a maid at the Asura Royal Palace.

When guarding the young Princess in the Palace, she was attacked by assassins, and although she survived, the poisoned blade did irreparable damage to her leg, which made her unfit as a swordswoman, and thus fired from her position.

When looking for work after this, she wanted to be hired as a maid to receive good pay, but not by someone of high noble status as her history as a maid of the Royal Palace might become troublesome.

—-- Eris Boreas Greyrat —--

"What are the three main things that affect gas pressure?" Rudeus asks.

"Umm… temperature… the amount of gas… and the… space it's in?" Sylphy answers.

"Yep! Good job," Leon exclaims, smiling at her.

Just like he did with me… Tsk. 

Not that I cared though!

"So, if you know that, what do you think would create the most pressure?" Leon asks.

"Umm… a lot of gas in a small space? Oh! And making it hot!" Sylphy answers.

The two brothers nod their heads.

"Yep! And what do you think happens when you hold gas at high pressure before being released? Oh, Eris. You know this one!" Leon says.

Scrunching my eyebrows I think back to my lessons at home.

Usually, with all this 'science' stuff, I just let it go in through one ear and out the other. It was pretty boring after all.

But I remember listening to this 'pressure' stuff pretty seriously.

And that was because when he did what he described, it would cause-

"An explosion!" I say, pointing my chin up.

He simply nods his head proudly.

"Yep. Now, how about we try it?" he says, extending his hand. "Rudy? Do you wanna do it with me?"

"Sure. Let's see who can make a bigger shockwave!" Rudy answers.

Leon shakes his head, "No. We probably shouldn't. What if we wake up Norn and Aisha?"

"Ah. That's true…"

"Kids! Come and eat!" a shout rings from the house.

Turning back, I see Leon's mothers, Lilia and Zenith, standing in the garden with a platter of sandwiches and drinks.

To think they had just given birth a week ago… well, I knew how good Leon and Rudeus' healing magic was, so it was to be expected.

"I guess the demonstration will have to wait. Let's get some food," Leon says, walking toward them.

Following behind him, I think back to last night, when I shared a conversation with the woman. Zenith, that is.

She was… weird.

But not in a bad way.

She was warm, like a comfortable fireplace. And I could tell how much she loved, and how proud she was, of her two kids, even without her constantly saying it.

It was… much different, from Mother.

And like Paul, she also liked to tease me. But it wasn't annoying, rather, it made me embarrassed.

Truly, truly weird.

Anyway, when I went downstairs to use the latrine, I was about to return to my room before she called me over to sit next to her.

I was confused, at first. But then I realized why she wanted to talk to me.

Surprisingly, she was a noble too. Or at least she used to be. And even more surprisingly, her position had been equal to mine.

No, considering that Father was only the mayor of Roa, her position would have been higher.

That made me much more interested in her. How someone like her could live so… happily, separated from the annoying customs that were forced onto her. I wanted to know if I could be like that too.

I then learned about how she became an adventurer, exploring the world and its labyrinths and defeating monsters alongside Ghislaine.

That definitely raised my opinion of her, and begrudgingly, my opinion of Paul as well.

He was skilled, but he was annoying. And from the stories, Leon told me, he seemed like a bad man who just made trouble for him.

But… I suppose he had his good points too. Though being a father definitely wasn't one of them.

But what annoyed me the most about the man… was that he reminded me of myself. 

And I hated that I found him annoying because of that, which only made me more annoyed. At him, at the situation, and at myself.

Everything was annoying!

And it also made me feel… worried.

After all… if Paul was like me… then wouldn't Leon think of me as annoying the same way he did with him?

But then again, he also said he loved the man, and he was family. So does that mean he could eventually think the same about me?

"...Gah!"

My emotions surged and I let my fist fly, catching Leon on his arm.

Looking over his shoulder, he raises his eyebrow at me, "What was that for?"

"N-Nothing!" I exclaim.

Grr… what was wrong with me!?

Thinking about stuff like that… 

Darting my eyes away from his figure, I find myself staring right into Zenith's eyes, and after a moment, her lips spread into a wide, teasing smile.

"Oho~?"

Lilia shakes her head, "Zenith. Let her be for today."

"Oh, you're no fun Lilia!"

Leon's family… they were nice but also weird. And sometimes annoying too.

Though some of those feelings may be of no fault but my own.

—-- Rudeus Greyrat —--

It had been a month since my brother had returned along with Eris, which meant that our new sisters were now three weeks old.

During this time, Zenith and Paul had been hit with the grim reality of what actual childrearing was like and were on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Luckily, they had Lilia, Leon, and I to be there, but one of them would be leaving very soon, so they would have to get used to it pretty quickly.

I don't know exactly how Leon was so good with the babies, but I was used to it all due to my younger brother in my past life. Changing dirty diapers, rocking them to sleep, cleaning laundry… the tasks were all familiar, and with the addition of magic, it was much easier and cleaner.

Zenith was trying her best, and considering she had just birthed her second child while also dealing with her first one who was about to leave home again, I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Paul though… he was useless.

Actually, considering how he would only manage to make the newborns cry more when he tried calming them down, he was less than useless.

Jeez. If he didn't have his sword skills and charisma, he would be quite a worthless man.

"And… there! Here, Leon! I made this for you!" Sylphy says, holding a newly crafted flower crown.

"Oh? That's really pretty. Here, can you put it on for me?" my brother says, pulling his hair back and lowering his head.

Sylphy gently places the crown on his head, and raising his eyes, Leon adjusts it slightly before flashing a smile, "Thanks, Sylphy. How does it look?"

"A-Amazing!" she exclaims.

I, on the other hand, could only release a sigh while shaking my head.

Young love… quite a thing it was to witness.

While I had my suspicions before, after Leon came back, it became quite obvious that Sylphy liked him. Maybe even loved him.

I guess I should say as expected of that charming brother of mine.

Sylphy liked me too, of course. But that was only as a good friend, and at most, as a brother.

Unfortunately, her route was already locked, and I wasn't a fan of NTR.

Too bad. The childhood friend route would have been amazing, and in a secluded place like this, I could have made her grow up into my perfect woman.

But dammit, brother.

Not only had you locked up the pretty deredere, but you've gone ahead and fetched yourself a tsundere too!

Not a son of Paul, my ass!

Leave some for the rest of us!

Ah, but I wouldn't want to deal with Eris if I was honest.

She was a violent, troublesome girl, with the only cure seeming to be Leon and Sylphy.

Well… she was also calm around Zenith. Lilia too.

Wait… she only got annoyed around Paul and me, especially after I tried peeking at her having a bath.

Was it just us, then?

No. No, it couldn't be.

Anyway, while I held some feelings of jealousy toward my brother, I loved him all the same. Even if I still bore the grudge of him cleaning Roxy's panties.

Sadly, after my little slip-up, Zenith made me give them up, but that was through no fault but my own.

It still stung though.

But despite my lady trouble now, I was sure I'd be more successful once I grew up. 

After all, I had Paul's genes in my blood and a cute face, and that mixed with my magical prowess was sure to net me some girls once I was older. Just need to find one that's thirteen or so, and they'd be right in my strike range.

"Oy! Leon! Rudy too!" Paul shouted as he made his way up our hill.

"What is it, Father?" I ask.

He then tosses Leon's sword to him before pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.

"Come with me. Since Leon's leaving soon, I wanna take you somewhere before you head back to the city," he says. "Sylphy. You should stay here. Eris too."

I share a confused glance with my brother who just shrugs before getting to his feet.

Eris crosses her arms, "Why should I stay here? And where are you going!?"

Paul just shrugs while scratching his ear, "It ain't a thing meant for noble ladies like yourself."

Eris snarls.

"We're gonna go exterminate some monsters, is all," Paul then sends a curious glance over to Leon. "What's with the flowers-? Oh. I see~"

Sending a knowing grin over to Sylphy and Leon, he then abruptly turns and starts walking down the hill.

"Well, while I said you should stay here, you can come if you want. Just make sure to stick close to me, alright?"

Taking four kids to go monster hunting… and from how he threw Leon a sword, he expected him to take part.

How irresponsible.

But it wasn't like I wasn't interested, so getting up and dusting myself off, I followed Paul as he began heading into the forest, with Sylphy and Eris trailing behind.

On the way, Paul talked about the recent report of monsters that had made their way closer to the village than he was comfortable with, and after Sylphy's father found out where they were, they were going to exterminate them. And just like I had guessed, he wanted Leon to join him.

Eventually, we entered the forest, and after a few more minutes of walking, Paul shushed us all before crouching behind a bush and pointing over it.

There were eight monsters.

Six of them were called Assault Dogs, and as their name implied, they were dog-like monsters, like dobermanns.

The other two were bipedal, four-armed pig-like monstrosities known as Terminator Boars. Which were one of the stronger species of monsters you could find in the Kingdom.

"Alright," Paul whispers. "There they are. You three, stay there and don't move. Leon, follow my lead. Got it?"

Contrary to his usual playfulness, Paul was now completely serious. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he slowly unsheathed his sword.

I guess he wasn't the leader of an S-ranked party for nothing, huh?

Noticing this change in demeanour, both Sylphy and Eris nodded in return, their faces stern with the red-haired girl not putting up even a bit of a fuss despite her usual nature.

With a nod as the signal, Paul then runs forward, instantly decapitating an Assault Dog with his surprise attack.

Leon, meanwhile, had a bit of hesitation with his first attack.

I could understand it though. 

Not only was it scary, but it was also his first time cutting through flesh. Paul drilled into our heads how dangerous blades were, and that while killing wasn't frowned upon as a way to defend yourself, especially compared to back in Japan, you still had to be certain before committing such an act.

After all, even with all the amazing healing spells in the world, once you died, there was no coming back.

Well, except for that reincarnating race of demons that Roxy mentioned, but that wasn't the point.

But anyway, after killing his first monster, Leon quickly adapted, slaying another attacking Assault Dog with ease a moment later. It was almost… a bit scary.

…I would have to remind myself to not do anything perverted to Sylphy.

My eyes looking to the side, I saw both Eris and Sylphy looking at the two with sparkling eyes filled with awe, despite the violence on display.

Well… to be honest, I probably had the same look on my face.

After all, the two's swordsmanship was amazing.

Paul's swordsmanship, if I had to describe it, had charisma.

It had a certain beauty to it. A mysterious rhythm that made your heart race in one moment, and then put you at ease in the next.

I guess that's what won Zenith's heart, huh? And Lilia's too… as well as that village girl he talked about… and the other one…

Hmm, maybe I would train a bit more seriously in swordsmanship after this, and hopefully follow in my father's footsteps in regards to his success with women.

Leon's swordsmanship, on the other hand, didn't have that rhythm. Instead, it was smooth, focused… a swordsmanship based on efficiency.

But it was beautiful all the same.

It made you entranced, both with the movements and the results that followed, while also making you feel safe and protected. As if nothing could go wrong with him there.

I guess, like this, it was no surprise why he already had two girls chasing after him. Even if he was still dense about it.

As the last of the Attack Dogs met its end, Paul then faced down one of the Terminator Boars, with Leon facing the other.

Paul easily cut through the monster's neck as it lunged forward, letting his sword rest on his shoulder as the beast's body toppled to the ground.

"Hehe… still got it, don't I?" he says, carefully sheathing his sword with a smile.

Paul's beloved sword, which he carried around wherever he went, was a double-edge type you would see a knight wield in a visual novel. It had a triangular-shaped cross guard with two triangle holes.

He really loved that sword. He even held it close when he was sleeping.

I asked him about it once, and apparently, it had to do with his habits as an adventurer. But still… it was a bit weird. 

Anyway, a moment later, Leon cut through the final Terminator Boar, putting an end to the battle.

What was it, a minute? No, even less.

In less than a minute, all the monsters were culled, and done without a single injury afflicted to the two.

They were quite amazing, huh?

Yeah… I don't think I'd ever match up to that.

"Nice job, Leon! Hmm… your cuts were pretty clean… Alright! You guys can come out now! I think now is a good time for a little lesson on how to dismantle a monster!" Paul says.

Eris and Sylphy instantly get up and run toward Leon, who is looking down at his bloodied hand with interest.

Actually, now that I could look at him better, he was nearly completely covered in blood.

"That was so cool!" Eris exclaims.

"Y-Yeah! But… are you okay, Leon?" Sylphy says worriedly.

Leon just shakes his head, "It's not my blood."

He then sets his body alight in flames using the spell Burn in Place .

It wouldn't get the blood out of his clothes, but it was a good way to quickly burn off any dirt on his skin.

"Anyway, I'm fine, so let's listen to my father. It's an interesting skill to learn, don't you think? Not like there are many times we can do this, after all," he says.

Eris nods her head excitedly.

To think a noble girl would like this stuff… nothing like the fat, prim, and proper noble ladies Paul lectured me about.

Even Sylphy seemed interested, despite being such a kind and loving girl.

Taking out a dagger, Paul then laid out the corpse of one of the Assault Dogs before skinning its fur and removing its fangs, the only parts of the monster that had any value.

After Paul went through his corpse, and another afterwards to show us again, each of us kids followed his example with a corpse of our own, netting us six rolls of fur and a collection of fangs.

The stench was… not amazing, and the gruesomeness was nauseating, but it got better the more I did it, and by the end, I thought of myself as an expert butcher. Or… dismantler, since I didn't really deal with any meat.

According to Paul, the meat of the Assault Dogs was edible but disgusting in both taste and texture, so we decided to burn it instead, as leaving it might attract more monsters, or even create one if you were unlucky.

The Terminator Boars, however, didn't have any fur to harvest, but they did have a pair of large tusks each and sharp claws that could be formed into knives, so with Paul going through the process for one, Leon and Eris did it for the other.

Surprisingly, one of them even ended up having a magic stone. A big red one just like what Roxy used to make my wand.

According to Paul, magic stones were quite rare and only appeared in monsters of a high rank. And the older a monster was, the more likely it would have one as the mana they gained over their lives concentrated into physical form. A monster having a magic stone also meant that the monster would be stronger than usual. Needless to say, Paul made sure that we knew not to mention that detail to Zenith and Lilia at all costs.

While Leon didn't care about the rest of the materials, he was pretty adamant about keeping the magic stone.

I guess he wanted a trophy for his efforts.

Meh, I didn't blame him, but in that case, I thought he would prefer the tusks since they looked cool.

Maybe he wanted to craft himself a new wand? Who knows.

With Paul carrying the stripped pelts, Leon holding a bag of the fangs and magic stones, and Eris happily swinging a tusk held in her hand, we then made our way back home, and upon our arrival…

"Paul," Zenith says angrily. "What in the hell do you think you just did?"

Her gaze then wanders over to us kids, and upon seeing the blood staining our clothes, and especially Leon, who was practically coated in red, her expression turns livid.

"It's fine! Come on. You know how useful it is to know how to dismantle a monster, right?" Paul explains.

Lilia then comes out of the front door with a babbling Norn in her hold, "Yes. But they haven't even had their second birthday. Besides, for what reason are you bringing the lady under your protection to such a place?"

Paul at least has the decency to not argue with that point.

Zenith shakes her head, "And why is Leon so bloody? It almost looks like he fought along with you."

Paul freezes, eyes swimming as he looks back at us with an expression which begs for us to keep silent and follow his lead.

Unfortunately, Sylphy was too young and pure to know such underlying meanings.

"That's because Leon did! He was amazing! Like 'swish'! And 'shing'!" she says happily, swinging an imaginary sword back and forth.

Paul's face instantly blanches, and Zenith slowly turns her head toward him, "...What?"

Lilia, meanwhile, simply shook her head in disappointment.

Paul hastily attempts to explain, "U-Umm, well, you see… H-He's a guard, right? So he should have some battle experience! A-And besides, he's strong enough to make me get serious, right!?"

Leon walks past the man without a second glance before squeezing Zenith's hand.

"Don't get too angry, Mama. Even if he wasn't planning on it, I would have asked him to let me anyway. Besides! We got some cool stuff out of it!" he says happily, showing off some of the claws and fangs. "With a bit of sharpening, we could make some knives, or even a-!"

"Yes, yes. I'm very proud, but right now you need to take a bath and wash your clothes, so get inside," Zenith says, interrupting him.

"All of you should wash up. Rudeus? Do you mind filling the bath?" Lilia asks.

"Of course!" I answer.

While large bathtubs were rare for most families, that was mostly due to the water that would fill it rather than the bath itself. 

Carrying enough clean water each time you wanted a bath was tiresome after all.

But with magic, that problem fixed itself, so as soon as Leon grew out of the small wooden tub, he decided to make a bath worthy of a noble manor out of earth magic.

Hehe… I mean, with a bath that large, what was the point of refilling the water?

Mixed bath, here we come!

"I can do it, Lilia. Sylphy and Eris can go first while I wash the clothes," Leon then says.

Dammit, brother!

—--- Leon Greyrat —--

"Make sure you keep sending us letters, alright?" Mama says, hugging me close.

"Yep. And the money too!" Paul adds with a smirk. "Ouch!"

"Stop saying such things. It's embarrassing even for me. Don't you have any paternal dignity left?" Lilia says.

I shake my head with a smile, "Don't worry, I will. Especially since I have two cute sisters now."

Sadly, the two were fast asleep in their crib, so they couldn't come to see me before I left.

Well, not like they would know what was happening anyway.

"Just make sure they stay happy. And Father, make sure you listen to Lilia," I say.

Mama seemed to be getting better at dealing with the newborns, likely due to her earnest love and motherhood, as well as her natural instincts kicking in, but Lilia was still the most knowledgeable out of the three.

Paul on the other hand… well, let's just say he was a great swordsman, and leave it at that.

"Leon… do you have to go?" Sylphy asks.

"Of course he does! He's employed by my father, after all!" Eris answers for me. "But… I suppose you can come to my home once you get older."

I couldn't help but smile wide at the display.

After all, who would think that she and Sylphy would become such fast friends?

Well, I was hoping for it, but I didn't think it would go so smoothly.

But it made sense, as Sylphy was too pure to think badly of, and Eris was a good girl at heart who just needed some friends her age. And while I would call myself Eris' friend… I was also her teacher. And her guard. And a boy.

So… not exactly the same.

"She's right. I do have a job to do. Didn't I say I wanted to get you something nice for your second birthday?" I ask.

Sylphy nods as she looks down at her necklace, "R-Right… I'll miss you, though."

"Of course," I then pull her into a small hug of my own.

Huh… she was so… small.

"Hmph!"

Turning to Eris, I notice she's wearing a large pout, facing away from the two of us, but I could see her eyes darting to the green jewel hung around Sylphy's neck.

Oh. Was it that? Was she a bit jealous of her necklace?

"You're second birthday is coming up soon too, isn't it Eris? I'll make sure to get you something as well," I say.

"W-When did I ask for anything like that? Anyway! I'm going to Ghislaine!" she stammers before stomping off.

I then look over to my little brother. "Rudy… I'm sure you'll be fine. I'll see if there are any interesting books I can get with my savings," I say, lightly patting his head.

"It's fine, brother. You should spend your hard-earned money on yourself," he responds with a smile.

"Don't worry. I would only get books I find interesting, and then send them to you after I read them," I say.

"Oh…"

Smirking at his crestfallen face, I pick up my and Eris' bags before turning to my family.

"I doubt the carriage will wait forever, so we should really get going. I… I love you guys. A lot. And I'll be sure to see you soon," I say.

"Uuu! Why is the second time so much harder!" Mama cries. "No. It's fine to stay here with us, right?"

"Zenith, don't make this any more difficult," Lilia walks up before placing a small kiss on my forehead. "Keep training, Leon. And keep Miss Eris happy. We'll be waiting here for you."

And with that, I made my way back to the village, where Ghislaine and the carriage were waiting.

"Was your trip productive?" she asks with a smile.

I nod, "Yeah. I took the time to hone my swordsmanship, and although it was only once, I was even able to beat Paul."

She raises her eyebrow at this, "That's surprising. I'll review your progress once we get back to Roa."

Jumping into the carriage, I look to my side to see Eris fast asleep wrapped in a blanket.

Wow… she must have been really tired. Or maybe she just didn't want to be bored for the ride home.

Ghislaine then signals the coachman to start our journey before coming to sit next to me.

"Miss Eris seemed a bit sad to leave… How was she?" Ghislaine asks.

"She picked up some North God tricks from trying to hit Paul, and Rudeus was a good sparring partner for her, so her swordsmanship improved a good amount," I answer.

"That's good. Anything else?" she asks.

"She… made a friend. Two, maybe. Anyway, she behaved herself very well, so she deserves a nice rest as a reward," I say, taking off my scarf before sliding it under her head as a makeshift pillow.

Turning back to Ghislaine, I saw that she was wearing a warm smile.

"What?" I ask.

She shakes her head, "Nothing. It's just nice to see that the Young Miss has people on her side."

We then fall into a comfortable silence as I look out the carriage, watching the familiar village getting smaller and smaller as it shrunk into the distance.

Hmm… I wonder when I would be able to visit next? 

Hopefully not too long. I wouldn't want my sisters not to know what their big brother looked like, after all.

—-- Leon Greyrat —--

We had just entered the city walls of Roa, and after waking the sleepy Eris, and getting off from the carriage, we then made our way toward the castle.

I wondered why they didn't just have the carriage drive us there, but according to Ghislaine, they didn't want it to look like we, or more specifically Eris, had left the city for… reasons.

Maybe because noble girls like Eris weren't supposed to go to remote villages?

I didn't really know, and neither did Ghislaine. Maybe I'd ask Philip later.

"Wait," Ghislaine suddenly says, shooting her arm across our path.

Her eyes were narrowed and her tail's fur was bristled.

She was serious.

I drop my bag as I put my hand on my sheathed sword on my hip.

"What is it?" I ask.

Her ear twitches, "The alarm… protect the Young Miss. And stay there."

Before I could ask what was going on, her form blurred as she began sprinting toward the castle, leaving a small gust of wind in her wake.

"Ghislaine!?" Eris exclaims.

Keeping her words in mind, I slowly unsheathe my sword as I focus on the surroundings.

"Leon? Why did she run off like that? And why is your sword drawn?" Eris asks.

"Not now, Eris," I cut her off.

As the seconds ticked by, I could feel a palpable tension in the air growing. A tension that was mixed with a subtle pulse of unease.

Now that I think about it… it was quiet. Too quiet, especially for a main street.

Something… something wasn't right about this whole thing-!

Ting!

Barely reacting in time, I deflected a throwing knife that was whistling toward my neck from the alley.

"Eris. Behind me. Now," I say calmly, facing my veiled attacker.

I didn't know what kind of expression she was making, but I could feel her follow my instructions. Her hand lightly grabbed the back of my shirt.

"Oya? Aren't you a smart little brat?"

A voice resounds from the darkness as they slowly show themselves.

There were three of them. Around ten meters in the alley. All human, and dressed in the shabby and unassuming clothes you would expect from assassins.

"You ain't part of the deal. We just need the girl. So take my advice and leave, alright? I'll even toss you some money for your travels," the man, who was presumably the leader, said.

I opt not to answer. Instead, I take the time to observe them.

The one who threw the knife was definitely a North God practitioner. What rank, I did not know.

The one who was speaking to me, the supposed leader, held himself with confidence, lazily resting his sword on his shoulder as he continued to negotiate with me.

And from the fact that despite such an apathetic posture I couldn't feel any openings, he was right to be so confident.

Was he the one who threw the knife? With such an unassuming and undisciplined posture, it wouldn't be unexpected.

"You don't want to die for this girl, right? Just hand her over, and all will be good. I bet you've got a family to head back to, after all. Plus… I've heard she's a real annoying bitch," he continues.

Eris' grip on my shirt tightens.

Reaching my hand back, I lightly unclasp her fingers before squeezing her hand in reassurance and letting go.

Hardening my glare against the three, I give the man my answer. 

"Fuck off."

His eyes widen for a moment before he simply shrugs his shoulders, "You're funeral, I guess."

And with that as the signal, the tension in the air snapped, and my first real battle against humans began.