—-- Leon Greyrat —--
Two months had passed since my birthday, and in that time, Rudy had turned eight years old. And as Eris and my brother’s birthdays were a month apart, the Young Miss’ tenth birthday was fast approaching.
With my amazing present from my family, I was now technically an Advanced-rank healing and detoxification magician, though I still had more than a few spells to master.
I let Rudy use my textbook too, of course, but since the spells became increasingly difficult and had a much longer chant as you went up to the Advanced rank, he had yet to catch up to me.
He had the skill, and he had more than enough mana for it, but since he couldn’t silently cast these spells, the long chants were simply too long to remember and took too long to cast in an emergency. So considering he could easily just use X-Healing chantlessly with extra mana to mostly the same effect, he decided to leave the Advanced rank healing to me.
The keyword being ‘mostly’.
You see, Advanced-rank spells weren’t just the better versions of Intermediate-rank spells, contrary to what I had previously thought.
At this level, the spells begin to defy the laws of natural healing instead of simply boosting or aiding in recovery.
For instance, if I was healing a dismembered finger, previously, I would have to bring the severed digit to the cut before casting magic, or the healing would just create a stump. But with Advanced-rank healing, it was able to completely regrow the digit.
Now this didn’t work for limbs or anything, but it was still a step above the Intermediate-rank with its effects.
Anyway, while Rudy may not have become an Advanced rank healer, he did become an Intermediate rank swordsman thanks to having a good sparring partner in Eris, and Ghislaine fixing his mistakes.
Paul always called Ghislaine stupid, but I think the word ‘simpleton’ suited her better. And for the Sword God style, that word was not an insult, but rather something closer to a compliment.
Ah, and Eris had also improved her swordsmanship. While not increasing in rank, she had slowly refined her abilities, and according to Ghislaine, it wouldn’t be long before she reached the Advanced rank.
It seems that she was quite the genius at the sword.
As for Eris and Ghislaine’s academics, I would say that they were now fluent in reading and writing, and as long as they knew the word in speaking, they could now roughly figure it out on paper through reading the letters.
Their arithmetic was… not as good, but still passable. You could only do so much with practical lessons and fun games, after all.
And magic? Well, they had both basically stopped with those lessons after I gave them their wands, but that was okay.
The two were swordsmen, and they would never be magicians, so just learning how to cast a water and fire spell, as basic as it was, was enough for survival. And Eris had also finally been able to cast Healing too, so that was nice.
Unfortunately, she seemed to have slowly lost interest in her childish love for ‘shiny hands’, so I don’t think she’d grow any more in healing magic.
It was a shame. I found that childish part of her extremely cute.
Anyway, as a noble lady’s tenth birthday was an important time when they would be introduced to the noble world, the preparations for a large party for Eris were in place, with maids running about and numerous invitations being sent out.
With the upcoming celebration, Philip had cancelled all of Eris’ academic classes so she could take more etiquette lessons instead. Hoping that she could catch up by the time the party was to begin and not embarrass herself.
The girl in question though…
“No more!” Eris shouted before dashing through the hall.
Well, I guess learning that stuff from morning till night became too much.
As the redhead disappeared around the corner, Edna, her teacher, came chasing after her. “Young Mistress!”
Looking back and forth, she sighs before suddenly noticing my presence, “Why hello there, Lord Leon.”
“Good afternoon, Miss Edna,” I return. “It looks like you’re having some trouble.”
“Ah, yes,” she says. “It’s a bit embarrassing, but the Young Mistress ran off.”
Well, yes. I could see that.
Edna’s lips curled into a troubled frown, “I have been trying to teach her dancing lately, but she just can’t seem to get it right. Now every time I try to teach her, she just runs off.”
“I see,” I say. “I’ll see what I can do.”
This wasn’t my first rodeo with the girl.
“Thank you, Lord Leon,” she says with a bow.
Edna… while she wasn’t a bad teacher, by any means, that was only when dealing with normal nobles and those who enjoyed her lessons.
Eris, on the other hand, needed a bit of a delicate touch to learning, and while she liked the woman herself, she detested the subject of etiquette.
Which consequently led to this disaster.
Normally, since I also disliked etiquette and thought of it as useless, I would just shrug something like this off, but…
“At this rate, the Young Mistress will embarrass herself in front of her guests at the party,” Edna says sadly. “Becoming a laughingstock on such a special day… that would simply be too cruel.”
“I get it, I get it. I was already going,” I say, walking away.
“Thank you, Lord Leon!”
With the help of my Touki-enhanced senses, as well as my knowledge of where Eris liked to run off to, I was able to quickly find her sprawled out on top of a haystack in the stables.
Not saying anything, I then hop up to sit beside her, to which she turns her head away from me.
Sitting together in silence, I then noticed a few loose straws of hay tangled within her hair.
Ever since my birthday, she had begun to wear her hair in a bun. Whether it was because of my compliment, or because it felt better when using a sword, I didn’t know, but I made sure she knew I thought it was pretty whenever I could.
After all, while Paul’s advice was given to me for more… nefarious purposes, it was always nice to give honest compliments to those you were close to.
Especially troublesome girls like Eris.
Gently picking out the straws I had noticed, I then brought up the topic at hand, “You don’t want to dance?”
“Hmph!” she huffs. “Why would I need to know something like that?”
“Because your tenth birthday is coming up,” I answer.
“I won’t dance on my birthday either!” she proclaims.
Haa… yep, this was expected.
“Why do I have to do something I’m not good at? And something so useless?” she says with a pout.
“You’re right, it is useless, at least in real life. But you’re a noble, right? Some things you have to just do, even if it’s useless and stupid,” I say.
Her pout deepens.
“You think it’s stupid?” she asks.
“I do,” I answer. “But people have to do a lot of stupid things.”
Time passes silently for a few moments.
“You’re not gonna keep convincing me?” she eventually asks.
“Well… right now you just need some rest, I think. And after… well, I’ll try to figure something out,” I answer, lying down beside her.
She turns her body to face away from me, “You always figure something out. Don’t you, Leon?”
“I try. Isn’t that the most important thing?” I answer.
Blinking one eye open, I see Eris turn back to face me, her eyes downcast.
“...Could you… come learn with me?” she asks.
“I was planning on doing that anyway,” I say, closing my eyes once again. “Now, do you wanna go back now? Or do you want to rest here for a few minutes?”
I feel the hay rustle as she shifts her body, “The second one.”
“Got it,” I return.
Letting the springtime warmth lull me to a nap, I then feel a hand clench around my shirt, “S-So you don’t fall off…”
Hmm? My balance was fine though.
“Thanks, Eris.”
But it was good to be polite anyway.
—-- Leon Greyrat —--
“Lord Rudeus! You’re truly skilled at this! Lord Leon as well!” Edna cheers from the side.
“Hmph!” Eris was quite annoyed.
It seems that both my brother and I were pretty good at dancing, and while I didn’t know how Rudy was so talented, for me, it just felt… natural.
I suppose knowing the different footwork of the three styles of swordsmanship helped, but what was most important, was that I could follow instructions and was able to control my tempo.
Two things Eris was not good at.
Contrary to the smooth, elegant movements that were required for dancing, Eris’ steps were fast, rigid, and sharp. Perfect for a Sword God practitioner, but not so much for a dancer.
She also liked going her own speed, regardless of what her partner was doing and the rhythm of the music, which quickly led to someone tripping over themselves.
In short, a walking, or rather, a dancing disaster.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t do anything but keep hold of this girl as I tried to regain the tempo, yet whenever I tried to tell her something or pull her along, she would squirm around, messing up the whole thing.
“Umm, I have an idea!” Rudy suddenly says.
I look back at him curiously, “What is it?”
“Ahem!” he then points to Eris. “Please close your eyes and try swinging your body to your own rhythm.”
…What?
Eris casts a doubtful frown his way, but without a fuss, she relents to his advice and shuts her eyes.
My brother had decided to join to see if he could offer any help, but as he had said, he was mostly here to learn dancing himself in order to ‘seduce some young ladies’.
I was definitely telling Mama this on my next trip back, but as long as he didn’t make me an uncle, I wouldn’t get too angry.
Nodding his head, he continues, “I’m going to clap my hands now. Try to match that rhythm with your steps as if you’re dodging an incoming attack.”
Huh? Oh... So he was going this route, huh?
Well, let’s see how this plays out, Brother.
Rudy then began clapping at a regular beat and calling out “Yes!” and “Hyat!” before them at certain intervals.
And as for Eris and I…
“Th-this is! How wonderful!”
As Edna said, it seemed that Eris just needed some extra guidance.
She was still a bit too fast, and still pretty sloppy, but she was infinitely better than before, as she was now matching my rhythm instead of sprinting past it.
Finishing with a final twirl, I catch her in my arms as the song, played by a single musician, comes to an end.
“You did it, Young Mistress!” Edna cheers.
Eris opens her eyes with a wide smile, “Really!?”
Rudy then interjects, “Okay, but keep your eyes closed. You need to remember what you did just now.”
“Remember it?” Eris says. “I’m just watching for opponent’s feints and dodging them!”
Yeah, this was something Rudy and Eris practiced with Ghislaine’s swordsmanship lessons, where they would learn to distinguish real attacks and feints, and consequently, how to correctly dodge the actual attacks.
“Eris. You can use things you learn in one lesson in others,” Rudy lectures, “When you struggle in one lesson, try to think if you’ve done something similar in another.”
“Okay…” Eris says with a nod.
She already knew this from my lessons that melded all the subjects into one, but it seemed she had forgotten about it.
“Anyway,” I say, looking down at Eris.
While she was roughly my height when I first got here, over the years I had shot up to where her eyes now met my lips.
“Do you want to continue?”
“Yes!” she says happily before closing her eyes once more.
And so, our dance continued.
—-- Leon Greyrat —--
“Leon… what are we doing here?”
“Getting a present for Eris, of course.”
“But didn’t you already get her one?”
“I did, but did you, Big Sis?”
“No. Gifts are not a part of my culture.”
“Yeah, but Eris would be upset if you didn’t get her something. Hence why we’re here. Now let’s go. That shop has some nice trinkets.”
Leading Ghislaine toward the shop, I feel her pull me back.
“Something wrong?” I ask.
Her lips curl into a frown, “Were you upset?”
What? Why would I-?
Oh, she must be thinking of my tenth birthday, there she didn’t get me anything.
It was there that I learned that no such gift-giving was a part of the Beast Race’s culture, and while I could understand the differences in people’s customs, Eris would… probably not.
And even if she did, she would feel happy having a gift from Ghislaine, who she viewed as her big sister. So I wanted Ghislaine to get Eris something anyway.
“No, I wasn’t,” I shake my head. “I still have this, after all.”
I then raise my left hand, showing off the worn, wooden ring Ghislaine had gifted me all those years ago.
“Hmm… I see,” Ghislaine says before continuing toward the shop.
Although she sounded dismissive, her swaying tail once again revealed her true emotions.
The chime of the shop bell ringing at our entrance, I take a quick glance at the various wares lined along the shelves.
“Hmm…”
Looking over at Ghislaine, she seemed to be having some trouble with choosing what to get.
“You don’t have to think so hard, Big Sis,” I say. “It can be anything, as long as it’s from you, Eris will be happy.”
Nodding her head, Ghislaine looks along the shelf, “Hmm… Okay. Then how about this?”
She then picks up a small cup.
“...Something more personal, please,” I say, not masking my disappointment. “Like my ring or the scarf Lilia got me. Eris always tries to copy your mannerisms, so try to get something that would relate her to you. Even if it’s impractical, it doesn’t matter.”
Nodding seriously, she places the cup back down before looking through the things once again.
Hmm… Eris’ birthday was only a couple of days away now. I hope she likes what I got her, even if it pales in comparison to the sword she got me.
My hand trailing down to my sword, I caress the hilt with a smile on my face.
Yeah… I really hope she likes it.
“Leon,” Ghislaine says, interrupting my thoughts. “What about this?”
Looking over at the item she had chosen, a small smile spreads across my face.
“That’s perfect.”
—-- Information on the Six-Faced World —--
Second Great Human-Demon War
Around 5000 years ago, the Great Demon Empress Kishirika, seeking vengeance for the First Great Human-Demon War, brought the Beast Race and the Ocean Race to the Demon Race’s side and waged war for the second time against the Human Race.
This time, the Human Race was pushed back and cornered for 800 years until the legendary hero, Golden Knight Aldebaran, appeared and routed the Demon Army.
The Golden Knight Aldebaran’s final attack was so powerful that it separated the Great Continent into the Central and Demon Continents and created the Ringus Sea in between. This separation of continents marked the end of the war.
—-- Leon Greyrat —--
It was Eris’ party.
After taking off early this morning to procure a special guest, I was now standing beside Eris, who was dressed in a fancy blue dress as she sat down on her miniature throne.
Nobles were… difficult to deal with. While this may be a birthday celebration for Eris, that was only on the surface. For them, it was a time to foster connections and gain favours.
Luckily, Philip and Hilda were able to deal with most of the annoying folk, and for any that got past them, they were met with the intimidating Sauros.
And if they managed to get past even him and land themselves in front of Eris, who had no political authority or knowledge whatsoever, they would be met with the words “Please tell my father,” whenever anything was brought up.
Oh, and I was there too, trying my best to make sure no one did anything stupid, including Eris herself.
This arrangement continued until the greeting period was over, and the dance began.
“My lady,” I say with a noble bow, “may I have the honour of your first dance?”
Eris was still a bit nervous, so I didn’t want her first dance to be with someone random and consequently go horribly.
With me, if something happened, I could always take the fall as the one who made a mistake, saving her dignity.
But for some reason… I felt that there was another reason for wanting to be her first dance.
How odd.
“Y-Yes! I mean… you may,” Eris says, taking my hand.
With that, our waltz began.
As I had expected, she was extremely rigid and made a few small mistakes due to her nervousness, but after getting into the flow of things, she adapted quite well.
“Nice job, brother!” Rudy cheered after it finished.
“Well, it’s just like we practiced. She just needed to get the jitters out,” I shrug.
“If you say so! Anyway, Philip said I could do whatever I want, so I’m gonna procure some food. And maybe, hehehe, some dessert, if you know what I mean,” Rudy says perversely, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.
“I’m telling Mama that you’re like Father if you do that,” I say.
“Heh. I wouldn’t mind taking some aspects of his,” Rudy says pridefully.
“Okay… well, have fun,” I say.
As my brother went to, well, ‘have some fun’, I made my way to the wall, where I could watch the entire scene of the party.
While I wasn’t specifically on duty today, I was still a guard, after all.
Hmm… hopefully my dear friend isn’t too lonely in the room, but I don’t think she would be too welcomed in a place like this, seething with stuck-up, pretentious nobles, anyway.
Especially not with her hair colour and background.
As I was contemplating such things, a young girl came up to me before curtsying politely, “A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“I as well. Is there something I can do for you?” I ask.
She then went on to introduce herself, stating her name and family connection, before offering me to dance.
Well… not like there was anything better to do.
Sharing a dance with the girl, I was pleasantly surprised to see that her skills in dancing were not that far from Eris’.
Maybe I wouldn’t need to worry after all.
Thanking the girl after the dance, I then made my way back to the wall before feeling a fist hit my back.
“Hm?” I say, turning to see the attacker. “What’s wrong, Eris?”
“Y-You!” she exclaims with red cheeks. “Why did you dance with that girl?”
“Umm… because she asked me?” I say in confusion.
Eris clenches her fist as she narrows her eyes in a glare.
…Why was she so mad?
“Don’t do it again, got it!?” she demands. “You’re supposed to be my guard, right? So s-stay next to me!”
What a selfish request. But, well, I didn’t really mind.
If anything, it was quite endearing.
“Of course, my lady.”
With me now watching over her and only her, Eris split her time by standing with me and dancing with anyone who mustered the courage to come up to her.
I say mustered the courage, because she always glared at them whenever they asked, before begrudgingly accepting their offer.
Rudy also danced with the girl, but having watched him throughout the night, I noticed he was dancing with practically any girl that he could and then kissing their hand after the dance had finished, leaving the innocent young ladies in a fluster.
…I was definitely telling Mama about this.
Eventually, as the night came to an end, Eris turned to face me.
Her hair was done up in a now-usual bun, and she was wearing an elegant blue dress that was so very different from her usual outfits.
In short, she looked lovely. Adorable. Beautiful. All those words that Paul would easily spit to a woman he wanted to bed.
Perhaps… the man was onto something.
“Leon,” Eris exclaimed, though instead of her usual haughty shout, her voice was graceful. Elegant. “Will you share this dance with me?”
I was… conflicted.
On one hand, it was lovely to see her this way, as it was like seeing a whole new Eris with all the growing she had done before my eyes.
But on the other… I would say I preferred the usual Eris.
But I suppose there was a time and a place for that side of her.
“Gladly,” I say, taking her hand.
Moving to the center of the dancefloor, Eris was all smiles as she giggled happily, casting a prideful look at the surroundings.
But as soon as the music started, that arrogant look fell to a concerned expression. One that begged me to help her out.
The song was different from anything we had practiced before. Being irregular and fast-paced rather than smooth and graceful.
Grasping her hip and hand, I lean down to whisper some reassurance, “Just leave everything to me. Okay, Eris?”
Getting a shaky nod in return, I decided to calm her nerves with a different approach.
“You look lovely, by the way.”
Before she could respond, I began to follow along to the music, taking the lead as I spun her to and fro erratically.
While her eyes were wide and cheeks glowing at first, it didn’t take long for Eris to get used to the flow, or rather, the lack thereof. She adapted quite fast, as even if this music was something we hadn’t practiced, it was more in tune with Eris’ natural style.
Our bodies swaying to the beat, I was certain our movements looked quite peculiar to the onlookers, but I didn’t care.
After all, how could I when Eris was wearing such a gleeful smile?
With her laughing cheerfully as I guided her across the floor, I nearly found myself entranced by the sight. And something inside of me… changed.
It was something warm and heavy, different from mana and Touki.
I was so concerned that I even silently cast a detoxification spell on myself to check if anything was wrong, but I was just as healthy as ever.
As the music came to an end, we were met by ravenous applause as Sauros cheerfully picked up the star of the party before parading her around on his shoulder.
But me… I was still stunned, trying to come to terms with what the heat I felt in my chest meant.
—-- Leon Greyrat —--
After the party, I invited Eris and Ghislaine to my room.
I had intended to bring Rudy along too, but for some reason, I couldn’t find him anywhere.
I did see him talking to one particular girl quite a bit. Did he…?
No, he’s only eight. Something like that would be absurd, even for the son of Paul. He was probably just making some figures in his room or something.
Anyway, in my room, there was a special guest I had brought over from Buena Village.
“Happy birthday Eris!” Sylphy exclaimed before wrapping Eris in a hug.
“Sylphy! You’re here?” Eris exclaims.
Sylphy nods, “Leon took me!”
As the two began to get acquainted, I took out the platter of food and the bottle of wine I asked the maids to prepare.
“Hm? What’s this?” Ghislaine asks.
“Think of this as… an afterparty, of sorts,” I say, pouring a cup for each of us. “While Eris may have just had her party, that was filled with political games and etiquette. A bunch of annoying and boring stuff. So think of this as purely a celebration amongst friends.”
I wasn’t quite sure about letting such young girls drink… but as long as it was infrequent, it should be fine.
Everyone clinking their glasses in a toast, we then bring them to our lips to drink. “Gakh!” only for Sylphy to choke as soon as it enters her mouth.
“Hahaha! Don’t worry, Sylphy!” Eris giggles. “I did the same thing when I first tried it!”
Wiping her mouth, a beet-red Sylphy then pouts, “D-Don’t make fun of me. It just… surprised me, is all.”
With the four of us passing the time by sitting on the bed while snacking on food and leisurely sipping on our drinks, it was then time for presents.
“Miss Eris,” Ghislaine says. “While it may not be very useful… I got you this.”
She then pulled out her gift, which was a black eyepatch very similar to her own. Though it was a little smaller so that it could fit Eris’ head.
As soon as she set her eyes on it, Eris’ face lit up before she engulfed Ghislaine in a hug, “I love it!”
Just as I expected, Eris was overjoyed with the gift. Especially since it was something that made her look like her idol.
“Me next!” Sylphy exclaims.
Wait… why was her face already so red?
Was she… a lightweight, perhaps?
I had a feeling this was going to be troublesome… I might have to cast some detoxification magic if it gets really bad.
“My father likes to hang stuff from his quiver, so I thought I’d make you something!”
She then hands Eris a piece of braided twine, very similar to the one she gave me, with a green gem at the bottom.
“I thought it’d be nice to attach to your sword sheath,” she said, turning a bit reserved. “I know it might not be-”
“I love it too!” Eris exclaims, quelling Sylphy’s worries as she engulfs the smaller girl in a hug.
Mhmm. Just like I thought. Bringing Sylphy over was a great idea.
Placing it next to her eyepatch on the bedside table, Eris then turns to me with expectation, though she tries to hide it by averting her eyes and playing with her hair.
Damn… I really wanted to tease her and pretend I didn’t get her anything… but that might be a little too mean, even for me.
“Here. I got you this, Eris,” I say, taking out my gift.
As for me, I had gotten her a band that would tie up her hair, with a pendant attached to the end which fitted with a red jewel that perfectly matched her hair.
This style of jewelry was relatively uncommon here in the Central Continent, but apparently, it was common for women of the Begaritt Continent. As a tradition, it was worn by a woman as a symbol of marriage, similar to how a ring was here in Asura.
Seeing her trace her finger across the gem with an expression of wonder, I didn’t need to ask if she liked it.
“Here, I’ll put it on you,” I say.
She hastily turns around without a word, presenting her back to me, her posture rigid and firm as she tilts her head forward.
Slowly letting my hand drift across her bare neck, I gently pick up her hair, marvelling at how soft it felt against my skin as that weird heat I felt at the party returned.
Shaking those thoughts away, I then gathered up her hair in a bun before tying the band around it, letting the pendant rest against her hair and neck.
“Well? H-How does it look?” she asks.
I then cast some ice magic, creating two mirrors so she could easily see the ornament.
“...I like it… Yeah… really like it…”
Her eyes grow glassy, Eris then crawls away from me before refilling her glass with wine in a hurry before covering her face with the glass.
Though even that couldn’t hide her wide smile.
It seems I chose my gift well.
“Hmph!”
Hearing that cute harrumph, I turn my attention to Sylphy, who’s wearing a displeased pout.
“Only because it’s her birthday, okay?” she says.
“...Sure, Sylphy. I plan on getting you something good for your tenth as well,” I say.
That seems to quell her dissatisfaction, at least a little bit.
As the night continued, Ghislaine decided to sit at the end of the room, opting to watch the three of us instead of partake in any conversation, which made sense considering she was the only adult.
But as we children kept talking, the girls’ words slowly became more slurred as they began to succumb to their intoxication, and the conversation shifted in an… odd direction.
“It’s my birthday, so you’ll do what I want, right?” Eris says.
“...Within reason, yes,” I answer.
“Then!” she stands on the bed before pointing down at me. “I demand you call me ‘Eri’ from now on!”
“...Sure,” I say.
She then sits back down, “And pat my head!”
I comply with her request.
Sylphy, now pouting again, crawls over to sit closer to us.
“L-Leon! Can you… can you kiss my cheek?” she said with a bright blush.
Hmm… I didn’t want to give her any mixed feelings when I didn’t even know my own yet, but a kiss on the cheek was innocent. In some southern kingdoms, it was even used as a common greeting.
But before my logical reasoning could come to a conclusion, the heat within my chest willed me to action, and I planted a chaste kiss on her rose-tinted cheek.
“H-H-Hya!”
Sylphy then buried her face into the pillow, hiding from the world in embarrassment.
But from how her legs were kicking up and down excitedly, I guess she didn’t mind it.
“L-Leon!” Eris exclaimed, pointing to her cheek. “My turn!”
I did the same to her.
Although she didn’t bury herself in a pillow like Sylphy, her lips did curl into a giddy smile as she rubbed her cheek.
And the warmth… it was back once again.
What… what was happening to me?
—-- Leon Greyrat —--
When I woke up, I found myself sandwiched between Eris and Sylphy on my bed, both of their faces relaxed as they slept. Sylphy was cuddled against my right side, while Eris simply sprawled out across the top of both of us. Her hair seemed to have come undone during the night, as it was now splayed out across my chest and face.
Phuh. I could even feel some of it in my mouth.
Yuck.
Letting my mind slowly get into gear, I then think back on the night that led to this situation.
Right… After having more than their fair share of wine, emptying the whole bottle in the process, Sylphy and Eris soon found themselves extremely sleepy and quickly passed out on the bed we were conversing on.
As I prepared to get up, I noticed an odd… tingly sensation. A sort of tightness that coiled around my… lower parts.
And this feeling increased each time I felt either of the sleeping beauties’ breath on my skin.
Feeling weird and confused, I quickly slid out of the two’s grasp, maneuvering myself so as to not wake them.
“Mmm?”
Sylphy seemed lost for a moment, clawing at where I had previously been before her hands found Eris’ waist, which she then quickly wrapped around for comfort.
I guess she was a cuddler, huh?
With Sylphy holding onto Eris, I looked at the now ten-year-old girl.
She had her two gifts from Ghislaine and Sylphy held tightly in her hand, and as for the pendant, it was still holding a good portion of her hair, but in a ponytail rather than a bun.
A bit messy, but in my opinion… I liked that look of hers even more.
But that tingly feeling… it felt like that warmth from last night… and looking at the two enhanced that feeling even more.
“I can smell it, you know,” Ghislaine says from the side.
I nearly jumped out of my skin in surprise. I knew she was there, but I thought she had fallen asleep against the wall like the rest of us.
“S-Smell what?” I ask.
She looks at me with a teasing smirk, “The arousal.”
Taking a moment to process her words, my cheeks flushed in embarrassment a moment later, and before I could form a response, I felt my feet carry me out of my room in a hurry.
Haa… arousal? Then that meant… I was finally going through it. Puberty.
Feeling an odd sensation in my underwear, I bring my hand down to notice that there was a wetness. One that wasn’t urine or water. And feeling my ‘little Leon’ poking against my pants…
Haa… this was going to be weird, huh?
As I began walking around the manor to cool off, with the hallways lit by the light of dawn, I passed by my brother’s room just as he slowly closed the door behind him.
“Hehehe,” he chuckles perversely with a proud smile
…
“Brother?” I ask.
“Huh!?”
Quickly turning his head in surprise, he notices me before releasing a sigh of relief, “Oh, it’s just you. You scared me!”
Placing his hands behind his back, he then beckons down the hall with his head, “Here. Come share a walk with your dear brother.”
…What the hell was going on?
Following behind him, I took a few moments to calm myself down before asking him, “What did you do?”
Don’t tell me he did that.
“Huhu. I guess you could say I climbed the stairs of adulthood… kind of,” Rudy says.
Oh my god, he did that.
“What do you mean ‘kind of’?” I ask.
“Well you see, Leon,” he says, “I mainly played with her cute nipples until-”
“Nevermind. I don’t want to hear it,” I cut him off.
But one thing was for certain: I was definitely telling Mama about this.
“Don’t you know they may use this to reel you into their political schemes?” I say.
“Don’t worry!” he says. “Father taught me all about keeping the ‘playtime’ as ‘playtime’... if you catch my drift.”
…I was also telling Mama about that too.
—-- Lilia Greyrat —--
“I can’t believe my sweet Rudy’s already eight, and Leon’s already ten! It felt like yesterday I was teaching him healing magic, and now he’s off taking his little girlfriend to the city on horseback,” Zenith says as she gently rocks the sleeping Norn.
“That is one of the joys of parenthood, Zenith. So let’s just enjoy it and watch them grow into the wonderful men we know they will be,” I reply.
“I suppose… anyway, you said you got Leon something for his birthday, right? I forgot to ask what it was,” she says.
Cutting up the last of the vegetables, a smile spreads across my face, “I simply… sent a letter to my father, asking if he could find Leon a teacher.”
“Oh? Is your father that high up in the Water God style?” Zenith asks.
“In terms of ranks? No. He’s a humble Advanced rank swordsman with a somewhat successful dojo,” I reply. “But, back when I was with him, he was friends with the current Water God, Rieda Reia.”
“Wow… that’s something. Do you think he would do something for a boy he doesn’t know, and one he isn’t related to?” she asks.
“Yes. From the letters we exchanged, it’s obvious he’s quite fond of Leon. And interested in his skill,” I say.
After all, Leon, along with Rudeus, were the ones who saved me. Although my father didn’t think highly of me as a warrior, he still loved his daughter and those I viewed as my child. Which Leon absolutely was to me.
“I just hope he still has a connection with the Water God. And if so, I hope she will send someone to help train Leon. He’s been annoyed at the ‘imbalance’ of his swordsmanship,” I continue.
I just hope that my letter comes to fruition.
I’ve been sending most of my pay to my parents since I departed from the dojo, so it’s the least he could do to pay me back.
“Well, I’m sure Leon will be happy if it does happen. You… really love him, don’t you Lilia? Rudy too,” Zenith says.
“Of course, Zenith,” I feel my lips curl as I look at the rising sun out the window. “I love this family quite a bit… my family.”
I truly do.
—-- Leon Greyrat —--
Two months had passed since my birthday, and in that time, Rudy had turned eight years old. And as Eris and my brother’s birthdays were a month apart, the Young Miss’ tenth birthday was fast approaching.
With my amazing present from my family, I was now technically an Advanced-rank healing and detoxification magician, though I still had more than a few spells to master.
I let Rudy use my textbook too, of course, but since the spells became increasingly difficult and had a much longer chant as you went up to the Advanced rank, he had yet to catch up to me.
He had the skill, and he had more than enough mana for it, but since he couldn’t silently cast these spells, the long chants were simply too long to remember and took too long to cast in an emergency. So considering he could easily just use X-Healing chantlessly with extra mana to mostly the same effect, he decided to leave the Advanced rank healing to me.
The keyword being ‘mostly’.
You see, Advanced-rank spells weren’t just the better versions of Intermediate-rank spells, contrary to what I had previously thought.
At this level, the spells begin to defy the laws of natural healing instead of simply boosting or aiding in recovery.
For instance, if I was healing a dismembered finger, previously, I would have to bring the severed digit to the cut before casting magic, or the healing would just create a stump. But with Advanced-rank healing, it was able to completely regrow the digit.
Now this didn’t work for limbs or anything, but it was still a step above the Intermediate-rank with its effects.
Anyway, while Rudy may not have become an Advanced rank healer, he did become an Intermediate rank swordsman thanks to having a good sparring partner in Eris, and Ghislaine fixing his mistakes.
Paul always called Ghislaine stupid, but I think the word ‘simpleton’ suited her better. And for the Sword God style, that word was not an insult, but rather something closer to a compliment.
Ah, and Eris had also improved her swordsmanship. While not increasing in rank, she had slowly refined her abilities, and according to Ghislaine, it wouldn’t be long before she reached the Advanced rank.
It seems that she was quite the genius at the sword.
As for Eris and Ghislaine’s academics, I would say that they were now fluent in reading and writing, and as long as they knew the word in speaking, they could now roughly figure it out on paper through reading the letters.
Their arithmetic was… not as good, but still passable. You could only do so much with practical lessons and fun games, after all.
And magic? Well, they had both basically stopped with those lessons after I gave them their wands, but that was okay.
The two were swordsmen, and they would never be magicians, so just learning how to cast a water and fire spell, as basic as it was, was enough for survival. And Eris had also finally been able to cast Healing too, so that was nice.
Unfortunately, she seemed to have slowly lost interest in her childish love for ‘shiny hands’, so I don’t think she’d grow any more in healing magic.
It was a shame. I found that childish part of her extremely cute.
Anyway, as a noble lady’s tenth birthday was an important time when they would be introduced to the noble world, the preparations for a large party for Eris were in place, with maids running about and numerous invitations being sent out.
With the upcoming celebration, Philip had cancelled all of Eris’ academic classes so she could take more etiquette lessons instead. Hoping that she could catch up by the time the party was to begin and not embarrass herself.
The girl in question though…
“No more!” Eris shouted before dashing through the hall.
Well, I guess learning that stuff from morning till night became too much.
As the redhead disappeared around the corner, Edna, her teacher, came chasing after her. “Young Mistress!”
Looking back and forth, she sighs before suddenly noticing my presence, “Why hello there, Lord Leon.”
“Good afternoon, Miss Edna,” I return. “It looks like you’re having some trouble.”
“Ah, yes,” she says. “It’s a bit embarrassing, but the Young Mistress ran off.”
Well, yes. I could see that.
Edna’s lips curled into a troubled frown, “I have been trying to teach her dancing lately, but she just can’t seem to get it right. Now every time I try to teach her, she just runs off.”
“I see,” I say. “I’ll see what I can do.”
This wasn’t my first rodeo with the girl.
“Thank you, Lord Leon,” she says with a bow.
Edna… while she wasn’t a bad teacher, by any means, that was only when dealing with normal nobles and those who enjoyed her lessons.
Eris, on the other hand, needed a bit of a delicate touch to learning, and while she liked the woman herself, she detested the subject of etiquette.
Which consequently led to this disaster.
Normally, since I also disliked etiquette and thought of it as useless, I would just shrug something like this off, but…
“At this rate, the Young Mistress will embarrass herself in front of her guests at the party,” Edna says sadly. “Becoming a laughingstock on such a special day… that would simply be too cruel.”
“I get it, I get it. I was already going,” I say, walking away.
“Thank you, Lord Leon!”
With the help of my Touki-enhanced senses, as well as my knowledge of where Eris liked to run off to, I was able to quickly find her sprawled out on top of a haystack in the stables.
Not saying anything, I then hop up to sit beside her, to which she turns her head away from me.
Sitting together in silence, I then noticed a few loose straws of hay tangled within her hair.
Ever since my birthday, she had begun to wear her hair in a bun. Whether it was because of my compliment, or because it felt better when using a sword, I didn’t know, but I made sure she knew I thought it was pretty whenever I could.
After all, while Paul’s advice was given to me for more… nefarious purposes, it was always nice to give honest compliments to those you were close to.
Especially troublesome girls like Eris.
Gently picking out the straws I had noticed, I then brought up the topic at hand, “You don’t want to dance?”
“Hmph!” she huffs. “Why would I need to know something like that?”
“Because your tenth birthday is coming up,” I answer.
“I won’t dance on my birthday either!” she proclaims.
Haa… yep, this was expected.
“Why do I have to do something I’m not good at? And something so useless?” she says with a pout.
“You’re right, it is useless, at least in real life. But you’re a noble, right? Some things you have to just do, even if it’s useless and stupid,” I say.
Her pout deepens.
“You think it’s stupid?” she asks.
“I do,” I answer. “But people have to do a lot of stupid things.”
Time passes silently for a few moments.
“You’re not gonna keep convincing me?” she eventually asks.
“Well… right now you just need some rest, I think. And after… well, I’ll try to figure something out,” I answer, lying down beside her.
She turns her body to face away from me, “You always figure something out. Don’t you, Leon?”
“I try. Isn’t that the most important thing?” I answer.
Blinking one eye open, I see Eris turn back to face me, her eyes downcast.
“...Could you… come learn with me?” she asks.
“I was planning on doing that anyway,” I say, closing my eyes once again. “Now, do you wanna go back now? Or do you want to rest here for a few minutes?”
I feel the hay rustle as she shifts her body, “The second one.”
“Got it,” I return.
Letting the springtime warmth lull me to a nap, I then feel a hand clench around my shirt, “S-So you don’t fall off…”
Hmm? My balance was fine though.
“Thanks, Eris.”
But it was good to be polite anyway.
—-- Leon Greyrat —--
“Lord Rudeus! You’re truly skilled at this! Lord Leon as well!” Edna cheers from the side.
“Hmph!” Eris was quite annoyed.
It seems that both my brother and I were pretty good at dancing, and while I didn’t know how Rudy was so talented, for me, it just felt… natural.
I suppose knowing the different footwork of the three styles of swordsmanship helped, but what was most important, was that I could follow instructions and was able to control my tempo.
Two things Eris was not good at.
Contrary to the smooth, elegant movements that were required for dancing, Eris’ steps were fast, rigid, and sharp. Perfect for a Sword God practitioner, but not so much for a dancer.
She also liked going her own speed, regardless of what her partner was doing and the rhythm of the music, which quickly led to someone tripping over themselves.
In short, a walking, or rather, a dancing disaster.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t do anything but keep hold of this girl as I tried to regain the tempo, yet whenever I tried to tell her something or pull her along, she would squirm around, messing up the whole thing.
“Umm, I have an idea!” Rudy suddenly says.
I look back at him curiously, “What is it?”
“Ahem!” he then points to Eris. “Please close your eyes and try swinging your body to your own rhythm.”
…What?
Eris casts a doubtful frown his way, but without a fuss, she relents to his advice and shuts her eyes.
My brother had decided to join to see if he could offer any help, but as he had said, he was mostly here to learn dancing himself in order to ‘seduce some young ladies’.
I was definitely telling Mama this on my next trip back, but as long as he didn’t make me an uncle, I wouldn’t get too angry.
Nodding his head, he continues, “I’m going to clap my hands now. Try to match that rhythm with your steps as if you’re dodging an incoming attack.”
Huh? Oh... So he was going this route, huh?
Well, let’s see how this plays out, Brother.
Rudy then began clapping at a regular beat and calling out “Yes!” and “Hyat!” before them at certain intervals.
And as for Eris and I…
“Th-this is! How wonderful!”
As Edna said, it seemed that Eris just needed some extra guidance.
She was still a bit too fast, and still pretty sloppy, but she was infinitely better than before, as she was now matching my rhythm instead of sprinting past it.
Finishing with a final twirl, I catch her in my arms as the song, played by a single musician, comes to an end.
“You did it, Young Mistress!” Edna cheers.
Eris opens her eyes with a wide smile, “Really!?”
Rudy then interjects, “Okay, but keep your eyes closed. You need to remember what you did just now.”
“Remember it?” Eris says. “I’m just watching for opponent’s feints and dodging them!”
Yeah, this was something Rudy and Eris practiced with Ghislaine’s swordsmanship lessons, where they would learn to distinguish real attacks and feints, and consequently, how to correctly dodge the actual attacks.
“Eris. You can use things you learn in one lesson in others,” Rudy lectures, “When you struggle in one lesson, try to think if you’ve done something similar in another.”
“Okay…” Eris says with a nod.
She already knew this from my lessons that melded all the subjects into one, but it seemed she had forgotten about it.
“Anyway,” I say, looking down at Eris.
While she was roughly my height when I first got here, over the years I had shot up to where her eyes now met my lips.
“Do you want to continue?”
“Yes!” she says happily before closing her eyes once more.
And so, our dance continued.
—-- Leon Greyrat —--
“Leon… what are we doing here?”
“Getting a present for Eris, of course.”
“But didn’t you already get her one?”
“I did, but did you, Big Sis?”
“No. Gifts are not a part of my culture.”
“Yeah, but Eris would be upset if you didn’t get her something. Hence why we’re here. Now let’s go. That shop has some nice trinkets.”
Leading Ghislaine toward the shop, I feel her pull me back.
“Something wrong?” I ask.
Her lips curl into a frown, “Were you upset?”
What? Why would I-?
Oh, she must be thinking of my tenth birthday, there she didn’t get me anything.
It was there that I learned that no such gift-giving was a part of the Beast Race’s culture, and while I could understand the differences in people’s customs, Eris would… probably not.
And even if she did, she would feel happy having a gift from Ghislaine, who she viewed as her big sister. So I wanted Ghislaine to get Eris something anyway.
“No, I wasn’t,” I shake my head. “I still have this, after all.”
I then raise my left hand, showing off the worn, wooden ring Ghislaine had gifted me all those years ago.
“Hmm… I see,” Ghislaine says before continuing toward the shop.
Although she sounded dismissive, her swaying tail once again revealed her true emotions.
The chime of the shop bell ringing at our entrance, I take a quick glance at the various wares lined along the shelves.
“Hmm…”
Looking over at Ghislaine, she seemed to be having some trouble with choosing what to get.
“You don’t have to think so hard, Big Sis,” I say. “It can be anything, as long as it’s from you, Eris will be happy.”
Nodding her head, Ghislaine looks along the shelf, “Hmm… Okay. Then how about this?”
She then picks up a small cup.
“...Something more personal, please,” I say, not masking my disappointment. “Like my ring or the scarf Lilia got me. Eris always tries to copy your mannerisms, so try to get something that would relate her to you. Even if it’s impractical, it doesn’t matter.”
Nodding seriously, she places the cup back down before looking through the things once again.
Hmm… Eris’ birthday was only a couple of days away now. I hope she likes what I got her, even if it pales in comparison to the sword she got me.
My hand trailing down to my sword, I caress the hilt with a smile on my face.
Yeah… I really hope she likes it.
“Leon,” Ghislaine says, interrupting my thoughts. “What about this?”
Looking over at the item she had chosen, a small smile spreads across my face.
“That’s perfect.”
—-- Information on the Six-Faced World —--
Second Great Human-Demon War
Around 5000 years ago, the Great Demon Empress Kishirika, seeking vengeance for the First Great Human-Demon War, brought the Beast Race and the Ocean Race to the Demon Race’s side and waged war for the second time against the Human Race.
This time, the Human Race was pushed back and cornered for 800 years until the legendary hero, Golden Knight Aldebaran, appeared and routed the Demon Army.
The Golden Knight Aldebaran’s final attack was so powerful that it separated the Great Continent into the Central and Demon Continents and created the Ringus Sea in between. This separation of continents marked the end of the war.
—-- Leon Greyrat —--
It was Eris’ party.
After taking off early this morning to procure a special guest, I was now standing beside Eris, who was dressed in a fancy blue dress as she sat down on her miniature throne.
Nobles were… difficult to deal with. While this may be a birthday celebration for Eris, that was only on the surface. For them, it was a time to foster connections and gain favours.
Luckily, Philip and Hilda were able to deal with most of the annoying folk, and for any that got past them, they were met with the intimidating Sauros.
And if they managed to get past even him and land themselves in front of Eris, who had no political authority or knowledge whatsoever, they would be met with the words “Please tell my father,” whenever anything was brought up.
Oh, and I was there too, trying my best to make sure no one did anything stupid, including Eris herself.
This arrangement continued until the greeting period was over, and the dance began.
“My lady,” I say with a noble bow, “may I have the honour of your first dance?”
Eris was still a bit nervous, so I didn’t want her first dance to be with someone random and consequently go horribly.
With me, if something happened, I could always take the fall as the one who made a mistake, saving her dignity.
But for some reason… I felt that there was another reason for wanting to be her first dance.
How odd.
“Y-Yes! I mean… you may,” Eris says, taking my hand.
With that, our waltz began.
As I had expected, she was extremely rigid and made a few small mistakes due to her nervousness, but after getting into the flow of things, she adapted quite well.
“Nice job, brother!” Rudy cheered after it finished.
“Well, it’s just like we practiced. She just needed to get the jitters out,” I shrug.
“If you say so! Anyway, Philip said I could do whatever I want, so I’m gonna procure some food. And maybe, hehehe, some dessert, if you know what I mean,” Rudy says perversely, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.
“I’m telling Mama that you’re like Father if you do that,” I say.
“Heh. I wouldn’t mind taking some aspects of his,” Rudy says pridefully.
“Okay… well, have fun,” I say.
As my brother went to, well, ‘have some fun’, I made my way to the wall, where I could watch the entire scene of the party.
While I wasn’t specifically on duty today, I was still a guard, after all.
Hmm… hopefully my dear friend isn’t too lonely in the room, but I don’t think she would be too welcomed in a place like this, seething with stuck-up, pretentious nobles, anyway.
Especially not with her hair colour and background.
As I was contemplating such things, a young girl came up to me before curtsying politely, “A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“I as well. Is there something I can do for you?” I ask.
She then went on to introduce herself, stating her name and family connection, before offering me to dance.
Well… not like there was anything better to do.
Sharing a dance with the girl, I was pleasantly surprised to see that her skills in dancing were not that far from Eris’.
Maybe I wouldn’t need to worry after all.
Thanking the girl after the dance, I then made my way back to the wall before feeling a fist hit my back.
“Hm?” I say, turning to see the attacker. “What’s wrong, Eris?”
“Y-You!” she exclaims with red cheeks. “Why did you dance with that girl?”
“Umm… because she asked me?” I say in confusion.
Eris clenches her fist as she narrows her eyes in a glare.
…Why was she so mad?
“Don’t do it again, got it!?” she demands. “You’re supposed to be my guard, right? So s-stay next to me!”
What a selfish request. But, well, I didn’t really mind.
If anything, it was quite endearing.
“Of course, my lady.”
With me now watching over her and only her, Eris split her time by standing with me and dancing with anyone who mustered the courage to come up to her.
I say mustered the courage, because she always glared at them whenever they asked, before begrudgingly accepting their offer.
Rudy also danced with the girl, but having watched him throughout the night, I noticed he was dancing with practically any girl that he could and then kissing their hand after the dance had finished, leaving the innocent young ladies in a fluster.
…I was definitely telling Mama about this.
Eventually, as the night came to an end, Eris turned to face me.
Her hair was done up in a now-usual bun, and she was wearing an elegant blue dress that was so very different from her usual outfits.
In short, she looked lovely. Adorable. Beautiful. All those words that Paul would easily spit to a woman he wanted to bed.
Perhaps… the man was onto something.
“Leon,” Eris exclaimed, though instead of her usual haughty shout, her voice was graceful. Elegant. “Will you share this dance with me?”
I was… conflicted.
On one hand, it was lovely to see her this way, as it was like seeing a whole new Eris with all the growing she had done before my eyes.
But on the other… I would say I preferred the usual Eris.
But I suppose there was a time and a place for that side of her.
“Gladly,” I say, taking her hand.
Moving to the center of the dancefloor, Eris was all smiles as she giggled happily, casting a prideful look at the surroundings.
But as soon as the music started, that arrogant look fell to a concerned expression. One that begged me to help her out.
The song was different from anything we had practiced before. Being irregular and fast-paced rather than smooth and graceful.
Grasping her hip and hand, I lean down to whisper some reassurance, “Just leave everything to me. Okay, Eris?”
Getting a shaky nod in return, I decided to calm her nerves with a different approach.
“You look lovely, by the way.”
Before she could respond, I began to follow along to the music, taking the lead as I spun her to and fro erratically.
While her eyes were wide and cheeks glowing at first, it didn’t take long for Eris to get used to the flow, or rather, the lack thereof. She adapted quite fast, as even if this music was something we hadn’t practiced, it was more in tune with Eris’ natural style.
Our bodies swaying to the beat, I was certain our movements looked quite peculiar to the onlookers, but I didn’t care.
After all, how could I when Eris was wearing such a gleeful smile?
With her laughing cheerfully as I guided her across the floor, I nearly found myself entranced by the sight. And something inside of me… changed.
It was something warm and heavy, different from mana and Touki.
I was so concerned that I even silently cast a detoxification spell on myself to check if anything was wrong, but I was just as healthy as ever.
As the music came to an end, we were met by ravenous applause as Sauros cheerfully picked up the star of the party before parading her around on his shoulder.
But me… I was still stunned, trying to come to terms with what the heat I felt in my chest meant.
—-- Leon Greyrat —--
After the party, I invited Eris and Ghislaine to my room.
I had intended to bring Rudy along too, but for some reason, I couldn’t find him anywhere.
I did see him talking to one particular girl quite a bit. Did he…?
No, he’s only eight. Something like that would be absurd, even for the son of Paul. He was probably just making some figures in his room or something.
Anyway, in my room, there was a special guest I had brought over from Buena Village.
“Happy birthday Eris!” Sylphy exclaimed before wrapping Eris in a hug.
“Sylphy! You’re here?” Eris exclaims.
Sylphy nods, “Leon took me!”
As the two began to get acquainted, I took out the platter of food and the bottle of wine I asked the maids to prepare.
“Hm? What’s this?” Ghislaine asks.
“Think of this as… an afterparty, of sorts,” I say, pouring a cup for each of us. “While Eris may have just had her party, that was filled with political games and etiquette. A bunch of annoying and boring stuff. So think of this as purely a celebration amongst friends.”
I wasn’t quite sure about letting such young girls drink… but as long as it was infrequent, it should be fine.
Everyone clinking their glasses in a toast, we then bring them to our lips to drink. “Gakh!” only for Sylphy to choke as soon as it enters her mouth.
“Hahaha! Don’t worry, Sylphy!” Eris giggles. “I did the same thing when I first tried it!”
Wiping her mouth, a beet-red Sylphy then pouts, “D-Don’t make fun of me. It just… surprised me, is all.”
With the four of us passing the time by sitting on the bed while snacking on food and leisurely sipping on our drinks, it was then time for presents.
“Miss Eris,” Ghislaine says. “While it may not be very useful… I got you this.”
She then pulled out her gift, which was a black eyepatch very similar to her own. Though it was a little smaller so that it could fit Eris’ head.
As soon as she set her eyes on it, Eris’ face lit up before she engulfed Ghislaine in a hug, “I love it!”
Just as I expected, Eris was overjoyed with the gift. Especially since it was something that made her look like her idol.
“Me next!” Sylphy exclaims.
Wait… why was her face already so red?
Was she… a lightweight, perhaps?
I had a feeling this was going to be troublesome… I might have to cast some detoxification magic if it gets really bad.
“My father likes to hang stuff from his quiver, so I thought I’d make you something!”
She then hands Eris a piece of braided twine, very similar to the one she gave me, with a green gem at the bottom.
“I thought it’d be nice to attach to your sword sheath,” she said, turning a bit reserved. “I know it might not be-”
“I love it too!” Eris exclaims, quelling Sylphy’s worries as she engulfs the smaller girl in a hug.
Mhmm. Just like I thought. Bringing Sylphy over was a great idea.
Placing it next to her eyepatch on the bedside table, Eris then turns to me with expectation, though she tries to hide it by averting her eyes and playing with her hair.
Damn… I really wanted to tease her and pretend I didn’t get her anything… but that might be a little too mean, even for me.
“Here. I got you this, Eris,” I say, taking out my gift.
As for me, I had gotten her a band that would tie up her hair, with a pendant attached to the end which fitted with a red jewel that perfectly matched her hair.
This style of jewelry was relatively uncommon here in the Central Continent, but apparently, it was common for women of the Begaritt Continent. As a tradition, it was worn by a woman as a symbol of marriage, similar to how a ring was here in Asura.
Seeing her trace her finger across the gem with an expression of wonder, I didn’t need to ask if she liked it.
“Here, I’ll put it on you,” I say.
She hastily turns around without a word, presenting her back to me, her posture rigid and firm as she tilts her head forward.
Slowly letting my hand drift across her bare neck, I gently pick up her hair, marvelling at how soft it felt against my skin as that weird heat I felt at the party returned.
Shaking those thoughts away, I then gathered up her hair in a bun before tying the band around it, letting the pendant rest against her hair and neck.
“Well? H-How does it look?” she asks.
I then cast some ice magic, creating two mirrors so she could easily see the ornament.
“...I like it… Yeah… really like it…”
Her eyes grow glassy, Eris then crawls away from me before refilling her glass with wine in a hurry before covering her face with the glass.
Though even that couldn’t hide her wide smile.
It seems I chose my gift well.
“Hmph!”
Hearing that cute harrumph, I turn my attention to Sylphy, who’s wearing a displeased pout.
“Only because it’s her birthday, okay?” she says.
“...Sure, Sylphy. I plan on getting you something good for your tenth as well,” I say.
That seems to quell her dissatisfaction, at least a little bit.
As the night continued, Ghislaine decided to sit at the end of the room, opting to watch the three of us instead of partake in any conversation, which made sense considering she was the only adult.
But as we children kept talking, the girls’ words slowly became more slurred as they began to succumb to their intoxication, and the conversation shifted in an… odd direction.
“It’s my birthday, so you’ll do what I want, right?” Eris says.
“...Within reason, yes,” I answer.
“Then!” she stands on the bed before pointing down at me. “I demand you call me ‘Eri’ from now on!”
“...Sure,” I say.
She then sits back down, “And pat my head!”
I comply with her request.
Sylphy, now pouting again, crawls over to sit closer to us.
“L-Leon! Can you… can you kiss my cheek?” she said with a bright blush.
Hmm… I didn’t want to give her any mixed feelings when I didn’t even know my own yet, but a kiss on the cheek was innocent. In some southern kingdoms, it was even used as a common greeting.
But before my logical reasoning could come to a conclusion, the heat within my chest willed me to action, and I planted a chaste kiss on her rose-tinted cheek.
“H-H-Hya!”
Sylphy then buried her face into the pillow, hiding from the world in embarrassment.
But from how her legs were kicking up and down excitedly, I guess she didn’t mind it.
“L-Leon!” Eris exclaimed, pointing to her cheek. “My turn!”
I did the same to her.
Although she didn’t bury herself in a pillow like Sylphy, her lips did curl into a giddy smile as she rubbed her cheek.
And the warmth… it was back once again.
What… what was happening to me?
—-- Leon Greyrat —--
When I woke up, I found myself sandwiched between Eris and Sylphy on my bed, both of their faces relaxed as they slept. Sylphy was cuddled against my right side, while Eris simply sprawled out across the top of both of us. Her hair seemed to have come undone during the night, as it was now splayed out across my chest and face.
Phuh. I could even feel some of it in my mouth.
Yuck.
Letting my mind slowly get into gear, I then think back on the night that led to this situation.
Right… After having more than their fair share of wine, emptying the whole bottle in the process, Sylphy and Eris soon found themselves extremely sleepy and quickly passed out on the bed we were conversing on.
As I prepared to get up, I noticed an odd… tingly sensation. A sort of tightness that coiled around my… lower parts.
And this feeling increased each time I felt either of the sleeping beauties’ breath on my skin.
Feeling weird and confused, I quickly slid out of the two’s grasp, maneuvering myself so as to not wake them.
“Mmm?”
Sylphy seemed lost for a moment, clawing at where I had previously been before her hands found Eris’ waist, which she then quickly wrapped around for comfort.
I guess she was a cuddler, huh?
With Sylphy holding onto Eris, I looked at the now ten-year-old girl.
She had her two gifts from Ghislaine and Sylphy held tightly in her hand, and as for the pendant, it was still holding a good portion of her hair, but in a ponytail rather than a bun.
A bit messy, but in my opinion… I liked that look of hers even more.
But that tingly feeling… it felt like that warmth from last night… and looking at the two enhanced that feeling even more.
“I can smell it, you know,” Ghislaine says from the side.
I nearly jumped out of my skin in surprise. I knew she was there, but I thought she had fallen asleep against the wall like the rest of us.
“S-Smell what?” I ask.
She looks at me with a teasing smirk, “The arousal.”
Taking a moment to process her words, my cheeks flushed in embarrassment a moment later, and before I could form a response, I felt my feet carry me out of my room in a hurry.
Haa… arousal? Then that meant… I was finally going through it. Puberty.
Feeling an odd sensation in my underwear, I bring my hand down to notice that there was a wetness. One that wasn’t urine or water. And feeling my ‘little Leon’ poking against my pants…
Haa… this was going to be weird, huh?
As I began walking around the manor to cool off, with the hallways lit by the light of dawn, I passed by my brother’s room just as he slowly closed the door behind him.
“Hehehe,” he chuckles perversely with a proud smile
…
“Brother?” I ask.
“Huh!?”
Quickly turning his head in surprise, he notices me before releasing a sigh of relief, “Oh, it’s just you. You scared me!”
Placing his hands behind his back, he then beckons down the hall with his head, “Here. Come share a walk with your dear brother.”
…What the hell was going on?
Following behind him, I took a few moments to calm myself down before asking him, “What did you do?”
Don’t tell me he did that.
“Huhu. I guess you could say I climbed the stairs of adulthood… kind of,” Rudy says.
Oh my god, he did that.
“What do you mean ‘kind of’?” I ask.
“Well you see, Leon,” he says, “I mainly played with her cute nipples until-”
“Nevermind. I don’t want to hear it,” I cut him off.
But one thing was for certain: I was definitely telling Mama about this.
“Don’t you know they may use this to reel you into their political schemes?” I say.
“Don’t worry!” he says. “Father taught me all about keeping the ‘playtime’ as ‘playtime’... if you catch my drift.”
…I was also telling Mama about that too.
—-- Lilia Greyrat —--
“I can’t believe my sweet Rudy’s already eight, and Leon’s already ten! It felt like yesterday I was teaching him healing magic, and now he’s off taking his little girlfriend to the city on horseback,” Zenith says as she gently rocks the sleeping Norn.
“That is one of the joys of parenthood, Zenith. So let’s just enjoy it and watch them grow into the wonderful men we know they will be,” I reply.
“I suppose… anyway, you said you got Leon something for his birthday, right? I forgot to ask what it was,” she says.
Cutting up the last of the vegetables, a smile spreads across my face, “I simply… sent a letter to my father, asking if he could find Leon a teacher.”
“Oh? Is your father that high up in the Water God style?” Zenith asks.
“In terms of ranks? No. He’s a humble Advanced rank swordsman with a somewhat successful dojo,” I reply. “But, back when I was with him, he was friends with the current Water God, Rieda Reia.”
“Wow… that’s something. Do you think he would do something for a boy he doesn’t know, and one he isn’t related to?” she asks.
“Yes. From the letters we exchanged, it’s obvious he’s quite fond of Leon. And interested in his skill,” I say.
After all, Leon, along with Rudeus, were the ones who saved me. Although my father didn’t think highly of me as a warrior, he still loved his daughter and those I viewed as my child. Which Leon absolutely was to me.
“I just hope he still has a connection with the Water God. And if so, I hope she will send someone to help train Leon. He’s been annoyed at the ‘imbalance’ of his swordsmanship,” I continue.
I just hope that my letter comes to fruition.
I’ve been sending most of my pay to my parents since I departed from the dojo, so it’s the least he could do to pay me back.
“Well, I’m sure Leon will be happy if it does happen. You… really love him, don’t you Lilia? Rudy too,” Zenith says.
“Of course, Zenith,” I feel my lips curl as I look at the rising sun out the window. “I love this family quite a bit… my family.”
I truly do.
