Chapter 44

Roya scoffed inwardly. Didn't Paul have any self-awareness about how he usually treated him? And yet, he had the audacity to say something so shameless without a hint of embarrassment.

Roya drawled lazily, "Don't look at me. I can't help you. Educating kids is such a hassle."

Rudeus let out a mournful wail. He could already picture the bleak future awaiting him.

He wasn't sure if he'd succeed at this tutoring gig, and he wouldn't be able to see Sylphie for a while. Now, he couldn't even send her letters.

But once he calmed down and thought it over, Paul's reasoning did make some sense.

If Sylphie kept growing up in her current situation, she might end up like one of those clichéd childhood friends from an overdone 18+ game—the kind who clings to the protagonist's side, orbiting him like a satellite with no personality of her own, treating him as the center of her universe.

In the real world, that kind of over-dependence would usually fade as she made friends at school and learned more about life. But Sylphie, with her unique hair color, couldn't make friends easily.

Even five years from now, she might still be glued to Rudeus's side.

Rudeus didn't mind that possibility, but the adults around him clearly didn't share his sentiment.

After sorting through these thoughts, Rudeus couldn't help but sigh. He understood the logic, but accepting it was another matter entirely.

Ghislaine and Roya watched the scene unfold from the sidelines. Ghislaine suddenly piped up, "What's wrong, Rudeus? Did you just break up with your lover?"

Rudeus sighed again. "No, I just got kicked out of the house by Paul."

He glanced at the letter and continued reading aloud, "As for payment, you'll receive two Asura silver coins per month. It's less than the going rate for a tutor, but for a kid's allowance, it's pretty generous. Make some time to go into town and learn how to handle money. If you don't get used to spending it day-to-day, you won't know how to manage it properly in an emergency. That said, I have a feeling my brilliant son could probably spend it well even without practice… Oh, but no matter what, don't use it to buy women, got it?"

Roya's eyes narrowed slightly as he exchanged a glance with Rudeus. Both of them broke into faint, knowing smirks.

"Tch." Ghislaine clicked her tongue, reading their expressions like an open book. She didn't need to guess what was on their minds.

So, Roya was that kind of guy after all.

She'd been fooled by his outward appearance.

Was this what they meant by "like father, like son" when it came to Paul?

The letter went on, "If you can stick it out for five years and properly teach the young lady reading, writing, arithmetic, and magic, the contract states they'll pay a special bonus equivalent to three people's worth of tuition at the Magic University."

Rudeus kept reading, "That said, five years from now, Sylphie might not still want to follow you, and you might have cooled off on her by then too. So, we'll handle things with Sylphie and explain it to her properly."

At this part, Rudeus felt his stomach drop. Explain it to her properly? What was that supposed to mean? Still, what's done was done. His eyes drifted downward to the end of the letter. He glanced at the final line but didn't read it aloud this time—it was just pointless drivel.

[I hope that in these five years, you'll immerse yourself in a new environment, learn all sorts of knowledge, and make a leap forward in your growth. From your wise and exceedingly great father, Paul.]

Rudeus had no intention of voicing that self-aggrandizing nonsense.

He folded the letter and handed it to Ghislaine. She waved it off casually. "You read it out loud already. Keep it yourself."

Rudeus turned to Roya, his eyes practically asking if the older boy wanted the letter instead.

Roya curled his lip and waved a hand dismissively. He had no interest in Paul's trashy letter.

With no other choice, Rudeus tucked it into his pocket. Truth be told, he didn't really want it either.

Paul's reputation was so bad it was almost palpable.

After a moment of quiet reflection, Rudeus looked at Roya again. "Wait a sec, big brother. You don't seem to have anything going on. You're just training with Ghislaine every day."

Roya yawned lazily. "Like you said, I'm training with Ghislaine every day. How's that 'nothing'? Please, I'm busy. I'm carrying the weight of the family's future here. If something happens to you guys, I'll be the one stepping in with my awesome strength to save the day."

Rudeus nodded, as if the reasoning was sound and convincing. Yeah, right!

"Big brother, that's so unfair!" Rudeus burst out. "You're hogging all the perks! No way—you've got to pitch in too."

Roya fell into thought, his brow furrowing as he considered Eris's personality.

She wasn't exactly easy to deal with.

But Rudeus had a point—he couldn't just freeload off the family forever without contributing.

After a moment, Roya spoke up. "Fine, how about this: I'll teach for two years. While I'm around, I'll handle Eris's magic lessons, and you take care of her arithmetic and everything else. Sound good?"

Rudeus opened his mouth to haggle, maybe argue that just teaching magic wasn't enough, but a sharp glare from Roya shut him down instantly.

Weighing the pros and cons, Rudeus figured it wasn't a bad deal. His math skills were top-notch—after all, he'd come from a small island nation on Earth in his past life. In a world without even multiplication tables, he was practically a genius. That part should be fine.

As for magic, he was pretty skilled himself, but Roya was on another level. Having him teach it wasn't a bad call.

What Rudeus didn't realize was the nightmare waiting ahead. Knowledge was only useful if the student wanted to learn it.

Roya wasn't sure if Eris would take to magic, but he was damn certain she'd hate arithmetic.

There was no way she'd sit still and study numbers like a good little girl.

Magic might at least seem novel enough to keep her from throwing too big a fit. Arithmetic, though? Good luck forcing that on the future Mad Dog of the household.

That's exactly why Roya had dumped the harder job on Rudeus.

Rudeus, grinning like he'd gotten the better end of the deal, had no idea. If one person taught both magic and math, Eris might grudgingly put up with it. But just math? Heh, Rudeus was in for a rough ride.

The carriage rolled along at a leisurely pace. Halfway through, Roya, bored out of his mind, dozed off for a bit.

By the time they arrived, it was dusk. The village of Buena and this big city were a full day's carriage ride apart.

In real time, that was about six or seven hours. Far enough to feel distant, but close enough to seem manageable.