The Mad Dog

The sun was already halfway across the sky above us as I stared out the window.

I was only focused on the rocking of the carriage.

I didn't pay much attention to the woman in front of me for my own sake and for Rudeus Jr.'s premature awakening, nor did she. Ghislaine was a woman of few words.

"I didn't think Paul's son was as quiet as you." She looked at me from her seat.

Her arms stretched across the seat. Her face was as calm as ever, but for some reason, a slight mocking smile played across her lips.

"Dad is quite boisterous, but I don't think you're mistaken in thinking I'm like him."

"So what? Are you a pervert too?" The woman had a knowing look.

"Of course not..." I muttered with a frown.

"You say that, but I can smell your arousal," she murmured with a mocking smile, and I just clicked my tongue.

"I'm holding back..." I said with a sigh at the end.

"Well, that's fine. I don't want you going around trying to seduce the lord's granddaughter." The woman stood there for a moment before suddenly speaking again. "Paul has changed quite a bit, so maybe you resembling him isn't the worst of it. You're also still Zenith's son, so you can't be that bad." The woman probably didn't mean it maliciously, but it was hard to tell with her. She was always so direct and to the point.

"I assure you, I'm not like my father..." I looked at her for a moment.

"In a way. Paul was a womanizer, and I was frequently accused of the same thing. Like father, like son..."

The woman gave a short chuckle, and the silence between us resumed.

It wasn't unusual for a conversation with Ghislaine to die; I'd tried in these hours, and it always ended the same way.

The woman devoted little energy to conversation and most of it to her tasks.

Still, it would be better to chat a little, considering we're still a few hours from Roa, but Paul decided not to send me a letter to kill time. I guess he thought I'd figure it all out on my own.

What a great father I have.

"How much do you know about the job?" Surprisingly, the woman took the initiative, but I guess even she found the long pause too awkward.

Her uncovered eye looked at me with a special gleam.

She probably knew I was being taken into unfamiliar territory and didn't know anything more than what Paul had told me before we left.

Was this her attempt at being friendly? I wonder...

"That I'm going to tutor a young noblewoman, and as payment, you'll train me in the God of Swords style, and in the end, I'll be paid enough to get two tuitions at the Sharia Magical University," I muttered.

"That Paul... I take back what I said," the woman said with a grimace.

"What did that mean?"

We didn't say anything for the rest of the trip, and we continued like this for hours.

It was nighttime when I arrived in Roa City.

Buena Village and Roa City are a day's bus ride away, a six- to seven-hour journey.

They're just the right distance apart, not too close, not too far. Roa City is a lively city, one of the largest in the area.

The first thing that caught my attention were the citadel walls.

Sturdy walls, seven to eight meters high, encircled the city.

Horse-drawn carts entered and exited through the gigantic gate. As our cart passed through, I saw rows of stalls.

The first thing that greeted me inside the city was a horse stable and an inn. A crowd of people were coming and going: merchants, townspeople, and even armored warriors.

It was truly like something out of a fantasy novel.

The atmosphere changed as we turned a corner.

There were rows of shops aimed at adventurers, a weapons smithy, and an armor smithy, and further inside, rows of shops for the townspeople. Residential houses were tucked deep into alleys.

If you think about it, intruders would have to attack the city from the outside in.

It was obvious then that the city was built so that the deeper one went, the

larger the houses and the more luxurious the shops offered. The closer you lived to the center, the richer you were.

A gigantic building stood in the center of the city. "That's the Feudal Lord's mansion," Ghislaine said.

"It looks more like a castle than a mansion."

"Well, this is a fortress city after all."

"Huh?" There was a manor house right in front of us. According to my calculations, the only people living here had to be people of high social standing. Was my theory wrong?

As soon as I began to wonder, the coachman gave a small wink to the gatekeeper of the lord's mansion.

"Then she must be the lord's daughter."

"No."

"Isn't she?"

"Not quite."

I sensed a hidden meaning behind his words. What could it be?

The carriage stopped.

As we entered the mansion, a butler led us to what appeared to be a reception room.

We were pointed toward two sofas lined up together.

This would be my first interview. I had to act calmly.

"Here you go" A cup of hot tea was placed in front of me with a thud.

"The young master will be back soon. So, if you'll excuse me, wait here for a moment." The man moved away from me silently.

"Sure, thank you." I brought the cup to my mouth and took a sip.

It had a pleasant taste, but that was to be expected in the lord's house.

Ghislaine stood in the corner, silently observing the room.

Behind me was a man who appeared to be a butler. He was rather plump and hunchbacked, so I paid no attention to him.

"Is he here?!"

A shrill voice sounded outside the room.

It was so loud that it shook the entire mansion when the door burst open.

From the other side, a middle-aged man walked in.

He was muscular and heavily built. Although he carried himself with imposing dignity, you could tell he was aging from the gray strands that dotted his dark brown hair. Even so, he was still undoubtedly healthy for his age.

"So you're the one Paul's brat?!" He pointed at me as if accusing me of something.

"...Yes, sir. I'm Rudeus Greyrat. A pleasure to meet you." It didn't take long for me to stand up and bow. Of course, I used the Asura version, courtesy of Lilia's etiquette classes.

The man's face didn't move. He continued to stare at me, but after a moment, he snorted and turned away.

"How polite for Paul's brat! You have my permission to stay!" With that, he left just as he had come.

An imposing man...

"That would be the feudal lord of the Fittoa region, Lord Sauros Boreas Greyrat. He's also Master Paul's uncle," the butler spoke from where he stood.

It seemed he wanted to fill me in on the man's details.

"I see." Anyway, I answered properly.

"What is it, Thomas? The door is wide open…" Through the still-open door, a thin man with straight brown hair walked in. He had a deceptive smile and an air that could only be described as foxy; in other words, conspiratorial.

"I just saw my father, and he seemed in high spirits. Did anything good happen?" The man glanced at me for a moment. As he did so, he wore a sympathetic expression, but he didn't turn his back on the butler.

"I'm sorry, Young Master. The master just arrived, and he seemed pleased with Lord Rudeus." The butler, without hesitation, gave his report.

"Ah… if it's someone even my father likes… perhaps I chose wrong?" Without greeting me, the man sat down opposite me on a sofa. Even now, I'm sure he's up to something.

Once again, I stood and bowed. Nobles loved to have their egos stroked in this world.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. My name is Rudeus Greyrat."

"Philip Boreas Greyrat." He looked me up and down. "To think Paul's son would know etiquette." He seemed almost stunned at the very thought of the word. Not that I blame him.

"My mother taught me, and we have a maid who worked in the palace before our family hired her. So I know a thing or two," I replied.

His gaze never left mine as he gave her a small nod.

He leaned back slightly as he spoke. "So, Rudeus, how much do you know about your job?" That question again? Well, I guess it can't be helped, and I told him the same thing I told Ghislaine.

"Just that?" Philip sneered. "I take it we're talking about Paul." The man looked up at the ceiling briefly, then back at me. A twinkle in his eye as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"You like girls?"

"Not as much as Dad." It was almost certainly a lie, but at least I liked thinking I was tied down. At least, I used to be.

"Then you're good enough." His face seemed to relax.

"I want you to know I can hold back when it comes to a job." I could already guess where he was going with this.

"Oh, of course I am, but you can't blame a father for worrying about his daughter's chastity." He shrugged listlessly. "Paul would bend over backwards to please any pretty girl he saw." That much was true. "But I guess I won't know if you're different until I see what you can do."

"Don't you have faith in me?"

"None at all, but it's not often you find a boy who's both good with a sword and a good academic." He circled his thumb around the rim of the cup in front of him as he spoke.

"It's also been a while since I've seen a boy as scheming as you." His mocking smile only seemed to widen.

That last comment caught me off guard. Had I already been wrong about something?

"Why do you think that?"

"Your eyes." It was as if she were simply speaking the truth.

"You remind me of when I was young."

"I see..." I murmured.

His smile widened.

"Perhaps you're someone I can trust with this." He glanced toward the door. "My daughter has only taken a fancy to Edna, her etiquette teacher, and Ghislaine, her sword instructor." He looked at the woman standing silently in the corner.

"She's a troubled girl who's already lost five other teachers. So... any ideas on how to win her favor?"

"The Young Mistress sounds good... I'd like to see her to see what I'm dealing with," I said.

"Are you sure? She can be a little... intense, to say the least." The man's smile soured.

"I'm a triple swordsman, no need to worry about me."

Philip shook his head slightly as he nodded.

With that, Philip turned back to the butler.

"You can guide Rudeus to her, Thomas."

"Of course," the man responded with a bow.

" ...

intense

That was the first thing I thought of her. There in front of me was a girl with bright red hair, the corner of her lips tightly closed, her legs slightly open, and her arms crossed.

"I'm Rudeus Greyrat..." I said with a bow.

"Hmph!" She raised her head, her long hair moving slightly with the movement. "She's younger than me, and you expect her to teach me? Stop messing around!"

"I don't think age matters, miss-"

"You have a problem with me?!" Before I could finish speaking, she was already yelling at me. This was going to be a fun day...

"No, I'm just saying that even though I'm younger than you, it doesn't mean I can't do things you can't-"

Her hair suddenly stood up as if she were transforming. She was getting angry.

That much was obvious.

"You're too conceited! Who do you think I am?!"

I took a deep breath and spoke firmly. "A girl with too much to deal with."

She clenched her fist. It was scary. If you thought I was angry a moment ago, it was just a preamble.

A fist came and threatened to smash my face in. It was a clumsy punch.

It didn't have any particular technique. It was simply a punch—a.k.a., knocking someone's teeth out.

In other words, it was a punch I was very used to.

I'd taken that same punch countless times in my past life...

I raised my hand and pulled it away before it reached me.

As expected, it was still quite strong, but I guess I cheated by having a handle on "strength."

She looked at me, almost as if she was offended by what I did.

"Don't block my punches!" Get what you deserve!" Again, she threw another punch, and I blocked it again.

"And what exactly do I deserve?" As she spoke, another fist struck me. She didn't seem to think about giving me a break.

"You're younger than me, and you answer me back so rudely!" She lifted a leg, and I pushed it away. "That's more than enough reason!" Her fist came towards my face, and I pushed it away again.

"Stop moving..." I sighed as I caught her fist in midair like in a anime.

"Stop it, Eris!" a voice shouted from the doorway. It was Ghislaine.

"Your footwork is all wrong. You're not going to punch him like that." She didn't seem to mind being attacked so much, but I guess it was to be expected.

However, I noticed Ghislaine looking at me.

"I see Paul wasn't wrong about you." Was blocking a couple of blows really enough to validate Paul's words? Well, I guess seeing it in person is better than hearing it firsthand, and it's not like Eris was particularly weak for her age... besides, they probably didn't give Paul's words much thought.

"But, Ghislaine!" The girl suddenly went limp. Her face was still practically screaming with rage whenever she looked at me.

"Don't even think about starting with me, young lady." Instantly, Ghislaine reached over, grabbed Eris, and dragged her out of the room.

"At this point, you'll lose your sword lessons." That seemed to calm her down a little.

Just a little, though.

"I'll be back for you!" Before they were out of sight, Eris yelled at me.

Last time. Her eyes still burned with rage.

That sentence was reassuring. If not prescient.

Ghislaine looked over, nodded slightly, and gave a thumbs-up before leaving with the squirming girl in her hand.

Did she just throw me a bone? She never did anything like that last time.

The butler in the corner looked at me with a look I could only interpret as admiration.

"I'd like to see Philip. I have the answer." He nodded, and with that, my first encounter with Eris was over, and all I got was her hating me.

So I guess it wasn't all bad.

After all, I'm not here to make friends.