Ch.19 I Was Bullied So Hard I Was Isekai'ed Into A World of Sword And Magic And Emerged As The Lightning Samurai God To Hatefuck My Former Bully Until She Got Heart Eyes.

— Rudeus Greyrat —

“-And that’ll do it for our class today-”

“Finally!” Eris grinned and shot out of her seat before catching herself and coughing into her hand. “I mean… Thank you for the lesson.”

Rudeus blinked as Eris gave him a small bow and walked out of the room.

Eris… thanked him? More than that, she bowed?!

Surprise filled his body as he looked at his younger brother who gave a small smile before following Eris out of the room.

Rudeus watched as Law closed the door, leaving him to suffer in the face of what just happened.

“Did Eris just bow to me?!” Rudy shouted as he clenched his hands over his head. He felt like he was going insane! Eris, the stuck-up little princess that had given him trouble ever since they started working here… bowed to him!

“Yeah, I think so?”

Rudy turned to see Ghislaine still patiently sitting in the seat in front of him.

… He had to admit, he forgot she was here.

“Oh, sorry about that, I didn’t mean to shout.” Rudeus rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He knew Ghislaine had better hearing than humans as a beast woman, so shouting like that must have been unpleasant for her.

“Eh, it’s alright.” Ghislaine waved him off.

Rudy smiled at her, appreciative of her forgiveness.

A second passed, then another of pure silence.

Rudeus blinked at her while she just stared dead straight into his eyes.

… What was happening? Why was she so focused on him…? Why was she even still here?!

“Uh Ghislaine… class is over.”

“Mmm.”

A nervous bead of sweat fell down his brow. She wasn’t making any move to leave.

“Okay then… I’m gonna go.” Rudy turned away and started walking only for Ghislaine to run straight toward the door and block it with her imposing figure.

Okay, now he was genuinely stumped by her behaviour.

“… Ghislaine, what are you-” Rudeus started before pausing as he eyed her with more scrutiny.

She was trying to keep him here, and on the way to class the beast women had been staring at him and whispering amongst themselves. Eris had been acting weird and even apologised and bowed, and Law was being much more quiet than he usually is.

Realisation struck Rudy as he looked up at the nervous beast woman.

It was his tenth birthday today… How had he forgotten? Honestly it was understandable because he didn’t really keep track of time. There were just too many things he spent his time on, like learning the demon and beast languages.

Rudy glanced at Ghislaine to see she was still standing there with nothing to say and a sly grin came to his lips.

Chances are the Boreas Family was trying to surprise Rudy with a birthday celebration while Ghislaine was tasked with keeping him busy, or trapped in this room. That being said… Rudeus wondered just how far Ghislaine was willing to go to keep him here.

His eyes locked on the beast woman’s massive chest and his grin grew perverted. Paul was a lucky man for being able to have so many beautiful and well endowed women around him in his youth, but as his first son, it was only right for that man to pass the torch now, wasn’t it?

Rudy nodded sagely to himself, proud of his assessment.

Playing the fool may get him more out of his birthday than he’s ever gotten before, so he wouldn’t hesitate to play the part.

— Law Greyrat —

“Everyone move along!” Sauros shouted at all the beast women maids who were frantically trying their best to set up the hall for Rudeus’ tenth birthday.

I stood behind Eris and watched the chaos ensue. As rich and powerful as the Boreas are, they are far from the most prepared… they could have set things up last night and Rudeus would have never known.

“Eris!” Sauros shouted at the top of his lungs, damn near shaking the mansion and likely deafening every beast woman around.

Why the hell did he even shout?! We’re standing right behind him!

“Yes, Grandfather?” Eris curtsied and Sauros turned to us, slightly surprised by how close to him we were. He cleared his throat and looked at Eris with a stern gaze.

“Has Rudeus been properly distracted?”

“Yes, Grandfather!” Eris answered proudly as she placed her hands on her hips and beamed a smile at the older man. “Ghislaine is keeping him busy!”

“A wise decision, such a smart young girl you are.” Sauros cooed as he rubbed his pointer finger against Eris’ cheek and put on a rare smile he only reserved for his granddaughter.

“Grandfather… not in front of Law!” She whisper-shouted and looked back at me with rosy cheeks. I offered her a smile, I wasn’t really sure what the shyness was for, having a family that is so loving is a blessing, one I’m happy to have received at birth in this world.

“There you are, Eris.” The mature low voice of Hilda spoke as she walked through the hall with Philip beside her.

“Mother.” Eris curtsied again and Hilda gave her an approving look.

“Excellent manners.” Hilda complimented as she gave a light peck to Eris’ forehead, making the girl blush once more. Her eyes momentarily strayed to me and narrowed with discontent before scanning the hall and eyeing the beast women preparing for Rudy’s surprise birthday. “The preparations are coming rather slow.”

“Indeed they are but that’s no matter, I’m sure we can find something to keep Rudeus busy.” Philip said with a calm smile. The man was exuding an air of confidence, more so than he usually does. His attitude had me wondering if he and Hilda had just finished blowing off some steam.

“If I may ask…” I spoke up, taking their attention. “Has something happened to raise your spirits today, Lord Philip?”

Philip’s eyes gained a glint of something I couldn’t place and his smile grew.

“I’m surprised you’ve noticed. Yes, something has happened, a development of sorts. Don’t fret, I’ll be sure to tell you in fine detail after the celebration!” Philip placed his hand on his chin as he looked down at me.

I smiled nervously and lowered my head a bit. “Then I look forward to hearing some good news.”

“Why don’t you run along and keep Rudeus busy until we’re ready?” Philip offered but I had worked for him long enough to read through the lines. It wasn’t truly an offer, but an order instead.

“But Father, Law is my bodyguard!” Eris argued, placing a hand on her chest as she looked at Philip with disbelieving red eyes.

“Yes, but I’m sure we can manage.” Philip smiled down at his daughter and I took that as my sign to leave.

“I will return, Eris.” I bowed the nobleman’s bow, and it was clear she didn’t want me to go, but it’s not like either of us really had a choice in the matter.

I moved out of the hall and up the stairs, making my way to the classroom that Rudy teaches Eris in. Ghislaine was tasked with not allowing him to leave the room, so he should still be there.

I arrived at the class and opened the door-

“…”

“…”

“Hey, Law.” Ghislaine greeted me with a wave.

I couldn’t even blink as I looked at the two people in front of me. All my life, never once have I had a face as dead as the one I had now.

“Law… I can explain.” Rudeus nervously waved his hands in front of him and my eyes narrowed slightly as my lips pursed

No… No he couldn’t.

Ghislaine was bending over in front of him, her pants pulled down her ankles, giving clear view of her muscle ass. Meanwhile Rudeus was crouching behind her, getting a good look at her cheeks.

The worst part is… when I walked into the room, Rudy’s hands were on her ass, which means he was feeling her up.

“You… are something else, Rudy.”

Rudeus tensed at my words before ultimately letting out a sigh and moving away from Ghislaine.

“Done already?” The Sword King asked, earning a nod from Rudy. She hummed in response and pulled her pants back up and stood up straight.

“I’m going to do all of us a favour and forget what I just saw.” I blinked drily and took a step back. “Better yet, I’m going to go back outside and walk back in and we’ll delete this little tidbit of history for the rest of eternity.”

“… Sounds like a plan.” Rudeus nodded while Ghislaine looked confused. The woman was too simple minded and unashamed to see what was wrong with what she had done.

I walked out and closed the door as I did, then I waited a few seconds and reopened the door with a small smile.

“Hell Rudeus, hello Ghislaine, what are you two up too? Nothing odd I assume right?”

Rudeus flinched at my sharp words but offered a nervous smile and a bit of laughter. “No, nothing like that, right Ghislaine?!”

“Mmm.” Ghislaine nodded.

“Good, I can always rely on my brother and swordmaster to remain professional.” My smile grew strained.

Yeah… I don’t think I was ever going to forget what I had seen. They have officially scarred me for life and I will never see the two of them the same again.

“Enough about us!” Rudeus chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. “Let’s talk about you! What’s brought you back here?”

“I don’t know, maybe I missed my brother and wanted to see what he was doing?” I crossed my arms over my lean chest with a wry smile. “So how are you doing now Rudy? Eris’ classes are over, so do you have any plans?”

Rudeus paused as he fell into thought. My smile disappeared as a smirk tugged on his lips.

Oh, he was up to nothing good.

“Actually, I do have plans!” Rudy placed his hands on his hips while looking proud. “And if you don’t mind me, I’m gonna go ahead and take care of them!”

I shrugged and moved out of the way, surprising him. “Don’t let me hold you then, go on ahead.”

I know Philip tasked me with keeping Rudy busy, but honestly if they weren’t finished setting things up by the time Rudeus made his way down to the hall, it was kinda just on them. I mean seriously, it shouldn’t even have taken as long as it had.

Plus when I came up here, they seemed to be almost finished.

Rudeus eyed me cautiously for a moment before stepping past me and opening the door. He blinked at the sight of a beast woman maid standing in front of him, meanwhile she looked just as surprised to see him coming out of the room.

“Um, Master Rudeus, Master Law, you have both been summoned by Lord Philip.” She meekly said before bowing and walking away.

Ah, so they did finish on time, good for them.

“… Well, I guess we should get going.” Rudeus offered with a strained smile before he started walking. I spared one last glance at Ghislaine and she gave me a smile that screamed pride in herself as she gave me a thumbs up.

… She did her job, that’s all the Boreas Family asked of her. Who am I to hate on her hard work?

No, everything that happened was Rudy’s fault.

I nodded sagely as I followed after the perverted man. I’d discipline him later, but I wouldn’t tell him what for. This incident still needed to be forgotten.

The next generation could never know the kind of man Rudeus is.

— Philip Boreas Greyrat —

Philip casually fixed his coat with a confident smirk on his face.

Preparations for Rudeus’ tenth birthday were complete and now all they had to do was wait for the boy of the day, and while they did, Philip basked in the genius of his plans.

Rudeus Greyrat had turned ten, and Law Greyrat would do so in a measly nine months. Yet even at their young age, both were very accomplished, especially the younger of Paul’s children.

A Sword Saint on the cusp of becoming a Sword King.

The boy’s political weight was about to skyrocket, and this birthday party for Rudeus was a minor event compared to what Philip had planned for Law’s tenth birthday.

Nobles of every corner within the Asura Kingdom would hear of the Law’s future promotion to Sword King and flock to take a look at the Sword King with Notos Greyrat blood.

Philip would be surprised if every noble in the kingdom didn’t either try to curry favour with him, buy him from the Boreas Family, or attempt to have him killed.

A chuckle escaped the brown haired man, he knew none of those methods would work on his family’s prized possession, not even the Head of the Boreas Family, his despicable older brother James, could take Law from their employ without Law’s willingness.

His plans to have Law and Eris wed were nearly prepared to go, and the moment they were, it would call into question who should truly be the Head of the Boreas Greyrat Family.

The granddaughter of Sauros Boreas Greyrat, an Intermediate swordswoman in Sword and North God Styles, Eris Boreas Greyrat, along with a boy that happens to be a Sword King that’s also advanced in the other two sword styles and possesses Notos blood, Law Greyrat… or his incompetent and arrogant pawn of a brother.

The choice was clear, and every noble in the Asura Kingdom would see it.

As the door to the hall opened, Philip’s grin grew even wider.

““Happy Tenth Birthday, Rudeus!”” Everyone in the hall minus his wife said in unison.

The red-eyes of Philip looked straight past Rudeus and at the blonde haired, blue eyed boy that entered the room after him.

That boy was the future, and tonight was a night of celebration. A toast to the future.

— Eris Boreas Greyrat —

Eris closed her eyes with a smile on her lips as she gave herself a mental pat on the back.

Rudeus’ surprise birthday was a success and it had barely even started yet! Just by looking at his face, Eris could tell that they had truly managed to catch him off guard. He didn’t know he’d get a party… he probably didn’t even know it was his birthday!

Perfect, and it was all thanks to her for planning it and not letting things slip out early.

She’s such a good person and she couldn’t wait for both Rudeus and Law to tell her that while Law gave her head pats!

Eris closed her eyes, crossed her arms under her bust and nodded. Yes, she was a genius!

As she reopened her eyes and looked at the birthday boy, her entire body froze with surprise as Rudeus began to tear up.

“Eh?!” She shouted and judging by the gasps in the room, she wasn’t the only one to feel that way. “Rudeus what’s wrong?! We threw you a birthday party, don’t you like it?!” The words left her lips frantically as she began to sweat. Had she messed up?!

Rudeus wiped away the tears and nodded. “I do… I’m sorry.”

Everyone paused as they watched him show them a genuine smile.

“It’s just… it’s been so long since I’ve seen my family, and with Law so busy, I had feared no one had remembered my birthday, or even cared for it.” Rudy explained and Eris felt her heart sink. “But I was wrong… thank you, all of you… forgive me, I don’t know what else to say.” Another round of tears escaped Rudeus and now Eris felt even worse than before.

Honestly she would have preferred it if Rudeus had just said he didn’t like their surprise, at least then she could be angry and call it a night…

But now, she didn’t know what to do. Rudeus had felt this way the entire time and they hadn’t known.

Eris’ gaze trailed over to the birthday boy's younger brother and her heart began to quicken with even more worry. Did Law feel the same way? Did Law miss his family and go back home?

She… didn’t want that.

“I’m sorry… Rudeus, but your family couldn’t come. Apparently there’s been a large grouping of monsters that have kept them away…” Eris explained and she realised that the mood had been severely dampened. As she looked at Rudeus she saw the boy with wide, tear-filled eyes and knew his birthday was ruined.

“Oh you poor boy!” Her mother shouted as she ran over and scooped Rudeus into a tight hug, pressing his face into her breasts. Eris blinked in surprise at the sight. “To think you felt so lonely! Forgive us for acting so coldly toward you!”

Eris sent a sideway glance at her father to see a wry smile on his face.

… Wasn’t her mother the only one that was cold to Rudeus? Eris may not have liked all of his lessons, but she didn’t hate him for it!

“It’s quite alright.” Rudeus mumbled out through her soft mounds. “If anything, please forgive me for intruding and upsetting you.”

Rudeus’ words only made her mother squeeze him tighter to her chest.

“I had been mistaken all this time, I’m so sorry.” She whispered through unshed tears. Her mother’s red eyes then locked onto Law and Eris could have sworn that Law backed away a bit. “And you… you must have felt the same, haven’t you?!”

Law froze, unable to say a word before he got pulled into the embrace with Rudy.

“You both are members of this family, this is your home now!” She cried out as she tightened her grip again, pressing each of them tighter into her bosom.

“Thank you, Lady Hilda.” Law said quietly, or at least the sound of his voice came off quiet thanks to her mother not allowing his face away from her embrace.

“Hilda… I do believe you’re suffocating the poor boys.” Her father chuckled as he walked forward.

“Ahaha!” Her grandfather laughed at the sight. “Philip is right, let the boys breathe!”

Eris’ mother pouted but ultimately released the two boys before giving them a fond smile and taking a step back.

Her grandfather stepped forward toward the boys and cleared his throat. “Rudeus, you have been a tremendous help to my daughter’s progression in academics and magic, as such, the Boreas Family offers you a gift!”

Her grandfather’s red eyes looked down at Eris and she realised it was her cue. She grinned vibrantly and ran over to the beast women who were holding Rudeus’ gift in the corner of the room. She quickly grabbed it from them before running back over and stopping in front of the birthday boy.

“Happy birthday, Rudeus!” She exclaimed as she handed him the gift wrapped in cloth.

Rudeus paused as he looked at the wrapped gift before eventually taking it from her. He inspected it for a moment before stripping away the cloth slowly.

Eris waited with quiet excitement and shared a glance to Law who was suppressing his smile, but Eris could tell he was excited too! After all, there was no way Rudeus wouldn’t like a gift like the one they had gotten him!

As Rudeus took away all the cloth, his eyes widened at the sight of a pristine magic staff that was even taller than him!

“A magic staff?!” Rudeus exclaimed with no small amount of surprise.

“Yes!” Eris grinned, her excitement reaching its peak. “We got it for you since you’re so good at magic!”

“Woah…” Rudeus marvelled at the staff’s beauty.

“Ahem, if I may, Master Rudeus, that staff is known as Aqua Heartia. It was forged from the wood of an Elder Torrent Tree, and the magic stone is from that of a dragon. Such a staff raises the caster’s attack potency many times over, and even more so for Water Magic as this staff’s element happens to be water.” The family butler, Alphonse, explained with a reserved expression.

Eris nodded along with him, she didn’t remember all of that, so she was glad that someone did!

“Whoa, so this staff increases the strength of my spells even more?!” Rudeus questioned with wide eyes.

“Precisely.” Alphonse bowed before stepping back.

“Then this staff… is the best gift ever!” Eris lit up at hearing that, she had a feeling it would be an amazing gift!

“Yes it is, enjoy it!” Eris placed her hands on her hips and beamed a proud smile.

Their family had definitely succeeded with Rudeus’ birthday! It may have started off a little rocky, but the day had been saved!

“With that out of the way, let us celebrate Rudeus’ tenth birthday! Eat, drink, and be merry!” Eris’ grandfather barked out with laughter and everyone cheered!

Immediately Eris ran over to the two who were standing in front of Ghislaine and grabbed their arms. “Come on, let’s have some fun!”

Both boys' smiles filled her with happiness, she hadn’t known that they had been silently suffering, but she was ready to change that!

She’d make the Boreas Greyrat mansion an even funner place than their home, that way they wouldn’t have to feel sad anymore!

… Or leave.

— Later —

Hours went by and the celebration continued! Everyone was invited to enjoy themselves, even the beast women maids practically had the day off as they could eat and drink to their heart's content!

Meanwhile, Eris had dragged Rudeus, Law, and Ghislaine off to a corner in the room but they ended up getting followed by her mother and father. Her mother insisted on staying with the boys, while her father just found her mother’s shift in attitude amusing.

Eventually though while they had been watching Hilda tell stories of the past to the two boys, Philip called Eris aside to another room for a private chat.

Eris knew what a private chat meant when it came to her father and grandfather. It meant that whatever they were talking about was incredibly important and couldn’t be shared, so Eris followed her father obediently, all the while she wondered what he wanted to talk to her about.

They walked through the halls of the mansion before eventually reaching her father’s office. He walked in and invited her to sit and she did without a fuss. He then took a seat himself and gave her a once over.

“I know you’re enjoying yourself, so I won’t take too much of your time.” Her father assured and Eris sat quietly as a nervous bead of sweat ran down her brow. Was she in trouble?!

“Tell me, Eris… what do you think of your bodyguard?”

Eris paused. This was about Law?

Her eyes widened as a horrible thought crossed her mind. Did her father intend to fire Law?!

“He’s really good at his job! And he’s a great swordsman and he listens to whatever I say!” She frantically spat out, momentarily surprising her father who gestured for her to stop.

“I suppose I wasn’t quite clear. What I meant was, are you at all… smitten with Law?”

Eris paused as she looked into her father’s serious red eyes. As her mind fully processed his words, her face lit up red. She quickly brought her hands up to her cheeks and averted her gaze.

“I will take that as a yes.” He hummed to himself.

Eris didn’t even consider looking up and showing her face, there was no reason to. She knew she liked Law and she had for a long time.

“Listen, Eris.” Her father called and after a moment of calming herself down, Eris forced herself to look up at him. “Law is a very important piece to this family, and we must secure him. As such, it pleases me that you already have fond feelings for him. I plan on offering you to him.”

Eris’ eyes widened at her father’s words. She knew what his words meant!

He wanted to marry Law into the family!

Eris had been told since she was a little girl that she would eventually have to marry someone her family chose and that had always angered her. She never wanted to marry someone that didn’t please her…

But here she was now with the chance to marry the boy she wanted. The boy that had earned her respect since their first meeting.

“I… will do my duty, Father.” Eris mumbled out quietly with a fast beating heart. She didn’t have any intentions on letting her feelings for Law become known for years, but now she didn’t have a choice, but she couldn’t bring herself to mind that.

At least she got to be with someone she cared about rather than some random lazy noble.

“I knew you would, Eris.” A pleased grin tugged on her father’s lips. “Then prepare yourself, I plan on having you in his bed tonight.”

“Tonight?!” Eris shouted and stood up with a glowing face as red as her hair. “Isn’t it too soon?!”

“If we hope to secure Law’s allegiance, we must act as soon as possible. Are you opposed to this?” Her father explained calmly as he looked at her with calm eyes.

Eris slowly sat back into the chair and lowered her head so her father couldn’t see her face before ultimately shaking her head.

“Good, then for the sake of the Boreas Greyrat Family, fulfil your duty, Eris.” He said before standing up and taking her hand in his. He pulled her out of the room and back toward the party as she was lost in her head.

She… was going to do things with Law already… What if she ended up pregnant?

Eris quickly shook her head and slapped her cheek with her free hand, momentarily surprising Philip.

“I’ll do it!”

— Law Greyrat —

I let out a long yawn as I walked through the halls back to my room. The party was fun and interacting with the many beast women in the mansion was even funner.

It was honestly surprising to see how many of them liked Rudy and I. I already knew some of them and talked with them regularly, but never had I seen most of them reveal their true natures as they had last night.

Such honesty… It was refreshing.

But now I’m exhausted and my head hurts from all the wine I’ve had. This world doesn’t care about the youth drinking and I wasn’t going to hesitate from the opportunity of getting drunk for the first time in both lives.

All in all the day was very enjoyable.

I opened the door to my room and closed it behind me before immediately dropping on my bed.

I was so tired I didn’t even want to drain my mana tonight.

I glanced at the dozen or so large wooden buckets within the corner of the room and considered getting up and draining my mana anyway.

After all, discipline is doing something you don’t want to do like you want to do it, and I wanted to be the strongest I could possibly be, I would need to lock in on my discipline.

I let out a groan of annoyance and pushed myself out of bed and toward the wooden buckets. Let the record show, I don’t want to do this, but I’m a man with a plan, and that plan involves the grind.

I’d drop water in the buckets, empty them out of the window and then do it all over again, rinse and repeat until I was exhausted.

I started dropping the water and as I did, I began to feel more awake. The mana flowing through my body was something I had gotten familiar with at this point, but it was still an exhilarating experience to feel an otherworldly power flowing through my body.

A power that I had control over.

A soft chuckle escaped me as I continued exhausting my mana.

Once upon a time I was a frail, weak, nerdy boy with my main concern in life being my academics. No friends, no familial love, no power.

Just a weak body and loneliness.

It’s humbling to know that there has to be a God out there, one that would be so kind and gracious as to give me this second chance. A strong body to pursue something I never had in my last life, strength, and an even stronger will and drive to see things through.

A gentle smile graced my lips. This was my life now, and I had no plans on checking out early this time around.

*KNOCK*

I turned to the door with a raised brow. The last water ball fell into the bucket and stretched my arm as I made my way over.

I made it over to the door and opened it. I tilted my head at the sight of Eris in a nightgown. It wasn’t quite an unusual sight, I had been in her room after normal hours before, but never had she come to me so late at night in such a state of dress.

“Eris, what brings you here?” I asked with a small smile.

Eris fiddled with her hands with a strong blush on her cheeks. “Law… Can I come in?”

I blinked at her but moved out of the way, inviting her in.

I closed the door as she entered and watched as she made her way over to my bed before sitting down.

I stared at her with a raised brow as I realised something was very off about her. She was unusually quiet, and that blush showed that she was definitely embarrassed about showing up to my room.

Did she need to ask me for a favour? It would make sense. Eris wasn’t the kind to ask for favours, at least not without feeling a hit to her pride.

“What are you doing standing over there?!” She shouted as she stopped fiddling with her fingers to glare at me with rosy cheeks.

“Oh, did you want me to sit?” I nervously rubbed the back of my head as I made my way over to her. I took a seat beside her but left a good amount of room between us.

I noticed her scoot closer to me, all while avoiding her face from mine.

“Is something wrong, Eris?” I asked with narrowed eyes. Now I was starting to feel a bit worried.

“Law…” Eris breathed out slowly before turning to me with a completely red face. “Y-You don’t have t-to hold b-back! Y-You can h-have m-me!” She stuttered out.

I stared at her for several seconds of silence before shaking my head. “No.”

Her eyes widened at my answer and I facepalmed.

Why the hell was a twelve year old asking me to have sex with her?

The face of Philip popped up in my mind and I narrowed my eyes. I’d have to talk to him about whatever the fuck this is tomorrow, but I’m too tired to deal with him right now.

I looked back at the blushing red-haired girl who was still shocked by my answer.

“What do you mean no?!” Eris shot up from my bed and looked down at me with embarrassed red eyes. “Am I not good enough?!”

I facepalmed. Yeah, there was no way of getting out of this without looking like a dickhead to some extent.

“That’s not what I meant-”

“T-Then what did you mean?!” Eris crossed her arms under her growing bust as she frowned down at me.

“Listen Eris, it’s been a long day, and we had tons of fun didn’t we?” I started off, trying to appease her angry mind with good memories. Her frown lessened as she nodded. “Well I did too, and I enjoyed spending time with you.”

My words caused her face to heat up even redder than before. She turned her face away from me as she took her seat beside me again.

The worst of it is over, now I need to figure out how to salvage this without putting any dents in our friendship.

“Listen Eris.” I said as I reached out and took her hands in mine. The action surprised her judging by the widening of her eyes. “I care about you, and as your bodyguard it’s my job to keep you safe… tell me, are you doing this because of what Rudeus said earlier?”

Eris looked down as her lips pursed. I hadn’t missed how she looked at me at the party after Rudeus gave his little shitty speech.

Which I could see through by the way, seriously the guy is kinda an asshole, but hey, it got Hilda to like us so I could hardly complain.

Eris slowly nodded and I nodded in understanding. I doubted her not wanting us to leave had forced her all the way to my bed though, I was still certain Philip was involved.

“I’m sorry you felt the need to do this.” I shook my head. “Rudeus and I aren’t going anywhere yet, and when we do, you’re more than welcome to come to Ranoa with us if you want.”

Eris didn’t look satisfied by my words but I knew that nothing I said could truly satisfy her.

I reached forward and brushed her hair out of her face to give me a clear view of her rosy cheeks. “Trust me, Eris, I wouldn’t want to hurt you, ever, but sooner or later we’ll need to see our family again, but don’t be mistaken, I still care about you.”

Eris suddenly stood up and walked forward. I couldn’t see her face because she had her back toward me. Eventually, she turned around and pointed at me with determined eyes and an all red face.

“You better not be lying!” She shouted.

“I’m not.” I held my hands up.

Eris eyed me for several seconds before turning around and storming out of the door.

I stared at the door for a while and just as I was about to push myself up and continue draining my mana reserves, Eris opened the door again and peaked her head in.

“Eris…” I spoke with slightly wide eyes at her reappearance. Had Philip sent her back in already?

“… Just so you know… never mind!” She shouted before closing the door.

I blinked at the wooden door before bursting out into laughter as I stood up.

Tsundere is correct.

— The Next Day —

“Why is it so far away?!” Eris groaned out as the wagon pulled us further and further away from Roa.

“Because I don’t want to hurt anyone in the town your grandfather governs.” I answered. It’d be kinda a dick move if I did.

“Why don’t you just avoid hitting them?” Eris leaned over the carriage as we wheeling through the fields led by the large white horse.

I blinked at her stupid question. “Because I can’t control it yet. That’s the whole point of the tests.”

Eris shrugged as if she didn’t actually care, but I know she did.

“Well I think you’re doing a great job!” Rudeus exclaimed with a proud smile.

“Please… not now, Rudy.” I deadpanned. I didn’t need the magical genius laughing about my attempts at growing.

“Huh? I wasn’t kidding around… do I do that so much that you can’t tell the difference anymore?” He tilted his head.

“I guess you do because I had no idea.” I admitted and he hummed in thought.

“Do you think I’m a bad brother, Ghislaine?” Rudy asked the beast woman who was holding the reins to our ride.

“Eh, I’ve seen far worse. You’re alright.” Ghislaine shrugged and Rudeus gave me a sly smirk, making me roll my eyes.

I looked out at the field and then back at Roa. We were far enough out to the point I couldn’t even see it anymore, so we should be good to go.

“You can stop here, Ghislaine.” I stood up and stretched as the Sword King did as I said and slowed the horse to a stop.

“Ooh, are you gonna do it now?!” Eris questioned with excitement dancing in her red eyes.

“Not yet, I gotta make sure the horse and the rest of you are safe.”

“What? We’ll be fine.” Eris waved me off but I wasn’t going to budge in this.

“Lightning isn’t a joke, it could kill you if it hits and I don’t want to take that risk, even if the chances are low, they’re never zero.” I warned as I hopped off of the wagon.

“He’s right, I’ll put a dome around us.” Rudeus smiled as he jumped off.

Eris pouted at the both of us before following and Ghislaine hopped off last.

I raised my hand and made a fairly large dome that covered the white horse and the wagon it was towing before looking at the group.

“Alright, Rudy, work your magic.”

“Yes sir, Law sir!” Rudeus stood at attention and offered me a salute. He waved his new wand and a dome of earth came up, but there was a large slit in it for all of them to see.

I grinned back at them before focusing my attention forward.

I had spent years trying to get this damn thing down and at this point I was starting to give up. The last letter I received from Roxy a couple months ago said that calling down lighting willingly was not only possible but is King Level magic, which just means I’m not trying hard enough.

I held my hand out and let out a deep exhale.

The clouds began to gather as per usual and the winds quickened. I stood firm and activated my Battle Aura as the winds grew even faster and thunder began to roar in the darkening clouds above.

It was time to try again.

I focused my eyes on the plot of land a dozen or so metres in front of me and attempted to call the lightning there.

In the past, nothing had worked. I had tried to manifest the lightning there, order it, and even set the size, speed, and power but ultimately none of that worked.

Controlling lightning just wasn’t the same as controlling water-

I blinked at that thought.

It should be though. Lightning is a subset of water, so it should be like water right?

I facepalmed at my own stupidity. The storm roared loudly as if cursing at me.

I held my hand out once again and locked all my attention on the spot I wanted the lightning to hit. I waited and attempted to gather power in the clouds and to my surprise, I felt my mana leaving my body and up above. I looked up and narrowed my eyes as I tried to bring about my mana in one focused spot.

Then with a wave of my hand, I sent my mana downward-

*BOOM*

The lightning hit the spot in front of me not even a second after I called my mana down. I stared at the spot with wide eyes as my entire body froze. The deafening cry of lightning still had my ears ringing as I stared at the scorched field.

I… did it.

I fucking did it!

“He did it!” Rudy shouted suddenly. “Now it’s my turn!”

I turned to him with a glare. This was my moment! I had spent years grinding for this!

I watched as he came out of the earth dome and walked out casually. He stopped at me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Nice job, I knew you’d get it down sooner or later.”

I paused as my negative feelings dissipated.

“… Thanks man, good luck.” I offered with a small smile before making my way over to the dome. Sometimes I forget that it’s not Rudeus’ fault that he happens to be better than me in magic, and even though he was an asshole when we were younger, he doesn’t hold the same animosity toward me that he once did.

“I can’t believe you managed to control lightning!” Eris beamed at me as I entered the dome.

“Me either…” I rubbed the back of my head. “I had been trying for so long that I almost gave up… but today I finally did it!”

“You should be proud, very few people can do what you just did. Congrats on your promotion, for whatever that’s worth.” Ghislaine smiled and placed a hand on my head. I returned her smile and mentally pat myself on the back.

She was right… I’m a King Class Water Mage now!

Fuck yeah, I’m built different!

It was only a matter of time before I was promoted to Sword King as well, and all before my tenth birthday!

The future was looking brighter now than ever!

I turned to Rudeus who was adding more fuel to the storm I had already created and I deadpanned at his back.

He was trying to make his strike bigger and more powerful than mine… wasn’t he?

Fucking brothers.

A fond smile slowly grew on my lips. Even though he was a bit of an asshole, I was happy to have a brother like him.

“Something’s wrong.” Ghislaine whispered quietly.

I locked my eyes on her and noticed she had pulled down her eye patch to reveal her green glowing magic eye. It was a rare sight, one I had only seen twice before now. I knew her magic eye had the ability of viewing one’s mana and just mana in general, but not much else since she didn’t go too in depth in its abilities.

“What’s wrong, Ghislaine?” I asked with narrowed eyes.

“There’s a large collection of mana gathering in the sky…”

A collection of mana?

I looked back toward Roa and remembered the big black ball that was hovering above the place. I hadn’t really noted much about it since Philip had once told us not to worry about it, but Ghislaine had once used her magic eye on it and she said it was a large collection of mana.

Could… that ball be the source?

“Is the mana moving?” I asked, earning a nod from her. “It is, toward Roa… we should get ba-”

Before Ghislaine could finish her sentence she rushed out of the dome at full speed and unsheathed her blade.

*SHING*

The sound of steel against steel rang out through the field as Ghislaine intercepted a blow between us and Rudeus creating a powerful shockwave that almost sent me flying; it does send Eris to the back of the dome and Rudeus flying in the other direction! Ghislaine rushed forward again and began engaging with a blinding golden light that danced around and fought with her.

Thanks to my Battle Aura, I could keep up with the fight fairly well, enough to make out Ghislaine and a bit of the guy she was fighting. Shit they were slowly getting closer to Rudeus.

The man jumped backward once more and a quiet gasp escaped Eris at the sight of a white masked man with blonde hair. He stared at Ghislaine who was crouched low, ready for another clash before looking at Rudy who was standing in the open wide-eyed a bit behind Ghislaine, then at Eris and I who were still in the dome.

The man was dressed in all white, and just exuded an air of mystery that sent a shiver down my spine.

Worst of all.. he was fast.

I had spent years catching up to Ghislaine and I’ve made very good progress. I’m not quite as fast as her but I can manage to give her a good fight even when she claims to go all out and Ghislaine is never one to lie.

That being said… this guy seems to be just as fast as Ghislaine, if not faster.

The man stopped scanning his face towards each of us and stopped on Ghislaine.

“I am Almanfi the Radiant. By Order of Lord Perugius, I have come to slay the source of this disturbance. Step aside women, if I slay this boy the disturbance may cease.” He ordered her.

My eyes widened at the man of his master… Perugius, one of the heroes who slayed the Demon King Laplace.

Ghislaine straightened up at his words. “I am Sword King Ghislaine, this boy is under the protection of the Boreas Greyrat Family. The disturbance you seek to end is not of his making.”

“You are a Sword King?” The masked man, Almanfi, tilted his head.

“I swear it by my teacher, the Sword God Gal Farion and the honour of the Doldia!” Ghislaine put the blade in front of her and ran a finger along it.

“Very well. If what you say is false Lord Perugius will judge you later.”

“You’re not going to apologise for attacking and nearly killing the boy?!” Ghislaine growled with narrowed eyes.

“Apologise? It’s the boy’s fault for arousing suspicion during such an event.” Almanfi answered with an unmoving posture.

The sky began to rumble and all of our gazes shot up.

The masked man zipped away in a flash of light, utterly teleporting away from us.

I stared at where he was in surprise, and a moment later, a large spout of light erupted from where Roa was. In quick succession, the light began to spread out in all directions, making its way toward us.

Ghislaine immediately grabbed Rudeus and began running towards the dome as the light grew closer to us by the millisecond. I grabbed Eris and tried to make my way out of the dome and toward my master and my brother, but before I could even set a foot outside, the light consumed us.

And darkness welcomed us.

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Beta Reader: @LuluViBritania (FF.N, SB, WN and QQ)/-LuluViB|99th Britannian Emperor(Discord)/ @Dragonboy1 @Basilisk

Author’s Note: I’m getting back into writing Vegeta and Spider, so we’ll see how that goes.