Ch.16 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

— Law Greyrat (One Year and Eight Months Later) —

I watched the battle unfold with crossed arms. Eris was dropped down in a low stance as she prepared to rush the Sword King.

I side-eyed Rudeus to see him locked onto the battle with a focused gaze.

Just as my eyes returned to the battle, Eris rushed forward, wooden sword drawn back as she tried to slash at Ghislaine’s head.

Ghislaine easily blocked the attack without even moving any part of her body besides her arm, and by extension the wooden blade in her grasp.

Eris swung her body around and used that momentum to follow up with a counter attack, aiming to slash at Ghislaine’s hip. This time instead of blocking the attack, Ghislaine gave Eris a light kick that pushed her a few metres away.

The red-haired girl dug her feet into the dirt, slowing herself and regaining her balance. Narrowed red eyes studied her opponent as she drew her blade back again.

Ghislaine watched Eris with curious patience. I knew the beastwoman enough to know that she wouldn’t talk and steal Eris’ attention away from her mid fight.

After a few seconds, Eris rushed forward again, but this time as she got closer to Ghislaine, she attempted to slash at the Sword King’s leg.

Ghislaine blocked it with ease, but I could tell there was a moment of pause that had come with her. Eris’ attack was too slow and easy to block because of her slow attack, but something about the way Ghislaine had blocked the attack told me that she hadn’t expected Eris to attack her leg.

And why would she? Eris rarely ever attacked anywhere below the waist, or she usually didn’t, not until she had become more proficient in North God Style.

Eris continued throwing slashes out at Ghislaine but was blocked each time, and I could see the older woman was now studying Eris.

After a few seconds of predictable attack, Ghislaine parried Eris’ final strike, knocking the wooden blade out of her hand and ending the spar.

“North God Style huh?” Ghislaine brought the sword up to rest on her shoulders while the other hand fell on her hip.

Eris frowned at how easily she had been defeated and dropped her head.

“Keep your head up, you did good, Eris.” Ghislaine praised. Eris looked up at Ghislaine with wide eyes that quickly filled with sparkles as a bright blush and

a wide grin worked its way on her face.

“Mmm!” Eris nodded before turning to look at me with the same excitement.

I offered her a kind smile, which only made her grin grow even more.

After the year and some months since I started aiding in Eris’ training, she has improved greatly.

Before she was only a mere beginner in Sword God Style, and could barely even be called a beginner in the other two, but now she had managed to become Intermediate in both Sword God and North God Styles.

Her understanding of Water God was limited because it just wasn’t the way she liked to fight, so I didn’t even attempt to teach her anything beyond a couple counters.

“You know, you got pretty close.” Ghislaine admitted suddenly, stealing our attention.

Eris blinked and tilted her head. “Close?”

“To hitting me.” Ghislaine placed her hands on her hips with a smile as Eris’ eyes widened. The red-haired girl beamed at Ghislaine and practically bounced with joy.

“Really?!”

“Mmm.” The beastwoman nodded.

I watched the girl run over to Ghislaine and demand the beastwoman explain further. Ghislaine obliged and began telling Eris about her use of North God Style, had completely diverged from her normal attack pattern and momentarily surprised Ghislaine.

I could tell Ghislaine was just trying to make Eris feel better, because while Ghislaine may have been surprised by the sudden use of North God techniques, she was fast and strong enough to counter it immediately.

Though, had Eris been Saint Level in regards to strength and speed, maybe it would have gotten a different result?

If Ghislaine was holding back… maybe, but even then I’m not certain.

After that night when Ghislaine had come to help us, I got a look at just what she was capable of, and I understood that at the time I was nowhere near her level.

Even now, as a Sword Saint, I can’t even give her a fight. Not if she gets serious.

“Are you going to have a turn?” Rudeus questioned beside me, and I pondered for a moment.

A part of me wanted to test myself again, but another part of me didn’t want to get smacked around again.

Eventually I let out a sigh and stepped forward.

What’s the saying again?

… No pain no gain. If I wanted to grow strong enough to challenge a monster with a blade like Ghislaine was, I’d have to keep fighting her and learning from my mistakes.

I stepped toward where Eris and Ghislaine had previously been fighting and picked up the wooden sword Eris had been using.

Ghislaine noticed my movement and gave me a nod of understanding as she walked over to her own wooden blade and picked it back up.

“You two are fighting now?!” Eris asked, and I could practically see the sparkles in her eyes. The girl was a diehard swordswoman, and as much as she liked to train and grow, she enjoyed watching two powerful people clash just as much, because it motivated her even further.

“Yeah, I don’t intend to stand on the side lines forever, Eris.” I eyed the beastwoman who offered a small smile as she lowered her stance.

I mimicked her action and eyed her legs.

In my time sparring with Ghislaine, I had learned the hard way that I was nowhere near her level of speed and strength. So whenever we fought, I had made a habit to watch her legs. My eyes could perceive some of her movements, but my body lacked the speed to counter them.

Wherever her legs moved, she moved, and if I could keep track of her legs, I could potentially avoid getting dominated in our sparring matches.

Ghislaine patiently waited for me to make a move and start the spar.

With no real plan in mind besides testing myself, I let my Battle Aura surround me and dug my feet into the dirt.

*FWOOOSH*

I blasted off, kicking up dirt as I rushed the Sword King. Ghislaine planted her powerful legs down hard as our blades collided. Neither of us locked the clash, instead we threw out powerful slashes and met in the middle over and over again.

I blasted backward, fully understanding that a match of power wasn’t one I’d be leaving any impression on, and just as expected, Ghislaine rushed forward, not giving me any room to breathe.

I blocked her attack, as my feet planted on the ground, and immediately jumped back once more, blocking her attacks as she followed me.

Sword God Style would never work in a fight against a Sword God Sword King, and unlike Eris, I couldn’t catch Ghislaine off guard by suddenly using North and Water God Styles. But in all honesty, they were my only hope at making this fight look somewhat close.

I held my hand out as I jumped backward again, and just as expected, Ghislaine rushed forward, aiming to slash at my neck.

A strained grin came to my lips as I used magic to turn the earth beneath her feet into mud. Her feet sunk into it, and there was a split moment of surprise.

That’s all I would get. This is my chance!

The moment my feet touched solid ground, I rushed forward and threw a slash at Ghislaine’s body. Even with her feet submerged, her Battle Aura allowed her to move freely and she easily put up her blade to block the attack.

My grin grew wider as I feigned the attack and twisted my body to her other side. As I did, my free hand placed just in front of my stomach began to gather mana and a ball of water was formed.

As my blade was going to slash her other side, I launched the water ball, giving her two attacks to worry about.

Ghislaine brought her blade to her other side and parried my attack with speed and grace, all the while slashing through the water ball in one quick movement.

Her counter knocked me off balance, which was the result I had expected in the first place.

As I fell back, I rolled backwards and pushed myself away before landing several metres from her.

I wasted no time gathering my Battle Aura for my closing move. Winning was impossible, but everything had led up to this one moment!

I brought my blade to my side as I gathered up all my Battle Aura and focused my entire will in this one attack. This was my make or break moment, and the only attack that could even have a chance at hitting a powerful Sword King like Ghislaine!

Longsword of Light!

I blasted forward at a speed I had not yet reached for the entirety of this fight, and within a fraction of a second, was swinging my blade toward Ghislaine who was already moving.

An impressed grin came to her lips as she reacted in an instant.

*BANG*

My face twisted in pain as her wooden blade slammed against my wrists hard. The pain forced me to drop my wooden sword and hobble away, all while trying my best not to tear up and scream.

“Light Reversal!” I grit my teeth as I dropped to my knees.

“Sorry about that, but when you break out a technique like that, you gotta be prepared to face it.” Ghislaine placed her sword over her shoulders as she looked down at me writhing in pain.

Why the fuck did I even decide to use Longsword of Light against her?! She’s so much faster, I should have expected her to counter mine with hers.

Fuck!

I checked my wrists and could see that they had gone red from the impact, and the pulsating pain told me they’d be swollen soon.

I couldn’t even imagine fighting a monster like Ghislaine with real swords, a fight like that between us would end faster than I’d like to admit.

“That was so cool!” Eris shouted with sparkles in her eyes as she ran over to us. Rudeus casually walked over, though as hard as he tried, he couldn’t hide how impressed he was.

“It was, I could barely follow your movements.” Rudeus admitted before looking down at me. “Are you alright, brother?”

“I still have my hands.” I offered the older boy an appreciative smile. “So yes, I think I’ll manage fine.”

“Good, now stand.” Ghislaine said/ordered. I knew she didn’t mean it as an order, she was just very direct with how she spoke.

I stood up and cringed at the sight of bruises on my wrists. The others quickly noticed my injuries as well, but I didn’t allow them to see for too long as a green glow came over my hands.

Within a couple of seconds, the glow faded and my hands looked as good as new.

“Why didn’t you heal that sooner?” Rudeus asked with a raised brow and a slightly concerned look.

I looked down at my healed wrists and clenched my fists. “There is no greater teacher than pain.” I said after a moment of silence. My words got their attention as they all looked at me with varying expressions. “I made a stupid mistake and deserved to feel that pain as punishment, and remembering that pain will help me avoid making the same mistake again and potentially losing my hands.”

“Hm, not bad.” Ghislaine admitted with a hum. “Back in our adventuring days, when our group would go into dangerous jobs, I’d run in and kill whatever we had to kill, and I wouldn’t think twice about it, because I knew Zenith would always be there to heal us. I did that so much that when our group split up, I had forgotten how to fight without a party and a healer.”

All of us listened closely as Ghislaine spoke, especially Eris who was taking in every word as if they were holy scripture.

“Zenith would be proud of you, kid, I can tell you that much.” Ghislaine finished as she placed a hand on my head and smiled fondly, and my eyes widened at her genuine show of affection. Suddenly her smile began to fade as her eyes narrowed. “Or maybe not, there’s too much Paul in you, and you two fight the same too. She’d probably be more worried than proud now that I think about it.”

I gave the tan-skinned woman a wry smile as she stopped patting my head and handed her wooden sword to Rudeus.

“I’m done for the day, find something to keep yourselves busy, yeah?” Ghislaine said before walking into the mansion, leaving the three of us out in the courtyard.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Rudeus eyed the wooden sword in his hands.

“Maybe give sword training another shot?” I offered him a teasing wink and frowned when he rolled his eyes.

“Why bother? I obviously don’t have much potential for it.” Rudeus waved his hand in front of him.

I placed my hand on my hips as my frown deepened. “Well, I didn’t have as much potential as you in Magic, but look at me now.”

“You’re not hearing me.” Rudy shook his head. “You have great potential in Magic, even if you’ll never be as good as me.” Rudeus offered a teasing wink before he continued. “But in swordsmanship, I’m horrible. Even Father said that I just didn’t have the feeling for it.”

I deadpanned at my older brother. “You’re going to let Father decide what you are and aren’t good at? Really Rudy?”

“No, I took his words under advisement, it was I who decided that I wasn’t good with the blade.” Rudy clarified.

“You sound like a quitter to me.” Eris tilted her head with a thoughtful expression.

“Eh?” Rudy scratched the back of his head. “I’m not a quitter. I’ve just devoted my energy to magic.” Rudeus argued.

“You tell yourself whatever you need to so you can sleep at night.” I shrugged.

“Rudeus is so lazy, it must be tough being the hard-working brother.” Eris looked at me with a smug smile and I let out an exaggerated sigh.

“You have no idea, Eris.”

“You’re both messing with me, aren’t you?” Rudeus narrowed his eyes and both of us acted like we hadn’t heard him. I walked over to my wooden blade and handed it to him before whistling as Eris and I walked into the mansion, leaving him to put the practice swords away.

The rest of my day was spent following Eris around, as I usually do.

I followed her to her classes on noblewoman etiquette, which was always a fun scene to watch, especially when Eris stormed out only for Philip to hear and usher her back in.

Then I followed her to dinner where Sauros, Philip, Hilda, and Eris all sat and ate their fill while Ghislaine and I stood behind them.

In the time we have spent at the Boreas Family, I’ve gotten quite a lot closer to Sauros and Philip. Mainly Philip though since he’s much easier to please.

Thanks to the time Eris spent with Sauros and Hilda, there were times when Philip took me aside and actually started telling me stories of his past with Paul before my father decided to emancipate himself and run away to become an adventurer.

They were practically inseparable. Two brats that complimented each other greatly.

Philip was the brains to Paul’s brawn, and though Philip had been born with a weaker body than most, Paul hadn’t discriminated against him for it.

The more Philip told me, the more I realised how chill of a guy he is, and honestly, his life didn’t seem much different from my old life.

Weak body, harsh parents with great expectations… I wonder, if I had a brother in my past life, would I have turned out more like Philip?

I honestly think so.

With Philip telling me more and more about his life and past, he also mentioned his sons, two boys he had with Hilda. One of them was older than Eris while the other was younger.

Both of them were taken away from their parents at a young age to go live with Philip’s older brother, which obviously generated some clear hatred between the two houses.

It also explains why Hilda doesn’t like Rudeus or I to this day. We can live in her home, but her own sons can’t… I can see her pain, even if I don’t understand it.

“Eris.” Philip suddenly spoke up at the table, stealing everyone’s attention, and I didn’t miss how Sauros narrowed his eyes.

“Yes, Father?” Eris stopped eating and tilted her head.

“Your tenth birthday is only a couple months away now. Tell me, how has your etiquette developed?” Philip folded his hands together and smiled slightly at his daughter.

Eris began fiddling with her fingers as her face grew red.

Philip let out a sigh, his daughter's mannerisms giving him the answer to his question.

“Eris, you are my daughter. A proud Boreas Greyrat, and as such, things are expected of you.”

“But Father!” Eris stood up and shouted out suddenly before realising who she was talking to. She slowly sat back down and her face grew ever more red as she continued. “I… don’t like it.”

“By “it”, you mean your classes?” Philip asked with a frown, earning a slow nod from his daughter. Another sigh escaped Philip as he sent a quick glance at Sauros who crossed his arms and gave Philip a stern look.

“Eris, you must focus on your classes and show your guests how great you are! This is your duty as my granddaughter!” Sauros said in a loud tone, and slowly Eris nodded.

That was one of the first times I had ever seen Sauros force Eris to do something she didn’t want to. Eris is incredibly spoiled by her grandfather, so the way Sauros is treating her now is a new development.

Well it’s for a good reason, so I can understand.

The rest of the dinner was eaten in silence until Sauros eventually got up and left without a word. With the older man gone, Philip gave his daughter an encouraging glance before he got up and departed with Hilda who glared at me on the way out. Ghislaine followed those two, leaving Eris and I alone.

“… Why can’t I just focus on sword training? I don’t like those frilly dresses, or playing harps, or even dancing.” Eris mumbled to herself but I heard her clearly.

“It’s your duty.” I said from behind which brought pause to her. Eris turned around and looked at me with a frown and intense eyes, and I just looked back with a small smile.

Eventually she turned her head away, hiding her rosy cheeks, and stood up.

“I’m tired!” She shouted before walking away and I just shook my head, stifling my chuckles as I followed her.

I did as my duty demanded of me and escorted Eris to her room and wished her a good night before heading to mine.

When I opened the door, I deadpanned at the sight of Rudeus standing on my bed with his arms crossed.

“May I help you?” I asked with not even an ounce of emotion on my face.

“No, but I can help you~!” Rudeus winked and jumped up before dropping his ass on my bed. The impact made him bounce slightly but in half a second he was sitting smugly on my bed.

“… Alright, go ahead.” I gave up and walked forward. I wasn’t gonna get him out of my room until he was satisfied with whatever the hell he was doing, so I may as well let him have his fun.

“I’m glad you’re such an understanding brother.” Rudeus cooed as he smirked slyly at me and poked my cheek.

“Don’t push it.” I narrowed my eyes and he quickly pulled his finger away with a laugh.

“And I thought Eris was the tsundere.” Rudeus put his hand in front of his mouth, hiding his goofy smile that reached his eyes.

“So tell me!” I demanded and Rudeus put his hands in front of him as if to calm me down.

“Alright, alright, you don’t have to be so hostile.” Rudeus laid back and patted the spot next to him.

I stared at him for a few seconds before I sighed and laid back with my arms behind my head.

“I managed to get some information that you may want to hear.” Rudeus finally said, but I wasn’t too curious about what he was talking about since he still sounded way too goofy to be serious.

“And this information is?” I raised a brow.

Rudeus slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope that he waved around for a bit.

I narrowed my eyes at the envelope, trying to read it, and when I managed to, my eyes widened.

I immediately snatched the envelope away thanks to my superior speed and stared at it more closely.

To: Law Greyrat, Citadel of Roa, Fittoa Region, Asura Kingdom.

From: Roxy Migurdia, Capital of Shirone, Shirone Kingdom.

I gripped the envelope tighter in my hands as anger began to fuel me. I shot a glare at Rudeus who was holding his hands up in defence.

“The letters came while you were at dinner with the Boreas Family, I couldn’t just barge in there and tell you about it.” Rudeus spoke quickly in an attempt to calm me down, and I worked.

The guy knows how to get out of trouble.

I blinked as I remembered something he just said.

“Letters?” I raised a brow, and he reached into his pocket and waved his letter in front of me.

“I got one too. Roxy also gave me a book on the Demon Language because I asked her for it last time I wrote.”

“That’s… pretty cool.” I admitted with a smile. Rudeus nodded, agreeing with me before he gestured to my letter.

I eyed the letter in my hand and thought about the blue-haired woman who taught us the beauty and power of magic, among other things.

The first stranger who showed me love and care, outside of their responsibility.

Zenith and Paul did it because they are our parents, and at the time, Lilia didn’t show us love, she just did her job.

Roxy was the first to come into our home and act like a member of our family because she wanted to.

I wasted no more time opening the envelope and pulling out the paper within. I smiled at the sight of Roxy’s handwriting, and the joy of receiving a letter made me disregard the fact that Rudy had received a gift from our master and I hadn’t.

—

Dear Law

It’s been quite some time since we last wrote, hasn’t it? A year at the time of writing this letter, if I’m not mistaken.

How have you been? I was glad to hear about you and Rudeus finding work. Both of you are so exceptionally talented, I was hardly surprised when you both last wrote to me.

Rudeus tells me you’ve been making progress in furthering your mastery over Water Magic. I hadn't expected you to choose water as your main focus, but I can’t say I’m disappointed. Water Magic is incredibly versatile and useful in a plethora of situations, and I look forward to seeing how far you can develop it.

I can already see your frown because I haven’t mentioned what I’m doing. My time in the Shirone Kingdom has been amazing, and I’ve recently found a new student to tutor. Even better, he’s a prince-

—

I paused in my reading to clench the paper in my hand as anger flooded me. Rudeus looked over my shoulder at my letter and I watched as his eyes narrowed.

“She told you about the Prince too.” He asked, though his words didn’t come out as a question.

“He dies.” I clenched the paper a bit tighter and earned a nod of agreement from Rudeus.

“We cannot allow such filth to taint our glorious goddess!” Rudeus stood up on my bed again and declared as if he had been showered by the grace of God.

I rolled my eyes at him and turned my attention back to the letter.

—

-prince! He’s not as talented as you or Rudeus in Magic, but like Rudeus he has an inclination toward women.

I’ve come to appreciate my time in this kingdom. The maids are kind and the knights are as well. The king has offered me extra work and has ensured I am compensated for it, which I’m quite thankful for!

I won’t waste your time too much. I was happy to read your last letters, and was a bit upset to not receive any for so long. Do your best in your job and become a great swordsman. Don’t forget about Magic though! It can save your life one day!

Until we meet again, Roxy

—

The prince dies for sure.

“A perverted prince,” I said as I gently placed the paper down.

“Yeah, but Roxy doesn’t seem to like him much.” Rudeus admitted.

“How would you know that?” I tilted my head and he shook his letter in front of me again. “Can I read it?”

“Sure, give me yours.” Rudeus demanded and we swapped letters.

I read the letter pretty fast, and as I did, I noticed that the contents were that different. She just wishes Rudeus more luck on his magic and urged him to attend Ranoa as soon as he has the tuition for it.!

She didn’t even speak much on her promotion to King Level in Water Magic but she achieved it a while ago, around two years ago, so I’m not too surprised she didn’t bring it up.

I gave Rudy back his letter as he handed me mine, and I took one last appreciative glance at it before putting it back in the envelope and placing it on my nightstand.

I wanted to see Roxy again and tell her about every single one of my experiences when I did, but I knew years would pass before that day would come.

All I can do now is lock in on my magical growth and my swordsmanship and get both to the highest they can possibly go.

The last thing I wanted was to die without reaching my maximum potential.

… Not again.

“Are you alright?” Rudeus questioned with concerned eyes.

I quickly snapped back to reality and let out a nervous laugh.

“Yeah, everything is fine. Don’t worry about me. I think I’m just tired.”

Rudy stared at me for several seconds before standing up.

“Then get some rest, but talk to me if you need to. I’m always here.”

I appreciated his words and gave him a thankful smile.

“I know. Thanks, Rudy. Goodnight.”

“Night.” He waved as he left the room and closed the door behind him.

I laid back in my bed and looked up at the ceiling.

Roxy has been hyping up Ranoa, and we’re here working to gather tuition money for Rudy, Sylphy, and me… but I can’t help but wonder—will it be worth it?

I hope so, and I can’t wait to see.

— Chapter End —

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

Author’s Note: These chapters are starting to blend together as I post them.