Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and the Romance System [126]

“Eris!!”

“Yes!!”

Two voices rang out one after another—one old, one young—clearly only a short distance apart, but shouting as if they were separated by dozens of meters. The sudden outburst pulled Hilda’s drifting thoughts back to the dining table.

Turning his head, Sauros looked at Eris and finally broke into a smile.

“This morning was the first tutoring session with the new teachers. Edna mentioned that when she brought snacks over with the servants, she saw you working very hard. Not bad!”

“Yes, Grandpa! I was really working hard!!”

At the twitch of Rudeus’s mouth, Sauros raised his thick brows in satisfaction.

“Oh? That’s rare. I thought for sure you’d scare them off.”

Hearing that, Eris arched her brows in response—she really was carved from the same mold as Sauros. With a proud grin, she declared loudly:

“Nope! Why would I hit them? I like Allen and Sylphy! I even learned to write Ghislaine’s name in reading class today!”

As Eris’s triumphant tone faded, Sauros’s expression briefly stiffened in surprise. He shot a glance across the table at the three young “tutors.”

“Reading and writing? You learned to write Ghislaine’s name?”

“Yes!”

Feeling the weight of that skeptical look, Rudeus suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Teaching Eris to write a single name in two hours hardly made him seem like a competent tutor.

Panic bloomed.

Would he be dismissed?

Allen, due to his status, definitely wouldn’t be. Sylphy was clearly adored by the young lady, so she was safe too.

Which meant—

Would he be the only one getting sent back to Buena Village in disgrace?

What would Paul say?

Surely no father would mock his own son in such a low moment… right?

Well, most fathers wouldn’t.

But Paul?

He totally would. He absolutely would.

Rudeus instantly spiraled into panic, about to open his mouth to salvage the situation—

Only to hear Sauros speak again.

His voice, unexpectedly cheerful, carried unmistakable warmth and fondness.

“Oh-ho~ Little Eris is amazing!!”

Rudeus looked up, stunned.

Sauros’s face had melted into a wrinkled blossom of a smile. The stern, commanding presence from moments ago had vanished, replaced by the kindly expression of a doting grandfather.

So… he wasn’t upset?

Wait a second—who was that guy just now?

Where had the fierce, no-nonsense lord gone??

As Rudeus’s expression shifted rapidly, Sauros reached out and patted Eris on the head.

“Anything else?”

“I also learned division!”

This time even Philip couldn’t keep his composure. His perpetually half-lidded eyes flew open as he stared at Eris in shock.

“Division?”

“Yep! One divided by two equals one-half!”

Hearing a fraction come out of Eris’s mouth, Sauros let out an admiring “Oh!”

“Not bad! Seems like Philip’s previous education plans were total nonsense. Bringing in kids her own age is clearly much more effective.”

Caught in the crossfire, Philip could only offer a wry smile.

“…Yes, Father.”

In that moment, whether it was the satisfaction of personally cutting off Darius’s clawed hand earlier, or the pride of witnessing Eris’s progress, Sauros was in excellent spirits. He kept nodding at her with a broad smile.

Then, a curious gleam flashed through his eyes.

“Did you properly thank your new tutors?”

Eris’s smug expression vanished in an instant. Her face stiffened.

“Huh? Do I have to thank them for that?”

Sauros’s smile evaporated. He deliberately furrowed his brow.

“What do you mean, ‘for that’? Is that the kind of thing you say to the people teaching you arithmetic and literacy?”

“I—”

“Hmm?”

“…Ugh…”

Eris let out a low, growly sound, almost like a cub refusing to submit. She looked straight at the three sitting across the table, her eyes landing on Allen, then Rudeus, then Sylphy. Her cheeks flushed deeper by the second, her expression a tangle of awkwardness, embarrassment, and wounded pride.

Hilda reached out and gently stroked Eris’s hair. Glancing at Sauros and Philip—both staring at Eris expectantly—she looked a bit helpless but said nothing.

Rudeus and Sylphy, meanwhile, were completely baffled by this absurd sequence of events. Praise one second, a scolding the next—

What was the goal here?

But next to them, the always-composed Allen suddenly jolted and lifted his head, staring intently at Eris.

Wait a second—

In front of everyone, Eris sat stiffly in her chair, her face a mix of 70% humiliation, 20% inner conflict, and 10%—just barely—shyness. Slowly, she raised her hands, and her fiery red hair slipped down through her fingers.

Her breathing turned shallow.

Her fingers trembled.

Then her eyes darted left and right. In a flash, she let go of her braids, leapt down from her chair, and executed a flawless curtsey straight out of a noble etiquette manual.

“Thank you all!”

Then she jumped right back into her seat.

In an instant, she reverted to her smug, confident self, as if completely satisfied with this last-minute save.

They say math sharpens the mind—and perhaps there was truth to that.

After just two hours of “high-pressure” tutoring, she’d already learned how to strategically sidestep embarrassment and choose a more “appropriate” method of expressing gratitude.

Even if… it wasn’t exactly the result Sauros had hoped for.

A moment of silence.

Three simultaneous sighs echoed through the room.

From Allen, Philip, and Sauros—three generations of Boreas men. After exchanging glances, they each saw the same sense of resignation reflected in the others’ eyes.

At that moment, Allen finally understood.

In the original story, it wasn’t just that Sauros and Philip recognized Rudeus’s potential and wanted to win him over. That whole “Please teach Eris magic, meow~!” scene wasn’t purely strategic.

No—

These two fathers and grandfathers just wanted to see it happen.

How did Allen know?

Because the same instinct stirred within him too, deep in his blood. That overwhelming urge—the combination of a cute little sister/daughter/granddaughter and beastgirl expressions—

For any direct male descendant of the Boreas family, it was an irresistible temptation.

As expected, Sauros let out another languid sigh. But this time, he cast Allen a very subtle sidelong glance.

“Well then, since Eris has properly thanked her tutors, let’s eat!”

Under the table, Allen gave a dazed Rudeus—still stunned that the young lady even knew how to say thank you—a quiet pat before picking up his spoon and stirring his wild-vegetable soup.

He avoided Hilda’s probing gaze.

Lunch ended swiftly.

As soon as he finished eating, Sauros bolted out of the room in his usual whirlwind fashion, with no regard whatsoever for dining etiquette.

Afterward, thanks to Eris’s determined dragging, Ghislaine was successfully brought to the table for her meal as well.

A storm of eating later—

Meal over.

Allen, Rudeus, and Sylphy offered their thanks to Philip and Hilda in turn as they prepared to leave.

“Young Master, Madam—thank you for your hospitality.”

A chorus of farewells followed.

Philip, as always, nodded and smiled in reply.

But Hilda stood frozen for a moment.

Curly brown hair.

Dark gray eyes.

The unmistakable bloodline of the Boreas family.

Just a half-hour lunch, yet—

Her thoughts felt as light as the wind.

As if her hand, brushing through clouds, had almost grasped something…

But when Allen turned away, saying that single word—“Madam”—and walked off,

She was pulled straight back to solid ground.

Right then,

She realized—

Maybe she hadn’t grabbed anything at all.

Footsteps faded into the distance.

The dining room doors slowly closed under the hand of a maid.

The warm light of the dining room was gradually cut off from the dim hallway.

Only a narrow sliver of space remained to connect the two.

In that fleeting moment,

Someone turned back.

Red-brown eyes locked for an instant with deep gray ones, slightly dim in the light.

Clack.

The door closed with a soft, final thud.

And with it, the sunlight streaming through the window—

Vanished.

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T/N: sadge.................

This is a fan translation of 无职转生：剑，魔法帽与恋爱系统 by 意外火灾 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!