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Eris slammed her hands on the table and stood up, her voice sharp with frustration.
"Why do I even need to learn subtraction, multiplication, and division?! When am I ever going to use this?!"
Rudeus took a deep breath, maintaining his composure as he explained.
"Subtraction is useful when receiving change after buying something."
"Why would I need change when buying things?!"
"..."
"Multiplication helps calculate total needs—for example, if everyone wants two pieces of bread and there are six people here—"
"You can just get bread from the kitchen!"
"..."
"Division is necessary when splitting one hundred silver coins equally among five people—"
Eris slammed her palm on the table again.
"That's exactly what I'm saying! Why does it have to be equal?! Just give everyone a hundred coins each!"
Rudeus felt his throat go dry.
Right… This is the kind of nonsense kids spout when they don't want to study.
He raised his head to argue with the young lady of House Boreas but froze.
Her glare was intense—a hunter's gaze.
It reminded him of last winter.
The crimson eyes of monsters filling the snowy valley.
The memory made him instinctively glance at Allen, silently pleading for help.
This is hopeless. I can't hit her, I can't scold her, and if I say the wrong thing, I might get hunted down by Eris at night.
Time to call in reinforcements.
Allen the Problem-Solver will handle this.
Allen had been lounging with his arms crossed, watching the scene unfold. When all eyes suddenly turned to him, he blinked, then shifted his gaze to Ghislaine, who was quietly admiring her own test results with a satisfied smirk.
In the original timeline, Ghislaine had been instrumental in convincing Eris to study arithmetic. Back then, Rudeus had resorted to fake crying with water magic to gain her sympathy—an embarrassing but effective tactic.
But now?
Allen glanced at Rudeus, who was tugging at his hair in frustration.
No way Rudeus would pull that stunt again in this timeline—he's too proud for that.
Ghislaine's speech was legendary, but I don't remember the exact wording. And honestly, it's too outrageous for me to say myself…
Best to let Ghislaine deliver it naturally.
But I'll need to nudge her in the right direction.
Alright, let's do this.
"Ghislaine, your arithmetic seems much better than Eris'. Do you have any tips? Mind sharing?"
Ghislaine perked up at the compliment. Though her face remained stoic, her tail swished violently through the air, betraying her excitement.
She looked at Allen, her expression turning thoughtful, then began with a line that carried undeniable weight.
"Once, my world was only the sword."
As expected, Eris immediately locked onto Ghislaine's words, her eyes sparkling with interest.
"When I was an adventurer, others handled everything else. My only duty was to grip my blade."
"Draw it."
"Swing it."
"Slay the monsters."
"No further thought was needed."
"It was simple."
Allen raised an eyebrow.
This wasn't in the original story… but it carries the essence of the Sword God style. Especially fitting for someone who's mastered the North God's techniques.
The realism of this world never fails to impress.
Ghislaine's gaze flickered toward Rudeus.
"Even after joining the Black Wolf Fang, nothing changed. Paul, Zenith, and Geese handled everything—equipment, food, supplies, contracts, maps, signs, even how much a full waterskin weighed or how to preserve fire… I never paid it any mind. But seven years ago, when Paul and Zenith retired and the Black Wolf Fang disbanded… I encountered a serious problem."
She paused, staring at her own hand with a grim expression.
"For a swordsman, the act of swinging a blade is simple. But when I ventured into dungeons alone, I realized that the foundation of an adventurer isn't just the sword in your hand."
"Then what is it?!" Eris shouted, leaning forward eagerly.
The others were equally captivated. Ghislaine's words, paired with her solemn demeanor, carried an undeniable gravity.
Ghislaine looked at them, silent for a moment, before finally speaking.
"Uh…"
The group leaned in further, waiting for her next words.
"I can't really explain it… but arithmetic is important."
SLAP!
Allen's palm met his face. The three younger kids looked confused, while Edna—who had been quietly observing—remained unfazed, as if she had expected this.
Ghislaine shot Allen a puzzled glance before continuing.
"I might not be good at explaining, but I can give an example."
"Take Rudeus' division problem. In dungeons, things get dangerous. Supplies get lost or damaged during fights, so you have to ration what's left based on how many days you have left to survive."
Her expression darkened as if recalling a painful memory.
"Normally, someone else would handle this. But when I was alone… because I couldn't do the math, I messed up the rationing and ate all my food in the first two days."
"Then what happened?!" Eris demanded, her excitement returning.
"For the next three days… I had nothing. No water, no food. Just as I was about to starve… I smelled something."
"A smell?!" Rudeus and Eris echoed in unison.
Allen covered his face again.
Ghislaine's voice remained flat.
"That's when I learned… when you're starving, even monster dung smells good."
Silence.
Sylphie and Rudeus turned pale.
Eris, however, had stars in her eyes.
"Why?!"
Ghislaine met her gaze.
"Because…"
"They eat humans."
"The undigested flesh, when crushed…"
Her tone was eerily calm, but Eris' grin vanished instantly.
"Smells delicious."
"And tastes…"
"Just as good."
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 190 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 50 power stones I will publish the next chapter.