Since the wedding proposal incident, my relationship with Eris hasn't really changed much, thank God. The thing I feared most was that we'd keep awkwardly glancing at each other like in some rom-com.
Well, Eris was actually like that for exactly one day, and then everything went back to normal. She's still the energetic and talkative girl she always was. However, Eris has also started studying more seriously in all subjects, complaining less, and using less violence (except on me). Especially in swordsmanship, it seems Eris is genuinely serious about defeating me when we both grow up.
To the point where Eris herself requested extra private lessons with Ghislaine, encroaching on the time Rudeus was supposed to teach. But since Eris has made leaps and bounds in progress and Rudeus himself wanted some extra private time, he didn't mind losing the hours.
Ms. Edna also agreed and even seemed very enthusiastic about shipping me and Eris together. Although half of her teaching hours were cut, Edna was still very happy because she truly believed this was the way to make Eris happy.
Truly a model wet nurse. If I ever have children, I'll definitely ask Ms. Edna to take care of them, for sure.
Although with the current rate of progress and the nature of the two sword styles, I think Eris defeating me with the Sword God Style seems a bit difficult. But seeing her motivated to practice more makes me quite happy. Especially when the *'Mythical Dancer'* quartet has also started to coordinate better in actual combat.
There was a time when the four of us almost defeated Ghislaine.
Well, I say 'almost,' but all we managed to do was open a path for Rudeus to fire a 'Stone Bullet' that grazed Ghislaine's shoulder. But that was a huge achievement. It shows that all four of us are gradually becoming stronger and more synchronized.
Even though Eris is still the one who breaks formation the most, let's just ignore that.
Speaking of changes on my side, it would definitely be the way the Boreas family treats me.
First of all, as Philip's future son-in-law, I was personally taught by him about the tricks, schemes, and all the chaotic nonsense of the nobility. Like what kind of person someone is, who is trustworthy, who cannot be trusted, who can be exploited, how to find weaknesses, blah blah.
He really wanted to turn me into an old fox, but I decided to only learn them for self-defense. Just like how martial artists in Earth's fiction often say, 'become stronger to protect yourself, not to attack,' something like that. I won't harm anyone if they don't mess with me, it's too troublesome.
Besides that, finance and management were also things Philip constantly drilled into my head. After only three months of instruction, he threw the job of managing the mansion's expenses at me, and just a month later, he threw the task of handling complaints from the city's residents at me too. Luckily, I had Rudeus by my side as an ally, I was able to ask him for help with things like recruiting servants and such, paid of course.
I also returned to studying law, quite fateful, isn't it? As I said, I need to learn how to resolve disputes big and small in Roa as a way to practice being a noble. However, I'm the type who's a bit indecisive, so to me, the law is just a suggestion, sometimes I prefer finding ways to reconcile the parties. And that's also why I often get scolded by Lord Sauros for not being strong enough. So I became a guy who strictly followed the rules, only to be told by Philip that 'being too rigid won't make you loved.'
So annoying. In the end, I decided to do exactly what the observer wanted just to have some peace.
Speaking of Lord Sauros, he didn't spare me either, occasionally dragging me along to survey, inspect, and tour this entire Fittoa territory. Each trip like that cost me a whole month. However, luckily I always brought books along, so besides learning how to become a strong and respectable lord, I didn't forget my studies and sword practice.
Sauros also praised me for having the aptitude to be a lord and more than once plotted 'battle plans' with me on how to destroy Pilemon. Although mostly just for fun, I still saw Lord Sauros being very serious about it.
My grandfather-in-law really hates Pilemon. Probably even more than I hate that brat.
"Um, Lord Sauros." Once during a trip, I asked while we were sitting opposite each other in the carriage.
"Call me Grandfather."
"Yes... Grandfather." Feels awkward as hell to say. "Why do you hate Pilemon so much?"
"Hmph." Sauros didn't answer immediately but sternly set his face, he looked a bit scary at that moment. However, this face is exactly when he is most serious. "Because he is a stupid, cowardly bootlicker who disgraces our Greyrat family."
A very predictable answer. After all, I've heard this somewhere a hundred times already. However, I know perfectly well there's another reason.
"And there is one more reason." Lord Sauros continued. "However, now is not the time for me to tell you about that."
"Yes, I understand."
Actually, I already guessed what it was.
It's actually a rumor about the death of my 'real grandfather' - Lord Amarant. The story goes that when Paul ran away from home, the inheritance fell into Pilemon's hands. However, Pilemon later showed himself to be an incompetent coward, which greatly troubled Amarant. There was a time when he himself ordered Ken to find Paul and bring him back, but before he could be found, Amarant passed away from an illness.
The time from falling ill to passing away was too sudden and the timing too convenient, so many people started suspecting foul play. That's why the Milbotts nobility split into dozens of factions like that.
I'm not sure if Pilemon is low enough to poison his own father. Honestly, I hope it's just a coincidence. Because if it's true, then there really is no justification for that brat anymore.
Let's talk about something happier.
Back to the relationship with the last member of this family I should mention. Overall, it's pretty good.
Good enough that Hilda - Philip's wife - who originally seemed to dislike me and Rudeus because we reminded her of her two sons, now treats me better. Sometimes she would secretly go to the library where I fell asleep studying to cover me with a blanket, sometimes even ordering someone to prepare a snack for days when I forgot to eat.
Although she never showed her face directly, this silent care also shows that I have gained the support of my future mother-in-law.
And I will definitely bring my brothers-in-laws back to you, Mother! I promised myself that as motivation to have a reason to strive to become a model noble.
***
A year just flew by like that, my days of frantic studying and training continued.
My studies under Philip's supervision have started to stabilize, now I can hire people to handle some of my work and just supervise like a true noble. Since I have free time again, I can also devote more time to myself.
Over the past year, my friends have made remarkable progress. First of all, Eris has almost reached the level Advanced-rank swordsman of the Sword God Style. Indeed, it's hard for me to be surprised seeing her progress so miraculously. Ghislaine said that part of the reason is because my future wife is truly serious about defeating me, so she has devoted a lot of effort to becoming stronger.
She still gets beaten by me, so she's still green, hehe.
Even so, Eris no longer shows annoyance or irritation every time she loses to me. Every time she loses, she sees it as the best motivation to continue training.
Honestly, I'm quite proud of that.
Next is Sylphie, she has been able to open up and talk to more people. It's a bit funny that communication skills are what I find most noteworthy about this elf friend. But that's still a very good sign that Sylphie is gradually maturing.
At first, everyone was worried that the city people would openly discriminate against Sylphie, but things weren't that bad.
Well, it's true that initially, there were many whispers. Although the kids in Roa didn't dare to pick a fight, the discriminatory looks still made Sylphie uncomfortable.
Then time passed, and the residents of Roa didn't really mind Sylphie's hair anymore. Thanks to Sylphie's steadfastness and pure kindness, they knew she was just a normal, lovely elf girl. Many shop owners even consider Sylphie a good omen because every time she visits, business booms.
In reality, that's because I hired people to create rumors like that and even hired some 'customers' to fake a 'good omen' effect, but hehe, as long as it works. Sometimes spending a few silver coins to boost your friend's reputation, why not?
Magic is also where Sylphie progresses the fastest. She can now use Advanced-tier magic comfortably and extremely skillfully. And most importantly, Sylphie can use healing magic without chanting.
I know how to use chantless healing magic too, hehe.
Only Rudeus doesn't know, hehe.
Although after being taught a crash course in biology by me, it seems Rudeus still can't use it. So I have a hypothesis that to master the principles of healing magic, besides biological knowledge, you also have to have faith.
That's right, believe in the gods.
I tried to proselytize Rudeus to become a Millis believer, but it was useless, he was too deeply into his own religion of worshipping a panty. So well, whatever.
As for Sylphie's swordsmanship, she also reached Intermediate-tier Sword God Style and started knowing how to use Flow in combat. She now seems to be the most balanced combatant in both melee and ranged in the team.
Ah no, knowing how to use chantless healing spells and such, Sylphie is clearly a versatile super soldier, not just a normal mage anymore.
Meanwhile, regarding Rudeus, he doesn't have as much obvious combat progress as the other two (even though he is still getting stronger daily). For the past year, he has studied things like territory management with me (although Rudeus clearly didn't want to, so he skipped most of it). And Rudeus even started learning languages.
Speaking of languages, that's an interesting topic.
Basically, this world has 6 different types of languages, not just one. They include:
* **Human Tongue:** Used a lot in the Central Continent where I am.
* **Beast God Tongue:** Used in the northern part of the Millis continent.
* **Fighting God Tongue:** Used in the Begaritt continent.
* **Demon God Tongue:** Used in the Demon Continent.
* **Sky God Tongue:** Used in the Divine Continent.
* **Sea God Tongue:** Used by the people under the sea.
Different languages are usually used on a continent and by different races spread across this world. The word 'God' in the languages of the races is originally to call upon the god of a certain continent or culture. Like the Demon Continent calling it Demon God Tongue implies Laplace (probably). Only humans call their language Human Tongue directly.
However, those are just the main languages. Because there are many different races, cultures, and regions, just like food tastes, regional languages are also different. Specifically, even with the Human Tongue, in this central continent, there are three different dialects including Northern, Western, and Southern. Although sharing the same root language and characters, the pronunciation and intonation can be easily recognized almost immediately.
I met a merchant from the south once, I almost thought he was speaking a different language.
At first, I thought it was just different like Kanto and Kansai people, but after researching more carefully, there are more differences than just pronunciation, sometimes some words are completely different. Knowing better, it's like the difference between British English and American English.
And yep, language information is roughly like that. Rudeus really intends to learn all that mess of languages, for real.
His reason is that he wasn't good at foreign languages in his previous life and wants to overcome that weakness in this life. Truly admirable. Also for that reason, I started learning with him and Sylphie.
And after only a year, Rudeus learned the Beast God Tongue under Ghislaine's guidance. While I can barely communicate, not fluent enough to spout poetry like my friend.
What can you do? My study time is less.
In addition, he has also started learning the Demon God Tongue. Thanks to a notebook from his master Roxy, both of us learned that language more easily. It also contains information about the culture of different Demon races. Indeed, learning a language accompanied by culture really helps a lot.
Language-wise, that's it, Rudeus also spends time researching and training his magic. His figurines are becoming more and more exquisite and precise down to every detail. Once, he sold a Roxy figurine for 1 gold coin.
Also for that reason, I had to ask Rudeus to make a few Eris figurines to keep in my room. Of course, I had to pay, I'm rich.
By the way, Rudeus is also an Intermediate-tier Sword God Style swordsman.
That's right, I'm the only one left stuck at Beginner-tier in that sword school, hahaha.
FUCK!!!
***
And that's the summary of my three friends.
In addition, I also know more information about another friend of mine: Isolde.
At this moment, sparring with the royal swordsmen and the disciplines of a Water Emperor there. Surprisingly, she seemed to have met Rudeus's master Roxy there too. Probably because my and Rudeus's letters mentioned those two, so knowing of each other's existence, they struck up a conversation.
Based on the reply letter Rudeus received from Roxy, it seems they have a pretty good relationship. Roxy even taught Isolde a little Water magic.
So my fateful rival has befriended Rudeus's goddess, this continent is truly small, isn't it?
I also wrote a teasing letter to Isolde, but I probably won't get a reply for a few months.
Now back to me. Besides the obligations related to being a noble, I also have certain progress.
First of all, about swordsmanship, I've reached Advanced-tier Water God Style. The days of sparring with Ghislaine and occasionally Paul really helped me increase my defensive ability to a magical level and faster than any forecast. Even my reflexes have caught up with the speed of Ghislaine's Longsword of Light so I can sense to dodge them. Just need to train more speed, and I will be able to completely control that skill if Ghislaine uses Saint-rank strength.
Remember back, I bet with Ken that my debt with him would be reduced by 10 gold coins if I achieved this before age 15. Yet now, at just 10 years old, I've achieved it, hehe. So cool. I'm so cool! Yay me! I'm not a pathetic motherfucker anymore!
Pity that Ken disappeared somewhere so I can't gloat. My bodyguard knight disappears more and more often like that, it's really confusing.
And I can also gradually use Perfect Reverse more comfortably. There was a time I almost reached the 'Perfect' point but missed by a tiny bit in a match with Paul. Although I eventually won that match, with a win rate of only about 10%, I have nothing to be proud of.
And my win rate against Ghislaine is 0%. Sigh...
As for magic, everything seems completely stagnant for me. My mana amount suddenly stopped increasing and has stood still for a few months. I don't really understand why, but Rudeus came to the hypothesis that I have reached the age where I can no longer increase my mana.
So the age where mana stops increasing is around 9. Thinking back, Eris also had a time of increasing mana through training but lost it after only a few months when Rudeus arrived. Usually, people start learning magic seriously around age 10, so that must be why the assumption that mana is a constant originated from there.
It seems Rudeus and I realized something extremely important about magic again. Interesting.
With my current mana amount, I can proudly puff out my chest that I can call myself advantage-rank Fire magician and maybe Water as well somewhere in the future, so it's not too bad.
Also for that reason, Rudeus and Sylphie - two people also nearing 9, the age where it's possible they won't be able to increase mana anymore - focused more on training. Although for Rudeus, that's quite difficult, even if he concentrates on casting spells all day, he still doesn't run out of mana. To the point where I think he must be able to use King or Emperor-tier magic already.
But whenever I mentioned how strong he is, he would be like: "Well, I'm still nowhere near the level of Master Roxy after all." Funny how, I will say the same about Isolde with my swordsmanship.
And Eris seems unhappy whenever I mentioned another girl so I eventually talk less about my fated rival recently.
Besides that, my only progress related to magic lies in the research of magic circles. I found a book analyzing the magic circles of the Protection magic school. That thing was exorbitantly expensive, but thanks to my money, everything was much simpler. However, when trying to apply it to equipment, it was a bit nonsensical because clearly, the function of protection magic is to create an invisible barrier, nothing in, nothing out, so in actual combat, it's quite ridiculous.
Yet I still sold that item for 30 gold coins. The buyer must be very delusional, but whatever.
However, grasping the theory of that school also helped me get an overview of everything about magic. From there, it also helped me draw a few magic circles that I invented myself at beginner and intermediate levels successfully. The most successful was creating a magic called 'Shrapnel Stone Cannon', firing a stone bullet like 'Stone Cannon' then exploding upon reaching a predetermined distance to cause area damage, like a shrapnel shell. So I created a magic that can destroy weak and crowded monsters without using Advanced-tier magic or higher.
In addition, it seems to be the only area-of-effect magic of Earth magic that can be used when attacking flying stuffs, so it will likely be useful later. Besides, imagine the enemy dodging the Stone Cannon and thinking they're safe, then *boom*, it's kinda cool, hehe.
Initially, Rudeus couldn't replicate it with his chantless magic. But after I explained the principle of that magic, he could try it immediately. He could even upgrade its power to a level equal to Advanced-tier magic.
Truly a genius.
But maybe because I've seen this scene too much, I'm too used to it, so there's no reason to act surprised.
"Master Roxy would do it better than me though."
"Oh shut up."
Besides, my researching this more thoroughly is to apply it to magic tools. Using complex magic automatically just by infusing mana without chanting or recreating the feeling of chantless magic is still quite overpowered. For people not too good at magic like me and Eris, it could be used in special cases.
Or simply creating magic scrolls and carrying them along is also quite convenient.
And that's a summary of everything that happened in the past year.
Oh, actually one more thing, we are now D-rank adventurers, everyone!
***
Now it's time for me to turn 10.
Unlike when I was 5 or Eris's recent 10th birthday, it seems my birthday will be held in secret. That's understandable, Philip himself said he would wait until Eris and I are both 15 to organize the wedding for a surprise. However, I have a feeling that some factions, if they paid close attention, probably already know.
Maybe what they fear is publicity?
Thinking about it, that's right. If you do something in secret and haven't publicly announced it clearly, you can still negotiate to appease each other if things go wrong. At most, send assassins to slit each other's throats. But if actions smelling heavily of political moves like this are publicized, it's easy to cause a full-scale conflict between the two sides. From what I know, this seems to be a kind of 'unwritten rule' among nobles. Sometimes even if they dislike each other, they still give hidden messages and leave a way out for both.
That means my betrothal to Eris is not yet 100% confirmed. There is still a possibility that the Notos family or some force reaches an 'agreement' with Lord Sauros and he will withdraw the promise at any time.
Although I think Lord Sauros is not the type to go back on his word, anything can happen in this world. Even so, I will still marry Eris, no matter what happens. Because I already proposed with all my heart after all.
And also because of that, I think I should pay more attention to my future wife. Specifically, going to the kitchen when she is directing the servants to prepare ingredients and asking her out to play, for example.
"Hello Eri, hello Sylphie!" I started by raising my hand to greet them radiantly. "Take a break from preparing my birthday and go play something for a bit?"
And so I got the cold shoulder.
Because it turns out my birthday party was supposed to be a secret, even from me, to create a surprise.
"Sometimes I find you both sophisticated and unsophisticated to a weird degree, Acchan." Rudeus commented honestly when I sought him out to cry.
"Because I didn't know everyone was hiding it from me!"
But since no one told me I shouldn't know, I thought everyone wasn't hiding it. But wait, if it was a secret, how could they tell me? Oh god, my brain hurts!
"In short, if you had told me about this from the beginning, this wouldn't have happened."
"Hey! Why are you blaming me now?" Rudeus immediately objected. "Be a responsible man like you usually say!"
"Ugh..."
Didn't expect a day to be scolded like this, so humiliating.
Thinking about it, is this a realistic marriage scenario? Husband makes wife sulk and then has to coax her. Although watching romcoms back then, I saw many couples like that were cute, but when it's my turn, I find it tiring. But it's true there's also fun in it, right? People say still angry means still caring, hehe.
But anyway, I really have to apologize to Eris.
Actually, that's not that hard. I just have to cook her favorite dish, go to her room, kneel, and strike a Dogeza pose.
Eris will scold me a bunch, and I will just say:
"No need for a surprise, I'm still happy because you put your heart into it."
And so she blushed, punched me once, and stopped being angry. "Hmph! Only good at sweet talk!"
I have to admit, my future wife is quite easy to please and cute. I want to hug and nuzzle that cheek so much!
But if I really do that, I'll probably be killed, so I'll pass. And I also have to keep my promise with Rudeus.
Basically, for the next few days since that day, I was forbidden from going to the kitchen. I don't know the reason, but it seems everyone is plotting something very concerning. Maybe they don't want me to see the shape of the birthday cake? Either way, Rudeus also told me I would have the most memorable birthday of my life, so I patiently waited.
Indeed, I'm also curious about what my birthday gift will be.
If it's a magic wand, great!
It would be even better if it's a magic wand that can be used as a sword!
Although it seems people don't usually integrate Magic Stones or materials that can enhance magic power into swords, do they? I wonder if that's possible.
***
Anyway, my birthday arrived.
I was 'confined' in the library with Rudeus to learn Demon God Tongue together. Although I knew the purpose of this was to stall for everyone to prepare dinner, I didn't want to ruin the atmosphere (since I messed up once).
"I hope you give me a decent magic tool." I asked directly, no beating around the bush.
"The real gift is in the heart, Acchan." Rudy quoted Sylphie with a proud smile, even putting a hand on his chest for extra emotion. "I believe you will like my heart."
Doesn't it sound kinda gay? I don't mind a little bromance, but this might be a bit too much?
"Ah, no homo." Oh good, he still remembers the spell. Phew...
"In that case, whatever you give me, I'll give back something 10 times the value on your birthday." I nodded.
"You should have said that earlier..."
Rudeus seemed to regret his gift. Wait, what the heck is he planning to give me then? Don't tell me it's something abstract like a song or something. I don't want to sing 10 songs!
*Knock knock*
I was about to tease my friend a bit more when there was a knock on the door. It was a rabbit-eared maid, and she announced it was time for dinner. Even though everyone knew I knew about the party, it seemed everyone decided to try to play their roles. So I played along.
***
I went to the dining hall, where I go every day. However, the hall leading there today was quieter than usual, and the sky was darker since it was now autumn.
Thinking back, I've been in this world for 10 years, haven't I? Rudeus has also been here for over 9 years, and we are both on track to have a fairly stable life. If we maintain this for another 10 years, I think both of us will soon overcome the troubles from our past lives and can truly live happily in this world.
Maybe I'll arrange a marriage alliance with Rudeus? If my children keep their parents' swordsmanship skills and Rudeus's child is a magic genius, maybe we'll create an extremely strong superman? But thinking again, letting the kids find love themselves would be better than arranged marriage, right? Hmm...
Ah, thinking nonsense for a while, I finally reached the dining hall.
I took a breath and pushed the door open with Rudeus walking parallel beside me.
The light inside spilled out like a broken dam.
The dining hall tonight was decorated shimmeringly with extremely beautiful silver and gold tones. On the dining table, there were extremely luxurious and delicious-looking dishes enough to make even the richest nobles drool, however, the amount of food only filled half the table very purposefully.
Before I could see clearly what dishes were there, applause and congratulations from the people inside the room rang out. From Lord Sauros, Lord Philip, Lady Hilda, Ghislaine, Butler Alphonse, and a few other servants were there.
"What's going on?" Even though I knew what was going on, to appease Eris as promised a few days ago, I pretended not to remember.
"Happy birthday, Acchan!" Eris in a red dress like a rose immediately stepped up, tilting her head. "Just mentioned it a few days ago and you already forgot! Silly white rat!"
Just acting a little and she's putting on airs, so cute.
"Ah, because I've been thinking about you too much lately, so I forgot."
And so I got punched in the face. "Stop saying those words!"
Maybe I gradually understand Henry better. That friend's problem was never liking being hit, but liking being hit by the person he wanted to be hit by. Even though getting beaten by Eris, I started to feel happy too. Ah, I'm not an M, okay. Absolutely not, M is the type who is happy whoever hits them, I only like being abused by beautiful and cute girls like Eris, completely different.
"Atur! Today is your happy day, so I have an announcement to make!" Suddenly Lord Sauros roared. "From now on, you are 10 years old and can go to battle like I did back then! Starting tomorrow, we will set out together to destroy that brat Pilemon!"
"Father!" Philip immediately stopped him. "You promised not to discuss this!"
"Don't give me that!" Sauros roared again and pointed at me. "The decision is yours, Atur! Just nod and the whole Boreas house will fight with you!"
"Sir! Yes sir!" I immediately played along with a military salute pose. "I will be in the vanguard!"
"GOOD! NOW THAT'S A GREYRAT MAN! GHISLAINE! ALPHONSE! PREPARE THE TROOPS, TOMORROW WE MARCH TO MILBOTTS!"
Of course, this was just a joke, no war broke out. I'm too used to Lord Sauros's temperament, he might be hot-tempered but not stupid enough to suddenly cause a civil war like that.
Even so, I was scolded by Philip the next day for playing along with Lord Sauros.
…
Back to the party, after Lord Sauros was plied with alcohol and stopped talking about starting a war. It seemed that was also when my gifts were ready as Sylphie finally appeared with a nod signaling Rudeus.
"Acchan! Are you curious what surprise we prepared for you?" Eris spoke up with crossed arms, her face very proud.
"Isn't this party a surprise already?" I asked.
"Not one! But two more surprises!" Eris nodded promptly. "Bring it in!"
After Eris's declaration, the dining hall door opened again, four beast-eared maids immediately brought four plates of food in.
Although I anticipated what they were, seeing those things, my heart couldn't help but scream.
**SASHIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!! THANK SAINT MILLIS AND THE GODS! IT'S SASHIMI!!!!**
Not just tuna Sashimi, there were also octopus tentacles, fish roe, and especially soy sauce and wasabi! My tears were already welling up.
"Rudy said you would like these things, so I asked Father and Grandfather to find and buy them." Eris smiled brightly again. "Although I don't know what's so great about eating raw meat-"
"RUDY!" Before Eris could finish, I rushed to Rudeus and hugged him tightly. "Truly, only you in this world understand me best!"
"I told you I understand you best, brother!"
"Brother!"
So we hugged each other jumping up and down for a few minutes before Eris and Ghislaine came to pull the two guys apart.
"Alright! Now for the second surprise!" Eris declared again, looking a bit annoyed because I seemed to like Rudeus's gift a little too much. "I'm sure it will be better than those raw fish!"
"As long as it's Eri's gift, it's naturally the most wonderful thing in the world."
Oops, I accidentally spoke my mind.
"Of course!" Eris was immediately satisfied and puffed out her chest - 'where I absolutely did not look'.
But Rudeus did look so I slapped the back of his head.
While I was strangling Rudeus, Alphonse also brought what Eris said was my second surprise.
It was a wooden box. I thought the box was the gift because it was carved very exquisitely, and also quite heavy and fragrant. But when I saw the hinge to open the lid, it seemed what Eris was referring to was inside.
"Open it!"
Eris ordered very excitedly, I also opened the lid.
Inside the wooden box was a sword placed neatly inside a fabric cushion. It had a long, slender blade, slightly curved at the top, only one curved side of the blade was sharp and shiny, looking quite like a katana. The handle was also longer than a normal sword, wrapped in blue cloth and leaving a piece about 3 finger joints long sticking out at the pommel, I don't understand how that wrapping cloth could stick tightly to the handle when the maker didn't even bother to tie it tight, but I can guess it's some kind of high-level technique. The handguard was carved with the image of a lion looking very exquisite, making the blade look like its long fang.
Overall, this thing looked more like something people would put in a museum than a sword used for normal combat.
And just looking at it, you know it's expensive.
"This is..." I glanced at Eris.
But the person who answered was Lord Sauros, his voice as loud as usual. "That is the Lion's Tongue (Shishi Shita), the heirloom sword of the Greyrat house. When I married my sister to Amarant, he gave me this sword as a gift."
So now Lord Sauros decided to give it back to me. Then later if I marry my child to someone in the Greyrat family, I'll give this sword to them, like a way of showing comradeship?
Actually, I was a bit disappointed, I expected it to be a sword that could really slash whoosh whoosh.
But wait, it's the Lion's Tongue?
"Isn't this the sword that can hide its blade?" I asked.
"Hmm?" Lord Sauros raised an eyebrow. "You already know what it can do?"
"Yes." I nodded. "I heard about it in the book Three Swordsmen and the Labyrinth."
Three Swordsmen and the Labyrinth is a book told like a fairy tale about three heroes who later were called North God, Sword God, and Water God who became friends and conquered a legendary labyrinth together. The Lion's Tongue sword was mentioned in that book as one of the swords taken from the legendary labyrinth in the book.
"Legend says the chosen one who will later unite all four branches of the Greyrat house will be able to use the sword's magic. They will also become a great nobleman!" Lord Sauros said, then gave me a look that commanded me to try it.
Now I'm afraid that it won't do anything and everyone would be disappointed.
But oh well, here goes nothing. I touched the handle and lifted the sword.
It fit my hand quite well, and the weight was comfortable enough for me, even though I'm only 10. Or maybe because I've trained so much, holding a real weapon isn't as heavy as I used to think.
I tried swinging it a few times, naturally avoiding the crowded areas. It was quite comfortable, it felt even smoother than holding a wooden sword. Ah no, I should say it felt like I wasn't holding anything at all.
Feels damn good!
Ah wait, I forgot the main purpose. I got too carried away swinging the sword around in the middle of the party. But everyone didn't seem to mind. It seems in their eyes, I'm just a kid happy with his gift.
So I tried examining the sword in my hand and tried some stupid thing like shouting cool words like 'henshin' and stuff but nothing happened.
Then I tried infusing mana into it.
*Whoosh*
And the blade really disappeared.
"Oh!" The whole dining hall gasped.
They must be thinking I'm Arthur pulling the sword from the stone or something. Seeing that Lord Sauros looked like he was about to call for a war, I quick-wittedly handed the sword to Rudeus to try.
As soon as it passed to another person's hand, the blade reappeared.
"Try infusing mana into it."
I spoke, Rudeus followed suit, and the blade vanished again. The "oh" sound rang out once more, a bit quieter this time. By the time it was Eris's turn, only a few people went "oh".
This sword chose all three of us to become the unifier of the four great families. Ah, it also chose Sylphie and Ghislaine here too. So the plan is we unite the four families then split into five, makes sense.
Just kidding. Anyway, I think the reason no one realized the sword's ability is because swordsmen don't usually learn magic, especially the nobility. Or no one ever thought of infusing mana into a sword meant for display.
Although I'm kinda relieved that I avoided accidentally causing a political crisis. The feeling of disappointment that I'm not that special also sure stings a little. But being gifted a treasure like this shows that I'm quite trusted and loved, right?
Plus, the ability to hide the blade is quite interesting. It's like how Saber hid her Excalibur, pretty cool.
But isn't hiding the blade just for concealing identity and has no other use? Hmm… Maybe I'll spend some time thinking if I can come up with some amusing nonsense with this ability. Besides, I think it may have other uses because it's a magic item isn't it? Magic items can trigger its effect by using their mana instead of the users' so that's something I need to figure out myself.
"You got a magic sword huh? That's so cool." Rudeus also marveled.
"I bet on your birthday you'll be gifted some top-tier magic staff as well."
So I got the cold shoulder again, for daring to say out loud what the Boreas house is actually doing in secret: a new magic staff for Rudeus.
And that's my 10th birthday. Let's hope my 15th one will be as fun as now.
...
NAME: "Eris B. Greyrat" - Eri
OCCUPATION: Granddaughter of Fittoa's liege lord
PERSONALITY: Sometimes violent, sometimes meek, depending on the situation
DOES: Listen properly
READING/WRITING: Almost perfect
ARITHMETIC: Capable of doing division
MAGIC: Can chant almost all the basic spells
FENCING: Sword God Style – Advanced-rank / North God Style – Beginner-rank
ETIQUETTE: Currently studying difficult imperial court etiquette
PEOPLE SHE LIKES: Grandfather, Ghislaine, Rudeus, Sylphiette
WANT: To create an adventure team with her friends
LIKE TO: Hug Acchan as a pillow
PERSON SHE LOVES: Acchan
...
NAME: "Rudeus Greyrat" - Rudy
OCCUPATION: Reincarnator/Magic Tutor of Eris/Lifetime Alliance
PERSONALITY: A pervert but actually kind and smart
MAGIC: Water Saint Mage and a lot of other stuffs
FENCING: Sword God Style – Intermediate-rank / Water God Style – Intermediate-rank / North God Style – Beginner-rank
WANT: To live a life to it fullest
RELIGION: Roxism
...
NAME: "Sylphiette" - Sylphie
OCCUPATION: A hunter's daughter
PERSONALITY: More confident and able to communicate normally with everyone.
MAGIC: Very good at Wind Magic and other stuffs as well
FENCING: Sword God Style/Water God Style – Intermediate-rank
WANT: To be with Rudeus
PERSON SHE LOVES: Rudeus