After another intense bout, this time a longer one, Mordred and Ghislaine took a breather again.
That was when Ghislaine noticed that Eris was missing. "Hm… Young Miss Eris?"
At that moment, Philip came out, explaining, "She ran away while the two of you were fighting. It seems my daughter received quite a blow by finally seeing someone her age that was stronger than her. But perhaps it will be a beneficial experience for her."
Mordred heard it and faintly raised his eyebrows. Eris became insecure after seeing him fight?
He sighed inwardly. 'Well, I already expected something like this might happen.'
This was probably also not the first time. Seeing an anomaly like Mordred, who excelled in everything to an absurd degree, would make any kid at a similar age feel depressed about their own accomplishments and talent.
Mordred wavered for a moment, before he turned to the troubled Ghislaine and said, "Miss Ghislaine, don't worry about Eris. If she's still troubled later, I'll do something about it."
"Ooh." Ghislaine was surprised as if she didn't expect him to offer his help here.
Philip became interested and asked him, "You'll do something about it? What do you mean?"
"Like… motivate her or something. I know that seeing someone like me would make Eris feel insecure, but it's really pointless to compare to me…"
"Oh, you're very thoughtful. Even though it isn't your problem." Philip smiled.
"Well… I feel responsible for being such a show off." Mordred lightly smiled back.
Philip chuckled. "Haha, very well. It seems that my daughter has run to her mother, so let's leave her for now. As for later, I'm counting on you. But while you're at it, please try to motivate her to pick up studying as well, if you could. You've learned how to read and write yourself, right?"
"... Of course."
"Excellent!" Philip smiled. "So you see, my daughter has no interest in studying at all and is a little spoiled, but she's also someone who hates losing and is very stubborn. If she saw that you can do all those things like reading, she might finally pick them up. Good luck with that!"
He sent Mordred a thumbs-up and left.
Mordred sent him off with an amused smile. A shrewd man, immediately making use of the opportunity and suddenly dumping all the responsibility onto him…
Meanwhile, Ghislaine was deeply in thought as she watched Mordred, her hand nonchalantly resting on her hip.
Mordred said, "Ghislaine, I have a request."
"Hm?"
"I want to train under you."
Ghislaine raised her eyebrows, surprised. "Train under me? I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm capable enough. You should go to the Holy Land of Swords instead. My Master, Lord Sword God, will surely take interest in you."
Ghislaine lacked confidence, but he thought otherwise. "I know I can go to the Holy Land of Swords, but I still want to train under you first. I can win against you, but it's thanks to my Magic Power skill and not my swordsmanship. When it comes to Sword God Style, there's still a lot I have to learn."
"..." Mordred was insistent, but Ghislaine still looked hesitant.
Mordred added, "You also train Eris, so if you agree, I can spar with Eris and help her improve."
"Oh?" After hearing this, Ghislaine began to look interested. She hesitated for a long time, before saying, "Very well then. I am not sure if my skills as a teacher are enough, but I can train you in the Sword God Style as long as you're willing. However, you will need to ask Lord Sauros for permission first."
"I understand. Then what about the pay?"
"The pay?" Ghislaine slightly tilted her head, confused.
"I mean, aren't you going to ask for a pay?" Mordred smiled. "Of course, I'll pay you too! Let's see… A Saint ranked swordsman would ask for upwards of one gold coin per month of training, so is 4 gold coins per month enough?"
"Huh?... 4 is too much, 2 is enough," Ghilsaine said after consideration.
She received a salary of 5 gold coins per month from the Boreas, so she felt it would be unfair to ask Mordred to give her 4 gold coins for training him while her skills were this lacking. She originally even wanted to accept training Mordred without any pay whatsoever as a guest of the Boreas because she had not even thought about it.
Mordred also noticed it, but he didn't want to scam Ghislaine. After his Dragon Slaying episode, he didn't lack gold, so he could spare some.
As for training under Ghislaine, he had only learned the Sword God Style from two Sword Saints who hadn't even trained in the Holy Land of Swords, so there were surely deficiencies in his Sword God Style and his Longsword of Light techniques.
In the meantime he can continue practicing his Water God Style techniques with Hector. His Flow was still only at the Advanced rank level.
To improve his strength, what he needed was not necessarily a Water God or Sword God instructor, but first and foremost time, alongside doing things that he could do anywhere.
Because of his natural talent for it, there was no one who could teach him how to improve his Longsword of Light or Mana Burst further but just practice; Ghislaine was enough to show him the ropes.
Additionally, he simply wanted to stay in Roa for a while longer! The fact that training with Ghislaine was beneficial to him was the nail that sealed the deal.
But before that, he had to meet Sauros and ask him for permission to live in the manor.
…
After being led by the servants to meet Sauros, Sauros greeted him in a boisterous manner. "Prince Mordred! I heard from Philip that you could match Ghislaine and even get an upper hand on her. Boy, isn't your strength a bit too monstrous?"
"It is a bit." Mordred chuckled.
"Ha! Yet you're not a buffoon like the other royals. That's why I like you, boy! So, why did you come to me? How is the manor? Are you lacking anything?" Sauros questioned.
"I have no complaints, it is only that I have a request from Mr. Sauros."
"What request? Say it!" Sauros stared at him.
It was a stare that would make most people hesitate, but Mordred stayed calm. He made a brief pause, then said, "I've decided to stay in Roa for a while to train under Ghislaine. Of course, if you'll allow me to stay."
"You want to stay in the manor?" Sauros looked at him.
Mordred firmly nodded.
"Fine! You're welcome to stay as long as you like! But you'll have to settle it with Ghislaine if you want her to train you!"
"I've already done that. Of course, I'll pay for my stay as well."
"There's no need for that." Sauros waved his hand dismissively.
"I'll still pay."
Sauros glared at him. "What? Do you think us Greyrats can't afford a guest?!"
"That's not what I think. I just don't want to be a freeloader," Mordred replied with a light smile; by now he had gotten used to Sauros's sudden shifts in mood and shouting.
"... Pointless worry!"
"... Okay. Then I'll find another way to repay you."
"As you see fit, boy!"
As for the way to repay the Boreas, Mordred already had one - teaching Eris Magic! That's why he mentioned this in advance.
…
"How long do you plan to stay in Roa, Your Highness?" Hector asked after they left Sauros's room.
"Let's begin with staying here for a month," Mordred brushed away the question.
In truth, he felt he might stay in Roa for upwards of a year.
'Hitogami can't see into places with high Mana density, is that it? If it's true, then Roa is a perfect place for me to stay until my strength grows closer to God rank…'
Being invisible to Hitogami here, he would also minimize his influence in the outside world. In a way, it might earn him more training time.
Although there might be a time bomb in the form of the Mana orb above his head, he was less afraid of being teleported somewhere than having Hitogami target him earlier.
On the same day, Mordred gave Ghislaine two gold coins as an advance payment and practiced his Sword God Style with her as his instructor.
Later, he did some Magic training of his own and was invited for dinner at noon, which he ate in the main dining room together with the entire Boreas family again, talking about random topics like what it's like living in Wyvern and the royal palace.
Doing more Water God Style practice with Hector in the afternoon and evening, the first day of his stay passed by.
…
Next day, Mordred ate breakfast with the Boreas and then came to the square for morning sword practice.
"Why is he here again?" Eris asked Ghislaine while frowning, not hiding her dissatisfaction.
Ghislaine patiently explained, "Miss Eris, I've agreed to train Prince Mordred in the Sword God Style. From now on he will practice with you."
"What? I don't wanna! Just us two is enough!" Eris crossed her arms with a stubborn attitude.
"Miss, it's a chance for you to practice with an opponent of similar size. That's why I've agreed to it. Make use of this chance to improve your skills."
"Nnnnnnnnnnn!..." Eris seemed like she was a boiling pot, before her reply came out, "Why do I have to? You said I'm improving just fine before! And… he's much stronger than me…"
Ghislaine sighed, hen her tone became much harsher. "Eris! Don't act like a child. If you want to improve with the sword, you have to train with people stronger than you! If you trained with a weakling, you'll stay a weakling! But if you train with someone strong, you'll at least learn to not lose too badly. Do you understand?"
Eris was slightly surprised, before muttering a defeated reply, "I understand…"
"Good. Then let's begin!" Ghislaine turned to Mordred. "Prince Mordred, I know that you're royalty, but from now on I will refer to you by name during our training. It is necessary."
"Okay."
"Good. We're starting with a warm-up!"
The training session began with 200 practice swings as a warm-up.
After that, Ghislaine paired Mordred and Eris to spar as a pair.
Opposite Mordred, Eris's mouth was formed in a strong v shape as she stared at her opponent with a hesitant expression.
"Begin!"
Once Ghislaine's command sounded out, all of Eris's hesitation seemed to have disappeared as she viciously plunged forward in spite of all her worries.
Mordred parried Eris's reckless attack and then smoothly hit her sword hand with a light flick, making her release her sword.
"Ouch!" Eris let out a pained groan, then grabbed her hurt hand and hatefully glared at Mordred.
Mordred took a step closer to Eris with his sword lowered, saying, "Let me heal you."
Eris hesitated, seeming to consider a sneak-attack, but in the end didn't do anything. It's probably because it would be pointless!
Mordred grabbed her wrist and used silent Healing Magic, causing green light to shine around her hand.
In an instant, all the pain Eris felt was gone. She was surprised. "How did you do that?!"
"Healing Magic."
"I know this, but you didn't even say anything!"
"I can use Magic without saying anything."
"What?..." Eris heard this and her previous unhappy frown deepened. After all, she just learned that this boy her age was even more amazing than she thought…
Mordred said, "By the way, be slightly more careful when attacking. I've brought down my own speed to your level. You got hit only because you didn't even consider defense."
Although his wrist flick was nimble, he still clearly telegraphed it. After all, he could easily beat up this little girl if he wanted to.
"..." Eris stubbornly didn't reply.
The spar continued.
Sometimes it would be Ghislaine that would comment and give Eris advice, sometimes it was Mordred.
After several exchanges, Mordred said, "Eris, can you relax a little?"
"..." Eris's humiliation level at being constantly corrected reached a level where she did not want to speak anymore.
"What I mean is that you're very stiff and stubborn… I know that you really want to beat me and you're serious about it, but when you're this stiff, you can't fight optimally. So just relax… You see, it is a spar. Not every exchange needs to be about winning or losing. Because… it's practice! So focus on improving and not on winning."
"..."
After a brief pause, Mordred faintly smiled and continued, "You're already amazing for your age. So don't compare yourself to me, if you do. I was born as a Miko, so I have the advantage early on, but you can still become strong over time."
"Eh…" Eris's eyes widened in surprise. She didn't expect after all this and after her aggressive attitude for Mordred to stay this nice and even compliment her. Purely because she wanted to be acknowledged for her sword skills, she blushed in embarrassment. "I got it…"
The first part of the training was focused on helping Eris improve.
Afterward, Eris began to do some physical conditioning by running around the square while Mordred started to spar and practice with Ghislaine instead.
…
Name: Eris Boreas Greyrat
Title: Young Miss, Terror of Tutors (by all her tutors)
Age: 8
Personality: Fierce and stubborn. 100% feral with aristocratic seasoning.
Doesn't: Like losing, sitting still and being told "no".
Does: Solve problems with volume and violence.
Reading/writing: Can write "Eris". Spells it in all caps for intimidation.
Mathematics: Can add single digits. Will add fists if numbers get uppity.
Etiquette: Can do the Boreas-style greeting. May bite mid-bow.
Magic: Got no clue.
Swordsmanship: Sword God Style – Elementary rank. Still, attacks like she's Berserker Class.
People she likes: Grandfather, Ghislaine.
People she likes a little: Mordred.
People she doesn't like: Mordred (it's complicated).
...
AN: As I said before, if we reach 1,000 Power Stones this week, I'll upload an extra chapter on Monday. Today is the last day. Although if it fails, there's also the next week.