Once the class schedule was finalized, under Edna's guidance, they immediately launched into their first trial lesson.
Edna herself insisted on staying, saying, "If anything seems off with the structure, I can help adjust on the spot."
Notably, Allen also requested to stay, using the excuse: "Since Ghislaine is both a teacher and a student in reading and writing, I might as well attend as a student too. It'll keep the class atmosphere lively."
Sylphy, still quite young and not yet used to the sudden shift to being a tutor, naturally followed the group without question.
Thus, the usually quiet and narrow classroom was suddenly bustling and packed.
Thanks to this, the young lady Eris was in high spirits and accepted her classes with surprising calm.
And so, the torture known as Rudeus's class began.
The first subject—
Reading and Writing.
As a former NEET raised under Japan's compulsory education system, Rudeus was no stranger to teaching methodology. Naturally, he knew the importance of preparing lesson plans. But first, he needed to gauge the literacy level of his students to tailor the curriculum effectively.
So, the first priority was assessing the reading and writing skills of those present.
He glanced at the three people across the table.
Allen met his gaze with a calm, amused smile. Sylphy was whispering softly to Eris, trying to soothe her resistance to Rudeus as a tutor.
Seeing this, Rudeus felt a warm twinge of comfort.
Allen and Sylphy were no problem—Allen could write beautifully in the elegant Asuran noble script, and Sylphy's literacy had improved steadily over the past two years thanks to both him and Allen.
So even though Allen dumped reading, arithmetic, and history onto him, the workload wasn't that heavy. Besides, they stayed to help keep things smooth—Sylphy even voluntarily played "classroom morale officer."
Maybe Allen stayed behind because he was worried about him?
Allen even smiled just now...
Was that meant to encourage him?
Rudeus nodded quietly to himself.
Yes—reliable companions, both of them.
...Wait. Ghislaine too.
He turned his head.
Beside him, Ghislaine sat with a focused look, eyes on Rudeus. Unlike Eris, her presence alone instilled calm. She radiated the confidence of an eager adult student unlikely to disrupt the class.
Perfect.
A good learning atmosphere overall.
It felt manageable now.
Allen had clearly put thought into this.
And as the oldest here, he had to step up.
For now, he needed to assess Ghislaine and Eris's current literacy.
Rudeus cleared his throat.
"I know your names—Eris and Ghislaine—but just in case of confusion with similar sounds…"
He reached into the drawer and handed out blank sheets of paper.
"Please write your names down first. It'll help us all get familiar with each other. After that, I'll begin a reading and writing assessment to help me build a teaching plan."
"Pfft."
Everyone turned toward Allen, who was laughing quietly.
Allen clutched his face in mild agony. He'd been distracted by heavy thoughts these past two days, but now—this scene was just too much.
Planning a literacy curriculum for the Sword Sanctum's proud illiterates...
He couldn't hold it in.
"Sorry, sorry. Just thought of something funny. Carry on."
Eris glanced at him and smirked triumphantly. With a fiery smile, she yanked the paper toward her and started writing her name with fervor.
Meanwhile, Rudeus stared at Allen.
Something felt... off.
Wait...
Could it be...
Eris can't write?!
That would be insane!
Panicking, he turned toward her—only to see she had already finished, sliding her paper confidently toward him.
He leaned in—and let out a huge breath of relief.
The characters were stiff but correct, no misspellings, and even hinted at aristocratic flourish.
Phew...
Rudeus relaxed and looked back at Allen.
Allen's face was perfectly blank. When Rudeus met his gaze, he even raised an eyebrow as if to ask, "What's wrong?"
Had that laugh been... a hallucination?
Rudeus blinked, slightly dazed, then shook it off and turned back to Eris.
"Not bad. Your writing's quite pretty—just needs more practice. That script… did you attend noble school before?"
"I did!" the wild pup replied proudly.
Rudeus was surprised.
"Then why are you now learning at home with private tutors?"
"Eh? 'Cause the teachers were naggy, and the other students always mocked me. They talked way too much—it pissed me off!"
She scowled at Allen and Sylphy's neatly written names nearby, brow twitching.
Rudeus's gaze softened.
Even a noble girl could be bullied, huh...
His tone gentled.
"I see. So you... didn't want to go back? Didn't your father ask you to give it another try?"
Eris tilted her head, confused.
"Try what? School? Nah. I beat up the teachers and students, and Father brought me home. Didn't say anything else."
Rudeus froze.
Wait.
You were expelled?!
You beat the teachers?!
Scooting back instinctively, he felt all his earlier sympathy vanish, replaced by quiet terror.
He glanced at Edna beside him.
"Um, before us... did she have reading and arithmetic tutors?"
"She did," Edna answered softly.
"And… they left?"
"Left?" Eris echoed blankly.
"Er... I mean, they quit?"
Before Eris could respond, Edna's calm voice drifted over.
"They did 'resign,' yes... Unable to win Lady Eris's favor, they felt defeated and left. Philip-sama even gave each of them a generous severance package as a gesture of goodwill."
Rudeus blinked.
"Wait… quitting comes with compensation?"
Wow... the Boreas family really is something else.
He then heard a soft, pained noise—Allen rubbing his face again. But his eyes glinted, clearly impressed with Edna.
Edna spoke up again.
"Yes. It's a form of... emotional and physical compensation."
Rudeus's expression froze.
Wait...
"You're saying... they were beaten into quitting?!"
He stared in horror at Eris, who instead looked proud.
Rudeus panicked.
"Did no one fight back?! Were there no teachers who resisted?! Isn't there a tutor code that allows self-defense?!"
Edna remained serene.
"Interesting choice of words. Ghislaine, aside from myself, is the only tutor who can flawlessly defend against Lady Eris even in her sleep. As for resisting... yes, there was a rather strict tutor not long ago. He did resist Eris. He even tried some disciplinary tactics."
She smiled.
"Philip-sama expressed his appreciation by granting him a generous departure reward."
Rudeus was utterly speechless.
He turned toward Eris.
"I beat him with a wooden sword while he slept!" she announced cheerfully.
The room fell silent.
Only the sound of Allen rubbing his face remained.
After a long pause, Rudeus exhaled and stared at Allen.
"Okay."
"Sure."
"Fine."
"Let's move on to the next part. Since we all know each other's names now, I'd like everyone to write ten words—any words. Don't overthink it. Just jot down whatever comes to mind."
"Pfft."
Rudeus turned sharply.
Allen had his hand over his mouth.
"I'm okay. Just a sneeze. Please continue. So... subconscious ten words, right?"
"Allen, are you okay? Is something wrong?" Sylphy asked.
"No, I'm fine. Thanks, Sylphy."
Rudeus stared at him, already feeling a deep chill in his gut. He turned to Eris and Ghislaine.
To his surprise, they weren't confused or anxious at all. Both calmly stared at their papers with confidence—true Sword God confidence—and quickly began writing.
The classroom was silent except for the scratching of pens.
Rudeus exhaled.
Maybe he was overthinking things...
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
This "ten words" exercise wasn't just a simple warm-up.
It came from a scenario in a galgame he'd played in his previous life—used by the teacher character to understand a girl better.
Given how unpredictable Eris was, this would assess not only literacy, but personality traits, preferences, daily habits, and recent experiences. It was an effective tool to avoid future "bad ends," like being stabbed in his sleep.
For example:
If someone wrote words like apple, bread, desk, class—you could guess they were simple, young, and focused on daily life. Probably a beginner.
If someone wrote perfume, jewelry, money—probably a stylish extrovert.
Here, in this world...
Paul might write: Zenith, Lilia, bed, magic, trash, sword, awesome, Allen, fencing, family.
——Total womanizer but family-centered.
Now, with this method, he could build a proper profile of his students.
Just then—
"Done!" Eris shouted, pushing her paper forward.
Ghislaine also slid hers over.
"Alright, let's take a look..."
Rudeus leaned down...
And blacked out.
Eris wrote:
Eris; Eris; Eris; Eris; Eris; Eris; Eris; Eris; Eris; Eris.
Ghislaine wrote:
Ghislaine; Ghislaine; Ghislaine; Ghislaine; Ghislaine; Ghislaine; Ghislaine; Ghislaine; Ghislaine; Ghislaine.
He was stunned.
He looked up—only to see Allen and Sylphy already covering their faces in shame.
His pride shattered.
With a tremble, he asked:
"Are you mocking me?! Why only your names?! Do you only think of yourselves?! At least write each other's names!"
Eris and Ghislaine exchanged a glance—then silently pulled new sheets, glanced sideways at each other's names, and started copying.
It was like watching students cheat on homework.
Then it hit him.
"Wait… don't tell me..."
"You only know how to write your own names?!"
Eris raised a brow. "What? Got a problem?"
Ghislaine gave a guilty smile. "I can only speak Human Tongue. As for writing… I only know my name."
Rudeus was silent for a long time.
"…Fine. We'll start from zero."
Two hours later.
Their progress:
Eris and Ghislaine successfully learned how to write each other's names.
(End of Chapter)
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