After the reading and writing lesson ended, Rudeus—who had been tormented for two full hours—finally let out a sigh of relief.
During the short break, four beastfolk maids arrived carrying exquisite trays, bringing soft, perfectly baked bread and a simple fermented fruit drink.
For the three from Buena Village, it was a new taste of what a noble's classroom truly felt like.
Undeniably, this was a scene that had never appeared in the original plot.
After serving the snacks, the four maids stood in formation behind Allen and Eris, hands folded in front, smiles gentle and elegant.
Eris was a bit surprised at first, but as expected of an ojō-sama, she adapted quickly. She leaned comfortably into the arms of her personal cat-eared maid, indulging in the familiar scent of fur and perfume, and accepted the head massage service without resistance.
After all, she had worked hard and achieved unexpected success in her reading and writing lesson—it had been a tough session for the young lady.
Even though Rudeus's face had turned green midway through, Eris was beaming with pride over her "accomplishments."
After all, she could now write Ghislaine's name!
At this moment, she silently set a goal for herself in her heart—
One week!
No—within a month!
She would learn to write Allen's, Grandpa's, and Mama's names!
Hmph!
Meanwhile, sitting beside her, Allen—as a skilled practitioner of the Water God Style—didn't even need to turn his head to "sense" the overload of information pouring in behind him:
The perfume wafting along his cheek was layered and more refined than last night's, mixed with the scent of beastfolk under the noonday sun, becoming something akin to musk from his previous life.
The maid tails behind him were wagging cheerfully, stirring the air. The plush movement of their fur brushed lightly over Allen's arms, giving him goosebumps.
And the gaze upon him—hot and persistent—unlike the "killing intent" he was sensitive to in battle, this attention made Allen feel like he was sitting on needles, a blade at his back, a bone stuck in his throat.
In front of him, Rudeus's smug grin—lit brightly by the morning sun—burned his eyes.
The fun he'd had over the past two hours watching Rudy struggle instantly evaporated. Allen sat stiff as a board, back ramrod straight.
Philip, you bastard! You're still trying to pull this crap?!
Just then, Sylphy's voice rang out.
Still soft, still gentle—but now there was no trace of her former timid hesitation. Her ending tone lifted with bright energy, yet without Eris's arrogant overconfidence.
"This is really yummy~ Thank you all! Class is starting soon—onee-sans, do you have anything else you need?"
Allen blinked.
Huh?
Sylphy's tone…
Since waking up this morning, she'd seemed much tougher—like a version of herself from an anime, where after being left alone in Buena Village, she grew strong and graceful over three years. Like when she visited Paul's house and played with Aisha—that same poised, confident Sylphy.
Although this was probably how she was meant to be from the start…
Still, it was a little odd.
Could it be that his butterfly's wings had created a ripple effect, altering her growth path and landing her in Roa instead of the original timeline?
That thought banished the anxiety from the beast maids' eyes on his back.
Allen blinked and smiled.
This was a good thing.
Sylphy had grown—without having to suffer.
His journey through this world hadn't been in vain.
Bringing her along to Roa instead of letting her stay in Buena Village…
That had been the right choice.
The maids glanced down at Sylphy's long elf ears, then twitched their own ears—and all let out a soft giggle.
The cat maid ruffled Eris's hair a bit, then led the group in a graceful bow and exited the room.
Soft murmurs of teasing drifted through the air and reached Allen's ears, making his smile freeze.
"So...he likes ears like that..."
"Fufu...Arifa's bunny ears are very long...they'll definitely attract attention tonight..."
"Don't be ridiculous...I can't handle that alone..."
"Why shy now? What a pity...we won't get the young master's reward...that bonus was worth half a year's pay..."
Allen slowly turned to look at Sylphy.
He could hear his spine cracking.
In his view—
Reddish-brown eyes met his.
White hair danced slightly in the breeze, brushing against her cheek, which was faintly red.
She didn't say much—just gave him a gentle smile and naturally flipped her "ten random words" worksheet upside-down, pressing it flat on the desk.
——
Rudeus didn't have long to enjoy himself.
Phase two of the torment began.
Considering how disastrous Ghislaine and Eris had performed in reading and writing, Rudeus kept the arithmetic diagnostic to simple single-digit problems: four under 5 and four over 5.
He picked up the sheets Eris and Ghislaine had taken fifteen whole minutes to complete, feeling a deep sense of dread.
He looked at Ghislaine's answers first—and his tension immediately eased. He nodded quietly.
Ghislaine's worksheet:
2 + 3 = (5)
3 - 2 = (1)
1 × 4 = (4)
4 ÷ 1 = (4)
4 + 6 = (10)
7 - 3 = (4)
6 × 4 = (blank)
8 ÷ 2 = (ink blot) crossed out → (4)
This was solid. Ghislaine clearly wasn't great at multiplication and division, and the blank answer for 6 × 4 = 24 likely showed that numbers over 20 were still too unfamiliar. But overall, she was putting in effort and doing well.
The most important thing—her attitude was serious.
That meant everything was workable.
Good.
Now, Eris...
Rudeus let himself hope—just a little—and looked down.
His pupils shrank.
His face contorted.
Eris's worksheet:
2 + 3 = (5!)
3 - 2 = (5!)
1 × 4 = (5!)
4 ÷ 1 = (5!)
4 + 6 = (10!)
7 - 3 = (10!)
6 × 4 = (10!)
8 ÷ 2 = (10!)
It was like every single answer was delivered with a triumphant shout.
On closer inspection—it wasn't actual exclamation marks.
It was just that Eris's handwriting was so energetic, Rudeus felt like they were exclamation marks.
It made a twisted kind of sense—
Wait, no it didn't!
He jerked his head up and glared at her.
"Wait a minute—didn't you go to a noble school?! You only learned addition?!"
"No way! That guy I chased away with a wooden sword taught me!"
"So you treated him that well?! …Fine! What's 12 + 8?!"
"Huh? I don't do two-digit numbers!"
Rudeus sucked in a sharp breath. Beneath the desk, he kicked Allen's shin to stop the laugh that was about to explode out of him.
"You—you're treating every symbol like a plus sign?!"
"What's your problem, shrimp?! You nag too much!!"
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]