Mushoku Tensei: The Fool Magician

Reluctantly, Eris began attending the lessons Roy had carefully planned for her.

He couldn't help but smirk. An eight-year-old trying to stand up to him?

In the end, Roy was reminded that no matter what you did, your own strength had to match the challenge. If not, you'd end up like Rudeus—bruised and defeated.

Eris was no fool, though. Realizing she couldn't win against Roy, she took a different approach—she started making Rudeus her target. Every time he tried to teach, she would shoot him a glare, her expression cold and menacing.

When Roy was around, Eris's scorn was palpable. But when he wasn't there, things got much more interesting.

The scenes usually played out something like this.

Rudeus, trembling, would take out his paper and pen, preparing to teach Eris some basic arithmetic. The moment he wrote a number, she would erupt, her voice loud and filled with disdain. "What is this nonsense you've written?"

The moment Rudeus tried to explain, Eris would relentlessly push back, her tone turning harsher with each passing second. Eventually, it escalated into shouting as she drew closer to him, her fists clenching with audible cracks.

"Hey, why aren't you saying anything?"

"I'm asking you a question. Why aren't you answering?"

"I-"

"I what?" 

"You-"

"Kid, when you're talking to your elder, show some respect! Use polite language! Didn't your father teach you manners?"

This was the sort of atmosphere that filled the room. Eris's attitude was downright dreadful.

But no matter how hard she pushed, Rudeus found himself shrinking in fear.

To avoid a beating, he swallowed his frustrations and decided to report to Roy.

The old saying went, Take a step back and the sea will be vast and wide. Rudeus was now embracing that very thought.

Eris glared at Rudeus, her eyes sharp. "Why aren't you speaking? Oh, I see your face. You're planning to go tell that jerk Roy, aren't you?"

Deep down, she still cared about her pride.

Finally, Rudeus couldn't hold it in anymore. "I was just trying to teach you math! Why are you making things so difficult for me? And what's with your attitude? We're your teachers!"

At those words, Eris exploded. The two of them began fighting, with Eris mostly throwing punches while Rudeus occasionally landed a hit of his own.

Eventually, Rudeus walked out, bruised and battered, while Eris slammed the door shut, refusing anyone entry.

And then came a moment of reckoning.

Roy stood there, pulling Eris along as he glanced at her, his expression unreadable. He wasn't sure what to make of it—was this really the kind of behavior they were dealing with?

Eris, initially struggling, seemed to remember something after a moment. With a resigned sigh, she lowered her head and adopted a slumped, disinterested look.

Rudeus, feeling vindicated, pointed at his bruised face and complained, "Nii-san, you've got to say something! Eris… she didn't go too far, right?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Eris's resigned demeanor turned into a fierce glare. Her crimson eyes locked onto him, and her brows shot up as she fixed him with a "If you say another word, I'll kill you" kind of look.

Rudeus flinched, trying to come up with excuses. He remembered the saying, Children speak without thinking, and gave a dozen reasons why he didn't want to press the issue.

When Eris saw his sudden silence, she gave him a nod that said, I'm glad you're finally understanding while secretly baring her teeth at Roy in her mind.

Rudeus, however, didn't plan on letting it go so easily. He may not have had an explanation, but anyone could see what had happened.

He shot Roy several desperate looks.

Roy raised an eyebrow. So, you're still planning to complain, huh?

But Roy knew it wouldn't do any good.

Releasing Eris, Roy saw that the rebellious spark in her had died down for now.

The three of them stood in the hallway, an awkward silence hanging between them.

Roy glanced around. A few servants had been watching from a distance, their curiosity barely concealed in their eyes.

Although Eris was infamous in the household, and most of the servants avoided her, this situation had piqued their interest. They were especially eager to see how Roy would deal with the spoiled, temperamental young lady.

"Let's go inside." Roy said, breaking the silence. "Standing out here isn't going to solve anything."

They entered Eris's room and closed the door behind them. The room was spacious, though it wasn't clear whether it was simply large for a bedroom or a characteristic of the family's wealth. Roy didn't much care to observe the details of a girl's room, but he pointed to Rudeus. "No matter what, Eris is your student. You should be more careful with your actions."

Rudeus, initially relieved by the first part of Roy's statement, turned pale at the latter half.

"Careful with my actions? Couldn't you just not hit her at all?"

He shot Roy a resentful glance, but Roy pretended not to notice.

"Eris is learning these things for your future."

At that moment, Eris was lying on her bed, bored out of her mind, staring at the ceiling, completely tuning out everything around her.

This little girl… Roy could feel his patience hardening, his fists clenching with frustration.

He took a deep breath, constantly reminding himself of who she was—Philip's daughter, the granddaughter of the lord, and potentially his future patron. Besides, giving her a beating now would likely backfire.

His mind flashed back to cases from his past life where lost souls found their way back.

There was the rebellious biker girl who, one day, had an epiphany and started studying like mad, eventually getting into top-tier universities, with a promising future ahead. Or the internet-addicted boy who turned his life around through hard work and got accepted into a prestigious college.

But those cases all hinged on the person realizing their mistakes, on them choosing to change. The girl in front of him… would she really see the error of her ways?

Roy began to think about her strengths and weaknesses.

First, she wasn't particularly bright. Second, she didn't enjoy learning. And third, she was impulsive and easily angered.

Well, let's try to focus on her strengths.

Hmm… she had a talent for swordsmanship?

Roy rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He tried to reason with her, appealing to both logic and emotion. "Eris, don't you want to learn magic? But if you can't even read, how will you ever learn magic?"

To make his argument more convincing, he even began fabricating stories and pulling from ancient parables for added effect.

"There was once a hunter who fell off a cliff and found a book on ultimate swordsmanship. This book promised to teach him legendary skills, making him the greatest warrior in the entire Central Continent. But because he couldn't read, he didn't understand the words in the book, and ended up selling it as scrap to a young adventurer. That adventurer, who could read, mastered the sword techniques and became the Sword King, while the hunter continued to hunt, none the wiser. So, Eris, do you see the importance of reading?"

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Bonus Chapter:

100 Power Stones = 1 BC

300 Power Stones = 2 BC

500 Power Stones = 3 BC

700 Power Stones = 4 BC

1000 Power Stones = 5 BC

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