Hello again fellow fanfictioners and readers alike. Glad to give you another chapter this week. So Rudeus is finally going to meet Eris and some things will change, hope you enjoy them. Soon he will get to work on preparing for the magical calamity.
To Guest: So happy you love the story! And I have a goal to write 1000 words a day so every week I should update, send me a message if you want me to write in some extra content though.
To Uqihana: With the story so far I can do separate story lines for other characters but I won't label it from their point of view. Rather I will label who is thinking or what character I will be focusing on for the chapter. As for POV I want characters to keep their own journals which will be encouraged by Rudeus, that way a POV is possible as we read each characters diary. I really like the POV given by Eris which explains how much she loves Rudeus and why she wanted to leave him to go on a journey, that felt more like something you would read in a diary which would fit in perfectly with this fanfiction.
To 321Jaz: Thanks for your devotion to this fanfiction its allot of fun responding to you every chapter. As for Rudeus and his Wives, Polygamy for me is a very personal topic so I can't imagine writing it (my mother is Mormon while my dad is an Atheist, I was bullied allot for the rumors that Mormons were for polygamy so I don't like to be reminded of my past) Rudeus will find a way to be with his three goddesses however and the solution will be provided by the new character coming up after the teleportation event.
To XaiGRS: Hope you like the divergent. If there is anything else you would like me to change in the original plot I'm open to ideas.
To Icecreampapa: Glad you laughed at that. I will put a few more jokes in. The new character I'm writing will crack jokes left and right, think of him like a Deadpool in this universe so I hope you and the rest of the readers enjoy him.
To Kronos: Thanks for the correction. :-)
With that enjoy this next chapter! And I will see you all again hopefully by next week.
"You sure are polite and understanding to be Paul's son huh." Ghislaine said. She was laying down on the opposite side of the carriage facing Rudeus.
"You are kind to say that." Rudeus said thanking her. Damn her rack was still as beautiful as ever, and the muscles made her look like a beautiful statue of chiseled marble.
"Read this letter to me, I can't read it." Ghislaine said throwing him a letter. "Paul intended to knock you out and have you read this later when you woke up, but since you beat him I would guess most of the letter is what you already know."
Rudeus opened the letter and skimmed through it. Ghislaine looked like she wanted to comment on the fact that Paul's own 7 year old son kicked his ass but that was irrelevant to the conversation at hand.
"It calls you muscle brained allot."
"WHAT was that!" Ghislaine stood up smashing part of her head through the roof of the carriage.
"It was a joke madam Ghislaine, only a joke." Rudeus said holding his hands up trying to calm her down while he laughed. She sighed and sat back down.
"What about this Hollow person do you know? Do not lie to me or hold back any information." Ghislaine said, she lowered herself down looking dead into Rudeus's eyes. Much like any of the beast race they had a spectacular sense of smell. Because of this they could tell a persons emotions, hormones, and with someone as skilled as her she could also detect lies if the person wasn't in control of said emotions.
'I'm worried if I tell her the truth then she will disrupt some of my plans, still, she is a trustworthy person, that much I know for certain. However, it wouldn't hurt to have a little extra insurance, she may have instincts but she isn't the brightest person outside of sword fighting. I can play that to my advantage.' Rudeus thought.
"Before I tell you anything, please promise you will not tell another soul about what I know about Hollow. And before you ask, the creature is a trustworthy person, it saved my family from an assassination attempt and has brought supplies during the winter time for the people of this village, it is allot like a guardian angel so please, do not share this information I am about to tell you unless I give you permission." Rudeus said.
"You have my word." Ghislaine said instantly.
Rudeus sighed in relief, if she hesitated in her response, he would have told her he was going to place a curse on her that would stop the words from coming out of her mouth or prevent her from writing what she knew. All Rudeus had to do was take something like a small ring she was wearing or a earing and infuse his desire into it while at the same time creating several small magical circles. But because of her instant reply he didn't have to do so.
"Hollow is me." Rudeus said, putting on the eyes that didn't fit a young boy like him.
"That makes no sense, he was a thin giant. You are not." Ghislaine said, although her default emotion didn't change.
"A few years ago I discovered a new branch of magic I called alteration magic, it allows me to manipulate my surroundings even down to something as complicated as muscles, bone, or skin. Most magicians can do some simple forms of alteration magic like a rock wall but a living being is far more complex. Do you understand so far?"
"Yeah, so you turn into this creature?" Ghislaine said nodding.
Rudeus shook his head.
"No, I created Hollow using my own blood, as well as the flesh and bones of several livestock as I was gradually shaping a new being. Hollow is me, and I am Hollow, after much experimentation I found a way to link my soul to the creature I created. You know how you can use your mana to create an aura right? And from that aura you surround your body condensing it making an invisible suit of armor for yourself otherwise known as a touki?"
Ghislaine nodded her head. "Yeah, anyone going beyond an advanced swordsman rank has to learn how to make a touki or the concept before they can advance any further."
"Well I do the opposite, for whatever reason I cannot make a touki yet however I can expand my aura, I can cover many landscapes with it. Because of that I control Hollow and see through it's eyes using my own soul to control it. I've gotten better at controlling my own body while at the same time controlling Hollows as well."
"Why even create Hollow in the first place?"
"Allot of people can be intimidated by the power I possess so I want to put on the appearance of an innocent child for now while Hollow is free to use as much power as I give it along with running errands and protecting my family."
Ghislaine so far had a neutral face on her, she was a calm person when she was curious or when she was intent on listening to information.
"I knew you were Hollow, if you had lied to me or tried to stay away from the topic I would have turned the carriage around and sent you back to Paul." Ghislaine said confessing what she knew.
"How did you know?" Rudeus asked stunned.
Instead of telling him she flipped up her eyepatch, it wasn't a battle injury but a different colored eye, it was green in color and had an unusually shaped pupil.
"This is my demon eye, when you were Hollow and you first met lady Eris and me I could feel part of your mana even without lifting up my eyepatch. The light coming from you was blinding when you turned around as Hollow and I flipped up my eyepatch. I did the same thing while you were distracted fighting Paul. You have the same color and brightness of Hollow, because of that I guessed you somehow were the same person."
'Guess she isn't as dense as I thought she was.' Rudeus chastised himself for underestimating the beast woman.
"Something else I wanted to ask you about is I could also see mana in a mountain leaking out, it was even bigger than your mana but had the same color, it was like a star was buried underneath a mountainside."
'So she can even see my batteries? Her demon eye is one hell of a thing.'
"If I was to hold in all of my mana inside my body I could very well die, when I first touched a wand it exploded and so I was worried my body would do the same thing. Do you know what a bank is?"
Ghislaine shook her head.
"It's allot like when you have a bag of coins and hide it instead of carrying it on your person. Instead of hiding it you give the money to someone else who secures it in a vault and when you want to withdraw money you go back to them and they will give you the amount you ask for."
Ghislaine nodded at his simple explanation. It wasn't the whole truth and banks were allot more complex than that with the federal reserve, IOUs, credit cards, loans, interest rates, debt, and legal matters but as long as Rudeus kept it simple she would understand.
"So how did you figure out how to store you power?"
"I created a gem that could store my mana and then I coated it in a solid ball of metal, after that point I covered the metal in magical circles that allow me to have a direct link to the object, I can store or draw mana from the battery without any issue using this ring." Rudeus said holding up the ring for Ghislaine to see.
She nodded and stopped talking. Her curiosity satisfied as she looked out the window watching the landscape gradually pass by. Rudeus didn't have anything else to say unless she asked and so he laid down on the carriage and fell asleep.
A few days went by, Rudeus and Ghislaine would have some casual conversation from time to time but nothing like the interrogation she gave him when they first got in the carriage. Then the day came as Rudeus looked out and saw the city of Roa. Its walls standing tall and the red rooftops of the many buildings standing out like a scarlet gem. In the center of the city stood the castle of the Boreas family which overlooked the land. Rudeus gulped with anticipation, he wasn't looking forward to the bruises he would have to endure from Eris but it was inevitable.
When they entered the gate Rudeus and Ghislaine got out of the carriage and got to walking, they had something to eat at a local pub and after a moment of relaxation and stretching they got back to walking to the castle. The guards opened the gate knowing the Sword King Ghislaine and didn't mind Rudeus walking right behind her.
"You are going to meet Philip Greyrat in a few moments, the mayor of this city and the father of Eris. Please wait in here until he comes." Ghislaine said opening a door into a mid sized dining room. There was a large fireplace on the left of the room with both a dining table on the far side of the room and a coffee table with several wooden chairs closest to the door and the fireplace. Rudeus sat down on one of the wooden chairs and a beast woman dressed as a maid pored Rudeus a cup of wine. Ghislaine leaned on one of the sides of the walls waiting.
Rudeus took a sip and smiled at the scent of alcohol with berries, the wine was bitter but it also had a nice aftertaste of sweetness. A good combination.
Philip then entered. The man himself always put on a smile but it was clear to Rudeus now that it was out of curtesy. His eyes were slits like a scheming Japanese businessman who looked down on everyone else. In terms of physical appearance the man was average built with brown hair and he wore a nobles button up suit.
Rudeus stood up in respect and bowed.
"Hello. I am Philip Boreas Greyrat, you must be Rudeus." Philip said smiling down at the young boy. "However in a proper noble greeting you step back with your right foot, make a circle with you left hand putting it on your side, reach with your right and drop it down in an arch when you bow. A twenty degree angle is fine and not a forty five degree one for the bow."
"Like this?" Rudeus said copying the instructions.
"Yes that's not bad, please be seated now." Philip sat down from the table opposite of Rudeus as a glass of wine was pored for him as well.
"So how much did your father tell you about this job position?" Philip began the interview.
"He said that if I teach a young lady here then you will pay for my tuition in the university of magic as well as one other person."
"Is that all?" Philip said, a look of concern cast over his face.
"Yes."
"Good grief, well that is Paul for you and even though him and I get older I guess some things haven't changed. Come, I will show you my daughter and then I will let you decide if you still want to teach her."
Even though Rudeus had seen Eris before as Hollow he knew her attitude towards him would be difficult. And not to mention the incoming punches that he would have to endure. Still, he couldn't wait to see that intense gaze once again.
They walked together, Rudeus walking behind Philip while Ghislaine, the head butler, and the maid followed closely behind, it was like having a small audience to witness the awaiting chaos to come.
"I hear you are quite a skilled mage already." Philip said.
"My master deserves all the credit." Rudeus said humbly.
"You also have your fathers charm too, I hope you don't use it to seduce my daughter." Paul said jokingly but with a serious tone hinted as well.
"You know I'm only seven right?" Rudeus said chuckling nervously.
"Well in case Paul hasn't told you, my daughter can be quite challenging at times, but I will try you out since Paul asked me too."
"I appreciate your generosity."
"Think you can handle this?" Paul asked, almost as if he was saying, it's not to late to turn back now, the monster lays on the other side of that door, you must be brave for coming this far but you can flee and no one would blame you.
Rudeus nodded and they entered. Then he saw her. Her back was turned to him as a maid finished tying up her dress. The raid haired girl turned around slowly to face the young boy.
'No matter if its my first, second, or third life. The first word I could always use to describe her would be intense.' Rudeus gripped his hands together as he walked forward, his eyes remaining in contact with hers.
"I'm Rudeus Greyrat it is a pleasure to meet you, if you will accept me then I will be your tutor."
Eris folded her arms.
"What is a little kid supposed to teach me?"
'The very definition of a Tsundere.' He chuckled in fear.
"I don't believe age is relevant in this situation."
"You don't get to disagree with me." Her voice rose and got angrier with each syllable.
"I just did."
Rudeus knew what was going to happen next. She slapped him across the face.
"You're cheeky, do you even know who you are dealing with."
Instead of responding to her, he slapped her across the face, not hard like she did but it still left enough of a mark to leave a patch of red. She quietly gasped in a moment of shock, no one had done that to her before. Everyone else in the room had their eyes widen and their breathing stopped for a second, it was like the air froze around them.
"Now do you understand what it feels like when someone hits….." Before Rudeus could speak other word his face humbly greeted a fist that collided with his left cheek.
'Hello fist of Eris how are you doing today? Oh I'm just fine cheek-kun now I'm going to beat the shit out of you for slapping my master, how dare you cheek-kun!' Rudeus thought having an internal dialogue with his cheek and her fist. Meanwhile he was sprawled out on the ground from that punch as Eris leapt on top of him like a wild animal about to bite his neck and tear out his jugular vein.
And then he did something that got her to stop. He started to laugh and smile. The adults in the room stood in bewilderment at this point wondering what the hell was going on, this kid was a little kinky freak they probably thought.
"So you have finally learned your lesson?" Eris said folder her arms with a smug look on her face while still laying on top of him.
"No, no, my lady. It's just I have never met someone so energetic. I must say it reminds me of how much a waifuable Tsundere you really are."
"I don't know what either of those words mean."
"Eris Greyrat, I will teach you to speak more with your words instead of your fists, and I will love you forever." Rudeus said in Japanese.
Before she could respond Rudeus used wind magic to blow her away. He stood up but before she could jump on him again and continue to punch him Rudeus used wind underneath his feet to send himself flying over the heads of the adults and out the door as he continued to run.
Her anger was running wild and all she saw was bloodlust. She chased him down the hallways but he was always out of reach, soon he found a few good hiding spots until she got pissed off and stomped away.
Later in the day Philip, one of the other butlers, and Rudeus met back in the dining room.
"So what do you think of my lady Eris?" Philip said chuckling to himself.
"I have never met such an energetic and intense lady before."
"Hahaha normally other tutors didn't use those words to describe my daughter. But you sure have your way with expression don't you?"
"While I appreciate the compliment flattery is a little too much for me. Now if you will hear me out I do have an idea for getting Eris to respect me."
"Oh? Please do tell." Philip said leaning in while listening intently.
Rudeus kept taking glances at the butler, knowing what would happen, still this would be a good learning lesson for Eris and it needed to happen, Rudeus didn't look forward to it though.
That night Rudeus placed another magical circle underneath his bedside. There were now three circles that would all transport him back to the cave system. The one underneath his bed back home in the countryside, the one in the sewage system underneath Roa, and now the one underneath his bedside in Roa. He teleported to the cave, taking Hollow with him, and then teleporting back to his bedside in an instant. He did this so he didn't have to expand his aura, it was less strenuous after all.
Hollow nodded at Rudeus while the boy controlled the monster. Hollow would be laying down in the sewage system encased in its secondary ice coffin until it was needed, with that Rudeus returned to his body. Waiting for the inevitable he closed his eyes, calming his breathing as he focused on the wind blowing outside the walls of the castle. This would be the first time he has slept in 7 years, the rest of the time had all been from him exhausting his magic. It wouldn't be peaceful, but it was a checkpoint.
When he woke up he stretched and found himself in rope bindings while he was laying down in a wooden crate that was nailed shut. Rudeus focused on the nails in the box and made them vibrate, turning them into a hot bubbling liquid. He picked up the top of the lid and forced the metal to cool back down by slowing down the atoms in the iron nails. Putting the lid down carefully he looked at his surroundings. It wasn't the same dungeon as in his second life? Strange.
However something else felt off. His head was numb and his blood felt thick, he was drugged. For all he knew he could have been asleep for a few days.
Rudeus walked over to the box next to his own and he opened up the crate using the same method of escape. Eris laid inside sound asleep, she really looked like an angel when she slept. Rudeus tapped her shoulder and she woke up after several prods.
"ehhh… ehhh?" She began to stir but then her eyes flashed open and she was about to proclaim in a load voice as to what the hell was going on but her voice was stopped by Rudeus's hand.
"Stay quite and listen, we have been kidnapped, if we make noise our kidnappers will most likely come and shut us up. Now let me get you out of those bindings."
With Rudeus's other free hand he burned through them but as soon as he took his hand off of her mouth she punched him in the face.
"How dare you touch me!" Eris shouted loudly. Then she rushed over to the wooden cell door pounding on it with both fists. "Ghislaine! Ghislaine! Can you hear me! Open the door this instant!"
The door opened quickly and the cell door hit her across the face causing her forehead to blead. She quickly stepped back as she held onto her head.
A large overweight muscular overweight thug stepped into the cell room as he looked down at the young lady. He had sword strapped to his left side, was bald with several scars onto of his head and on his fists. He was the traditional thug in any anime.
"I don't know who you are but you are dead."
"What the fuck did you say to me?" The man growled as he slowly walked towards her.
Rudeus closed his eyes and heard the sounds and vibrations that proceeded as the man continually punched or kicked her. Whenever she tried to fight back or get up she was beaten down again. Rudeus gripped his fist together as his palms began to bleed. He wanted nothing more than to kill this thug but she had to learn her lesson otherwise she would become a spoiled brat. But after one more punch Rudeus couldn't take it anymore. He got up and punched the man across the face cracking the mans lip and drawing a line of blood.
"Leave her alone!" Rudeus shouted….. and it was at this moment, that Rudeus knew…. He fucked up.
What followed was like the beating that every man gave themselves after finishing no nut November successfully. However unlike this it involved more blood, chipped teeth, and gasping for air with cracked ribs. The man gave the same prescription to Rudeus that the thug had given to Eris. Once Rudeus quit moving but was still breathing between spurts of blood with each breath the man stopped. Exiting out of the room and locking the door behind him.
Pain like this wasn't much, Rudeus had experienced allot more like getting his arm chopped off twice, being stabbed through the chest etc. Rudeus healed himself with alteration magic, he still couldn't use healing magic without chanting but alteration just involved him putting the puzzle pieces of his body back together. His blood crawled back to him, his missing teeth went back into their sockets, and his ribs fused back together. After a moment of breathing in and out to see if his ribs were in the right place he checked himself over and was in a normal condition.
He let the man beat him, if he resisted using magic then that would teach Eris that violence was the answer, and yet somehow in Rudeus's second life she still thought that violence was the answer in most occasions. He would have to work extra hard to get her to use her intellect.
Then walking over he inspected Eris. She had a few broken fingers and teeth. Blood was coming out of her mouth.
"You'll regret this, I'll tell grandfather." Eris whispered, her eyes however lacked emotion. This was a brief breath of resistance but it was clear she felt like shit.
Rudeus placed a hand on the small of her back and began healing magic.
"Let this divine power be rich and nourishing, offering those whose strength has been lost the strength to rise again. Healing." Light began to envelope the room as her body began to be healed. Her missing teeth grew back and her wounds were closed. She got up slowly.
Rudeus felt bad in his second life forcing her hand to promise that she would remain quite. But he was curious to see if Eris would behave in this different circumstance by healing her all the way instead of partially.
"Listen to me, we cannot fight them, they will beat us up again. So our goal is to get out of here and then get to Ghislaine or better yet get you home. Promise me something though, you have to keep your voice down. Follow my lead, and we will make it out of this alive." Rudeus whispered.
"I don't have to take orders from you…." Eris began to raise her voice but Rudeus slapped her across the face.
"Do you promise to remain quite and I promise you will make it out of this alive." Rudeus said again looking into her eyes.
After a moment of thought Eris folded her arms in her typical Tsundere manner.
"I." Eris began to yell but stopped herself. "I promise…" Finishing that sentence with a whisper.
Footsteps echoed on the other side of the door as the steps got louder and louder. More people were coming.
Stretching out his hand Rudeus cast a rock wall over the door.
"HEY IT WON'T OPEN!" Another thugs voice shouted.
Rudeus took Eris's hand and made a huge rock bullet penetrating through the cell window. The bars on the window turned into shredded metal with the force of the bullet and Rudeus ran out with Eris.
They ran and swerved in between the building in a random direction.
"Why are we going in a random direction?" Eris asked running alongside him.
"So they will lose our trail, then we will hide and wait. After a few minutes we will find out where we are and how far away Roa is. If we go in a straight line then they might be able to predict where we go."
Rudeus had a good understanding of the streets, they weren't the streets of Roa, they were in a different smaller city a few days ride from the city they were kidnapped from.
They waited in a back alley for some more time to pass.
"Since we've gotten this far we're safe now!" Eris shouted. Rudeus sighed and faced her.
"I though you promised to stay quite until we got you home." The boy said looking at her disappointed.
"Why do you think I would be obligated to keep a promise like that?"
Rudeus shrugged and began walking. Eris followed him but when he heard her footsteps he stopped moving and looked back at her.
"What? Aren't you going to take me home?" Eris said looking at him with her arms folded.
"I promised to bring you home alive if you would behave yourself. If you can't do that then I am not obligated to bring you home. That is fair as fair will get so feel free to find your own way home."
Eris snorted with pride as she folded her arms but lifted her chin. Rudeus was almost around the corner and out of her view then she heard horses galloping in the streets, echoing reaching her ears. She panicked and ran back to the boy.
"I'm….. I'm sorry. I will lower my voice." Eris whispered in a voice of defeat. Rudeus was her only hope to getting home.
The galloping got louder, it was going to reach them. Rudeus grabbed Eris carrying her and used wind magic to make himself and her fly upwards onto the roof which overlooked the city roads below. Two men on horse back passed. One of the men was the thug that beet up Eris and Rudeus, the other man must have been his accomplice.
Eris was shivering, the stress was getting to her. Then a hand squeezed hers.
"Eris, you are keeping your promise right now so I will keep mine. You will make it home, that is an absolute." Rudeus said looking into her eyes with eyes of determination.
She didn't saw anything but it was clear she was amazed at the strength he had.
'I will have to convince her that she isn't a burden to me, and that she will come to me about her feelings. It was my greatest mistake, never considering her feelings. In the future diary that was given to me by my future self, Eris never got to express how she really felt. She died in my arms bleeding out. I will help her in communication.' When Rudeus looked at her, all he was reminded of was the chance to start over again with her, a culmination of pain and love twisted his heart. 'This time Eris, you will be happy, and no sorrow or despair will be in your heart.'
Read volume 16 chapter 1 & 2 of the webnovel if you want to learn about Rudeus's alternate timeline. It brought me to tears.
They continued to move in a random pattern towards the carriage highway. Rudeus made sure to not be noticed by the guards. Less witnesses meant less leads for the kidnappers.
"Eris take a look at this."
"What, the words?" Eris said looking up at them.
"Yeah, we are in a city called Wheden, we are currently two towns over from Roa. According to this we will have to change coaches twice before we can reach the city of Roa."
"We don't have any money though." Eris said.
"I do." Rudeus said holding up a bag of coins.
"Where did you get that from?"
"I swiped it from the man who beat us up while he was beating me."
In reality Rudeus created the bag and several coins as counterfeit but if it influenced Eris to learn even more about intelligence and currency than that would work for him. Not only that Rudeus would lead by example and show Eris the importance of reading among other things and let Ghislaine tell Eris her many adventuring stories on when she was in a rut because she couldn't read, write, or do math.
"We will have just enough to make it back to Roa." Rudeus said.
"It looked like a pretty good sized bag though."
"That may look the case but what do we need to get back to Roa?"
"Why are you asking me?" Eris looked a little offended that she was given the task to think.
"I won't be with you all the time, you have to think of these things naturally in order to make rational thought."
Eris held up her fingers and counted in her head before she formulated her reply.
"We need a carriage to make it back home."
"Correct, what else? It will take us a day or two to get back."
"In that case…hmmmmm why can't you answer for me?" Eris got a little pissed off when told to think but still kept her voice down.
"I haven't been hired by your family because you didn't take a liking to me, I am only obligated to bring you home because you are keeping your promise. And life won't get easier, it will just get harder. You need to be strong and knowledgeable in order to survive."
Eris looked down, she had been pouting several times over the course of their escape. He couldn't blame her, anyone would feel inferior when someone younger than them was better at something.
'Even at an age so young she has always had an inferiority complex. I need to find a way to work on that with her but if I do it now it will be too much information for her right now.' Rudeus thought sadly.
"Instead of telling you I will show you. I will get you back home but make sure to pay attention to the details of the trip and how I do it."
"Ok…okay." Eris said again.
'Perhaps I should let Eris beat me up a few times while sparring and our practice with wooden swords. That might get her confidence back a little bit. Yeah I can do that…..wait…..did I enjoy her stepping on me!? Am I a masochist?' Rudeus shook his head at his rogue thoughts getting back to the task on hand.
Soon a carriage pulled up and would wait thirty minutes before departing, Rudeus and Eris were the first to board and they paid the carriage driver, a few more people with either letters, food, or other goods arrived and also sat in the carriage. After a few moments they were off. It would be a few hours ride however there was enough space for Eris to lay down and nap, the slightest noise woke her though and a carriage ride wasn't like going on a nice paved road on a trip to the beach. It was bumpy so she never got allot of sleep but Rudeus stroked her hair until she calmed down while he let her use his lap as a pillow. The rest of the people in the carriage thought it was incredibly adorable as they smiled and tried to stay silent so they wouldn't wake the young lady.
'Last time around we were in a village that was a few hours away from Roa but not this far. It must have something to do with fate, those with a strong fate will make firm decisions, while some miniscule things could change and little details might be altered by those without strong fates like Orsted said. Our kidnappers chose to drug us instead of letting us sleep until we woke up giving them an extra day on the kidnapping attempt.'
'Things aren't written in stone and while Orsted dealt with people with a strong fate those without a fate would be easily able to change something large if pushed in the right direction by Hitogami. And even when people weren't under his influence the future isn't predetermined as millions of possibilities exist. For this reason even though I know allot more about this world I should still be prepared for the unknown.' The mathematical prediction for the future had become more convoluted. And Rudeus felt he would need to keep his guard up more and more.
Looking in the distance he saw the next town ahead. A checkpoint was now reached.
"Lady Eris, Lady Eris please wake up." Rudeus said nudging the girl laying down on his lap.
She jumped up and looked around nervously.
"What is it?" She asked still on guard.
"We have arrived at the next town. We are one more stop away from Roa but we will rest here for the night. Are you hungry?"
As if on cue her stomach began to growl, Rudeus laughed and she was so embarrassed that she punched his arm hard. He rubbed the part of his arm knowing that it would form a bruise but he didn't care, it was fun teasing her like this.
Getting out of the carriage the next one that would transport them to Roa was due in the morning. So for now they could have a solid meal or two and some rest. He felt like spoiling her for her good behavior though.
"Wait here Eris, I will be back in a few moments with some food." Eris nodded with concern knowing that she would be alone but she kept it to herself. She always kept her insecurities to herself.
When Rudeus left the room he found a private place behind the back of an alley and pulled out a piece of paper. This was only a two times use magical circle for teleporting to his cave system. Rudeus activated it and went into the mansion below the mountain. Entering his summoning room to the other world he placed his hands on the pedestal that was facing the stack of magically inscribed plates. The gears in the walls began to turn as the pedestal glowed and the mechanical arms organized the plates to fit the criteria that Rudeus desired. By the time the spell was done two bowls of Pork Ramen were laying before him. He smiled. This was allot more complicated than summoning or copying a simple book. Every ingredient had to be copied down to the very atom and Rudeus did it. He then made some forks and spoons since Eris wouldn't know how to use chopsticks, still, it would be nice to introduce the utensil to this world.
The whole process only took five minutes and Rudeus returned with the bowls of ramen back to the inn. He knocked on the door and asked Eris to open it. After a moment she opened it and Rudeus came in magically making a small set of chairs as well as a table. Rudeus heated the ramen with fire magic making the broth smell encompass the room.
"I've never seen a meal like that but it smells delicious. What's in it?" Eris asked. Her fears fading away as she was entranced by Rudeus's earth magic to make furniture out of thin air and bring a meal she had never seen before.
"The thing you are smelling is broth, made from the bones of various animals, the white stringy stuff you are seeing are noodles made from dough, and some pig for the meat along with some shredded vegetables."
"Where did you get it?"
"That's a secret." Rudeus said winking. "But I wanted to ease your mind after we have been experiencing such a stressful trip. I also wanted to reward you for keeping your promise."
"I thought my reward was getting back home." Eris said. Good, she was thinking.
"It is, but consider this a bonus." Rudeus said smiling.
They enjoyed the meal, mostly in silence but from time to time Eris asked the occasional question. Rudeus answered all of them politely and then proceeded back to eating. By the time they were done they went to bed.
The stress got to Eris again as she heard a shout in the night or footsteps passing by. She would get circles underneath her eyes if she continued stressing but Rudeus couldn't blame her. It was a restless night for her.
It was around 1 am, the carriage would leave at 8am and they would need some sleep. After the sixth time Eris woke up Rudeus sat down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened at first.
'To think one of the strongest and most terrifying woman in this world will settle for a man like me.' Rudeus thought smiling to himself.
After a few more moments Rudeus extended his hand and all the noise outside stopped.
"What did you do?"
"I changed the condensation of the air surrounding the wall, noise is caused by vibrations in the air, if I change the thickness of the air or reverse the frequency of the noise then you won't hear anything. I want you to sleep peacefully, I will stay awake with you."
Eris looked at him amazed.
"Can you teach me?"
"When we get back to your home, I will do my best Lady Eris." Rudeus said smiling down at her as she laid her head on the stale straw pillow.
"Just Eris is fine." The young girl said quietly giving her approval.
Rudeus was stunned, he didn't expect her approval so soon. In his second life she said that like she was struggling to say it while standing in her iconic Tsundere fashion.
The boy grabbed his heart.
'Shit this isn't good.' All Rudeus heard was his heart racing and the peaceful breathing of the young girl next to him.
'Was it always this quick for me to fall for someone?' The boy sat up with his back leaning against the bedstand as he stared up at the ceiling awaiting the oncoming morning.
Comment in the reviews and I will respond in the next chapter. Allot of your comments give me great ways to change the story and honestly this fanfiction would be allot more boring without your feedback. Originally I wanted Rudeus to just crush anyone in his way but now it is getting allot thicker in terms of both story line and plot points so keep those ideas rolling! Thanks again for all your support guys.