Rudy was completely stunned.
Not just from the slap.
From the very instant Eris leapt off the carriage, countless impressions stabbed into his mind like heated iron rods.
Arrogant. Wild. Unrestrained. Fierce.
Those upturned eyes, that hair—a crimson wave of anger crashing down.
It was such a vivid red.
So red it reminded him of Allen standing in the red lake of the snowy valley.
Her features were very refined; she would undoubtedly become a beauty someday. But one could already foresee: in many men's eyes, she was the kind of "completely unmanageable" type.
Even someone with a masochistic streak would probably back away.
He couldn't help but ask himself:
Am I a masochist?
Definitely not.
With that thought, Rudy heard Philip's "cordial introduction."
Huh? She's Allen's biological sister?? No wonder the moment she jumped down she was looking for her big brother. …Come to think of it, Allen's family genes are pretty strong, huh? All of them look great. Wait… no friends? Then isn't her situation pretty similar to how Allen was when I met him? If she's Allen's sister, she must be a good person, right?
Maybe my first impression was wrong. I'd better go over and say hello. If I'm rude to her, would Allen resent me? Better not risk it…
Rudy decided to step forward, open his mouth, and greet her.
But the moment Eris' eyes swept over him—like a predator inspecting her prey—he shivered instinctively, every cell in his body screaming.
Forget it! She's here for Allen anyway. No need for me to steal the spotlight.
And so his leg, which had been stepping forward, obediently changed course mid-air and retreated, placing him behind Allen instead.
Unfortunately for him, that single step back registered as "guilty" in Eris' eyes.
And so…
Just as Allen predicted…
Rudy got smacked—clean and decisive.
In Sylphy's wide-eyed stare, Rudy clutched his cheek, completely bewildered.
Why'd you hit me when you were looking for Allen?! Mistaken identity?! No—why would you even want to hit your big brother in the first place? Is this about that tutoring thing??
He glanced at Allen, who was covering his face with an expression that screamed he was absolutely done with this, and at Philip, who also looked a bit caught off guard. Then anger surged in Rudy's chest.
"Why'd you hit me?! Do I look like Allen to you?? And Sylphy—she may be flat, but she's obviously a girl! Do you even hear yourself?!"
Sylphy froze at the words, her flustered hands stopping mid-motion. She instinctively glanced at Allen, confused.
But then she thought of Roxy, and her expression softened.
Rudy was still fuming.
"So rude!"
He swung his hand and slapped Eris back.
He didn't hit hard, but Eris' pampered, delicate skin immediately turned red from the crisp smack.
Everything went dead silent.
Paul and Zenith, who had been getting ready to intervene, froze when they saw the usually composed Rudy slap Eris.
Even Philip, who had just turned away from watching Allen clutch his face, was momentarily stunned. But then, despite being a seasoned schemer, he couldn't help but let out an admiring grunt from deep in his throat.
"Oh?"
And then came the flurry of fists!
Eris punched Rudy flat to the ground—expertly done!
And she didn't stop there. The skills she'd learned from Ghislaine showed in full: before Rudy could even get up, she'd already pinned him by the arms and started raining blows down left and right.
"Allen, you arrogant jerk! You'll regret hitting me in the face!!"
In this timeline, Rudy—who had sparred often with Allen—was no longer the pushover of the original story, getting flattened by a Kensei-ryuu (Sword Saint Style) novice.
After his initial shock, he skillfully conjured a barrier of wind magic in front of himself, deflecting all her punches.
He grit his teeth and shouted indignantly:
"I'm not Allen!!"
"You think I'm that easy to fool?!"
Sylphy tried desperately to intervene, but Eris shoved her aside.
"Rudyus, don't get in my way!!"
Rudy felt even more aggrieved.
"Her name isn't Rudyus!! She's a girl, how many times do I have to say it?!"
"Stop fighting already!!"
"Hah?? Sylphy, open your eyes! I'm the one getting beat up here!!"
The whole scene descended into chaos.
And where was Allen, the center of this storm?
Over on the sidelines, happily watching with his face still in his hands.
He knew perfectly well: in this new timeline, Eris couldn't actually overpower Rudy. After Rudy reflexively slapped her back, he'd only been defending himself with magic, since Philip was still watching.
But that wasn't what Allen wanted to say right now.
He marveled at the three of them and sighed from the bottom of his heart:
Holy hell. Woke up today and saw Red Mama in her youth pounding on Rudy… while White Mama's frantically trying to stop her?
What's going on?
This is premium content for free?!
——
Of course, not everyone shared Allen's detached, fanboy glee as he circled the fight from all angles, hands still over his face, sighing and clicking his tongue in awe.
Paul blinked in shock, then quickly moved to break it up, even imbuing his movements with fighting spirit. Sylphy also tried to hold Eris' arm, only to be thrown to the ground with a sharp jerk.
She got back up and moved in to intervene again—
But Eris' near-deafening shriek froze her in place.
"Stay out of my way! Don't stop me!!"
"How can some shorty like him possibly teach me swordsmanship?! Ghislaine is my sword teacher!! If you want to bring in some Rudyus guy to teach me magic, fine!! But why add another person to teach me swordsmanship?!"
Sylphy blinked, her hands dropping as she gave up on trying to stop them.
The meaning of Eris' words was crystal clear, and they brought Sylphy back to that anxious, unsettled feeling from earlier when faced with this sudden "variable."
That clear, powerful voice echoed in her ears.
Over and over:
"Rudyus is one thing… but you're adding another one too…"
Rudyus.Allen.Two people.Private tutors.A "better education.""Growing up happily together."
Sylphy stood there, stunned, staring at the skirt she'd been so careful not to dirty for nearly a month.
It was now filthy.
She instinctively glanced toward Allen, her eyes flickering.
But she didn't dare lift her gaze to meet his face.
Her eyes stayed fixed on a small wild weed poking through the coarse yellow dirt at his feet.
What was meant to be a "variable" prepared for Allen…
Had instead landed like a heavy stone in the lake of a young girl's heart.
Leaving her breathless.
(End of Chapter)
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