Ghislaine was extremely hungry—no, "extremely" didn't even begin to describe her current state.
Watching others feast was worse than torture for her.
Ghislaine's life hadn't been easy. Her upbringing and childhood experiences had shaped her into the person she was today.
In the past, she had survived in extremely harsh conditions, tasting all sorts of things.
As a beast warrior, her appetite was naturally large. So, Roa wasn't particularly surprised by her current state.
After eating his fill, Roa stood up and walked over to Ghislaine. He whispered in her ear, "Master Ghislaine, go to my room later. I've had the servants send the food there."
Ghislaine nodded calmly. She didn't say anything sentimental. If she wanted to eat, she wanted to eat. She patted Roa's shoulder, as if to say, "You really get me."
Roa smiled and took out a handkerchief from his pocket, handing it to Ghislaine. "Master Ghislaine, you should still pay attention to your image."
Ghislaine took the handkerchief and glanced around, noticing that some people were looking at her curiously.
She nodded and took the handkerchief from Roa. Suddenly, she leaned in and whispered, "Eris is looking for you."
Roa was slightly surprised. He turned around and saw the girl in the noble dress, her face flushed with a hint of shyness.
Eris looked around with a proud expression, grabbed Roa's hand, and hummed as she led him to the center of the hall.
Eris said to Roa, "Grandfather thinks highly of you~"
For once, Eris's face was adorned with a joyful smile. But then again, it was understandable—she hadn't embarrassed herself at the ball, all thanks to Roa.
Thinking of this, Eris gave Roa another sweet smile and said, "Thank you, Roa."
Roa rolled his eyes in exasperation, poked Eris's cheek, and said, "You should call me 'Master Roa' or 'Big Brother Roa.' After all, I'm older than you. Besides, it's a master's duty to protect their disciple from making a fool of themselves."
That's what Roa said, and Eris nodded, feeling a warm glow in her heart.
When someone extends a helping hand in the most critical moment, people naturally develop a strong sense of gratitude toward that person.
Haven't you noticed how often the "hero saves the beauty" trope appears in stories?
Regardless of how cliché it might be, it's undeniably effective. The hero-saves-the-damsel scenario might be old, but it works like a charm.
Every little girl dreams of a prince charming who will rescue her, and they'll live happily ever after.
If this world had a prince charming, who could be more fitting than Roa?
Holding his hand and feeling the aura emanating from him, Eris felt a bit dazed.
She had been acting strange today—no, she had been acting strange ever since that dance.
Roa's figure kept appearing in her mind, from the first time she saw him to all the little moments they'd shared since.
Time had flown by so quickly. Back then, Roa hadn't been this tall, had he?
He always wore a cold expression, as if someone owed him money.
Only after spending more time with him did Eris realize that his aloofness was just a facade. In reality, he was a mischievous guy.
He liked to play little pranks on her, and whenever she fell for them, he would smile.
That was Roa—a master who wasn't exactly the most responsible.
But it was this Roa who always extended a helping hand at critical moments.
For a moment, Eris thought of many, many things. By the time she brought Roa to Sauros, Sauros smiled at Roa and said, "Musicians, play something more lively! Today, I'm going to dance with Eris and Roa!"
Roa: ???
What? How are you going to dance with two people at once?
And so, a light, melodious tune began to play.
Sauros rushed over to Roa, hoisted both him and Eris onto his shoulders.
Roa gave the burly middle-aged man a strange look. When Sauros lifted Roa, he clearly felt the weight. Roa and Sauros exchanged glances, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
Sauros was surprised at how heavy Roa was.
Roa was surprised at Sauros's bold move.
Roa's body and bones had undergone changes, which naturally affected his weight. Despite his slender appearance, Roa's weight was equivalent to that of two or three adults combined.
Although Roa was heavy, it seemed Sauros was still in his prime.
Sauros carried Roa and Eris without showing any strain, laughing heartily as he ran around the courtyard.
The other nobles, seeing this, clapped in unison.
What a lively old man. Everyone around them laughed.
It was a very enjoyable ball.
After the ball ended, the nobles and their servants gradually left the mansion.
Roa called Ghislaine and Eris to his room.
Actually, only Ghislaine needed to come, but when Roa went to find her, Eris happened to be there, so he brought her along as well.
Seeing the food on the table, Eris's stomach growled.
She had been too nervous and excited at the ball to eat anything.
Seeing the two of them like this, Roa smiled and said, "Dig in."
Eris immediately started eating, and Ghislaine didn't hold back either, grabbing a large piece of meat and devouring it.
Roa smiled helplessly, poured some wine he had taken from the banquet, and began to savor it slowly.
Days like this were unexpectedly nice.
Roa thought to himself.
When Eris saw the wine in Roa's hand, she clamored to have some too. Roa had no choice but to pour her a glass.
In this country, one had to be fifteen to drink alcohol, but the wine wasn't very strong, so a little taste shouldn't hurt.
Eris drank the wine, and soon her cheeks were flushed.
Roa knew that giving her alcohol wasn't the most rational decision.
After drinking, Eris became more talkative. She looked at Roa, extended a small hand, and said, "Where's my gift?"
Roa hadn't expected her to ask for a gift at this moment. The only gift he could give her was the Demon Seed.
After multiple improvements, the Demon Seed had evolved into a version with no side effects. Given Eris's personality, the pain might be uncomfortable, but she could handle it better than Roxy.
However, he decided to tell her about the Demon Seed later. It was better to keep such things under wraps.
But since she had brought up the topic of gifts, Roa couldn't be stingy.
He thought for a moment, then took out a glowing red magic stone from his pocket and handed it to Eris. Smiling, he said, "Eris, happy birthday."
This was taken from the Red Dragon. Although the battle had essentially reduced the dragon to ashes, there were still some spoils of war.
The magic stone was one of them.
The dazzling red gem sparkled brilliantly under the oil lamp's light.
Roa smiled, gently stroking the girl's hair, and said, "It matches your eyes. Well, I picked it out especially for you."
When Ghislaine saw the magic stone, her hand, which had been busy eating, paused. She gave Roa a strange look and said, "The Red Dragon's magic stone? Did you go to the Red Dragon Mountains? Wait, when did you go?"
Roa hadn't expected Ghislaine to recognize the Red Dragon's magic stone. Caught off guard, he chuckled and said, "I bought it from someone. Huh, so it's the Red Dragon's magic stone? No wonder it feels so powerful."
Ghislaine nodded in understanding and said, "Lucky guy."
Such an obvious lie, and she actually believed it. Typical Ghislaine.
Eris, however, was overjoyed as she held the magic stone.
Magic flowed within it. She didn't care if it was from the Red Dragon or not. All that mattered was that it was a gift from Roa.
Eris smiled brightly at Roa and said, "Thank you. I'm so happy."
Roa rubbed his nose, once again dazzled by the girl's smile.
Typical Eris, able to show such a pure and innocent smile.
Damn, she's too cute.
Eris carefully stored the red stone and continued her feast.
Watching Eris like this reminded Roa of Roxy.
Roxy had also given him a magic stone, though in the form of a wand.
Oh, right, the wand.
He had forgotten about it. Roa wondered if he should find a time to give it to her later.
Receiving a gift from Roa was certainly a happy occasion, but Eris instinctively looked at Ghislaine.
To Eris, Ghislaine was also an important family member, so she naturally wanted a gift from her too.
Ghislaine and Eris stared at each other. Ghislaine was still munching on her meat.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Ghislaine finally spoke up, "Sorry, my race doesn't have this custom, so I didn't prepare anything."
But Ghislaine was being a bit too blunt, wasn't she?
Eris sat down on the chair, looking disappointed.
Although it seemed there was no custom in this world for employees to give gifts to their employers, it was still quite pitiful not to receive anything from her beloved master Ghislaine.
Roa thought for a moment and said to Ghislaine, "Ghislaine, it's fine if you didn't prepare a gift. You can give her something you usually carry or something that can serve as a talisman."
He remembered that in the original story, Ghislaine had given Eris a ring.
Yes, one that protected her from two generations of wolves.
Ghislaine thought for a while, then took off a ring from her finger.
It was a wooden ring, quite old and scarred, but whether it was due to the light, the material, or some magic applied to it, it reflected a faint green glow.
Ghislaine said to Eris, "This is a protective ring passed down in my clan. It's said that wearing it will keep you safe from wolves at night."
The so-called wolves referred to Paul. Eris accepted the ring with a smile. Looking at the girl, Roa felt a sense of unreality.
He wanted to call Rudeus over and show him what a real smile looked like.
After his usual critique of Rudeus, Roa continued sipping his wine.
Unbeknownst to them, night had fallen outside. The bright moon hung high in the sky, while the room was illuminated by the warm glow of the oil lamp.
Roa's gaze swept over their faces, feeling a sense of nostalgia, though he didn't say anything.
After the two had eaten their fill, the table was a complete mess.
Roa went out and called over a passing maid, pointing to the messy table and saying, "Could you help me clean this up?"
The cat-eared maid's ears perked up, and her tail swayed behind her. She whispered, "No trouble at all," and began cleaning up the table.
Watching the maid clean, Ghislaine, now full, said, "Well, it's time for me to leave."
With that, she walked out of the room, leaving Eris behind.
After the maid finished cleaning, only Roa and Eris remained in the room.
Eris's cheeks were flushed, and she was slightly tipsy. Her eyes were unfocused, and her breathing was uneven.
She seemed a bit… distracted.
Whether it was because she was hot or just annoyed, Eris fidgeted with her elegant blue dress, as if she wanted to change out of it.
Roa found her behavior amusing and said, "Eris, why don't you go to bed?"
Eris pouted, looking displeased, and said, "Hey, are you ignoring me?"
Roa shook his head, patting her little head, and said, "No, don't talk nonsense."
Eris slumped into the chair, refusing to budge. She declared confidently, "In that case, I'm staying here tonight."
Roa looked at the swaying, unsteady Eris and fell silent.
Helpless, Roa sighed, walked over to Eris, and gently picked her up.
Eris was stunned by Roa's action. Her not-entirely-sober mind was quickly fading. As Roa carried her to the bed, Eris's face was already bright red.