Life in Vain: Jobles 63 – Child – Powder Keg

63 – Child – Powder Keg

After joking around a bit with Sylphy and Dad about

going overboard and creating a lot of collateral damage... and after realizing that Sylphy seriously would follow through on

walking down a path of rampaging violence, I carefully steered the conversation towards the surroundings instead.

The Citadel of Roa... or just Roa for short, was essentially the capital for the Fedoa region. As a result, it was lively and bustling even with the cold winter weather.

But it was also a city primarily designed for defense, encircled by towering walls and with a castle in the center for a final line of defense.

A practical design. There were plenty of roads and alleyways to use as fallbacks to lead into the center. It was ant to be strategic, designed with everyone's safety in mind.

Over ti though, the nobles and rich moved to live in the center while the common folk lived out in the periters. A clear stratification that was evident with the more fancy and ornate buildings we ca across as we moved towards the castle in the center.

My dad noticed

looking around and laughed. "If you want to explore, you're going to have to wait, Rudy."

I looked away from so shops selling expensive jewelry and then shook my head. "I was just curious." I frowned and said, "Are all nobles like this?"

It couldn't be, right? Even if power was important in a world like this, there had to be good people out there who cared for the powerless.

"Ah..." Dad's face turned serious and he said, "This place is better than most. Since adventurers stop by a lot, Uncle Sauros and Philip run a tight ship to maintain order. Nobles here are a bit snooty, but they at least have common courtesy. ...For the most part." He looked at Sylphy and said, "At the least there won't be idiots trying to kidnap Sylphy just because she's a cute girl."

Sylphy flinched and then moved closer to .

I held her close in a one-ard hug and then glared at my dad. "Could you *please* not tempt fate, Dad? After everything that's happened, I'd appreciate you not begging for more things to go wrong."

He held up his hands and said, "Sorry. Bad habit- Wait." He pointed at

and said, "Aren't you tempting fate by saying I'll die all the ti for ssing up?! Do you seriously hate your dad that much, Rudy?"

I snorted and said, "It's a figure of speech, Dad. Though if you ss up again, after what Mom and Mama Lily put you through, you'll probably wish you *were* dead." I paused and then added, "Especially if Norn and Aisha decide you're a worthless adult when they grow up."

My dad imdiately collapsed on the ground and bowed his head to . Clasping his hands together, he said, "Help your dad out, Rudy! I don't want your cute baby sisters to hate !"

Sylphy giggled and said, "Mister Paul is really desperate these days, huh?"

I panicked and imdiately grabbed my dad's arm to pull him up. "What the heck are you thinking, Dad?! Don't you have any sha!? Stop embarrassing us in public!"

My dad hopped to his feet and grinned. "So you *do* care! Great. That's all I wanted to see."

I froze and then kicked him in the shin.

"Ow!"

"Dumbass."

Sylphy gasped and said, "Rudy!"

"Ah. Right." I nodded and then stared at my dad. "Idiot."

Dad brushed the dirt and snow off his clothes and grinned. "Only once in a while. Most of the ti I'm a cool swordsman, you know?"

I snorted and said, "Keep telling yourself that, Dad. Maybe it'll speak it into existence. But anyway..." I looked up at the castle.

The sun was already sinking, tingeing the castle orange with its fading rays of light.

"What's the plan? Am I just going to head in to et this 'fiancée' of mine? Or are we going to rest up for the night first?"

Sylphy pursed her lips and then grabbed my hand. "If you're eting this Eris girl, I'm coming with you."

I glanced at Sylphy and then nodded. "What she said. I'm not going to et Eris without Sylphy, so... What's the plan?"

My dad frowned. "Well..." He crossed his arms and muttered, "Eris is probably super annoyed that I suddenly left this morning... But Ghyslaine's here, so it's probably fine."

"...That's not a plan, Dad."

"I know, Rudy." He frowned and said, "Just... Give your old man a bit to think."

"You had the entire trip here to think! You were just sitting there not doing anything!"

"That's not true. I was thinking. It's just..." He frowned and said, "This is more complicated than I thought."

I covered my face and groaned. "Dad. I appreciate you and all, but if I have to keep sorting out your sses like this, even I'm going to lose my patience, you know?"

My dad gave

a serious nod and he said, "I know, Rudy. But trust

this one more ti. I'll make it work. And for a plan... Well, just leave the talking to

and play dumb." He laughed and then said, "Shouldn't be hard considering you've got

as an example, right?"

"That's not sothing you should be proud of, Dad. But... fine. I guess it's probably better to play the cards close to our chest."

We arrived at the entrance to the castle. Like at the main entrance to the city, there were two armored guards standing watch. And like before, they let us in without question.

The interior of the castle was surprisingly modest. There were a few paintings and tapestries along the walls, as well as the occasional decorative vase and ornant. But for the most part, it gave off an austere atmosphere rather than an opulent one.

In other words, it seed more serious than flamboyant.

But before I had ti to admire it, a maid approached us. One with cat ears. And a uniform that showed a deep cleavage, one that was even more clear as she bowed towards us. "Welco back, Master Paul nya."

I blinked and then turned to look at Dad.

Sylphy turned to him as well and gave him an accusatory stare.

"H-Hey!" He held up his hands and said, "I'm not the one who hired the maids! A-And that's not the standard uniform!"

The maid straightened and then giggled. "Master Paul is as fun to tease as ever, nya."

My dad ducked behind

and pushed

forward as a shield. "I'm a married man! With kids!"

"O-Oi!" I tried squirming free and said, "What the he- heck do you think you're doing, Dad?!"

Sylphy frowned and then jabbed Dad in the ribs.

"Gah!" He winced and then clutched his side. "What was that for!?"

I managed to get free and quickly moved back to Sylphy's side, glaring at my dad.

Sylphy smiled at , and then she turned to my dad and frowned. "That was for not acting like an adult, Mister Paul. Honestly." She sighed and said, "No wonder Miss Zenith keeps telling Rudy to not beco a worthless man like his father."

My eyes widened and I turned to Sylphy. "Mom said that? When?"

My dad laughed and waved his hand. "Don't worry about it, Rudy. Your mom still loves . That's just how she shows it these days since we got into neglect-"

"And that's officially too much information Dad. Stop."

"Right."

The maid smiled at us. But then her smile faded and she turned to my dad. "Master Philip said that he wants to talk to your son in private, nya."

My dad turned serious as well and he said, "It's already late. And we're going to head out in a bit to the city to et soone. We're just here to drop off our belongings."

The maid nodded and said, "If it's about Mister Laws, Master Philip has already invited him as a guest, nya. He's waiting in one of the spare bedrooms, nya."

"Huh?" Dad blinked and said, "Laws is here? But I thought... Ah. Crap. If he's here... No, Philip's smart, so he probably figured out-"

I jabbed Dad in the ribs.

"Ow!"

"Explain more, talk to yourself less."

My dad coughed and said, "Right. Anyway, it looks like Philip already anticipated we'd be showing up with Sylphy and had a chat with Laws. Not sure what it's about... but that's probably what he wants to talk with you about." He paused and said, "...And that ans that he probably knows what you can do considering Laws's personality."

I blinked and then covered my face. "Right. Mister Laws can't keep a secret..."

Well, he could. But silence could tell just as much if not more than actual words...

Sylphy tugged on my sleeve, frowning. "...Are you going to be okay by yourself, Rudy?"

I smiled at her and said, "Don't worry, Sylphy. If anything bad happens, we'll just blow up the city and run away together, okay?"

Sylphy's eyes lit up and she nodded. "Okay! But you have to promise to get

first!"

I held out my pinky and said, "Pinky promise."

Sylphy smiled and wrapped her pinky around mine.

My dad started to sweat. "Could you not resort to violence as a first option?"

I tilted my head and gave Dad an innocent stare. "I don't know what you're talking about, Dad. I'm just doing what you'd do."

"...You're not going to let

live down hitting you in the head, are you?"

"No. I will not."

My dad sighed.

The maid looked nervous and said, "Um... Shall I guide the young master then, nya?"

Dad looked at her and said, "Go ahead. Just be careful. He's got a bit of a temper."

I snorted and said, "That's because you keep raising my blood pressure with how many sses you cause, Dad. It's not like I'm going to suddenly snap with insane bloodlust or sothing."

My dad gave

a blank stare.

Sylphy frowned.

I paused, suddenly rembering what happened when I fought Ghyslaine. And the fact that Orsted said I inherited a lot of traits from the Demon God Laplace.

"...Okay, fair. I'll be careful and keep calm."

The maid started to sweat. "P-Pardon?"

It seed like she was nervous enough to forget her verbal tic.

I laughed and said, "Don't worry about it, Miss." Doing my best to put on an innocent face, I walked up and grabbed her arm. "Please lead the way."

She relaxed when she saw my face and then let out a soft smile. "Of course, nya. Right this way, nya."

From behind, my dad muttered, "Damn. What a natural scamr."

Sylphy giggled and said, "Rudy's really good at being cute, isn't he?"

...I guess I should take that as a complint. Not sure how I feel about that though...

-LIV-

Eris laughed and said, "See! See! I told you that I got better!"

Ghyslaine smiled. "It seems so, Ojou-sama."

Eris pouted and said, "You promised! I beat you, so you have to call

Eris, not Ojou-sama!"

Ghyslaine chuckled and said, "As you wish, Eris."

Eris bead.

The two were walking back from the long training session in the courtyard.

Eris's clothes were drenched in sweat and her precious wooden training sword was cracked and tattered, but she didn't care. Instead, she was excited.

She did it. After a long ti trying different things out, she managed to hit Ghyslaine.

It was just a grazing blow. A light tap to the Sword King's shoulder.

...Well, Eris cheated a bit. Ghyslaine was worried about hurting her, so Eris took advantage of that fact and purposefully moved to get hit.

Ghyslaine panicked and had to stop, but it let Eris hit her.

...Unlike Paul who would have just smacked Eris away before handing her a healing potion.

Stupid Paul.

But anyway, Eris did it. She felt on top of the world. The happiest and proudest she ever was. Nothing could ruin-

"Eh?"

A familiar and detestable male voice.

Eris's mood imdiately dropped, along with her smile.

At the end of the hallway, opposite her and Ghyslaine, a familiar man with an annoying face appeared. Paul. He smiled and said, "You're working pretty hard, huh, Eris?"

Eris snapped and then imdiately whipped her wooden sword towards Paul's face.

A surprise attack. Even if he was stupid strong and talented, he wouldn't be able to dodge that.

But Paul didn't need to.

Before the wooden sword got anywhere close, it froze in mid-air.

And not just as a figure of speech.

Frost enveloped the wooden sword before it spread into a glistening ice cube and locked the sword in place.

Eris's eyes widened. "What the heck?!"

At that ti, soone stepped out from behind Paul. A young girl that Eris hadn't seen before.

Light green hair, falling to her shoulders. Slightly pointed ears.

She was dressed like a commoner, but she was pretty enough to be mistaken for a princess.

But the harsh expression on her face showed that she wasn't so dainty princess.

Eerie glowing green eyes stared at Eris, judging.

Seeing that, Eris narrowed her own eyes and swept out her hand. "What are you looking at, huh?!"

The young girl stared at Eris a bit before looking up at Paul. After that, she said, "I won't let her."

Eris stepped forward, rolling her arms up to loosen them. "Won't let

what, huh?"

Paul started to panic and he quickly moved between the girl and Eris. "C-Calm down, Sylphy. That's just how we greet each other, haha..." He looked towards Ghyslaine and said, "Help

out here, Ghyslaine. That's just the usual, right?"

"It doesn't matter." Sylphy kept staring at Eris and said, "If she's that an to you, she's going to be an to Rudy too. I won't let her."

Rudy.

Hearing that na, Eris's eye twitched and she growled. "Rudy this, Rudy that... I don't care! I don't need a stupid guy like that!"

"Rudy is *not* stupid!" Sylphy growled back and stepped forward. "And you need to be taught a lesson, you an girl!"

"*I* need to be taught a lesson?!" Eris ran forward and smashed the block of ice around her wooden sword. After that, she grabbed the freed blade and ran towards Sylphy, growling.

Paul's eyes widened and he stepped forward to intercept Eris. But before he could, a gust of wind blew Paul back. At the sa ti, Sylphy flew forward, light flickering around her body.

-LIV-

I sat down at the table where the maid directed

and waited.

It was a small conference room with two comfy sofas. A sturdy oak table sat between the two sofas. As for the decor, it was different from the rest of the mansion. Fancy paintings, lush furs from exotic animals, porcelain... It was clearly a room to et important guests. Probably nobles.

The maid had left

with a small bottle that she said was juice along with a cup. But I didn't touch it, leaving it on the table.

Instead, I waited, reflecting on the situation.

Philip. Full na, Philip Boreas Greyrat.

Dad's cousin, and supposedly a guy good enough at politics and plotting to where Dad was either tricked into signing the betrothal contract, or signed it because he thought it would be worth it.

I wanted to see for myself which it was.

If it was the forr... Well. Related or not, he wasn't family. And considering that Dad's own brother was the source of our concerns, to say I didn't care about Dad's relatives was putting it lightly.

If it was the latter... Well, we could work with that. The problem would be making sure Being W didn't try any shenanigans, but if we could be certain that this Philip guy was an ally... And if he really was good at politics and working behind the scenes, then we could team up with Orsted too and give Being W a major headache.

At least, that was the ideal.

One person could only do so much, and allies were always good.

At that ti, the door opened.

I looked over, putting on my best innocent smile and said, "Greetings-"

"So you're the brat that Paul keeps talking up."

A gruff voice. One that reminded

of a military general. A guy who didn't take any nonsense.

It wasn't Philip.

That guy was around the sa age as my dad. The man who walked in was older than that.

A stern and sharp face with steely eyes. Dark brown hair that was starting to gray on the sides. A thin and twirled mustache jutting out to the sides like spears, paired with a carefully trimd patch of hair on his chin.

Paired with his clothes that looked similar to what an actual general would wear, a buttoned up overcoat and a fancy suit, he looked every part the general he sounded like.

And he also looked annoyed- No, judging.

Lord Sauros Boreas Greyrat.

Dad's uncle, Philip's father... and the most powerful man in the Fedoa region in terms of military and political strength.

I could tell imdiately.

I didn't get along with this man.

His deanor, his words, that expression... All of it just pissed

off.

Even so, I kept on my polite smile and tilted my head. "I'm sorry? I'm not sure what Dad has said, but-"

Before I could say anything else, a fist flew towards my face. Sauros, clearing the room in a single step.

"Father, wait!"

I narrowed my eyes.