Mushoku Tensei: The Mad Witch's Magical Redemption

After a few rounds of combat training, Ghislaine and I attempted many ways to resolve the flinching problem Rudeus had, and so far, we were a bit unsuccessful.

We started with slow, deliberate strikes, announcing each move in advance to give him time to prepare.

"Are you ready, Rudeus?"

"I'm ready, I think..."

"Alright, incoming strike in 3... 2... 1... Hyah!"

As my wooden sword inched toward him, his eyes squeezed shut, and he flinched back, the strike barely grazing his sword before landing lightly on his shoulder.

"Ow!" he yelped, rubbing the spot even though it couldn't have hurt much.

"Rudeus, keep your eyes open," Ghislaine scolded, her tone stern. "You can't block what you don't see."

"Right, right," he muttered, shaking his head as if to dispel his nerves.

Next, we tried to attack Rudeus by surprise, aiming to condition him to react on instinct. The plan was to call out to distract him, then strike without warning.

"Look, Rudeus, there's a large-chested woman over there," I blurted, pointing at nothing.

"Really? Where?" he replied, excitedly turning his head just as my blade tapped his side.

"Seriously?" I groaned, lowering the sword. "Any sane person could have seen that coming."

"Ah, sorry," he apologized, his cheeks reddening. "I thought there's... wait, why point out that specific kind of woman?"

Umm... I assumed you like them?" I stammered, hoping he wouldn't pry further.

Lastly, we switched up tactics and moved to repetitive exercises, having him block the same direction over and over. I tried to hit the left side, then his right, rinse, and repeat.

At first, he seemed to be improving—until I switched sides without warning, and he flinched, messing up the rhythm completely.

"Come on, you've almost had it," I complained, tapping my sword on the ground.

"Give me a break," he shot back, rubbing the spot I'd hit. "That attack was unexpected."

"Then you should at least expect it next time," Ghislaine interjected with a weary sigh.

We paused, Rudeus sitting cross-legged on the ground, looking downcast. I realized that his flinching wasn't just about fear—it seemed to originate from overthinking every move, a habit that wasn't easy to break.

I sighed, sitting beside him. "You'll get it eventually, so take your time."

"Thanks," Rudeus replied, offering me a weak smile, clearly unconvinced.

Meanwhile, Ghislaine's sharp gaze wavered on us before she sighed one more time, her hand brushing through the back of her long grey hair.

"That's enough training for today, you two," she announced calmly before turning her gaze to Rudeus. "From now on, you need to work on fixing your flinching problem by yourself."

"Understood," he replied, a hint of resolve flashing in his eyes despite the setback.

As Ghislaine walked away, I remained seated by Rudeus' side, silently hoping he'd find a way to overcome his struggle.

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Eventually, Rudeus bailed out, claiming he needed to prepare his lessons to teach me later in the afternoon. I recalled what he said before leaving.

"See you later in the tutor room, Eris. Don't be late."

Left to my own devices, I decided it wouldn't hurt to explore the Boreas Manor. With so much free time on my hands, wandering around seemed like the best way to pass it.

The mansion was so massive, with hallways that stretched endlessly and rooms I hadn't even known existed.

I strolled through the grand corridors adorned with elaborate tapestries, scanned into empty sitting areas filled with lavish furniture, and looked into the kitchen, where multiple fireplaces and an array of cooking utensils were neatly arranged.

Eventually, my aimless wandering led me outside to a vacant shed. The interior was dark but warm, with an atmosphere that suggested it was once meant to shelter horses. In the corner, a massive pile of hay sat near the rafters.

Though I hadn't been to this place, something about it felt oddly familiar, like a stray memory urging me to explore further. Without much thought, I climbed the hay pile as if my body had a mind on its own. Upon reaching the top, I felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to rest.

Sprawling across the soft, uneven surface, I shut my eyes and found myself back in the dark void where the original Eris was already there, waiting for me with her arms crossed.

"Ah, hello there, Eris," I greeted warmly.

She huffed defiantly, dismissing my salutation. "You, what have you been up to?"

"Hmm? Why do you ask?" I asked curiously.

"I heard a lot of clunking out there," she replied, "it's the sound of wooden swords striking."

"Ah, that? I had sword training with Ghislaine and Rudeus," I revealed, answering her inquiry.

However, my answer struck a nerve in Eris, her eyes glaring at me.

"You! I thought you were going to do that learning nonsense!" she barked, clenching her fist.

"First of all, learning is not nonsense," I shot back. "Secondly, Rudeus was still preparing the lessons for later in the afternoon."

Eris furrowed her eyebrows, clearly unconvinced. "Is that so? Then tell me what happened in the sword training."

I nodded, recounting everything—the sparring matches, Rudeus' flinching problem, and how Ghislaine and I tried to help him overcome it. I didn't leave out a single detail, even admitting that our efforts had been unsuccessful.

"Pathetic," Eris remarked harshly. "Why do you bother helping that weakling?"

"Because we want him to improve," I retorted firmly. "I know it seems futile, but that doesn't mean we're giving up on him."

"That sounds like a waste of time," Eris scoffed, crossing her arms again. "Why not focus on yourself instead? If you're going to get strong, you should ignore those who are insignificant."

Her words reverberated harshly in the void, acknowledging that the original Eris didn't care for those who were not important. But even then, I won't refuse to back down.

"Rudeus is not insignificant," I asserted strongly. "He has potential, and helping him doesn't take away from my progress. If anything, he could benefit me in the future."

Hearing my reasoning, Eris couldn't argue back and just gritted her teeth in frustration.

"Hey Eris, wake up."

Suddenly, a voice echoed in the void, interrupting our conversation.

"That sounds Rudeus," I pointed out.

Eris clicked her tongue in irritation. "Tch, what is that bastard doing there?"

"If you don't wake up, I might—"

Rudeus' voice faded, cutting him mid-sentence. As we were attempting to make sense of his words, a sensation spread through my chest. Looking at Eris, I noticed she felt it too.

"What is this feeling?" she demanded, looking uncomfortable.

Understanding our shared confusion, I reassured her. "Don't worry. I'll check on what's going on out there."

With that, I left the dark void to wake up. Once I opened my eyes, I was shocked to discover that Rudeus was reaching out under my skirt, pulling something underneath. 

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[Rudeus POV, earlier]

Eris was strangely nice—a bit too nice if I'm being honest.

Not only was she attentive during our tutor sessions, but she also genuinely tried to help me work through my flinching problem during sword training.

She didn't get angry when I corrected her mistakes, which was surprising enough. But even more shocking, she showed concern when her wooden sword managed to land a hit on me.

It was… unsettling. Good, but still unnerving.

Right now, I am preparing my science lessons for the afternoon session. The concepts in this particular lesson were rather complex for the average person, but hopefully, it doesn't stress Eris out too much.

Time passed quickly as I focused on finalizing my notes and organizing materials. Eventually, the afternoon crept up before I even realized it, and I finally completed my preparations.

However, Eris hasn't arrived yet.

Where was she? I told her to come to the tutor room in the afternoon, but she didn't.

Did she forget what I said? Or perhaps, she hadn't noticed the time?

Ever way, I think I need to fetch her up.

I exited the tutor room and went to search for her throughout the Boreas Manor. But the only problem is... I can't find her. I checked the hallways, revisited the courtyard, and heck, I even sneaked into her room to see if she had dozed off. But no, she's not there.

That is until I went outside and checked the shed. Entering inside, I finally found her sleeping on top of a massive hay pile.

Ah, there she was—dozing off.

Climbing the pile of hay, I got the chance to catch her resting face. She looked like an angel when she was asleep. Wait, no. This is not the time for that.

"Hey Eris, wake up," I called out softly.

"Zzz..."

She didn't respond, just shifted her body into an even more vulnerable position.

"If you don't wake up, I might attack you," I jokingly said to rouse her up a little.

"Hmm..."

Still nothing, she just spread out further, looking completely unguarded.

This girl... that's it, she's asking for it.

Without thinking, I reached out and boldly touched her chest, seeing if she would react. They were surprisingly soft and modest, but given her mother has huge ones, I assume she would have the same in the future.

"Hnggh..."

Ah, now that's a response.

"Eris, come on, it's time to learn now," I tried to call her again but to no avail.

This is no use. She won't wake up. Unless...

Shamelessly, I moved my hands more downward and pulled down her leggings as if I had no other options left.

While doing it, I looked up and met her gaze. Ah, she's awake.

...

Oh god, she's awake!

Her eyes locked onto mine, her expression somewhere between shock and mortification. My brain cried at me to move, but my body froze, betraying me at the worst possible moment.

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Eris blinked a few times before sitting up and gazing at what I was doing. Then, with a deep breath, leveled her eyes back at me.

"Rudeus, you still have a chance to let go now," she said softly, her voice almost amused. 

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My hands retreated as told, and she just stood up, pulling her leggings back into place.

Afterward, she looked back at me, sighing wearily. "Do you know what this means, right?"

What this means... Oh god, was she going to report me? I could already see my life as a tutor crumbling before my eyes. Sauros would have my head, Ghislaine and Philip would probably assist him, and Hilda—well, I didn't even want to think about that.

I dropped to my knees, prostrating in front of her.

"Forgive me, Eris! I'll do anything you like, but please don't report me!"

"Anything I like, huh?" she repeated, her tone surprisingly calm.

"Y-yes! I'll do whatever you ask! Just forgive my immorality!" I pleaded, bowing even lower.

For a moment, there was silence, then a light chuckle.

"Alright then, I forgive you."

"Huh?!" I blurted out, looking up in disbelief.

Eris stood there, hands on her hips, smiling down at me. Her expression held no malice, only a strange mixture of amusement and something else I couldn't quite place. She crouched to meet my gaze.

"Teach me magic," she requested nicely. "Specifically healing magic."

I blinked, utterly bewildered. Of all the things she could have demanded, this was the least I expected. Yet, the sincerity in her tone and expression left no room for doubt.

"Healing magic?" I asked, just to be sure. "You… want me to teach you that magic?"

"That's right," She responded earnestly. "In that way, you won't have to bother about healing yourself every time you get hurt."

Her response was so honest, and her reasoning struck a chord. Not only had she forgiven my lapse in judgment, but her request showed genuine consideration for me.

"Alright," I relented, nodding firmly. "I'll teach you magic, but we still have a tutor session."

"Ah, I almost forgot about that," she acknowledged, jumping down the hay pile before looking back at me. "Come on, Rudeus, let's go."

Following her order, I slid down the pile and followed her behind. She was unexpectedly calm for someone I just violated, but there was nothing I could do about it.

"Rudeus, there's something else I wanted to ask," she affirmed, pausing her stride.

Nervous, I responded, "What was it?"

"Before I woke up, there was a weird sensation on my chest," she pointed out. "Did you have something to do about it?"

Crap, she remembered that feeling.

Sweating profusely, I reluctantly admitted, "Yes, it's because I touched it a little."

"I see," she acknowledged, glancing at her chest before returning to me. "I was right, you do like large-chested women."

After saying that, she continued walking as if nothing had happened, confusing me.

"What the heck?"