He also had his ambitions; he wanted more power.
And to gain the space to showcase his talents, he needed helpers.
No matter what, he had to gain Roa's support.
The bridge between them was Eris.
What he was doing was hoping to tie Roa to the same boat through Eris. Roa didn't need to do much; he just needed to help them once at a critical moment, and that would be enough for Philip to get through the difficulties.
No one would underestimate a divine-level powerhouse.
Philip's calculations were ringing loud and clear, but Roa didn't pay much attention.
To some extent, if something really happened, he would still lend a hand if he could.
Many things, in Roa's view, were merely a matter of raising a hand, while for others, they could be life-changing events.
At the very least, that's how Roa saw it.
Roa didn't refuse Philip's deep bow; he nodded in acceptance.
Taking a sip of the black tea, the aroma spread in his mouth, the bitterness masked by sweetness, and the taste was quite good.
Roa didn't have the habit of savoring tea; he simply treated the black tea in front of him as a beverage, drinking it down in a few gulps, then stood up, picked up the package beside him, and said, "I'm leaving now."
Philip straightened up and then sat back down on the sofa, smiling as he nodded, "Then you go ahead. My daughter will still need your guidance later."
Roa's foot, which was about to step out, paused slightly but didn't linger for long as he walked toward the courtyard.
Upon reaching the second floor, he followed his memory to the innermost room on the floor.
The door was unlocked, and there wasn't much in the room, nor were there many important items, so Roa didn't mind that the room didn't have a special lock. Moreover, after nearly three months, if no one had cleaned it, the room would be covered in dust and dirt.
When the door opened, a tidy room came into view.
The clean floor, the neatly arranged table, and the folded bedding.
Roa placed the package on the ground, opened it, and took out the items one by one.
There was a uniform, a white suit and shirt, which were the academy's uniform.
He had originally planned to throw it away, but after thinking it over, he decided to keep it.
Aside from the uniform, there were various other items, such as books, a few small trinkets, and a hundred gold coins.
A hundred gold coins had quite a decent purchasing power; this was the reward Roa earned from his adventurer tasks.
Having such a sum of money was enough for an ordinary family of three to live a life free from worries.
Roa picked up the heavy pouch of coins and placed it on the table, putting the clothes in the wardrobe and distributing the remaining items.
After finishing all this, Roa prepared to meet with Rudeus and Eris, whom he hadn't seen for two worlds.
While reflecting on how quickly time had passed, Roa walked toward the training ground.
The training ground was a flat grassy area where two figures were engaged in a fierce battle, with Ghislaine, the teacher, standing beside them, pointing out the mistakes made in each of their exchanges.
When Roa arrived at the venue, Ghislaine sensed something and looked in Roa's direction.
He saw Roa, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
Roa didn't hide his presence, so it was only natural for him to be noticed.
Smiling at Ghislaine, he looked at the beastman warrior in front of him, who had a muscular build and was slightly taller than him, and said, "No matter how many times I see you, I still genuinely envy your physique, teacher."
Ghislaine glanced at the distant situation, a smile rarely appearing on his cold face as he said to Roa, "You're back? You seem to have gotten much stronger, although you're still as small as ever."
Roa walked straight to Ghislaine's side and casually said, "Don't underestimate me; maybe you're no longer my opponent, Ghislaine?"
"It seems you've gained a lot on your journey."
"Not too bad."
"Well then, let's have a match later; let me see your progress."
"Sure."
With that, their conversation ended, and their gazes turned to the two fighting in the center.
Eris was wearing loose clothing, and after not seeing her for three months, the girl's aura had changed somewhat.
Her bright red long hair flowed with her movements, and her actions were sharp, her sword techniques swift, almost overwhelming the swordsman opposite her.
The two figures constantly shifted and moved, and the battlefield was continuously changing. Roa watched their exchange with a hint of surprise.
"It seems I'm not the only one making progress; they're working hard too," Roa remarked slightly.
Ghislaine, without any politeness, replied, "After all, I'm here."
Eris had already reached the level of a mid-level beginner swordsman. Achieving this level at her age was quite impressive. As she grew older and entered puberty, her speed and strength would develop even more rapidly, and her power would soar.
The figure fighting against Eris was the blond-haired boy.
Rudeus felt quite bitter in his heart; this battle was a complete crushing defeat for him.
With a style akin to a rabid dog, Eris's relentless attacks left him gasping for breath. Once he fell behind in momentum, Eris would firmly grasp the rhythm and quickly overwhelm him.
This feeling was unpleasant, but Rudeus could only do his best to block Eris's sword strikes.
The wooden sword came crashing down from above with incredible speed. Rudeus, quick on his feet, switched his sword technique to block horizontally. A force that was completely unlike what a girl should possess came from the wooden sword, causing Rudeus to feel his wrist sink, nearly losing his grip on the sword handle, and he staggered back a few steps, barely managing to withstand Eris's onslaught.
However, the attack did not stop; even more ferocious sword strikes followed.
Abandoning all defense, Eris's attacks rained down on Rudeus's wooden sword like a storm. Soon, Rudeus was drenched in sweat, and then Eris found a flaw, flicking her wooden sword upward and sending Rudeus's wooden sword flying.
Rudeus's face was filled with bitterness as he looked at the wooden sword that had been knocked away, his handsome little face now panting heavily.
"You're too weak, Rudeus."
Eris stood with her arms crossed, a proud expression on her face.
Rudeus sighed and simply lay back on the ground, not caring whether the dirt from the grass would stain his shirt, which he had just washed not long ago.
"Too weak? If I'm too weak, then so be it."
Rudeus looked up at the sky, his expression one of despair.
This kind of battle had continued many times.
Eris was passionate about swordsmanship, and her talent for it was indeed very high, improving at a visibly rapid pace.
Of course, Rudeus was not stagnant either, but his progress was completely unable to keep up with Eris's.
"Clearly, in my two lifetimes, my age combined could make me this little girl's father. Sigh."
Silently sighing in his heart, Rudeus's gaze toward the sky was blocked by Eris's pretty face.
Her fiery red hair fell beside her cheeks, and her ruby-like eyes were fixed on him with an impatient expression.
Rudeus's mouth twitched, and he averted his gaze, not daring to meet Eris's eyes.
He didn't want to get up again; he just wanted to lie there for a while.
As for sword practice, could this even be called sword practice?
It was merely a pretense of sword practice to bully him, a magic user who was as weak as a chicken.
Speaking of which, why was he, a magic user, subjected to such torment?
For a moment, Rudeus felt a wave of sadness wash over him.
"By the way, why hasn't Master Ghislaine said anything for a while?"
Thinking this, Rudeus looked toward the spot where Ghislaine had been, and his eyes widened in surprise as he sat up from the ground, a look of joy on his face as he saw the person next to Ghislaine.
Standing next to Ghislaine was a young man with brilliant golden hair and handsome features. The young man stood tall, exuding an elegant and approachable aura. Although he wasn't dressed in anything particularly luxurious, he instinctively made people feel that he was not to be underestimated.
Who else could it be but Roa?
Eris was just about to say a few words to mock Rudeus to lift his spirits when Rudeus's sudden action startled her, causing her to take a few steps back. She frowned, looking at Rudeus and asked, "What's wrong?"
Ghislaine patted Roa on the shoulder and walked toward the two of them. Roa shrugged and followed behind Ghislaine.
"Well done, Eris is improving quickly," Ghislaine praised.
Eris, still processing what had just happened, felt a sense of pride at Ghislaine's compliment. However, when she turned her head and saw the young man beside Ghislaine with a faint smile, she was momentarily stunned and then kicked Rudeus in surprise.
That face was all too familiar.
Eris's first reaction was indeed happiness; after all, it was normal to feel glad to see someone close to her. But then she felt a bit guilty. The girl leaned down and glared fiercely at Rudeus, saying, "You, did you know he was coming today?"
Rudeus: …
Ignoring the murmurs of the two, Ghislaine walked up to them and said to Eris and Rudeus, "Rudeus, your big brother is back."
Rudeus's mouth twitched, and he stood up excitedly, rushing toward Roa.
He was pushed away by Roa, who looked at him with disdain.
Rudeus didn't mind and began to lament about what had happened over the past few months.
"Big Brother Roa, you finally came! You have no idea how I've been these past few days, boohoo."
Eris instinctively sensed something was wrong. She knew all too well what she had done over the past few months.
After Roa left, she had indulged herself quite a bit.
And more importantly, she had not only failed to learn what Roa had instructed her to but had also forgotten most of what she had previously learned.
"This is bad."
That was her first thought.
Eris's expression turned fierce as she looked at Rudeus with a glint of menace in her eyes.
If this guy foolishly revealed everything about her, she wouldn't hesitate to be ruthless.
She had promised to behave well in the morning, but unexpectedly, this seemingly kind-hearted guy was ready to spill her secrets as soon as he saw someone.
It seemed it was time to teach him a lesson and let him know who the real boss was.
Roa was unaware of Eris's thoughts, but just from the fierce look in her eyes, he could guess her intentions.
Not allowing Rudeus to continue, Roa smiled and said, "I won't be staying too long this time."
Upon hearing this, Rudeus's words were immediately swallowed back down, his youthful face filled with shock.
Rudeus grabbed Roa's hand and asked, "Big Brother, how long are you planning to stay this time?"
Roa shrugged, glanced at the two, and hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'll probably stay for about a month. After that, I plan to set off on another adventure."
Rudeus's movements froze as he looked down at the ground. It was only at this moment that he realized the seriousness of the situation.
If this trend continued, he would be the one responsible for teaching Eris from now on.
Seeing his big brother was indeed something to be happy about, but the problem was that he had to plan for the future.
Just thinking about being tormented by the little demon again made it impossible for Rudeus to feel happy.
According to Rudeus's plan, after Roa returned, he wouldn't leave too quickly; at the very least, he would fulfill his tutoring duties before leaving.
But clearly, Roa had no intention of adhering to any so-called agreement.
Rudeus sighed inwardly, giving up on the idea of having a red-haired loli as a companion, and stood to the side, feeling gloomy.
Roa, somewhat speechless, reached out to pat his foolish brother's head and said helplessly, "No matter what, you need to learn to handle various situations. You can't just act like a little kid and report everything."
Rudeus's expression stiffened as he nervously glanced at Eris, who was standing nearby.
Eris also looked nervously at Roa.
Their gazes intertwined, and Rudeus let out a sigh of relief.
With Eris's intellect, even with such an obvious hint, as long as he didn't say it out loud, she wouldn't guess what it meant.
At that time, he could deny everything, claiming that he was too excited to control his emotions upon seeing Roa, and he could completely cover up the matter.
Very well, the plan was successful.
Patting Rudeus on the shoulder, Roa said with a hint of helplessness, "Rudeus, you still need to work hard; your swordsmanship still needs improvement."
Rudeus nodded in response, but whether he took it to heart was another matter.
Seeing that Roa didn't pursue the topic of her studies, Eris immediately brightened up.