However, even if Eris had known, it probably wouldn't have changed anything.
Eris was that kind of person; her purpose for being here was not to make friends.
She paid no mind to the crowd's reaction. After her introduction, she walked straight to Roa's side and took his hand.
Roa was slightly taken aback but did not refuse.
The height difference between the two was significant, leading the crowd to quickly assume they were siblings.
As for why one had red hair and the other blond, it was easily explained: two different mothers.
After Eris finished, it was Rudeus's turn to introduce himself.
"My name is Rudeus. Please take care of me."
Rudeus's introduction was brief, and he bowed after speaking, which made the crowd's expressions soften a bit.
The attitude of the onlookers towards the blond kid became more amicable.
They were all young and inexperienced, and no one could be too bad.
With the task completed, Rudeus stepped back to the side.
A quick-witted guy in the group voiced his confusion first: "Aren't they supposed to be siblings? Why didn't we see him introduce himself?"
The "he" referred to Roa himself.
The people nearby, having been pointed out by the boy, began to wonder as well.
"Could the kid just be here as a companion, just to tag along?"
"I'm not sure."
The whispers began again.
This time, Gal did not scold the crowd but spoke slowly, "Well, you have another senior brother. Of course, your senior brother has been learning swordsmanship from Ghislaine, so it's normal that you haven't seen him before. In our Sword God School, we value strength above all. A strong person is a strong person, and a weak person is a weak person. The status and strength you desire are all determined by your abilities."
Gal paused, his scarred face looking fierce as he grinned, "I had a spar with him, and his strength has already reached the level of a Sword Emperor. I won't elaborate on what that means, so he is your senior brother. Anyone who disagrees can challenge him."
In that instant, the crowd erupted.
The female disciples' eyes sparkled, already thinking about how to strike up a conversation with the new senior brother.
The male disciples felt a headache coming on, fearing that the girl they liked might be taken away by him.
Roa patted Eris on the head, released her hand, and stepped forward to nod at the younger students.
Although he was somewhat surprised to become the senior brother, an elevated status was not a bad thing.
Roa cleared his throat and began, "Hello everyone, my name is Roa Greyrat. This is my first time at the Holy Land of Swords, and there are many things I don't understand, so I hope you all can guide me. Of course, if you have any questions about the Sword God School, feel free to ask me."
The boy looked around at the youthful faces and continued after a moment of thought, "You are all my junior brothers and sisters. Besides swordsmanship, I have a wide range of knowledge. I know a bit of magic and arithmetic. I noticed many of you are still young, and I learned from Master Ghislaine that many of you don't know how to read or write. If you want to learn, you can try to find my brother, Rudeus."
Rudeus: "Huh?"
Rudeus looked at Roa in confusion, his eyes seemingly asking why he was unaware of this.
Roa shrugged, ignoring Rudeus's discontent.
Roa said this to help Rudeus gain some experience; being a teacher, in a way, could indeed boost the boy's confidence.
However, going from being Eris's private tutor to everyone's tutor seemed to be leading Rudeus further down the path of teaching.
The girls' eyes lit up at this; just a moment ago, they were pondering how to connect with him, and now the opportunity had presented itself.
The boys' expressions soured; regardless of whether the new senior brother had any intentions, seeing the girls gravitate towards him was disheartening.
However, upon hearing the boy's last sentence, the dynamics shifted. The girls looked troubled and sighed in unison, while the boys secretly breathed a sigh of relief, comforting the girls they liked.
Watching the boys and girls, Roa felt a sense of nostalgia for his school days in his previous life.
The boys hid their budding feelings and secret crushes deep within.
Roa observed the mixed expressions of disappointment and joy among the crowd, chuckling to himself before clearing his throat to conclude the topic.
"In any case, I hope to maintain a good relationship with all of you. That's all."
With that, Roa left gracefully.
At this point, the situation had reached a conclusion. The room's arrangement was simple: Roa had a room to himself, while Eris and Rudeus were assigned to the dormitory.
The dormitory was co-ed, with boys sleeping with boys and girls with girls. The rooms were not small, and the beds were simple, but aside from the beds, there was nothing else.
Eris's face fell when she learned she would be leaving Roa to stay with others.
The girl directly tugged at Roa's sleeve, her ruby-like eyes fixed on him.
Roa sighed, stroking Eris's smooth hair, and said helplessly, "Eris, you need to grow up. One day, you will leave us and embark on your own journey."
Before he could finish, Eris interrupted forcefully, exclaiming, "No! I won't leave everyone!"
Roa ignored the girl's outburst. It was impossible to grant her special privileges just because she was throwing a tantrum. Eris had been spoiled by her grandfather and mother, which had led to her stubborn and willful nature.
If he were to indulge her every time she pleaded or acted cute, it wouldn't be for her benefit. She needed to face some interpersonal challenges on her own.
She couldn't choose to avoid things just because she wasn't good at handling them.
Roa continued to patiently persuade her, but unfortunately, Eris was determined to stick to her decision. In the end, he had to adopt a commanding tone, saying, "Eris, listen. You are the young lady of the Greyrat family, and you are also my disciple. This is a test, and your stay here won't be too long. If you can't even handle this test, how high can your future achievements be?"
This was the first time Eris had been scolded by Roa, and her eyes instantly turned red.
Eris fell silent, lowering her head and standing quietly to the side.
Roa glanced over, not wanting to see her pitiful expression.
Everything he did was for her own good.
Roa kept telling himself this in his mind, while also feeling a headache coming on.
Eris had unknowingly become too reliant on them, which was not a good thing.
But thinking about it, Eris was still young, and there were many days ahead. They could deal with future matters later. If necessary, he could help her build resilience through distraction, which could also be beneficial.
However, he needed to make arrangements for that in advance.
Seeing Roa lost in thought and ignoring her, Eris felt even more aggrieved.
Throughout her life, Eris had never faced such humiliation.
Rudeus, unable to hold back, comforted her, "We're only going to be here for a while. Besides, I'm in the same situation as you; think of it as a training exercise."
The girl reluctantly nodded.
After sorting out the trivial matters, it was time for formal practice.
Eris and Rudeus followed the other students to practice swordsmanship, focusing on the basics. Both of them had a solid foundation, but they still needed to practice.
As for Roa, it was straightforward; he was directly pulled by Gal for sparring.
Practical combat was the best way to achieve results. Roa's movements were very standard; the swordsmanship pursued speed, precision, and power, but there were some small habits that could be slightly corrected.
Since both were strong, their training did not avoid the students, and their sparring quickly caught the attention of the crowd.
However, after watching for a moment, most people shifted their gaze away.
The speed of the battle was too fast; no one could keep up with the pace of their exchanges. It was normal not to keep up; while there were many Sword Kings in the Holy Land of Swords, there were very few present.
If it weren't for Ghislaine's return, the Holy Land of Swords would currently have no Sword Kings.
Once someone reached the level of Sword King, they generally wouldn't stay in the Holy Land of Swords. The strength of a Sword King could be considered powerful even in this world; as long as they didn't venture into overly dangerous areas, they could roam freely in ordinary regions.
The new generation would always push the old generation forward, and as one group left, another group of fresh blood would emerge.
Nina and her group were part of that new wave.
Ghislaine watched the battle between the two with a sense of nostalgia, saying, "Impressive."
Gal turned to Roa and said, "Your speed should be able to increase even more. Clear your mind of distractions, don't overthink it, and unleash the Sword of Light against me. You need to break through that barrier!"
Roa nodded, gripping the sword hilt with one hand, adjusting his breathing, and then drew his sword.
The enhancement of the sword heart required no extensive preparation time for Roa.
A near-light-speed slash instantly cut through the air, the morning light shining down as the wooden sword struck towards Gal's face.
The wooden sword easily pierced the air, as if it had transcended time and space, appearing directly in front of Gal.
No one saw how the boy made his move.
It was clearly a powerful strike, yet there was not a sound to be heard.
Gal raised his sword, parrying the long sword that was about to hit him, and said to Roa, "Not bad. With a bit more practice, you'll be able to cross that threshold."
Roa nodded; this was normal. Crossing that threshold did not mean he had become a Sword God; it simply meant he could wield the true Sword of Light.
For others, this hurdle might be a lifetime challenge, but for Roa, it was not particularly difficult.
With a plethora of talents, Roa's progress was akin to riding a rocket.
After teaching Roa a few more techniques, Gal suddenly said, "In any case, surpassing me in strength is not a difficult task for you. I believe that within a year or two, you will be able to take the position of Sword God."
Gal said this with a nostalgic smile on his bearded face, not surprised that someone talented could inherit his position.
He was not someone who couldn't accept defeat; otherwise, he wouldn't have been defeated by the Dragon God and then surged forward to become the Sword God.
Of course, the notion of not being able to accept defeat only applied to those he acknowledged. He was also a very proud person; if he were defeated by someone he looked down upon, his mindset would become like Rudeus's, falling into self-doubt and questioning.
(In the original story, he was defeated by the person he looked down upon the most, Gino Britz, and fell into a slump.)
…
The following is the Sword God's experience in the original world:
Gino Britz was indeed a curious case, likely surprising everyone.
His strength was not particularly strong, and he had never shown much ambition, wanting very little and having no pursuit for power or authority.
Gal, while not saying anything, indeed looked down on him.
Without the pride of youth, his strength was merely average, belonging to the ordinary category.
Gino had great talent, fitting the definition of a genius.
But genius is not rare in this world, is it?
Genius alone is not precious; it is the diligent genius that is truly rare.
Unfortunately, Gal did not see any effort from him.
Then one day, this seemingly inconspicuous guy came to propose.
He said he wanted to marry Gal's daughter, and Gal burst out laughing.
How could his precious daughter marry someone like this?
This was both a reprimand and an attempt to motivate the guy in front of him.
He thought that by presenting an almost impossible request, Gino might muster some determination.
After all, looking down on someone doesn't mean he wouldn't show kindness to a junior.
So he proposed a request that was nearly impossible for Gino to fulfill.
"If you want to get married, then come and try to defeat me. If you can do that, I'll give you my permission."
Gal said this.
It was almost an impossible task; any normal person would know that it was nearly unachievable.
However, from that moment on, Gino underwent a tremendous transformation.
Then the fateful day arrived.
He was defeated by the little brat in front of him.
It was quite baffling; a Sword King, breaking through some kind of confinement, rapidly increasing in strength, and then directly challenging him.
He unleashed a strike that was on par with his own level, and with a trivial detail, he gained a time advantage that was almost negligible.
Yet it was this small amount of time that prevented Gal from swinging his sword again.
He managed to strike once, but he could not swing a second time.
On that day, Gino got everything he wanted.
And in this world, there was one more person left heartbroken.
Then, Gal's mental state underwent a significant transformation.
He began to question the sword in his hand, and the confidence he once had vanished without a trace.