Life is not easy, Roa sighed.
Roa activated his persona, trying to calm Eris down.
The pure body passively activated, and a gentle aura emanated from Roa, replacing the sharp sense of oppression.
Punishment is not the goal; the real goal is to let the other party learn a lesson.
Roa lowered his head, wiped away the girl's tears, and said gently, "Eris, you need to be a bit more patient. I know you feel wronged, but things are not as you think. Look at Rudeus; why can he get along with everyone?"
Rudeus, who was watching the show from the side, was inexplicably called out and showed a puzzled expression.
Eris glanced at Rudeus and coldly snorted, "He's smooth-talking; it's normal for him to get along with everyone."
Rudeus: ???
What do you mean by smooth-talking? Say that again?
Roa continued, "Have you considered that Nina actually wanted to be friends with you?"
Eris retorted, "Would someone like her want to be friends?"
Roa asked, "Did she come over and immediately start hurling insults at you? Did she prepare to hit you right away?"
Eris nodded.
To her, that was exactly how it was; she had come over out of nowhere and grabbed her collar. Wasn't that a provocation to fight?
Roa was momentarily speechless and continued, "At first, she definitely didn't say that. You must have done something that made her feel very displeased. Think carefully."
Eris recalled and stubbornly insisted, "That girl just came over to cause trouble."
Roa was speechless.
No matter what the girl said, she couldn't be swayed, which made Roa feel very helpless.
After thinking for a moment, Roa asked, "Eris, do you remember when we first met?"
Eris nodded, "I remember; I was really annoyed by you guys back then."
Roa continued, "If Eris wanted to make friends, how would she express it?"
Eris was taken aback, pondering how she would speak.
Roa gently guided her, "Would you say it like Nina did?"
Eris fell into deep thought, and suddenly realized.
It seemed that, as Roa said, if Eris wanted to make friends, with her somewhat shy attitude, she would probably say something just as indirect.
"No way!" Eris sensed that things were going awry and loudly retorted, "She started it first!"
If this continued, she might actually be in the wrong.
Eris had a vague suspicion in her heart, but her pride prevented her from accepting such a fact.
"You already know where the problem lies, don't you?" Roa smiled, not denying Eris's words.
"I…" Eris was at a loss for words.
Roa continued, "Actually, Nina was also wrong, wasn't she? Why couldn't she be a bit more straightforward? Why couldn't she be as straightforward as Rudeus? Why did she have to provoke you first when you clearly felt you hadn't done anything?"
Eris instinctively nodded. Her mind might be slow, but she recognized the truth in Roa's words.
Indeed, why not be more straightforward when making friends? If she wanted to be friends, she should just say it. With that aloof attitude, who wouldn't think she was looking for trouble?
But then, Roa shifted his tone, "But, Eris, don't you think you were also wrong? Do you still believe you were right before?"
Eris fell silent.
She wanted to argue, but under the premise that the other party was at fault first, she seemed not as perfect as she imagined.
Roa sighed, "Eris, you should be a bit more patient. You don't need to have a lot of patience, but you must have some. I'm not asking you to think like Rudeus, but at the very least, you should listen to the other person's words and think a little. That should be acceptable, right?"
Eris's face turned red. Although she often acted stubbornly, it didn't mean she was unreasonable.
This time, Eris thought she was standing on a moral high ground, believing she hadn't done anything wrong, but unexpectedly, Roa's words made her feel ridiculed, and her original grievances faded away.
The beastman warrior standing nearby nodded, and Ghislaine said to Eris, "In our beastman tribe, if you make a mistake, you must apologize. Eris, although you are not one of us, I think you should apologize."
Eris lowered her head, her dirt-streaked face turning red, and she stammered, "I, I was wrong."
Roa shrugged, "The one you should apologize to is not me, but the girl you hit."
"Ah?" Eris exclaimed, clearly not wanting to apologize to Nina.
But facing Roa's serious gaze, Eris could only nod, a somewhat awkward expression appearing on her face.
Roa shrugged; the purpose of the reprimand had been achieved, and it was time to encourage her a bit.
"However, you did quite well this time. I thought you would get beaten by Nina, but unexpectedly, you dealt with her instead. Well, don't mention the old sword god's expression."
Roa teased with a smile, the previously heavy atmosphere dissipating and becoming cheerful.
The girl's sadness came quickly and left just as fast; she soon smiled and proudly said, "That's natural. That girl was too clumsy; she wanted to fight but looked hesitant."
Rudeus twitched the corner of his mouth, but secretly gave a thumbs up to Roa's teaching method.
First, both sides received a reprimand, and then gradually guided the girl to understand her mistakes. Knowing her errors would naturally make Eris feel frustrated and unhappy, and at that moment, a little encouragement would make her happy again.
And the result was indeed as Roa had imagined. The girl swept away her previous arrogance and realized where she had gone wrong. Although it was hard to say whether Eris would make the same mistake again next time, at least the most basic goal had been achieved, and that was good enough, wasn't it?
With Eris's matter resolved, the remaining task was the training schedule for the afternoon.
During lunch, Eris still looked at Roa with a pitiful expression.
But every time Roa glanced back, the girl would unconsciously avert her gaze.
By the end of the meal, Roa had become somewhat silent.
"So, Eris, why do you keep looking at me?"
Roa sighed, put down his chopsticks, and looked back.
"Eh?" Eris let out a small exclamation, but this time she did not look away; instead, she met Roa's gaze openly.
Her fiery red hair cascaded down to her waist, and the girl still looked the same. The dust and dirt on her face had long been washed away by Roa's water magic, revealing her delicate features.