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Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter One: The Day Rudeus Greyrat Died and An Unwelcome Start

“When a life of contemplation and redemption ends, what is a man supposed to do besides feel complacent.”

—Am I just supposed to be okay with getting a third chance when I already had a second…? How can I not feel regret for all the people I’ve left behind?

Author: Rudeus Greyrat

Deep into the winter months in Sharia, people gathered in one home. Why were these people gathering, you might ask? Well, it was for an extraordinary occasion. A party unlike any other—ahh, who am I kidding?

I, Rudeus Greyrat, was approaching the end of my life, and my family saw it fit to bid me farewell into the afterlife. 

My legs decided to give out on me a little while ago, so I was sat in bed. I found even sitting up to be a tiresome activity these days. Strange that not long ago, I was still running all over the place doing jobs for Orsted, but an old, senile man like me can’t quite keep up with the likes of Alek nowadays. 

“Rudy?” A woman’s voice sounded from my right. Her hair was as white as snow, her eyes as red as rubies, and her ears long like knives. Even now, they looked awfully biteable. The woman shot me an annoyed look. “You should stop with that thought, Rudy. You know you don’t have enough energy.” Her ears flapped a little, and even though she reprimanded my stare, she didn’t do anything to stop me. If anything, she only came closer and clasped my hand. It's a shame I couldn’t bring my body up because I would’ve gotten right to work on nibbling. 

“Everyone’s here, Rudy.” A feminine voice spoke to my left as I felt the warmth of a hand clasp my other empty one. Blue braids were the first thing that invaded my vision as I looked over to meet Roxy’s blue eyes. I offered her a simple smile that she returned, but when I snaked my hand out of her clasp and reached toward her chest, she quickly swatted my hand away without hesitation, only to take it back in hers. “Not the time, Rudy.” 

"Aww, come on,” I begged. “How about one last time for your precious student?” My remark made the room laugh in response while Roxy shook her head in disregard.

“I think you’re too old to get down to business again, Rudeus.” A voice called, and with a little looking, I found the origin. There, in all of her usual splendor, stood Elinalise, still looking as young as when I met her. Beside her was an elderly man, and beside them stood a young man holding the hand of a slightly older woman with brown hair beside him. Simply put, it was Cliff, Clive, and my daughter, Lucy.

“I don’t think you should be allowed to talk Elinalise. Considering your track record.” I retorted, but the woman chuckled as she hugged her husband closer to her. 

Cliff eventually pried the elven succubus off himself as he stepped forward and offered a small prayer. Even after all of these years, his faith never waned even slightly. His level of commitment made the likes of me jealous. “I’m sorry I can’t do much more for you, Rudeus, but you know by now that many of your practices aren’t exactly welcomed by the Millis faith.” His voice was gravelly and low. 

"That’s no problem, but are you sure you should be up and about right now, Cliff? Hell, you’re older than me.” The man shot me a cheeky smile in response.

“I guess you could say I still have a job to fulfill, even with my age.” He eyed his wife, and she offered a smirk in reply.

Is he saying they still hit the hay? Should I be jealous? Yeah, I should be jealous. Out of any of us in our friend group, I thought I was the sexual deviant of the bunch, but I guess with time, everyone's true colors are shown.

“Lucky dog, you.” That was all I offered him in the form of compassion. It was impressive enough that he was still keeping up with her after all these years, but I guess he had a lot of practice.

A moment of silence spread between us for a while. 

“I wish Zanoba could be here.” Cliff spoke in a quiet and grieved voice. After Zanoba’s, we decided not to talk much about the man. Neither of us wanted to relive the sadness of his death day in and day out.

“To think our school days are so far away now.” He pursed his lips. “I’ll say hello to Zanoba for you. I’m sure he’ll be glad you still remember him.” He gave me a teary-eyed nod. Even my respectable senior can cry when push comes to shove.

I eyed the room after Cliff left and spotted a person I thought impossible. I even had to rub my eyes once to make sure he was actually in the corner, sitting on the floor. There, I spotted a man I’d thought I wouldn’t see on this day. 

“You finally decide to leave the Sword Sanctum, Jino?” Usually, any man would’ve been scared shitless by the Sword God casually sitting in a corner of a room. Especially the man renowned for never leaving his home. The mere fact that I could so casually call out to him was only a testament to my many years of knowing the man. I found his presence here reassuring. 

“Well, there’s nothing better to do.” His remark came off in a sedated way. Nina had unfortunately passed only a few months after Eris had. I’m sure he took the loss about as bad as I had. “Plus, when your drinking buddy is going off to die, the least you can do is watch him as he goes.” The gruff man nodded his head. Looking at him now, you’d never expect a geriatric old man like him to be the Sword God, but when your sole reason was to become stronger to fuck the woman you loved, not many could stop him. His still holding the Sword God's title further showed his strength.

It was a shame Zanoba or Doga couldn’t be here. The five of us could’ve had one last drinking party together, but they were both already gone. How long has it been? I can’t seem to remember.  

Well, I better get this show on the road before everyone grows tired of an old man talking their ear off.

I looked at Lucy and quickly found the rest of my children in the crowd. Ars sat by a wall, obviously on watch duty. Sieghart likewise was standing next to Alek, who was by the doorway. Lily was standing next to her children. Weirdly enough, she wasn’t fiddling with anything. Not too far away was my last child, Christina. She held herself with such esteem that I almost felt the need to bow. However, I guess that’s how a person becomes after being the queen of a kingdom. 

“Come, children. I’d like some words.” They had all noticed my stare drifting between them by this point, and with a look between themselves, they all came closer and stood by my bed, each with faces of anxiety and sadness. 

Even when looking at them like this, the only thing that runs through my head is a feeling of contentment. It’s been a good run, hasn’t it? My children are all healthy, and they’ve been living their lives the way they want. This is good enough. 

“Papa?” Lucy was the first to speak. Her tone was uncertain, and her eyes were watery with tears. Clive touched her shoulder to ease my daughter’s feelings even a little.

“Lucy, thank you for sticking it out when you were younger.” Her lip quivered once I started. “Thank you for loving your father despite all his inadequacies.” She started crying a moment later, and Clive hugged her close to him. With a finger flick, I grabbed the handkerchief from Ars's pocket with some gravity magic and wiped her tears. No one paid any mind to the interaction. 

“Ars?” I turned my attention back to my eldest son. He’d become quite the looker. He only got the good parts of Eris and me, after all. Well, I couldn’t say it was only the good, but that stuff was far into the past. 

“Yes, Father?”

“Keep working hard, Son.” Ars liked to solve things with actions more than he did words. He was just like his mother in that way, so I figured that much would be enough to leave him with. 

“I’ll continue to do my best.” His voice shook slightly as he spoke. He hung his head low after. I could tell that tears were beginning to well up in his eyes, but I wouldn’t mention them.

“Sieg?” The green-haired boy came closer. 

“I’m here, Father.” 

“Have you become a hero yet?” He nodded his head to disagree.

“I’m still striving to become one every day.” 

“That’s good.” I nodded along. “I know you have your own duties, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask a favor from you.” 

His face remained resolute. “Anything.” 

“Then, if there’s ever a time when they’re in danger, I’d like you to protect your mother’s for me. Can you do that for your father?” He eyed the women to my sides and nodded after doing so. 

“I’ll do you proud.” I nodded and moved along.

“Lily?” The girl was already crying before I even started talking. She was very different from her blood sister, that was for sure, but it almost felt nice that she wasn’t trying to hide under a facade.

“Y-Yes, Papa?” She spoke between sniffles as Aisha moved from Ars’s side to wipe her nose for her.

“I have no more use for it, so you can do with my magic armor what you will.” Lily had already long been appointed to the helm for researching and improving the magic armor, but I hadn’t let the girl touch my personal suits. I didn’t want her turning the Mark Zero into some Gundam. Oh, that actually reminds me. 

“Please don’t make a Gundam or something after I’m gone.” It was better to stomp a weed out before it grew.

“I don’t know what that means.” The girl cried as she spoke. A giggle escaped her throat as she did so. 

“You can ask Nanahoshi the next time you see her.” 

Speaking of. She must still be asleep, considering I don’t see her anywhere. It's a shame I had to pass on at such an inadequate time. I would’ve at least liked to say goodbye to my fellow Japanese native, but oh well. These things happen.

I turned my head to my last child. “Chris?” 

She stepped forward slightly. Edward trailed loosely behind her. Her dignified demeanor remains even now. If I had to say which child of mine changed the greatest, it would have to be her. I still miss the days she’d beg me to play with her or give her a piggyback ride around Sharia. Only to tell me to do it again because she hadn’t had enough “Papa time,” as she called it. 

However, her demeanor didn’t last long as Sylphie, in an almost reassuring nature, touched the woman’s arm when she reached me. Then, the girl’s facade immediately fell apart, and she broke down and fell on top of me in a crying and sobbing fit. “I-I don’t want you to die, Papa! P-Please just stay a little longer!” The woman who had held such an iron facade only a moment earlier had easily cracked because of me. Honestly, I was happy enough to die—well, I am doing that anyway, so I guess that’s technically true. 

My daughter pleaded to me as her husband rubbed her back. I offered Edward a consoling look, and he just shrugged his shoulders at me with a slightly somber smile on his lips. I brought my hand up and rubbed her head. “Your Papa has to go soon. I’m sorry.” She shook her head against my chest as she smothered her tears across the blanket on top of me. “Thank you for letting me dote on you as much as I liked when you were younger.” I rubbed her head as I looked up to the family I—no, that Sylphie, Roxy, Eris, and I painstakingly built together. Only because of the women I loved could I die like this.

“It is a shame that Lara couldn’t be here.” I breathed out as Edward finally collected the still sobbing Chris from my chest.

“Rudy, I’m—” Roxy tried speaking, most likely to try to bear needless guilt that shouldn’t exist, so I decided to cut her off.

“It’s okay, Roxy. Lara isn’t like me. She had a goal she was chasing. I’m sure even now, she’s doing what needs to be done wherever she is. So I’m glad.” My estranged daughter was someone I never really understood, but even now, I know that wherever she was, she was doing something that would affect our fight against the Man-God. So if it meant missing her old man’s death, I couldn’t much mind. At the end of the day, I still loved Lara. She’s my daughter, and I knew she had her own way of showing affection.

In my previous life, I wet my whistle while my parent’s funeral was happening. So, I can confidently say that whatever she’s up to is infinitely better.

"Aisha, Norn?” Aisha turned toward me as Norn approached her sister with Ruijerd in tow. They both stared at me. As the taller man idled behind them.

I looked them both in the eyes, going from Aisha and holding my gaze on Norn. “Father and Mother would be proud.” Those words slipped out of my mouth. Aisha stood there with a look of bewilderment as tears slowly started to fall from her wrinkled face. Next to her, Norn didn’t take it nearly as well. The mention of our parents practically sent the girl over the edge as she sobbed into Ruijerd’s chest. “I’ll say hello to them for you two.” The blond nodded without looking back at me as Aisha gave me a slight bow. 

It looks like I’ve made the room even sadder somehow. What a buzzkill I’ve become.

“Rudeus?” Ruijerd’s rough voice cut through the air like a knife. Of course, he hadn’t changed in all the years I’d known him. The only thing that could be considered different was that now we were family.

“Say hi to Eris for me.” Of course, the last words he gave me had to be so cool. That was so like him. 

“Alek.” A simple call and the man came running over. 

“Rudeus.” His chipper tone was still there. I imagine that seeing a person die was regular for him. 

“A dead man doesn’t need a spot among the Seven Powers, so you can have it back.” I closed my eyes for his response. Was he going to be happy about it? Probably not. Alek liked to fight for these kinds of things.

“I politely decline your offer.” His response wasn’t bombastic or upbeat. Instead, I was met with an entirely serious-sounding man. 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Alek. It’s not like I’m in any shape to—”

“I’m not worthy of the title. Not until I shape up and figure out who I need to be. So, for now, I’m not worthy of replacing the ‘Quagmire.’” He was adamant about refusing, it seemed. Well, so be it.

“You’re far too kind for your own good, you know?” 

“Says you.” He shot back at me with a mocking tone. 

I breathed in and breathed out. I could tell it was coming soon. I knew because I had felt it before in my life. The creeping sense of death that threatened to consume my existence. This time, however, I wouldn’t run away or scream for another chance. I was ready, and I was willing to accept my end. This time, I would be going out on my own terms, and I felt like there was no other way I would rather die.

The man who hadn’t spoken at all yet stepped forward toward me. His stern golden eyes never left mine, even as he moved. His white hair is still styled the same way it had always been, and his attire is the same as when I met him, which at this point felt like a lifetime ago. Even by being in the same room as him, the atmosphere seemed to change, but for some reason, no one was as scared of him as they used to be, even without his helmet on.

“Rudeus.” Orsted spoke in his typical flat-toned voice with his usual ever-present scowl. 

I looked behind him to see everyone for one last time. Shame they were all so sad. I didn’t necessarily want my death to be tragic, but it made me feel happy that this many people cared for me. 

“You know, Orsted. I maybe should’ve taken a note from my future self and learned time magic. With how sad I’m making everyone, it’s making me feel guilty.” I let out a short chuckle, and then, oddly enough, the man did as well.

My eyes widened as I had to double-take what I heard. The Dragon God. My boss. Who had to be the most serious person in this world—just chuckled. As if it was the most obvious answer to my statement.

“You’ve done more than enough. If anyone deserves a break. It would have to be you , Rudeus.” The man’s face shifted ever so slightly.

“You sound sad enough to cry, old friend.” His eyes widened slightly at that. 

Did I actually hit the mark? Or was he just angry that I threw one last swing at him before I left?

“Orsted.” The man looked down at me. “Please finish it for me. Seal the Man-God and put an end to this battle of yours.”

“ Ours. ” He reiterated. “And I will.” A look of utter determination flashed in Orsted’s eyes as he spoke.

“Well, if you somehow—” I paused, and the man looked at me with an incredulous look. “I know this sounds ridiculous, but. If we somehow fail. Just find me.” I’m sure I could help you out. That was what I didn’t add to what I said. The likelihood of a loop like this was so astronomically close to zero that it wasn’t funny, but who knows what could happen. This entire life that I had lived was full of uncertainties. Still, it would be better not to think about what-ifs like that.

I took another breath in and out. At this point, even that was proving difficult. I could tell I was slowly slipping away.

I looked to my left. “Roxy.” Then I turned to my right. “Sylphie.” Both of their grips tightened. “Thank you for putting up with me.” They both immediately interjected and denied what I said, but I quickly put a kibosh on them. “We’ve been through a lot, haven’t we?” Memories flashed in my head. I couldn’t quite remember everything, but the amount of memories I shared with everyone greatly outweighed the ones I had forgotten.

“Like when you confused me as a boy—twice?” I nodded along with a smirk.

“I was quite dense back then, so I hope you may forgive me for my hubris.” I felt a pinch on my cheek.

“Or when I made you promise to not be so formal with me?” Right, sorry. Force of habit, you’re just too cute when you’re mad.

Roxy leaned close to whisper, “Or when you stole my underwear?” Ah, that… She knows?!

“Please don’t tell anyone,” I whispered, panic evident in my voice as I did so. I’d rather keep my proclivities unknown to most of my family if I could help it. She nodded as she placed a kiss on my cheek. If I was younger, that would’ve been an invitation, but with how I am now, the only thing keeping me going was magic and sheer willpower.

“I feel guilty, you know. While I’ve grown old and frail, you two are still so young and spry. I’m sure you two could find another part—”

“I refuse.” Sylphie’s face left no room for retort.

“I defer to Sylphie.” Their responses made themselves apparent.

You hear that, everyone! They’re mine! Not yours! Mine! Well, not that I’m going to be alive much longer anyway, but even hearing that made an old man’s heart weep with joy.

“Rudy?” Sylphie’s face had a worried expression. Not that she hadn’t had it the entire time I was lying here, but now I noticed my vision growing all wobbly. 

I was crying. I was happy. Weird, right? To cry tears of joy on your deathbed? That only went to show how glad I was with the life I led.

“I didn’t plan to start crying like this.” The two kept staring at me with worried frowns. “C’mon, you shouldn’t let me be the only one crying here. I’d like it if you two didn’t hold back on me. It’ll make me feel bad.” I managed to speak between my sobs. 

With my approval, the two stopped and looked at each other. Then back at me. It didn’t take long for the two to start clinging to me. I wrapped both my arms around either of them. “Roxy, thank you for taking me out of my house when I was younger. I was so scared to do it, but you came in and just whisked me away.” I’m sure hearing that meant practically nothing to the girl, but for me, it had been such a pivotal part of my life that I’d never forgotten about it. Even now, I remember it on my deathbed some seventy years later. That’s how important it was to me. “Thank you for falling in love with someone like me.” The girl continued to sob into me. 

“I-I love you, Rudy.” Her lips met mine in a brief kiss.

“Sylphie, thank you for putting up with me and staying with me even after I brought in wife after wife.” I didn’t stop crying against the two of them. Even as Sylphie giggled a little at what I said. “Thank you for raising our family.” She, too, brought her lips to mine for but a moment.

“O-Of course… I love you.” Her raspy voice came through quietly.

Then, I forced myself to stop crying. To address the one person who couldn’t make it here. “Eris.” I looked up at the ceiling, looking at nothing in particular as I did so. “Thank you for working so hard for a man like me.” I looked at Sylphie and Roxy as they turned their tear-ridden faces toward me. The sound of crying was heavy in the room now. 

Everyone knew what was coming.

“I’m coming to meet you now. I hope you didn’t wait too long for this old codger.” 

I breathed a couple of times. Then, eventually, I didn’t feel like I needed to anymore. Then, a thought came to my mind. I still have so much to say, though. There are still people I haven’t said goodbye to yet. 

My dimming vision was focused on the two women that I loved. Their faces were marred in tears as they didn’t stop clinging to me. These two never stopped loving me, even till the bitter end. I was blessed in this life. I was given another chance to live, and I did. That’s all that mattered to me in the end.

With one last push, with all the air left in my lungs, I spoke my final words. “Thank you.”

I think I’ve said enough. I’m okay now. I’ve done all I wanted to. My consciousness faded. I’m happy.

On a winter day in Sharia in K481, I, Rudeus Greyrat, died…and I passed a happy man. A fulfilled man.

My death wasn’t a special one. I was surrounded by my family and friends. It was too bad that Nanahoshi couldn’t be there, though I could understand why she wouldn’t care about an old man like myself. 

To me, this was more than I could’ve ever asked for. Even though dying of old age was such a cliche way to kick the bucket, I couldn’t have been happier. It was an oddly merry way to go for me. I was a person who had done unspeakable and cruel things to my family in my previous life, after all. So, I was satisfied with how my life had turned out this time. So, I faced the end of my life with as much dignity as possible.

At least I never ended up like the old me in the journal. Thinking about that brought back many bad memories, but that’s all in the past. I lead a simple life. I grew up in a decent home with decent parents, including my father—for the most part. I fell in love with a woman, then immediately went back on my word and fell in love again and again. I’ll never forget Sylphie’s kindness in accepting the shitty person her husband was. I truly loved my wives more than anything and loved my family equally. The cherry on top of it all was that I got to have my pick of nighttime fun with the three most beautiful women in the world. In Eris’s case, I would be the damsel in distress. Not that I ever complained or didn’t like it. All I know is that I was happy with my life, even if there were a few bumps along the way. Even if Paul died and I was left with a broken mother. I threw myself at life and lived it to the best of my ability. I knew I would die someday, so I had already accepted that I would eventually have to go.

So I waited in the void for my consciousness to kick the bucket. Even after the Man-God dragged me in for one last audience, I couldn’t bring myself to mind all that much. I was dead. Which meant I was done worrying about everything back when I was alive. 

So why was it that I was still awake? Why is it that when I opened my eyes after I talked to that bastard for the last time, I found myself back here? Back in this cozy room, being swaddled. With delicate arms cradling me and surrounded by people I once knew. With people, I hadn’t seen in decades.

Why was I back here? In my old house in Buena Village? Here in the same room that I started in all those years ago. 

“Have you thought of a name yet?” A woman questioned the man standing beside her. Her exasperated voice sounded so calm and serene. It was something I hadn’t heard in so long that I had forgotten what it even sounded like until now. The woman’s flowing golden hair stuck to her face ever so slightly from her sweat. 

This was Zenith… There was no mistake about it. I expected her listless, emotionless face I had become so used to. Instead, I locked eyes with a woman full of expression and life, nothing like the Zenith I had known. 

“Did you forget we decided on Rudeus if it was a boy, Honey?” His candid answer reached Zenith as she hummed quietly in agreement; she slightly reared me back and forth.

“Sorry.” Zenith let out an exasperated giggle at her forgetfulness. “But gosh, isn’t he just a little cutie, Dear!” Zenith cooed at me as she rubbed my tiny face against her cheek. A nostalgic feeling filled my chest.

“Of course he is. He’s your kid, after all.” Then there was Paul. He was the same Paul I had so many gripes with. The man who had saved me in the teleportation labyrinth at the expense of his own life, even though he surely had so many lingering regrets. He was the one who smiled in relief when he saw I was alright, even as he died. He’s the person I most regret not talking to more. The only one I could ever call my father in this world. The one I regret never treating like my father. When I saw him, I could only feel regret and an indefinite amount of relief and joy at seeing him again.

Paul kissed Zenith’s forehead with a smile, the latter blushing slightly. “ Our kid … Isn’t that right, Rudeus?” Zenith peered down at me, her red cheeks seeming to shimmer unnaturally in the candlelit room. This feeling—just like when I lived in Sharia. 

This was happiness, wasn’t it? However, that still felt like an inadequate word for my feelings. This feeling I have now is different from then. This isn’t the same as it had been. Everything is like I remember it being, but why was I back here? What kind of sick, twisted joke was this? Is this what actually happens when you die? No, that bastard told me that once you die. Your mana returns to the world, and you cease to exist. There is no afterlife for anyone, not in this world. Knowing him, it wouldn’t be going against his values to lie to me. Or was this somehow my doing? No, there’s no way I could decide to be reborn whenever I want. It doesn’t matter at this point, does it? 

I-I died, but I get to see them again? There’s nothing I can do for everyone back there anymore, is there? I’m here now, and I’m most definitely stuck. That means that everything I did was for nothing, doesn’t it? Is this how Orsted felt every time he looped? Dread? Hopelessness? Regret for not doing something different? Something more?

It seems I’ve been blessed in some strange but cruel way. I know that if I’m here, something must’ve gone wrong on their end. That means everyone I knew… My train of thought ended when Paul invaded my peripheral with his face. 

“Rudeus… I can tell you’re going to be a great man. Just like your dad.” Paul smirked, pointing his thumb to himself. I couldn’t help but find his view on humor entirely laughable. 

Why would he say that to a newborn? I couldn’t help but realize it was the same Paul Greyrat in front of me because of his ridiculous face. He was still the same old Paul I had known. To throw out some sappy one-liner, then return to being an idiot. 

Is it weird that I missed this? How long has it been since we were like this? Since all of us were in one house together? Since we were a family?

Everyone I knew is gone… Aren’t they? The Roxy who took me outside my house and let me overcome my fear? That shy girl who would hold my hand if I asked her to? The woman who always tried her best at everything? The Sylphie who loved me unconditionally? The person who would reprimand me for my mistakes but would gently guide me through my flaws? The first person I could genuinely call my friend in this world? Eris, the first person I opened my heart to? The woman who gave me so much courage? The girl that had my back time and time again? The women I loved more than my own life. The kids we had. The kids they had. The friends I made. I’m here now, but they aren’t, are they…? They couldn’t be… To think I’m back here? In Buena? 

I just spoke to them. I just died, and now—I’m back? Why do I just get another chance at this life? Why do I get a do-over after being satisfied with how my life ended?! Am I just allowed to get back these peaceful days?! The ones that I wishfully longed for with everyone? Tears fell from my eyes. The mixture of regret, happiness, and sorrow overtook my body. I was alone again. I wasn’t alone in the conventional sense, per se, but everyone who knew me no longer knew me for who I was. That hurts to think about—it hurts a lot.

“Thank goodness.” Zenith sighed as she cradled me. Paul sported a worried look of his own as Zenith held me. “You worried us sick being all quiet.” Of course, the first thing I did was make her worry. It’s just like me to disappoint people at some point. 

So, just like that, I started my third life crying in my mother's arms, my father next to us, and the ever-so-diligent Lilia watching silently from the corner of the room with a slight smile. 

The touching family reunion was ruined when, later in the night, Paul and Zenith had already started to work on a sibling for me. Just give her a day of rest, dude! She just gave birth! They could’ve at least done it without their kid in the room, though! Even I had that much decency, and that’s saying something! 

Oh, the joys of being young. Though I guess I can’t talk about being old anymore. Considering I am a literal baby now. What a shame. I guess that means I have to throw away my dirty old man privileges. 

A few days after my birth, I had gotten my bearings—well, as much as a newborn could. It’s not like I could do much being swaddled twenty-four-seven and constantly cared for by Zenith or Lilia, primarily the former if they could help it. Looking up from my wrapped position, I saw Zenith diligently working on dinner, cutting vegetables and mincing meat. The one saving grace was when they would leave me alone for a moment so I could have some time to myself. I would probably be unable to move on my own accord until a couple more months passed; that’d be around when I could also start crawling. Though I doubt Lilia or Zenith would like me crawling to places, I couldn’t or shouldn’t be. So I’d have to keep that on the down low.

However, one thing I knew was that I was veritably reborn again. At first, I had no idea why, but after some thinking, the only plausible solution to this new life of mine would have to be Orsted’s curse activating after he failed. But didn’t he succeed? That’s what Hitogami said. Not that I could trust that bastard. 

To activate Orsted’s curse, he was required to fail to beat the Man-God. Then, time would rewind until some seventy years before now. Which means something did go wrong. Whatever it was, I can’t know for sure until I speak to the man again, and that’s if the Orsted in this reality is the same one I had known. I mean, he should already be active in this world. But how do I even know if he’s here? I haven’t heard any news of the Dragon God running amock, but I could excuse that, considering I was stuck in my house, lived out in the sticks of Asura where Orsted wouldn’t operate, and was only a couple of days old. Even then, Orsted was never one to act out in the open for anyone to actually report meeting the Dragon God.

Most of the time, if you met Orsted, it was because he was coming to meet you. This probably meant he would kill you in a couple of moments, or the alternative was that you were me, where he tracked you down so you could have a cup of tea or two with the man, go over some plans, and talk about trivial things occasionally.

Let’s try to look on the bright side and just say the Orsted in this world is the one I had known. That still leaves me with no idea what I’m doing here. Or why I would’ve looped with the man. I’m positive I died, and we both agreed that the last loop was likely the only chance he would get at succeeding in his mission. It was also the only loop I would likely appear in. So what if I’m just living out my memories or something? I have my own free will, so It’s not bound in stone, but still, I don’t know what in the bloody hell I should do for a plan. This was never even in the discussion for our goals. 

The good news was that I was reborn with the memories of my previous life. This meant that the tables in our fight against the Man-God had been massively turned in our favor. As a plus to everything, Paul, Zenith, and Lilia were all in good health like they were in the Buena days. 

Well, I am in Buena again, so that goes without saying.

This wasn’t like the last time when I didn’t have a care in the world. This time, I know what’s out there and what I must do. I can’t just slack off like I did until I allied with Orsted or become complacent like I was before Paul died. So, that left me with one thought. Do I wait to train until I can start walking so Lilia and Zenith are less suspicious of me, or do I just start when I did last time? No. I have to start before then. I have to start as soon as possible to avoid losing my edge. Said edge was something I’m relatively sure had already been lost.

I take pride in the work ethic I developed after being trained by Orsted. I always worked myself to the bone, no matter what. Until my body gave out, and I was left on my deathbed. I feared that if I paused now, I would lose my progress in many things I had spent so painstakingly long on. Especially swordsmanship; that was something I feared I had already lost a sizable chunk of skill in. Unlike Eris, Nina, Isolte, Jino, or even Paul, I was never naturally gifted in it, but I worked like hell to fight with any opponent if the time came. Even though that time never came to pass, that coward Man-God didn’t dare do anything to my family while I was still alive.

My priority now was to increase my strength as much as possible. To do that, the obvious point was to raise my accumulative mana even earlier than I had previously. With my current understanding of how mana works, increasing it shouldn’t be a problem. How much could I increase it compared to my last life? That I didn’t quite know. 

Thinking back, I guess I never did manage to learn if there was a limit to one’s magic pool. I figured at a certain point that it was technically infinite. The only concrete evidence I found is that the younger the person, the more malleable their mana, but there definitely had to be a point where the person reached their ceiling. Rudeus Greyrat is the only person I was reborn as because he simply had too much mana to live.

Of course, in the ladder parts of my life, I had taken students under my wing and taught them what I knew. Not many truly understood, and even the ones that did could never hope to reach me. Orsted thought I was special. Besides my son, I was a cut above the rest, even with my Laplace factor . Sieg was a powerhouse in his own right. Even Orsted, with his absolute mastery of everything, including magic, said that I somehow understood the concept of mana more than himself. Of course, I knew that was a lie. He always tried to flatter me.

I tried taking students as young as two. I don’t know what I thought when I did that, but I figured out that getting a two-year-old to cast magic was much more challenging in practice than I had initially thought. I figured out why Roxy thought it was weird that I could cast spells around that time. Try getting a three-year-old to sit still for a minute, and you’ll understand that teaching them magic is basically impossible. On the other hand, with all the experiments I performed on mana accumulation over the years, I had pinpointed the most time-efficient way to increase one’s mana pool. 

When one uses magic, they use up the mana stored in their body, simple enough. When one exhausts this mana, especially in their early years, their total capacity increases significantly. Eventually, their mana would far exceed the resources that simple spells would use. Expanding the time one would have to dedicate in their day to increase their total mana pool. The obvious answer to this puzzle is to use more advanced spells. This works for a while, but then what happens? 

With each cast, the more advanced magics will eventually take little to no mana of your total pool. Let's go higher into the complexity of spells, then. Like casting saint or king-tier magics? In my case, I’d rather not dedicate my entire day to creating an actual Ragnarok in my backyard to ‘increase my mana capacity.’ So, I devised a simple method instead. One where instead of raising the rank of magic past advanced, you’d rather stay on advanced and simply change the shape of the spell. How could that ever work in practice, you might ask? 

Increasing a spell’s size by twofold usually increases the mana it takes by the same amount. But, if you decrease the spell’s size, it does the same thing. If you were to make a Water Ball twice as small as the standard incantation dictates, it would take twice as much mana as it would then to just usually cast it. This is partly due to the extra parameters you put into the spell, thus putting more strain on it. Theoretically, you could even use Disturb Magic and cancel out all the attacks you used, but semantics.

This leaves us with steadily shrinking magic as one gains mana until their spells become microscopic. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize this until my later years. At that point, it proved little value to an old man, but it looked like it could help wet my diapers for the next few weeks. Sorry, Mom, Lilia. They’d have to clean my diapers anyway, considering I had no control over my bladder. Being a kid thoroughly sucked in it’s own right.

Now, I just had to ensure I’d get everything back, everything Orsted taught me in those fifty-six years. Every grueling minute I spent training after Lara left the house. I’ll do my best to be helpful to Orsted in this loop. So I can protect my family.

It's funny that the family I knew is gone now, right? Paul was here. Zenith and Lilia were alive and well, and I’m sure Norn and Aisha would be born in a couple of years. I’m sure I’ll meet Roxy, Sylphie, and Eris again. But whenever I think of them, guilt fills my heart. The only reason I’m not lamenting and wailing right now is because of my other priorities, like trying not to piss and shit myself. Whenever I think of them, I do nothing that day. The ones I’ll meet in this life aren’t the ones I knew. I’m the only one who remembers them, and they don’t remember me.

I left behind a life that I was satisfied with the ending of. At the end of it all, I was okay with dying, but now I was back. So what can I do but keep going? Is there any other option for me? No, there isn’t. It was that simple. I was basically alone in this world. No one knows me like I do.

That thought is scarier than anything I had to endure in my previous life. More so than dueling Badigadi in the Fighting God Armor or jumping into a sure suicide bout with Orsted. Being alone was more terrifying to me than either because I did those two things and many others to protect the family I loved.

“Rudy? Are you okay, honey?” Zenith peered down at me worriedly. Momentarily stopping the tune, she hummed as she chopped pork from a recently butchered pig. I could tell from how she was looking at me that all she felt was worry and empathy. I was crying, wasn’t I?  “There, there. You’re okay. Mama’s here, so you don’t have to be scared.” Jostling me a little bit, she cradled me to and fro, rubbing the tears that fell from my eyes as she smiled down at me. 

She used to be like this, didn’t she? She hasn’t changed at all. Even though she has no idea what I’ve been through. What I had to endure doesn't matter to her. All she knows is that I’m her son and that she loves me. These people are still my family. Even if they don’t remember me, I still owe it to them to live. I still owe it to Paul to protect my family with everything I have. To carry a sword in my heart for my loved ones. That phrase meant so little to me when Paul initially said it. Now, it brought so much weight.

I still have to go on living in this world. So I can't have any regrets when I die. 

I’m unsure where this life will take me, but I will try again. I’ll seriously try in this world for a second time.

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Two: The Dragon God's Failure and Their Meeting

“What a detestable being.” Orsted spat the words out as he looked around. “That Hitogami.” The seething remark seemed to flow out of his mouth like he had said it a few thousand times. Which was most likely an understatement, but who was here to care about the small details? The ones that would are gone now, most likely never to return. 

Those were the first words he had managed to utter since he found himself back in this forest. He stood quietly looking into the sky, pondering everything that had happened. After Rudeus passed, it became his goal to make the last words he spoke to him come true. To seal that cruel, capricious god who used people for his benefit for all of eternity. It was a long and arduous journey. Betrayals and threats were aplenty, but they finally did it. They had sealed that bastard. But when Orsted left that empty world and came to. 

Just seeing this forest makes me livid.

He didn’t know how long it had been since he found himself here. He lost count because of his seething anger. Meanwhile, he found himself just meandering around some stupid forest that meant nothing for days. He wandered listlessly onto a log he could sit on once he grew tired of walking. I just can’t do it anymore. When that thought came to mind, it felt like a red-hot iron was rammed into his skin.

I had done what I was destined to, hadn’t I? Orsted had reached the end of his seemingly endless journey that had spanned over twenty thousand years, which he thought would never end. He had done the impossible— they had done the unthinkable; he had finally crossed the finish line. 

So, was it all for naught? Had I done all of this for nothing? Had I wasted my one chance? His thoughts weren’t helping his predicament.

A feeling slowly crept in, something he deeply resented. However, this time was different to the point where he couldn’t think of what he should do first or what action he should take. Even though time and time again, he left this very forest and continued to march on. He had perpetually moved forward but reached the end this time. He had fulfilled his curse, so why had he failed? 

“It was that bastard’s fault!” With a simple swing of his hand, he annihilated everything close to him, turning a portion of a once lush forest into a desolate wasteland. He usually kept his anger out of things as it would cloud his judgment, but whenever he thought of that bastard’s face, he couldn’t bring himself to hold back. “Why? Why didn’t it work? We were right there! We had done it! Hadn’t we, Rudeus?!” With his face flushed with emotion, he could only look into the sky, hoping for someone to answer him, for anyone to answer him. 

But no one did.

“Didn’t I make that dream you had a reality? Didn’t I liberate this world from that being? Didn’t I do what was asked of me?” His self-loathing was the only thing keeping him going and the only thing he had the energy to do at this point. “I just want to be done. I’m just so—I’m so sorry. I’m. I’m just—s-sorry.” As his tears began to pour, he began to think. 

It was funny in a sick way that the being most feared and hated by humanity was crying because he had failed one human. He hated being like this. Thinking about it now, he had never been like this before. Never had he been so thoroughly anguished at the loss of a loop. But how could he not be crushed over what happened? He had made a friend, a word he thought he could never truly understand, but Rudeus Greyrat changed that. He befriended a man like the Dragon God Orsted and stayed with him through thick and thin, even with his outlandish requests and the dangerous jobs Orsted gave him. That’s why I’m like this now, isn’t it? That’s the only answer to my plight. 

After all, Rudeus Greyrat was one of a kind. A man worthy of being Orsted’s comrade. A comrade he would only ever have once , and he squandered that opportunity. “To think I’d be whining in a forest alone, what a disgrace.” He rubbed his hand through his hair. “I wonder how your Sylphiette would react?” His remark made a dry chuckle escape his throat as he tried to ease his tension. 

What should he do from here on? What was his course of action? “The only option I have left is to leave and continue.” He stood up. “What a drolling cycle.”

The feeling of failure stayed with him, however. “I can’t even do one thing right, can I? I’m sorry, Rudeus.” With one last apology, the Dragon God Orsted began to move. 

He yet again started his two hundred years of solitude.

Orsted managed to leave that forest and continue with his mission. His time with Rudeus and his children affected him more than he had imagined. As he traveled, he met a plethora of people, ones he had met many times previously. Others he couldn’t quite remember. But, all terrified and infuriated with him, the work of his curse. It put into perspective how easy of a time he had in the last loop. From Cliff’s invention of the curse-suppressing helmet to the allies he had in Rudeus’s children. I should probably get onto making the helmet, shouldn’t I? Even if Cliff was a self-proclaimed genius, he certainly wasn’t incorrect about the statement.

I still remember everyone who helped us—helped me become who I am now. 

When Lucy was young, she confused me as her father, much to your dismay, but overall, she was a well-behaved girl. After she realized I wasn’t her father and started to open up to you, she would still play with me. It wouldn't be uncommon for her to ask me for piggyback rides around Sharia when she was young. What I felt must’ve been similar to that of an uncle. That young girl deserved nothing but happiness in life.

Then I remember how often Lara would talk to me. Of course, whenever I would ask a question, she would get annoyed, but she seemed to enjoy my company for the most part, and that’s all I could ask for. In Sieghart’s case, he would commonly make me tell him stories of my journeys or about yours. He became oddly like Alek; maybe having him train Sieghart wasn’t my brightest idea. Nevertheless, those two made my years a little livelier as I traveled with them. 

However, it didn’t help their self-confidence to be comparing themselves to you, you know? You left quite an impact on the world at the end of the day. It was so big you couldn’t move from one city to the next without hearing the name Quagmire or Rudeus Greyrat being thrown around.

Ars would commonly complain about not working enough; he was like you in that vain. Lily continued to fiddle with magic tools in her workshop, though she would come and ask for advice every once in a while. We would even share each other’s findings over a cup of tea or coffee.

Chris was a brilliant person when it came to public relations, diplomacy, and politics. She had gone far from the little girl clinging to her father’s leg. Though did you know? Even till her death, she had a portrait of you in the Asuran castle. She always was Daddy’s little girl, after all. The amount of aid Asura gave us during our fight with Laplace will never be forgotten. I still remember how Ariel was set on putting one of your kids on the throne. The look on your face was priceless. Even thinking about it can put a smile on my face.

I’d like to pay my respects and repay my debts to these people, but I’m afraid I may no longer be able to. After all, the one I had most enjoyed the company of. The one I talked to the most—shared aspirations with, the person who could read me like an open book. After all, he was the father of those children and had already passed on, and I’m afraid you’ll never return. 

Did you know Rudeus? Did you ever manage to notice? I cared about what you spoke of. I found it enjoyable whenever you would go on a tangent about your wives or children. Unlike myself, you, a human, would talk to me earnestly. I considered you a friend, not just a comrade or some subordinate, but an honest-to-god friend. I still don’t know if that’s an appropriate term for my feelings, but I regret never telling you that now. Though I know you would hate to think your ‘boss’ would give you favoritism.  

“You called me your friend. Even if it was just once, even if it was on your deathbed, you told me how you truly felt about me. But I was never able to tell you how I felt. You died without giving me the honor.” Orsted spoke to himself as he gazed at the far fields of Asuran barley.

It may have taken seventy-seven years since I arrived in that forest, but I’m here now. At the beginning of your story, Rudeus. In Buena Village.  

“You changed me, and that is something I must repay. No matter what.” Preparations had to be done, and fast, for there was a finite time before the due date. “Don’t we have unfinished business, Rudeus Greyrat—friend?” Orsted spoke as he looked at a house he had seen very little of but knew exactly whose home it was. 

“I’ll be right here. Waiting for you.” He could see it even from here. The house that had just been recently occupied. Of course, he had to keep his distance because of his curse, but the distance mattered little to the Dragon God.

Not too long after his arrival, it all climaxed in K407.

It was then at the Greyrat house in Buena village that Orsted heard no voices of wallowing or grief. Or the blood-curdling scream of despair from a mother. 

But instead, voices of jubilation, relief, and cries of joy filled the air. “You never fail to amaze me, you know?” He could feel the moisture in his eyes build, an emotion he had somehow become used to. He let a sigh of relief escape his lips, and strangely enough, the weight he had been carrying since looping had vanished in but a moment. 

In a window in the Greyrat’s home, sitting in a chair with Paul by her side was Zenith. There, she reared a baby boy with light brown hair and green eyes. They named this boy Rudeus Greyrat.

Orsted stayed in Buena for two more years before moving on. Why he waited, he didn't quite know. There was no need to talk to Rudeus now. Even if recruiting him earlier than planned would benefit the man, Orsted quickly decided against it. When he stayed in Buena, Orsted failed to attend to other more dire matters, so the time he could visit was running thin. He didn’t have to interfere anyway, and Rudeus had already told him what kind of person he was when he came to this world. Interfering now would ruin all of what he would become, and with the helmet Orsted had made from the notes he had taken from Cliff, he was sure his time in this loop would be easier than in the last. With everything that Orsted currently has, he may be able to recruit Rudeus earlier than usual, but he would have to wait and see how this loop went.

Even if he didn’t speak to him now, he knew Rudeus would surely meet him in the Red Dragon Mountains like all those years ago. He had to play this by the book. However, thinking of that always brings back that memory.

I know this sounds ridiculous, but. If we somehow fail. Just find me.

Those words he had ushered on his deathbed came rushing into Orsted's head as he left the confines of the village. Those were the last words Rudeus had said to Orsted. He didn’t seek his reply; he simply made a request. After that, Rudeus shared his final words with Roxy and Sylphiette, kissing them goodbye and then, shortly after that, passing on. 

All Orsted can remember from after that was leaving despondently. Alone. Alek had stayed behind to mourn the passing of the man who had beaten him, a man he looked up to in a capacity. A man that Aleksander Ryback thought of as a hero. The sobbing in the room behind the Dragon God weighed heavily on Orsted's mind as he left the Greyrat home.

Rudeus was always a weird character, even until his death. But he was the man who had most certainly changed this droning cycle that Orsted called his life. He had changed the lives of everyone he had touched in so many ways that Orsted wouldn’t even be able to list them. After he left the Greyrat home and walked Sharia's empty, grief-ridden streets, a surge of emotion that he hadn’t felt in what must’ve been millennia hit him—and almost ashamedly, the Dragon God Orsted had cried. From what Orsted could remember, that was the first time he had ever wept. 

I will most certainly regret this. It could ruin the loop and damn me to fail once again. I must think of this as the last chance I would get—but I must do this. I have to do this.

“I’ll go, Rudeus. I owe you enough; leaving a last request unfulfilled would not be something a friend would do." A self-deprecating chuckle escaped his throat. "I’ll place my trust in you again.” 

Without thought, Orsted turned around and headed back toward the house. Today, the home was empty except for a young boy. Paul had to go on his monthly magic beast hunt with the local villagers that made up Buena’s militia, and Zenith had urgent clinical work that required her to take Lilia. Leaving their child, Rudeus, alone in their home for the next few hours. “Well, I guess I’ve already weighed the downsides of this choice of mine.” 

He stood on top of the steps in front of their home. In front of him was a door he couldn’t quite bring himself to open. “How could a simple door feel so imposing? It appears the Dragon God has become a coward.” He dryly remarked as he knocked. Knock, Knock, Knock. Knock, Knock. Knock. It was a special knock decided upon by Rudeus whenever they would hold hidden meetings. For what purpose it served, Orsted had no idea. There wasn’t a being alive that would willingly approach the Dragon God due to his curse anyway, so he just found the whole thing to be trivial, but it was nothing much, so Orsted had become accustomed to it.

The door was slowly opened as Orsted’s body stiffened. Why? Because there stood a young boy no older than two. The top of his head was not even reaching the Dragon God’s knees. With one look at him, you could tell he was somewhat of a perverted child, but he seemed respectful enough. He was a person Orsted hadn’t seen in over a century—Rudeus Greyrat. 

Orsted wrapped his fingers around his helmet and slowly removed it from his head, the black metal cool to the touch as he tucked it underneath his arm and held it close to his body. When Rudeus and Orsted locked eyes, his expression changed as his face contorted, Rudeus’s feet taking a step back. Did I manage to forget how scary I look? I guess I did spend too much time with Rudeus’s children. Or is this even the Rudeus I knew? No, of course, it’s not. It can't be. Silently facepalming himself, he turned around, ready to leave in defeat, but stopped when he heard the boy speak.

“Orsted?” 

His blood rushed to every limb, every hair on his head stood on end, and every muscle in his body tightened. That name—his name… How did he know it? How could he?

Then Orsted looked down and met the boy's eyes. Those eyes. They were undoubtedly the same eyes Orsted would study and try to understand, albeit the boy infront of him didn’t have the demon eyes his older counterpart did. Orsted knew at that moment that this had to be the man he called his friend. After all, no one would look at him with such respect, admiration—and not a shred of fear. 

“...” This was a dream he was having, wasn’t it? “Rudeus?” His shaky voice spoke in an uncertain tone.

Silence passed as if the boy was figuring out what to say. Instead of speaking, the child slowly and deliberately bowed. It was that same stupid gesture he always did whenever he greeted him. Even though Orsted always told him to stop, he couldn’t help but feel his lips curl in joy from seeing this child do it. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Boss.” The damnable smile he had plastered across his face resonated with Orsted. 

There was no mistaking it.

“Rudeus.” He always held a stern attitude when dealing with people; it was something like a defense mechanism that Orsted had adopted over his long journey, but he felt such indescribable joy that he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

He wasn’t alone anymore; instead, he had a friend that he could rely upon, something he had never had all this time. The weight of the revelation was enough to make him crumble to his knees. He watched the boy stretch his hands out to him, trying to catch the man before he fell, but he could do little against the weight of a full-grown man.

“To think you would be here.” His voice cracked in the middle of his sentence as he pursed his lips together in a slight panic. Rudeus’s eyes never wavered far from his face. Rudeus never pointed out his shortcomings, so instead, Rudeus spoke.

“I should be the one saying that.” The boy let out in a calm and collected voice, and with not another word to be spoken between the two, Orsted’s emotions gave as his eyes glazed over with tears, though he managed to hold them in. This was supposed to be a sentimental reunion, not a sad one. 

Shortly after, Orsted was led back up onto his feet and directed into the house by the boy who, under unknown circumstances, had looped with him. 

>Rudeus<

Orsted’s white combed-back hair almost touched the door frame as he walked into the room, further emphasizing how much taller he was than me. “It’s good seeing you again.” A soft smile escaped my lips as I sat on the desk in my room. I gestured for him to do the same; the older man stumbled awkwardly into finding a chair against a wall and pulled it closer to me, setting the helmet he carried next to him. It looks like those notes he took back then have come in handy. My bedroom was pretty spacious for a child’s room, but with someone of Orsted’s stature, it appeared far more petite than usual. 

“...” He silently stared at me intently. Those same golden eyes gazed at me as if to cut apart my soul. I was glad that he was still the semi-socially awkward Orsted I knew. Though the small smile he had only seemed to unnerve me. 

Seeing that the man wouldn’t speak, I decided I would. “Well, anyways, I guess I'll start. I’ve been better physically.” I gestured toward my small body; the action was met with the older man's curt nod. “I’m in no position to complain about my circumstances, though. I get to live in Buena again. The days have been peaceful. Though I’ve seen some things I wasn’t aware of happened last time.” Orsted sat awkwardly across from me with that creepy smile as he looked down at me.

“It’s good to see you again. Old friend.” He’s very much still the socially awkward Orsted I knew, but ‘Old friend’ was new.

"Friend? That's good to know." Our relationship had apparently blossomed into something like that. 

“Huh?” The sound came out as if he had found himself in a daze.

Is Orsted happy right now? Wait, of course, he is. Any idiot could tell! I still don’t get why Alek could never read the man. I mean, his lips moved like two whole millimeters there. It felt like he was a different person from the Orsted I knew. I imagine our time apart must’ve played a role in that.

“Is something wrong, Rudeus?” He was different. Where had the Orsted I had known gone?  

“Oh, sorry. I guess it’s just that you’ve changed. I mean, here you are, the great Dragon God Orsted, fidgeting from just being in the same room as a two-year-old. Did my kids rub off on you to the point you’re friendly with just anyone? Or is it just me?” The air hung there momentarily, us meeting and holding each other in a staring match. My face flushed from realizing what I had just said to the man before me. Orsted seemed to look at me with a questionable gleam in his eyes. His mouth was slightly agape as if to say something, but every time a word was going to fall out of his mouth, he clamped it shut. “Uh, sorry if I made it awkward. I haven’t talked to anyone since I’ve been reborn, and seeing you here made me all giddy and excited and—” Before I could dig a deeper hole, my rambling was cut off. 

By chuckling…? Orsted was chuckling. He was borderline laughing, and I would’ve most likely joined him if I didn't think it was the most bizarre sight I’d seen all my days. Of course, I had seen this only once before, on my deathbed.

“No, I’m the one that’s sorry. It’s just that I’m—still trying to process it, you see. All of it.” Orsted wiped away a tear that had formed in the corner of his eyes. He had changed since the last time I talked to him. He seemed livelier—more sociable. It wasn’t like I didn’t notice his slowly changing demeanor in my later years. It’s just that seeing him laugh so openly about something so mundane was profound in its own way. “To think you would’ve even been in this loop. I thought I didn’t stand a chance. Without you, I doubt I could have gotten as far as I did. But, for you to be. I don’t know— you . It's just—I don’t know how to feel. Frankly, this should be impossible. I guess—” A long sigh escaped Orsted’s throat as he paused. It was the sigh you would hear after airing many grievances to your loved one or after a long day of work with a friend. “I’m just glad you’re here.” An awkward, forced smile formed on his stern face as his eyes closed ever so slightly.

Frankly, I was stunned. To think the man I had followed for so long, the man that I worked for for years, was treating me with such honest sincerity. Orsted was never one for kind, nonsensical pleasantries. It wasn’t that he wasn’t a kind man, but instead, it seemed to me that over the many times he had looped, he had lost some part of him. A feature that let him cherish people as allies and comrades, something he usually could never have. The person before me was a different man than I had known. Seems like even Orsted can change if you give him enough time. Frankly, he should’ve spent around forty-six more years in the last loop after my death to resolve everything with Laplace. So he had enough time to interact with people who trusted him. “Well, consider me glad, too, and you’re right. I uhh—don’t know how I’m here. I mean, there are a lot of possibilities, but I honestly don’t buy any of them.” I looked at him as he looked back at me. I breathed in deeply and let it out. “I just want to be of use again. I want to be able to help you again so we can get back everything we lost.”

“It’s good to hear you’re still willing to help me. It’ll be much appreciated.” After a quiet moment passed, I started asking questions.

“So, how was everything? How were Roxy and Sylphie? How were the kids? Did you guys manage to do it? Did you beat Hitogami—well, if you’re here, something must’ve gone wrong.” With bated breath, the questions left my mouth. I don’t know if my energy came from finally talking to someone freely or knowing I had an ally in this world, but I couldn’t hold myself back. 

Orsted’s smile shifted ever so slightly to a sad one, his eyes also sharing that tone. “Roxy and Sylphiette missed you dearly. Your passing affected them the most. It wasn’t uncommon to see them both visiting your grave. I even accompanied them a few times. It took them a while to get back on their feet, but they still had each other to rely on, so that helped.” Hearing about Roxy and Sylphiette again made me tear up a little. I never wanted to part ways with any of my loved ones. It was just a matter-of-fact thing that I had to accept. I was human, and they weren’t. One was from the Long-Eared tribe and would outlive all of us; the other was from the Migurd race. Eris and I knew we would pass long before either of them did. 

“The kids were a handful to deal with, but I managed. They helped me a lot when push came to shove.” That was good. I always let my kids interact with Orsted from an early age. It was mainly to let them know he was a friendly but scary-looking man they could rely on. “We did do it.” His breath hitched. “We beat him. We sealed that bastard.” Wait—they did it? 

Then why were we here? That thought went unsaid.

“So you did it after all. To think I even doubted you—but why are we here then? Doing all of this again?” Many other questions were bouncing at the back of my skull that I wished to be answered, but for now, they could wait.

“It’s I who should be sorry for failing.” The regret was evident in the man’s voice.

“No, of course not. You all did your best. Something must’ve gone wrong.” Orsted wasn’t one to commonly blame himself for such things. Of course, he would feel responsible, but there was no way it could solely be his fault. “Do you think you can tell me what happened after I died? If you do, we might be able to pinpoint what exactly happened.”

An emotion I had never seen on Orsted’s face became present. What exactly was it? I knew that look. I knew it all too well. It was so familiar that it was something that I could never mistake. It was disdain for one’s self. “Are you sure you want to hear about it? It’d be best if you didn’t know what happened.” His look told me all I needed to know. He felt that he failed me personally for some reason.

“If it’s about my family, Orsted, I have to hear about it; you know I do.” Gathering my resolve, I continued. “I want to try to live this life seriously. I want to keep going for the ones I can’t see anymore, and I can’t go on with this life if I don’t know what I left behind.” I pleaded with the man.

His smile faded. “That’s what I thought you’d say.” Orsted’s tone was sad. I had felt this long ago, underneath the rage of my siblings in my original life. That feeling, the emotion, was grief. I would be lying if I said I liked where this was going. 

His face turned to stone as he spoke, looking directly at me. “I was not allowed to fight Laplace.” Regret held Orsted’s voice like a vice as he struggled to speak. I decided to remain quiet. “Your family didn’t want me involved. It was for me to conserve my mana for Hitogami. I advised against it; I blatantly refused to let all of them do it alone. I wanted to fight alongside them. Naturally, I knew my importance in the upcoming fight. But there was no way I could let them go up against him alone, even if Perugius, Alek, Alexander, and Ruijerd were there. But—but they just kept refusing. They wouldn’t let me join them. I should’ve gone. I still regret respecting their wishes.” Orsted’s face furled in anguish.

So something had happened during that fight. I could guess from his tone and feelings what must’ve happened.

“Orsted, who died?” I knew what it was coming to. He had an atmosphere as the time I learned Zenith had passed. As of now, I have, unfortunately, already become reasonably accustomed to losing loved ones. First Paul, then Zenith and Lilia, Zanoba, and finally Eris. It just seemed to get harder every time, but I eventually realized that everyone has to die at some point. Even myself. That’s why I made sure to live so I could die without regret. “You can tell me.” I tried sounding as reassuring as possible, but did I mean that? Did I want to hear whatever he would tell me?

“I’m sorry.” The man I respect the most sat there looking down, not once even daring to look me in the eyes. The face I had grown accustomed to was no longer there; that old scowl with those glaring eyes was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a sad man filled with regret, his eyebrows furrowed in distress and a frown firm on his lips. 

I feel sorry for him. While I was dead, he had to experience pain that I would never have wished upon anyone. He had to watch as I died and the people he cared about died. So I can’t be angry, not at him. Not at the man who gave me a chance to fight for the family and friends I had grown to love.

“Don’t apologize. Just please tell me.” His eyes briefly shot up to mine, and he continued with a sad sigh.

“I only gave them half an hour to finish the fight before I would arrive. That was the ultimatum I gave them.” Orsted paused, “By the time I got there. It was over. Sieghart had almost died in the fight. If it wasn’t for—” He choked at the following words. “If it wasn’t for Roxy.” Orsted still didn’t look at me.

I didn’t speak—more like I couldn’t bring myself to. In reality, I found it hard to believe what I heard then. “Did Roxy die?” The words didn’t seem real when they fell out of my mouth.

Roxy? The Roxy who tried her best at everything? The one that dragged me outside my house when I couldn’t bring myself to do it? The Roxy that gently comforted me when Paul died? The Roxy that I fell in love with? She died…? Roxy?

In a quiet and hushed voice, Orsted finally answered. “Yes.” I saw him bite down on his lip, and blood trickled down his chin. “I’m sorry.”

My breathing hitched, and I felt my heart thumping in my chest. “I-I talked to her just before I died—she was fine then.” I could already feel the tears in my welling up. “For me, I—I talked to her two years ago.” Those words hurt to say. For me, I died and left them behind, but they were healthy. For me, I had only been gone for two years. That’s how long I had been without the family I had known. I knew they were gone, but I thought they lived. But it’s never been that convenient.

“For me, it’s been over a century since I last saw you.” Orsted words held an odd warmth to them. “After you died, that loop still had forty-six years.” He wasn’t trying to hide anything from me.

I clenched my shorts with my hands. “D-Did she say anything? A-Any final words that sh-she wanted—” Those words fell limply from my lips as I choked them out. I could already feel the sobs coming as I held back tears. 

“She said thank you… With you, she could live a life she was happy about. A fulfilling one with constant adventure. One where she could continue her career and, most importantly, fall in love.” Orsted looked at me with sunken eyes, an absolute void of emotion covering his face. “Her last words were, ‘I’m coming, Rudy.’” No more words needed to be said; It wasn’t long after that his face became blurry. 

“Master—Roxy.” Everything fell apart in an instant. My rage, my regret, and even my sadness mixed together as they became something vile and grotesque. A feeling I never wanted to feel again. A sense that kept growing until it exploded in a fiery rage. “Damnit!” Instantly, my hand became numb from the excess of power my child's body couldn’t handle. Electricity flashed in the room for a moment, and as I slammed my hand against the desk, the spell died before it could finish. The only thing confirming its existence was a burn mark over the desk’s wooden top. 

Orsted had stood up and moved over to me, placing his hand over mine. The distinct feeling of having my magic tampered with from his Disturb Magic stole my thought process. Orsted did not recoil or look away from me or speak. He just stood there and stayed silent, a silence that felt calming. He let me wallow. He kept a hand on mine, but that didn’t stop my memories of her as they played repeatedly in my mind. Or how I could’ve fixed it all. 

What could I do to save that little girl? My brain kept hopping around different solutions, but it didn’t matter now. What was done was done. I was back, and time had reversed, so what had happened no longer mattered. Everything was back to how it was. So it didn’t matter anymore. Right? 

Live my life seriously? So I would leave no regrets? Is that what you call a regretless death? As if I could leave it like that. Was I serious? As if I left no regrets at the end of it all! Was this how that old man had felt? Was this how he felt when Roxy and Sylphie had died, and he couldn’t do anything about it? I think I can understand why he had become so broken now. How odd, this feels so familiar, but so. “It’s my fault. It’s all my fault! I was the one that pushed Roxy into becoming a mother. I was the one that made her feel so obsolete ever since I was a child. If I just hadn’t met her, then this wouldn’t have happened—”

“Rudeus.” Orsted stared intently at me. His eyes looked soft but stern as he peered deep into me. “You know you don’t mean that.” 

“Orsted. You just can’t—you don’t understand.” With a pause, I looked back at him. The dismal look in his eyes only added to my regrets. “I’m sorry, it’s just—” 

“No, you’re right. I don’t understand what it feels like to lose someone you love. I don’t remember my parents, nor will I ever. I may never truly understand how you feel right now. I will not downplay your feelings, Rudeus. They’re just and right. You have every right to feel angry, regretful, or repulsed by your perceived inadequacy.” His grip on my hand tightened. “Just know it wasn’t your fault. You weren’t there. It can’t possibly be your fault.” Orsted paused momentarily, “I don’t know what it feels like to lose a loved one, but I do know what it’s like to lose a dear friend. You loved her. You’re allowed to be angry, to curse the world for its mistreatment. Only you are allowed that luxury.” Orsted’s speech was smooth and eloquent and left no room for me to argue.

“I just wanted them to be—” I continued, managing to choke out the words from my throat. “I just wanted them to be happy.” I coughed, and I gasped from my crying. “I—I was never able to repay her for saving me.” Why did she have to die? After everything that happened, she deserved to live. The Roxy I knew earned a happy life.

“You probably understand her better than anyone. But you probably have no idea what must’ve been rushing through her head. When she saw Sieghart about to be killed, without even a second delay, she jumped in to save him. She offered her life for his. I know you don’t know this, but after you were gone, I’d like to think I became friends with the Roxy and Sylphiette you’d fallen in love with.” He paused again. “I know she died in the way she would’ve wanted to.”

“Roxy.” Why couldn’t I stop crying? Why couldn’t this pain just go away?

“She let herself die so her child could live. Even if he wasn’t her flesh and blood, he was still her son as much as he was Sylphiette’s and Eris’s. Even though she wasn’t his mom. She was his mother. That much I know you can understand from experience.” Orsted stopped, looking directly into my eyes; he said the words I had thought of but didn’t dare speak to myself. “It was just like what Paul did for you.” 

I was left speechless. Roxy gave her life to save Sieg. I never wanted her to put herself in danger. I just wanted her to live her days peacefully and then die calmly from old age, just like I did. That’s what I wanted for all of my family. But maybe that wasn’t what my family ever wanted. 

When did that little girl who helped me face my fears become someone I admired this much? When had I started to love her? When I wasn’t watching, when had she become a mother? When had Roxy become such a dependable person? She was always like that, wasn’t she? She’d get frustrated when she couldn’t understand something but always looked forward to a solution. That girl never stopped marching on for what she wanted. I think—I know that’s why I loved Roxy Migurdia.

“Roxy, I’m sorry.” I clasped my hands in a meaningless prayer as I shoved my head downwards to look towards the floor. “Please forgive me!” The floodgates I had been trying desperately to close didn’t give as I wailed. I had been living this new life with the knowledge I had in my previous one. I knew she and everyone I knew was gone, but I never even thought that something like this had happened. 

Without realizing it, the woman I loved had passed away. So I cried for her. For that little girl, I had met so long ago. The one who helped me so much without even realizing it. The woman I fell in love with. Even now, I remember everything about her, from how she would play with her hair whenever I would embarrass her to her tendency to flaunt me occasionally in public. I loved absolutely everything about Roxy Migurdia. I still do. It’s an emotion in my heart that will never change. Not in a hundred years or a thousand. 

That woman was gone now, and the only thing left of that woman was me. The things she gave me and the magic she taught me. That was where it all started with Roxy. I got to know her because of magic. I wouldn’t have tried so hard if it wasn't for her, but she was precisely why I could. She gave me more than I could ever give her.

So, I continued to cry until there was nothing left. And when nothing was left, I would keep crying as I coughed and choked on nothing. For this is the only way to show my grief. For Roxy Migurdia Greyrat, the woman I loved, the woman I had married and had children with, the one I had looked up to, was now gone, and there was no way I could ever see that version of her again.

During this time, Orsted remained quiet. He, too, shared my grief with a few tears . How odd. I thought. Seeing Orsted cry was something I had never imagined would be a sight I could see. But I knew now how much my family changed him. He, too, was hurt by the loss. So, he saw to it that he would share my pain with me. 

We stayed like that for a few minutes, after which I managed to retain myself enough to listen to the man at the very least. This sadness, just like Eris’s death, would never disappear. It would always linger in my mind. It will always haunt my dreams and encroach on my life, but I will continue to live for her sake. 

I at least had to do that. At the very least, I had to.

“To think you’d already be able to use ‘Electric’ at an early age. You never fail to impress me.” Orsted spoke from beside me as he looked down at me. Usually, anyone would be pissing themselves by being this close to him, but this was a typical workday to me.

“It’s not even enough to scoff at, really; if I couldn’t do that much already, I’d have lost all faith in my ability… I still have a lot to learn.” I tried uselessly to hide between the few sniffles and sobs, so I responded to Orsted. “That was all the mana I had, though, beyond pitiful.” I knew he hated my derogatory remarks but didn’t dare mention them to me now. “Please continue.”

“There’s not much else to cover. Everyone was affected by her death. We buried Roxy next to you and Eris. Rowin and Rokari passed away a few years back, so she had no other family to inform. As expected, Lara and Sylphiette were the most affected by the loss, not to say the others didn’t take it as harshly.” Hearing about Lara made my heart ease a little. It made me happy knowing our estranged daughter, whom we had always worried about, was fine. I was glad to hear she cared so much about her mother. I was always concerned she found us annoying to a fault. 

“We arrived in the void world shortly after our fight with Laplace. I swore I would kill him and ensure he was dead for good so that no one else would be lost. But I wasn’t alone then; the others shared my feelings.”

“My children—our comrades.” 

“Yes. You know even Sylphiette had a few things to say to the man? She was quite bold about it.” Orsted chuckled as he paused and breathed. “She even called him a cowardly bastard that made your life needlessly tiring.” Orsted's face pulled into a faint grin as he thought deeply.

“That sounds like the Sylphie I knew.” A faint smile pulled at my lips; the fond memories I made with her back at the academy came rushing into my head as I said that. “So, how’d the fight go?

His response came off with a blunt edge. “We beat the shit out of him.” 

I sat there, blinking at him for a while. “Is that it? No epic confrontation between good and evil and a clash that lasted a month?” 

“Of course. Sure, he said many nasty things when we got there. Especially about you, but you could say he overestimated himself when it wasn’t just me versus him.” The man had a present grin on his face. “I went in there with Lara, Sieg, Luicelia, Aleksander, Sándor, Sylphiette, Akito, Nanahoshi, and many of your descendants that could fight.” He stared at me with a look of satisfaction on his face. “It was a beat down like no other. By the time he was down and begging us to spare him, Sieg and Lara just kept kicking him.” Orsted had what I could only call a shit-eating grin on his face.

“I can tell it did wonders for your stress.” He nodded along.

“Of course, I wanted to kill him, but I was persuaded to instead seal him. It was Lara’s suggestion for fear of destroying the human world.”

“So you sealed him as you said? Wait, of course—if I’m not wrong, isn’t your—” 

“It would seem your understanding of the situation is the same as mine… Simply sealing him does not constitute the completion of my journey. I am most likely required to kill the Man-God for this loop to end.” He scoffed. “It would seem I failed on the most basic front.” Sealing him was most certainly the wiser decision. I could understand what Lara was thinking, and it wasn’t Orsted’s fault either for not finishing the job because he also didn’t know what would happen to the human world if the Man-God was killed. No one does. After all, the only that does is him, and he’s a shitty liar that you couldn’t exactly trust, but I guess he may not even know what would happen if he were to die. 

Why do we always find ourselves in shitty situations like this exactly?

“So, what do we do? What’s our game plan?” This was Orsted we were talking about; the guy had plans for things that would happen in decades. 

“I—honestly, I have no idea. That’s partly why I came to talk to you.” What? He’d been through this loop repeatedly—he’d seen these things countless times, and now he’s just telling me he doesn’t know what to do?

“Is this your weird attempt at a joke? I know I’m a two-year-old right now, but that doesn’t mean you can just pull my leg over here. I mean, like, c’mon! You just gave me that news earlier; you remember I effectively died from the grief of Eris’s death, don’t you? Now you’re saying you don’t know what to do? I don’t do well with this kind of pressure.” I swear, this guy was beyond ridiculous sometimes.

“Sorry, Rudeus. I really don’t know what I should do.” There was a stillness after Orsted said that. He didn’t look lost; instead, he seemed to relish the moment he found himself in. “So now, I want you to decide what to do. If you were back, I originally intended to stick to the last loop as closely as possible. But, for you to remember everything…we’re now completely out of my presumptions. You shouldn’t be here at all. I mean, you were always a being that was never supposed to exist, to begin with. So, I’d like for you to decide. It’s a change of pace or something like that. Lara always liked saying that whenever we were traveling together.” This wasn’t like him at all. To not want to control a loop the way he wanted was something Orsted would never do. To jeopardize everything just because I was here? It was beyond reckless. It was borderline asinine. 

“I can’t do that, Orsted. With my shitty luck, I’ll just ruin everything. Let’s just stick to the best course of action, like always. Otherwise, my brain might just fry.” I tried my best to reason with the man. The man I always assumed had the correct course of action, but that man changed. Orsted just sat across from me with a grin as he looked down at me.

“I don’t mind, Rudeus. If I have you, I can do this loop with my hands tied behind my back. After all, you’re Rudeus of the Quagmire. You’re the only mortal man after Saint Millis or Water God Reidar to master god-tier magic, and you even outdid them. You’re the Dragon God’s Right Hand, the one that has all but mastered Urupen’s fighting style, and I bet if you could manifest touki, you’d even give Water God Reida a run for her money. You’re the man who understands the concept of magic better than anyone alive.” He gave me a smirk. “With you, I’m pretty sure I can do anything.” Orsted gloated with a shrug of his shoulders and a sigh as he finished talking.

“I could only do all of that because of you. You taught me all of that. Instilled it into me since I started working with you, and if you don’t stop stroking my ego, I might just end up dead on a highway somewhere.” I pointed at him harshly.

“Maybe, maybe not. You’re a strong individual, Rudeus, enough so that even the world powers would quake in their boots at the sight of you. So I want to give you the freedom to decide what you want to do with your life. I do not wish to control it. Though I’d like it if it didn’t impede my goals, if it’s something you want to do, I won't stop you.” Hearing all of this coming from Orsted’s mouth felt somehow surreal.

“Do you trust me that much? To let me do whatever is most certainly foolhardy.”

“You’re probably correct. But it’s because I know you that I can trust you. So, Rudeus. What would you like to do?” What do I want to do? Why has that question never come to mind in all the time I’ve been back?

The first conclusion I could come to seemed the most sensible one. “I think I’d like to help you from now on.” 

I was met with a frown. “That is something you’d regret. Trust me when I tell you this. You’d never meet the people that meant so much to you. You’d most likely never see Roxy, Sylphiette, or Eris again. To be frank, they’d probably die without you. If the mana disaster occurs again, which hopefully it does, considering without it, Nanahoshi wouldn’t be here. Disregarding that subject, the people you care for wouldn’t fare well. Roxy would continue to wander, trying to find a job. Eventually, she’d give up on her dream of finding her true love and continue to be an adventurer till the day she died. Sylphiette would be a smear on the Silver Palace gardens in Ars, having no friends she could reminisce about as she fell to her death or the magic you taught her to save herself. Eris would most likely survive the demon continent again if she met Ruijerd. Though only if she meets him again. Then, once she returns, she would most likely be married off to become Pilemon’s concubine. Probably shipped over to Darius at the end of the day as well. She’d live her life in regret for not doing something more. Of course, I can’t truly know if any of this will come to pass. But, I have experience in these types of things.” I’ve lived through it, after all. He didn’t include that because he knew I knew exactly what he was trying to get at.

A pit formed in my stomach as I kept thinking—all those felt like paths they could’ve taken. Even if the Displacement Incident doesn’t occur in this timeline, their fates wouldn’t be much better. It was a moral conundrum for me. 

“The Roxy, Sylphie, and Eris of this time aren’t the ones I knew. No matter how hard I could try to push those memories away, they’re not the same people I fell in love with.” 

“Haha.” My proclamation was met with laughter by the older man. Honestly, I considered making Orsted the enemy of my family right then and there. What, was he just going to laugh at me like it was nothing? “You know, Rudeus? Some men live all of their lives without finding one woman who’ll love them for who they are. Yet you managed to find three in just eighteen years of your life.” Orsted sighed after he finished talking and took that small moment of solace to look out the window in my room to see the sprawling fields of wheat and the sun high in the sky. “You might be right. The Roxy, Sylphiette, and the Eris of this timeline certainly have no idea who you are. They’re not the same people you knew…” Orsted smiled, most likely reminiscing about our past loop. “But they are the ones you met all those decades ago.” Something about his words felt convincing.

“Roxy is still the same headstrong girl who, at this point, is quite arrogant about her skill, but I’m sure she would constantly downplay herself if she saw your talent. Sylphiette is still the meek little girl who gets bullied for her appearance. Eris retains her confident, ruthless, and violent nature, one who is seen as a failure for a noble’s daughter.” Orsted’s eyes were fixated on me. 

“But, when you meet them again. Will you still think that? When you see them, will you not feel the love you have for them? Would you leave everything behind and let their fates play out that way? I wouldn’t mention what would happen to Lilia if you weren’t here. Or how Zenith and Paul would react to your disappearance. For I’m sure you know them better than I do.”

I remained sitting, pondering over everything. Orsted was right. In all honesty, he’d never really led me astray before now. So why was I so hesitant? Was it because I didn’t want to lose them again? Or was it because seeing them would trigger too many memories for me. 

The critical question was if I still loved them, which I was sure of. Roxy helped me take my first step and taught me so much. But, the one in this world hadn’t and wouldn’t. Sylphie was someone who loved me unconditionally and helped soothe my pain no matter how much of a wreck I was. But the Sylphie in this world would never cure my ED. And Eris was the woman I was ever so reliant on. But now she was back to being a brat who would sooner beat the shit out of me for accidentally breathing next to her than ever consider being my lover. But they were the people I didn’t want to let go of. They were the women I loved. I didn’t want them to die.

No matter what. Isn’t that the vow that Americans love using during weddings? To live together in matrimony, to love them, comfort them, honor and keep them, in sickness and health, in sorrow and joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long we both shall live. Yeah, I think that’s the one if I remember correctly, and it looks like I’m alive, so—

“Haah… You can’t let me decide alone, can you?” I ran my hand through my hair to find some counterpoint to Orsted’s argument. I found none.

“I only seek what is best for you in this scenario. Nothing more, nothing less. You’re a friend I care for. Therefore, I only wish the best for you.” His deliberation was practically flawless. There was no way I could argue my way out of this one.

“God, you’re difficult.” There wasn’t much I was being given in my decision. With another second of thinking, I continued, “I’ve decided then. I’ll stay here in Buena, but I want you to give me work. I’d hate it if you were the only one doing anything. I don’t want to rely on or have any affiliation with the Man-God this time. I’m going to spread the name Quagmire Rudeus across the world again. I’ll ensure there isn’t one person who doesn’t know that name. I’ll put my all into the present so that nothing wrong can happen in the future. That’s my decision, Orsted. That’s what I, Rudeus Greyrat, want from my life!” I wouldn’t be some laughing stock who would run away anymore. I would use my power for the one thing I had always meant it to be for. My family.

“If that’s what you want to do, then so be it.” Leaning back in his chair, he slicked back his hair. We sat there for a moment in comfortable silence. Not one of us is speaking or moving. Even though so much happened, good and bad. I was nevertheless happy to see him again, even if some bitter feelings followed after my revelation of what had happened in the last loop became known. We were both here, and that’s all I could ask for.

“Can I ask you one favor, though?” I was the one to break the ice, the older man looking at me as his ever-present angry demeanor softened. 

“Of course. I’m sitting pretty as long as you’re in this world, so the least I can do is answer a favor for a friend.” Orsted seemed pleased with our interaction so far as he sat comfortably.

With a bated breath, I asked a question. It constantly plagued my thoughts for as long as I lived in my previous life. “Can you save them? Zenith? Sylphie’s parents? Eris’s parents?” If I was reborn with my memories, there was no way I could just let the people my family loved simply die again. I had to save them if I knew what would happen to them. I wanted my mother to be able to live her life.

The man adjacent to me sat calmly for a second. Breathing in and out, he likely weighed the severity of accepting my proposal. What would Eris do if Philip, Hilda, and Sauros greeted her when she arrived home? Or if Sylphie realized her parents were still alive? Would she stay with Princess Ariel? Or would she leave her? I could understand Orsted’s wariness—

“I already planned on it.” His eyes met mine. His resolve shone through those yellow pupils of his, and I could understand what he wanted to convey. “It shouldn’t be that difficult. I’ll have to ensure I’m there for Zenith’s arrival; the earlier, the better, especially if I break that crystal before she arrives. It should probably even prevent the curse on her from manifesting. Laws and Sylphiette’s mother, Cecilia, end up in Begaritt after the displacement incident. So I’ll see them, but you’ll have to manage Philip and Hilda somehow. As for Sauros… It might be better to leave him as he was in the last loop—but you may do whatever you want when the time comes.” He stroked his chin as he spoke.

I had expected there would be something I had to compromise on. To be fair, I expected him to say he couldn’t do anything about it, so I’ll take this as a win. “Thank you!” I immediately bowed my head. To think he was already planning something like that was pretty much what I’d come to expect from him. There was nothing left for me to do besides to be grateful. There was no way I would just let that old man die again. I still had a debt to him that I hadn’t paid back. Eris’s family treated me like their family. Even if Philip had his own views on what I could be helpful for, he was still a pretty decent guy. I didn’t want them to die again.

Orsted waved off my notion of gratitude with his hand. Beckoning me to straighten myself and look at him instead. “Instead of worrying about the small details. Why don’t we chat for a while? We don’t have any tea, but I’m sure there’s enough to be said to fill the time we have left. What do you say, old friend?” Having some tea time with one another became something we did later in my life. I knew Lily would also do something similar with Orsted, but whenever we had our meetings, it became a norm to talk to each other instead of doing any meaningful work. 

“I’d—Like that. I’d like that a lot.” I gave the man another smile; he, too, was sporting one of his own.

So we chatted for another hour or so. Going over significant events or small happenings, anything to fill the air and divert our attention elsewhere. Things like how Sieg had changed over the years or how Lara had become more open in the time she traveled with Orsted. Or how Roxy and Sylphie were doing in my absence and how my family had been. We shared pleasant and bitter memories that we wished to be forgotten. He even told me about the few jobs I had asked him for. There were ones I could do along the way from here to our meeting in the mountains and even a few more major ones after I returned to the Central Continent and separated from Eris. Other than that, we talked for the simple sake of talking, and after silence had intruded on us once again, we both knew it was time for us to part ways.

Walking with Orsted to the front gate had such a familiar feeling when Ruijerd had left after he had brought Norn and Aisha to my house in Sharia. This was yet again the departure of a close friend. One that I most likely wouldn’t see for more than a decade, at the least if things were to go according to plan. What would happen this time around? Would Nanahoshi even be brought here in this timeline? Would the Displacement Incident even occur? Would people be teleported to the exact locations they were initially? I guess these questions were better left for a later date, and I’m sure Orsted doesn’t want me to broach that particular subject at this moment either. 

Right now, I’m a two-year-old escorting the Dragon God Orsted off my property. There's nothing weird about it in any way whatsoever… Who was I kidding? This was so incredibly weird that it shouldn’t even be a thing that could happen in any multiverse theory thought up by man. Well, I guess nothing is so simple for him and me. 

“Rudeus, I—” Orsted stopped at the stone wall that lined the outside perimeter of the house, stopping just short of the opening that was the gate. He stumbled a little bit after turning around, causing me to chuckle a small amount at my boss's clumsiness. He had changed so much when I wasn’t around anymore. He was more friendly, less strict, and more compassionate. He was everything I wished he could be back when I initially met him. He was truly meant to be a leader. “Here, these are for you.” Suddenly, he set the helmet he carried underneath his arm on the short wall next to him, and from seemingly nowhere, Orsted brought up his hands and had three distinct things in them. A bracelet, one which I had become overly familiar with in the time of my serving him. This jewelry disrupted Hitogami’s foresight and would see the wearer utterly immune to the Human god’s prying eyes. The second was the robe I had worn while working under the Dragon God, and the last was a weathered scroll.

“Thank you.” I took the items from him without delay. “Is this a spirit-summoning scroll?” I held the rolled parchment as I looked at the man.  

“You know who it’s for; just ensure you summon him somewhere safe.” His response came back with a stern attitude. 

There’s the excellent old boss.

“Of course.” He nodded down at me after my response.

Grabbing the helmet he had laid down, he turned his back towards me, and with a final wave of his hand, Orsted began to leave. “I’ll trust to see you again, Rudeus. Until then, good luck, and may the blessing of the Dragon God be with you.” With not another word spoken between us, Orsted reequipped the helmet he had arrived with and disappeared from my field of view. Off to somewhere distant, no doubt. The few jobs he judged I could handle were now my problem, so it was up to me to do my part in this long, arduous battle against the Man-God. 

Looking down into my hands was a system shock, however, as I now had to hide a robe, a rather expensive-looking bracelet, and a very suspicious-looking scroll from my parents, who just loved to go through my room. Not that it’s not their fault for still thinking I was some stupid kid who couldn’t do much alone. 

Walking back into my house, I took a deep breath and went up the stairs with everything in tow. It wasn’t the easiest thing I’ve ever done, but I managed all the same. Without any watchful eyes, I decided that prying open a floorboard and shoving everything underneath it was the best course of action. After I finished, I looked through the window of my bedroom. I could see that Zenith, Paul, and Lilia all were walking through the gate together. Said gate being the one where, not even two hours ago, one of the scariest and the strongest men in this world had waltzed through without a care in the world

“I guess I’ll stop beating around the bush then.” I left my room and, even with some slight difficulty, opened the door to Paul’s study. Even if it was called a study, the man never used it. The room inside was primarily barren, besides a large chest with the only books in the house and a desk with a chair on the right wall. With some effort, I opened the large trunk and pulled out the book I vaguely remembered from childhood. Brushing off my pant legs from the accumulated dust, I looked towards the window facing the outside world. Flipping through the book, I found the spell of my choice, Water Cannon. I had cast the exact spell all those years ago and accidentally blew a hole into our house.

“I’ll see you soon, Master.” I looked around the room. “Speaking of—where did I put that hole again?”

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Three: The Migurdian Magician and a Master

“Why is my luck this bad?” The girl berated herself as she stretched her limbs on the back of a carriage. Of course, I had to run into the biggest sleaze bag in this entire kingdom! Though, I guess I probably should have thought everything through before I blasted him with magic and ran away… She winced at the memory.

It wasn’t my fault; I mean, who just comes onto a person like—that?! Sure, I had to run from the authorities for what I did, but to label it a capital offense was a little overdramatic, right? Wait, I could be executed for this! Did I dig my own grave the moment I wound up in Ars? On the carriage was one blue-haired twin-tailed girl. She didn’t look like much, but one look at her, and you could tell she was a mage from her tan cloaked garb to her big pointy hat. The biggest giveaway was easily the staff she carried around everywhere she went, its blue gem on its tip gleaming almost unnaturally brightly under the sun. This girl is Roxy Migurdia, a demon who ran away from her home to see the world and become an adventurer.

“Umm, excuse me, Miss? Did you need to go anywhere specific—or?” Driven away from her thoughts, she looked at the man driving the carriage she was sitting on. He had seen her sprinting and offered a ride out of worry. Little did he know, she was actually on the run from knights; considering her whole ‘attacking a noble’ situation, she found herself. The man who tried to buy her appeared to be a significantly affluent noble in the Asuran Kingdom. Yet again, just her luck.

What was his name again? Darius Silva Ganius? That sounded about right. Not that she wanted to remember that sleazy bastard’s name, but she thought that if she remembered his name, she could just maybe get payback on him later. Blackmail was one helluva thing.

“Nowhere in particular. Wherever you’re heading is enough for me.” Her voice may have sounded as calm as a still lake, but she was still quite panicked. After all, it wasn’t every day you could just run from the authorities. So far, they had chased her in the capital, where she had managed to lose their immediate pursuit by using earth magic. From there, she found a carriage, and the young man driving asked if she needed a ride anywhere. It wasn’t odd for a carriage or convoy to ask her if she wanted to come along. They always required guards, and she had done her fair share of labyrinths in her day, so she was no slouch when it came to fighting. To Roxy, it was only natural that someone would want someone like her. 

Someone who just so happened to look like a teenager going through puberty. 

I don’t know if I should feel grateful or disgusted about that noble thinking I looked pretty enough to buy… Never mind—it was safer to say disgusted.

“I take it you’re an adventurer? Well, you’re in luck, then. If you’re looking for work, I’m heading to the Fittoa region, specifically the city of Roa. It’ll be a few days before we get there, but I’m sure there’ll be plenty of work for a mage around the area. Hell, I hear there’s word of a drought coming in, so if you’re ever looking for work from farmers, you can come by my village. It’s relatively close to Roa, and I’m sure everyone there would be relieved to see a mage.” The man scratched one of his long ears as he spoke.  

So he’s of the Long-Eared race. No wonder he hasn’t mentioned my hair color yet. It wasn’t every day you saw an elf not living in their forest. Or a demon not staying on the demon continent.

“Maybe I’ll do just that.” With that, the idle chatter died down between the two as they made their way to the city of Roa. Luckily, there were no magic beasts along the way, but even if they were, Roxy could’ve handled them without much of an issue. Anything on the Central Continent was sure to be weaker than whatever monsters were on the Demon Continent, and that was where the girl had grown up. So, the two safely continued on the road to Roa with little to no disturbances. 

As the man had said, a couple of peaceful days later, the sight of the fortress city of Roa came into view. Roxy had never seen a town quite like this one, so it was a spectacle to the woman. Walls that towered what must be eight meters surrounded the citadel. A sizeable lone castle stood proudly deep in the heart of the walled settlement. If I’m not mistaken, this city acted as a last bastion during the previous Human-Demon War. It for sure fits the bill for being a fortress city, though.

The man reclined back as he stretched. “Thanks for guarding me. I’ve got to go sell my cargo now, though.” The man spoke with a relaxed point towards the back of the wagon. “If you feel like coming to my village, I’ll be here for a while.” The man flashed her a smile as he turned around to face her. It wasn’t every day Roxy Migurdia was genuinely thanked for doing something. She just leeched a ride from this man, and all she could do to pay him back was guard him. Even then, there hadn’t been any threat she was sure the man could handle by himself.

As they pulled into the city and managed to stop their carriage in a clearing, Roxy grabbed her staff and the small metal briefcase she had sat on the seat next to her. Quickly dismounting the coach, she turned towards the blond-haired man and promptly bowed to show her gratitude. “Thank you for the ride, sir. I greatly appreciate it.” She straightened her back and then gave the man a slight nod. “If I can’t find a job I like at the guild, I’d gladly take you up on your offer to help your village.” The man gave a knowing nod as he moved over to the carriage and began unloading his wares. “Oh, by the way. My name is Roxy Migurdia. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She figured the least she could do was tell the man her name. 

If he hadn’t been in Ars, I would’ve probably been executed—or worse. Asuran nobility has a bad rap, and I’ve talked to my fair share of nobles. The memory of the noble from Millis she had met came creeping back into her head. At least he was imprisoned for taking illegal slaves.

“Ah, so you were a demon. Figured cause of the hair, y’know?” The man casually laid the box he had grabbed next to his feet. Usually, Roxy would’ve been put off by the addressing of her heritage, but with one look at the man, you could tell he meant no harm in doing so. “My name is Laws—with an s at the end; lotta people forget that.” He stuck his hand out, and the two promptly shook hands. “Ahh, no surname. My family isn’t noble born like that or anything.” He pointed his thumb toward himself before swiftly returning his attention to the box he had set down a moment before. “Well, I’ve got to get going so you can do your business, Miss Roxy.” With a wave, the now-named elf, Laws, walked off.

The girl looked over to the now unattended wagon. “He still has so much on his carriage to carry… He must trust the people here.” Walking away from her, Roxy saw Laws greeting some townspeople with a smile and being greeted likewise with a wave in return. 

Figuring she had stood idle long enough, she scurried to the Adventurer’s Guild. 

Roa was like everything she had heard. Sure, it was a bustling city, but adventurers dominated it, most likely because of the easier jobs for less experienced newbies in the area. With little walking, she was in front of a prominent building. It was a building she had become used to seeing over the years. The smell of alcohol and cheering echoed even out of the doors. When she opened the swinging doors, however, all became silent. Unfortunately, she had to start dealing with this when she left the demon continent all those years ago.

“What’s a demon doing here?” A giant man said to his shorter friend across the hall from the Migurd.

“Do you think she’s trying to start something?” The man responded.

It’s funny that the Demon Continent seems more welcoming to me nowadays than the Central Continent. At least Asura is better than Millis. Walking up to the desk, a taller woman with brown shoulder-cut hair and a modest bust greeted her with a practiced smile. She was, of course, an Adventurer’s Guild Receptionist. 

“Good afternoon, miss.” Before being able to continue, Roxy offered up the adventurer card she’d previously pulled from her briefcase to the taller woman. The lady quickly noted the ‘A’ that adorned the card and gestured towards the board. “Nice to meet you, Miss Roxy. You may find any job that would pique your interest over there.” The woman’s face seemed to soften somewhat. Most likely because she realized the person in front of her was a skilled adventurer and not just some random nobody.

What kind of job did I want to find here? Something as far away from the capital would be ideal. So, out in the sticks? Maybe as a tutor? Yeah, that’d work. But, good pay plus location is asking for a lot, though. With her mind made up, Roxy decided on the best course of action. “Have you heard of any tutoring jobs in the area?” The blue-haired leaned forward to whisper. “Preferably somewhere more rural?” 

Quickly nodding, the receptionist’s brown eyes seemed to brighten just a smidge. “We just so happened to receive a request from Sir Paul Greyrat before you arrived. He’s a lower-ranking knight who lives in Buena Village. It seems he needs a magic tutor of notable skill.” After she finished her summary, Roxy gave the woman a quick nod. The receptionist left promptly after a moment to fetch the knight's request. 

Buena? I’ve never heard of that village, and I don’t remember it from the last time I went through Asura, so it must mean it is out in the sticks. Still a mage of notable skill? Well, I definitely fit that part. Some people might have thought Roxy arrogant if they were to hear that, but the girl was indeed a mage of great skill. Not only was she advanced in all types of attack magic, but she was also a water saint-ranked mage. The number of saint-ranked mages in the world could be below five hundred. Which meant that Roxy Migurdia was indeed in the one percent for skill. 

Shortly after Roxy’s thought subsided, the receptionist returned with the letter. After being handed the small note and reading it, Roxy realized it was nothing special. It simply asked for a magic tutor of worthwhile skill and one willing to teach on such short notice. She’d even be provided with lodging and food. That’s what you can come to expect from a knight… This should do me over for the time being.

“I’ll take this job then, ma’am.” Pocketing the note, Roxy noticed the slight nod from the receptionist out of the corner of her eye as she looked down and crossed off a job listing on her ledger. It was always refreshing that each receptionist of the Adventurer’s Guild was cordial to all races, including the girl’s kind. It saved much of the headache Roxy would receive otherwise.

“I’ve noted you down. Thank you for your service, Miss Roxy. Have a nice day.” With their interaction over and a kind smile alongside a short bow from the taller woman, Roxy took her leave. The other patrons didn’t even accost her, so she left the guild hall without issue and a job offer in hand. 

The city of Roa was pretty, from its winding streets to its architecture. It fits the vibe of being a fortress city. Roxy knew that for sure. Millishion was undoubtedly a much prettier sight, but the girl would rather not have to return to that city for quite a while. While not at its all-time worst, the relationship between demons and humans was still relatively poor in the holy country. That was just the nature of the relationship between humans and demons in the modern era. To say it was pleasant would be underplaying the matter by a godly proportion. If Roxy were to return now and, for some reason, be caught under the pretext of assaulting a noble, she would most certainly be executed on the spot—without trial. That was just how poor the relationship between humans and demons was there. The fact that it’s considered a mild punishment almost amused the demon girl.

If I have to go to Buena village, I should ask Laws for a ride. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind refraining from going to his town if I were to pay him. As Roxy was thinking that, she continued to walk, spotting the man she was just thinking about returning to his now emptied carriage. He was talking to a beastman walking next to him, and after giving a farewell, they left to go their separate ways. Roxy noted that instead of the miscellaneous cargo Laws had in his wagon from their ride here, there were now bags of food and some clothes he had been storing away. Raising her hand, Roxy called out to him, “I found a job, Laws!” The man looked behind him to see the little girl walking toward him. “Would you mind taking me to a village called Buena?” The question must’ve piqued the man’s interest as his ears turned upwards and his eyebrows raised.

“Buena? Hah, it looks like you’re coming home with me.” A cheeky grin crossed the man’s face. Causing Roxy’s face to flourish into a blush from the implication of following him home. If there was anything the girl was abhorrently weak to, it was being hit on in any way whatsoever. Even if that wasn’t the intention of the interaction. Laws must’ve quickly noticed the significance of his words, so he shifted and interjected into her thoughts. “Ahh, I’m a married man—sorry if I came off wrong, but yeah, I live in Buena.” He rubbed his neck with an awkward motion.

Well, that cleared up a lot of the misunderstanding. “No problem.” The slight blush on her cheeks betrayed her statement. “Do you by chance know a Sir Paul? He’s the one I took the job for; he was looking for a magic tutor.” She explained.

“Oh, Paul? Yeah, I know him. He and I and a few others do a monthly magic beast clearing in the forest by the village. Though, ashamed as I am, he does most of the heavy lifting whenever we do one of our excursions.” Laws raised his hand to his chin as he pondered for a second. “It’s weird that he’s asking for a magic tutor, though. I wonder if his wife wanted to get back into the arts. I’m sure she used to be an adventurer, but I could’ve sworn her specialty was healing magic. I mean, he does have a kid the same age as mine… What was his name—Rudeus, right?” Laws pulled himself out of thinking as he noticed the girl quickly feigning interest in the topic. “Sorry, I tend to think out loud sometimes. We better get going. My family expects me back by early tomorrow, so they might get worried if I’m not back by then.” With a chuckle that gave off the attitude, ‘I’m very much screwed if I’m not back by tomorrow,’ Laws quickly pulled himself into the driving seat and took up the reigns. 

“Yes, let’s hurry.” With one gesture to Roxy, she speedily made her way up to the back of the wagon. Then, just as fast as they had arrived in Roa, they exited. With that, they left behind the fortress city as they made their way to Buena village. Roxy was almost sure by now that her pursuers had lost interest in her, but it was always safer to be on the move. 

Roxy could’ve said she had expected more from Buena, but with how she was presumably a wanted woman, she was in no position to complain about the village's size or the number of people who lived there. Laws and Roxy had reached Buena village by the next day's afternoon. The ride was typically only around six to seven hours on horseback, but the sun was beginning to set by the time they left Roa, so they camped out the night before. Laws briefly introduced his family to the blue-haired demon when they arrived. His wife Cecilia was a kind woman, who surprisingly enough was a quarter-beast person even though she shared little to no traits from that side of her heritage, except for her chest size. Why does every woman on this continent need to have an exuberant bust?! Size might just be a sore subject for the demon girl.

On the other hand, his daughter almost gave Roxy a heart attack just looking at her. For a second, Roxy thought that Laws’ precious daughter he had talked about on their way here, Sylphiette, was actually a Superd. Luckily for Roxy, that was false. It just so happened that she had the same hair color as them. There was no gem in sight on the prominent, cute forehead of the little girl. Poor girl, though. She’s going to be given a hard time with hair like that. It was like this that Roxy would first meet three of the relatively few villagers who lived in Buena. 

Bidding them goodbye, Roxy made her way toward the Greyrat residence. She greeted the few villagers along the path, taking a break from their fieldwork. They seemed surprised by her appearance but didn’t bother to mention it in front of her. Maybe people here aren’t as rude as they are in the cities. With that thought crossing her mind, she noticed the presumed house she would be tutoring in. It was undoubtedly a more pleasant abode than Laws’ family home. This one had a nice stone fence all around the property. In front of the home was a garden with a few trees growing, and the home itself could be considered a mansion compared to the other villager’s houses within the area. Yep, that’s definitely where a knight would live with his family. Looking into their front yard, Roxy could see a taller man with long brown hair tied into a ponytail that waved on his back; with one glance toward the girl approaching the home, he rushed back into the house.

Roxy wasn’t the kind of person to care for too many pleasantries, but when faced with the family in front of her, it almost felt essential to make herself known as politely as possible. 

The family before her was the Greyrat family Laws had told her about. Zenith was on the right, a beautiful woman in every sense of the word, from her hair to her eyes; everything about her to Roxy was frankly beautiful. Paul was on the left. He was a taller but rather handsome man. Roxy could tell at a glance that he was a swordsman, mainly from his build and disposition. Then, finally, their child. Who had a look of disbelief—and maybe perversion…? What was his name again? Rudeus, right?

“I’m Roxy Migurdia. Pleased to meet you.” The girl tried to hide her face in front of her bangs so she wouldn’t be forced to meet their questioning gazes.

“Oh, you’re the, um—home tutor?” Paul had a look of disbelief in his eyes as he looked downwards toward the presumed younger girl. He had no idea he was the younger one here, however. Roxy was used to this sort of treatment.

“You’re well—uhmm…” Zenith fiddled with her fingers. A long pause followed her words.

“You’re cute, miss.” The child smiled at Roxy as he was the first to speak after the prolonged silence had dawned on them. 

Huh? Did he—did this kid call me cute? Ashamedly, a blush crept up her cheeks. 

“What’re you playing at, Rudy?” Paul ruffled his son’s hair with a smile and a look of pride. While Zenith just looked at her husband like he was an absolute idiot and shot her son a questioning glance. The son appeared to take after the father more than he did the mother.

“W-Well, thank you.” Roxy quickly coughed to excuse the child’s remark. Roxy had initially thought that the child would make fun of her size. It was typical. The only people interested in the demon girl were children or kids who could barely be called teenagers. That was why the woman had never had a lover. She wasn’t like a noble who would readily do questionable things with people of uncertain ages. She had her own views on love. Ones that she wasn’t willing to change her stance on.

This kid, though? Why did he have such a goofy-looking smile after he said that? It seemed to the girl that Rudeus was something of a flatterer. “So, where is the student I’ll be teaching?” Roxy continued.

Zenith seemingly jumped at that sentence, leaping into her son. “Oh, he’s right here!” Roxy was met with a peace sign from the said boy as he kept the cheeky grin plastered onto his face. 

The boy? The one who called me cute? A sigh escaped Roxy’s throat. Even if he had a good eye for women, in her humble opinion, a child who had just apparently turned the age of three casting magic? Almost completely and unequivocally impossible.

“You get this now and then, I guess. Idiot parents who think their child is special just because he’s an early bloomer or showed some promise.” She let out a heavy sigh. “I guess this was a dud after all.” She wasn’t ignorant of how some parents were with their children, but she said all that out loud, didn’t she? Old habits die hard, don’t they?

A foreboding aura came from Zenith at that moment. “Excuse me?” She remarked in annoyance. Roxy knew at that moment that if there was anyone she shouldn’t make angry in this household, it would have to be Zenith. She’d better apologize fast before she ends up on a chopping block. 

“Nothing! It’s just that children his age have a hard enough time reading or writing. I doubt that a child his age could comprehend the theory of magic.” It was only logical. To cast magic, one must understand what they were casting and why. It would be more believable if Rudeus were older, but for him to cast spells at three? To Roxy Migurdia, it was more likely that the Demon-God Laplace would sooner resurrect than this child being able to cast magic at his age. Though, if he could, in reality, cast magic as they believe he can, he might just be the man himself. Not that Roxy would particularly care or anything. “I would believe you if he was older, but Rudeus is only three years old, right?” All of them were silenced by what she had said.

That caught all three of them off guard. Roxy slipped up. Now, I let a name I shouldn’t know slip. First, that perverted noble, then this? I might be losing my edge nowadays. The child looked dumbfounded at her as if he saw a ghost and was trying to rationalize it. And what’s this child’s deal anyway? First, he calls me cute, and now he looks like he’s seen a ghost. Maybe choosing this job was a bad decision after all… Well, it's not like I could return to the capital anytime soon.

“How do you know his name? I never mentioned it in the letter.” Paul was wary of her now. That wasn’t good. 

“I was given a ride from the capital by a man named Laws. He told me about your family.” It was always better to defuse situations as soon as they popped up. She’d learned at least that much from adventuring on the demon continent for years.

“Ahh, Laws! That makes sense. He likes to do some trade in the bigger cities now and then. I wish he told me, though. I could’ve used a new pair of boots.” Paul looked into the sky for a second as he seemed to think. “Anyways, a friend of Laws is a friend of mine. A pleasure to meet ya, Roxy!” Paul scratched the back of his neck, then brought it down to gesture for a handshake. 

Roxy wasn’t one to refuse a simple gesture, so she shook his hand. It quickly encompassed her’s like nothing. Zenith seemed happy enough that everything blew over, but that child was still eyeing her up like no tomorrow. What even was there to look at that was so interesting? It’s not like she was well-endowed or anything. “You should give our Rudy a chance! He’s amazing once you see it!” Zenith clasped Roxy’s hands as she gave her a smile the demon was sure could haggle her way into any deal the woman wanted.

Why do the parents have to be so difficult all the time?! Roxy heaved a sigh as she picked up her briefcase and grabbed the staff that she had stood beside her. With a gesture to the boy, she spoke. “Let’s at least see what I’m working with here.” With that, they made their way toward the more open area in the front yard. All you could do with parents like these was just show them they were wrong, but if the kid could cast magic, she’d be staying, obviously.

That’s how Roxy found herself pacing back and forth in front of a three-year-old as she explained what magic in its most basic details was, how it was divided among the three trees, and how it was ranked. She always found this part so droll and would instead have gotten right to showing Zenith and Paul that their child could not cast magic. But saving as much face as possible in situations like this was necessary. She didn’t need her reputation as a mage to be tarnished by one boy now, could she? At least Rudeus seemed interested in what she was talking about. Or maybe she should be worried about how he seemed too interested in her discussion. Even if he couldn’t cast magic, she could still teach him plenty of things, so, at the very least, it was good that he was attentive.

“Now, I’ll do a demonstration. Repeat the chant after me.” The boy moved forward in his seat. He has an interest in magic, that’s for sure… He probably wouldn’t be a bad student either. He also seems like an alright kid, so I guess I can stay and teach him. She thought as she pulled on the familiar pool in her body to cast a spell. “ Let the great protection of water be on the place thou seekest. I call a refreshing, burbling stream here and now. Water Ball!” A sphere of water formed at the end of her staff. 

“Miss Roxy, please avoid that tree.” The boy spoke loudly enough for Roxy to hear before the ball of water on her staff propelled itself. The girl quickly pivoted, and the sphere of water whizzed past one of the trees the girl had been pointing at. 

“Is there a reason not to? I could just heal it if anything bad happened.” The girl spoke somewhat irritated and indecisively toward the boy as she turned back to face him. 

“That’s my Mother’s favorite tree. She’s been caring for it for a while, so she’d be pretty mad if anything happened. The last time anything happened to it was when Father accidentally cut off one of its branches.” Rudeus paused deliberately. “He couldn’t walk for a week after Mother was finished with him.” Roxy grimaced, then gave a curt bow.

Never mind—I’m staying. He’s a good kid. 

“Still, you had excellent control of that Water Ball !” For some reason, the boy started clapping for the girl.

She straightened her back and looked into the sky. “I’m sure you could do it without issue.” Beginner-level spells were easy enough to cast as is. So, even a child like Rudeus could do something similar.

"I don’t know if I can do it as well as you.” Roxy felt a blush creeping along her cheeks again from the boy praising her. Maybe this kid wasn’t as bad as she initially thought… Wait, was she this easy? 

Roxy usually considered herself stoic, but she was just a veritable pushover. At the end of the day, Roxy Migurdia was exceptionally easy to please.

“Okay, now you try.” Will he fail, or will he succeed? It doesn’t much matter to Roxy anymore. She’d decided that she’d stay and teach the boy. Now, if he could cast a spell like Water Ball on his first attempt, she’d jump at the opportunity to teach him. It’s not every day you meet a child of three who could cast magic, but Roxy wasn’t going to get her hopes up.

“Okay!” Rudeus lept from his chair and stepped a little away from the girl. He outstretched his hand in preparation for the spell, and as he did so, Roxy mused that he looked practiced when he stood like that, but she knew better than to suspect a three-year-old for foul play. 

She watched him ready himself, and by the time she blinked, a sphere of water formed in his hand. The water shot forward in a flash and with a bang loud enough to ring your ears. Roxy’s eyes weren’t playing tricks on her, and by the time she managed to reel herself back into reality, Rudeus was just staring at her with a shit-eating grin. 

He hadn’t just abridged the incantation. He had wholly removed it.

How?

“Y-You didn’t say the incantation… Do you normally do it that way?” She was shocked. Abridging a spell was something she had seen some old mages could do with enough practice, but for a child to just wholly get rid of the incarnation in its entirety?

“I used to, but then I figured it would be easier this way.” The boy spoke in a flat and even voice; meanwhile, shock and maybe a twinge of excitement shot through Roxy’s heart.

“D-Do you?” She turned herself around to face away from the boy; this was something to write home about, well, not that she’d written home ever. “You might just be worth teaching after all.” Roxy was underselling the boy; she was going to teach him. She wouldn’t be caught dead saying no to an offer like this.

At that moment, footsteps were heard walking over to them. “So, how did Rudy do?” The look plastered on Zenith’s face had to be one of Roxy's smugest faces she’d ever seen. The woman must’ve known how good her child was and was just waiting for Roxy to figure it out for herself.

To Roxy, this entire ploy must’ve been a setup to wow the magician. At least, that’s the conclusion Roxy had come to. 

In reality, Zenith had no idea how good her son was at magic and assumed it would all work out in the end.

“Well, your son seems to have an extraordinary talent—” Before the girl could finish talking, the three people outside heard a loud creaking, and with a head turn, all confirmed the sound.

The tree had a hole blasted through it, and the stone fence was in equal disrepair behind it. “What—Roxy, don’t use my trees for—” Zenith began to run over to her fallen tree, only for the boy beside Roxy to cut off his mother.

“Sorry, Mother, it was me!” Zenith looked back at her son and frowned slightly. Her attitude seemed to brighten up just a smidge at the admittance. Rudeus, on no account, during Roxy’s short time here, acted his age. A normal kid his age should worry more about his skin than others. Still, here he went and immediately took the blame and did so brazenly without fear of punishment from his mother, even though he did seem quite surprised at what he had done to the front of their property. Was he trying to suck up to his soon-to-be teacher? Of course, Roxy appreciated the assist.

“Just watch where you’re shooting stuff, Rudy!” After casting Healing , Zenith came stomping over to the two of them. 

“Didn’t you tell me to watch out for that tree?” Roxy questioned the boy beside her, who gave her a weak and ashamed shrug.

“I got distracted.” Roxy was going to ask how, but Rudues had interjected himself. “Sorry about the tree—” He looked past his mother and sighed at seeing the gaping hole in the wall. “And the wall.” The boy sulked a little, and while he did, Roxy couldn’t help but think about his magic.

He just cast a Water Ball, but when you look at its damage to the wall, you can’t help but realize that it couldn’t have just been a simple spell. At most, a Water Ball could go through wood, but stone? Did he accidentally use an intermediate spell or something? No, there’s no way you could just mistake one spell for the other…but I guess I have no experience in silent casting to voice my opinion. Roxy came out of her thoughts as she watched the Mother and Son.

Zenith huffed a little and gave the boy a little chop on his head. “As long as you understand.” She turned toward Roxy. “Let’s head inside.” She grabbed Rudeus by the arm and started walking toward the house. Zenith only turned back once she noticed the blue-haired girl wasn’t following. “Obviously, that includes you, Miss Roxy.” With a smile at the demon, Zenith hopped over and grabbed the girl as well; she was pretty. Nothing like the demon girl, that was for sure. At least that’s what Roxy thought of the woman.

“O-Of course.” The young demon timidly nodded her head.

“We already got everything ready for your welcome party! Do you like dessert?” Zenith grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to the house. “Also, if you could fix the wall my son broke,” The woman stared at the boy alongside her. “I’d greatly appreciate it.” She gave Roxy a cheeky smile as the demon girl was forcefully whisked into the house.

This job doesn’t seem nearly as bad as I thought. The welcoming party they hosted for Roxy was nothing special. There was food and drink; Paul even acted as entertainment when he shoved his sword down his throat, all the way to the hilt, mind you. Be that as it may, but for Roxy, a demon, this was something she never could’ve dreamed of back on the demon continent. She was surrounded by people that she had only just met this day. Yet they treated her kindly. She was confused. Roxy didn’t understand human customs well, yet they treated her the same as any of their friends. Or maybe even as they would a family member.

This job is looking better and better every time I think about it. I guess I’ve been blessed in a way.

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Four: One Who Sees Herself Unworthy and an Old Foe Resurfaces

With a flash, over half a year had passed, and even then, not much had changed in her life. Roxy was now living with the Greyrat family and taught Rudeus magic in the mornings, and his father, Paul, would instruct him in swordsmanship in the afternoons. The days came and went peacefully. Occasionally, Roxy would even go into the village and assist villagers with their crops, from providing water to even helping with the harvesting by offering some wind magic.

She still helped around the house whenever she felt Lilia was doing too much for the family. She’d also periodically head into Roa for some odd jobs that would give her a little bit more spending money.

Not everything was seamless, like how the girl was forced to listen to Paul and Zenith as they went through their throes of passion during the night. This happened. Every. Single. Night. You could imagine the difficulty of living in such a situation, but Roxy held strong. Well, there was that night when she slipped out for a look, but the girl was reasonably sure her student had caught her in the act.

The fact he hadn’t hung it over her head yet to shame the girl was something she only found even weirder about the boy. Nevertheless, Roxy wouldn’t be caught dead doing that again.

As Roxy previously thought, Rudeus was exceptionally skilled in magic. Sometimes, she wondered if the boy knew more than he let on, but she let those ideas quickly subside. He was a child with great intellect, but there was no reason to suspect him of foul play. The thing Roxy knew for sure was that Rudeus Greyrat was most certainly a prodigy. The way he cast magic was perfect, his control was enviable, and the power of every spell he performed was exquisite, if not a little too strong on some occasions. 

To be frank, she was jealous.

He certainly needed some slight help with control, but that was the only flaw Roxy had found in the boy. Which, in terms of magical studies, was ridiculous. Having your spells be too strong wasn’t necessarily a poor thing. Of course, if you were traveling with a party, you wouldn’t want friendly fire, but for a mage’s only issue to be powerful magic, there wasn’t any problem. That issue could be fixed with practice.

Of course, Roxy could tell from an early point that she was most certainly in the process of being humbled by her student, but she tried to pay that no mind in the face of the actual genius she was tutoring. If Roxy Migurdia were to teach the next big shot mage, it would propel her even higher in the pecking order. In essence, you could say that the world of magic wasn’t far off from nobility or the upper crust of society. Still, tutoring such a child brought feelings she didn’t like. Ones that Roxy kept pushing away.

Recently, the two of them were beginning to have lessons at night. Not of that kind, but instead the stereotypical type. Roxy mainly taught the boy how to read, write, and do arithmetic. She also taught him the general history and geography of the world whenever they had spare time. He absorbed information quickly and always worked hard on a specific subject.

On the contrary, he had already become accustomed to reading and writing. The girl even began teaching him the demon language based on his strange suggestion. He was such an intelligent kid that Roxy often only needed to point him toward an answer, and he’d be able to solve twenty similar ones. Honestly, it didn’t necessarily feel like teaching. Still, Roxy knew that teaching Rudeus would most likely be a particular case if she considered pursuing this line of work later in her life. He worked for his knowledge by studying and seemed to find learning entrancing. How he did that reminded her of how she used to be back when she first went to Ranoa.

How much the boy focused on her lectures still weirded her out. It didn’t take Roxy long to understand that the boy had some kind of childhood crush on his proclaimed ‘Master’. She had her thoughts on the matter but was informed of it when Zenith and she had a little girl's talk.

It was just like any other day in the Greyrat household. The morning came, and all was quiet. Paul would always leave early to do his rounds in the village, and then he eventually returned he would begin his training. The only person awake in the early morning was Lilia. More often than not, however, Zenith would also be seen moving around and doing some of her early-day errands, usually helping Lilia with chores, much to the women’s diffidence. 

Today was one of the irregular days when Roxy woke up earlier. Even though the girl had only been living in the house for three months, her sleeping patterns were known by everyone at this point. Her waking up early had happened now and then. Getting dressed, she groggily made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. It was this morning when Zenith and Roxy would have their chat.

“Morning, Roxy. Did you have a nice rest?” Zenith’s hair was pulled up into the same ponytail it always was. She was cutting some vegetables, most likely aiding Lilia, who was beside her, cooking breakfast for the family. Zenith didn’t like to differentiate her style choice too often; she always said it was too complicated for her. Roxy could relate to what the woman was saying.

“I think I’m still trying to get used to the bed,” Roxy spoke. Then, she considered what to say next and decided against her better judgment to address the ‘issue’. “It would be nice if my employers didn’t keep me awake at night. What with their ‘activities’ and all, though.” Roxy understood that the couple loved each other. They made sure that everyone could tell at a glance of the two. With the flirting, making out, or ‘getting to work’ upstairs, you’d be hard-pressed to think of anything else.

On the other hand, Roxy didn’t quite know what she wanted in a partner. She’d be lying if she said she never thought about what it would be like to have a significant other who would love her for her , but there were very few people who were like that, and she’d never met one of them. Her absolute ideal would probably be if he were some world-acclaimed mage and came rushing in to save her from peril at the last moment, only to confess his undying love for the maiden and beg her to have his—she would cut that thought there. Unfortunately for Roxy, no one fits that description, but to be fair, her standards were relatively high and particular. 

A deep red hued Zenith’s cheeks. “I-I’m sorry!” She bowed her head in a flustered motion. Even after three months of working in the Greyrat home, it perplexed Roxy that Zenith would be embarrassed here, considering she was one of her employers.

“I’ve learned to deal with the sounds, so I’m fine. Just try to keep it on the down low. You never know how much you could be corrupting poor Rudy.” Lilia seemed to shift at her words. 

Roxy had been an adventurer longer than either Paul or Zenith. So she was used to those kinds of sounds. She had to be. It was overwhelmingly common for adventurers to take one or more damsels into bed with them after a traumatic experience. More often than not, getting a good night’s sleep forced the girl to get used to it.

“I’ll be careful from now on… You see, my husband and I are worried about having another.” The tint of red on her cheeks didn’t leave her face even as she spoke. “You do seem awfully worried about Rudy, don’t you? I’m glad he has a dependable tutor like you.” Zenith smiled slightly awkwardly at her as she grabbed the diced carrots and put them in a bowl beside her. It was only fitting for Roxy to worry about her student, considering he had to bear the brunt of the sounds at night. Also, considering he tended to perv on her whenever he had the chance. “Oh, yeah! Rudy seems to trust you an awful lot. Doesn’t he?” 

“You think he doesn’t trust his parents the same?” Sure, Rudeus was awfully attached to her, but Roxy had always seen him listen to his parent’s warnings and demands in earnest. He would always listen to whatever Zenith said with a demonic tenacity and seemed to be raring to spend time with Paul. However, he never questioned whatever Roxy noted, even though she wasn’t family. So Roxy could understand where Zenith was coming from.

“You know, he was dreadfully quiet when he was born. Lilia was worried that he was a cursed child or something, but after a while, he started acting like more of a kid. Though, I can’t really consider my Rudy like a regular child.” The woman gave a slightly tired sigh. “Despite that, he seems eager to talk to just about anyone once you got here.” Zenith peered down at her hands and rubbed her stomach after a moment. “I was always worried that the problem might’ve been me, but then he started clinging to us suddenly. Especially Paul.” The smile on her face seemed almost too bright to look at for the demon as Zenith positively beamed. “I remember we had to pry him off his father once.” She giggled slightly at the comment. “He’s a good boy. He gave us some stress at the end of the day, but it was all fine.”

“Hmm.” Roxy hummed along with the woman. “Well, as long as I’m of help, I’ll continue to teach Rudy all I know. It’s not every day you get to meet a person who can cast magic without the need for incantations.” Working busily beside the two, Lilia left after gathering the necessary ingredients. She was likely going to draw water. Roxy thought about calling out to the woman and offering to do it herself but caught herself once she realized the woman had already made her brisk exit. 

With the two of them alone, Roxy decided to ask a question plaguing her mind to the woman beside her. “Do you think Rudy might have—I don’t know. A slight crush on me?” Zenith looked at her, not with a look of puzzlement or shock. Instead, it looked as though she was sizing Roxy up. “I’m not trying to ask for your permission or anything! He’s far too young.” Roxy’s arms flailed in front of her face as she tried her best to block her flushed features from Zenith. The girl may look like a teenager, but she’s still an adult and would never do anything as scandalous as that. She wasn’t like that noble she had met in the capital.

“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to imply anything.” Zenith gigged briefly, “He seems to like you a lot, but I’m sure it’s just a phase that’ll come and go. So I’d be happy if you could deal with it, okay?” Zenith’s pale hands clasped Roxy’s in a gesture of appreciation—a small smile on her face as she did so.

Roxy could deal with it all right. Rudeus was cute and young enough that he didn’t know any better anyway, and it wasn’t like she would let teaching a genius slip through her hands just like that.

Even if said genius had been chiseling away at the little amount of ego she had daily.

Roxy’s teachings weren’t extreme by any measure. They didn’t require one to have a wise outlook or anything like that. They were just simple lectures that most people would be able to follow. When it came to Rudeus, however, things were never that simple. He’d interject and throw her for a loop out of nowhere. He’d ask her about something she hadn’t even thought of. She was usually quick enough to be able to answer her pupil; then, he’d always clap for her for being able to answer him. Much to Roxy’s shamefaced delight, he’d even go as far as to call her cute or intelligent. 

She usually thought about how the kid was going to be the death of her. Roxy’s fatal weakness at the end of the day was praise, after all.

He was always ready to challenge her knowledge at any moment, though that only made her feel more and more out of place as his teacher. Instead, it was like she was being taught most of the time.

“Master, how many demon races are there?” Sitting at his desk, Rudeus turned, asking her a question. He had his quill in hand while writing down some notes from her lecture. Roxy twinged at the name he had called her, but no matter how many times she had told him off about it, he never ceased. Even with that, she could tell what he was asking was a serious question. Whenever there was any meaningful pause in one of her lectures, he immediately asked her these redundant questions.

“There’s quite a difference between many of the races. I’m one myself, but the difference between a Migurd like me and, say, one of the Immortal Demon Race is so vastly different you wouldn’t begin to think we shared a common ancestor… Also, from the history I’ve heard of, many proposed demon races are only apparently called demons because they sided with the Demon Empress Kishirika during the Demon-Human War.” That sure was a mouthful. 

“It isn’t like all demons are bad, right?” His question took her for a spin. She understood what he was implying. If demons were the race that had sided with the Demon Empress, it would make sense for most of them to be seen as evildoers. It was the same way for Roxy, but most of the demons that participated in the war were long dead. The only thing left now were tales from the time and the prejudice that remained because of the conflict.

“Of course not. If there were a demon race you should be scared of, though, it would unquestionably be the Superds.” Even saying their names made a chill run up her spine. “It was said they rampaged against friend and foe alike on the battlefield. They ran through their enemies, friends, women, and children all the same. It became so bad all demon kind ostracized them.” All of the scary stories Roxy’s parents told her still haunted her to this day.

“They don’t sound all that nice.” His face was sad, almost as if he was in deep reflection. He was a very odd child. She had come to know that much.

“If you don’t want to meet one, you should be wary of anyone with a red jewel on their forehead and green hair. If you see someone with that description, you should keep your distance and try to be respectful to them.” Speaking of green hair, Laws’ child had the same color. Roxy had heard from the man recently that some of the village children were starting to bully the poor girl. It seemed that Roxy’s appearance in the town more than likely put the whole ‘hate demons’ idea in the children’s heads. Most storybooks always portrayed demons as the bad guys, so she could understand where their misguided ideas came from.

I should maybe introduce Rudeus to Sylphiette. I’m sure he could use a friend his age. While that could wait a while, there was no harm in telling the boy. “By chance, there just so happens to be someone in the village with the same hair color as the Superd. She’s a nice girl, so if you see her, you should be kind.” Roxy took an authoritative tone to let him know she was serious. 

His eyes widened briefly before he gave her a small smile and nodded. It was like this how their lessons went, and after an hour or so, they would bid the other good night and leave the other to their slumber. 

Tonight, however, Roxy did not change into her nightgown. There was something she needed to check. So, in the pitch black of her room, she waited silently for the sounds of silent footsteps to pass by her door. 

She first heard them leaving the house on a night like this one. She had no idea what Rudeus was doing, but for some reason, he would always leave the house in the dead of night. She had let it happen for the past few weeks; he was a young boy, after all, and she could understand not wanting to bother asking his parent’s permission to be able to go outside. But the way he left so silently felt like he was doing something he didn’t want anyone to know about. Almost as if he was hiding something.

She knew she wanted to know what the boy was doing. If he had an issue, it was her duty as his teacher to help him. However, a teacher was not how she’d consciously describe her relationship with the boy, but it was still her duty to understand the boy.

So, she left the house as quietly as he had. When she reached the gate by the then-long-since repaired fence, she saw his tiny silhouette move across the road and over the hill. She pursued loosely. She knew how to tail a person from her adventuring days, but when it was just the two of them out at night. She was much more likely to be caught than not seen at all. 

She followed him for what must have been a few minutes. As Roxy tailed the boy, she could only wonder what he was doing. He’d peer over his shoulder occasionally as if he knew someone was following him but didn’t quite know where. This only forced the Migurd to give more space between her and the boy, but that mattered little to Roxy. 

When he reached his destination, she let him do whatever he was going to do, and it was here that she witnessed something the girl didn’t reasonably expect. 

Up on a hill with a lone tree was Rudeus. She’d never seen him leave the house before now. It wasn’t that he had been avoiding going outside his yard or scared of leaving his parent’s side. It was more like he saw no need to at the time. Roxy knew this boy didn’t act his age, and what she saw from where she stood further proved her point.

Cloaked in the moonlight on top of the hill stood Rudeus. In his hands, he held water, the light from the moon cascading from the ball's surface in his hands. It wasn’t the water that puzzled her; it was the shaping and morphing of the spell that she couldn’t believe. Spells were definitive; once you made them a specific size, that was it. Roxy understood how incantations were made and how they determined the spell’s trajectory and scope. Still, for one to change a spell’s shape and size at will after its initial creation—even if it may sound mundane, the spectacle before her went against everything she had been taught. Everything she had learned since she left her village and started her journey with magic. Just by looking at the boy now, it was forcing Roxy to understand just how far from the known he was.

She stood there on the bottom of the hill, unknown to the boy, as she watched the water in his hand's pulse. He molded it into different shapes, first a great whirlpool, then a bird flapping its wings as if alive. Then, finally, a sword like the one Paul carried around. He grabbed it without a pause, giving it a swing to test its seeming weight, but he didn’t necessarily look pleased by what he had figured out. For a moment, it seemed he had gotten bored from messing with the water, so he decided to up the ante a smidgen. In an instant, Roxy watched the sword transform back into the same ball of water it had been, then suddenly, it turned to mist, and in its place, a grand fireball was born that quickly grew in size. It pulsed red, then orange, then blue, to purple. The heat cascaded into her body as she felt how impossibly hot that raging inferno must’ve been. 

How beautiful it was to look upon, however.

I can’t believe I almost forgot how stunning magic can be. Roxy thought, but as she did so, she took an absent-minded step forward. A twig she hadn’t noticed crunched and broke underneath her shoe. The sound immediately made the boy wary of her presence as that once glorious purple ball of death vanished into the night sky as if it had never existed in the first place. The only remembrance of its existence was a patch of black dirt where grass had once grown.

“Master?” She could tell from his eyes that he was scared of her presence. How odd—shouldn’t she be the one that’s worried in this situation? 

“Rudeus, what were you doing?” The question came out almost vitriolic. Roxy couldn’t help herself; faced with such a magnificent sight, the boy utterly floored her. She had presumed he was still learning. It would appear, however, that he had already surpassed his so-called ‘Master’ in a matter of months. 

“Would you believe me if I was saying I was increasing my mana pool?” The nervous shuddering as he twiddled his fingers put her off. Increasing your mana pool? How in the hell was that even possible?!

“Don’t be a fool, Rudeus; one can’t increase their reserves that easily!” Roxy’s tone didn’t bode well with the boy as he shirked further up the hill and away from her. A sense of worry was prominent in his eyes.

“I-I was originally only able to cast two Water Balls when I first learned magic. No-now I can do that.” He stuttered…that wasn’t like the eloquently spoken boy she had come to know at all. He seemed fidgety for a person able to cast magic at the magnitude he could. He couldn’t play stupid infront of her anymore. She had seen fire saint-tier magicians in her day and knew they couldn’t do what he could. She wasn’t going to be played anymore.

“It has to do with growth, Rudeus. A mage’s mana pool is dependent on genetics and environment. Didn’t we go over this in one of our lessons?” As much as she loved learning and being able to do new things, for some reason, she didn’t dare let Rudeus defend his argument. If she allowed him to continue speaking, it was as if her world would fall apart. This child was challenging everything she had spent her life learning about. 

“Master, I—” 

“Stop calling me that!” She yelled—she didn’t mean to, but a part of her that she hated came up at that moment. The anger that she showed and the hatred she felt for that word. Roxy yelled at the boy in front of her like her teacher had yelled at her. 

She was no better than him; she hadn’t changed since she left Ranoa. She wasn’t worthy enough to be called ‘Master.’ Not by someone as talented as Rudeus. Maybe not ever.

After that, she didn’t try to run, hide, or scream out against the boy. For some reason, she crouched down and hugged her knees close to her chest as she sat on that grassy hill. She could feel the tears trying to escape from her eyelids but couldn’t allow them. Not in front of the boy she was employed to teach; I want to retain some of my remaining dignity. 

How was she supposed to teach a boy who could bend the laws of magic so easily? How was she expected to live up to his expectations of her? The answer was simple. She couldn’t. Roxy Migurdia could never meet Rudeus’s expectations of her. Not in this life or the next. 

So she sat there. Unwilling to compromise or try to look him in the eyes.

She could hear grass crunch beneath his shoes as he got closer. “I never once thought of you as less than my master, Roxy.” Roxy’s eyes widened. He sounded different, his tone heavy and sad. Rudeus never acted his age—one moment, he would be trying to take a peek at her panties when she was teaching him, and the next, he would deliver a philosophical remark as if he were some older man. 

He didn’t make any sense, so why did he sound so different now? “You’re amazing in your own way and don’t even realize it.” Roxy didn’t bother to unbury her head from her knees. She could tell from his voice that he had sat beside her. “I know you’re always staying up late to make lessons for me. I’ve seen how drained you get some days just trying to teach me. You work yourself to the bone just to improve a tiny bit. Even if it’s an inch, you chase it. That’s something I could never do.” Why did he sound so sure? Why did he sound so confident in what he was saying? Why did he sound like he knew her?

“You don’t know a thing about me, Rudeus!” Without meaning it, venom seemed to coat her tongue. “How could you?! You’re just some brat from the countryside! What could you possibly know about me?!” She yelled in confusion and anger as she finally unburied her head from her knees. She knew tears clung to the corners of her eyes, but for some reason, the boy was getting on her nerves far more than she had expected him to. If she didn’t stop soon, this would end just like it did with Jinas, just like when she left Sharia. 

She’d leave the Greyrat home with nothing but regret.

When her eyes met him—she stopped. She didn’t know what to expect. She assumed he’d look angry, confused, or even upset. So, why did he look so in pain? Why did he look so hurt just by looking at her? “Master.” 

Please stop. Roxy begged inside her mind to the boy. 

“I don’t know you—I can’t know you, but I know just how hard you work to teach me. That’s something I know for sure. I know that you try your absolute hardest for me to learn. That’s why you’re my Master.” 

Stop looking at me with those eyes.

“I don’t deserve to be your Master—I don’t deserve to teach you! You’ll end up regretting calling someone weaker than yourself that. You’ll feel like trash to have someone like me to look up to—”

“Who else should I call my Master then?” His remark fell on her ears. “I’ll never regret calling a person who works as hard as you do my Master… Not once…” A sad smile formed on his face. “Not ever…” Was it determination in his eyes? Roxy couldn’t tell on account of the tears blotting her vision. 

His words froze her in place. Something about what he said made Roxy come to a standstill in her head. Does she hate Jinas even now? Does she still loathe the man even if he did teach her? He had taught her all he had known, and for what? She shoved it in his face without remorse to prove that she was better—smarter. At the very least, it was right for him to be slightly agitated—hell, she’d be furious.

Rudeus wasn’t like that, however. He wasn’t like her. He was a good kid with a solid head on his shoulders, and he wasn’t even four yet. He could go a long way in life. Yet, he wanted someone like her to be his teacher. 

Thinking about it only made her realize one thing.

“Why do you have to be so difficult?” Surprisingly, a giggle escaped her throat as Roxy rubbed her eyes. She could hear him chuckling through her disgusting sniffles. 

“Is it wrong for a student who loves his Master to want her to be proud of her abilities?” The words came out smoothly and without a pause. It would’ve sounded somewhat suave if the boy was any older than three.

Roxy couldn’t help but laugh through her tears at what he said, but she managed to stop when she felt his tiny hand clasp her shoulder.

“Master… How about we make a deal?” 

Roxy managed to pivot herself to face him. “W-What kind of deal?” She didn’t mean that to come off as pouty as she had made it sound. At this point, she had lost all her respect for herself. I mean, look at her. Crying in front of her student no less, the shame of all teachers everywhere weighed upon her at this moment.

“I want you to keep teaching me. I want you to keep being my tutor.” That part felt like a far-off dream at this point for Roxy. “In exchange, I’ll teach you how to do incantation-less magic… Or at least to the best of my ability.” His face suddenly looked extra punchable to Migurd woman. But she couldn’t help but laugh… Her student was bribing her to keep teaching him in exchange for teaching her. The hypocrisy was almost maniacal, but something like this had become expected of Rudeus Greyrat to Roxy Migurdia.

“Why is it so important that I teach you? You could have anyone else in this world, and I’m sure they’d leap at the opportunity.” Roxy finished speaking but was met with a calm silence. Almost as if the boy meant to savor the moment.

“Well, it’s like what I said.” The boy phrased it like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Master Roxy is the girl I like. So I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.” The slight blush on his cheeks hit Roxy harder than she’d care to admit.

“You should only say that to the woman you fall in love with.” She quickly reprimanded the boy for his crass words, but in her heart, she was sure. She was sure if he was older—that if this had happened when he was a full-grown man instead. Unfortunately, she was sure she would’ve fallen in love right then and there, but that wasn’t the case here. 

“If your feelings haven’t changed in ten or some years, you can ask again.” Roxy tried her best to hide her flustered face from the little boy. “If that’s what my student wants, that is.” Had she ever been flattered this much in such a short time in all her life? The answer was a resolute no. Sure, there were times when a kid would come around, but never had a person been this forward with her. 

It didn’t help Roxy’s case that the boy infront of her who was so adamantly hitting on her was three, but if he was going to be that adamant… She didn’t mind waiting a couple of decades for a maybe.

She stood up after that frankly criminally embarrassing thought, and Rudeus followed. Roxy gazed down at the boy whose head barely reached her chest; he seemed to expect something. So, with some deliberation in her head, she flicked his forehead. Rudeus quickly clasped where he had been hit with both hands and winced in slight pain.

That’s the reward he gets for worrying his Master.

>Rudeus<

I hadn't expected this outcome for all my expectations. 

Everything was going well so far. I met Orsted far earlier than planned, but apparently, the man believed my existence was far more critical than many other immediate problems. He was such a flatterer, that president of mine.

When I met Roxy, I thought she even followed us. She never mentioned Laws in the previous timeline. I’m almost positive she had met the man at some point while she helped the villagers, but it never came up in our conversations. Especially later on, after we had married. I always felt off mentioning Sylphie's parents around her, so it became a sort of unspoken taboo. 

So you can imagine my surprise when Roxy came by only to know my name. I got hopeful at that moment. However, it didn’t take long to realize it wasn’t her. The Goddess of Wisdom teaching me in this timeline wasn’t the one I had fawned over in my past life. She looked the same, sure, and I still loved the woman in front of me with all of my heart, but it wasn’t her. 

It was surreal. To have a person you loved so deeply that you shared such a kindred relationship with look at you with such indifference and hate. 

I messed up at some point. I thought I was careful in leaving my house, but Roxy had found me out; she was always intuitive. Why hadn’t it occurred to me to use gravity magic to just fly out of the house? Why didn’t I use wind magic to nullify the sound my footsteps made? It would've been that simple to leave no sound in my movement. That was all I needed to do, and it would've prevented everything.

When she found me and confronted me, I figured she would storm off and leave the village. I thought she would leave our house and go on to tutor Pax far earlier than anticipated. 

I thought she would abandon me, just like I had left her.

Roxy didn’t leave, however. She slumped over in seeming defeat. I think I remember her doing something like this at some point, but my memories betrayed me. A lot of my memories were vague.

Roxy had grown out of these fits in our time together, but that was because I would be there to tell her she was fine the way she was. Sure, she was a go-getter who would push herself to learn anything and never give up pursuing knowledge, but she considered herself almost pitiful earlier in life. If the going got rough, she would sometimes crumble. That was one of the things she said I had fixed about her. I determined her to climb to higher heights, but I had accidentally shown her a spell she couldn’t understand. One that her student shouldn’t be able to make by any stretch of the imagination. 

This was my folly, but I managed to fix it. I knew just how to treat the girl. I didn’t spend fifty-eight years married to her for nothing, after all. I would be lying if I said there was no guilt behind the act, but I had to do this, right? I still owed her for everything she had done for me, even if this wasn’t her . 

“I’ve never asked Master, but why did you accept a job from Buena? Considering your skill, I’m sure you could’ve gotten a job anywhere you would’ve wanted—so why the countryside?” I had meant to ask this, and seeing that our dynamic would most likely change from now on, I figured it would be a good time. I noted how she quietly giggled. 

God, she’s still so adorable. I snapped out of my thoughts with a pinch on my hand.

“Uh, well, you see…your teacher may have gotten herself into some trouble in the capital, and well…” She seemed uneasy in disclosing the information. What did she do? I don’t remember Roxy having difficulties in Asura before, but that was in the past, and I’m in the present. “It seems I attacked a pretty big noble and am currently… On the run.” 

Roxy’s…wanted? 

“Please, don’t tell your parents.” She deadpanned, realizing the weight of her words. I nodded. Even if the information completely blindsided me, disclosing that wouldn’t do us any good.

“Do you remember his name?” I figured at least learning the punk's name could come in handy. Especially if I ever met him—not that I would do anything to him… Sure, he might get a visit from a strange child one night and find every limb broken by the following day, but no one could prove it was me. After all, I was never there. I’m just Rudeus Greyrat, a boy who lives in Buena village.

She looked at me for a second. It seemed she debated on telling me for a moment but gave in when I pleaded with her. “His name was Darius Silva Ganius—I’m pretty sure. He was a rate ‘A’ sleaze bag… So I may have hit him with magic and ran.” She huffed, still evidently PO’d about the situation.

My eyes widened. 

Darius Silva Ganius… He was Hitogami’s apostle. We had fought in the effort to make Ariel the Queen of Asura. He was that bastard who stole young women to make them into his sex slaves. Now, he tried stealing Roxy… I’d ensure that motherfucker would receive a fate worse than death when I got my hands on him.

Sure, I shied away from the killing of someone as much as I was allowed in my life. Even now, I had a hard time doing it, but when it was warranted, I could manage. We had killed Darius previously, so I was content with that, but I would make sure to have fun with him later. Torture wasn’t something I did, so I’d figure out what I wanted to do later.

Speaking of that bastard. Why was he targeting Roxy? Sure, she was the cutest thing in this world, only rivaled by Sylphiette, but why would he target a mage of her skill? Especially one from the demon race. Considering the current relationship with demons, he would gain nothing from it and more likely just lose face at the end of the day. So it didn’t make sense to me. Why would a noble like him target Roxy?

Why would he target someone so close to me?  

I only realized at that moment just what that meant. I knew what Darius’s involvement had to represent. I knew Roxy’s fate was strong. At some point, I even thought I’d marry her again. We would tie the knot in around thirteen years if everything went the same. I wouldn’t know if it would happen the same way now that things have changed. The timeframe was critical in this case; it would probably be thirteen years, enough time for Hitogami to see what was happening, which was enough time for him to try to change that from ever coming to pass. 

The Man-God knew I was here. I was already outed to the enemy.

Not that he knew it was me. He never followed Orsted through loops, and the only reason I would think otherwise was because I was here, but for the benefit of the doubt, it would be best to believe he didn’t. One thing I knew for sure: he definitely knew Orsted came to my house. He knew I was alone with him for around two hours while my parents and Lilia were out. He knows I didn’t mention a scary man coming to see me when my parents returned. 

He knows that a child like me is somehow Orsted’s ally. An ally the man shouldn’t be capable of having and one that his mortal enemy would make sure to remove as early as possible.

Roxy was looking down towards me as I thought in my head. I was worrying her slightly with my quiet demeanor. “Is something the matter?” Her voice was calm like water and as soothing to me as any healing spell. 

I couldn’t react openly to the information about Darius. “When I get older, I’ll make sure to give that guy a piece of my mind, Master.” I patted my bicep, well, lack thereof. I needed to take my father’s teachings to heart to ensure Hulk, Hercules, Tindalos, and Baskerville could grow nicely.

Roxy smiled at me as we continued walking back to the house. “Don’t get into too much trouble for me. I’m sure it would upset Paul and Zenith.” We crescented the small hill leading to the home. It looked like this night was going to come to an end soon. 

It was well past midnight when we opened the door of the home. Everyone was still seemingly unaware of the nightly outing the both of us had. We made sure to creep upstairs, and as we gave each other a quiet ‘Good night.’ we left each other’s eyesight and entered our rooms. I figured Roxy would quickly be able to go to sleep, but I couldn’t. Not with the revelation I had made.

He’s been watching me, hasn’t he? Then I’m sure he knows my plans if he has been… So, it looks like I have no choice in the matter. Under no circumstance can I let that bastard pull me from my dreams and read my mind. I closed my door behind me. The candle I left alight was burning on my nightstand beside my bed. It was probably better not to leave an open flame unwatched, but I could go over my negligence later. Right now, what was important wasn’t on my nightstand but what was hidden underneath my bed—underneath the floorboards.

I walked over, falling to my knees as I immediately fiddled with the flooring. Managing to pry the floorboard up, I peered down into the hole that only I knew what contained. In it, I saw a grey robe. It was well tailored, but nothing a child my size could reasonably wear, and this robe was effectively my work clothes, but it wasn’t what I was looking for. Neither was the old scroll that lay on top of it. That would come in handy at a later date.

What I sought was the bracelet that lay beside both. It wasn’t anything too flashy by any measure. I had seen enough nobles in my day dressed in the finest silk and jewelry to understand that. I didn’t require what they had; this specific bracelet was one that I needed. Its ability to block Hitogami’s prying eyes was what I required. 

Taking it from the hole, I felt its smooth surface when I grabbed it. There was only one small detail that garnered any attention. A lone dragon was engraved into the bracelet along its length. It was fitting that the man who had found himself all alone all this time now had an ally to rely on.

At this point, I knew Hitogami had to be on to me. I felt so foolish that I hadn’t even realized I had a huge target painted on my back. I guess neither of us thought about every implication of our meeting. Though I’m sure, it’s crossed Orted’s mind since then. This was my only option, but it was a necessary precaution. The Man-God hadn’t entered my dreams yet, so he’s been observing—and most likely plotting. 

I’d figure out what to tell Paul and Zenith when I wake up tomorrow. I’d throw a tantrum if it were required. Though I seriously doubt Paul would take any heed as to the jewelry on my wrist. Zenith, on the other hand? She might just give me some trouble—or maybe not. She loved her son at the end of the day, and jewelry is just jewelry.

I slipped the bracelet on, and nothing changed about me. Nothing seemed to click or shift in my body. I just knew his eyes could no longer see me, which gave me enough comfort to do just about anything. “If he knows I’m an ally of Orsted. It’s just a matter of time before he decides to take action. I’m only a boy when push comes to shove. So I better get serious before then.” Grabbing the loose floorboard, I again sealed away the rest of the equipment Orsted had given me in our meeting. I had to make sure I did this right. “Looks like the Quaqmire is coming out of retirement early.”

I have to go about this like it’s my only chance.

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Five: A Nightmare and a Friend

Warmth was the first feeling I felt. 

My eyes fluttered open, and the light from the windows shone into them when I looked up at the ceiling. I felt refreshed, but there was also a feeling that I could’ve slept for longer. I woke up in a familiar bed. Its wide and open surface was far more extensive than any one man could fill. Stuffing my face in the white sheets, I could still smell them with one deep inhale—the distinct scents of the women I loved so much. 

My eyes snapped open upon the realization. This room was something I hadn’t seen in just over four years. This room—my room… I’m in Sharia. My eyes didn’t deceive me; even pinching myself proved futile. “That had to be the most lucid dream I’ve ever had.” Thinking back to everything was bizarre. I was able to live in Buena again after so many years. It was an excellent dream, even if different than how I remembered it; I’d like it if I never forgot that dream. 

I pulled myself up, my body refusing to right itself immediately. I guess that’s what getting older is like. How old am I again? I’m forty-eight this year, right? All the kids are gone now, just Roxy, Sylphie, Eris, Zenith, and Lilia in the house, which meant much more time to get frisky at night. 

Speaking of. Patting the space next to me, I sighed as I noticed the distinct lack of presence or residual warmth. I slept too long. I usually would’ve whined about it, but I was at fault for hitting the snooze button. Whenever I slept with Sylphie or Roxy, they’d let me rest for however long I wanted. This usually happened whenever we would go particularly hard the night before. All I was doing was getting older; all they were doing was staying as young as when we met. I couldn’t do it like I used to, but those two had terrible endurance, so they still couldn’t compete with me. On the other hand, whenever Eris and I would, she’d wack me awake and force me to train the morning after. Even if she's older than me, she never changed. 

“Haah…” I stretched, “Better get dressed then.” I spoke as I yawned, pulled myself out of bed, and slapped my legs awake. I forced my body to move over to my dresser close by. I didn’t much mind being in the nude. Most days, this was how I usually found myself after waking up. My wives are pranksters, all right. “It’s hushed down there. Wonder if everyone’s out?” There was a distinct lack of noise. It wasn’t odd for the house to be empty on any given afternoon, but I can’t remember anyone saying they had anything going on today. 

Pulling on my cloak, I left my room. I still like to remind myself about how funny the whole situation was with my house. It was dirt cheap when I first scouted it with Zanoba and Cliff. Now, it was home to the Greyrat family and the Seventh Great Power… It always left a bad taste in my mouth whenever someone would address me with varying degrees of importance. Even if I wanted to live a quiet life after Biheiril, it looked like the world didn’t wish to offer the luxury to me. 

No matter how hard I try, you can’t fix some things, even by threatening someone. Remembering that one time a noble got on my nerves always made me laugh.

I saw something peculiar when I arrived at the stairs to the main entranceway. There stood Roxy... She wore her traveling clothes draped over her petite figure and her pointed hat on her blue-haired head. She had the same old metal briefcase in hand, and her staff was lying against the wall closest to her. What’s she up to this early in the morning? She looked up at me, and I was startled. Those weren’t the same eyes I knew. Those same blue orbs that always looked at me with such honest passion or thought had only sadness reflected in an ocean of blue, a slightly reassured faint grin spread on her lips when our eyes met. “What’re you doing this early, Roxy?” I approached her, but she stretched her hand to stop my advance. That was strange… “What? Is it weird that I want to hug my adorable wife first thing in the morning—” 

“I have to leave, Rudy.” There was the same sadness in her voice that lay in her eyes. 

Huh—am I hearing things? She grabbed the staff next to her as she reached for the knob on the door.

“Wait, wh-where are you going?” I nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of my head with my hand. I could tell I was getting worried. “If you’re in that much of a hurry, I can always walk you to headquarters. Then you can just use a teleportation circle—” I was speaking far too fast, but she cut me off again. 

“You shouldn’t follow me to where I’m going.” She didn’t look back at me when she spoke. I could hear her voice crack as her shoulders shuddered. “No matter what.”

She doesn’t have to be so cryptic about it. I thought as I reached out for her again, but she opened the door before I could. She let it swing open, and the wind blew her hair haphazardly as her hat somehow managed to stay on her head. 

However, outside of the house was something I didn’t expect. Out there was a seemingly endless nothingness, just pure white. Almost as if you were looking at the blank canvas of a struggling painter. I had seen this scenery time and time again before. It was, without a doubt, the void world.

She took the first step out of the doorway, seemingly walking on nothing as she did so. “Wait!” Something was wrong. I knew something was wrong then, and I rushed towards her from the bottom of the stairs. 

I was so close. I was mere inches away; I could even feel my fingertips brush the cloth on her back, but my hand slammed against an invisible wall in the doorway. My fingers bent in awkward angles, obviously broken from the force. I didn’t let that get to me as I tried smashing, punching, and hitting the invisible wall, and all I got in return was a dull echoing sound that reverberated in the house. 

All I could do was watch as she left. “Where are you going?! Please, just tell me!” I screamed at her, but she didn’t look back. “Just stay…please,” The tears clung to my cheeks in desperation; she didn’t look back at first.

When she finally turned around, I saw her face as clear as day. 

 Her face, like mine, was also marred with tears. Those same blue eyes I loved to look at and admire; the woman I loved was crying as she looked back at me, her mouth formed into a grimace. She looked like she was struggling more than me. “You know where I’m going, you idiot.” Her voice was serene and sorrow-ridden. She didn’t seek to admonish me or ridicule me. She was going somewhere, somewhere that I knew deep in my heart the location of, and I couldn’t stop her.

Why can’t I stop her?

I fell to my knees; I couldn’t do anything. “Please—pl-please, just stay.” I whimpered. I didn’t want to lose her—not the person who helped me so much—the person I hadn’t repaid. The person I loved.

Even while her emotions had the better of her, she turned around and left. She kept moving forward like always, leaving me behind as I slammed my fist uselessly against the invisible barrier. “I swear, I won’t leave again!” With another punch, the space between us cracked, then shattered. An invisible glass gouged into my skin, but I couldn’t care; I had made it through. I ran towards her, my feet finding purchase on the hidden mist-laden white floor, as I reached for that girl’s back. “I don’t want to leave you!” 

She turned back towards me, a small cute smile on her face, tears streaming irregularly from her eyes, the same blue bangs covering her forehead and hair framing her face. My hand reached towards her, to the woman I couldn’t afford to lose. My vision went black as it took all I had to try to grab hold of her. To grab hold of the girl that meant so much to me. “Roxy!” Her mouth opened almost as if to answer my pleading cries, but I heard nothing as I was pulled away and sucked into the black void beneath us.

When I woke up, I felt warmth. “Rudy, are you okay?” Opening my eyes, I realized I was back in Buena; I had seen a dream—a nightmare heavily burdened with guilt and grief. 

Roxy held the hand I had stretched out. Her face was flush. I quickly noticed she was still in her nightgown. It appeared I had woken her up. I must’ve been screaming while I was asleep. Even if she still had that same poker face she always held, I could read her like an open book: worry, shock, and even a smidgen of guilt. I’m sorry I’m like this. It looked like I had become so used to this life that it seemed even my mind wished to remind me of my past follies. 

It’s been a while since Roxy and mine’s original confrontation. In the time since I’d officially hit the age of four, the winter had passed us by.  We’ve grown used to helping each other; we even became friends. Not that the woman infront of me would ever admit having a now four-year-old as her friend. “I’m fine.” I removed my hand from her grip. The candle in my room was burning, most likely from when Roxy came to check on my screaming. I looked behind her and, in the doorway, saw Zenith and Paul holding each other worriedly. Lilia stood behind them, worry evident even on her face. It seems I woke up everyone. 

“Are you sure?” What Roxy said wasn’t much of a question. It wasn’t normal for a child to have such an intense nightmare. She was just being apprehensive; anyone would in this scenario.

“I’m—I don’t know… Can you all just—leave me…alone for the night?” I paused as I structured what I wanted to say. I was still breathing heavily from the nightmare. It was still so fresh, and it still felt so real. The only thing that was pulling me into reality was Roxy beside me. She quizzically looked me up and down; my demeanor betrayed what I had said, but she walked back to my doorway anyway. My body fell back onto the bed as I rolled away to face the wall opposite my door. They would leave soon, so I closed my eyes to think. I don’t even know why I had that dream; undoubtedly, my guilt returned to bite. 

But the way she acted, the way she sounded. It was just like her. It was like I was talking to her again… Damn. As I reminisced , I could already feel a few tears coming to the surface. A weight pressed into my bed behind me, and a hand brushed against my back. I knew who it was before I even turned around. 

Roxy sat on the edge of my bed, a soft smile on her lips. “Zenith told me to spend the night with you.” Her answer was to the point; she didn’t move. It looked like she was waiting for my response. I looked behind her, and lo and behold, everyone else had left.

“It’ll be better if you just go back to your bed for the night,” I grumbled, even if I tried to appear intimidating; I was still a four-year-old, and this woman had torn through her fair share of beasts in her time. 

She gave a relaxed shrug, “And what? Leave a kid who’s just had a nightmare to fend for himself the rest of the night? You may be the high and mighty prodigy, but sometimes you act as childish as any of the kids in the village.” She giggled softly. What she said was the epitome of my childhood of both lives I’ve lived so far: act like a child, then realize I was never that good of an actor. She fell beside me and looked at me with her blue eyes. Just like the ones I had seen in the dream, she looked exactly like her because she was her. “Do you want to talk about it?” It was a coy question; obviously, I didn’t, but she knew that. 

“Not right now—I don’t know when I’ll want to.” I didn’t want to talk to her about it, not her. Maybe I could discuss it with Orsted, but he wasn’t here. God knows where he is. 

She gave another nod and wrapped me in her arms. I tensed at her embrace. Was she coming on to me? Now is not the time, Roxy! “As long as you don’t do anything perverted, I’ll spend the night with you. I’d make a lousy Master if I couldn’t help my precious pupil this much.” The smirk that laced her lips made me feel so comfortable. Even in this reality, she’s found herself helping me. 

My debt is only growing…

“Like I’d do anything!” I was a four-year-old; nothing down there worked yet, not that I would want it to in this scenario. It didn’t help my case that I could tell I was blushing. I think my child's brain was making me more easy to read sometimes.

“That’s funny coming from you.” Her smug voice sounded the same as I remember. “Well, whenever you’re ready to talk about it. You know where to find me.” She ruffled my hair a little bit. “You helped me out of a rut, so this is the least I could do to return the favor.” That stung more than I’d care to admit. I was being cared for by the woman I loved as if I was a scared child—I mean, that was precisely what was happening. 

As I felt slumber overcome my body, I spoke the last few words my mind could muster. “You still have no idea how much you’ve done for me.” With those words, my consciousness faded, and I fell asleep. 

Roxy’s eyes fluttered briefly; she tried to comprehend what he had said but couldn’t quite understand what he meant. In the end, she decided to follow the boy who was nestled close to her into slumber.

I woke up early the next morning; however, the supposed grogginess I had expected did not follow. Looking next to me, I realized I didn’t wake up soon enough. 

Roxy had presumably already quietly exited and left me alone. Leaving me with the realization that I would never live last night down for the rest of my life. Especially if I married the woman again, it was only a matter of time before she’d mention, “Remember that one time you clung to me in your sleep like a scared baby.” She was never that rough with her approaches, but she liked to be smug, boast, or get jealous—though that last part was easily Sylphie’s piece of pie. However, those were all the traits that only made me love Roxy even more. 

Thinking that, I hopped out of my bed and got dressed. I’d been asleep longer than usual, and there were things I wanted to finish by the day’s end. That nightmare caught me by surprise, no doubt about that, but that’s all it was. A nightmare. It wasn’t real.

It was nothing more than a child’s imagination, if not an old pitiful man’s lingering guilt over what he left behind. 

I shouldn't let guilt be the cause of my life. That wasn't a healthy outlook, nor one that was sustainable. I knew that from reading the journal. I had to try and get through this in my way; no one I knew could reasonably help me. Not that I didn't wish for them. It was the simple fact that no one here truly understood what I had been through, nor what I had to endure for their sake. 

When I thought about telling them who I was, the only realization I came to was that it would end rather poorly. I don’t think telling someone at some point would be terrible, but I wished to at least keep my family in the dark. If that was for their sake or my own, I didn't know.

I opened my door quietly and went down the hall to the stairway. "So, did you figure out what happened to him last night?" I stopped moving when I heard them. That was Paul's voice. I could already hear them by the time I reached the middle of the hallway.

"He didn't want to talk about it. It'd be best to leave him as he is, not to trigger any other emotions. That’s how I see it anyway." Then there was Roxy's voice; she sounded as calm as any other day. It seemed she was being the voice of reason among my parents.

"I think it would do him better if we talked it out with him." Zenith’s voice was exasperated; anyone could tell she was worried sick about me.

"Maybe this is a good thing, Honey. He's finally acting his age now, after all." Paul retorted. If he acted so casually about what had transpired the night before, I could only guess how long it'd take him to get smacked.

"May I remind both of you, especially you, Mister Paul, that it’s not normal for a child to have such nightmares? I think we leave what happened last night as just something that happened. Raising a boy is difficult, but when one as mature as Rudy has such a nightmare—" Roxy chided both employers as she paused. Her tone of voice quickly became irritated from what I could hear. “I believe it’ll do us all better to tread carefully.” It was times like this when you realized the girl was thirty-eight this year and had more than a decade on both my parents.

"I know it’s not normal! It’s just—" I had better step in before they got at it. I didn’t want to worry them any more than I already had. 

"Mom, Dad, can I go play outside?" I rubbed the back of my head with a hand. I could see their faces contorted into very differing emotions as they turned to look at me. On the one hand, Paul looked ready to relent. To be fair, he probably thought I was of age to roll around in the hay with some chick I had just met, but with one look over to his wife, who looked worried sick, he decided to keep his mouth shut. 

Good idea, oh great father of mine. 

"I think that’s a great idea!” Roxy was the one to intercept my question, her dull eyes glowing just a little bit at what I had said. “Don’t you agree, Miss Zenith?” Roxy tilted her head toward the woman in question. Roxy probably had also already realized that my mother would be the one in need of the extra push. Zenith looked slightly uneasy but seemed to give up when her precious son gave her a naive, big-toothed smile. 

She was always a sucker for her kids. I mean, I was, too, so I get it. I can’t remember everything in Buena, only bits and pieces. It has been decades since I was here, and I’m reasonably sure I had dementia when I got older. Still, I remember the day I had to help Lilia and how my mother quickly folded to me for such a troublesome topic they had been dealing with.

My mother, more than anything else, loved her children with all of her heart. If not her entire family.

“Haah, fine!” There’s the mother I knew. “But Roxy, can you accompany him, please?” Zenith seemed to manage to organize her thoughts, and of course, the conclusion she came up with was a request.

First, I had to be held by the woman I loved just to go to sleep. Now, I need her to hold my hand to go outside—just fantastic… I even have to worry about that stupid nightmare I had last night, to boot. It seemed my mind wouldn’t make this life any more straightforward than I intended.

“I can do that.” Roxy still held that same indifferent look she always had when she responded to Zenith. In a motion, the blue-haired girl moved over to me almost as if she, too, was eager to get out of the house. She placed her hand on the small of my back with her off-hand, guiding me out the doorway. 

“Man, I wish we could’ve at least trained today—Rudy’s been getting the hang of things recently.” I heard Paul’s upset voice behind us as we left. 

It was a quiet affair when we left the house and set out for the village. Roxy didn’t seem to mind when I made a few minor spells in my hands as we walked. Is she in a good mood today? She was humming a little tune that I had a hard time remembering. That’s a Migurdian nursery rhyme, if I remember correctly. She used to hum it to the kids whenever we put them to sleep.

“You can run off when we get outside of eyeshot.” Her voice cut through the quiet. 

“Are you not going to listen to Mother?” I looked quizzically at the girl walking beside me. She wasn’t one to go against orders, especially from her employers. For as long as I could remember, she was always strict.

A sigh escaped her throat, “Harvest is coming up, and the weather will only get colder in a couple of months from here on out. So let me ask you a question, Rudeus. Do you want to help your teacher in the fields for a few hours?” She looked at me with a twinge of guilt, “Or would you like to go around and play like the kid you are?” The smug smile she had told me all I needed to know what she expected me to say. “I drive a hard bargain, don’t I?” A knowing slight tilt of her head followed what she had said. I can’t recall when Roxy didn’t like to toy with me like she was doing right now. 

Winter was always a topic for discussion in a farming village like Buena. Even if we had months to go before it hit us. From how much Roxy had been going into the town recently, I could tell the villagers were taking good advantage of the mage they had on call. It reminded me of how I used to help some farmers up in Sharia. Those guys could only ever farm for a few short months in any given year, but I did my best to help them out now and then. Of course, I, more often than not, had more pressing matters to attend to, but hey, I was a busy guy. I was a chairman of Orsted Corporation; I was practically a businessman.

“Besides, I can tell you’re worried about how Paul and Zenith are taking your whole predicament right now.” She leaned towards me to whisper into my ear. “You have a habit of brushing your hair with your hand whenever you’re nervous or worried, and you weren’t exactly inaudible when peeping from the top of the stairs either.” Her whispering sent a tingle up my spine. As expected from the Goddess of Wisdom, I needed to work on my sneak skill a little before I could do covert operations. She pulled away from me and sighed. “I won’t tell them, but Mister Paul might have also noticed.” Paul was an adventurer, so he had better senses than any average knight, but knowing him, I felt like he hadn’t noticed what was happening around him. 

“Father is too preoccupied with ogling or feeling up Mother most of the time. Though I’d greatly appreciate it if you didn’t, Teacher.” I didn’t want them worrying for me even more than they were currently. “Is that why you’re letting me go—because you’re worried, too?” 

“I do wonder why,” Almost mockingly, Roxy spoke, and a second later, she patted my back. At this point, our house had become more or less invisible to where we stood. All I could see was the same old grass plains, small forests, and wheat fields surrounding Buena. The wheat fields looked to be growing marvelously, no doubt because of Roxy. 

Roxy looked down at me and gave a slight smirk. “Go be a kid for a little bit while I go do grown-up work.” Roxy’s hand left my back and ruffled my hair as she kept walking down the path we had been walking, leaving me to do what I wanted without supervision. 

“To think she’d leave a kid like me with such freedom.” I smiled as I watched her hat disappear over an inclination in the land. “She’s right to be worried, though.” I figured the whole debacle we had found ourselves in would tear our relationship apart, but I only grew closer to the Migurd girl, or more accurately, she had grown closer to me.

Of course, I hadn’t spent all my free time playing student or loitering around. I had already planned what to do if the Man-God were to interrupt my quiet life and send an apostle my way. It wouldn’t be unbelievable for that guy to do that much, considering I am associated with Orsted, but that by no measure meant I could let him have the upper hand. 

So, I may have—accidentally engraved a king-ranked healing magic circle underneath everyone’s beds in our house. It’s the Greyrat way to be cautious, after all. Well, that was the saying for the household after I took over.

After all, the Man-God could be in cahoots with anyone he wanted to, so there was no such thing as being too cautious. Who knows what would happen if he made Darius send Water God Reida after me? I’d be a dead man; I didn’t have my magic armor, nor was I in any shape ready for an assault by the Water God. I couldn’t even develop touki. Having a Laplace Factor doesn’t always come with upsides. 

I remember repeatedly trying to get my battle aura to form, but no matter what I did, it wouldn’t come. Even if I didn’t have any touki, I still think it should be logically possible for a mage to wrap their mana around their body, almost like a pseudo touki, but I could never figure that out. 

What I do for knowledge is almost like that of a madman when I think about it. If I fail, try and try again… That was how my life always was.

But, I guess it’s also common knowledge that a mage needs their hands to cast magic. Without interrupting my stride as I walked on my path, a Water Ball formed infront of me; however, my hands didn’t move. 

Throughout my life, I had to use my hands or some apparatus I could carry, like a staff, to use magic. That was just how a person used their mana. When I lost both of them at once from Kalman and Gal Farion, I thought I was a dead man. That was just the reality of being a mage.

That was until one day, about a year ago, when I proved this knowledge entirely wrong and decided to pool mana into my feet. After that, my entire world was thrown upside down. I figured out that day that all you needed was an endpoint. These endpoints, as I call them, are formed when a mage casts magic through one of their limbs, thus creating an endpoint from which one’s mana can flow. The simplicity of it all made me feel thoroughly stupid.

Still, it felt like trying to do calligraphy with my toes, so I was anything but ready to engage in a battle with my feet alone. Not that I was going to go into a fight with a handicap like that. If anything, I’d prefer if I could blast them before they knew I was there. That is how a mage fights at the end of the day.

It’s a shame that it never dawned on me to use magic from any other body part to cast spells in my previous life. Mainly because no one could. Endpoints seemed only to form before the mana growth period ended, or in other terms when your mana pool settled. Shaping and growing your mana pool was very much like shaping clay. When you reached the age of ten, the clay hardened and could no longer be molded. So there was no more hope for me to get endpoints or more mana by the time I was ten; this time, though? I could now successfully cast magic through all four limbs—well, semi-successfully.

Do swordsmen develop aura by making endpoints from their pores? That would let them cover their entire body in it—holy shit, is that it! There’s absolutely no way it’s that simple. The thought of having even something similar to an aura stoked me, but I wasn’t going to get my hopes up too much.

I’m not lying when I say that I wanted to boast just a bit in Roxy’s face about what I could do, but I also knew that would be the last straw before Roxy would seriously leave the house. The girl only had so much pride she could lose. I remember distinctly from my past life after we had married how she’d scold me for treating her like a child or how sometimes I would act like I knew better than her, then the next moment, she’d have her face burrowed in my bedsheets to muffle her moans—

I’m missing that life more than I thought. I deadpanned at what I had thought. 

When that thought came to mind, I realized I had walked quite a ways from where I and my Master had parted ways. I looked around myself. I could only see a landscape littered with trees; no more fields were in sight. My best guess was that I unintentionally started walking towards the hill I like hiding out on at night. 

“Get out of the village, demon!” I could hear a distant shout from a child.

“Go back to the Demon Continent!” I think I knew where this was going.

“Go away!” I moved over to the origin of the voices.

I hid behind a tree over the hill, and looking down the path I had been walking on was a sight I could barely recall. Three kids were throwing mud balls at another lone child who was hugging their knees. Their hoodie had been dirtied, and they were shivering. However, it wasn’t from being too cold. It was a lovely day to be outside, all things considered. No, I could tell it was from fear. 

I knew who was infront of me. I could tell at a glance that it was Sylphiette. There was only one girl like her in this village.

Even from here, I could see those green strands of hair cling to her face. It was shorter than I remembered, but give any man seventy-some years to recognize some minute details, and he’ll undoubtedly forget. 

“I can’t—interact, can I?” I felt horrible watching what was happening infront of me. Still, in my original timeline, we became friends after I graduated from Roxy’s tutelage, but even the thought of her being bullied was enough to make me fly into a rage.

“Get lost, demon!” The kid in the middle of all three bullies threw another mud ball at the crouched girl. Once it made an impact, she let out a pitiful whimper. 

“Fuck that shit! As if I can just sit here and watch.” These kids were jerks, sure, but there was no way I could just let them pull this shit when I was here. 

I pulled myself from the tree I had been behind and ran towards the group. “Oi!” The kids immediately took notice of me. I could even see Sylphiette briefly look over at me in confusion.

“What do you want, huh?!” If I remember correctly, this kid was Somal—I think? I had heard the name in passing a day or two ago, but I’m almost sure that he was the kid I saw getting captured by Paul’s rescue party in Millishion way back when. The details are pretty hazy.

“Let her go, dipshit!” I called back to him, my voice very prominently featuring my anger. Maybe swearing at children was childish, considering how old I was compared to them. I could see from their faces that they took offense to that kind of language.

“Isn’t that the knight’s kid?!” The one next to Somal questioned.

“So what, is the knight’s kid a demon lover or something?!” Somal bent down and rummaged together a sloppily made mudball from the ground.

I was ready for a lot of things in this engagement. They were kids, so it wasn’t like I couldn’t deal with them. I wasn’t against self-defense or anything like that, so if he threw it at me, it would be like he effectively forced my hand—I heard a gasp and a whimper. I was prepared to dodge the volley of lazily thrown balls of mud from these kids any day of the week, but instead, right infront of me, he threw it at Sylphie. Almost as if he intended to piss me off. Somal snickered after he did it.

A long sigh escaped me. If he wanted me to be angry, he succeeded. I drew my hand infront of me; I guessed none of the kids knew what to expect from someone like me. They probably thought I’d just yell for my father or something, but I wasn’t that desperate. Nor that merciful. “ Exodus Flame ,” I let out in a cold voice and betraying my tone, a flash of heat erupted from my hand. A fireball far larger than my entire body grew from my palm instantly. It seared the land it sat on and burned the grass around it. This much was overkill, but all is fair in love and war.

The three kids immediately panicked. “Somal, we should get out of here! The knight’s kid is crazy!” The kid beside Somal frantically pulled on his arm. The other one had packed it up and run off at the sight of the raging inferno I had summoned. 

Even from here, I could see Somal quaking in his boots, but he stood his ground. Fine. I thought, and a moment later, that orange heat wave of death catapulted by the two children. 

All they could do was watch the enormous fireball whiz past them. They had to watch as sure death passed them by a mere few inches from their face, soaring off into the sky, where it fizzled out. The sight most certainly petrified them. 

I think the kid next to Somal pissed himself. I would’ve done the same, too, in this scenario.

I planted my feet on the ground. “Now apologize.” I needed to make an example of these kids here and now. I was a year ahead of schedule, but the simple fact that I found them bullying Sylphie this early meant they had done it for at least a year before I got involved in my last life. This was something I needed to do right. Something I needed to fix.

They looked at me with fear but also anger. “Why should I do that, huh?! She’s a demon!” For a kid so young to display so much hate. It was sad, honestly. 

Don’t they realize that I could easily maim them? I mean, come on, it’s just an apology.

“It’s quite simple.” I dragged my hand back from its resting position and made a simple Fire Ball , “If you don’t apologize, I won’t miss this time.” I gave a cocky smirk and pounded my foot into the ground as I stepped forward. They seemed to realize shortly after that this wasn’t just fun and games.

That got them thinking more rationally. They quickly got onto their knees and smashed their foreheads into the ground. “We’re sorry for picking on you! We won’t do it again!” 

You call that picking on someone? What the hell is the bullying then? Well, that’s good enough, I guess.

I let the magic in my hand dissipate, and when they saw the small fire in my hand disappear, they ran off with their tails between their legs, leaving me and a terrified Sylphiette alone on the path. 

The girl was still as pitiful as I remember when I first met her. She was also as cute as Lucy was when she was a kid. The genetics here were terrifying.

“W-why did you h-help me?” Her quiet voice leaked from her lips. She had a slight look of fear on her face. Sylphiette had now stood up to look at me. I could understand her anxiety. I’d also fear a kid who could summon a mini-sun on command. “They won’t p-play with you n-now. They’ll try to bu-bully you too.” She sounded like she would cry at any given moment.

“Why would I want to play with kids that bully people?”

“B-But I have green hair. Everyone h-hates me for it.” It was sad just to hear that. I always thought that was such a stupid reason to hate someone. 

“I like green. It’s my favorite color.” I gave the meek girl a grin. She looked at me like I was crazy. I never understood the fear of green hair. Sure, the Superds had a curse placed on them, but Ruijerd was kind, and Sylphiette had done nothing but love me, so I loved the color. Even Roxy’s hair in the proper lighting would have an emerald sparkle. So, yeah, it wouldn’t be an understatement to say it’s my favorite color.

“It’s not good to stay dirty like that. Let me wash your hair with some water, okay? It won’t take long, I promise.” I summoned some water in my palm. Her teary eyes saw it, and she seemed to panic a little, but maybe it was because of my tone of voice that she didn’t try to run away.

“Um, okay.” She leaned over slightly, and I ran the water in my hand over her hair. It was still as soft as I remember.  

Do all elves have naturally glossy hair? They’re lucky; mine started losing color and getting rough by the time I was fifty. Not that I’m complaining about the old man look I was rocking. At least Sylphie and Roxy seemed to like it.

As I promised, it didn’t take long for her hair, which had been caked in mud, to be as clean as it presumably was before she was attacked. She shook the excess from her head like a dog would. “See, all clean! A girl like you with such pretty green hair should take better care of herself!” I smiled at the girl; she looked embarrassed and diverted her gaze from mine. 

“You’re r-really not scared of me? You don’t care about my h-hair?” Her voice cracked; she wasn’t used to being flattered, let alone by someone her age, and especially not for her hair. 

“Why would I be scared of a little girl like you? You’re about as scary as a stray cat—” The girl offered an uneasy smile. “My Master has an odd color to her hair, too, so I’m used to it, and I wasn’t lying earlier about green being my favorite color.” Such an obvious statement to myself was not so to the little girl infront of me since she erupted into tears momentarily after I spoke. I almost forgot how Sylphie used to act around me. She grew up when I wasn’t around her, so I didn’t see much of crybaby Sylphiette.

I panicked slightly, “There, there.” I patted her head as she cried.

After she finally stopped crying, we walked a little ways away just on the chance that if Somal returned with his lackeys, we wouldn’t be in sight anymore. I sat her down so I could dry her hair, and she did as she was told without argument. I usually did this for my wives whenever we got out of the bath together. I even made a few hairdryers so they could do it themselves whenever I wasn’t there. This sure brings back memories. If I’m not careful, I might start crying. Luckily for me, it wasn’t long before her hair was dry. 

Sylphie’s ears twitched up and down when the hot air subsided, and the cool Summer air resumed. She looked back towards me. “You said your teacher has odd-colored hair too?” Was it just me, or did something about her tone sound hopeful?

“Yep, her name’s Roxy Migurdia. She’s my magic tutor.” I could see her face grow flush, and then she quickly drew her face to look away from me.

“Does that mean you’re R-Rudeus?” The timid question left her lips in an almost inaudible whisper. 

I almost forgot. This version of Sylphiette knows Roxy. We live in a small world—in this case, a village. 

“That’s my name. How do you know?” I decided to play dumb, and she squirmed after I asked that. Just what did Roxy tell her about me?

“Uhhh—my father’s name is Laws; he knows your dad. L-Lord Paul does a lot for the village, and I met M-Miss Roxy when she first got here—” She was rambling. To think the shy and reclusive Sylphie could be this open. 

“You’re fine.” I put my hand on top of her head to ease her worry. She blushed, and instantly, I reeled my hand back to my side, fearing that I had crossed a boundary I shouldn’t have. This version of her reminds me too much of when Lucy and Christina were younger. To put it simply, she was dangerous. “Since you know my name, may I ask you what’s yours?” It was better to ask first. I shouldn’t have known her name before she even introduced herself. 

“I’m Sylphiette.” It came out of her mouth with zero interruptions. I remember in my previous life thinking her name was Sylph initially—or something to that extent. Which made me think she was a he. I was awfully dense back then.

“Okay! Sylphiette it is! Reminds me of a wind spirit!” I was excited to see her again. It had been a long time since I saw this version of her. 

Since I saw my childhood friend. 

I still can’t believe that the only friend she ever had at this point in her life wanted to manipulate her. I had become friends with Sylphie after the bullying engagement we had just undergone a little bit ago. I had initially confused her as a boy and intended to use her as a chick magnet later in life. Then, when I realized she was a girl, I wanted to manipulate her into liking me. That was until Paul kicked me out of the house and shipped me off to Roa.

I wanted to vomit just thinking back to that time. Thank god Paul kicked me out.

I didn’t want that anymore. I just want to give this girl a pleasant childhood she can remember fondly. I want her to be able to live the life she wishes. Maybe I can repay her for even a fraction of what she did for me, even if this version of Sylphie isn’t the one who helped me when I was at my lowest. “You want to be friends?” I asked the question with a smile. I could tell the look on my face took her aback. I could guess it was something like admiration.

“W-With m-me?” She looked at me puzzledly, her hand pointing at herself, almost as if to say she had misheard what I said.

“Who else is here to ask?” I tried to ease her confusion. “I don’t have any other friends in the village, and you seem nice. So I figured I’d ask, is there a problem with that?” 

She quickly nodded her head. “T-There’s no problem! I’d like that!” She bowed—I should help her with that timid nature of hers. A few tears fell from her eyes. She was pretty hopeless, wasn’t she? Thinking this girl would become Princess Ariel’s fearless bodyguard made me choke back a laugh.

Seeing her infront of me made me want to do better in this life. I didn’t want any superficial reasons for my friendship with her. I didn’t want any ulterior motives laced intermittently along our friendship. This time, Sylphiette and I would be true friends. The nightmare I had the night before proved that I had to do better this time. I’d have to be an even better person. 

“We should go and play, then! I know a spot no one goes to!” She nodded at what I said and followed meekly.

That’s how I met Sylphiette for the first time in this third life I was given.

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Six: A Teacher’s Proposal and Revised Conclusions

“Miss Roxy, you think you can use wind magic over here?” Mister Smith, one of the villagers who lived in Buena, yelled aloud from the field adjacent to her. He was a rough-looking man, but from what Roxy knew, he was a very hard worker. He even went out of his way to help the other villagers with their fields.

“The creek’s drying up again! You think you can do anything about it, Miss Roxy?” Mrs. Peters, a kind-looking woman, called to her from beside her house on the small creek’s bank. 

This was the life Roxy had been living for the past year. She was going from one menial task to the other. All seemingly pointless but essential in the greater scheme of things. She could make it rain when it would otherwise be dry, she could use earth magic to till the fields, and with wind magic, she could aid in the harvesting. Simply put, having a mage in a village was often so helpful that once you had one, you’d have difficulty returning to life when you didn’t. More often than not, a town would hire another to give the aid the previous one did before they left. Of course, Roxy was paid for her work, but most villagers also gave a small portion of their crop to the Greyrats to allow them to use Roxy’s services. 

Of course, Roxy felt slightly guilty about charging for her services, considering Laws was the person she had an enormous debt to. The indebtedness, of course, was from saving her life, but the man himself paid no mind to her worries. He had no idea what she was talking about when Roxy told him about his presumed rescue. 

“You’re telling me Lord Paul’s child threw magic at you!” Roxy was driven from her thoughts as the sound of yelling directed at another piqued her interest. 

The sound of that sentence definitely didn’t help ease Roxy’s mind. It sounds like Rudeus did something he shouldn’t have.

“Yeah, he saved that demon girl, and then they ran off!” Demon girl? For all Roxy knew, she was the only demon race here—unless…was that kid talking about Laws’ child?

Roxy concluded that the girl’s green hair had already given her a fair share of unwarranted trouble. 

The mother—who Roxy concluded was Mrs. Eto—struck her son, leaving what would surely be a bruise underneath the boy’s eye. “Well, let’s go see Lord Paul right away then.” She seemed almost confident in her feat. The boy didn’t do much to resist his mother’s forceful pull when they left.

I feel bad for him in a way. His mother is more interested in Mister Paul than him. Roxy dryly thought to herself. “Knowing how Rudy acts, I better get him before he gets dug too deep.” She sighed as Roxy began to move. 

The Migurd went unperturbed through the fields and back onto a path that weaved through the maze of farms across Buena. It was already late afternoon before she decided to leave the fields. Roxy was never obligated to help the village farmers; her main job here was to tutor Rudeus at the end of the day. So they did little to disturb or stop her whenever she left. 

To think they’d see snow not too long from now is ridiculous, but Roxy guessed that showed her how different the Central Continent is from the Demon Continent. Of course, she lived in the northern regions of the Central Continent for a number of years, so she was in no way unaccustomed to the cold. “Still for Rudy to pick a fight with a kid… It’s almost like he’s a child himself.” She spoke aloud, a quiet giggle escaping her throat as she did so. Her voice was soft, and the distance was wide enough that no one could hear her. If he wanted to, that kid would be a pile of ashes rather than unharmed—well, I guess his mother gave him a black eye now. So he isn’t precisely unharmed per se. The thought of what her student could realistically do to a person if made angry enough slightly disturbed the tutor. However, it was equally likely that Rudeus would just talk his way out of whatever engagement he found himself in if it ever came to that. That was precisely what the boy would most likely do in a scenario like the one she had imagined.

At the end of her thought, Roxy kept walking toward where she thought she’d find her student. Of course, she wasn’t surprised to see him on that same hill she had located him on when she followed him that night. For some reason or another, he said he wasn’t interested in other areas whenever she asked him about it. So she had rightfully assumed he’d be here. 

However, he wasn’t alone when Roxy found him. Even from far away, she saw that he was playing with another child. One with green hair. Who would’ve guessed? She thought to herself cockily. Roxy knew from Laws that some of the village’s kids had been bullying his daughter. So that confirmed that little Somal was one such person who had been, and Roxy could only assume that Rudy had stepped in to help. Of course, Laws had tried to talk to the parents, who were sympathetic to his plights. However, even then, the children weren’t as considerate.

Ah, two children enjoying their youth. It’s enough for his teacher to shed a tear. 

When she saw them playing, it reminded Roxy of her childhood just a little. I wonder what kind of person I would be if another Migurdian child couldn’t use telepathy. What if I found my own Rudeus in my village, just like Sylphiette has? She paused in her thought. I’d probably be more adjusted, and that’s probably it. I would probably have left the village at some point, just like I did, but a childhood friend can go a long way for a person's attitude… Too bad I didn’t have anyone like that.

Roxy kept quiet as she just stood there unseen. Already, her short time in Buena was something the girl knew she’d look back on. She’d be leaving at some point, but for now, she could enjoy times like this. Even now, after last night’s happenings, there were still times of peace. 

Roxy looked at the smiling girl as she chased after her friend. Maybe that’s what Rudeus needs? A friend. Someone his age he can talk to. Not just his jaded teacher. Her thoughts stopped for a moment. Rudy’s a child—yet all I’ve done is put him on a pedestal. The girl smacked her face and let out a quiet groan of displeasure with herself. Even Rudeus—the person who can do unimaginable things with magic can have nightmares—and yet I thought he could seriously be the reincarnation of Laplace? Yet he’s infront of my eyes, playing with a girl his age, seemingly having the time of his life. She watched them frolic on that hill for a few minutes. They chased each other in a game of tag, then climbed the tall tree in the middle of the mound. The smile on Sylphiette’s face never left her once as Roxy watched them. It was a nice view.

What Roxy was watching felt right to her. It felt like something Rudeus hadn’t had but needed. She decided to let them continue for a while as she idly thought.

Rudeus had found a bracelet he had always worn since the morning after their argument. She interrogated him on it, but all he gave her in response was that he simply found it. She didn’t believe him, so she probed further. Then, out of nowhere, he told her he made it with earth magic. She still didn’t believe him but decided to trust him, considering how well the figurines in his room were made. His level of control has gotten a lot better over time, as well. As she thought, the two children never stopped playing.

Watching this brings a little bit of sadness to my heart. She eyed the two children as they lazily lay on the hill. I want to be the teacher Rudeus looks up to, but I can’t if I stay in this village forever. I can’t become worthy of his praise if I stay here. Not to mention that I’m running out of material to teach him and fast. The sun had begun to set at this point. Roxy hadn’t even thought about the time as she watched the children. I’ll come back to that thought later. I guess it’s time for the both of them to go home and for Rudy to deal with the whole ‘bullying’ scenario. The bullying incident would get the boy into some unjust trouble if Mister Paul found himself believing what Mrs. Eto had to say.

“C’mon Sylphie! You got this!” Roxy heard Rudeus cheering. Looking up at the two, she thought whatever she saw had to be a daydream… Because there was no way that little Sylphie was trying to use magic—a moment later, water manifested in the little girl’s hands. “You got it, Sylphie!” Rudeus cheered in delight at seeing his friend casting a beginner-level spell. Sylphie’s smile on her face practically glowed. Roxy, on the other hand?

Did she just do that without an incantation?! Her mind practically screamed in frustration. What’s with these kids nowadays?! I can’t even do it with months of practice! That was when Roxy noticed that Sylphie teetered to and fro in a seeming haze. The woman could tell from one glance that Sylphie was currently undergoing mana exhaustion. Not to the point of passing out or her hair turning white, just evidently dazed by the mana she had output. 

It would be best if Roxy stepped in now. “Ahem!” The fake cough made both kids' heads turn on a swivel as they looked at the Migurd, whom neither knew had been watching. “You really shouldn’t put your friends in such situations, Rudy!” 

“Oh, Master?” Rudeus was the first to respond. “Sorry, have you been watching us?” 

“Just for a little while, the two of you looked like you were having too much fun for an adult like me to interrupt the both of you.” In this case, a little while ended up being just a bit longer than a while, but those were semantics. Her lifespan was more than double that of a regular human, so time passed differently for her than it did for them. The perks of being long-lived—I guess?

“Ah, Miss R-Roxy!?” Even though Sylphie was still relatively drained, she came out of her stupor practically screaming. “I’m sorry if I took Rudeus when it should’ve been his lesson time!” Was she always this antsy around her?

“You’re fine, Sylphiette. He didn’t have anything planned for the day, anyways.” Roxy stayed silent for a while as she watched Rudeus pat the girl’s head, presumably as a reward for casting magic. Should I worry that he knows how to approach the girl after only knowing her for a few hours? Roxy quickly dropped the thought; she was the only person he liked perving on from what she'd seen. So the girl should be fine. Roxy still didn’t know quite how to feel about the boy. Especially after his—confession? It wasn’t even a topic worth bringing up for Migurd, but the boy never seemed to drop it. She only knew that he’d have to wait a while before she even considered anything like that.

Still, the way he looked at Sylphie was somewhat—paternal? Roxy couldn’t quite decipher what emotion he had on his face.

“Well, it’s getting late, so I should walk the both of you back home before it gets too dark.” It’s her job to teach Rudeus and keep him safe, and considering he was with a friend, it would be unbecoming of his teacher to leave the girl to fend for herself. Of course, that wasn’t even including Roxy's debt to her father.

“That’s alright! I-I can walk myself back home!” Roxy could understand why Rudeus took an interest in this girl. She was cute when she was flustered, that was for sure.

“It’s okay, Sylphie; we’ll walk you home. That’s what friends are for.” Rudeus clasped the girl’s hand as he led her past Roxy. 

Roxy noticed the cheeky little wink he gave her from a mile away. 

Nice save, you little scamp. Roxy thought as she led the two children back home. 

The fanfare of Sylphiette’s return was unbecoming of Laws. By the time the three of them had arrived, the man was about ready to round up half the village to search for his precious daughter, fearing the bullying had gone too far. So you can imagine his surprise when he realized his friend’s child had heroically saved said beloved daughter from the bullies tormenting her for the past few weeks. 

“Ask, and I’ll do anything for your Rudeus!” Seeing a full-grown man prostrated infront of a child was something Roxy didn’t reasonably expect from her outing today. Though it was a welcome one.

“Father, you’re embarrassing me!” Sylphie desperately tried to pry her father from the floor by their home’s entrance. The pout on her lips and the red that flushed her whole face only made this situation all the more comical.

“You don’t need to thank me, Sir Laws. It’s what anyone would do in that situation.” Rudeus rubbed the back of his head as he moved forward and chimed in with his friend on the effort to upright the man.

“My, my, I’m sorry about him. He just gets so sentimental about our little Sylphie.” Cecilia rubbed her husband’s back as she smiled at the boy.

“I think it’s fine, Cecilia. Seeing Laws like this is pretty funny.” Roxy mocked. She had to get her entertainment from something, right? A moment later, Roxy watched in wide-eyed shock as Rudeus slowly uprighted the man roughly twice his size. All that training with his father was beginning to pay off. Though by everything else that Rudeus could do, this much was at least expected by Roxy. “I’m sorry about him, Rudy,” Sylphie whispered to her friend, who walked back beside Roxy. To see the little girl hold onto her father, who was absolutely balling, was also something the Migurd girl would remember for a while. Most likely accompanied by a chuckle whenever she did so.

After a little bit, Cecilia coaxed her husband back into the house, causing Rudeus to pull on Roxy’s cloak, signaling his desire to leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Sylphie.” As she nodded, the girl showed off what must’ve been an illegally cute smile. 

With that, they left Sylphiette’s residence. Of course, you could consider it the little girl’s because the man of the house, her father, was such a worry wart that he was practically wrapped around his daughter’s finger. Roxy knew that from the beginning, though. She remembered how, on her way to Buena with Laws, the wagon had a relatively high amount of children’s clothes.

“Haah—” Rudeus yawned and stretched as they walked. From Roxy’s perspective, it seemed he had a lot of fun today. That was good. It didn’t even look like he had a harrowing nightmare the night before. Roxy wouldn’t readily forget that, however. It still wasn’t natural for a child to go through something like that. Or be seemingly so attached to her in such a short time. A person he had met not even a year ago, but that could be dealt with another day. Right now, he was happy, and that’s all that mattered at the end. 

Oh, wait—that whole Somal thing happened, didn’t it?

“Rudeus, you saved Sylphiette from being bullied today, didn’t you?” It was a no-brainer that he had, but better safe than sorry.

“Uh, yeah. I did; why’re you asking?” Okay, safe—that would make the likely shitstorm with his father much smoother. “I may have thrown an Exodus Flame at them, though.” Okay, well, scrap that—he was veritably screwed. 

First, he goes and has a nonsensical nightmare; now, he’s throwing magic that could kill a horde of beasts… Where did I go wrong? This was Rudeus she was dealing with, so she wasn’t surprised about his actions, but she knew now how he dealt with the situation.

Roxy turned and flicked his forehead, nonetheless. It wasn’t wise to go around threatening people with magic, especially kids who didn’t know any better at the end of the day. Rudeus did look a little remorseful when he touched the now red spot on his forehead. “You have my thanks for taking care of Sylphiette.” What he had done was a good thing. Even if other ways didn’t involve almost turning children into ash.

“Does that mean you’ll kiss my throbbing head to make the pain disappear?” He had a hopeful look on his face. 

It's good to know he’s still the same old cheeky brat.

“In your dreams.” That felt kind of improper now, considering the nightmare he had.

He met Roxy’s gaze as they walked. A look of defeat in his eyes. “I was going to tell your parents first, but it seems I could start with you.” Roxy cleared her throat with a cough. “How’d you feel about having Sylphiette as a fellow student?” 

Roxy watched as Rudeus staggered backward. “You’d seriously consider taking her?” He almost sounded like he was going to ask the same question. “I—I wouldn’t mind.” He struggled, clearly having tripped over the thoughts most likely running rampant in his head. “I think she could do with the boost in confidence from having a teacher such as yourself.” There he went, gloating about her being his teacher again. Roxy couldn’t understand why he appreciated her as much as he did. 

“Hmm, as long as you’re okay with it, I am as well. I’m being paid to be your tutor, after all.” 

“Yeah, I’m good—but speaking of tutoring little Sylphie…” To hear the word little to describe someone come from Rudeus’s mouth was priceless. “You know her family can’t reasonably afford your services, right?” So that’s what he was getting at.

“That’s a non-issue for me. I owe Laws an outstanding debt, so the least I can do is teach his obviously talented daughter.” It was true that Laws would most likely go bankrupt if Roxy made him pay her for the services she’d provide, but even she would never do something as heartless as that to the man who unknowingly saved her life. Not that she was heartless by any measure.

The one issue Roxy faced now was Sylphiette’s obviously low mana capacity. Rudeus said something about increasing your mana pool. It wouldn’t hurt to figure out if that’s the truth. It was humiliating for Roxy to learn so much in such a short time—and from a child, no less, mind you. 

So far, Roxy has been unable to cast magic without an incantation like her student could, and as disheartening as that simple thought is, it didn’t mean she could just stop trying. However, she has been able to shorten the chants of some of her lesser-used spells, so that was enough for Roxy about just how much she had yet to learn. Rudeus said something like a mind-muscle connection was required to do silent casting. So, in his opinion, he told her to work on the spells Roxy hardly ever used to get this ‘feeling’ down. At this point, Roxy was still trying to make heads and tails of it, but she could tell she was making steady progress. The shorter chants on some of my spells proved that much. “Still, are you sure you want to take another student besides me? You’ve got your work cut out by relearning magic from the ground up.” Yep, he was cheeky, alright. 

“And you’ve got some nerve to back talk back to your teacher, pipsqueak.” With a chop to his head, Roxy kept walking. She was angry, but all he did in return for her actions was laugh. 

Damn, kid. Rudeus had a tendency to piss her off a little bit. It was all good fun, but how easily he could read her still irked the woman.

“Anyways, about your tutoring.” Roxy started again. This would have to be talked about at a certain point. At the tone of her voice, he stopped rubbing his head and ran to catch up to her. Being met with a curt nod from the boy, she knew she could continue. “I’ve been running out of material to teach you for a while now.” His expression suddenly soured. “I thought you’d react that way—but honestly, there’s little more I can teach you, and your graduation only seems to approach faster and faster with every given day…” She paused to recollect her thoughts. “That’s why I decided to bring the whole Sylphiette subject up.” Rudeus perked up at the last statement. 

“So you’re basically forcing your hand in an attempt to stay?” His eyes gleamed. 

He better not cry from just the notion of me leaving… I really have to ween him off of me—maybe I could use Sylphiette for that? It was a devious thought she didn’t particularly like, but Roxy could think about it more. “More or less. It depends on how Zenith and Paul will handle the information.” They were nearing the house, and in the distance, Roxy could see the man waiting for their return from where they stood. “Speaking of.”

Paul sat on the steps leading into the house when they finally bridged the last distance between them and the Greyrat home. It was already dark outside and most likely time for dinner. It looked like they entered the actual battle for the day. “We’re home!” Rudeus, with the glee of an oblivious child, was the one to run ahead of Roxy. 

He has to know what’s happening, right? Roxy stood there by the gate, stupified.

“Do you know why I’m upset, Rudy?” Paul stood up from his seated position on the stairs and slowly approached his son. He had his arms crossed and a slight frown on his face. He definitely wasn’t happy about whatever he had been told.

I’ll offer my assistance as required, my student. It was good to let this be a learning experience for the boy. Of course, if things got out of hand, Roxy would step in, but she doubted—

“Is it because I fended off three boys from throwing mudballs at Sylphiette?” Rudeus’s tone was matter-of-fact and somewhat innocent. There wasn’t even a shred of doubt or pause in his statement. It was almost as if he was on the stand in a trial pleading his case. It basically sounded rehearsed.

Oh, he knows precisely what’s happening… I don’t know if I should be surprised or scared right now. He was an almost obnoxiously weird kid, but at this point, the Migurd couldn’t bring herself to care.

Paul seemed to stumble at his son’s words, almost as if he lost any steam he had been building waiting for their arrival. He looked over to Roxy, and she looked back at him, offering the man a slight shrug. Paul seemed to deflate at that moment. Roxy could tell where he was coming from. To say Rudeus was an intelligent kid would be a significant understatement, but Paul had probably never felt like a real father to him because of that fact. He probably thought this was his one chance to act like one, but he got shot down as soon as he opened his mouth.

“Uhh—what happened?”  Those were the only words Paul could muster, and with a decently quick explanation from Roxy and Rudeus, the dispute was resolved without so much as someone raising their voice.

“I’m sorry, Rudy.” Paul slouched back down onto the steps. He quickly turned pitiful.

“You shouldn’t be sorry, Dad.” Rudeus slowly walked up to his father and patted him on his back.

I feel bad looking at this. Roxy winced at watching the sight infront of her.

“I’d do the same thing if I thought my kid hit someone unprompted like that. Hell, what you did was pretty parental coming from you.” He’s definitely coyly making fun of his father.

“Where’d you learn ‘Hell’ from?” Paul came off a little worried at his son’s use of grammar.

“Uhh, from you guys—” He said it dumbly as if the answer was obvious. “You and Mom are constantly getting to business at night after all…” Hook, line, and sinker. Needless to say, Paul only sank even further to the ground, realizing he’d most likely corrupted his son with his overbearing nightly activities.

“I told Zenith to keep it down.” Roxy proclaimed as she only offered a shrug to her employer. The two lovebirds that were her employers would more often than not go for a couple of hours every night. Even a child like Rudeus would take notice of them. Even Roxy noticed them, and Paul wasn’t even her type. The blame for this landed squarely on the married couple.

“Let’s get you up, Dad. I’m hungry, so we should forgive and forget and eat dinner.” Rudeus helped his father get up from his slouched position. “That sounds good to you?”

With a quiet “Yes, sir.” from his father, Rudeus and Roxy tagged along with Paul back into the Greyrat House for the night. 

Dinner was primarily uneventful; both Rudeus and Paul didn’t bring up their previous altercation from infront of the house. It seemed like Rudeus had gained some odd level of respect for his father after their little dispute—if you could even call it that. Paul, on the other hand, was certainly not taking that his son thoroughly whipped him in an argument that well, but he seemingly let it pass him by. He was probably pleased the discussion didn’t get to him striking his son. That would’ve been one of the worst outcomes that could come with the territory of parent-child disputes. 

Roxy waited to speak until everyone started eating, and the mood had settled down. “I have a request to make.” The words came out flatly from her lips. 

She could tell from the glances of Paul and Zenith that they were slightly taken aback by her proclamation. “What is it, Roxy?” Zenith’s voice sounded as serene as ever, if not a little concerned at the sudden question.

“I was talking to Rudy about it, but it would appear that I’m beginning to run out of material to teach him.” A sense of unease filled Roxy’s voice as the table grew quiet.

“Seriously?!” Zenith sounded surprised, not in a bad way, but in one that exclaimed, ‘Is my boy really that good?!’

“Yes, seriously. Rudy has already mastered all the advanced-level spells I’ve taught him, so his graduation could happen practically any day now.” Roxy finished speaking, and Zenith stared at her with wide eyes. Then, without missing a beat, she excitedly jumped up from the dining table and clung to her husband, who caught her in his embrace.

Could you two not be lovey-dovey for a moment? 

“Can you believe this, Honey! Our son’s a genius!” Even if that sounded awfully cocky, Zenith wasn’t incorrect about the statement. 

“That’s not what I wanted to tell—rather ask of you two, however.” What Roxy said piqued the interest of both individuals in question. Even Lilia perked up a little from what she said. “It appears Laws’ child Sylphiette also has a knack for magic—so I was thinking of staying a little longer to teach her… If you’d let me.” The table went silent. Roxy didn’t dare to meet Zenith or Paul’s eyes for fear of how they might be looking at their hired tutor. The only thing the Migurd managed to see was Rudeus’s smile as he looked at her. 

“Is that really all you were worried about?” It was Paul who spoke. “If you already talked to Rudy about it, then I have no point in rejecting what you want.” His voice held a levelheaded tone. “If you’re asking if it’s okay, I’m fine. Besides that, all the villagers appreciate your work, hell—” He paused at the word and slowly looked to his son, who beamed up at him. Paul grimaced slightly and continued, “They admire you, so I don’t see any reason to stop you.” 

“I agree with my husband.” Zenith placed her hand on her heart. “You’ve done a lot to help me around the house, Roxy. It’s kinda like I had a daughter I never knew I wanted—or maybe a little sister, in your case? So, yeah, I don’t see the harm in you staying here even after you’re done teaching Rudy.” Zenith approached her and, with a motion, put her arm on her shoulder to ease Roxy’s heart and let her know she wouldn’t let the Migurd woman escape. “To me, you’re part of the family now.”

These people really are too friendly for their own good. Roxy felt like she could cry. So she did just that. 

It was a bittersweet moment for her. 

She had run away from her home because she didn’t fit in. It always felt like everyone was secretly judging her. All she wanted to do in those days was crawl into a hole and not leave it. Did I ever say goodbye to my parents? I didn’t, did I? I should probably visit them when I can, but I think I’m okay with where I am—I have a family here. 

“Thank you for your kindness.” Roxy didn’t bother to hide her tears from the family infront of her. It was useless to hide them from the people who could do nothing but watch the girl infront of them cry. 

She felt a slight tug on her robe, and when she looked down, she saw the little boy who had almost certainly changed her life for the better in such a comparatively short period. “Even though you’ll be graduating soon, it looks like our life together isn’t going to end just yet.” She gave the small boy a hug as she crouched down. One that he returned almost as quickly as she gave it. She could hear him sniffle a few times and grip her robe a little tighter as he did so. 

This life in Buena is peaceful. So, while I’m here, I’ll work harder to become the person you admire. That was the silent vow Roxy made that night.

>Rudeus<

“She had me worried for a moment there, bringing up my graduation.” I felt relieved when I finally managed to get back to my room after the long day I found myself. 

“To think she’d bring it up out of nowhere—only to go on about wanting to teach Sylphiette…” I was undoubtedly worried about the prospect of my graduation coming so early. I mean, I was four, so that would surely change things in the timeline, but then she went and mentioned tutoring Sylphiette, and all my worries washed away. That meant Roxy would probably stay for longer than she initially did, but I didn’t much care for that fact. If anything, I thought it was a positive change. 

I walked over to my desk and lit the candle by it. From one of my desk’s drawers, I pulled out a journal I had been keeping. It was less like a journal and more like a rough sketch of what I had planned to do from my time in Buena to Sharia. 

Of course, I knew that some of the events from here on would change. I already saw it happening with Roxy tutoring Sylphie. From what Orsted has said in his previous time loops, Roxy had apparently guided Sylphie in all of them. So it seemed fitting that she should be the one to teach her. A thought came to mind when I thought that. “It might even make me marrying her easier this time—” Doubt filled my heart at the statement.

Do I…want to do this? Do I really want to marry them—to love them? Why should I think about marrying them? Why did I start to plan to marry them again? 

“—Is that even the right way to think about all this.” I wasn’t a child anymore. You could excuse my actions in my past life because of my demeanor and the degradation of my mind from closing myself off all those years. Even then, I was still a thirty-four-year-old in a child’s body—even if I acted like a child, it still wasn’t okay—now, though? I basically turned one hundred and twelve this year. 

It’s not okay to think about marrying a child in twelve years. Nor is it okay to act on my emotions that the other person doesn’t share in kind with me. Even if I still love Roxy—if I still fall in love with Sylphie. All I’ll do is lie to them.

“I’ve been manipulating them—this entire time, I’ve been lying to them.” I looked at the open notebook on my desk, and a pang of fury hit my heart. I needed to do some heavy auditing on it. “I’ve been lying to them this entire time.” The realization only made what I’ve been doing hurt more.

“I don’t deserve to live the same life I did—they deserve better than me.” I ripped out a page. Paper isn’t the cheapest, but that page couldn’t be saved. It detailed how I’d go around my arrival in Sharia. Sylphie deserves so much more than me—she always did… She deserves a husband that won’t cheat on her. She deserves a happy life without conflict… I can’t give that to her. Not this time. 

I’ll be her friend and give her a childhood she can remember, but that’s all. After Roxy and I finish teaching her, I’ll tutor Eris in Roa. That would be the end of my involvement with Sylphiette. 

That’s how it should be. How it ought to be.

I’ll give her the tools to make her own path—Eris and Roxy too. The strength I’ll impart to them will be for their use. So they can walk a path separate from mine. 

So they can be happy in life without me.

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Seven: The Past I Live In and a Future I Lived In

“Nice job, Sylphiette!” I cheered the girl before me as she formed a slash of wind that whistled through the air. Naturally, she was as skilled in magic as I remembered her being. 

It’s been a few months since I met the girl. The temperature has dipped to the point where the villagers are no longer working in the fields, which means Roxy started to teach Sylphiette in earnest because she no longer needed to help with the crops. Not that she was ever forced to help them in the first place. 

I, more often than not, accompanied Roxy whenever she would tutor the girl. This allows her to teach both of us simultaneously. Unfortunately, that means her attention is split between the two of us instead of wholeheartedly focusing on either Sylphie or me. Of course, some things can’t be fixed quickly, considering we’re both in very different positions in our curriculum.

Today, it’s just the two of us on the hill we usually play on. Roxy returned to our house to prepare everything for my graduation—that reminds me, I’m also graduating from Roxy’s lessons today. She said, “You’re ready,” and left it at that. That succinct part of her never changed.

“Rudy! Just call me Sylphie.” The girl gave me a pout as she ran back to the tree I was sitting underneath. I had the magic textbook on my lap—of course, I hadn’t read it in this life, considering I already knew the spells and could do them without the incantations, but it was better to save face infront of Roxy if I did it this way. 

“Sorry, Sylphie.” I rubbed my head. Unfortunately for me, Sylphiette had grown gradually closer in the past few months, but I guess there wasn’t much I could do there, considering I was her only friend. I made a small fire in my palms. Even though both of us were wearing coats, it was still decently chilly. 

Unfortunately, it wasn’t cold enough to snow yet. I grew to love the fluffy white landscapes of Sharia in the decades I lived there. “You shouldn’t feel sorry, Rudy.” Sylphie sat beside me and gave a cute grin as she stretched her hands out to be warmed by the small fire. “What magic should we try next?” She leaned over to look at the book in my lap. She still had a hard time reading, but she was learning diligently, so for now, I would read her the incantations from the book so she could repeat them, and then she would do them without the incantation. 

I couldn’t tell if it was because Roxy and I were teaching the girl conjointly, but I could tell she was learning much faster than when I taught her by myself in the last timeline. I guess that only shows how good of a teacher Roxy was. Of course, I had gotten better at teaching since that time, but that was beside the point. Roxy was the best, after all.

Sylphie was also making steady progress in her math skills, so everything was going well for her so far. Her magic skills slowed when she hit intermediate spells, but she was still a beginner, so her progress thus far could be considered exceptional. “Do you wanna try some melded magic?” I added water above the fire from where it was held in my hands, causing steam to rise. 

Sylphiette glowed in delight at seeing it. “That’s what you did to dry my hair when we met, right?!” Looking at her, I remembered how delighted she was to learn magic from me in my previous life. No matter what, it was almost like she was drawn to the subject like a moth to a flame.

“Precisely, but there are many more melded spells than just this one.” 

She nodded, then opened her mouth after thinking for a second. “Rudy, why can you cast magic so easily?” That’s an excellent question, my dear pupil.

“I don’t have perfect control—yet, at least.” She didn’t seem pleased with that answer when I looked back at her to see her face disgruntled. “I work on it by making figurines from earth magic.” She looked at me puzzledly, so I dug some dirt from the ground next to me and quickly morphed it into a crude stone figurine of her. It wasn’t up to snuff for what I would usually consider a completed piece, but it was pretty impressive for how fast I made it. 

Her eyes went wide in astonishment. “That’s amazing! How do you do that?!” Sylphie stuck out her hands and, for a moment, conjured a wobbly mass of stone she tried to form, but after a few seconds of nothing, she gave up. “Yep, just as I thought. Rudy is amazing!” 

Don’t go patting my ego too much, Sylphie.

I handed her the figurine, and Sylphiette seemed to glow from excitement. I already had enough of these on my shelves back at my house. It was odd that my parents never mentioned them, considering there were people there who they’d never seen, but I’m sure they just thought it was just me being a kid. Sándor, Alek, Orsted, Badi, Jino, Doga, Isolte, Nina, and Ariel. I even made figurines of my three goddesses. There were other ways to better my control, but making figures always felt better. For me, it felt right. It was like my way of showing appreciation to the people I knew. The ones that are gone—

“That’s beside the point. Right now, I think it’s vital for you to increase your total mana. So you should focus on making your magic bigger or smaller so they drain you more than usual.” After giving the statue in her hands a few scans, she looked at me with a tilt of her head.

“Why would you want spells to take more mana? Wouldn’t that be counterint—counterintuit–”

“Counterintuitive.” She gave me a shy thank you. Whenever she had difficulty with a word, I’d help her. She seemed to like how I speak infront of others and often tried to copy my grammar. It must be interesting to a kid like her. To be fair, my literacy rate was very irregular, considering I could read and speak every language, even one that no longer formally existed. That one was thanks to the President. “You’d be correct about not wanting to use too much mana. Good job!” I patted her head, only to realize what I was doing, then quickly brought it back. She sent another pout my way.

It was hard not to praise Sylphie whenever she did something, not that I wouldn’t praise her for doing her best. I personally blame her for being a cute kid for the most part, but it was probably due to her reminding me of Lucy when she was young. The genes really are strong in this one.  

“Anyways, a mage must conserve their mana; you’re correct. After all, magic is usually a mage’s first and last line of defense.” She nodded; I could see her breath come out in a puff of smoke from the cold air. “The reason I said you should use more mana than necessary is for the simple fact of you growing your total mana pool.” She seemed slightly confused by my explanation. I wasn’t surprised; I talked to a four-year-old as if she were an academy student and that she’d just get it .

“To put it simply, how many ‘Water Balls’ were you able to make the first day you used magic?” It would be easier to explain it this way, considering she already grasped basic arithmetic.

“Umm, three? I’m pretty sure—” She scratched her ear as her voice trailed off. 

“Do you remember how many you could do the next day?” 

“Six, I think—” She answered, and her voice trailed off again, but now, alongside her unsure look, I could tell the gears in her head started running wild.

“As you might guess, you’ll drain your magic every day, preferably to exhaustion. From there, you should expect your total mana to be doubled the next day.” Saying it like that made it seem simple. After all, I couldn’t get my mana back in a single day anymore.

“Wait, seriously?! Couldn’t I get like crazy strong if I do that?!” Ten more points for Sylphie. However, the notion of what that entails scares me more and more every day, mainly considering that I’ve been doing precisely that for the past few years. 

I’m pretty sure I already have as much magic as I did in my previous life, so now it’s just a matter of seeing how much further I can go with it. Honestly, that only puts even more emphasis on how much mana I had in my last life. Then, I had a scary thought. If I don’t get my control down soon, it’ll just get worse and worse, and then who knows what might happen if I let a little too much slip. I could probably destroy an entire continent… That thought alone scares me enough to want to crawl into a hole.

“Anyways, Sylphie, do you remember what Master told you about your attraction and opposition schools?” She nodded. 

“My wind and water magic are my strong suit and are better than my earth magic, and fire is my weakest, right?” She was awfully bright for being four. 

“Good job.” I gave her a small pat on the head. No matter how often I tried to stop myself, I couldn’t help it. “Because your affinity lies with wind and water. I recommend you try to focus your efforts on fire magic. You can even try my method of control with earth magic if you’d like.” 

“Why would I work on something I’m bad at?” She was still stuck on beginner-level fire spells, but that didn’t mean she could just stop trying to get better. If anything, that should serve as inspiration. Also, from my practice, leaving one school behind isn’t good for your total survivability.

“It’s important to cover all your bases regarding stuff like this.” 

“Cover my bases?” Ah, right. A different world and all.

“It means you should try to be a little good at everything you do. If you do that, you should keep improving every day.” I had spent enough time being a mage in my day to know the valuable qualities of all types of magic. Especially gravity magic. That stuff is stupidly strong. If I didn’t want to get out of bed just yet? I could just lift myself out of it and use a spell to put my clothes on. If I was fighting an enemy who was faster than me? Pin them to the ground and crush them. It was like having a Quaqmire at my beck and call no matter what. There were so many valuable qualities from all sorts of magic that I couldn’t even begin to list them all if I tried. 

“I’ll do my best!” She put her fist infront of her face as if to say I’ve got this . “Ah, but—Rudy doesn’t struggle at anything.” She didn’t seem upset at the notion but more like she was irked at her talent.

“I don’t have any opposition school like you do, and I have attraction schools in water and earth. That’s why I find it easy to work with those. You’re brilliant, so I have no doubt in my mind that you’ll be an amazing mage! Though I think we have our Master to thank for being such a good teacher.” I gloated as Sylphie blushed from my compliment and then giggled at the statement about our Master.

“Master is brilliant, after all!” One hundred points for Sylphiette! I’m glad someone else realizes the fantastic qualities of Master Roxy besides me. This Sylphiette is worthy of my friendship! 

Just friends, though.

A moment later, I felt a few drops of water reach my face. I looked up, and storm clouds had slowly swallowed the entire area. It appears in all of our talking and boasting about our teacher that clouds had built up around us. Odd, It’s raining—not snowing? Well, I didn’t have too much time to think about it. 

Tucking the magic book underneath my arm, I got up. “Sylphie, let’s go back to my house! It’s closer!” The girl nodded, and a light pink dusted her cheeks as she chased after me. Going to a boy’s house is usually embarrassing for someone her age, isn’t it? From what I could remember, there wasn’t any stigma like that in this world, so it should be fine.

I ran with Sylphie hot on my tail. The rain was coming down fairly hard for such a late-season storm. We expected snow for a while now, but rain? A wave of deja vu hit me after I thought about the rain. I remember something like this happening the last time I lived in Buena. I can’t remember what, but I remember when my senior Fitz took me to that cave in the woods. I think she did that because I mistook her for a boy, no? It was a bitter memory that I gave Sylphie. Though, for some reason, the girl looked fondly at it. Well, I’m not gonna let that happen again.

By the time we made it to my house, we were both thoroughly drenched and freezing. Lilia met us at the doorway with a towel at the ready. “The bath is already ready, Young Master.” She looked over to Sylphie. “You’ve brought a friend, I see. I’ll be up with another towel for you, miss.” From what I remember, Lilia was always wary of me as a child. I kept my suspicious activities on the down low this time, so she seemed less apprehensive of me. She still seemed to keep her distance, on the other hand. It was probably because I was such an intelligent kid that she only thought I had ulterior motives, but I didn’t much mind. She was right to be suspicious of me, but Lilia was practically a mother to me, so I treated her with all the respect I could.

I took the towel from Lilia with a polite bow. “Thank you, Lilia. Sylphie, it’s up here.” I nodded to the stairway and went up, Sylphie chasing my heels as I did so. The sight that met me as we went up was a blessing.

Plains of pale flesh christened by white fabric—the promised holy land awaits me! Unfortunately, I couldn’t allow myself to venerate the holy relic infront of me because it was still attached to my deity.

Roxy stood atop the stairs, seemingly heading back down before we met her halfway. “Oh, Rudy, Sylphie. You’re already back?” She had her regular clothes on and staff in hand. Did she not know what the weather was like right now? She looked at me and must’ve pinpointed what I had been looking at as she shirked further up and gave me a softhearted glare. With an inaudible sorry, our silent conversation ended. Sylphie obviously had absolutely no idea what had happened.

“What do you mean, Roxy? It started raining,” Roxy gave me a befuddled expression, but looking at the sole window we had in the hallway beside her, she seemed to notice what was happening. 

“Raining? That’s odd—thought it would snow…” She had the same thought I did, it seemed. “Well, we’ll have to hold your graduation ceremony tomorrow.” I looked at her with a questioning gaze as if to ask why we couldn’t today. She gave me a small smile. “Some farmers sowed some late seeds, so it wouldn’t be good if I just stopped the rain out of nowhere.” Ahh, that makes sense. “You two should warm yourselves up—” She looked behind me and sighed. “Sylphie’s gonna freeze to death if you don’t.” 

Lo and behold, when I looked around, I saw Sylphie shivering. She must’ve been waiting for me to stop talking. “Sylphie, you should go in first.” I pushed her ahead of me. “Just open the door and give me your clothes before you go in so I can dry them.” Without a protest, the young girl walked in the door behind our teacher and closed it. 

“You’re not going to do anything perverted to little Sylphie, are you?” As much as I most likely would be tempted to if she were older, the little girl behind the door right now was just that. A little girl. One that trusted me, and I didn’t want to tarnish that trust. 

Besides, I already decided to give her a pleasant childhood, and then I’d be out of her life.

“I wouldn’t do that to Sylphie—she’s a child.” I couldn’t tell what facial expression I was making. Maybe one of guilt from my previous life’s actions around this time. 

“You’re a kid too—but is that why it’s okay to peep on me and steal my panties, but not her?” Her tone was somewhat agitated and very much accusatory. She had the death glare on right now, and I knew it without even looking. 

Shit, she knows?! I couldn’t help myself and reacquired the holy relic soon after God appeared. I considered returning it a little while ago, but still, it symbolized my religion, so I needed it for my—sermons… Even if this woman wasn’t my original goddess, she was still my goddess. Thus, I needed a relic to—venerate her. “—No comment—”  

“Whatever you say.” With the interrogation out of the way, Roxy passed me by and returned downstairs, leaving me in my drenched coat and freezing in the hallway. Sylphiette was probably just getting in the tub.

“R-Rudy, here are my clothes.” A quiet whisper came from behind the cracked open door, and a small pale arm shot out from behind the doorway, wet clothes in hand. 

“I’ll dry them for you; just make sure you stay in long enough to avoid a cold.” Even through a door, I could tell she nodded as I grabbed the lump of clothing from her. The door closed when her arm disappeared, and I had more baggage to dry. I wasn’t one to complain, though. 

I don’t feel a single shred of attraction for this Sylphiette. I figured it must’ve been my body’s doing. I was a child, but I didn’t get horny or anything. Even then, I severely doubt anything that’s happened between this girl so far would do anything like that to me. Sylphie reminds me of Lucy when she was really young. She was shy around me whenever I had to leave for work, mainly because she didn’t quite know who I was… That’s why I don’t want what I had last time again. If Lucy’s born, she’d be better off with a better father. One that was there for her every step of the way.

It was odd how my body made my brain operate, but nothing was ordinary about a child graduating and becoming a water saint-ranked mage at four. “Y’know, I’m already graduating from your teaching. I wonder how you’d react if you could see me now.” I let out in a whisper. Cumulonimbus was a spell I held dearly, even to this day. It was the final spell my teacher taught me when I was young. It was the culmination of both her and my efforts. It was also the most potent spell in my arsenal for years, not that I commonly used it. 

It’s funny how far I’ve come with magic in my lifetime. How much time I’ve dedicated to what I found so mesmerizing when I was young. Strangely, I’ll be learning a saint-rank spell tomorrow when I can cast god-rank spells forgotten by time. I mused to myself as I thought back to that day.

>K453<

“Orsted, I have to talk—is now a bad time?” I walked into Orsted’s office only to be met face-to-face with Aleksander Ryback, more popularly known as North God Kalman III.

“Yo, Mister Hero.” The man infront of me gave off a tempered air as he stared at me with the same fiery eyes he always had. He still wore the same armor when we had fought in Beihiril, but his overbearing attitude was replaced with a much more relaxed one.

“Can’t you stop calling me that, Alek?” I let out in an annoyed tone. “It’s been years since all of that.” Truthfully, I’ve been trying to pawn off my place on the world powers back to Alek ever since I got it, but all he always says is that he needs to get stronger to get it back or that he needs to understand what being a hero truly means.

“Would you rather have me call you Seventh?” Never mind, I’m this close to punting him in the ocean.

“Alek was just leaving for a job. Come in, Rudeus.” Orsted’s authoritative voice was what separated us both. He was sitting on his desk, obviously writing a letter to someone, as a thick stack of papers sat on the edge of his desk. With a wave of his hand, Alek left us, the same prominent smile etched onto his lips.

“So what is it you want to speak about?” The man’s voice was the same as always—flat but somehow menacing. I walked up to him and stood infront of his desk. He looked at me indifferently, his face stony in that same dead-eyed stare and permanent scowl. I could tell he was pleased to see me. Must be in a good mood today. Which means this would be the best time to ask this.

“Orsted, I’ve been meaning to ask you something—a favor, if you will?” The man’s face didn’t change; instead, his hands were brought up to his face as if awaiting my answer.

“Go on. I won’t bite—probably.” There he goes, trying to crack jokes again.

“Okay then. It would seem I’ve reached a plateau. As you know, it’s been a couple of years since I seriously started training after Lara left the house, and I’ve been talking to Jino more and more lately, but my magic skill is just—well, kind of—stuck? That’s how I’d put it.” My life became much less hectic with all my children finally leaving the house. This meant more time to talk to people and equally more time for Eris to visit Nina, which meant more time for Jino to kick my ass in what the man called ‘training.’ 

I’m still trying to figure out how he moves so fast. 

“So what? Do you wish to learn god-ranked magic? You know the devastation god-tier magic can have on the caster. Especially if they’re a human…” He looked me up and down as if he was stating the obvious. “I think you’re plenty outstanding as you are.” He waved his hand as if to blow away my question, but I took note of the small praise he gave me. 

“Leo and Lara are gone now…” The statement flew out of my mouth, and Orsted gazed back at me. “They won’t be back while I’m still alive, but if my getting stronger can help them—help you in any way whatsoever, then I’ll do whatever it takes,” His face held firm, but I saw a glimmer in his eyes when he looked at me. When it came to me, I think he had a weak spot. I knew he had one for my children whenever they’d ask him to play, but that was ages ago. “And I have the magic armor to compensate for my body’s weak constitution.” 

We stayed there for a while, but Orsted made up his mind in the end. “Haah, so be it.” He shut his eyes in a seeming annoyance as he stood up. “Follow me.” With a curt reply, I accompanied my boss outside his office and into the main reception area. 

When we came out, Faria squeaked a little at the sight of Orsted. It's pretty natural, considering he’s not wearing his helmet. “Sorry, I’m borrowing the Boss for a second, Little Elf.” For all extensive purposes, Faria had become relatively used to the overwhelming fear that Orsted had exuded, which is not easy to do. I never understood what they felt since I’m immune to it, so I guess I got off easy. It didn’t help that Orsted just had a scary face, though.

“In here. I have some books you can take.” Orsted pointed to a door, and my head looked up to the room’s tag. The Research Room? We opened the door without dallying and found Zanoba casually working on an automaton. He immediately noticed the pressure that entered the room and turned around.

“Oh, Master! What brings you today—Orsted too?” Zanoba had aged. He sported a few grey hairs but was still healthy. Maybe being a Miko helps with that? He was sweating a little, but that was probably because of Orsted’s helmetless status.

“I could say the same thing to you, Zanoba.” It wasn’t every day you’d see him tinkering away in the headquarters. More often than not, he was seen in one of his workshops.

“We’re here for the tomes…” The tomes? That was awfully ominous. 

“Of course, Orsted!” Leaving the half-finished automaton on the table in the middle of the room, Zanoba pulled out a singular, non-assuming key from his pocket. It had zero decoration or engraving. It was just a regular old key anyone could have on them. 

“Why did you give Zanoba a key to god-ranked tomes—also, tomes?” I knew god-ranked spells consisted of entire books from what I had read in the journal from my future self, but to give Zanoba of all people a key? It’s not like I didn’t trust the man, but he could break it at any reasonable moment. 

Well, he did keep his Zaliff gauntlets on most of the day to work on his craft whenever he wished. So, the strength issue has become primarily a non-issue.

“It was a simple decision, really. I gave him a key and told him to only give it to me or you if asked. No one is going to rob Zanoba in this city, either. Especially when both of us are here.” He has a point, but keeping these books in the research room isn’t the best idea. “If you’re worried about the placement of the spells, I have them secured with barriers, and the container itself is made by the Ore God… To put it bluntly, they’re as safe as possible—see?” Orsted gestured, and when I looked over, I saw Zanoba on the other side of the room, his arm stretched out, seemingly fazing through a barrier and unlocking a rather large black box.

“I see. So the key must act like a bypass to the barriers and is used to unlock the box—a double-edged sword.” It was simple but also incredibly practical. “And the key itself is so unassuming that no one would bother to steal it in the first place—as expected of the President! You’re a genius!” I could see him shift slightly in the corner of my eye; I could tell he’d be blushing if he ever showed it. 

“Uh, thank you—anyways, just take the books.” He gestured over where the box now stood, open for any prying hands to get inside. Thirteen books stood in the stone bookcase. “There are two books for each type of attack magic and one for Barrier, Summoning, Healing, Detoxification, and Divine Strike. Though, I doubt you’ll need the last one or be able to cast the healing or detoxification.” Each book looked like a dictionary, all of them showing age. However, he didn’t need to add that last part.

Would any world government get pissed off at the simple notion of us having these? Millis would be fuming over the Detoxification, Healing, and Barrier, but I had Perugius to teach me the ladder if I ever wanted, so I was okay there, and I always had Cliff to back me up. “I’d recommend you go to The Red Dragon Mountains to use these. It’s open and majorly uninhabited. I’m sure you know this already, but god-ranked magic is truly continental in its scale.” He gave me a severe stare at the simple notion of continental. 

“I swear I’ll come back stronger than ever, President!” I bowed at my same old ninety-degree angle. I heard him scoff as he turned away, most likely to return to the previous work I had interrupted. 

“I know you will. Then you’ll also owe me one when Jino sends Nina to find her husband’s drinking buddy.” I shivered at the thought of that woman coming to drag me away. The worst part is that I’m optimistic that Eris would help without a second thought. Those two weren’t friends for nothing.

“The next time we go drinking, it’ll be one me then.” With a nod of acknowledgment, Orsted left me and Zanoba alone.

“Well, I guess I better get reading then.” I deadpanned at the notion of reading a book the size of a dictionary for a few hours just to cast one spell. 

I love my life.

How long has it been since I remembered those times? I was forty-six, five years after Lara left, and when I started training like a madman. Why I decided to do that in my forties is still beyond me.

How are Jino, Doga, Zanoba, and Cliff doing? I hope you’re all fine. It was odd how I’d become friends with the former two. I only knew Doga as a friendly and slightly airheaded man, but I remember my first meeting with the then-newly situated Sword God. He was a character, alright, but after Eris insisted on me coming to the Sword Sanctum with her a couple more times, the man started talking to me. Apparently, the reason we sought strength was for similar reasons. 

We both wanted to get stronger for our families to protect them. From there on, it was basically smooth sailing. Doga, Jino, and I even drank together a few times every couple of months. It was our version of a guys' night.

Good times those were. 

The door by me creaked open, and a quiet voice whispered. “Rudy, are my clothes dry?” The voice was so soft that I could barely even hear it. 

I almost forgot where I was for a second. Wait, her clothes? “Ah, yeah. They’re good to go.” I passed her the now dry clothes. It didn’t take me long to dry them; the perks of being able to make magic do whatever you wanted. 

“Thank you.” Her hand took hold of the bundle of slightly warm cloth in my hands and quickly retreated into the room.

It took her a minute to get dressed, and the door reopened. I would’ve been eager to bathe with her if she were my wife. Or if she were Christina, she would’ve forced me into the tub with her. However, she was neither. 

“You can go in now, Rudy—you’re still wearing your clothes?! Aren’t you freezing?!” Her eyes screamed worry. 

Oh, right. I forgot to take off my clothes—or even dry them, for that matter. I somehow forgot that I was freezing in the hallway.

“I’m fine, Sylphiette.” When her name left my lips, she pouted and, with a few steps to get around me, pushed me into the room with the tub and shut the door behind me. I could hear her footsteps quickly hopping down the stairs. “It looks like I made her mad.” Maybe I should apologize? I have been coming off as cold recently, haven’t I?

“Nah, it’s not like there’s much I can do about it.” I dryly remarked to myself as I slowly took off my shirt. I didn’t intend to get unnecessarily attached to Sylphie in this life. 

No matter what, I wouldn’t drag her down my path in life… Not this time.

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Eight: A Little Girl's Fairy Tale and Graves From His Past

>Sylphiette<

From the day I was born, I knew I wasn’t normal— it wasn’t long after that I realized why. I was born with green hair. I didn’t know at the time, but the reason my parents were worried for me was because of it.

It wasn’t long after I could walk and go outside that the bullying started. I didn’t know how to react to it. To be fair, I didn’t know much at the time. My parents tried to talk to the kids—but they didn’t listen. Then Father spoke to their parents—they kept coming at me even then. 

My Father bought me shorts so I could run away more quickly. It helped, but only a little. Then he bought me a shirt with a hood so I could cover my hair. My life didn’t seem to get any better. 

I started to hate my hair.

I started to ask myself questions that a kid shouldn’t be forced to. Why did those Superd demons have to go mad and become hated? Why did they have to have green hair? Why did that lousy guy Laplace have to have green hair? 

Why did I have to have green hair? 

I didn’t know what to do with myself. If everyone hated the color green, what would I do when I got older? I thought I had nothing to look forward to.

Then I met Roxy Migurdia, and the life I knew changed.

My father met her in Ars, and they traveled together back to Buena. From what my father had told me, Miss Roxy was a mage and a good one at that. I didn’t know much about Miss Roxy or magic, but I did know she wasn’t afraid of me for my hair. She did get startled the first time she saw me, but after a moment, she managed to pull herself together.

After that, my life started to feel more worthwhile.

From then on, I could talk with someone who didn’t hate me and who wasn’t my family. Miss Roxy also had weird hair. It was blue because she was a demon. People looked at her differently for her hair, too, so I felt like I had someone who could, at the very least, understand me from then on. 

Then I heard about a boy my age named Rudeus and how Miss Roxy was teaching him. The woman would gloat whenever she had the chance about how smart he was or how well he was doing. 

To me, he seemed amazing. 

Father told me Rudeus was also learning swordsmanship from his father, Lord Paul. Father told me he was good at that, too. Whenever I heard of Rudeus, they were only praises that followed. I knew without even meeting him that he was a fantastic person. But what caught my interest was when Miss Roxy told me about their first meeting. Apparently, he didn't even look at her hair.

What would he do if he met me? How would he react? Would he also not care about my hair? Would he not hate me? Those were the ideas that ran rampant in my head at the time.

I scrubbed those ideas, nonetheless. I knew in my heart that someone like me wouldn’t even pique the interest of someone as great as him. He was destined for more incredible things, like the heroes in the tales my father always told me before bed.

He wouldn't bother with a bland girl with green hair.

I held that presumption for months after Miss Roxy’s initial arrival. Until one day, I was being bullied. 

It was a day like any other. That day, I tried to play outside but was intercepted shortly after I left. It was Somal and his buddies. They'd been the main perpetrators for most of my bullying. I thought I would be safe that day, considering I wasn’t bringing my father his lunch. I was usually fast enough to run away whenever I wasn’t carrying it before they got me, but not today. The bullying was similar to what they usually did. Throw mud at me while screaming at me to leave the village.

I live here too, you know. Besides, there isn’t any other place I can run to. Those thoughts always made their way into my head during those times.

I wondered how long they would keep at it until a boy came out from nowhere and yelled at them. I was curious to know who he was. When I looked up, all I could see from my teary eyes was a light brown-haired boy. For a moment, I thought he looked like Lord Paul… For a second, I guiltily thought he might've been my unlikely prince. I thought he might just be Rudeus.

I quickly discarded that thought. There was no way this boy could be him. Rudeus wouldn't even bother with someone like me… That's what I thought until he summoned a raging fireball that dwarfed all of us in size.

He made Somal apologize to me and then had them run off. I was slightly scared. I didn't like fire; I burnt myself a year prior and had a scar on my hand because of it, but when I saw that inferno he summoned, all I could think about was how beautiful it was. I never thought that fire could be so pretty.

Deep in my heart, I think I knew then that this boy had to be the same Rudeus I had thought up. The only difference was that he was even more marvelous than I had imagined. He had saved me when I thought no one would. He was like a prince in a fairytale, and I, a green-haired girl that no one but my parents and a demon woman seemed to care for, was his improbable princess. 

When he told me his name, it only told me what I had been thinking, but then he went and told me my hair was beautiful. He said my hair—the hair I hated was pretty and that I should take care of it. 

That’s all he really did, and that’s all I needed.

I started to like my hair a little bit after that. All because one boy said he thought it looked pretty. That’s all it took, but maybe it meant so much more because it was the same Rudeus I had heard of.

Whenever we talked after that, he’d look at me with so much empathy that I couldn’t find myself not trusting the boy. It reminded me of how my father would look at me or how my mother did. It made me feel warm inside. When he said he wanted to be friends, I thought I had been dreaming. Fortunately for me, I wasn’t. I was so happy that I couldn’t express it adequately. So I cried. I thought he wouldn’t like a girl who would cry at the drop of a hat, but it didn’t bother him, and I didn’t do it for long. 

We ran around and played for a while after that. He even brought me to a lone hill with a big tree where he liked to play—a nice place was what I thought it was. The only things surrounding it were other trees, plains, and a few fields farther away. 

He told me that this was our place from now on. A place where we could play—I’m almost positive that being as happy as I was then was dangerous, but I didn’t let it bother me. However, I did let my desire overtake me just a little. As I asked Rudeus if he could teach me magic.

It was stupid of me. I figured I had overstepped my boundaries, but I did it anyway to ask the one friend I had such a ridiculous question. I thought he would say he couldn’t or that I wasn’t good enough. Neither was said. Instead, he voiced his sympathy and accepted my proposal. From then on, the life I had dreaded since birth became one where I was happy to wake up the following day. All because of one boy that I thought I would never meet. 

The following months were the best times I’ve had so far. I became Miss Roxy’s student, just like Rudeus was. I even learned that Rudeus was teaching her a few things. They had a relationship that was very similar to a give-and-take. No matter how amazing I thought Rudeus was, he kept seeming more and more so every passing day. He didn’t seem to struggle or waver. When the bullies came to pick a fight with us, he’d blow them off. Whenever I worked with magic, he’d be able to pinpoint what my problem was. He could do things with magic that I couldn’t even dream of. Whenever he cast spells, it was like I was looking at a painting. If I wasn’t grateful to just be able to talk to him, I’d probably be jealous of how good he was. 

However, I noticed one thing about the boy. Sometimes during the day, he’d become despondent, almost like he was in deep thought. It usually happened whenever he praised me for doing something right or patted me on the head. He liked doing that last one a lot; it wasn’t like I didn’t like it. But for some reason, he thought it necessary to put distance between us whenever we got too close. I knew he wouldn’t tell me why if I asked him, so I didn’t push. I was lucky enough to be his friend.

That was how my months went, and now my days would change slightly. Today, Rudy’s graduating from Master Roxy’s teachings. From what Master had said, he’d be a water saint-tier magician before the day’s end. Of course, I didn’t have to wait long for the two of them to come to pick me up with their horse, Caravaggio. He was a good horse; Lord Paul seemed to take good care of him.

When they stopped infront of me, Rudy waved his hand, which held a wand. “Look what I got, Sylphie!”

“Did Master make that for you?” It was something I had never seen before. It was very evidently a wand, that much I could tell from looking at it. It had a very distinct red jewel that sat at the end of it. 

“I’ll give it to you after we’re done.” Rudy’s statement didn’t go unnoticed by our teacher, who just sighed at his words.

“I’ll make you one too, Sylphie—” She grinned awkwardly. “I may have forgotten to give one to Rudeus earlier in our teaching. It’s sorta tradition to give your student that can cast beginner-tier spells a wand to help them, but it may have slipped my mind because you’re both so skilled already.” 

After explaining the situation, she grabbed my hand to hoist me onto the horse’s back. She sat me between herself and Rudy. I felt self-conscious when he grabbed me, but I think he noticed, so he withdrew. 

He doesn’t have to act so cold. It’s not that I minded it that much.

“The location I found is a little ways away. So it’ll take about an hour to get there.” Our teacher told us, and I nodded; apparently, saint-level magic was perilous—at least, that’s how Rudy described it to me.

It was like this how we made our way toward wherever our teacher decided to do the ceremony. We were far from any field I knew of, and the only thing in sight was grass that seemingly stretched endlessly across the land, only breaking from the Red Dragon Mountains far off into the distance. 

We all dismounted Caravaggio, and as Miss Roxy tied him to a tree nearby, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen from now on. Rudy would graduate, but I would still be under our Master’s mentorship. Would he even bother with me anymore? What would become of the friend I made?

“Rudy, what will you do once you’re done being taught by Master Roxy?” This was a worry I had carried with me for the past day.

“I’ll start training underneath my father in earnest—most likely.” I couldn’t help but wonder if that was his way of telling me he didn’t plan on playing with me anymore. “I’ll still help you occasionally, and I promise I’ll still play with you—I just think I’ll be busier from now on.” He looked like he was in deep thought.

“Aren’t you busier right now since you do both? Wouldn’t you be less busy after no longer being taught by Master?” 

“Haha—you might be right about that.” The way he said it didn’t seem like he bought that.

“This is a good place for this, don’t you think, Rudy?” Miss Roxy came over to us once she finished tying Caravaggio in place. 

“I wouldn’t know, Master. You’re the one that knows how to cast the spell.” It was always weird to me that Rudy could talk to adults like he did. More often than not, Miss Roxy would ask him something, and he’d give her a longer-than-necessary answer than she originally wanted. Rudy was wise for his age; that was plain as day.

“Don’t go getting cheeky now.” She flicked him on the forehead. “I’m going to demonstrate the spell, ‘Cumulonimbus’. After I dispel it, I’ll have you do the same, but hold it for an hour instead. That’s the passing mark for this exam. I can only cast this once, so you’ll have to memorize it and replicate it after seeing it once… Understand, Rudy?” Rudeus seemed preoccupied with staring at our Master’s legs. 

I learned Rudeus was something called a pervert a little after I met him—at least, that’s how Master Roxy described him. I had to ask her what that meant, but I was left confused because that wasn’t anything like Rudeus acted around me.

“Do you want me to hit you again?” Miss Roxy leaned down to face her student.

“I’ll do my best!” That didn’t really answer her question, Rudy.

“Haah—I love my job.” She dryly remarked, “OK, then. Here goes!” She stepped a few paces away from both of us.

The atmosphere changed when she made it far enough away. Our master was going to show us something not just anyone could see. It was a spell Rudeus would have to replicate. One I would have to copy eventually as well. The girl raised her staff into the air as she started the chant. "Grand spirit of water and imperial prince of lightning who ascends the heavens, grant my wish and bring about a savage blessing."

Her hair whipped chaotically from the wind. The sky that was previously a lush soft blue was enveloped in greyish mountainous clouds in a moment. "Display your might to insignificant beings. Strike awe with a blow of your divine hammer on the anvil and cover the land in water!" It was mesmerizing watching her control a spell of this size.

As soon as I thought that the rain started. The clouds sparred nothing in their path as they drenched all of us in a moment. "Ah, Rain! Sweep all else away and expel everything—" I wasn't ready for what would come if I believed this was all her spell could muster. "Cumulonimbus!"

Everything seemed to stop for a moment. I looked to see Rudy's face—and all it seemed to show was astonishment. He looked so happy at that moment that I wondered if someone could feel as jealous of a storm as I was. A moment later, everything resumed. What I thought was the peak of the spell was but a premonition of what was to come, and in a split second, I was blown away. However, a hand grabbed me—Rudy's hand, and even as the downpour swept away everything in its path, he clung to me. He was unmoving in the face of a storm such as this. He didn't falter even in the face of saint-rank magic. Instead, he relished the moment, and I, too, couldn't help but be entranced, both by the storm and the boy infront of me who held my hand in such a firm grip I'd almost confuse him for an older man.

Rudy is amazing.

The moment was cut short when lightning struck behind us, and a pained neigh echoed through the air. This was enough for Miss Roxy’s attention to wane and the spell to dispel. The aftermath of the lightning was made clear. As Caravaggio had been struck—or maybe more appropriately speaking—the tree he was tied to. Miss Roxy rightfully panicked; even I knew what the implication of Lord Paul’s favorite horse being killed would bring… A not-so-happy Lord Paul.

We rushed over, and Miss Roxy was the first to reach the motionless animal. I could see its faintly rising chest, so at the very least, it was still breathing. Rudy and I had unmingled from each other in the process of running. He didn’t seem the least bit worried about our contact. I, however, couldn’t say the same for myself.

Miss Roxy kneeled down infront of Caravaggio. A green glow encompassed the both of them. “Of course, I would do something like this when trying my hardest to look cool—” She stared at Rudeus with a weak grin. “Please don’t tell your father.” After Miss Roxy returned the horse from death’s door with a healing spell, she grimaced at the thought of the repercussions.

“I won’t spill this to anyone, Master.” Rudeus signed with his hands as if to seal his lips. “You shouldn’t take this as a failure. I think you should take it that you learned a lesson.”  Miss Roxy pouted. It was entertaining how easily Rudeus got under the skin of our teacher.

“Okay, okay, enough of the sweet talk—you’re up, Rudy. I’ll guard Sylphie and Caravaggio, so don’t worry about us.” After she healed Caravaggio, she stood back up and patted Rudy’s back in an effort for him to move. “Do your best. I’d expect nothing less from my pupil.” A bitter smile flashed across her face.

He looked back for a second, a smile formed across his lips in kind, and he walked forward into the open plain, wand in hand and at the ready. “Sylphie, stay close to me.” With her free hand, Miss Roxy pulled me closer to her. “Envelop me in the earth’s magnificent armor—Earth Fortress!” Instantly, a dome of rock encased us.

It was dark inside the dome; the only light was through a crack Miss Roxy had most likely left open to supervise her student. “Did you shorten that incantation, Master?” 

“I’ve been practicing.” The woman gave me a smug grin as she responded. Rudy told me that because we were younger, it was easier to not use incantations. I didn’t quite understand why, but it might be the same reason we can increase our total mana. The same could not be said for our master, however, as she struggled to even shorten an incantation, let alone wholly be rid of it. 

It was like her to never give in, no matter the obstacles. “You’re also amazing, Master Roxy.”

“What’s with the also .” She replied with a bitter tone. I may have made her angry accidentally. 

“Sorry—do you think Rudy can do it?” I looked at the boy still walking away from the ‘Earth Fortress’ Miss Roxy and I were encircled in. He always walked so purposefully that you would never guess he was my age.

“Do what…? The spell?” Her tone made me believe she found what I was asking ridiculous. “He won’t have a problem. He’s Rudeus Greyrat, after all—he’s a natural.” She held a bitter expression. “You should watch and see if you can get any insight.” She put her hand on my back. “Cause I know I’ll be.” 

I looked back to the crack in the barrier, and I found Rudeus already forming the clouds. For some reason or another, we needed to do it once with the incantation before we could cast a spell without the incantation. What Rudeus was doing now was similar to getting a feel for something. I had done it before, so that was the only way I could describe it. Though from where we were, I couldn’t hear anything he said.

What he was doing now differed from what I had seen our Master do. The wind she produced was strong enough to knock me off my feet. But now, the winds he was conjuring seemed fast enough to split someone in two if they were unguarded. The rain pounded against our shelter as if it meant to breach it. Lightning flashed one after the other in a seemingly endless assault on the land as thunder sounded from the sky and vibrated my very bones. 

Overwhelming. That was the straightforward word that described what infront of me was. 

The magic that consumed the land seemed nothing like the Cumulonimbus our teacher had shown us minutes prior. It was almost alien in its intensity. It spanned for miles; it most likely reached Buena even from here. 

“See, Sylphie? Whenever Rudeus does something he enjoys, he gets a little carried away… I never mentioned making it bigger than my demonstration, though.” Miss Roxy didn’t seem fazed by the impossible sight infront of us. Even though what was happening was something neither of us had probably seen. The Earthen Fortress bucked against the winds and rain as if to shatter at any moment but held firm. There should be no way the simple ‘Earth Fortress’ around us could withstand what was happening outside of it.

Was Rudeus controlling the storm to avoid hurting us?

Even with all the rain obscuring my vision, I could still see him. He was waving his wand high, seemingly unperturbed by the maelstrom around him. He didn’t move or buckle underneath the rain or flinch from the lightning that struck close to him. All I could see was that same stupidly big smile on his face as he seemed to frolic in the rain.

He loved magic; maybe that was why I wanted to learn it. I wanted to understand why he liked it so much, and I could get closer to him by doing so. That was my hope.

If I wanted to be strong like Rudeus was. I needed to get much, much stronger than I was right now.

An hour of a seemingly endless storm passed, and the earthen dome Miss Roxy had constructed was pulled down. The tree behind us had fallen. The dips in the plains had become lakes of rainwater, and the ground lightning had struck was evident. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, Rudeus walked back towards the two of us and asked a question to which we all knew the answer. “So, did I pass, Master?” He seemed almost humble in asking the question, even though we all saw what he just did.

Miss Roxy gave him an honest smile, “With flying colors, Rudy.” She ruffled his hair. “You are now a certified saint-level water mage; congratulations.” Her tone might have been monotonous, but you could tell she was happy with one glance at the grin on her face. 

“Congrats, Rudy!” I leaped towards him and wrapped my arms around him. My father always told me that hugging someone made them feel good, but he froze starkly stiff when I made contact.

“S-Sylphie?!” He let out a surprised yelp. I heard Miss Roxy laugh behind me when I did it. Then, I pulled away from the shocked boy for a moment. 

“I’m gonna make sure I catch up to you!” I wanted to be strong like Rudeus. I wanted to be like the boy infront of me.

He looked me squarely in the eyes. A light blush on his cheeks as he did so and a look of confusion across his face. “Uhh—Okay…? Good luck.” We held eye contact as we stood there, wholly drenched by the cold rain, and he gave me a slightly awkward smile.

We left on Caravaggio after that. A comfortable silence fell on us. We first went to Rudeus’s house to inform Lady Zenith and Lord Paul about Rudeus’s graduation and ascension to a saint-ranked water mage. They were ecstatic—especially Lord Paul, oddly enough. Thought that was probably because he could instruct his son on the sword without interruption. 

Lord Paul hoisted his son as Lady Zenith cheered for him. Lady Lilia watched from a distance with a smile on her face. Seeing that we weren’t needed there, Miss Roxy and I left them so they could boast about Rudeus without interruptions. It was his moment at the end of it all.

Miss Roxy and I walked to my home in comfortable silence. She spoke before we came in sight of my house. “Did you mean what you said back there, Sylphie? About catching up to Rudy?” She seemed to be hung up on that point.

“I think—” I paused as we were walking. The setting sun let a warm hue over the horizon. 

What do I want to do? It was a question vital to me, yet one I hadn’t asked myself.

“I think I want to be someone that can stand next to Rudy—I want to be able to stand next to him.” I pondered on what to say. I felt that if I screwed up now, I wouldn’t be able to turn back. “I don’t care if it’s in a year or in ten. I just want to be able to be there for him. He’s done so much for me that it wouldn’t feel right if I couldn’t help him.” That sounded— right. That was something I wanted.

“Rudeus is a one-in-a-lifetime prodigy, you know? I can’t think of one person alive who could match up to the pace he’s been making. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say he compares to legends like—and I’m not even overexaggerating, the first Water God Reidar or the Demon God Laplace…” She looked at me with downtrodden eyes. “That’s just how good he is.” She breathed and crouched beside me to look me in the eyes. “Sylphie, please understand that I’m not trying to be mean here. But I would be surprised if you could match up to even one-tenth of what Rudeus can do—I’m sure you noticed, but that spell back there wasn’t just a simple ‘Cumulonimbus’. It was something much more significant than just that. Something I don’t even know.” She had a bitter smile. It was like she thought she had failed her student.

“I don’t care.” She looked at me with an analyzing gaze. As if to decipher what I meant. “I won’t stop until I can help Rudy. I don’t care how long it’ll take!” I mustered as much courage as I had. “I’ll try my absolute hardest to be someone that can stand next to Rudy! Even if it takes me my whole life!” My hands were bound tightly into fists. This was something I had to say—this was what I wanted!

We both stood there quietly.

Now that I was thinking about what I was saying, wasn’t this a confession? No, that wasn’t quite right. This wasn’t like when the prince confessed his love for the princess, and they’d marry and live happily ever after. I wanted to help Rudy—to protect him. He was like a big brother who’d always be there to help me so far. I didn’t know what he was to me, but that was fine. This was what I wanted, after all.

I’d expected Miss Roxy to laugh at me or to tell me to stop dreaming, but she didn’t laugh at me or tell me otherwise. Instead, she looked at me with a severe gaze, even if she had a bemused grin on her lips as if to say you have no idea what you’re saying. She stood up, stretched out, and patted my head like Rudy would do whenever I did something good. “Then you’ve got your work cut out for you, little girly.” Her tone was a mocking one. “Good thing you’ve got Roxy Migurdia to teach you everything she knows.” 

Now, who was the conceited one? 

I was going to try my hardest for this goal. My life may get in the way, or how I see the world might change. My feelings for Rudy may vary, but I won’t regret doing what I am right now. I’m going to work hard so I can stand next to Rudeus. So I can be just like the boy I admire. 

>Rudeus<

When I opened my eyes, all I felt was the chill of a winter afternoon.  

I was walking when I came too—passing by a gate I had seen repeatedly. Ah, right. I was checking up on my father. I haven’t been to his grave in a while. The graveyard in Sharia hadn’t changed much over the years. Sure, the number of gravestones increased with time, but it was still the same old place I’d come to every now and then to update my father on the happenings of our family. 

It was never hard to find Paul’s grave; it was right infront of the entrance anyways, but what wasn’t expected was someone else to be by it… It was a girl with blue hair, a long braid, and a big hat on top of her head. “Roxy? What’re you doing here—” I didn’t finish what I said as I knew in my heart that the girl infront of me wasn’t who I called out to.

“Why weren’t you there, Father?” Father? I wasn’t—Aqua Hertia lay next to the figure. I could see from here that she was wearing my old robe and had Roxy’s old disheveled hat on her head.

There was only one person it could be. “Lara?” The name slipped out of my throat. I knew it was her. It could only be her. “Is—Is that really you, Lara? I haven’t seen you in so long. Ah—how have you been?” My speech came out in a stuttered nonsense. I was excited to see my daughter. It had been so long. I was just happy to know that she was okay. 

“So what? You’re just going to ask how I’ve been—just like that?” The girl’s tone came off as annoyed. Almost angry even.

“What do you mean, Lara? I haven’t seen you in years. Of course, I’ll ask you how you’ve been doing. I’m your father!” She was leaning over next to my father’s grave. Not on it, by it . I could clearly see the names on the tombstones. 

Lilia Greyrat, Paul Greyrat, Zenith Greyrat, and—Rudeus Greyrat…? Lara stood over none of these, even my grave—my grave…? She leaned over the one next to mine.

She stood over one for Roxy M. Greyrat. 

This… No, I—this can’t—what?

“Why weren’t you there, Dad? Why didn’t you save Mom?” I could tell from just listening to her how deep the sadness in her heart went. She sounded just like her, but I could never hear her at the end of it all. So, I had no idea what she sounded like before I died, but still. I knew it was her.

“I—I was gone… I couldn’t be there—you know I couldn’t be there. You left for your mission—your goal! I—I had done mine. I was done. I was—I’m a human. I don’t have a long life. I couldn’t be there—” I just kept speaking. As if I was searching for an answer that I could believe.

“If you were there, she wouldn’t have died.” Her voice seethed, “Why weren’t you there? You could’ve found a way if you tried!” It didn’t even seem like a question anymore. It was more like a seething remark than anything. I had never heard her sound like this—never heard one of my children sound like this. So full of hate… 

She turned toward me, and I felt like crying.

She had the exact look Orsted would have when talking about the Man-God. But this was Lara talking to me—talking to her father. 

I couldn’t bring myself to chastise her and couldn’t bear to hear her words. At this moment, I felt just like the man I had used to be back when. I don’t know what, but something about the verbal abuse of my family was too much for me to handle. “Lara… Please—just stop… I couldn’t—” ‘I couldn’t do anything,’ was what I wanted to say, but I stopped myself. 

“You could’ve… You could’ve been stronger. You should’ve been stronger! You were stronger!” Her retorts left me with no options or retreats. I just wanted to cry.

“I couldn’t have—” …I could have… I know I could have. I could’ve been like that future me, studied magic even harder, and learned time magic. In theory, I could’ve found a way to be there to fight Laplace. I could’ve found a way to foolproof our plan. Why didn’t I bother? Why had the thought never crossed my mind? Why didn’t I do more?

“I just—I was—happy to die with everyone by my side. I was done. I thought I did enough.” I fell to my knees; I found no strength in my legs. All I found strength in was crying into the pavement underneath me. 

I left that world because I believed I had done enough. I knew this was a nightmare, but I couldn’t pry myself from it even then. Lara would never speak like this, but maybe this was how she thought of me at the end. Having a useless father like me might have made her sick. 

I was a failure. I failed. In the end, I was powerless—useless. 

Footsteps closed in from infront of me. I didn’t want to look up—I shouldn’t have looked up…

The precious little girl my beloved Roxy gave me. The one we brought to see her grandparents. The last bird to leave the nest, who I thought may end up like her old man, but who decided to become someone greater by leaving the house, was standing infront of me. Lara was there, the underneath of her eyes red and puffy from crying. Her face contorted into a sad frown, and her eyes shined with hatred. The little girl that left my house wasn’t there. The daughter I loved was no longer there. “You didn’t do enough, Father.” She didn’t shout, nor did she raise her voice. It was more akin to a cursed whisper. She simply admonished me, her voice laced with hate. “I hate you.” Tears fell from her eyes.

Then, my vision went black, and when I opened my eyes, I felt the chill of a winter afternoon.

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Nine: A Father's Worries and an Unrequited Appreciation

Paul’s never been that good of a person. You could call Paul Greyrat a piece of trash, and he’d just brush it off—hell, he’d probably readily agree with you. He’s always been like that. Some may say that he’s a man of desire. He had talent in the sword but squandered it by slacking off when he was younger. He ran away from the training hall and used Lilia to get back at the dojo. He still felt terrible for that, but at least he told the woman that he had wronged. “Sorry.” He thought he could be someone better when he married Zenith. He thought he could get better when he found out she was pregnant with his child. He thought he could be a good person for once. He thought he had the chance to right the wrongs his father did when he was younger. 

That’s what he thought. 

Paul doesn’t think of himself as a father, however… On the contrary, his son teaches him more than he teaches. Rudeus wasn’t naive like you’d expect any toddler to be. He wasn’t up to any pranks whenever their eyes left him. He wasn’t an idiot of a kid like his father had been. Instead, he looked like he had it all figured out. It seemed like he had a purpose. 

Paul thought he’d found a son he could confide in when Rudeus watched his training with a familiar intensity in his eyes. From that moment on, Rudeus seemed to like the sword and everything that came with it. Paul thought it was his chance to impart some knowledge to his boy… To do something for him as any father would. 

Paul was wrong about that as well. Much to his chagrin, Rudeus learned magic from a tutor Zenith forced him to hire. Rudeus was so skilled that it’d be an understatement to say he was anything but a genius. He was good at math; if Paul let him or wanted him for that fact, he could do the house’s finances. Rudeus was also already very literate for his age, and the icing on top of it all was that he was such a natural in the arcane arts to a fault that he became a saint-tier water mage only two months ago, a little over a year since he started being tutored by the Migurdian Roxy Migurdia. 

Paul had to let that fact sink in. Rudeus already surpassed his father by the time he was four. 

He tried not to let it get to him and started training his son fervently. The boy never complained, nor did Paul for that matter, but Paul was never that good of a teacher, so Rudeus seemed a little confused whenever he showed him a Sword God technique. That was fine by Paul, though. Everyone had to start somewhere, and his son was only four. If anything, Paul didn’t plan on teaching Rudeus sword techniques until he turned five, but he figured it would be okay with his progress.

Paul wasn’t ready for what he saw in his son. Because whenever he showed him a Water God technique—it almost looked like he knew… When it came to Water God, it never looked like Rudeus was learning from Paul, and it never felt like he was teaching his son. Instead of watching his father and trying to replicate what he did, it felt like Rudeus was trying to get his body in order. To Paul, it looked like he was simply inconvenienced by his body. 

By that time, Paul wholly realized that Rudeus was a natural, or at least extraordinarily naturally gifted—specifically in that style. He pretty much sucked at the other two.

His son was more intelligent than he was. He could do math better than he could. His magic skill was bar none, and he was learning whatever sword techniques Paul was teaching him at a rate that could be considered irregular. 

Paul was floored…

His son was Rudeus Greyrat, a prodigy you’d only see once in a lifetime. He was the son of Paul Greyrat, a man with little to no outstanding qualities besides having a talent for swinging a sword around and being a notable philanderer, and Paul didn’t feel like Rudeus’s father, not one bit. 

However, he couldn’t hate his son for being so gifted. When Rudeus was young, he’d cling to Paul like he would go off and die in some war. Whenever he did something right, and Paul would praise him, Rudeus would give him that same goofy smile. Rudy was Paul’s son and a good kid, a smart one, for sure—a certified genius, actually, but he was Paul’s, and he wouldn’t trade him for anyone else.

Paul thought everything was going well—and it was for a time. That was until the nightmares started. He remembers it all happening in a haze. There was screaming in the middle of the night— anguished screaming. You’d only hear that from someone losing their loved one or a dear friend, but Paul heard it from his four-year-old son down the hall. He remembers rushing out of his bedroom with Zenith close behind. Paul—a man who notoriously slept with his sword—couldn’t even grab it with how fast he jumped out of bed. 

When they ran through the already-opened door, all Zenith and Paul could see was Roxy holding onto Rudeus’s hand. Rudeus woke up a second later as Lilia peeked into the room behind the couple. 

Paul couldn’t see him too clearly from where he stood, but he could tell his son’s expression was grim. Rudeus spoke to his teacher in a hushed voice and, after pulling away his hand from Roxy’s, laid down to face away from his parents. 

“Can you please stay with him tonight?” Zenith told the girl infront of them in a hushed whisper. One thing they all could agree with was that Rudeus liked Roxy especially. Paul even caught the kid perving on her a couple of times. That was when Paul wholeheartedly knew he was his kid.

It was an honest no-brainer to not leave the kid alone for the night, so having the girl stay with him seemed the best course of action. “I’ll do my best,” Roxy responded with her usual sleepy-eyed expression. 

Paul thought that was the end of it. He presumed they wouldn’t have to worry about those nightmares after that night. He hoped his son, who seemed to have such a promising future, wouldn’t be plagued with such thoughts. 

They were not lucky, and his son wasn’t spared. 

The next time it happened was when he graduated from Roxy’s teachings. It had to be something dreadful. His crying and screaming were terrible to listen to as a parent. Zenith and Paul figured he’d make it big as a mage. He also had a talent for the sword, but he couldn’t capitalize on it yet because he was only so old. His father even entertained the idea of Rudeus becoming one of the Seven Great Powers, but when they saw him screaming and sobbing while being nestled into Roxy’s chest that night. Calling out a name they had never heard before. They—he realized Rudeus was still a child, one that was going through things Paul couldn’t understand. A child that, even though he was his father—Paul couldn’t help.

Zenith found herself crying against her husband. Even Lilia, who Paul thought was keeping her distance from Rudeus, was brought to tears. However, the man managed to hold his back. He watched his son’s face shift. He was unmoving in his tutor’s dainty arms. His eyes were glazed over, but Paul could see something in them. He was gritting his teeth, and the emotion reflected in his eyes was deep regret and seeming hatred for something. 

If Paul was forced to guess what he was angry at. It would have to be himself. 

What Rudeus displayed was something no kid should know, even if Paul was the child's father in infront of him. He was struck with the realization that he could do nothing for him. 

He failed as his father at the earliest point in his life, and no matter what, Paul would never forgive himself.

It was a morning like any other in Buena. Something about a good night’s rest and some sex always makes you feel refreshed the next day. Zenith was still fast asleep by the time Paul left their room. Frankly, as much as he would’ve liked to stay in bed with his lovely wife, he preferred riding Caravaggio around the village to get his daily patrol out of the way. Paul always wanted to appreciate the scenery, especially now since it was lush white. It was nothing special, but compared to the capital, he found this much more appealing. It’s why they decided to move out here after all. 

When Paul went out, the village was still quiet as usual. The only person he met along the way was Mister Smith; he always liked to make his own rounds. He was a good man. Paul knew from Laws that he was basically the village’s protector before he was. Of course, the older man was past his prime by now, but he was still trustworthy and reliable.

“Another early morning, Mister Smith?” Paul trotted alongside the man and got off his horse when he stopped beside him. The only thing around them was the snow-covered path they were walking on. A few houses speckled the land, but no one else was in sight.

“Great to see ya this morning, Lord Paul, and stop with the Mister.” He put his hand out for a handshake, and Paul grabbed it. Smith’s hands were rough, and his fingers were thick from farm work. He had the hands of a worker, alright. “Smith is plenty fine.” The man scratched his stubble with his free hand. He carried a broadsword on his hip. It was of decent make from what Paul could see.

“Nonsense, Mister Smith, I’ll always appreciate the help.” From the extent Paul knew of the man, he was humble. Even after Paul arrived in Buena, Smith offered to fill his spot for a few days when Zenith gave birth to Rudeus. 

“Whatever you say, Lord Paul.” He swiped his hand in the air. “How’s Lady Zenith doing nowadays? She’s not overexerting herself taking care of the house and that boy, is she? I’m sure having a saint-tier water mage is a lot to handle at his age.” 

“Haha, Zenith is healthier than ever. We’re actually trying for another one.” The two laughed together at Paul’s remark. If Paul remembers correctly, Smith has a kid older than Rudeus. He couldn’t bring himself to remember his name, though. 

“What about your boy? He’s been doing fine, I presume? I’ve seen him running around with Laws’ kid recently—” Paul didn’t think much of Smith’s interactions. He knew he was a quizzical man from the moment he met him. “Shame that girl was born with green hair. Regrettably, I’m sure my boy even picked on her.” He gave Paul an ashamed look. It was a shame the girl had the hair color she did. Paul was just glad his boy didn’t discriminate. Though one look at the girl, and even Paul could tell she’d be a looker when she was older, maybe his boy was just trying to get a headstart.

“He’s been holding. Kids their age tend to go off somewhere and find trouble wherever they can.” Paul shrugged. After his son’s nightmares over the past year, he tried his best to offer support. He’d already resigned himself to being a failure of a father at this point.

“Well, I better go before the wife misses me too much.” Smith gave a wave, and Paul remounted Caravaggio. They gave each other goodbyes and left their eyeshot without any issue.

It’s about time to start training, isn’t it?

As dull as they usually were, Paul’s rounds had a few interactions here and there. He had a few conversations occasionally—mainly with Smith, but they weren’t the favorite part of Paul’s mornings. That would be when he got back home to train his son. 

After Rudeus graduated from Roxy’s teachings, he’d always take the time to study Paul. Seeing how well he seemed to rebound scared his father more than a little, but he let him do as he saw fit. The worst thing Paul could do was mess with his seemingly composed nature. 

Don’t rock the boat, yeah?  

Rudeus had always been and is still a weird kid. He knew things he shouldn’t and could always weasel his way out of an argument. If Paul didn’t know any better, he would’ve assumed he was an old man possessing a child’s body, but that would be ridiculous. He’d more readily accept he was a Miko or something like that. Which, from Paul’s perspective, could very well be the truth. Which only meant keeping everything Rudy was capable of a secret. Just to be on the safe side.

Nonetheless, Paul would teach him if Rudeus wanted to learn swordsmanship from his father. He just wanted to help. He still wanted to do something—anything for his son. Rudeus’s sudden shift in demeanor after that night didn’t help ease the worry that Zenith or Paul had after he had that nightmare. 

The boy became cold—distant, not with how he acted toward people. However, Paul had heard from Laws that Rudeus was drawing himself farther away from Sylphiette as of late, much to the young girl’s annoyance. I can tell from a mile away that little Sylphiette has feelings for my boy. Young love at its finest. Paul sighed openly. 

Once he came into eyeshot of his house, he saw him in the front yard. Doing push-ups as usual. Paul could immediately tell Rudeus was being harsher with himself the day after the nightmare. Rudeus would readily run himself haggard whenever they trained and only met his father with annoyance whenever he tried to stop him. Paul let him be because of it. He was a genius, after all. He seemed like he could handle it. 

Even now, he was pushing himself. Paul dismounted Caravaggio and put him in the small stable they had in their front yard. “You already do your morning run?” It was a redundant question that he already knew the answer to. Paul was strict with his son’s daily routine. He thought he’d have to ease up on him a little, but Rudeus was the one who insisted on it at the end.

“Of course. Anything unusual today?” He stood back up after he finished his set. He was still a boy no taller than Paul’s crotch, but Rudeus was working harder than most of the nobles in the country—and at least a quarter of the promising swordsman of his era. Paul would say he’d be proud of him if he didn’t know the reason behind Rudeus’s actions.

“Nope, same old, same old. Just chatted with Mister Smith on the way back, is all.” When Paul looked back at him after tying Caravaggio to his post, Rudeus was already doing his stretches. 

He’s awfully thorough with everything he does, isn’t he? Paul chuckled. The almost forgotten wooden sword in the snow beside Rudeus reminded Paul of when his son asked for it. His original plan was to start when Rudeus turned five like he said, but he wouldn’t blow off his evidently troubled son and deny his request. “You already ready?” What’s with him asking so many stupid questions today? 

“Always.” That was such a cheeky answer. Paul would’ve probably hit him for the arrogant tone if he wasn't an intermediate-ranked swordsman at his age. Did he mention that? Rudeus couldn’t hit you hard enough worth for shit, but he was skilled. 

Saying he was just good made Paul feel like he was underplaying his son just a little bit. The man was pretty sure there was nothing Rudeus couldn’t do. He knows it sounds like he’s just a doting parent or something, but Paul had never seen something Rudeus struggle with. That’s probably why he had such high hopes for him when he was younger. But now the man knew what he had to deal with in that head of his. So, Paul tried to keep his shallow thinking out of the way as much as possible.

With that, they started their exercises. It was nothing too draining. Paul didn’t want his son calling it quits before they even got to the real stuff, but the boy spoke up within an hour.

“Dad, can you show me that technique again?” Rudeus was a couple of paces away from Paul as he looked up at his father, wooden sword in hand. He still had that relatively large bracelet he had found all that while ago on his wrist. All Paul knew was that he had found it. He didn’t care about the details; it was just some nice-looking bracelet Rudeus had stumbled upon. If some stupid noble was dumb enough to lose it in the first place, then Paul considered it Rudy’s property as much as theirs. No one even seemed to mention it nowadays. It simply became part of his attire.

Rudeus’s best style was Water God, so Paul kept that in their drills. Not that Paul didn’t teach him Sword God or anything like that; covering all your weak points was essential. He’d probably teach him North God at some point, but not for a while. Call him an ignorant fool, but the man never liked that style, and it never really got him out of any meaningful confrontations in his past. “It’s more like a Fwoo ! I think you’re doing more of a Schlang !” Paul dragged his sword infront of himself as he parried an invisible sword, letting the unseen blade’s edge drag along his, and as he pivoted his sword sharply downwards, the opponent’s blade followed. With a swift motion, Paul riposted, striking downwards on the head of the nonexistent opponent.

Rudeus had struggled with the technique ‘Flow’ for quite some time. You could say he struggled, but it was more of his body’s fault for being unable to do it. Paul could tell his son could. It was just that his body wasn’t listening to what he was saying. “You get me?” The man saw his son’s expressionless face when he looked down. He was never as good of a teacher with this sort of stuff. It was more of a feeling to him at the end of the day. 

There was a reason Ghislaine was a Sword King, and Paul was just stuck with advanced in all three styles.

“Got it.” Rudeus looked at the wooden sword in his hand, a look of determination in his eyes as he nodded. He knew what he needed to do; it was just getting his body acclimated to moving in a certain way. Yet another of his son’s qualities was his understanding of his father. Father like son, as they say. “Do it.” Rudeus spared his father a glance as he set his sword in a Water God stance. His body was prepared for any blow to come his way. This was Paul’s cue to act.

Paul slashed his sword toward him—not in any meaningful way. It was just an act to be able to properly perform the technique. Rudeus preferred to do it this way, and Paul wasn’t the kind of guy to turn down a request from his son. He braced his legs—good. Rudeus watched the edge of Paul’s sword and his wrist—good. His blade met Paul’s and parried—then, he stumbled after he did so from the movement… Not so good. 

“Gaah—why can’t I get it?” The angry sigh told Paul all he needed to know. He could understand why he was so angry. From his observations, he should be fine. Everything about Rudeus’s technique was pretty much as good as you can get. His stance was good; he moved correctly and controlled each movement. He just couldn’t bring his body to do it.

“Let’s take a five-minute break, Rudy.” Rudeus shot him a pout, or at least what Paul construed as a pout. “It’s essential to give your body its appropriate time to recuperate. You’re still young, so you shouldn’t beat yourself over a simple mistake.” Paul gave him the best smile he could muster and sat on the snow. Rudeus followed suit, even though reluctantly. They were dressed for the weather, so sitting outside would be fine.

“So Rudy—” He looked over to his father. “How have you been doing recently?” The question must’ve caught him out of the blue because he stumbled backward when he went to sit down.

“Where’s this coming from, Dad?” He straightened himself. He seemed annoyed at the prospect of Paul asking him a question like the one he did.

“I don’t know—is it a crime that I want to talk to my son?” Be that as it may, Rudeus didn’t look satisfied with his father’s explanation. “You know why, Rudy. ” The look Rudeus gave his father wasn’t easily explainable. 

“Then you just want to talk? About what, exactly?” His voice seemed accusatory for some reason. It wasn’t like Paul would send him off somewhere for being a bother or anything like that. He hadn’t deserved treatment like that.

“I don’t know about anything, really. How about those little statues you make or how things are going between you and Sylphiette?” Paul hadn’t tried to pry myself into his son’s life. When he had that nightmare, he tried even harder not to , but maybe that was the opposite of what he should be doing. 

There was only one way to figure it out, and that was by talking. Strange that Paul Greyrat was resorting to talking and not beating the shit out of someone with a sword, right? 

“Nothing is going on between me and Sylphiette. I’m only four! I don’t know what you think I do with my free time, but it isn’t how you spend yours, Father.” Ouch! That stung a lot more than he cared to admit.

Paul scooted over and flung his arm around the boy’s shoulder. “Oh, come on~! I know how she looks at you; she’s got it down for ya!” When did he start talking to his son like this?

Rudeus didn’t respond as he looked the other way. “Ah—How are your magic studies going? I’m sure you’re making breakthroughs. Considering how smart you are and all—”

Rudeus brushed his father’s arm off of him. “I’d like to get back to training, Father—” Paul could tell he wasn’t mad. He was just a little annoyed at his actions. That’s understandable, really. It seemed his boy didn’t like to talk about his love life out in the open—or much of anything nowadays. “I just want to get stronger—I just… need to be stronger,” Rudeus whispered as he looked down at the wooden sword he was wielding. 

His son needed to get stronger? He was already a water saint-tier magician by the age of four. Isn’t trying to get stronger than that—unnecessary—maybe even selfish? “I think you’re plenty strong, Rudy.” Paul’s words didn’t reach his son’s ears as he continued to look down at his hand gripping his sword. 

What did he see in those nightmares?

Paul pushed off his legs and stood up. “Okay, then, I guess I’ll be your dance partner. How about we get started with some—” 

Paul could hear it clearly when he spoke. 

He could hear it even from where he stood. Running. It wasn’t deliberate running like someone was training, but as if they were panicking. They were running right towards them. In a moment, Paul could see him. Blond hair, young-looking face, and long ears; it was Laws. Why did he look scared? “Paul!” He yelled at the knight as he ran closer to the father and son. The yell garnered Rudeus’s attention as well. He looked up from his sword. Rudeus seemed to garner a look of concern on Laws’ face and started to show a look of confusion on his own. Paul could understand that—after all, when the parent of the girl who has the hots for you comes rushing at you looking this terrified, it’d cause a little bit of confusion.

Paul jogged to the gate so he could meet the elf halfway somewhat. Whatever it was, it had to be important if Laws was running hard enough to be out of breath, but even then, Paul wasn’t too worried about whatever had Laws this worried. He was somewhat of a scaredy cat when it came to a lot of things. “What’s the matter, Laws? Did a magic beast get an entire flock or something?” It had happened before. It was right before one of our monthly excursions when a magic beast—specifically a Terminate Boar had made its way into the village. Luckily, no one got hurt—besides the beast, that is. 

“Th-there was a…” He breathed deeply, falling to his knees as he clutched his chest. He had been running fast, and the Greyrat home wasn’t close to his. “There’s been a murder!” He yelled in a moment.

White flashed before Paul’s eyes. A—murder…? In Buena? Rudeus’s face shifted into a worried expression at the declaration. If Laws was the one to give them the news, that couldn’t mean that—it couldn’t, could it? “Who, Laws?” Paul quickly changed from carefree to serious as he grabbed the man’s shoulders and shook him slightly. He had to take a forceful approach. Laws wasn’t taking the situation well, so Paul needed him to speak. He couldn’t do anything if he didn’t tell him what was happening. “It wasn’t Sylphiette, was it?! Isn’t she out for a lesson with Roxy right now?!” Paul needed info right now, and the only man that could tell him was the slumped-over form infront of him.

“No!” He staggered up slightly and looked Paul in the eyes. There was some fear but also a hint of relief. He seemed to tremble at the thought of what the knight had said. “It wasn’t—God, i-if it was her—I-I wouldn’t know what to do.” Paul patted him on his shoulder. He seemed to compose himself slightly from knowing his daughter was fine in this situation. “No, it was Mister Smith on the other side of the village—it wasn’t a magic beast, no signs of a mauling… No, this was definitely a sword.” His breathing slowly grew from erratic to slightly more composed as he continued to speak.

Mister Smith? I talked to him this morning… Gods—this happened between now and then, but I didn’t see anything on my way back… Damn it! Paul punched his leg for his own stupidity. He wasn’t careful enough; he obviously didn’t look hard enough, but he was just doing his rounds.

We live in Buena—and nothing happens in Buena.

But Laws was serious. Paul could see it in his eyes. He wasn’t a man who was lying or overreacting. “Let’s go then—show me where he is.” This wouldn’t be the first time Paul would see a body. Nor would it be the first time he’d kill a man once he found the bastard who did this. Laws staggered up after Paul. “You can ride Caravaggio. I’ll go there on foot and be right behind you.” Laws gave a nod and went to untie the horse. 

When Paul looked at Rudy, he was still standing in the same spot, seemingly rooted there. Just staring at the two of them as they readied to leave. “You just stay here, Rudy.” The boy didn’t react. He seemed to be thinking about something in his head. “Just keep practicing; I’ll bring little Sylphie over later so you can play with her. For now, stay safe, and if anything happens—guard your mother.” He slowly nodded. Paul saw his grip tighten around the handle of his wooden sword. 

It wasn’t long after that when Laws mounted Caravaggio as he darted out of the yard, and Paul gave chase. His legs could keep up with a horse for a short distance, and they were only heading into Buena. So this much would be nothing for the retired adventurer.

With that, Paul left his son in the yard. Rudeus was still looking distantly into the snow-covered fields as his father went to deal with whatever had happened in the village. A thoughtful look spread across his face as he muttered something under his breath, but Paul couldn’t hear it. He was too far away, and this wasn’t the time to worry about that.

Thick, sharp icicles pierced through the snow and climbed toward the sky, but it abruptly stopped before the structure could grow any farther. The mana flow was cut off from it—preventing it from continuing its expanse. Brandishing a wand, Sylphiette stood there, amazed at what she had just made. “Impressive as usual, Sylphie.” The girl looked over to her teacher and smiled. She was easy to please but diligent in learning. She was a perfect student if Roxy had anything to say about it. Nothing like Rudeus, however, that was for sure, but no kid or man was like Rudeus at the end of the day.

“I still have a long way to go if I want to be as strong as Rudy one day!” Roxy grinned at her assertion. She’s been chasing after the boy ever since the day of his graduation. She’s only been getting better, so her teacher didn’t mind the goal she set for herself. Still, Roxy doubted the girl knew what she meant when she said that. 

I’d consider her a prodigy in her own right, but I think I need to reevaluate that word since I’ve met Rudeus. I guess they’re just prodigies in their own ways. Even Rudeus can’t use incantation-less healing magic.

“You’ve gotten plenty stronger yourself lately—” Roxy leaned over to the wide-eyed girl and touched her shoulder. “You should be confident in the abilities you’ve worked hard to achieve.” Roxy could tell she wasn’t the type to get carried away or grow arrogant with what she could do, but it never hurts to gently reaffirm her progress. So far, Sylphie has been blindly chasing after a boy Roxy knew she had little hope of reaching, but the demon woman promised her that she’d help, and she wasn’t one to go back on her word.

“I still have a long way to go, though.” Sylphie didn’t seem upset; she didn’t even pout. Instead, she held her head high as she melted the spell she had previously made. She wasn’t lying when she said she’d spend as long as it took to be able to stand next to the boy, apparently. Roxy could admire that dedication. It made her job easier—as her teacher, her duty was to support her studies and ambitions. 

But still… Trying to catch up to Rudeus only seems to get further every day—he never stops improving, does he? After her declaration, Sylphie started training with a serious mindset. From Roxy’s perspective, she could do little but be impressed by the little girl’s determination. During the last two months, where Roxy has been exclusively tutoring Sylphie, the girl has been putting all of the advice both of her teachers have given her into practice. Now, she could cast all intermediate spells with little difficulty—even fire magic. Roxy even had Sylphie cast an advanced-tier wind spell the other day. That didn’t necessarily make her any closer to Rudeus regarding strength, but her progress was prominent and steady. It didn’t help Roxy at all that Rudeus would have the nerve to correct her whenever he would come around during her lessons. If he were older, I wouldn’t mind giving him what for! However, it was a shame to say that Roxy would unfortunately learn something new whenever Rudeus did come around. The fact that he knew so much vexed the Migurd girl. 

Rudeus had a way of talking that just made you understand him. Like whenever he described melded magic and how it worked exactly. It was surprising how easy he made it sound when any of the professors back in Sharia would stumble through their words and just say, “It is what it is.” That didn’t mean the boy was without his faults, though.

“Rudeus isn’t all that strong once you get to know him, Sylphie.” Roxy’s voice sounded a touch sad, didn’t it? I mean, once you see the boy at his lowest, you can’t see him in the same light anymore. He wasn’t a peerless paragon of magical knowledge. Instead, he was an intelligent boy who had his own demons to deal with. 

“Rudy’s really strong, Master! You should know that more than anyone—” Roxy thought for a second. She hadn’t told her of his nightmares, had she? The woman thought momentarily but decided it wasn’t overstepping boundaries to inform his friend of his more glaring problems. 

“Well, you see, Rudy has these nightmares occasionally—” She dragged her words purposefully, almost wanting to be stopped by some hidden force. 

Nothing like that gave her a convenient out, so she continued. “You see, these nightmares are very intense. Every time he’s had them, he continually screams or cries.” The worry on Sylphiette’s face was disheartening, and in a moment, almost unexpectedly, Sylphie tried to run off, most likely toward the Greyrat house. If it weren’t for Roxy grabbing her by the hood to stop her, she’d probably already be halfway there.

“Wait, right there, missy!” The moment after that, the elf lost her footing on the snow and slipped onto her behind. 

“Let go, Master! If Rudy’s hurt or something, I have to help him!” From what Roxy could see, the girl was practically on the verge of tears when she looked back at her teacher. Sylphie struggled but stopped when Roxy touched her head to ease her worry.

“He’s not hurt or anything like that, and it isn’t the kind of pain you can heal with healing magic—it just seems he’s going through a lot at the moment. I understand your worry. Kids like you shouldn’t have nightmares like Rudy does, but so far, I’m the only one able to ease him—why, we don’t know.” The girl pouted when Roxy finally let her go. She couldn’t tell what had made her have that expression, but the demon figured it could’ve been the notion that she wouldn’t let her run to him. It could’ve also been because Roxy said she was the only one capable of helping him.

“Instead of worrying about Rudy, you should worry about your feelings, little miss.” Roxy poked her in the cheek with her staff, and the little girl gave her teacher a meek look, almost as if she were a deer caught by a hunter. She had become a flush red when the word feelings reached her dagger-like ears. 

“It’s nothing like that!” She shot her hands out to her sides. The same little hands which were now bundled up into fists. 

You acting up this much already confirms my suspicions.

“Aww, come on~. I wouldn’t be your Master without knowing and picking up the hints you’ve been laying all over the place. At the end of the day, even Sylphie is still a little girl.” Teasing her was plenty enjoyable enough. Roxy could never get Rudy with this kind of teasing. She was the one being bullied by him most of the time, so this was refreshing by comparison. “You don’t have to lie to your Master. I won’t let a soul know what we discuss during our lessons.” This is what girls do, right? Talk about their feelings and stuff? Roxy never had that many friends growing up or in Sharia, so she didn’t know. How was Lene or Lanletta doing nowadays? Roxy hadn’t seen either of them since her time in Sharia. 

Look at me now. I’ve been teaching two prodigies, yet I’ve never even spent a night with a man, and here I am trying to help my student with her love life—aren’t I the one who needs coaching?! I”m thirty-eight, knocking on thirty-nine, for crying out loud!

Sylphie is four, though—you couldn’t consider her feelings for Rudeus to be of love. If anything, it seemed like it was the start of a childhood crush. If you take that with her confession she did on his graduation day, you could hardly consider her an ordinary girl. She was much brighter than a person her age ought to be, but when you compare her to Rudeus, she didn’t match up, but to be fair, no child did. Nevertheless, Roxy knows one surefire way to end this back and forth. “Well, I’d be wary, Sylphie. Sir Paul already knows how you feel and is trying to get Rudy—”

“Lord Paul knows that I like Rudy?!” Fear seemed to rip through the girl at the moment. 

Uh oh, Sylphie, you let the cat out of the bag. A second later, the girl covered her mouth after she shouted. Then she slumped over and hugged her knees. Then she started—crying…? Roxy stood there for a second, not moving. What was I supposed to do in a situation like this? I-I just need to reassure her, right? “There, there, Sylphie. I didn’t mean to upset you or anything…” She crouched down next to the girl and patted her head. This worked for Rudy, so that might be the optimal treatment.

“W-why do you and R-Rudy just pat my head?” She was back to stuttering and only seemed to cry even harder.

“You just have really soft hair, Sylphie—it’s nice to touch.” She cried even louder. Oh, right—she has that whole complex about her hair. 

Why am I just absolutely the worst at consoling a child? Roxy looked over the girl’s head whom she was currently comforting and saw a sight she didn’t expect. Is that Laws—on Caravaggio? He was plain as day as he rode to their location. 

Roxy could see from here that he had a look of panic sprawled across his face.

“Miss Roxy! Phi!” The voice of her father seemed to calm the tiny girl down handily. When Laws reached the bottom of the hill, he leaped off the horse and quickly ran up it.

Did something happen?

“Father? Is something wrong—” Seeing her distressed father worried Sylphiette but definitely let her ease up on the tears falling from her cheeks.  Laws ran and hugged the girl in an almost frenzy. A moment later, he covered her ears with his hands. Roxy could see that the man was trembling slightly.

“Miss Roxy, there’s been a murder in the village—it was Mister Smith.” He breathed deeply and spoke in a shaky voice.

Murder…? She shook at the thought. Mister Smith—he was kind; I can’t see why anyone would want him dead. Roxy had seen her fair share of things throughout her time, but a murder wasn’t something she’d have expected from a place like Buena. To say she was desensitized to death wouldn’t be how she’d readily describe herself, but she had seen that enough times as an adventurer. It was a common occurrence among newbies, after all. She had even taken several lives in her life.

“Paul should already be there.” Her father was still covering Sylphie’s ears. She didn’t fight the hold, but her face portrayed a shocked and worried little girl. “Lia’s already heading over, so can you please take Phi back to the Greyrat’s house?” His voice was firm. He didn’t want his little girl to see a dead man today. 

“I can do that…” With her answer, Laws uncupped Sylphie’s ears. She looked at the two adults with a questioning gaze. 

“Dad, what’s happening?” 

“Nothing that concerns you, Phi… I was hoping you could stay with the Greyrats for the day. You can play with Rudeus while I’m out in the village.” He gave a forced smile. Sylphie was most certainly not buying her father’s statement but nodded anyway. 

“Miss Roxy, please take Caravaggio back to the house. I’m sure Paul and I will be stopping by later.” Roxy nodded and, with a reassuring smile to his daughter, Laws ran down the hill and back toward Buena. 

“You worried, Sylphie?” The girl clutched her wand tightly, watching her father’s back grow smaller as he ran off. 

“A little—I just have a feeling that something terrible is gonna happen.” Roxy could understand why she’d think that, but it wouldn’t do her any good to worry.

“Just let the adults handle it—” She rubbed Sylphie’s head with her free hand. “You kids shouldn’t have to worry about something the adults will take care of.” 

What would Rudy do in this scenario…? Who am I kidding? He’s just a child… With that thought in mind, Roxy mounted Caravaggio and hoisted Sylphie onto the horse’s back. Without any delay, they headed toward the Greyrat residence.

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Ten: Buena Village's Resident Knight Paul Greyrat and When the Scheming God Strikes

When Paul arrived in the area Laws had told him about, the first thing that struck the knight was the crowd he saw. Buena wasn’t that big, so he could tell at first glance that most villagers were there, which meant that this area was very much the exact place he was supposed to be. The villagers lined up on the path Paul had just ridden on that morning. “Okay, everyone, clear a path!” With zero complaints, a way through the entourage of people was formed, and past them laid the body of a man Paul knew. Blood had pooled beneath him and was soaked into the snow, coloring it red. He was face down. His sword was still in its sheath. It wasn’t Paul’s first time seeing a body, and it wouldn’t be his last time either, but when it was someone he knew—when it was a kind man like Smith…

It was a sad occasion, but he had a job to do. He wouldn’t let his emotions get in the way. “Did anyone see anything suspicious?!” No one spoke. “Anyone that doesn’t live here or was acting off?” Still, no one dared to answer. He couldn’t expect much from them. Laws had already run off to find Roxy and little Sylphie, so he couldn’t rely on him now. It was up to Paul to find something.

However, it would make his job a hell of a lot easier if someone had any information. “Who found him? Was there any commotion whatsoever?” 

“There wasn’t anything like a commotion, Lord Paul.” Mrs. Peters was the person to speak up. “My Samantha was the one who found him—I didn’t know what happened until she came home crying.” Well, that was certainly something to go off of.

No commotion. So I can safely rule out a Water God practitioner, then. They’re not the kind to attack first. That leaves Sword God or North God. Were there any tracks around the area? A quick survey around him, and he could tell right away that there was no plausible way he could tell apart the tracks that littered the ground at this point. Well, that’s a dead end. Paul crouched beside Smith’s body. There were no signs of struggle from what he could see. If Smith wasn’t in a puddle of his own blood, it would look like he fell over and croaked for no reason, but that wasn’t the case. No, there was only one distinct wound on his body. 

A singular stab wound in his torso. 

Right through the heart…? Paul turned Smith over; his eyes were glazed over, but his face was calm. He probably didn’t even know what happened. This is no Sword God swordsman. The wound is too clean—precise. The person who did this is no honorable fighter. Nah, this is the work of an assassin—a North God swordsman. Not just any random swordsman, either. Whoever did this was good. They weren’t worried about leaving tracks behind because they knew I was already gone, and no one else would’ve cared enough to leave the crime scene unperturbed. They knew the villagers would panic because of the death… Shit, this isn’t good. Paul stood up from the body. “Everyone get back in your houses for the time being! Whoever did this targeted Smith because he was alone! Make sure to stick together!” The knight waved his hand like a commander, but his troops seemed unwilling to move.

Some of them fidgeted, others were displeased, but what they thought of the situation mattered little. It took a while, but Paul managed to get everyone to their houses. No one was left behind or alone. Paul couldn’t afford to be careless again. “Paul!” It wasn’t hard to figure out who called his name, considering everyone in the village was now safely nestled in their houses. 

Laws was running towards him. “Laws?! What’re you doing here?! Shouldn’t you be with your family?!” Paul was a little surprised when the self-proclaimed family man Laws ran up to him while the village was in a fiasco like this. He’d half expected him to return to his house with his wife and daughter.

“I already brought Lia to your house!” Okay, then Paul could imagine where little Sylphie is at. “I had Roxy escort Phi back to your home, too, so she’s safe.” Laws stopped a short distance infront of the man, almost as if he was waiting for orders. 

“That’s good to hear.” Paul saw the elf’s eyes dart to the ground behind him. Paul heaved a sigh as he continued. “From what I’ve deduced, Mister Smith was most likely attacked by a North God swordsman.” Paul’s eyes shifted to Smith’s body as well.  “A good one at that…” Paul could tell Laws was affected by this death more than he let on. Paul knew Laws was relatively close with the man. “Can’t tell you why he was targeted. Right now, I think it’s because he was alone… If only I just walked him home or something.” Paul grimaced at himself.

“None of this is your fault, Paul! This is—because he was doing his rounds of the village… this happened because he was just trying to help us?” Laws was downtrodden, that Paul could tell. He probably blamed himself in some capacity, even though none of the blame lay with him. “How’s his family? How are Carmilla and James doing?” 

“Haven’t seen them today—I’m sure they know already. They’re probably in their house…” Paul didn’t add the fact that they were most likely grieving. That was a given. “Whoever did this is good enough to pull off an assassination in plain daylight and not make any commotion. We’ve got to report to Roa and fast.” Paul motioned with his hand for Laws to follow as he started walking.

Paul could hear him stumble slightly as he followed behind him. “Paul, who do you think did it? Like—if you got into a fight, you’d be able to beat them, right?” 

“If they could slip under my nose like they did, I’d expect nothing less than a North Saint.” Laws’ breath hitched at his statement. “Anyways, we’ve really gotta hurry. We’ll get everything sorted out back at the house, then leave.” Laws nodded when Paul looked back at the man. Laws had never been in a state of affairs like this. As a veteran adventurer, it was only fitting that Paul took the lead in this situation. As Buena’s only knight, it was his duty to the villagers to protect this village.

Still, I wonder what Rudy would do in this situation—now, who am I kidding…? He’s just a kid.

When they arrived home, Paul was welcomed with the expected sight. Lilia was off in a corner, and Cecilia talked to Zenith while they sat at the table. They both looked to have worried faces. From what the knight could see, Roxy, Sylphiette, and Rudy sat close together as Roxy taught Sylphiette more math. At least, that’s what Paul thought they were doing. When the door opened, everyone looked toward the two men. Laws’ daughter, who’d most likely been filled in, quickly ran to her father. While Rudeus sat on a chair, seemingly uninterested in the whole event. 

“Father, is everything alright now?” Laws gave a bitter smile in response.

“Not yet, Phi. Paul and I will figure things out and take care of it.” She gave a pout from the nonanswer. 

“Honey, how is it out there?” Zenith had moved toward her husband. 

“Not as bad as it could be. That’s for sure.” Ideally, you didn’t want the current events by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn’t a lie when Paul said it could be worse. “Laws and I will be heading out to Roa. This doesn’t seem like something I can handle all by myself, so I’ll be back with reinforcements.”

A chair was scrapped against the floor as it moved. “Dad, do you really think that’s a smart decision?” It was Rudeus.

"What do you mean smart decision? There’s someone out there killing people, Rudy.” This was odd. Rudeus wasn’t one to speak up—especially to his father. Especially nowadays. Paul would’ve expected something like a quip from him, but this?

“You’d be leaving the village undefended, Father—if there really is a North Saint running amock, wouldn’t it be better for you to just guide Mister Laws out of Buena?” Paul was taken aback by the mention of the swordsman.

I never mentioned the guy’s rank. Did he just figure they'd have to be skilled if someone could do something like this?

Paul didn’t answer him. He was right, even if he didn’t want to admit it. Why hadn’t he thought of something so simple? Was Smith’s death getting to him more than he thought? “Just think about it—a random villager is suddenly killed for seemingly no reason by someone of notable skill. The question is, why? What’s their motive?” Rudeus was dancing around the topic. 

He was beginning to get on Paul’s nerves. He could play detective all he wanted, but this issue had to be solved. “What are you getting at, Rudy?” 

“I’m trying to say they obviously want you out of the village.” What, he thinks they’re trying to lure him out? “You’re the village’s defense at the end of the day. Sure, Master is a water saint-tier magician and all, but that means little against a skilled swordsman, especially one as tricky as a North God practitioner. You leaving the village would be the worst-case scenario for all of us.”

“So what do you want me to do? Just lead Laws out of the village and let him leave alone—undefended?” Sure, the man has connections in Roa from his trade. Paul’s cousin Phillip has even met him at one point, but the roads between Buena and Roa aren’t always safe. Well, not like Rudy would know. He’s never even left the village.

“You know what, I think he’s onto something.” Laws thoughtfully rubbed his chin.

“Not you too, Laws!” Paul’s son was a sweet talker, but wasn’t Paul more justified in his actions? He’d protect him as he left, and they’d ensure reinforcements. Wasn’t that the right way?

“I think Rudy’s judgment is fairly sound, Mister Paul.” The blue-haired girl was the one to stand up for him this time. “If this assassin is a saint, I couldn’t do much against them in a fight. Your leaving would be like letting the wolf dine on a herd at leisure. God knows where the man in question is even hiding right now.” Now Roxy was taking his side as well. It made sense. Even though he had graduated, he still had a deep connection to the woman.

Next, he’d expect even his wife to— ”I think you should follow their advice, dear.” Does Paul have zero like-minded individuals here? Well, I guess that’s a good thing. You wouldn’t want everyone thinking with their dicks half the time.

There was zero use in arguing. The sun would be setting soon, and it would be best if they used the darkness of night as cover for their exit. “Haah—fine.” All Paul could do was just sigh. “That good enough for you to stop complaining, Rudy?” The boy gave his father a slight smile.

“It’s good enough for me, Father.” 

Why do I keep losing arguments with a child?

It was dark—very dark. If he didn’t hear Caravaggio crunching the snow beneath his hoves, Paul wouldn’t even know Laws was beside him. They left during the night to cover their—Laws’ exit. It started snowing before they left, so the clouds were thick in the sky. The only time Paul could see was when they parted briefly. “How long do ya think, Laws?” Paul was the one to ask the question because the elf knew this path better than he did.

“Another couple or so. We’re in the wooded area now, nearing the clearing.” He kept his talking brief and quiet. They shouldn’t be that loud in a situation like this. Laws is a hunter, so he knows how to be quiet. Now, it just so happened that they were the prey. 

“Okay. Remember to head to Roa as fast as possible when you get out. No stopping under any circumstance. You do that, and even I can promise you that you will return to a village without dead men, women, or children.” Even when Paul whispered, his voice was still quite loud.

“Yeah, yeah. I trust you, Paul. It’s not like I could leave you all alone back here.” The clouds parted, and the moon shone through the cracks, illuminating the immediate area. “I’ll try to make it back as quick as I can—” Paul saw it—black shades moving in the darkness, only briefly visible by the moon's light.

“Laws! Get down!” A black figure moved from the side of the road. Whoever it was, they were moving fast and coming right towards them.

“What's the matter, Paul—” Laws had fear in his eyes from Paul’s sudden shouting, but the knight couldn’t pay his friend any mind. Paul couldn’t even react in time before the figure, which he was sure was one person, split into two. In a spur of the moment, Paul pulled Laws off Caravaggio, but he was a moment too late. 

“Aghh!” A blade’s gleam passed them, and Paul saw an arm fly. The two figures darted toward him, and their swords rushed toward Paul’s neck. Luckily for him, he had a fast draw. 

Metal clashed against metal, and sparks flew. Paul could tell immediately that the strength of one individual wasn’t too much for him to handle. Still, both of them at once had enough power to send him flying backward, even with the added weight of carrying Laws in his off-hand. Paul couldn’t even see what they looked like during that brief kiss with death. All he could make out from the brief interaction and the light from the sparks was their black armor and—rabbit ears? Mildetts? Who the hell are these guys?! Paul landed a distance away from where they initially were.

Caravaggio neighed and sprinted off after the sound of the blades hitting each other rang out. “P-Paul? M-my a-arm is!” Laws’ breath hitched as he started to hyperventilate. He gripped where his lost appendage once was. His eyes were wide in fear and panic as the only thing he was met with was a stump and a profusely bleeding hole. Needless to say, he didn’t have long before he bled out. This meant Paul had no time to be dilly-dallying with these two any longer than he had to.

“Try to get it together, Laws—” Before Paul could finish speaking, Laws went slack in his arm and made zero sound after the fact. He glanced at where the wound was and his now unconscious state. Fuck! He passed out from shock…  There wasn’t anywhere Paul could run, and there was no way he could just leave Laws out to hang. There was no other choice but to fight.

“We take it you’re Sir Paul?” The two of them spoke in unison with each other. Without looking away from the two, Paul tore a part of Laws’ shirt off and tied it in a hastily done tourniquet.

“Yeah, what of it?! You guys have some nerve coming out of nowhere like that!” He needed to gauge them quickly and finish this soon if Laws had any hope of living.

They nodded their heads in sync as they each held up their blades. “We’re one of the Three Swords of the North God! We are the North King Nuckelgard, the ‘Twin Swords’, and we are here for your life!” 

North King?! Those were words that Paul could understand. Those two words were significant. Paul had heard about the Three Swords a little in the passing years, but to come face to face with one? I haven’t heard of one of them being a unit of two, though. That hardly mattered right now. 

“Paul Greyrat advanced in all three sword styles—I’ll cut the formalities there! Looks like I’ll be killing you two today!” Paul knew in a head-on fight, he was going to lose. Hell, he was probably going to wind up dead here anyway. He couldn’t take on a North King by himself as he is now, but that doesn’t mean he could back out, either. There was a man who trusted him, and he had to protect him. Paul had a family he needed to keep safe.

He had to be the first to act. 

He rushed forward. Neither of the men moved, but Paul could tell they were watching him. Paul wasn’t fast enough for Nuckelgard to be unable to keep up with his movements. If only he could use the ‘Longsword of Light’ like Ghislaine. He couldn’t, however, so he had to make do with his ‘Longsword of Silence’ for this fight. 

He could win if he could land one solid hit on either of them.

He put weight onto his leading foot and dashed forward. His sword went flying as he slashed horizontally. All that followed was complete and utter silence as it soared through the air. His sword was met with resistance. However, instead of cutting one of the Mildett’s in half, the one Paul had intended to cut in two used both hands to block his blade with his while the other slipped past the knight. The next moment, Paul felt a searing pain in his right calf. In a frenzy, Paul flailed, and they both darted away. 

This isn’t good. They’re used to fighting together—I can’t dive in like that. I have to take this slower. He watched the two disappear along with the light as the clouds covered the moon. Paul quickly took a Water God stance. They were using the color of their armor to their advantage. He should’ve expected nothing less from a North God practitioner. 

Paul heard movement. It was quick. Then a twig snapped infront of him, and snow crunched behind him. Both directions?! Shit, they’re going for a pincer! The clouds parted briefly, and he could see them both for a split second. They were both closing in rapidly. Their swords were brandished, and they were ready to split him in two in a moment, but they couldn’t even compare to Ghislaine’s speed when she was serious. Sure, they were quick on their feet, but Paul could manage this much, at least. With a simple ‘Flow’ , he parried the man infront of him, and with the technique’s motion, he moved beside him, and as one of Nuckel’s—or Gard’s—hands were flung into the air. Slash the bastard, Paul! He stomped down and put all the strength in his arms as his sword slashed downwards.

Yet again, another strike stopped his blade, throwing Paul’s sword to the side—missing his target entirely. A dull pain ran up his leg as he stumbled to the ground. The bastard behind me didn’t go for a blow? It all happened in a split moment. The swordsman behind him sidestepped to stay in his blind spot, struck Paul’s sword with his, and kicked his wound. A moment later, a searing pain roared across Paul’s back. The distinct feeling was one he knew too well. He could tell from the pain alone that a large gouge had been made along the length of his back. He was careless. He was taking this too fast.

The blade he had parried was coming back down by this point. Ready to cut the knight in two. You have to move, Paul! You haven’t trained all these to go out like this—you gotta move! He braced and ducked underneath the blade the instant it would’ve made contact. Both of the assassins were shocked. At that moment, Paul used that brief window to his advantage as he threw his sword at the one infront of him, planting his hands on the ground and pushing off it with all the strength his arms had to offer. When he bounded off the snow-covered earth, he felt the satisfying collision of his left foot with a solid surface. Then he heard a yelp, and with a glance, he saw a rather nasty wound in the eye of the man infront of him, Paul’s sword quickly being thrown away by the now injured man. With a motion of his legs, he kicked off the other and landed a little ways away. 

The fact they were pissed was clear as day. I managed to partially blind one, but all I gave the other one was a relatively strong kick. This sucks… Whenever I go for a strike, the other just backs them up! It didn’t help the fact that it was a two-on-one. Paul could tell quickly that the two weren’t anything too special, but together, they were a whole other mess. Can I even get out of this? Caravaggio ran off at the beginning of the engagement, and now Paul just threw the only weapon he had on himself. Wait, Laws has a sword on him! If I can just—

The world shifted in his head when he tried moving. Was he falling over? Did he lose too much blood? No, there was no way. He had only been cut twice, and while bad, sure, it wasn’t nearly enough to do him in. Did these bastards poison their swords, then? Yeah, that had to be it. Damn, I hate North God swordsman... His vision was getting darker as he fell.  I’m sorry that I’m a shitty husband, Zenith. I’m sorry about what I did to you, Lilia.

He saw the two men conversing with each other momentarily before they started to walk closer. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you, Rudy… I’m sorry that your father is such a shitty dad.” His consciousness ceased, and blackness encroached upon his mind.

Paul guessed dying to a North King wasn’t the worst way to go.

This job was proving to be exceptionally easy. 

Go to Buena Village, a place in the sticks of the Fittoa Region, and murder a family and their magical tutor. It was a job far below their pay grade, but they wouldn’t complain. If anything, this just meant easy money for the pair. So when they arrived, they caused a little bit of a stir in the village by killing a man. He didn’t even know what happened, but the result of it was precisely what Nuckelgard wanted. 

Paul Greyrat was leaving the village and was separating himself from the mage. Now, it was just a matter of killing the man and returning to finish the rest of the family. To be fair, Nuckelgard had expected about as much, but they thought the knight would at least be some kind of a challenge. His fighting was tricky and robust, but that was about it. They had the advantage—an advantage they had planned to use the entire time. Wearing black armor, they attacked the knight and his friend at night. From there, the whole operation went without a hitch.

The elf was bleeding to death, and the knight passed out. Apparently, they gave the man too much credit. They hadn’t even poisoned their swords, yet he passed out readily after only two wounds. They figured he must’ve been scared of blood or something.

“Fuck, that hurt.” Gard held his hand to the eye that had been stabbed.

“We’ll get you healed later, so stop bein’ a pussy.” Nuckel offered little compassion for his brother. They had been through this song and dance before, so this was nothing new. You couldn’t expect to go into a fight with a swordsman of notable skill and expect to get away totally unscathed. 

“Still, why does a swordsman like him just pass out like that?” They were slowly walking over to the unconscious man to finish the job.

“The hell should I know? Maybe he just got scared midway through or something—” Nuckel stopped speaking as a chill went down his spine. 

They both readied into their stances momentarily as they heard the approaching footsteps. The brothers weren’t ones to get snuck up on, but even they felt that something was wrong in the air. So, to them, something was very wrong.

“I think you’ve done enough, Father.” A boy’s voice called out, and a moment later, a child walked out of the tree line as the two black armored rabbit-eared swordsmen looked at him. 

The two glanced at each other in unease. Didn’t this kid know that there was an assassination taking place here? “Who the hell are ya, kid?!” Gard spoke up for the two. It didn’t matter what his answer was. He was going to be dead in a moment anyway.

“Oh, sorry, where are my manners? I’m Rudeus Greyrat. A pleasure to meet you,” The boy gave a stupid bow as he announced his name.

The two brothers looked at each other and thought one thing. Awfully convenient, ain’t it? They didn’t even hesitate in their following action. “Haah, well, a pleasure to meet you, boy,” Nuckel spoke, and in the instance he did, Gard threw his sword at the boy with an almost blinding speed. 

Their mouths spread into broad grins as they thought about the easy paycheck they would get after this… 

“Hate to tell ya—” The boy didn’t look disturbed at the sword spiraling toward him. Something about this kid wasn’t right to Nuckelgard, but he wasn’t moving. He’d die as soon as that sword cleaved him in two. They knew that. No matter what he did, nothing was going to save him now.

But the splatter of blood and the death of a young boy never came. 

As soon as the sword would surely gouge into his tiny body, it harmlessly bounced off the air a few inches infront of him. Almost as if the sword couldn’t reach him. Nuckelgard watched the boy smirk in amusement.  “It looks like you’re gonna need a sharper sword.” A moment later, panic spread through Gard. He knew how hard he had thrown that sword, and he’d seen what it could do. The boy seemingly deflected a blade capable of going through a boulder as if it were nothing. Nuckel noticed his brother’s panic and acted before anything else could happen, but neither was fast enough—Rudeus moved before either of them.

The boy raised his hand in a relaxed manner. “Anyways… ‘Crush’ . ” His hand lowered, and the two men sank to their knees as an invisible weight pressured their bodies down to the ground.

“What the fuck?!” Gard spoke as he strained against the weight pulling him down. His brother Nuckel fared no better as his entire body lay flat. Fear ripped through the swordsmen, but Gard still had a foot planted firmly to the ground. If he used his aura, he could—

“Language man… You’re infront of a kid, y’know.” Nuckel watched as the child infront of them lowered his hand even further, and almost like puppets on strings, they followed. Even more weight was applied to their bodies. Nuckel could feel the air in his lungs leave him as it happened, as his entire body groaned against the pressure. 

Gard hadn’t assumed anything worse would happen, but when it did, his leg, which had once been firmly rooted to the ground, snapped with a disgusting sound as it bent in a way no limb should. 

Nuckel had to listen as his brother screamed in absolute agony as the bone only further bent from the weight applied to it. 

Nuckelgard watched as the boy left them and went over to the elf. “What the hell are you?!” His scream went unanswered as he watched the child— demon proceed to mutter words under his breath. Nuckelgard knew little of the magical arts besides the fact they could heal wounds and were awfully useful. They did know of one thing, however. Only king-ranked spells and above can regrow a limb from nothing.

So you can imagine their surprise—or rather horror when the elf’s severed arm, which had only been a couple of yards away, was simply discarded from thought as the boy regrew the man’s arm from nothing and healed him entirely. 

A feeling rampaged through the two of them. A sense of dread and hopelessness enveloped them as they continued to be crushed under the impossible weight on top of them. Bones broke like twigs, organs ruptured from the weight, and the men even pissed themselves after they lost control of their bladder. They could do absolutely nothing.

“People tend to call me a lot of things. Magic God. Mage King. Quagmire, whatever you lot like.” The smile on his face unnerved both men as they lay infront of the child. All the attempted struggle became useless as they had already exhausted themselves. Their aura was useless. They were sitting ducks waiting to be killed.

“How the hell are you doing this?!” Gard screamed out in a pained and exasperated voice. The speaking only resulted in him having to force himself to take deep breaths. 

“Haven’t you realized already, or are the both of you only semi-intelligent when you put your brains together as well?” Gard felt anger rise up as he spit infront of himself. A sign of disrespect. If they were going to die here, the least they could do was curse the demon of a child infront of them.

However, the boy didn’t care as he moved toward them and pulled Gard’s head up to face him. “I’ll indulge you, I guess—you’re being crushed by gravity magic right now. If you’re wondering why I can hold it without a care, you can blame that on my mana capacity… The answer is even simpler if you wonder what I used to block your blade earlier.” Rudeus let go of his head, and it slammed back down into the ground, the force of gravity resuming. His nose broke on impact, leaving the man writhing in pain again. “I just wrapped some wind magic around my body.” The boy didn’t seem to care anymore, but even then, he held an air that let Nuckelgard know they weren’t leaving here alive.

“Now, what should I do with you two anyway? I mean, I don’t like killing people.” The boy’s face held a seeming remorse as the two looked up at him. 

“If you kill us, it’ll only mean more trouble for you, kid. Our employer ain’t one to mess with!” Nuckel spoke in a frantic tone. They didn’t want to die here. It was supposed to be a simple job. They were never warned of this.

“I already know that you’re employed by Darius… Is there anything interesting you’d like to inform me about?” They immediately stomped out any hope they had of escape. “Still, I don’t want to kill you guys.”

Another glimmer of hope presented itself to Nuckelgard. “But I have no choice.” Without even so much as an exaggerated movement, Gard’s head fell off his shoulders. It rolled for a while, and Nuckel saw it all happen.

His brother was dead. He was next. The only thing left in Nuckel’s heart was hatred for the thing infront of him. A being entirely out of reason and one that shouldn’t exist. His brother and he never stood a chance. They were going to die as soon as they stepped foot into this village, and that was because of the demon wearing a child’s skin infront of him.

“If you see the Man-God on your way out, tell him one thing for me—he should leave the Greyrat family well enough alone.” His tone was cold and uncaring. His eyes reflected not an optimistic youth but instead a seasoned veteran.

“You’re a demon spawn.” Nuckel’s words seethed with venom, but they didn’t matter. 

His head, too, fell.

Paul woke and found himself next to a warm place. He was alive—as idiotic as that sounds, it was still a relief. He was breathing and still warm, which meant he was alive. Even if he got thrashed thoroughly by that North King, he was left alive and—wait… Why was he alive? Why was he not in pain? 

He looked down at his calf, which undoubtedly had a hole stabbed through it during the fight. Instead of finding a gaping wound that would hurt like hell, he found smooth skin. The hole in his pant leg was still there, but there were no noticeable injuries. The wound's blood was also there, but no damage was present. Paul stretched to feel his back, and lo and behold, that wound was also gone. Had Roxy heard the commotion and healed me before I bled out? No, she wouldn’t leave me out here. She would’ve dragged me back to the house… Paul was forgetting something important. Where’s Laws?!  He jumped up. Luckily, no pain followed from his quick movement. Whoever healed him was good. Even he could tell that. 

Finding the half-elf was no challenging feat, however. Paul was laid down beside the path. Laws was also conveniently laid down on the other side of the fire he had been next to. Paul was floored when he saw the arm reduced to a stump, now comfortably fitted back to its original state. Paul walked over to him and shook him. Laws looked pale, probably from the blood loss. 

Paul didn’t know how long they were out in this snow before they were found, but after a glimpse of the moon, Paul deduced it couldn’t have been long after he passed out. Laws stirred, his eyes opened, and he jutted abruptly as he shouted. “Paul?! What the hell—” He quickly raced his hand where his arm was. His eyes went wide. He was probably happy that it was still there—or, well, back in this case. “What…?” He looked to Paul with utter befuddlement. His voice sounded exasperated and tired. “What happened?” 

“That’s what I’m asking myself, bud.” Paul patted his shoulder. He doubted it would comfort him any. “The guys that attacked us told me they were Nuckelgard. They were North Kings, probably because they were a single unit. I bet they were North Saints or something by themselves, but well—yeah.” He drifted off as he thought. Why are we still alive?

“Well, where did they—” His nose twitched as he abruptly paused. “Do you smell that?” He was a hunter, and from what Paul knew, he had a good nose, but that still didn’t mean the knight knew what he was talking about.

“What’s the deal, Laws? You’re acting weird—”

“Over there, I smell blood—a lot of it.” The man was eerily still as he pointed back onto the path. 

“Laws, me and you are covered in blood right now. I’m pretty sure you’re just acting up because of the shock or something—” Paul spoke but followed his finger nonetheless, and wouldn’t you believe it. On the path, there were two bodies. The people in question were stout but obviously had bodies of swordsmen. Specifically, they were the people Paul had recently engaged in a life-or-death battle with. However, now they lay in the middle of the road, seemingly crushed. 

It was bizarre. When Paul went under, they were both fine, but now they’re more than dead. They were crushed and flattened. It wasn’t even the worst part. Their heads were gone. Blood was still pooling from their bodies, so Paul knew this hadn’t happened that long ago. He had seen his fair share of executions when he was a kid. They weren’t the rarest thing to see in Ars, but this took it to the next level. 

“Paul, was this…?” 

“No, it wasn’t me—I lost consciousness during our fight.” There wasn’t a sensible conclusion to what happened here. Paul fought the men and couldn’t even imagine anyone in the area coming close to being capable of doing this. Their bodies were practically caved in. They were sunk into the ground beneath them, and even from where they were standing, he could tell a sizable amount of their bones seemed broken. Then there was their heads—lack of heads. The wound was clean. It was done by a blade, but from Paul’s perspective, it must’ve been one hell of a sword that could make a cut that clean. It just didn’t add up for some reason to the knight.

To give the broad strokes of the scenario, none of it made any sense. Paul and Laws were alive, though, and those men were more certainly the same men that killed Mister Smith. So the killer Paul had been worried about was now dead. Even with that becoming clear, it still felt like they weren’t safe if a North King could be so thoroughly violated as these two had been.

“Let’s just go back, Laws.” Paul was tired. He wanted to see his wife. They could even get down to business once he got back. Elinalise always said it was good to have sex after being put through a near-death experience. Huh, wonder how that harlot’s doing nowadays? No doubt she’s still praying on unsuspecting men along the countryside. He hadn’t thought about the woman in a while or any of my old party members for years, for that matter. I hope they’re all doing well… Did seeing the light flash before my eyes make me turn over a new leaf or something? 

“Sure—I could use a good night’s sleep after today.” Laws seemed drained. He did lose a lot of blood. 

“Ah, shit! I almost forgot about Caravaggio!” Paul shouted out and was about to go running when his friend placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Paul—he’s right there.” He motioned to a nearby tree. The horse was hitched to it, not even so much as making a sound. 

A moment of silence passed between the two. Then they both laughed. “Thank god. What would I ever do if I lost you—Laws—” The atmosphere was ruined when Paul saw something beside his horse that surprised him. Seeing it wasn’t even that shocking, but it nonetheless confused him.

“What is it now, Paul?” He sounded a little irate, probably because Paul was taking up more travel time by talking.

“Is that your arm?” He pointed for Laws to look. 

“What do you mean? It’s on my body—it couldn’t be—” He also saw it. It had all but frozen, and at this point, it had stopped bleeding. Its appearance was something that shocked both of them. “Okay, should we be scared now?” That line would usually be seen as playful, but with everything they went through, Paul could only see it as the man pointing out the truth.

Paul was able to put some information together now. For some unknown reason, a king-tier healing mage wandered through these woods in the middle of the night without any light to go by and decided to heal two random strangers. At the same time, an unknown assailant beat the ever-living shit out of a North King nearby. 

Nothing about this scenario was normal or understandable. There was no way something so specific could’ve happened. No way in hell.

“Let’s just leave—I don’t wanna think about it anymore.” Laws didn’t respond to Paul's words; he just gave the man a curt nod. They both mounted Caravaggio and rode out of the woods after that. Their battered clothes were the only testament to what they had been through from that night. 

“Hey, Laws?” Paul spoke aloud to the man behind him as they quietly rode Caravaggio back to the knight’s home. 

“Yeah, Paul?” 

“I’m gonna get stronger.” Paul was making a statement. His saying it here allowed him to have at least one man hold him accountable for tonight. He wanted someone to bear witness to his promise.

“I think I might join you in that…” Paul didn’t respond to him. If he wanted to train with him, then it was plenty fine. Rudeus, while being intermediate in Water God, couldn’t harm Paul with sword skills alone. He was still a growing kid, after all. On the contrary, having a full-grown man potentially beat him up would be better for Paul’s growth.

“Then let’s get stronger together.” Paul’s held his voice firm. “After all, we can’t let our children show us up every step of the way, right?” Paul didn’t know why he felt happy after everything that happened. Maybe looking on the bright side was better when the going got rough. 

“I totally get where you’re coming from, Paul.” Laws’ dejected sigh told the man all he needed to know.

They left that night behind them and went on with their lives. They would never be the same again, but both Paul and Laws found some form of determination to better themselves after that incident. Paul wanted to be stronger. 

Paul wanted to be a dad worthy of calling Rudeus his son.

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Eleven: The Happenings in Buena Village and Dinner at the Greyrat's

>Sylphiette<

Reliable, strong, caring, determined, and yet somehow still humble. I’d contribute those traits to the boy I know as Rudeus Greyrat. Whenever he saw someone in need, he’d always go out of his way to help them. He wasn’t overbearing with his attitude and never flashed his strength for no reason. Whenever I fell and accidentally hurt myself, he’d heal me. He never stopped working to better himself after he graduated from Roxy’s teachings. He’s never stopped improving himself but never gloats or talks himself up in any scenario.

On the contrary, Rudeus Greyrat downplayed himself far too much. He could do the things I worked hard to achieve with little effort. I wouldn’t be lying to say he had so much more potential than me, a random village girl unfortunate enough to be born with green hair, but even then. He still treated me the same as he would anyone else. 

That’s how I knew he was strong. That’s why I knew Rudy was born into this world for better things. This was the boy I had come to know. The one I’d seen as my ideal for almost two years. 

The winter of the assassination flew by, and then another winter passed us by just as quickly. Thankfully, that one had been much more peaceful. Beuna had grown quiet over the past year, and the mourning of the death of Mister Smith had subsided for the most part. No one would forget him, but for the sake of everyone, they had to move on. They had to go on and live their lives. It was just like this that over a year passed in the village.

Rudy had turned five, and festivities in the Greyrat home had ensued. Nothing particularly extraordinary had happened. He was gifted a real sword from his father and a long-winded speech about being a man. Then Lady Zenith gave him a book on plants. They were ordinary gifts, but they meant a lot to the boy. I couldn’t consider myself his friend if I didn’t see that much.

I turned five only a short time later as well. My birthday wasn’t anything special. Honestly, I considered Miss Roxy and Rudy’s family attending enough of a gift as is. Rudy reprimanded me for that thought and told me I deserved everything I received. I don’t completely understand him even now. One moment, he’ll avoid me for no reason; the next, he’ll comfort me by saying something nice. Rudy was weird like that, but that wasn’t something I minded. I liked that part of him. He was dependable when it counted and was distant when I needed to figure things out for myself. 

Months had passed since then, and Rudy had turned six. I would be following in some time, but not for a while. While he was being trained by his father in sword styles, I was still being tutored by our master. Roxy always told me that I was learning quickly, but compared to Rudy, I knew I wasn’t as quick, but that was fine. As long as I kept working on everything I was learning, eventually, I could reach him. That was the practical viewpoint, anyway. If I could even reach him in the first place was another matter in its own right.

Even if I couldn’t, I wouldn’t mind. I’m sure I’d be upset, but I knew I couldn’t stay bitter forever. What I wanted was to be able to stand next to the boy, and I wasn’t going to stop until I could. No matter how long it took me.

“Ah! Laws, little Sylphie! Pleasure seeing ya this fine morning!” Lord Paul greeted my father and me with a warm smile as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He was standing infront of the Greyrat house. Standing beside him was Rudeus, who was also dripping with sweat. From what I could tell, he was steadily progressing in the sword, and from what Lord Paul had said, age was the only factor holding him back. Swordsmanship was only another thing that Rudy had me thoroughly beaten in, but considering I didn’t practice it myself, it didn’t mean much. Rudy was just naturally good at a lot of things.

“Good morning, Rudy!” I ran toward the boy as he cleaned the sweat off his face with a cloth that was placed nearby. 

“Moirnin’ Sylphie.” I noticed the heavy bags underneath his eyes as he looked toward me. I’d seen his slow change in demeanor and grogginess over the past few months but tried to pay it no mind. Roxy had stated that he was most likely just stressed from the happenings two years previous and, more importantly, his nightmares. Be that as it may, seeing him like this still didn’t make me feel any better. Our master didn’t prod him too much about it. It felt like she was giving him some space. I didn’t know why, but it wasn’t like their relationship had worsened, so I didn’t think about it much. 

“It looks like you haven’t been sleeping, Rudy.” I reached to touch his face, but he quickly pulled himself away.

“Ah, these?” He pointed towards his eyes. “I’ve just been studying a lot, is all. So I haven’t been sleeping quite right.” He had the disposition to panic slightly whenever he was lying. So I knew that was a lie as soon as he spoke. 

I pouted, “You should sleep during the night instead of staying awake, you know?” I learned from Roxy that setting people straight as quickly as possible was an excellent way to do these sorts of things, especially when they were doing something stupid.

Paul’s hand fell on Rudy’s head as he ruffled his hair. “You should listen to your little girlfriend, Rudy! Ahahaha!” 

“L-Lord Paul?!” 

“Dad, you know it’s nothing like that.” The boy diverted his gaze from us as he sighed and brushed off his father’s hand. Rudy’s father had been teasing me in increasing quantity as of late. Even Lady Zenith had been chipping in occasionally, but most of the time, she was the one who kept her husband in line. 

“I’d much prefer it if you didn’t tease my beloved daughter every chance you get, Paul.” My dad sounded irritated. 

It’s not like I mind it that much. 

“Yeah, yeah. It’s not like you can expect me to not take such low-hanging fruit when I see it.” Paul rubbed his chin as he smirked at Dad. “Still, it’s important to get enough sleep, Rudy. If you don’t do that, your awareness and spontaneity will drop, and you’ll just wind up dead from some random thug.” It felt like Lord Paul was talking from experience. I didn’t know if I should be worried or sympathetic.

Dad put his hand on my back and pushed me slightly. “Phi, isn’t Miss Roxy waiting for you? You shouldn’t keep her waiting.” He had a wooden sword in his hand. After the incident in the woods, our parents trained, often together. It wasn’t like my father was any match for Rudy’s, but it didn’t bother the knight. Both men had decided this around a year ago and didn’t intend to go back on it. They wanted to get stronger so what happened wouldn’t happen again. So, just like I was trying to catch up to Rudy, they were trying to protect their families. It was admirable, and I looked up to them for that.

Still, the two of them never did mention what had happened in those woods. Only that the assassin had attacked them and that he was dead by the time they returned. I don’t know if it was because of the situation, but no one asked questions. For the most part, Lord Paul took care of the cleanup, and that was that. The only mention I’d heard of it since was one time Master had mentioned it. Apparently, some magician had wandered through at some point during that night. 

Roxy's speaking felt like she knew something, but again, I didn’t want to pry. We all wanted to forget that night to some capacity.

“Y-Yeah—” My attention drifted back to Rudy. His eyes darted away from me when I looked at him. “Rudy, do you want to go and play later?” I pulled at his sleeve. The question I asked was one I believed I already knew the answer to.

“I don’t think today will be good, Sylphie. I wanted to do a few things—maybe another time?” He matched my stare as he sheepishly remarked, rubbing his head with his hand as he responded to my question. 

“I’m okay with that. As long as you promise.” I stuck my pinky finger out. Tying him down was better than letting him run off—at least, that’s what Lady Zenith told me to do.

He stuttered in place when he heard my request. “Uhh, sure—” He took my pinky and wrapped his around it. “Promise.” Well, that settled that. I know Rudy wasn’t one to break a promise.

Leaving them alone, I walked toward the house and opened the front door. When I got inside, Roxy was already waiting for me on the dining table. Lady Zenith was also sitting beside the demon girl, chatting away happily. She poked the girl’s cheek as she giggled softly. It didn’t look like Roxy was having that pleasant of a time being prodded by the lady of the house. Zenith’s blue eyes met mine as she gave me a quick smile. “You’re a little early today, aren’t you, Sylphie?” 

“Father wanted to come train since he doesn’t have a watch today.” Zenith mouthed her understanding to my words. She turned back to the demon girl and whispered into her ear. Roxy’s cheeks flushed, and then she retorted to the blonde-haired woman after stuttering for a second. 

“Anyways, Sylphie.” Master sighed as she looked away from the woman poking fun at her. “Today, you’ll be learning more melded magic.” Roxy looked at me for confirmation. When it was time for a lesson, Roxy would swap into her teacher mode, as I liked to refer to it. I’m positive the only reason I learned so much so quickly was because of how good of a teacher Roxy was. 

My writing and reading have gotten to the point where she’s told me there’s little need to improve, and my math skill is also perfectly serviceable. At this point, I could get a job at any location within Asura reasonably reliably. Not that anyone would want to hire me, though. Considering my hair color and all.

That’s beside the point. My magic had also improved, so I could cast almost all advanced-tier spells with little difficulty. Rudy says that seeing improvement felt really good, and I could tell what he meant by that now. However, he also said that a sense of accomplishment shouldn’t be met with compliance. It was essential to try new things to broaden what you could do. His advice hadn’t led me astray yet, so I readily followed it. 

Whenever I think about something, no matter what, it always goes back to Rudy…

“—Sylphie. Sylphie!” Thwack! Pain spread through my forehead after Roxy flicked it. “Are you in there?” The girl looked at me with a questioning gaze, her sleepy eyes never drifting far from my face. I guess I was spacing out a little.

“You worried about Rudy, dear?” Zenith chimed in as I rubbed my forehead. I was pretty obvious with my thoughts. I would even sometimes let them spill out while I was thinking at certain moments. I really didn’t want a repeat of last time. The embarrassment lasted a whole month. 

“Just a little is all. He looks exhausted nowadays. He’s already practicing swordplay frequently, but then he goes right on with studying and practicing magic.” The pain in my forehead died as I looked at the table infront of me. “It’s like he thinks we’ll all disappear if he doesn’t—I just don’t get it.”

Zenith nodded slowly, along with my talking. “I think you’re right to be worried. I mean, even if I’m his mother, I can barely ever tell what he’s thinking, but at the very least, I know he’s doing something he wants to, but if it gets to the point where I have to intervene, I’ll do it in a heartbeat, okay Sylphie?” Zenith smiled widely at me, rubbing my head as she did so. I liked Rudy’s mother. She was kind and caring. It’s not like my mother wasn’t like that. In some weird way, it was somewhat different when someone who wasn’t obligated to be nice was kind just because they could be. 

“The young master is undoubtedly more determined than Master Paul was at his age, so I don’t see much concern to be had,” Lilia said from the corner of the room. She had been slowly preparing dinner and minding her business, but the implication of Rudeus’s current behavior apparently got her attention. 

Judging from Roxy’s face, she didn’t seem to agree with their perspective, but she stayed quiet. “Anyways, Sylphie, do you understand the concept I was trying to explain.” She looked back into the book before us. What was she talking about again? Oh, right, melded magic.

“I’m not going to lie, Master. Rudy may have already taught me about most of this.” It wasn’t even a lie. Whenever Rudeus and I played together, he’d always tell me more about magic and how it worked. 

I’d ask him how water turned into steam, and he’d respond, “You know how when you boil water, it evaporates because it gets too hot? It works the same way with magic.” He always seemed to have an answer to any of my questions, and he also always seemed to dumb them down enough for me to understand. I knew Rudy was brilliant, but it just put into perspective how much more I needed to learn.

"Haah—is that kid trying to take my job now, too…? Well, at least I’m not paid for this." Roxy listlessly stared into the wall infront of her as she spoke. Learning that her previous student was teaching her current student sort of took the wind out of her sails a little, it seemed. She looked back towards me. “So you’re still preoccupied with Rudy, Sylphie?” I nodded. “You want to talk about it some more than?” Her sleepy eyes looked at me.

“I don’t think it’s all that important—what about your lecture?” I didn’t want to ruin her schedule because I was worried about someone. 

“You don’t have to worry about that, Sylphie.” She scratched her cheek. “I’m actually running out of material to teach you.” A soft chuckle escaped her throat. “Besides that fact, you’re troubled, so I‘d rather talk about that.”

“I’m fine, really. Don’t pay me any mind—” 

“We could never do that, Sylphie! You’re my Rudy’s friend, so it’s only right to listen to you!” Zenith clasped her hands around mine. They were soft but had a particular strength to them. 

Roxy placed her hands on my shoulders as she stood beside me. The look in her eyes and smug smile she had suggested she was scheming something. Needless to say, I didn’t like where this conversation was going. “Lady Zenith, I don’t have any previous experience, so can you gratefully give the little miss some advice on boys?” Oh, perfect! Now she was reeling in Lady Zenith into this. 

Zenith sported a scary smile on her face. It was a smile I’d learned to fear while I’d known the woman. “You want some advice, Sylphie?” She was scaring me a little—no, a lot.

“I’m fine, Lady Zenith.” I tried to stand up from the chair I was sitting on, but the older woman gently pulled me back down. How red was my face right now? 

“Now, now, no need to be shy~.” She added enunciation to her words as she scooted closer to me. “I know you and Rudy have been getting closer lately.” Why was I being questioned all of a sudden? 

I looked over to Roxy, but she proved to be of little help. She had a particularly evil grin on her face as well. Don’t just sit there! The woman I looked up to didn’t move a muscle as I stared at her with panicked eyes. Instead, she met my gaze with a smirk and a shrug of her shoulders. 

“Uh, Rudy’s been avoiding me more recently, actually.” My voice was shaky as I talked. I didn’t deal with high-stress situations, and I considered the mother of the boy I liked, prodding me with questions one of those. 

The excitement in the woman’s eyes seemed to die on the spot. “That boy, I swear.” She rubbed her temples in annoyance. “I’m sorry about him, Sylphie—he’s a little complicated.” Her face strained as she talked. “You know about the nightmares he’s had, yes?” I nodded. “As his mother, I beg you not to hate him for his attitude. I’ll be grateful enough if you try to bear with him.” An uneasy smile sat limply on her lips.

“I could never hate Rudy for something like that! I’m trying my best to get stronger—S-So I–uh… So I can stand next to Rudy. I want to be able to help him so that if he ever needs someone, I can be there for him.” Zenith’s face contorted into shock, then a look of what can only be described as pure joy. 

I couldn’t even react before I was swept up in her arms as she hoisted me into a hug. She practically crushed me into her embrace as she jumped up and down with me in her arms, squealing in what could only be described as joy. “L-Lady Zenith, ca-can’t breathe.” I struggled to push out the words. 

She stopped a moment later as she gave me a weak apology. “Sorry, you’re so cute that I couldn’t resist.” She grinned as her cheeks turned red. 

“Lady Zenith—” 

“Just call me mother, okay, Sylphie?” She had a lackadaisical look, as if what she had just said was the most natural thing. 

“What?! I-I can’t!” My accursed stuttering made a comeback as I stammered. The only thing that met my embarrassed facade was the woman laughing. 

“I feel like you’d make for a splendid daughter, Sylphie.” At this point, I’m convinced that the Greyrats are having a competition to see how embarrassed they could make me. The kind and caring person I knew as Zenith Greyrat was a scoundrel in her own right. Actually, it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that everyone in the Greyrat family was a scoundrel in their own right. 

“I’d have to agree with Miss Zenith for that statement.” Roxy chimed in as well.

Zenith gave an absent-minded look towards Roxy. “Actually, I’d feel like you’d fit in the role of daughter-in-law as well, Roxy.” The blonde woman dumbly stated, getting a little yelp from Roxy as a reply.

She pointed to herself in a befuddled fashion. “Me?! Why would you say that, Miss?!” It felt like Roxy wasn’t sure how to respond to the statement aimed at her. 

“I don’t know?” The woman scratched at her cheek. “My Rudy will probably end up chasing after plenty of skirts when he’s older… He takes after his father in plenty of ways, after all. So I’d be at peace knowing he ended chasing after you.” She looked back at me with a slightly worried look. “I wouldn’t worry about yourself too much, Sylphie. If he takes after his father in other ways, I feel it’ll take more than just one woman to handle him.” As she spoke, I could hear Lilia in the corner mutter something. 

But what did she mean by ‘handle’?

Zenith had a stone-like face after she spoke. Lady Zenith was a follower of Millis, and they practiced monogamy. I had more than once walked into the Greyrat home when Lord Paul was persistently seeking his wife. He was what my father called a womanizer, and when I asked the man himself, he admitted to that. It makes sense that Rudy would grow up to be like him. It was with that thought that the topic of the discussion finally dawned on me. Wait, are we talking about marriage?! 

“I’ll do my best to stay out of your way, Sylphie.” With a light blush, Roxy commented as she avoided eye contact with me. She was twiddling with her hair with a nervous look in her eyes.

Out of my way? What does she mean by that?! I was practically screaming in my head at this point. I like Roxy, and I knew Rudy liked her, too. “But I don’t see any issue with including Master.” I didn’t know what she meant by her statement, but I felt terrible about leaving her out of things. After everything she’s done for both of us, it felt wrong. What did she mean by staying out of my way anyway? All of us living in the same house seemed like it would be a lot of fun.

Zenith laughed again, and Roxy grew as red as the sun. “Okay! This conversation is getting way out of your age group now—how about we just get dinner ready?” Although it didn’t cover much, Roxy tried to hide her flustered face with her bangs to the best of their ability. 

“That sounds like a plan, daughter-in-law,” Zenith took a condescending tone as she spoke. A giddy smile spread across her cheeks.

“For the love of all that is holy, please stop saying that!” 

“Honestly, I don’t think it’ll be long before my Phi comes home saying she wants to marry Rudeus.” The two men walked through the door, and almost instantaneously, my father managed to get on my nerves.

“Dad!” I yelled, and he yelped in response. Seeing the sight, Paul heartily laughed. 

Father relaxed a moment later. “Well, I can never tell with you nowadays, Phi.” He looked kind of gloomy as he spoke.

A second later, his head jerked forward, and I heard as I heard a smack. “You shouldn’t tease your own daughter like that.” My mother entered from behind the two.

“Oh, Cecilia! Welcome! Will you be joining us for dinner after all?” Zenith walked up and clasped her hands as she spoke. 

“Mother? What’re you doing here?” The more important question I should’ve asked was where Rudeus was. 

“Oh, right. We didn’t tell you we were eating at the Greyrat’s tonight.” She covered her mouth as if to say she forgot.

“Honey, where’s Rudy?” Zenith's tone had a twinge of worry mixed in. After all, the boy should’ve been sparring with his father. It’s been a few hours since we started preparing dinner, so if anything, he should’ve finished his training an hour or two ago.

“Oh, yeah! He left about an hour ago. He told me he had something to do and that we could eat without him.” We all looked at the man in silence. “I figured it was fine; he told me he’d return before dark.” Paul scratched his chin while sounding utterly carefree about the whole scenario.

Without even looking, I could feel the temperature in the room dip. Yep, Lady Zenith was mad. Zenith put two of her fingers and rubbed her eyelids. “I’m sorry in advance about my language, Sylphie.” She spared a glance in my direction. “Are you fucking stupid, dear?!” She slapped the man a moment later. It was a firm smack that left a red mark on his face.

“What?” He sounded annoyed as he rubbed his now-red cheek. “We’re talking about Rudy here, Honey.” He stopped rubbing the spot that had been struck. “He’ll be fine. If any beast comes after him—honestly, I feel more sorry for them.” He whispered at the end.

“You’re the worst sometimes.” Zenith turned away from her husband as she scoffed. She was no less angry than she had been a moment before. It was almost impressive that Lord Paul was this dense about things. He was certainly not the most considerate husband. Zenith returned to me and gave me a warm smile, albeit slightly stressed, as she led me back to the table.

No one left to go search for him. You might think it odd, but we knew he could handle himself. Even if he was my age, he was about as capable as an adult. 

Paul finally entered, and behind him were my mother and father. It was a somewhat odd affair to be eating at someone else's home. 

I wasn’t inexperienced with the house—or eating here, but the last one was because of Rudy’s fifth birthday party. Something about the dinner’s atmosphere felt off without Rudeus present. I could tell from looking at everyone seated around the table that they thought the same.

“I guess it would be an appropriate time to mention this, considering everyone who needs to know is here.” Roxy was the one to break the silence that pervaded the table. Everyone looked at her. Paul and Zenith had some look of understanding on their faces as they looked intently at the sleepy-eyed girl. 

“The time for Sylphiette’s graduation is coming soon… This means that I’ll be taking my leave from Buena in a short time.” I figured as much, but that didn’t mean I was ready for the actual declaration. 

Leaving? Master is really going to be leaving the village soon? I thought about jumping out of my seat, wailing into the woman, and not letting her go. I wanted to cry from the news alone but couldn’t. I wouldn’t allow myself.

I wasn’t the little girl that needed to be protected anymore. I didn’t want to be that little girl anymore.

“Are you sure, Roxy?” Zenith wore a contemplative face. “We wouldn’t mind you staying with us longer—I still have so many more recipes I can show you.” She wasn’t trying to be overbearing and force the girl to stay, but she didn’t want her to leave either. It just showed how much the blue-haired demon had come to mean to the woman.

“Yeah, like Zenith said. We’d love it if you stayed—right Laws?” Paul interjected before Roxy could respond.

“Of course! All the villagers will start complaining after you leave.” My father followed suit in his own reasoning.

Roxy responded to their pleas with a soft smile. “I feel like I’ve imposed on all of you far too long for my tastes.” Her remark came off as a little pained.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Roxy. You’re practically family to us.” Paul pushed farther.

“And thank you for thinking that—but after tutoring Sylphie, I’ve realized how much harder I can work.” She giggled slightly. “Not to mention the shock that Rudy gave me.” She seemed to think after that.

“I’m sorry our problem child made you lose some confidence.” Paul was crass with many things he said, but you could tell no malicious intent was tied into his words. If anything, he seemed to be genuinely apologetic to the woman.

Roxy didn’t let the words bother her any. “He did nothing of the sort. What Rudy gave me was a wake-up call. He made me realize that no matter how skilled I thought I was, someone could always show me up—” She paused, and a look of recollection formed on her face, along with a somber smile. “Rudy admires me so much, and I don’t even know why—I’ve been trying to figure it out, but I don’t get what’s so appealing about me. So I decided it would be unbecoming of his so-called master to not strive to be the person he looks up to. To do that, I must leave the village and grow stronger.” Her face grew resolute. “So when we meet again, I want to proudly call him my student.” All that followed was silence from the rest of us.

Zenith shed a few tears from the girl’s speech. Paul shared her tears as well. In just three short years since she arrived, Roxy Migurdia gained the village’s respect. She had become a sort of protector to our small village in the same way Lord Paul was. 

“I’ll make sure I get stronger so I’m worthy of being Master Roxy’s student!” I loudly declared. Everyone’s eyes focused on me at that moment. 

I, too, have come to know the demon known as Roxy Migurdia. She was sometimes crude with her words, but she was always understanding. She was strict with many things, but it demanded your focus, and somehow, even with that, she never came off as overbearing when teaching. She was meek at some moments but intense in others. To me, I was a person who was destined to be alone. That was the reality I had come to accept, but just as I thought all hope for me was lost, I met this woman, and from there, my life changed. I gained a teacher and friend, one I admired so profoundly that Rudy was the only person on even ground with her in my heart. I wanted to be strong enough to stand by Rudy when I was older, but I also thought I had to prove my worth as Roxy’s student—to earn my right to call her my master. 

Roxy Migurdia is a person who has wholeheartedly earned my respect in the time I’ve known her.

“I expected you to bawl your eyes out at the notion of my departure.” Roxy moved over to me, and no one else dared to speak. “You’ve grown a lot in my time in Buena—you’re no longer the little girl who was meek and cowardly because of her hair… You’ve grown—even if just a little…” She put her hand out towards me and stroked my head. “You’ll always be worthy of being my student.” A few tears escaped her eyes.

This is the first time I’ve seen Miss Roxy cry. I felt tears building up in my eyes. She was right about me. I’d grown a little since her arrival in Buena, but at the end of the day, I was still a girl—a child with big dreams still living in her own fantasy. 

“I’m sure Rudy won’t take my departure nearly as well as you, Sylphie.” Her tears dripped down her cheeks. “So when he’s in a heap on the ground crying, you’ll help him, right? At the end of the day, Rudeus isn’t nearly as strong as anyone thinks he is.” She softly giggled through her crying. 

“N-No matter what!” I sobbed, and the woman hugged me. My face was firmly placed into her bosom as I stained her robe with tears. The graduation hadn’t even occurred, yet we were all already crying. I could hardly picture how we would react when the promised day arrived.

After we got our bearings back, we all sat back down and talked happily about the times in Buena we’d shared with the blue-haired girl. We ate and talked about tales and memories, good and bad. We shared our happiness together that evening. 

Even then, one chair remained empty on the table.

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Twelve: The Scroll Beneath the Floorboards 

The only thing that surrounded me now was trees. Trees, the sun shining through their branches, and the corpses of beasts that once lived. “They couldn’t even break through my ‘Shield’.” I wiped the sweat that collected on my brow. I’m pretty sure I needed a better name for that spell. I usually let my kids name any spells I had come up with. That’s partly why some of them are particularly edgy in their naming scheme. I was probably better off not asking Sieg for names, but he kept giving me them, so it’s not like I wouldn’t use them. Still, I learned quickly that his naming sense was terrible after I asked him the first time—they aren’t here to name them now. 

It’s just me.

To be fair to the beasts, they couldn’t hope to do anything with me. After all, the spell could block a touki-infused thrown sword from a North King. “Still, the fact I need to think about fighting these things is a bother.” I was weak. Weak compared to how I had been before I died. These animals would be scoffed at and tossed aside as a joke in the face of someone like Eris and nothing more than a nuisance to Doga, who would’ve just swatted them away. Even now, I could tell I had more mana than I ever had inside my body. It was scary to try and control it all, but I needed to be able to. I needed to be stronger so that I could protect the family I had.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to ease the blurriness in my vision. I was tired—dreadfully so. Sylphiette was right on the money when she called me out about not sleeping. At the most, I had been taking mere naps for the past couple of months. You tend to end up this way by using constant observation magic and keeping a defensive spell on you practically twenty-four-seven. I could tell my body was barely functioning at this point, but this was all I could do at the end of the day. I was practically wired from when I woke up until I finally managed to rest for an hour, but I needed to do this.

What was I supposed to do? Just let my guard down when I knew that Man-God bastard had it out for me? Hitogami had already sent an assassin my way, so what was stopping him from sending another? What if Aleksander meandered his way into my home and butchered me? I’d have no chance against the North God in my state. It didn’t matter how much mana I had; I still didn’t have any touki, and all it would take Alek to kill me was one solid hit—a hit he’d almost certainly get.

All I could do was try to guard the people in the village to the best of my ability. It was the least I could do if killing a couple of beasts helped out the villager-formed militia, and I'd do it in a heartbeat if killing a North King meant not seeing Paul die again. If safeguarding this village from any attack meant my body falling apart, I would continue, but I know I have limits. 

And I know I’m reaching them.

The reason I’m in the woods, in truth, was to actually alleviate my stress. I was here for a straightforward thing: to help ease the burden I’d found myself carrying. I gripped the scroll in my hand. Its thick parchment gave little to my grip. It had some slight dust and was not a scroll anyone would look at and wish to steal. It was old and could fall apart at a moment's notice, but I knew what it was. It’s a summoning scroll, one of remarkable quality and complexity. One penned by an ancient demon and gifted to me by the Dragon God. It would summon a familiar, not a guardian. This would be the solution to my recent sleepless nights. I may have used Nuckelgard’s heads to scare that bastard Darius into submission, but that wouldn’t be enough to get the Man-God off my back. I knew that. He was a persistent bastard at the end of the day, and the only way to get him off my trail was to throw another wrench in his plans. 

I unfurled the scroll; in its center was a magic circle of untold complexity. Summoning magic was not my strong suit. Not even close, in fact, but my barrier magic had improved significantly in my later years. Thanks to Peruguis, of course. However, that mattered little to the subject at hand.

I placed it down infront of me on the grass. The scent of blood was still thick, but I didn’t let it bother me. There were more pressing matters to focus on at the present. I placed my hand onto the circle and let my mana flow into the paper. Within a moment, it started to greedily pull on it as if it intended to suck me dry, but with the amount of mana I had, it appeared far too gluttonous for its own good. A second later, a white light bathed the area. If I wasn’t as deep into the forest as I was, the villagers in Buena would’ve surely noticed the impossibly bright light. 

I had the picture in my head already. The image of the being I was summoning was ingrained into my brain. 

Not long after, a figure slowly started to rise from the light. Two majestic horns laid on his head, somewhat similar to Atofe’s own horn, but instead of a fleshy protuberance, these were bony and left little to the imagination. His long white hair draped over his shoulders. Next was his face, full of intensity and rage. Red eyes stared back at me. His face was rough in its disposition but unmoving and robust, giving off the feeling of superiority. His skin was colored black like obsidian, and from a glance, its texture was like that of stone. He quickly overcame my six-year-old body and grew as his full height was revealed. His body screamed that this man was a warrior. All the evidence was found on his body, from the scars to the exuberant muscle encompassing his entire being. He looked similar to Badigadi, but there were stark contrasts. In fact, he also bore similarities to the enigmatic demon king’s sister, Atofe, but even then, he was still very different. If you looked at him quickly enough, he looked like an immortal demon race, but I knew who he was and knew that he wasn’t.

This man’s name was Kharn. A familiar I had summoned after Lara took Leo and left the house without a guardian. A thing I thought the house still needed, and the man infront of me was the one to fill that void.

>K455<

“What is it now, Rudeus?” Orsted’s yellow eyes gazed deeply into mine, the slight scowl he always carried on his face ever-present. If you didn’t know any better, you would think the president was overwhelmingly angry, but I knew that wasn’t true. He was just mildly annoyed. To put context for my meeting with the boss today, it’s been about two years since I went to the Red Dragon Mountains to learn god-ranked magic, and let me tell you. Learn them, I did. 

On the one hand, I was terrified of using them and accidentally erasing the mountain I was on, and on the other hand, I was shocked by the fact that I could even cast them. Orsted had already told me I should’ve been able to, but feeling those spells take form and using them in practice was something I don’t think anyone could have prepared me for. Luckily, I didn’t destroy too much land. Keyword: too much. 

I wasn’t really at fault. How was I supposed to mitigate a hurricane the size of Ars that defaced a mountain by ripping it apart? Or a heat wave so intense that it would melt a person who didn’t have touki—I don’t even want to know what would’ve happened to me if I didn’t have a summoning scroll for the Magic Armor.

Anyway, that was behind me now. It took me around two months of being out on those mountains to be able to cast all of the spells Orsted had so kindly given me… Well, besides the healing, detoxification, and divine strike magic, but I had already figured out as much when I was going up there. 

I could cast three of them before running my mana pool dry. Which, to me, felt insane. Considering those spells can destroy an entire kingdom if I so wished, not that I would do anything like that. That's beside the point. My trip mainly consisted of chasing away any wildlife from my camp and resting until my mana had replenished itself. Of course, I wouldn’t be using those spells for any common scrap I found myself in or even a significant battle. Their recoil was far too great, but my theory of those spells helping my understanding of magic was entirely accurate. It was like some clog in my thought process suddenly dislodged. Or like a part of my brain had been unlocked. Truthfully, it was remarkable. 

The old version of me wasn’t lying. Magic was omnipotent, and you could do anything with it as soon as you realized it—well, practically anything, that is… I wonder if it could even increase my libido…? Nevermind. That was a bad idea. It would be better to stay clear of that avenue for my own good. I liked my sex life as it was right now, anyway. Being the damsel in distress every three days was pretty satisfying in its own right.

I cleared my head of those intrusive thoughts. Those weren’t important right now, anyway. I coughed and spoke. “I’ve finally managed to get the hang of god-tier magic.” Orsted’s eyes closed slightly. 

“As expected of you, Rudeus. You continue to amaze me at every turn.” Wow, if he lays on this much praise, I might just get too arrogant for my own good. “It took me a few loops to understand magic like you do now, but I already figured you had the talent to get it, Rudeus.” He sighed. “My question is, what’s the purpose of this conversation? I know you didn’t come here to gloat.” Whoops, it seems I’m making President angrier by being indecisive. 

“Well, you see, I’ve been getting more worried lately—about Leo being gone.” The absence of the beast could undoubtedly be felt in the house. He was effectively our beloved family pet for almost two decades at the end of the day. However, what I felt in his absence was a sense of security that I had while he was here. 

“So you mean to tell me you’re worried about your family?” Orsted struck a serious demeanor. 

“Yes. So, I was wondering if you could give me another summoning scroll. The unease has been getting to me for the past few days.” Asking for a favor from him every now and then wasn’t uncommon. If anything, Orsted found himself regularly asking if I needed anything. Helping him out gave the man much more free time than before, so I’m sure his extra time on his hands made him antsy.

“You realize all of your children are gone.” He upturned his brow as he said the question. “Sylphiette doesn’t leave Sharia all that often. Roxy doesn’t leave, and Eris has been accompanying you less nowadays. The remaining family you can reasonably protect are all self-sufficient…” He stopped as if waiting for my response but continued when I didn’t respond. “I’m trying to say there’s no practical need for a new guardian.” He wasn’t incorrect; I’ll give him that. There was no reason to worry about my home as much as I did. Eris was effectively her own army and was more often than not seen at home or visiting the Sword Sanctum—all while training, of course. Sylphie used to be a bodyguard for Asura’s Queen, so she was anything but a slouch in combat, and Roxy is my very own Goddess of Wisdom—and an instructor at Ranoa who everyone in the city knew. Hell, if any of them were having trouble with someone, all they had to do was utter my name, and people would run with their tails tucked between their legs without a second thought. 

Even with taking all of that into account, there was still the chance something could happen. It only took a stupid rodent for my other self to fall apart at the seams. “Even if it’s a minuscule chance, something still might happen. Something unexpected can always happen. Isn’t that how you think things through, boss? Don’t you always take precautions?” 

His eyes closed, and he leaned back in his chair. His chest rose from his inhale, and a long sigh followed his exhale. “Fine… You make it difficult to argue with you when it comes to your family anyway.” He looked back at me with a slightly defeated look. Or maybe he was just tired from the conversation.

With that, Operation Nag the President was complete. “Come back tomorrow, and I’ll give you a scroll.” He moved from his chair, and I stood at attention. He, yet again, looked at me with a confused gaze. I still don’t think he gets the whole undying loyalty attitude I gave him. “And please stop doing that already.” I stood at ease.

“Yes, sir!” I saluted, and the man deadpanned and scoffed at me. Getting on his nerves was kind of fun. I can see why Lara always pulled pranks on the man now.

With that matter settled, I went home with a new peace of mind. I even had some nighttime fun with Sylphie that I managed to diplomacy my way into. The following day, I woke up feeling refreshed from the previous night, and with a hearty breakfast in my stomach, I left to meet with Orsted back at the office. 

I opened the door to be met with a quiet but very polite “Hello.” from our attorney, Faria Steer. “Morning, Chair-Man. The President is waiting down in the basement for you.” She peered over her desk as she talked to me. She was busily jotting some letters down on paper. No doubt office work that Orsted was too busy to do. 

There wasn’t a day that went by that we weren’t thankful we had someone as handy as Faria on the team. She didn’t complain about any job or work we gave her. Actually, she insisted on working some days. It might be because she was raised in a poor household or something like that. “Ah, that reminds me. I’ll mention to the President to give you a raise.” She shuddered at my words.

“That won’t be necessary, Sir Rudeus!” She jumped up out of her chair. She had a look of slight panic and fear in her eyes.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Faria. Just think of it as my goodwill.” Was she worried about how much she was being paid? I recall that we were giving her a very handsome salary. Or maybe she’s just scared we’re already paying her too much? Well, whatever. As I finished that train of thought, I headed down the stairs to the basement of Orsted Corporation’s Headquarters. 

It was easy to spot the man. He was wearing the same white coat with black fur accentuating around his neck. “You’re a little early today.” He spoke in a rough voice. Seeing him in such a pleasant mood this early morning was good.

“As much as I would’ve loved to stay nestled up to my adorable wife, I figured we’d better get this out of the way.” I shrugged my shoulders as I sauntered up to the man.

“I’m sure you would, Rudeus.” He rolled his eyes at my words and turned away from me. “This way.” With a motion with his hand, he ushered me to follow. 

We walked through the vast basement, passing some of the rooms with teleportation circles. Asura, Milis, Begaritt, we even passed a space that housed a magic circle that transported you to the center of the demon continent. We passed all these until we wound up by the second to last door on this floor. 

“Wait, is this?” I recognized this circle. It was one Orsted recommended setting up.

“Correct, the village—well, what’s left of it from our fight.” The teleportation circle led to where I had fought Orsted years ago. After our little tussle, the area became relatively deserted. I mean, who could you blame? It was practically ground zero for the world’s first mecha versus kaiju fight.

“Why are we going there, Orsted?” 

“A precaution—in case you summon something less than satisfactory.” He had a cold air around him. Did he think I would summon some kind of Balrog or something? 

We walked through the portal with a little more talking. After having the familiar feeling of being sucked into the ground, we wound up in a fortified shack. I was the one who made these locations usually, so most of the masonry was my handiwork. Still, seeing that much of the greenery had grown back healthily over the years was pleasant. A few trees were even growing strong. Those were planted by me years before. It wouldn’t be a hidden location if it was out in plain sight—that was my thought process. 

“Here will be fine.” Orsted stopped in place and turned around. Pulling a scroll out of his coat in the process. I didn’t know where he stored items in that thing. It was almost like he just pulled stuff out of nowhere sometimes.

I took it from him. It was a reasonably dingy thing. It was evidently covered in dust not too long ago and had likely only seen the sun's light for the first time in decades. It was decrepit, to say the least, but the parchment was thick and worn. It clearly held some importance. 

Orsted looked at me as if to say to hurry it up. Okay, okay, I’ll get going then! I kind of felt pressured being out here. Well, I did drag the man out here today all because I’m a little superstitious about protecting my family. Still, to think we were taking this much precaution to summon some familiar kind of befuddled me. I was even wearing the Mark Three. Though, I guess I kind of always wore it everywhere nowadays. I could never tell when Jino would randomly swing at me.

I walked a good couple dozen meters from where the man was standing. It was a simple process to power scrolls for me. Place it down and just start pumping my mana into it. This one was slightly different. It was most definitely taking a good portion of it. It was nothing that I couldn’t handle, but I could already tell that if someone like Sylphie were to use this, she would’ve run out of mana pretty fast. Just what in the hell was going to be summoned. I had an image of what kind of being I wanted. Someone strong and scary yet dependable. A person whom I could reasonably rely on. 

When light flooded my vision, I found myself frozen just a little bit with fear. 

A being that I could only describe as a demon materialized infront of my eyes. He reminded me of what a monster from a fantasy game looked like, but this time, I was seeing the genuine article. We’re talking if we took Atofe and Badigadi and turned their goofy, idiotic nature into natural horror fuel. It wasn’t like the man was covered in needless gore, but something about him screamed at me that I should be afraid. Maybe he was cursed like Orsted or something.

“Whom has the gall to summon me to their soon-to-be flayed flesh?!” He screamed at the top of his lungs. If I thought Sauros was a tad loud when I was a kid, I clearly wasn’t ready for the man now infront of me—also, wasn’t that intense for a first meeting? Who just shows up and says that as a first impression?! 

“Well, this is surprising.” Orsted spoke in an unusually calm voice. Looking back at him, I saw how his face had shifted from its usual naturally scary one into one most obviously contemplating. What was surprising about this? I summoned some kind of raging behemoth that looked like he could give the Ogre God himself a run for his money—if he was still alive.

“You!” The man turned one of his large fingers towards me. “You’re not that bastard Laplace! What’s a lowly human doing summoning me?!” He looked beside me, and his rage grew in intensity. “And you! I can tell from a glance at you that you’re the Dragon God! I’ll take my time ripping your tendons from the body you call a sanctum!” Okay, this guy needs to relax. Like, was he constipated or something? I could understand the anger if he was constipated. That shit sucks, but venting like this was in no way a healthy coping mechanism.

“Who the hell is this, Orsted? I thought it was supposed to be a familiar summoning.” Familiar summoning would entail making something from nothing and having them serve you—not threatening you with ripping off your limbs and shoving them down your throat. It was supposed to be precisely like Peruguis did with his twelve followers. Yet, this guy was definitely not what I considered ‘trustworthy.’

“Well, I can tell you I didn’t expect this from today.” He gave a blank-faced stare. “The being infront of us is known as Kharn. You could call him a self-sustaining spirit of sorts.” Self-sustaining? Aren’t spirits absolutely dependent on their summoner to stay alive? So is he just saying he makes his own mana? “To put it lightly, he was the magnum opus of Necross Lacross before the man died. He poured his remaining life after the collapse of his world into making life with his own two hands.” He pointed his eyes toward the raging man. “He’s the product of that life work—don’t let his rage get to you. You see, Kharn is similar in vain to other familiars. Just like how Arumanfi controls light, so does Kharn control something. That something is rage, bloodlust, and an unadulterated frenzy.” Orsted calmly spoke as this Kharn only seemed to seethe with even more anger. “To surmise my point. He’s the perfect warrior made by accident because a man didn’t want to waste his precious study.” Orsted looked absent-mindedly at the hulking man infront of him. When was the last time Orsted had so much to talk about? Probably around the time I started training like my life depended on it.

Orsted stepped forward, but I put my arm out to block him. He evidently knew the being infront of me. He made even Orsted realize he needed to be dealt with, but I couldn’t let him fight the man. He needed to preserve as much of his mana for as long as possible. This was my fault at the end of the day anyway. “I’ll handle this, boss.” 

“Gahaha! You have plenty enough courage for any one mortal man to possess! You really think one as tiny as you have but a chance against me?!” He boasted from the distance he stood at. His bloodlust hadn’t abated even a smidge from our inaction, and here I thought Eris was bad. It looks like I’ll have to do some reevaluation on that front.

“The summoner has to take responsibility for their summon, and there’s no way I can have you run all over my boss when I’m here!” He cackled with a furious roar. 

“Summoner, eh?! You expect me to call you my summoner?! And I, your familiar?! I’d rather pledge my life to a pheasant!” His tone grew even more furious to the point I swore I could see the steam rising off of his body. “I’ll rip thy head from your shoulder blades and turn you into a fountain of viscera as your repentance!” At least I knew he was something like a manifestation of rage now. That meant there was, at the very least, some justification for how he talked, but was he seriously going to keep egging me on?

If we’re going to fight, we’re going to fight. This guy wasn’t someone I could reason with. He seemed even crazier than Atofe, and that’s saying a lot, considering I knew how the woman got when she was in a fight.

Orsted stepped backward to avoid getting in between us; as he did, I activated my eye of foresight. The moment he moved, Kharn ducked down and, with his powerful legs, pushed off the ground beneath him and launched towards me. Fast! That was all I could think of as he did so. His right fist shot towards me like a bullet out of a gun. Luckily, because of my eye, I already saw that attack coming, and I strafed backward. His fist was fast to the point I could hear it whistle past infront of my face. His fist plunged deep into the ground from where I stood only a fraction of a second before. I could already tell this man wasn’t someone I wanted to fight up close. 

“Get the hell back here, you spineless curr!” He ripped his stuck hand out of the ground and, with one bound, reached me again.

The image of a deep bog flitted through my mind, and a ‘Quagmire’ was formed instantly. As his form lurched toward me and his fist approached, his feet sank in the mud. His sense of balance was wholly ruined as he landed face-first into the spell. “Stone Cannon.” I ushered in a whispered tone. I lifted my arm, and from the shotgun cannon on the side of my gauntlet, a hail of stones was shot out in an all-encompassing blanket of death. 

The stones tore into the prone man, completely obliterating one of his arms and gouging through his skin, but no blood spilled, even with his grievous wounds. Taking a page out of Orsted’s book was best in this scenario. All I had to do was maim the man; maybe it would end like it did with Alek. 

I thought he would stay down, but to my surprise, he heaved his body out of the mud and continued the assault. This man made no effort to slow or calm even with his wounds. It was like being injured meant nothing to him. “Cheap tricks are worthy of a mage like you!” His remaining hand shot out. I already saw this much, but then my eye saw multiple after images. He feints his punch into a kick. I tried to block, but his leg made contact with my chest. 

His punches were nothing to scoff at, but they weren’t anything like a Sword God practitioner’s blade speed. So I naively thought the same for a kick if he threw one. I was wrong. When his leg smashed into my chest, I knew then that if I didn’t do anything, my ribs would be crushed.  I made myself lighter with gravity magic, hoping it would mitigate some damage. It did, but the force still sent me flying far away. 

A dull pain throbbed in my chest. I knew I would be dead if I wasn’t wearing Mark Three. The thought of fighting in just my Mark Two crossed my mind for a brief second. If I was still wearing that nowadays, I would’ve already had another hole bored through the center of my chest. The power in that kick was something else. I was lucky to react quick enough to use gravity magic at the last second.

He was strong. Strong like the Ogre God. I hadn’t fought him, but from the accounts of Zanoba and Doga, he was a beast of a man. This man infront of me, Kharn, was one hundred percent stronger than Doga… 

That was something I could deal with. 

“I see now that you aren’t meaningless fodder! Even if you’re some spineless cretin that summoned me, you’re still a genuine article! Like a magician of old! I find you worth killing!” I could hear him clearly even now from the distance that was between us. 

“And it looks like I’ll have to take the training wheels off!” I screamed back. His face grew an irrational smile—one of absolute mirth… Just what did people like him see in fighting like this. I would rather be in my house, laying on my bed with my wives lying all around me, but I guess each man has his own pleasures. 

Speaking of my family, what would they think about me bringing home a large, scary man to look after the place anyway? Well, I’m sure I could charm them into accepting him in one way or another.

I could win this, though. I can see it now. The path I had to use to reach my victory. He wasn’t as fast as Jino. Sure, he was clearly an incredibly seasoned warrior. Still, he wasn’t as elegant as Isolte, nor was there such an overwhelming disparity between our abilities as there was when I fought against Orsted. This being had a ferocity that matched Eris’s and a strength superior to Doga's. 

In terms of a battle, he was everything I was used to in a fight. I was used to fighting people physically stronger than me, and because I spar with Eris, this amount of aggression was nothing to me.

His manic smile grew, and the stump of the arm I had eviscerated steamed. 

An arm extended from it, and the rest of the wounds from my Stone Cannon were healed a moment later. Any damage previously sustained was gone. Great, I have a few bruised ribs, and he’s good as new. I readied myself by putting one foot infront of the other as I lowered my stance. My hands were bound tightly into fists infront of me as I braced for his impact. “Well, come on, you slow piece of shit!” I instigated this time, and without delay, he yet again launched toward me. All of those years of grueling training were finally going to be used.

He spared me no words of aggression or petty insults when he reached me. He simply let his fists hail down on me when he entered his striking distance. He was fast, but I could see the openings. His right fist would come towards my face, and I would redirect it with a Flow from the Water God Style. His left would sail towards my stomach, and I would hit his wrist to change the directory of it. 

He wasn’t trained in any of the Three Sword Styles, but that didn’t mean he was weak. Ruijerd didn’t practice any styles and could still be considered equivalent to a king-ranked swordsman in strength, but this man was different. He was skilled, and with every punch, I could tell he was used to this, but even then, he was just wailing down on me with his fists to pulverize me. Maybe the anger was getting to his thought process as well? My eye wasn’t being deceived by his actions. He seemed intent to end this in the most straightforward way possible. His leg came up to knock my head off. It was fast. Fast enough to render me headless if I didn’t already know it was coming. His action, while clever, was something I had already anticipated. 

“It’s important to not leave your sense of balance at risk of being ruined.” I ducked underneath the leg coming straight towards me and swiftly swept his leg from underneath him. 

He tried to fix his blunder and quickly rebounded with his hands, but he was too slow. I was already in position. With a glance, realization dawned in his eyes. My stance widened as I charged my right arm with more magic. 

He must have realized what would happen as he quickly put up his guard, but it was useless against what I would use. “Electric.” The words flowed effortlessly out of my mouth as a shock was sent through my body in the blink of an eye. My body convulsed slightly from the shock, but I recovered quickly, mainly thanks to my armor’s added defense against this spell. 

The same could not be said about the man as I watched his body tense and spasm as the lighting stretched and cascaded over him. He was rendered entirely open as his body steamed. I drew my fist back in a moment and powered my right arm further with my mana. I breathed in deeply and moved forward in one motion. His guard was entirely discarded, just like I wanted it. I put all the weight in my body into my fist as it made contact with his torso in a flash, and a moment later, a hole was blown through it, followed by a sound that could only be compared to a bomb going off.

The force of the strike was strong enough to blast the large man soaring into the air. The sight was something I hadn’t seen since my school days when Badigadi had decided to duel me, and I shot him with one of my Stone Cannons.
That was when I realized one crucial detail I may have glossed over. I blew a hole through him. “Uh, did I kill him, Orsted?” I eyed the stern-faced man. Sure, Kharn was a spirit, so you could assume he didn’t abide by the same laws as regular mortal creatures. He even healed himself earlier without saying anything, but I still put a gaping hole through his chest.

“Kharn feeds off rage and malicious intent, Rudeus. He’s been living on the demon continent for thousands of years. That won’t be enough to kill him.” He had a severe look as if to tell me to hurry it up. We looked back and saw the tall, muscular man standing back up. The hole was now gone, but his maniacal smile was even larger. 

Can I convince Sylphie to do some S&M play after I get back? I could use the pick-me-up after today.

“Mortal!” His tone was somewhat more subdued. “Would you bequeath me your name?!” Instead of screaming in a rage, he sounded more excited than anything. Having a hole blown through him made him mellow out a bit, I guess. He was lucky; I was left with PTSD after my similar brush with death.

“Rudeus Greyrat, otherwise known as the Quagmire!” He nodded at me. He moved closer to me, and I readied myself again. His movements weren’t jagged or aggressive, and I noticed this. He moved deliberately. He stopped infront of me and sat down slowly. The position he settled on was similar to a dogeza. 

Huh?! I looked back towards Orsted, his face contorted into one of what could only be a slight shock. “I humbly agree to be thine companion! Use me as you would see fit!” His head was planted toward the ground.

“Didn’t I just put a hole through you?! What about the fighting or those insults you threw my way earlier?!” I didn’t think the man would just bow out of nowhere. That was probably the last thing I expected.

“I deeply apologize, but I was enraged at the time.” He stopped shouting. “I unconsciously feed on the emotions of the beings around me even while I fight. These feelings empower me and allow me to continue without pause—” So that’s why he was coming at me like that even as I was thrashing him. “To be frank with you, Lord Rudeus, no rage came off you as we fought. ” His voice, while booming with noise, had definitely calmed down. 

“Please drop the Lord. I don’t like it much when people address me with such honorifics.” It wasn’t like that I didn’t like them. I just preferred to be the one using them instead of being addressed by them.

“Nonsense! It's only right to give your utmost respect to your master! Not to mention the fact that I was the one who instigated our confrontation in the first place! Truthfully speaking, it would be your duty to punish me for my inadequate actions!” His voice made my ears ring. Was he seriously just okay with how everything went down?

“I mean, I would be pissed if someone on the opposite side of the world summoned me out of the blue. So consider us even, okay?” He eyed me up and down. I could see Orsted in the corner of my eye. He was probably still trying to comprehend everything happening infront of him.

“If it is your wish, then I’ll abide by it no matter the cost.” His tall body bowed deeply toward me.

“And can you please stop talking like that? We’ll be working together from now on, so I’d prefer if we were friends.” I smiled at him, and he returned the favor. I didn’t think it would’ve ended like this a couple of minutes ago, but it looked like I had ended up where I wanted. 

That day, I gained Kharn, an unlikely individual, as an ally. 

“It’s been a long time since then, hasn’t it?” I looked forward into the raging eyes of the man. 

Can I even win against him as I am now? I’m confident in what I can do—not ignorant. I have neither the magic armor with me nor a fully grown body. Kinda looks like I’m screwed.

His eyes peered at me with a burning rage. It was best to try to de-escalate everything. “We can just talk this out, okay? I’m sorry about interrupting—” You. That was the word I couldn’t say as I watched his anger die almost immediately after I started talking. His face softened as he looked at me.

“Is that you, my Lord—is that you, Rudeus?” His voice held an even timbre, and almost miraculously, his face calmed. 

What…? Did he seriously just?

“Kharn?” My response was made from a shaky-sounding voice. Did he follow me?

He took a knee to reach my eye level. “Why do you don the appearance of a child?” He had a quizzical gleam in his eyes. That was the first proper sentence the man said to me. He could’ve asked me anything, but he asked me a question like that.

It really is him, isn’t it?

It was just like him to do this. He wouldn’t even ask about what was happening or how I’d been. Instead, all he asked me was about my appearance. “Hahaha…” I heard laughing. It didn’t take long to realize it was my own.

“Do you never change Kharn?” I held my sides as I laughed. I couldn’t help it. I thought that I was going to be alone in this life. Then Orsted had come around. After that, I dedicated myself to my mission, but everything else happened, and ever since, I’ve been slowly losing control. 

“Uhh—” His deep voice dragged. “Are you doing well, my Lord? You’re, ahh—crying…” Huh? I touched my eyes, and wouldn’t you know it. There were tears. When was the last time I cried like this? It had to be after that nightmare about Lara.

“Honestly, I don’t think I’m okay, Kharn.” There was no one else around us. I could tell from my magic. “I died… I—I was okay with it. I was ready to go… Then, when I woke up Buena, all I could do was think about everyone I left behind and realize they were all gone.” His face sunk at the mention of everyone.

The large man moved a little, and with a clear mental back and forth, he laid one of his hands on my head. It easily encompassed it. If he wanted, he could crush it like a grape. “I don’t know why I’m here, but I know one thing.” I tried to stop my tears. “I’ll help you to the best of my ability—I’m your faithful ally, after all.” 

He sat down and gestured for me to do the same. “So I take it sealing him wasn’t enough?” He spoke flatly and matter-of-factly. 

“It wasn’t—” His words struck a chord with me. “I—I almost forgot you were there.” Kharn knew they tried to seal the Man-God because he would’ve been there. At the end of the day, he was a spirit that didn’t need a master to sustain his form.

“I’m sorry.” The words came out with zero hesitation. 

“Sorry for what, Kharn?” It should’ve been abundantly evident what he would’ve been sorry for.

“Because I was slow. Because I wasn’t strong enough… Madam Roxy—she—” Tears formed in the corner of his eyes.

“There’s no need to get emotional. I already know.” He looked up to me as if to ask how. “Orsted dropped by a couple of years ago and told me about it.” I couldn’t bring myself to cry. If I started, I wouldn’t stop. “You all did your best.” 

He bowed his head to me. “And that wasn’t enough!” He looked back up to meet my eyes. “For my inability to protect them, I humbly ask you for a punishment!” His head smashed the ground, causing the earth to split where it hit. 

“I know you won’t stop if I let you off easy.” To see him grovel only brought back the memories of when we first met—that was the only time he had ever done so. “So, for your repentance… Let’s see.” I rubbed my chin. I had long figured out what I wanted from him. “You’ll help me until we kill the Man-God. That’s how you’ll earn my forgiveness.” 

He pulled himself up and sat cross-legged. He sat there rubbing his eyes for a while. I just watched him. That’s all I could. “So, Sir Orsted has been around, you said?” 

“When I was two, he appeared at my doorstep.” I chuckled. “It’s remarkable how much of an impact my kid’s had on him.”

He smirked. “Most of that was you, you know.” He spoke in such a matter-of-fact tone that I couldn’t help but stare at him.

“What are you talking about? He was never like that when I was alive.”

His expression softened. “Not when you were around, that’s for sure, but he sure as hell was like that whenever you were off on a job.” He had a warm smile on his lips. One that I couldn’t help but replicate.

“So, what jobs will you hand over to yours truly?” He thumped his thumb into his chest.

“Well, you know the President. He likes to offload all the tedious work.” I sighed after I spoke. I told the man to give me a few jobs, but it was just like him to overestimate me and give me far more than I had expected. “I actually already finished up one of them a year back.” 

“Finished up? What was it?” His body leaned forward.

“It was to kill one of the Three Swords of the North God—Nuckelgard just so happened to be sent here by Darius to kill my family.” I shrugged my shoulders. “You can surmise how that went down.” 

“Hmm.” He nodded, his mouth opened and closed as if he couldn’t quite put his thoughts into words. He scratched his scalp, a look of consternation on his face. “You killed them then…? You?”

“If you’re hung up on the fact that I took a life, it wasn’t my first time. It was a job; Paul would've died if I didn’t kill them.” 

He nodded his head again. “I understand…” He stopped speaking as he entered deep into thought. “You’ve changed, Rudeus.” I couldn’t tell what he was thinking when he said that. “I can tell by your eyes… Are you sure there isn’t anything else bothering you?” 

“Besides being reborn again, leaving all of my family behind me, having to know that my wife died without me there, and nobody remembering me? Then yeah, I’m doing honky dory.” His face scrunched. I knew that from our pact, he could somewhat feel my emotions. 

“Then forget I asked.” He waved his hand infront of himself. “Please, tell me about the jobs I could take off your hands. You look like you could use the shuteye.” He pointed toward my face.

After that, we talked for a while. When we started, the sun was still in the sky, and by the time we finished, I could see it beginning to set. I’m sure my parents are already worried sick—well, at least my mother would be. As for the jobs I gave Kharn, they had little importance. They were the same kind of minor jobs that Orsted gave me in my previous life that Hitogami didn’t care too much for but would take precedence in the future.

One of them was to kill a stray red dragon that would end up in the warring lands of the Strife Zone. Another was to kill a merchant dealing in unsavory practices in Neris. To say they varied would be an understatement. I didn’t question them, though. I’m sure they each held importance in their own right. 

He stood up as his arm flexed under the weight of supporting his body into standing. “It’s time I set off then!” His booming voice returned. 

“Before you leave, at least let me give you something.” One of his eyebrows raised in question. 

What I was going to do was simple. I already had the image of it in my head. From my hand, it was already forming as well. I focused on it being as tough as possible. Soon, the shaft formed, then its head—then, a spear was in my hand—or, more appropriately, it was laid on the ground because it weighed too much for my child arms to hold up. A three-pronged trident, to be exact, colored an off-white bordering on grey. 

“This is?” He leaned down and picked it up. He waved it around a little and tested its grip. “It’s good.” He sounded almost astonished at the weapon. 

“Please use that while you’re traveling. I’m sure a big, scary, but friendly warrior who uses a spear to go around and help people will lessen Ruijerd's load. If even a little.” I smiled up at him.

“Gwahahaha! Now I like that idea! Try to preemptively get rid of some of the Superd’s remaining curse! Now that’s the master I serve under!” He came over and patted me on the back, which caused me to get pushed forward a few feet from the unintended force.

He gripped the spear as he looked down at me. “I’ll do my best.” 

“I know you will.” It was a somber moment, letting a friend go off on an adventure, but I’d been through this enough times to get over it.

“Take care, Kharn.” I patted his back as I began to leave the forest.

“I should say the same to you, Rudeus!” The last thing I saw on his face was that stupid smile. He reminded me of that demon lord too much. Well, I guess if he was made by that guy’s father, it couldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that he took some inspiration from his kids.

I had another ally in this life. I was now doubly less alone…

…It didn’t really feel like it, though…

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Thirteen: A Delivery From An Unknown Benefactor and the Village’s Preparations

A wooden sword whistled through the air as it came at me in a horizontal slash. Even if it was made of wood, its speed and the weight applied to it were sure enough to knock me out if it hit me. The good news was that I had already prepared myself for this approach. Paul was never one for subtlety, after all. 

My feet planted into the ground as I assumed a Water God stance. My sword aimed to intercept his in a parry. In a swift motion, his sword met mine. However, the feeling of his blade sliding off mine wasn’t there—instead, his sword bounced off mine. It wasn’t like I was strong enough to give that much resistance, so I could tell immediately that it was on purpose. He was using a North God technique, one I didn’t expect. 

Paul smirked like he’d caught me in some sort of trap. His sword, which had once seemed so unsteady in his hand, swung downward with purpose and strength. My hand stretched out, and I let out a Blast to propel my body away from the man to avoid the strike. He didn’t give me the luxury of a break, though. He pivoted and ran toward me like a beast aiming for its prey. We had, at most, a couple of feet between us after my sudden retreat. At a time like this, I would’ve unloaded a Stone Cannon, but I knew that would go against the purpose of this spar. It would also most likely kill the man, which I had no intention of doing. 

So, instead, I chose to analyze. To be fair, Paul wasn’t all that fast to me. Not that I could move like him, considering my lack of a touki, but he was nothing special compared to freaks of nature like Eris, Alek, Isolte, or Jino. Not even in the slightest, but I no longer had my magic armor. That meant even a man like Paul could kill me—if I let him. Or if he wanted to, for that matter.

His legs and arms tensed at once, and his body reached mine. A look of undeterred seriousness scorched in his eyes as his sword came down diagonally, aiming for my neck. The sound from his sword became deaf and silent as it whizzed through the air. 

My eyes could see it. Paul’s Longsword of Silence , but my body couldn’t handle the speed of the blow. The only way I could react was with magic, so I forced my body to move. My grip on my sword was tight enough that I could feel the blisters that had formed on my hand start to tear. I only had one hand on the handle, but that was all I needed. His strike came quickly, faster than my body should’ve been able to react, but I could see it, and with magic, I could make my body move to intercept it. Everything happening infront of me was within reason and within my control. Was this how Orsted fought? Probably not. I can’t even begin to compare myself to the likes of him.

When his sword met mine, I knew I caught it… I barely managed to have my blade find purchase on his and let the momentum of his swing carry him past me. Puzzlement flashed through his eyes, and for the first time in any of our spars, Paul Greyrat, my father, was left open. 

My blade soared down towards his collarbone as I applied my off-hand to the grip, and with the aid of wind magic, I struck my father. “Ouch!” The hit did little more than bounce off the man.

That’s kind of lame after all of that buildup. I had been working my ass off to at least be able to use the skills I gained to my advantage, but it was true that a swordsman without an aura isn’t a good swordsman. I got as far as I did in my last life because I trained for a few decades and used my magic armor to compensate for my lack of a touki. That let me play on the same field as the rest of them, at the very least. At the end of the day, what I do is nothing but an imitation.

The man noticeably eased up and rubbed his shoulder. “That might leave a bruise.” He gave me a stupidly big smile. 

That makes it sound like you’re mocking me, Paul. I sighed.

“Way to go, Rudy!” He rubbed my head. “If you were older, your old man would be dead!”

I grimaced. Trust me, the last thing I need to see you as is dead.

He took his sword and stabbed it into the ground as he coughed into his hand and tried to look as dignified as any womanizer could. Whatever he had planned, it looked like he’d been rehearsing. “Today, you may call yourself an advanced Water God practitioner.” He seemed pretty happy right now, didn’t he? With that stupid grin on his face, I would be fooled into thinking he enjoyed the loss.

“Wait, but I couldn’t even strike you that hard! That’s hardly enough to consider myself advanced in Water God!” Paul was lackadaisical about his thinking, but I guess he had some merit in his decision. No matter how okay I was with his decision, going from being taught the Water God style by Orsted and Isolte to Paul, of all people, was something I don’t think I could ever get used to. 

The three of them live in entirely different worlds, after all.

Still, swordsmen were only ever given the rank of advanced as soon as they could use touki. That’s why I was hard stuck intermediate until later in life after I started using the magic armor to compensate. Could Paul really not tell I wasn’t using touki or something? Maybe all of my magic usage has been throwing his gauge of me off.

“You’re only six and can parry a Longsword of Silence, Rudy . I’d consider that more than enough to elevate you to advanced. Eventually, you’ll get the hang of touki, so your striking power isn’t much of an issue. Just ensure you don’t forget about your dear old dad when you become some high and mighty Water King or something, kay?” He winked as he finished.

“You’re not going to tell me to not get all cocky and full of myself?” 

“Nah, I know you’re not the type to. Plus, even if you did, I’m sure people wouldn’t take you seriously.” He laughed, and I couldn’t help but share a few of his sentiments.

I breathed in and was met with cold air entering my lungs.

Fall had arrived in full swing in Buena. The warm summer breeze had subsided and replaced with a cool nip. The winter would come in due time, but for now, all I had to worry about was training with my father. 

It’s been months since Kharn’s summoning, and I haven’t heard from the man since. I figured that would’ve been the case, considering the number of jobs I had offloaded onto the poor guy and the weight of the spear he now carried. Was giving him the job to clear some of the Superd’s name too much?

Nah, I’m sure he’ll be just fine. That was the consensus I had run myself into, or at least I made myself believe that.

Because of the implications of having a safety cushion in the form of a big scary demon man doing my bidding, I now had free time I wasn’t allowed previously. Not that I was relaxing by any measure. I kept up with Paul's training and my magic refinement, but now I could finally get some much-needed shut-eye at night. 

This was how my days went. The days that I knew would eventually come to an end. I was six now, and I’d most likely already be teaching Eris by this time next year. Roxy was still here, but Sylphiette was graduating soon. Apparently, the night I went out to summon Kharn, Roxy told our families that Sylphie would be graduating soon. Soon, to the girl, apparently meant a couple more months, but I was under the impression that she just wanted to stay for a little longer. Still, this meant Roxy would finally be leaving Buena…

Leaving… 

She’d be leaving again.

There's not much I can do about it. 

Speaking of the two girls. Roxy was off teaching Sylphiette somewhere today. On the hill, we always played at, if I had to guess. 

The wind whipped past me, and a slight chill crept up my spine. “I’ve heard the winter ain’t gonna be that kind to us this year,” Paul spoke flatly from beside me. He was looking at the few houses you could see from our yard.

That was another issue. This winter posed a problem. That was a fact. From what I’d heard, the weather patterns seemed to be the makings of a rough cold season. The source of our speculations was obviously our resident genius, Roxy, but I could tell she was right on her money with some of my own perusing of the clouds with some of my magic. Not that I thought she was wrong for even a second, but you could never be too sure. 

Anyway, the winter was working up to be a bad one. One that had the villagers worried about their own safety. I knew we were okay; Paul was always particular about having enough to get through the cold season. What made me worry was the safety of Sylphiette’s family. Sure, it's corny coming from the guy avoiding her, but I don’t think worrying about the girl is wrong. 

“Father, do you think everyone will be fine? For the winter, I mean?” I looked up to his face. He was still staring into the distance.

“You don’t have to worry about that stuff, Rudy. If anyone needs help, they can come right to me—” In an instant, his happy-go-lucky attitude was replaced with him peering into the landscape. “The hell is that?” His question took me off guard. 

I looked where he was looking, and wouldn’t you know it? Ten or so wagons were coming up over a hill, blocking our sight from where we stood. To be frank, it looked more like a caravan than anything. Driving the front wagon was a rather brolic-looking middle-aged man, and accompanying him was Laws, who was strolling beside the moving carriage. He offered a few words to the man, and once he saw us, he waved.

“Uh, did you get supplies or something, Father—?” My question fell on deaf ears. His expression told me all I needed to know. He had no idea where those wagons originated. It looked like we had another problem on our hands.

We waited for them to get closer to the house, and as they did, one could only notice how particularly full each one was. From one glance, there was food, clothing, and even the typical household appliances like pots and pans. I could even see installable windows. Those definitely weren’t common in this area. Sure, our house had them, but Paul was a low-ranking knight, so it made sense that we had one of the nicer houses—if not the nicest house in the village.

“What the hell is all this, Laws?” Paul ran up to meet the convoy and his friend.

Laws’ brow upturned in a questioning manner. “You don’t know?" He looked over to the wagons. "Then…who sent these guys?"

The atmosphere almost immediately darkened as Paul's hand fell onto the pommel of his sword. "Yeah—who did send you guys?" It was an innocent question, but considering the foreboding nature in the air, it was anything but meant as a kind inquiry.

The driver of the head wagon nervously smiled. "We don't really know either, Sir." I could practically see him sweat at the situation he found himself in. "Look, it was just some guy in a helmet and white coat. Just talkin’ to him made my spine freeze over.” Paul’s hand didn’t leave his pommel. “He just approached us and paid us to do this. It was enough money that we couldn't say no!" Bribery, huh? That sounded just like the man he spoke of.

"That still doesn't explain why someone would just pay a couple of merchants to deliver supplies to some village in the sticks!" Paul was growing more and more agitated with every passing second. He was apprehensive about this kind of situation. It makes sense, considering a North King threatened our lives not even two years ago.

But I knew. It was undeniable who this man who wore a helmet and white coat was. 

"Look…Sir.” The man raised his hands into the air. “My crew can attest to the quality of goods we have." Paul looked at the wagons. I could see in his eyes the indecision of what he should do. He was worried about who these people were or what they had planned, but he knew the village needed the help. 

Of course, I was the only one who knew what was happening here. That means I should be the one to settle this matter then. "Dad, I'm sure the village could use the supplies. You know, with winter coming and all." He looked back at me. Consternation painted on his face. He didn’t seem like he wanted to budge. It almost looked like he wanted me to take his side.

"You shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.” I pushed a little more. 

He looked at the ground for a second. His face scrunched in thought. He was worried, but he also knew the village could use the supplies.

A moment later, his hand left the pommel of his sword. “Haah, fuck it. Okay! It’s not like I could just turn all this away.” Paul aggressively ran his hand through his hair. 

“Laws, go get your wagon.” He looked toward the filled caravan. “I have a feeling we’re gonna need it.”

The unloading process was definitely a long one, but we managed. Laws came back and brought Roxy and Sylphiette in tow, and even Zenith came out and offered as much help as possible. Lilia was inside preparing dinner, so she just stayed put. Considering her leg's condition, it wasn’t like she could help that much with the moving.

It took two hours or so to sort most of everything. There was still quite a lot of unpacking that had to be done, but we had taken a short break. As for the organization, we separated the perishables and dry foods into one area. Then, we put the household appliances and other typical everyday items in another. We were cautious with the windows. Those were much too handy to just throw around. Sure enough, the supplies gifted us by Orsted were of good quality. That president of mine sure liked treating his employees well. Or was it because the winter was going to affect my family? There was little way to tell what he thought when he did things.

Well, now the village should be set for the next few months. From what I overheard from Paul, he and Laws would separate the supplies and hand them out equally. That means my sword lessons were cut short for the day, but I didn’t necessarily need them. Sure, it was just good to be able to spar against someone who would actually take me seriously. That was a good thing about Paul. He didn’t even discriminate against his children with his brash actions… Well, I guess that’s also one of his worst traits.

“Are you by chance, Rudeus, Sir?” One of the men sauntered up to me. He had a slightly plump face and body, but I could tell he wasn’t a slouch regarding physical labor. He had the disposition of a seasoned trader, from his tone to the way he held himself. So why was he coming up and asking for a child’s name?

“Uh, yeah? Who’s asking?” Talking to him should be fine. Orsted never spoke to anyone he knew could be an enemy, so if these people were trusted enough by him to deliver supplies to my village, then I’d give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Oh, great! Here, I have a letter for you, Sir. From the man who hired us.” From his pocket, he produced a thick, small, sealed envelope. In a motion, it was in my hands. 

The man didn’t stand around for long. As he left, I could see him smile like a giddy child at his now-completed job. “Just how much did you pay that guy,” I whispered as I looked down at the letter. A wax seal sealed the envelope. Displayed on it was the symbol of the Dragon God. 

I confirmed no one was around me before I opened the letter. 

The letter was unsurprisingly written in the dragon race's old, long-forgotten language. It was a language I hadn’t even known existed until Orsted decided it was best to teach me so we could write our letters with it for confidentiality's sake. It was also more space-conscious, considering the writing form took up less room. 

“Dear Rudeus Greyrat,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. 

It’s already been four years since we met again, hasn’t it? For me, these years have gone quickly and without pause. I’m sure the same can’t be said for your case. 

I’m sure you hate me beating around the bush, so I’ll try to make this letter as brief as possible. 

The Man-God is already surely plotting against us. My arrival at your home likely told that conniving snake all he needed to know about our involvement. I’m sorry for that. It escaped my mind with everything that was happening at the time. I’m sure you’ve already realized this, but I believe it’d be best to summon Kharn earlier than I’d anticipated for your reassurance and your loved one's safety. 

I’ve also confirmed the appearance of the orb above Roa. This loop seems to be heading in the same direction as the last. Of course, if you’ve changed your standpoint these past few years, I wouldn’t mind you running tests to stop it altogether. At the end of the day, it is at your discretion how we will continue. I’ve granted you that much freedom, after all. 

As for the reason why I sent supplies to your village, it was mainly because of the weather patterns, which I’m sure you’ve already noticed. It wouldn’t be improper to think it’s the Man-God’s doing. If you wish, you can easily cast away any storm in your area, but I’d advise you to ensure you’re unseen. 

I’ve noticed that Roxy has yet to leave Buena. I'd assume whatever you’re doing is fruitful, so do whatever you see fit. She had little impact in every other loop I’ve been through, but her fate is still as strong as ever since you’re now involved with the woman.

Anyway, by the time you receive this letter, I will have already left Asura. I should be back in a few years, so I may or may not visit you then. 

Until then. May the blessing of the Dragon God be with you, old friend.”

I looked up from the small piece of paper. “So Nanahoshi is coming, isn’t she?” My words came out slowly as if I didn’t believe them myself. It looked like this improbable loop was shaping up like the last. “All of this is going to be gone.” I couldn’t help but look around myself. 

I’d lived in Buena for six years now. I’d already been through this life before and had to deal with the displacement incident, but now we were back. It was going to happen again, wasn’t it? “What do I do?” I looked up to the sky without reason. 

I hadn’t even headed to Roa myself yet. I hadn’t checked to see if it was there. Why hadn’t I? That was a stupid question. I knew why… I was scared. I was afraid of knowing that all of this would disappear again. That these peaceful days would end just as they did back then. 

That, however, was a misplaced fear. I shouldn’t be allowed these peaceful days again to begin with. I had a job to do. One of great importance and one I couldn’t slack on. To ensure that everyone had a peaceful life even after the disaster, I needed to work harder.

I looked back down to the letter, and out of curiosity, I flipped the letter and surprisingly found another message jotted down. 

“P.S.

I’ve left a gift for you in the back wagon. It’s in a box. You should be able to tell at first glance that it’s for you. Think of it as a late birthday present or payment for the jobs you’ll finish. Whatever you find more appealing. I know you hate preference from your boss at the end of the day.” 

“Cheeky bastard,” I smirked as I looked around, and still, no one was paying me any mind. “So, the back wagon.” I incinerated the letter, making it vanish in a split second as I set my sights on the object of my current fascination.

I made my way to the farthest wagon and snuck onto it. A few things remained on it, but I could see it immediately. A reasonably slim-looking wooden crate was hidden underneath the wagon’s right seat. 

It was what I was looking for. I could tell by the symbol that was engraved on its side. On the box was the Migurd’s tribe symbol—the same one synonymous with me, Rudeus Greyrat, as the Quagmire and number Seven of the Seven Great Powers. 

“First a lengthy letter from Orsted of all people, and now a box with god knows what inside.” I sighed. 

I peeked over the side of the wagon, and still, no one was paying me any mind. “Well, I gotta get this to my room somehow.” Easier said than done. What with everyone around and all. It’s not like they would just let a six-year-old carry off some random box into his room—oh, wait…

I could just use gravity magic when no one was looking.

You know what? I’m glad I fought Alek now. 

It didn’t take me long to sneak the box into my room. All I had to do was strike up a diversion, use my magic to make the box fly, and shoot it into the window of my room. Simple as, at the end of the day.

Sylphie tried chatting with me and asking if I could play, but I just sidelined her with an excuse. She pouted, of course, but I patted her on the head and promised I’d play with her later. Behind her was Roxy, who had a smug grin painted on her face. It seemed like they were trying to gang up on me more recently. Not that I cared all that much.

When I managed to get up to my room, I found the box in question lying on the ground. “At least I didn’t knock anything over this time.” I deadpanned at what I said. To say my control had been sloppy only a little while ago would be an understatement. I may or may not have dropped a few things when using gravity magic. 

I swear I didn’t break a plate at some point… Nope—it wasn’t me… It was Paul. 

Totally…

“Guess I shouldn’t beat around the bush too much and just get right to it.” I gripped the lid and pried it open—well, I say pry open, but when I couldn’t manage with the strength in my hands, I just used magic. It was these days that I hated not having the Zaliff gauntlets—

“Oh, you’ve got to be fucking me…” I reached inside and pulled out two gloves. Specifically, they were incredibly similar to the gauntlets Zanoba and Cliff had made when I left for the Teleportation Labyrinth. I turned my head back to the box and found another object of fascination. A long barrel was set on something like a brace with straps attached to it. “Seriously?!” My excitement and shock seemed to reach a fever pitch at realizing what was now in my hands. It was my shotgun cannon. 

It looked like my boss had prepared some very interesting gifts for my birthday. I should prepare a return present.

“How did he make these?” Orsted didn’t waste his mana like I did. I was allowed the luxury to frivolously use my magic however I saw fit, but he wasn’t so lucky. So there was no way he could just make magic items like these. Especially with earth magic like I could tell the ones in my hands were made from. So the question wasn’t if he did. It was who. 

I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to test them out, but I couldn’t just go around wearing gauntlets out of nowhere or blasting a shotgun in the front yard. However, that last part was really tempting. “But I guess I have to test these at least…” The gauntlets were too large to fit onto my hands, but their craftsmanship was excellent. I brushed my hand alongside their smooth surface.

“Yeah, whoever he threatened to make these sure is good.” The craftsmanship was remarkable, to say the least. Of course, no one could replicate Zanoba’s designs, Cliff’s genius magic circles, and my craftsmanship, but whoever Orsted got to make these is sure as hell good at all of those. “Well, I’m not gonna get anywhere just gawking at them. No time like the present to see how these puppies work.” I slipped one of the gauntlets over my small arm. It went as far up as the middle of my bicep. You couldn’t consider this a gauntlet for how small I was, but I’d probably grow into them eventually. Right now, it was more like a sleeve.

“Now then, Oh Earth, become thine Arm.” Miraculously, I watched as the glove shrunk to accommodate the space it once hadn’t. The amount of mana it consumed was entirely negligible. I clenched my hand into a fist, and the gauntlet complied. I could feel my fingertips press in my palm, even if the feeling was dull and almost nonexistent. “These are just like back then.” I keep saying it, but whoever made these was incredible, that’s for sure. 

“Well, I better do a strength check then.” When I say it like that, it feels like I’m playing D&D or something. Not that I’ve played that for a handful of decades. Well, even in that distant life of mine, I never had any friends to play it with. 

In a moment, I constructed a reasonably durable stone ball using a small amount of magic. It wasn’t as sturdy as one of my Stone Cannons, but I figured these gloves couldn’t handle that kind of toughness anyway, so I thought this would have to do. 

Without supplying the glove with any meaningful amount of power to increase my strength, I gripped the ball; it obviously didn’t give. Then, I loosened my hold on the ball and let it sit in my palm. 

I sent a bit of mana into the gauntlet and resumed my previous grip on the stone sphere. I held it with little effort and heard a crack. The stone moved slightly, and in the next moment, it crumbled into rubble. 

“Yep, still as strong as ever.” This revelation fixed my lack of physical prowess for the most part, but considering where I was, it was a shame I couldn’t use them. “ Oh Arm, return to Earth. ” The glove loosened, and I took it off.

“Well, these are definitely welcome gifts.” The gauntlets would help me fight against many opponents, and I could technically use Urupen’s fighting style now because of them. The shotgun cannon was a no-brainer. I mean, who was going to deflect a shotgun? With one last survey of the box, I found a drawstring pouch with more than a few magic stones inside. “I guess this is my payment—isn’t this a little bit too much to give a child?” I guess you could technically say what I was doing was child labor, but I’d overlook the working conditions of our company for right now. After all, we still don’t formally have a headquarters yet—and there were only two employees.

I looked at the items and sighed. “Guess the good old trusty hole will be a little more cramped from now on.”

“Welp, we’re all finished here, Mrs. Peters!” With an upbeat exclamation, Paul walked out of the house with Laws behind him. 

The woman gave a short bow toward them. “Thank you again, Lord Paul.” She pointed a heartwarming smile at the two men. Her daughter hid behind her skirt even as she did this. “Samantha dear, how about you give Lord Paul that gift?” Paul could see the little girl nod timidly as she emerged from hiding behind her mother’s figure.

Her hands quickly came from behind her back, and she presented infront of her the so-called gift in hand. “Here, I made it myself.” The girl held a flower crown. 

“I’ll treasure it like my life depends on it.” Paul took it from her hands without missing a beat and gently placed it on his head. She ran back behind her mother in a moment. 

“The look suits ya, Paul.” Laws elbowed the knight’s side in a somewhat mocking manner. “We should get going, though. We still have a lot of houses to get through.” The elf waved for Paul as he moved past him. Paul, without stumbling, proceeded to follow, “Take care, Mrs. Peters!” The half-elf waved, not looking back as he did so.

“Will do Laws! So hello to Cecilia for me!” The two men trailed off her house and returned to Laws’ wagon. Even though they’d been going around for the past hour or so, it seemed like the supplies shipped to the village had no end.

“Aren’t you acting a little too uppity, Paul?” The confident tone Laws adopted only a few moments ago was now gone, and in its place was one of a worried man. “We still don’t even know who sent all of this to us. When you take all of this plus the assassination attempt—I’m trying to say that I don’t like where this is going.” 

“Nah, I get where you’re coming from, Laws, but you gotta look at it this way.” Paul draped a hand over his friend’s shoulder. “There are enough supplies here for everyone to survive the winter. There are enough appliances that every house in Buena will be well off for years, and there are enough clothes and winter coats for every man, woman, and child to have three sets.” Laws’ demeanor still told Paul that he wasn’t sure.

“Look, Laws, if someone wanted us dead, they wouldn’t send us supplies—and if they wanted leverage over us, they would’ve at least told the merchants their name.” After Paul spoke, Laws began pondering.  “We’re fine. Ultimately, it’s better to think of whoever this mystery benefactor is as a friend rather than an enemy. After all, whoever they are, they sure as hell have a lot of money they can throw around.” The sheer quantity of supplies shipped to them made that fact abundantly clear.

The elf scratched his ear. “Yeah, you’re right—sorry, just worried, is all.” Considering the man had nearly bled out not even two years ago because of a failed assassination attempt, it made sense for him to be worried. It would be strange if he wasn’t weirded out by the scenario. 

“You’re fine, Laws… To be honest, it’s right to be worried.” Paul gave the man a reassuring nod, and then they mounted the wagon, Laws beginning to drive them toward the next house. Paul couldn’t help but look over the fields and the houses that specked the landscape as they rode. Even if fewer people were here than in Roa, the village covered more land than the fortress city. Paul liked this place. Paul liked living here and having a family here.

This village didn’t always mean much to him, though. A couple of years back, it was just somewhere Philip managed to get him a solid job. To Paul, being the village’s knight was just a means to an end to give Zenith peace of mind and show his commitment to her. Not that he’s not a total sleazebag when it comes to women, but he just wanted to show her that he was serious about starting a family. In truth, he wasn’t even against being tied down. 

His view of the village, however, changed when Rudeus was born. He went from not caring about the people around him to finding himself talking to them. He wanted his son to have a nice life growing up in this village. One that wasn’t spotted with politics and bids for power like Paul’s childhood was. He wanted Rudeus to have a quiet and serene life. That doesn’t mean Paul would stop Rudeus from doing whatever he wanted. If he wanted to leave one day and become a politician, Paul wouldn’t stop him, but Paul felt it in his bones that someone like Rudeus would become an adventurer or something with how he was shaping up. 

“The village sure has changed a lot since Rudeus was born, hasn’t it?” It was Laws that spoke first. The sun was still high in the sky as the man looked up at it. It seemed he was thinking of the same things the knight was.

“It sure has, and it’s only changed more with Roxy and your Sylphie.” Those girls were important to Paul’s son. He could tell from just a glance at how he looked at them. Rudeus very evidently held a great sense of admiration for his master and certainly cared about his elf friend. Paul would’ve thought it was love if he didn't know better, but Rudeus was still just a child. Even if he was a prodigy who had thoroughly shown up his father, he was still a young—and not naive kid. 

“This village never meant much to me, y’know? I just came here to find a nice, quiet place to live… Now, I just can’t see myself leaving.” Paul’s thoughts were all over the place right now. With what he just said, it sounded like he was about to go into a confession scene from a VN.

“I can understand that. You were always pretty distant before your son was born.” Laws sighed. “Meanwhile, I was worried to hell and back about my daughter.” A sad smile sat on his lips. “I never thought my child would have green hair, but now look at me… I felt like her life was a closed book, but then Rudeus came out of nowhere.” The sad smile turned into one of relief. “You were right about how Rudeus makes you think you’re unqualified as a father… He’s a good kid.” 

“Laws?” The elf perked up from his thoughts and turned toward the brown-haired man. “What are your thoughts on your daughter marrying my son?” His face froze into a look of puzzlement. 

Well, that’s the look I’d make if I was hit with whiplash that bad.

“You’re bringing this up now? Of all times, Paul?” Laws’ face looked thoroughly annoyed.

“What? It’s not like we’re fighting for our life or anything. We’re just chatting as we deliver stuff.” Paul thought for a quippy line and threw out the first one that came to him. “Chatter is good for the mind.” 

“I bet you’re only saying that because Rudeus said it one time.” Welp, he caught him red-handed. Rudeus liked pulling out weird sayings occasionally, and Paul just started using the ones that sounded super sophisticated. He wasn’t that smart at the end of the day, and he knew his son had him beaten out on that aspect.

“Seriously though, what do you think of it? I hear the girl talk about it every now and then. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to get them hitched at their age. It’s not like we’re two noble families fighting for power. They’re still too young for that sort of conversation or commitment.” Paul scratched at his chin. “Just think of it as food for thought.”

“Just to be clear, I’m not against it, Paul.” The man didn’t meet him in the eyes. Laws’ cheeks flushed as he spoke. Paul thought momentarily that he might’ve pounced on the poor guy if he were a woman. That was probably the Elinalise in Laws speaking, not that Paul knew the two were related. “Rudeus is the only boy I’d give my daughter’s hand to. No one else deserves her.” The hunter’s eyes were cold. The bullying his daughter received was still fresh. That wasn’t the sort of thing a parent could just forget.

“I just don’t want to think about letting her go already. I’m not mentioning that she’s been constructing her life around him too.” His face held a particular confused nature about it when he spoke.

“That isn’t good, I agree. She’s definitely more dependent on Rudeus than he is on her… I think he’s trying to fix that about her—what with all his passive nature toward her.”

“I’m just saying I don’t mind if they get married, Paul. That’s my stance, but I don’t want my daughter being led on—not that I’m saying Rudeus is doing that.” The elf spoke in a frantic nature at the end.

“No, no, I understand, Laws… I’ll—try to figure something out.” Paul tried to give his friend some solace.

I’ll rack my brain for ideas later. Roxy’s gonna be leaving soon after Sylphiette graduates from her teachings. Then it would only be a matter of time until the little girl falls hopelessly in love with my son…they’re only six, dude, relax… Paul grimaced at his thoughts. 

“It seems having Rudeus as a son must be draining.” Laws chuckled, but Paul could only look at him with a slightly befuddled look.

“Not really, to be honest. He’s a good kid with a good head on his shoulders. Unlike his father when he was his age, he stays out of trouble and is always humble about himself. He has his issues, sure, but I know he loves his family, and I know that he loves me in his own way.” Paul could tell the grin on his face was one of those stupidly big ones. Talking about his boy only made the man happy. 

“That’s all I really need.” Laws laughed at what he said and didn’t stop even when Paul hit him in the side.

“To think that Paul Greyrat is so worried about what his six-year-old boy thinks of him as his father! Oh, man! You got me crackin’ up!” The elf clutched his sides in desperation.

“I’m serious here, man! Why do you have to do me like this?!” 

The moment eventually ended, and they continued supplying the villagers for the winter.

A week later, Sylphiette would undergo her graduation.

Then, the day after, Paul saw his son break under the pressure.

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Fourteen: Roxy Migurdia's Determination and Graduation Woes

>Roxy<

My name is Roxy Migurdia. 

I was born in the Biegoya region of the Demon Continent in the village of my people, the Migurds. It was a pleasant childhood for the most part. My parents were incredibly kind. I remember not thinking about much back then. 

Initially, I didn’t realize I was different from everyone else. My parents tried to hide the fact from me. Even though I was a full-blooded Migurdian, I couldn’t use my race's ability of telepathy. This meant I couldn’t converse freely with my people. 

For me, I was living in a dreadfully quiet village, but I knew that people were talking all around me. It was exceptionally isolating.

I learned magic from a wandering magician and left my village soon after she left. I met many faces and people with varying dreams throughout my travels until I eventually ended up in Sharia. I went to school there and met many more people, some of whom I could call friends. Finally, I learned all I thought I could there and left. I must’ve hurt some people when I did so. I knew I hurt my master, but I neglected that thought. He was a prude and stuck in the ways of old. That’s how I viewed him, and because of that, the word “master” was labeled as such for me. 

I kept moving, and with time, I grew a little conceited throughout my travels. I was a water saint-tier magician, after all. There weren’t many in the entire world who could claim such a title. I had even risen to the position faster than my teacher had. This only soured the view I had of the man even more. I thought that he wasn’t unique in the slightest and that I was. 

I viewed myself as the better, and I considered myself that way for a while. 

That is until I made my way to Asura. I found myself drawn to Ars, the capital of the kingdom. It had been a few years since I had set foot in the city, but I believed I could only serve under the king or some high-ranking noble. That was how high I thought of myself by then, and because of that, I landed myself infront of an unsavory character.

A perverted noble that, in reality, had no intention of using my skills and just wanted my body. The same body that looked like a teenager going through puberty. The same one I was constantly reminded of having and being mistaken as a child for. 

I was disgusted. Not because of the unmistakable lust from the man but because of his actions and the way he held himself. Had he been some dashing young man who wished to have me, I could’ve maybe considered him… The man infront of me, however? There was not a rat’s chance in hell.

I remember vividly how I used my magic to escape that manor. I didn’t look back as the knights gave pursuit. Eventually, I dodged them and ran into a man who offered me aid. His name was Laws, a simple hunter from the tiny village of Buena in the sticks of the Fittoa region. 

That day marked the unmistakable turning point in my life.

When I made it to Buena, I thought nothing of the village. The people here treated me indifferently because of my hair but didn’t necessarily treat me poorly either. In essence, they didn’t care too much about me. I thought my employers would be the same, but when I met them, my feelings seemed unfounded. 

The boy I was tasked to teach was three years old—that’s right, a child whose parents claimed he had cast an intermediate spell on accident was to be my student. I scoffed at him, but the boy showed experience in the way he moved. Eventually, I realized I had severely underestimated him, and my accusatory remarks were shoved down my throat not even an hour after arriving at their doorstep.

Rudeus Greyrat, by all extensive purposes, is a prodigy unlike any other. I hadn’t seen the Demon God Laplace fight or the Water God Reidar, but even I knew from one look at the boy that he was comparable. Unlike me, the gods gifted him with abundant talent, even though he was a human. 

Rudeus was a once-in-a-millennium prodigy, and he was to be my student.

I was humbled quickly. Everything I thought I had known had become some fraudulent claim infront of the boy. Were incantations required for spells? Of course not. You only needed to learn how to use them that way. Was the total mana capacity of a person set at their birth? No, you could increase it when you were young, and it would eventually piddle off and stop increasing as you age. 

It was like this that my mental state had started declining somewhat. I tried to not let it bother me. Even with this, I dedicated myself to tutoring the boy, but no matter what I gave him, he continued to take the learning in strides. Nothing was difficult for the boy. No arithmetic equation posed a threat. Any spell I taught him, he learned almost seamlessly. Despite his overwhelming intelligence, I could do little, yet he insisted on calling me his master. 

I was no master to this boy. I was simply someone who would come and go in his life. One of the many, no doubt.

He didn’t see it this way, and I didn’t understand why. I couldn’t understand why.

I didn’t understand the boy in the least. He would applaud me for knowing something and tease me whenever he saw fit. Honestly, if he had been some twenty years older, I would’ve fallen in love with him. I could tell from interacting with him that it would’ve been the case. He had the demeanor of a man I could fall in love with and the attitude of a person I would find my legs buckling infront of. However, that was not the case here, and it wasn’t until I saw him that night that I truly knew the extent of what he was capable of.

I saw magic I had never seen that night on the hill. It was such a brilliant heat that I could never forget it, and the colors he showed me were more majestic than anything I had seen in my travels that spanned the world. I realized then that I wasn’t anywhere close to where Rudeus Greyrat was. Only after that realization did Rudeus think it best to call me his master again.

I grew angry at that moment. 

I yelled at him and let him know my frustration. I couldn’t keep it in anymore, and I let a child at the age of three bear the brunt of my accusations and scathing remarks. I couldn’t bear to hear myself speak anymore and stopped yelling and just sat there instead, holding my knees to my chest as tears poured out of my eyes.

The boy didn’t cry, stutter, or even mutter his hate for me like I had when my master yelled at me. Instead, he looked at me with eyes a boy shouldn’t have had. His face was pained with guilt as he told me he understood me. That to him, I was his teacher, no matter the circumstance, and that he could never hate me. 

That didn’t make me understand him any more than I already had.

He added more praises alongside his defense as I tried to retort him. I gave up after that. What could I have done? I hung my head in defeat as I was utterly thrashed in this argument by a child—and my student. I thought about leaving my post then, but Rudeus decided to strike a deal with me… In exchange for continuing to teach him, he, too, would offer me help in my pursuit of knowledge. I asked him why he would go so far for a no-good master like me. His only response was a simple confession. 

I was confessed to by a three-year-old, and shamefully, it made my heart skip a beat. Not that I would do anything scandalous with a child so young, though. I wasn’t that noble.

The months passed, and our relationship changed. We were now more akin to friends working toward the same goal. He continued to push through even when hardships came up, like his nightmares. His will was admirable, and the power to push through adversity was commendable. 

Whatever happens in those nightmares must be harrowing for the young boy, but all I could do was offer my support when he woke up. The only time I feel of use is when I do as such. It wasn’t long after his first nightmare—the next day, in fact, that Rudeus befriended Sylphiette, Laws’ child and one who unfortunately had the same green hair as the hate Superd tribe.

It didn’t bother Rudeus, however, and just like that, he became friends with the ostracized and bullied girl as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It was also this day where I learned of the girl’s skill for magic and would also take her under my wing. Truthfully, I didn’t want to leave Buena quite yet. So, this incident just served as a scapegoat to stay for a bit longer. I felt terrible for using the girl’s situation like that, but once I realized that the Greyrat family didn’t mind my presence, I felt relieved—blessed even.

I, Roxy Migurdia, a demon, was accepted by a family of humans, and it didn’t stop with them. The village recognized me and met me with a smile and a wave as I passed. I had found a home in this place, but with each passing day, I knew my eventual departure would have to come.

Rudeus graduated, and his second nightmare came. He changed after that. He became more serious about improving himself. I saw immediate improvement that I couldn’t hope to match while I was stuck here teaching Sylphiette. Not that I blamed her for any of my shortcomings. The girl had vowed to be able to one day walk beside the boy, and I intended to help her to the farthest extent that my ability would allow.

They both grew older slowly and kept improving rapidly. Even with the shock of the assassination plot by a North King, my quiet life in Buena village continued. I could feel it, however. The looming day grew even closer. 

The day I would have to leave.

In another life, I’m sure I would have left readily after Rudeus graduated from my teachings. I would’ve ruminated on my actions and become a better person. 

I had already done this. 

I had faults—many faults. They were problems that I had tried to solve, but I needed time to do that. Be that by myself or with different scenery, I did not know. All I knew was that my departure time was coming, and I had much to do once I left. I had much to prove to the boy I had grown close to.

My time in Buena will be memories I cherish for my entire life. It was here I was taken in. I made friends here in Paul, Zenith, Lilia, Cecilia, and Laws. I met a student I could relate to in the little girl, Sylphiette. 

…Here, in Buena. I met a boy who changed my entire perspective on life. 

It was here that I met a boy I could never forget. 

Even when he learned that I was wanted, he decided to trust me. I wanted to earn that trust, so I trusted him even when I saw him that night on that hill. Even when I checked up on him and Sylphiette on the assassination night. When I didn’t find him in his bed when he should've been, I decided to trust him even then. 

I met Rudeus Greyrat, my student, who would always be like a shining beacon of admiration for me. For I, Roxy Migurdia, admire a child the age of six, who probably, without even knowing, changed my life for the better.

Rudeus earned my trust, and I wanted to be the capable person he saw me as.

“I’ll make sure to become someone you can be proud to call your master.” As I finished jotting down the last words in my journal, I wiped the small amount of sweat that had accumulated on my brow.

It was completely dark outside now, and almost surprisingly, no sound of ecstasy came through the walls. That was because today marked the last day I’d spend in this house. Even thinking about it made me grow sad. 

“Tomorrow is the big day, Sylphie…” I whispered to myself as I leaned over the desk and blew out the candle illuminating my room. “Make sure to take care of him after I leave.” 

>Sylphiette<

It was a cold morning. Why our master thought it was a good idea to hold our graduation ceremonies in the middle of fall will always perplex me. I felt that, at some point, it was just how Roxy Migurdia liked doing things. She’d always move on to the next subject once you understood the last, so I figured it must’ve been the same thought process. 

“She’s really going to be leaving, though.” My voice was sad. The reality of the circumstances was only now fully settling inside my head. 

“Miss Roxy has a lot of things she wants to do… I’m sure you’ll understand once you’re older.” My father rubbed my head. “Also, it’s not like this is the last time you’ll see her. I’m sure you two will meet again later in your life.” 

“Hmm.” I looked at the ground as we walked the rest of the way.

“Mornin’, Laws, Sylphie!” Like always, Rudy’s father was the first to greet us when we arrived. Similarly beside him, seemingly unexhausted and without an ounce of sweat, was Rudeus. 

“Mornin’ to you to Paul, Rudeus!” Our fathers were relatively upbeat for the day as they waved at each other.

I knew they would probably cry when she left, though.

When I looked at Rudeus, I noticed he had been staring at me, a smile small on his face. What’s he thinking about right now? That’s all I felt when I offered my own smile to him. Our eyes met, and he surprisingly didn’t look away. 

“Oh! You’re already here, Sylphie?” A high-pitched voice was all I heard. A second later, a blue-haired girl poked her head out from the stall where Caravaggio was held. “You that eager to get rid of me?” Her voice sounded playful, but I couldn’t help but retort.

“It’s not anything like that, Master!” 

She walked out of the stall and led Caravaggio to the two Greyrats. “Oh, so you just wanted to see Rudy all sweaty first thing in the morning?” Embarrassment assaulted my body at that moment as my face grew hot.

“Hahaha! Good one, Roxy!” Paul doubled over as he clutched his sides from the laughing fit he found himself in. “You’re finally getting it!” The man swatted the girl’s back.

The more time I stay at the Greyrats, the more I get teased repeatedly. I just wish Master didn’t get involved with it!

Rudeus didn’t move. He just kept his smile on his face. That was his way to keep what he was thinking undiscernable. “So, are you ready?” The girl’s pointy hat swayed slightly as she turned to me. 

I stood there looking at the three people infront of me. Tomorrow, one of them wouldn’t be here… How long would it be till Rudy decides to leave the village as well? That thought overcame me in the moment. Surely, he wouldn’t stay here all his life. He could do so much more outside a small Asuran village like Buena. Would I follow him, then? Would I leave, too? These pervaded my mind until my hand was clasped by another.

It was Rudeus’s hand. It was small but slightly bigger than mine. It was also rough. The sword training he did wasn’t for show. He did it for hours daily, even when we played, and his hands proved that. Despite all my work on learning magic, Rudy is still working harder than me. I wanted to be like him. I wanted to give my all for something. I didn’t know what that might be, but I’d eventually figure it out. 

Time will tell.

His hand didn’t move from mine. I thought he might’ve been worried about my nonanswer, but his eyes showed no doubt or worry. The same small smile was resting on his face. It was a look to tell me that I would be fine. He must be concerned about Master leaving, too… Of course, he is. She’s a precious person to him.

I looked behind him and stared at Roxy, who had a melancholic smile. I traced my hand down my side and gripped the wand I had fastened with a strap to my hip. All of this was real. That was what that told me. These long years that have passed us by were a reality.

“I’m ready!” My voice wasn’t full of the confidence I’d hoped it would’ve been, but that was fine. 

I had to do my best!

“You coming along, Rudy?” Roxy turned toward the boy who had let go of my hand and returned to his father’s side. 

“Ah, not today. I still have my training to get through.” Honestly, I was surprised that he’d blow off Master like that.

“Suit yourself then.” Roxy didn’t seem at all bothered by it, however. 

With the reigns in her hand, Roxy led Caravaggio toward me. With her sleepy eyes looking at me, Roxy spoke, “Let’s get going then.” I climbed on the horse, and Roxy followed suit and held the reigns from behind me. It was just like that; we left the Greyrat home without further delay. 

I glanced behind me as I saw my father join the Greyrats and pick up a wooden sword meant for him. “You’re gonna be sparing with Rudy for the first bit. That okay, Laws?” Paul shot him a devious grin as he rested his sword against the length of his shoulders. My father shivered as a response. 

“Please—don’t break too many bones.” He sounded kind of pitiful when he said it like that.

“Don’t worry, father. I can always use healing magic if anything gets out of hand.” Rudeus’s snide remark made my father stutter.

“D-Don’t call me that!” 

It didn’t take long until we were finally out of earshot, and I could no longer hear their conversations. All I could hear was their wooden swords hitting each other.

Father, huh? I stirred on what he said for a while after that.

Roxy and I spoke little on the trip. Not that we were unnaturally quiet on our way to the location. It was just that most of what we said wasn’t of any notable importance. She did tease me even more, however. I guess she wanted to get it all out before she’d leave.

The location was the same the woman had used for Rudeus’s graduation. It was where I would also use the spell Cumulonimbus and hopefully ascend to being a saint-level water mage. The title didn’t mean much to me. Rudeus was farther ahead of me in his magic skill and had already worked diligently on swordsmanship before I met him. 

Is that what I should focus on after Master leaves…? Swordsmanship… I’ve never thought about that before. Who’d even teach me? 

“Sylphie, are you okay?” A finger prodded my cheek as I was driven away from my thoughts.

“Oh, uh… Yeah, I’m fine!” I stammered as I tried to make out what was being asked of me.

A slight smirk spread across her lips. “You’d better sort out the stuff with Rudeus later.” 

“It’s not that this time!” All I received for my defiance was a short giggle from the woman.

“So you admit that it was last time?” Her devious smirk only grew wider as I stammered out a response.

Our surroundings had thoroughly changed at this point. The vaguely familiar plains and a singular fallen tree on a hill were all around us now. Caravaggio stopped. “We’re here.” With those words, we both dismounted the horse.

“So, before we start, would you tell me what’s going through your head?” She looked off into the distance as she spoke. The Red Dragon Mountains were prominent in the background of where we stood. 

“I was just thinking that I might want to take up the sword after I finished being tutored by you.” Saying that out loud sounded much more like a crime than I intended it to.

Roxy almost immediately staggered backward in shock at what I said. Almost as if to say, “Is that all my teaching was worth?”

“It’s not like that, Master. I’ll always continue to practice my magic. It’s just…” Roxy must’ve noticed how worried I was as she returned to her sleepy-looking appearance. “Rudy’s already doing so much, and I’m just trying to find a way to catch up somehow.” 

“I see.” With a questioning gaze, she looked into the sky. “Well, if you can find a sword instructor better than Mister Paul, I’m sure you’ll eventually beat him out. Especially if you only study one sword school.” She looked back down as she shrugged her shoulders. “The problem is finding one better than him out in the sticks.” That much was undoubtedly an issue that I hadn’t even considered.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right about that.” Lord Paul was certainly no slouch when it came to sword skills. He was advanced in all three schools, and it only looked like he’d improve more since he started training earnestly again. 

“Well, who knows? Maybe the North God will come around town or something, and then you can ask him.” Her face held firm momentarily, but her facade quickly broke as she giggled. Even if she sounded like she was making light of my worries, I couldn’t help but laugh alongside her.

Once we relaxed, Roxy moved to Caravaggio, ready to protect the two with an earth fortress. “I’m ready, Master.” I firmed myself and drew my wand.

“Good luck, Sylphie.” She started to form an Earth Fortress as she spoke. “See you in an hour!”

I stood there for a moment. Collecting my thoughts. 

I took a deep breath in and an equally long one out. Rudeus taught this to me as a way to calm myself. “I want to give a farewell worthy of our Master.” I looked at the red stone in my wand. One identical to the one Rudy carries with him. It reflected my face. The green hair that I hated stood out the most at a glance. The same hair I loathed when I was younger, but in just three years, I’ve met people who don’t mind it at all. I’ve met two people that changed my life. 

I even met a boy I liked because of it.

How red is my face right now from thinking that? Probably really, really red. But I didn’t care about that. My time in Buena may end up being short. I may eventually leave this village to follow Rudy wherever he’s going, but I’m okay with that. I want to live my life the way I want to.

“Grand spirit of water and imperial prince of lightning who ascends the heavens, grant my wish and bring about a savage blessing. Display your might to insignificant beings. Strike awe with a blow of your divine hammer on the anvil, and cover the land in water!” My chanting was slow and methodical, just like Roxy had taught me. “Ah, Rain! Sweep all else away and expel everything—Cumulonimbus!" With the final line, the spell was finished. The mana it took was considerable, but I had more to spare. “So this is what it’s like to cast a saint-level spell.” I stood mesmerized by the sight around me. 

Pretty would be the way I’d describe it. 

It almost took everything I had, but I held the spell for an hour. I’m sure Rudy would’ve been able to do some kind of trick to use less mana, but I wanted to do this legitimately. Not that his way would’ve been any less honorable.

After it was all done, I saw the woman stepping out from the quickly disappearing earthen dome… I could only smile at her. There was no other response to me that felt right.

“Congratulations, Sylphiette. You’re now a water saint mage.” Her expression was somber but warm. It looked like how a mother would look at her child after she grew up into a fine woman. 

I started to cry at that moment, and Roxy buried my face into her chest. As much as I tried to portray myself otherwise, I was still a child and didn't want to say goodbye to someone I cared about. I considered Roxy Migurdia as many things. A teacher, a master, a confidant, and most importantly, a friend.

Today, I would lose one of two friends that I had. Today wasn’t a day I could celebrate wholeheartedly, but for her sake, I’d try. After all, my actions from now on would reflect Roxy Migurdia and the last thing I would ever want to do was sully the name of a person I looked up to so much.

We arrived back in the village before noon. Congratulations were shared between everyone and me. Rudy was even relatively open toward me, which was a shock. It's a welcome one, that’s for sure, but it was surprising nonetheless.

We planned to have one last dinner, but Roxy said she’d be leaving promptly. No one wanted to see her go so soon. We all wanted her to stay for even one more day, but she seemed dead set on the fact. We gathered outside of the Greyrat home’s fence to see her off. 

I saw her look around at the fields. One’s where she worked and helped villagers. I saw her glance at the path we stood on, one she walked many times. I caught her glimpse at the Greyrat’s home one last time. The place she stayed for the past three years. Then she turned towards both Rudeus and me. The two students she had taken under her tutelage and taught all she had known. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t teach you two anymore.” Her voice was solemn.

“You taught us everything we know, Master,” Rudeus spoke first. His voice was resolute, unwavering under the pressure of the situation. 

“That still doesn’t excuse my poor performance as your teacher. If I was stronger, I’m sure you two would be standing before me now as even greater mages than you are.” The same sad smile traced her lips.

“Here, I have something for you two.” The girl rummaged around her pocket and pulled out two necklaces. They both had the same pendant attached—one with a green coloring and the other bronze. With a motion, she placed the green one around Rudeus’s neck and the bronze one around mine. “I’m sorry that yours isn’t the genuine article, Sylphie. I only had one, so I had to make the other.” I looked confusedly at the necklace draped around my neck. I had seen it before but couldn’t quite remember. If anything, I thought I remembered hearing about something like this when Rudeus was learning the demon language.

“Those are the Migurd’s symbol. If any demons trouble you guys, they may ease off a little if you show them those and tell them my name. Or maybe not.” Her sheepish face told me all I needed to know. 

“T-Thank y-you, ma-master!” I couldn’t hold it any longer as my tears poured out again. I knew I wasn’t the only one like this. Behind me, I could hear Paul, Zenith, and my parents tearing up.

A hand started rubbing my back, and through my tear-ridden vision, I saw the face of Rudeus. He wasn’t crying, but he was sad. He wasn’t wearing the same old smile he always held. Now, it was downturned into a sad frown. It was like he was telling me to remain strong but that it was also okay to cry. Even now, in a moment of sadness, even for him, he was trying to reassure me.

“H-Here, Miss R-Roxy. This is for you.” From my pocket, I fished the present I had been making. 

“Oh, I guess I could use a necklace after I gave away mine.” She took the wooden pendant from my hands and placed it around her neck. “I’ll make sure to treasure it. Thank you, Sylphie.” She pulled the wooden pendant up to her face to look at it, a tiny grin crossing her lips as she did so.

When we meet next, would she be the same Roxy I had known? Probably not. I’m sure she’ll be even more impressive when we meet again. She’ll have improved, so it was up to me to do the same.

“Well then. This is farewell, you two.” She placed her hands on top of both our heads. After a moment of silence, she grabbed her suitcase beside her and propped herself up with her staff. 

Rudeus shifted slightly beside me as he took a step forward. “Here.” He fished his present out motionlessly and clasped a bracelet around the girl’s wrist without waiting for a response. It looked just like the one he always wore.

“You sure you wanna give jewelry to a woman older than you? I might get the wrong idea.” The girl waved around the bracelet that was now around her wrist. It was a shiny grey. It wasn’t metallic like the one the boy wore, but it was probably because it was made from his magic. However, you’d be hard-pressed from far away to think it wasn’t a priceless ornament.

“There’s no way you could get a wrong idea from me, Master.” Rudeus’s cheeky reply only made the woman deadpan. “Let’s meet again, Roxy.” For some reason, he didn’t sound so sure about what he was saying.

She stood there looking down at the boy, but after a moment, her smile returned. “Let us.” She ruffled the boy’s hair. “Just don’t go casting magic and destroying the entire kingdom while I’m gone.” I’m sure most of us would’ve laughed, but none of us found the energy to. 

“Goodbye, everyone. Thank you for everything these past few years.” With one last look at us, Roxy Migurdia turned her back and left. 

I ran forward a little. I don’t know where I found the strength or why I felt the need to. “I’ll miss you, Miss Roxy! I’ll make sure to get stronger! So when I do—let’s go on an adventure!” I didn’t know where the notion of an adventure came from. Maybe it was how the girl always explained her adventuring days or whenever I overheard Rudy’s parents talking about their own experiences, but all I could think of now was spending more time with her. 

I wanted to meet her again, no matter what. 

All of us stayed just like we were for a while. None of us spoke. Instead, we watched the girl’s back slowly fade into the horizon as she left our field of view. A few moments later, we all managed to contain ourselves and return to the Greyrat’s home. 

“Hey, Laws, why don’t you let Sylphie stay over tonight?” Paul turned to my father with an indistinguishable look in his eyes.

Father’s mouth moved open and closed as if he wanted to protest but couldn’t find the right words. He didn’t know how to respond, it seemed. “Sure. If you’re offering, then it’s fine.”

I didn’t know what Rudy’s father was thinking, but I assumed it had something to do with the day's happenings. He was probably just worried about leaving me out to hang. 

When Paul saw my glance, he shifted his eyes to his son, almost like he told me to talk to him.

So I did. “Umm, Rudy?” The boy’s eyes focused on me a second later. “Do you want to play or something? Or maybe do something else?” I didn’t have much faith in his answer. He’d blow me off with an excuse in times like these.

“Sure, I don’t mind.” My expression fell apart at his response. Was it because Master had just left that he felt he owed me some of his time? Or was there another reason I couldn’t think of?

However, I found myself not caring at the moment. I could only smile, take his hand, and run off with him.

…This was the last time I’d do something like this with Rudeus… This was the last time I’d see him so happy.

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Fifteen: When the Book of Wisdom Closes and What Happens When A Man Crumbles

I first smelt the fresh earth, then, a moment later, smoke. I only opened my eyes when the nauseating scent of blood and burning corpses invaded my nostrils. 

There infront of me was a body-ridden battlefield of rolling hills as far as the eye could see. Slain soldiers lay on top of the grass. Fires were spread indiscriminately all over. Some men were impaled with spears, others cut entirely in half, and some were smashed into a paste. Some even screamed for help and cried in pain; they were the unlucky ones who had lived through whatever battle had occurred here. I felt like vomiting just looking at the scene infront of me, but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to. 

The races of the corpses varied, but there was one stark contrast I could make. Most were human, and the other half were demons and beasts. This place looked familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It had to be somewhere in Asura, but why was there a battlefield here?

“Come at me, you bastard!” In the distance, I could hear shouting. A second later, the ground I stood on shook. There was fighting somewhere nearby, and it wasn’t of the scale anyone would scoff at. A hill blocked my vision, only a short walk from where I stood. That was where the shouting had originated from. My legs started moving before I could tell them otherwise. I dragged myself through the piles of bodies. Each footstep I took seemed to squelch. If it was from the blood or mud, I couldn’t tell. I didn’t even think about that.

“Watch your flank!” A different voice shouted out from behind the land that obstructed my view. I heard a clash of weapons. The sound that resounded was like someone hit a boulder with a hammer. It was deafening, but I couldn’t help but realize that I recognized that last voice. It sounded so familiar I could all but name its owner.

“This is…” At that moment, I knew where I found myself was a nightmare. This wasn’t anything I had seen in my life. I had never been to a war as horrifying as this one. I participated in the war in Shirone, but this wasn’t Shirone. Nor was that war as bloody and brutal as the one I stood in the middle of. This place I stood was somewhere I had been before, but I can’t recall when. 

This was a nightmare, but it felt different from those other times. This felt real. Like I was reliving something that I couldn’t have seen. That I couldn’t have known.

“Sieg!” A woman’s voice called out, and I felt my heart drop. That name made my body freeze in place. Everything clicked in my head at that moment. I knew where and why I was standing here on this battlefield. I knew what was happening over that hill.

Not even a moment later, after that voice called out, I heard a sound I knew. It was odd that I knew the sound. Not many should know what that sound was, but I had almost died the same way. So I knew what it sounded like—the sound of someone being run through. 

The sick, unbearable sound of someone’s life being taken.

“Mother!” The words resounded twice in two differing voices—one a girl, and the other a deeper tone of a man’s voice. 

The sound of the battle stopped in that moment. All sounds in the world seemed to cease. The only thing I could hear now was the panicking of the people I couldn’t see. Without my wanting to, my legs started to move again. 

“Please,” I begged myself. “Please, just don’t go… Don’t go over the hill…” I knew what was over there, and I didn’t want to see it. “I’m begging you!” My prayers fell on deaf ears as my body didn’t listen, and soon, my vision, once blocked by a hill, was clear to see all that lay behind it. 

I saw everyone then. I knew them—most of them... 

A tall, muscular man with green hair held a white spear close to his body. The one beside him was a woman holding a similar spear with long green hair flowing over her shoulders. Both of them had prominent red gems embedded into their foreheads. A young-looking boy with short black hair held a familiar hefty-looking sword in both hands. Next to him, a slightly older man with long black hair had a firm grip on the pole in his hands. A man with fierce golden eyes, long white hair, and regal-looking armor stayed rooted to where he stood beside them. 

A ways away, a swordswoman with flowing red hair stood overlooking four others. An older-looking man with disheveled green hair with a sword beside him with mysterious characteristics. A young-looking teenager with blue hair held onto a staff I was all too familiar with. They crouched and held their hands to another person lying flat on the ground. The green hue of healing magic was prevalent.

A woman with long elven ears and white hair clutched the person lying on the ground close to her. While painted in distress, her face was still as breathtaking as I remembered. Looking at her would typically make my heart feel at ease, but that wasn’t the case now.

The woman the three surrounded wore a robe I knew. She held a staff loosely in her palm that I could never forget. She had a hat laid beside her that I could use to discern her in a crowd immediately. I realize now that she never changed despite all the years I spent apart from her. She even still had her hair pulled into two long braids, albeit they were a little longer now. 

Lying on the ground, surrounded by Sylphiette, Lara, and Sieg. Was Roxy with a gaping hole through the right side of her chest. It was big enough that her right arm was gone along with it.

Ruijerd, Luicelia, Alek, Sándor, Perugius, Ferris, Sieg, Lara, and Sylphie wore shock, horror, and grieved expressions. 

I didn’t know what to think… I don’t think I could at that moment.

“M-Mother! J-Just st-stay with us.” Sieg was crying over Roxy. The girl’s chest rose and fell in slow motion. Even after all these years, and his age seemingly finally catching up to him, Sieg was as recognizable as ever. 

“Mother…please j-just hold on.” Lara’s head was pointed downward. Her face was scrunching up as she focused on her casting. She was trying her absolute best to hold in her tears. Of course, it didn’t matter much when they were already falling.

Roxy’s chest rose. “It doesn’t ma-matter how many healing spells you use on me. I-It looks like this is where it ends for me.” Her breath hitched between her speaking. “Only Orsted or Rudy could heal me n-now.” Her breathing was ragged. It was surprising enough that she could talk at all. My feet carried my body towards them, and I fell beside Roxy. 

I was forced to look at her.

Heavy bags formed under her eyes. No doubt from the blood loss. The only reason she’s still alive is the constant healing spells being applied to her, no doubt. She was going to die, no matter what anyone did here. I couldn’t bear to look at it, but no matter how hard I tried, my head wouldn’t move. My only saving grace was that my vision quickly blurred with tears.

“I-If only I was as strong as Father. This wouldn’t have happened.” Sieghart bit down on his dry lips, and blood trickled down his chin. “I couldn’t even do the one thing he asked me.” He was in pain and not the physical kind. Not that any of them didn’t have wounds that covered their bodies. No, this pain went much deeper than any physical wound could.

And it was because of me.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Sieg.” I tried to grab him, but they couldn’t see me. Even if I held them, they didn’t know I was here.

I hadn’t thought about it back then when I died. Going out with cool one-liners felt right when I was dying on that bed. I didn’t realize it then, but now I know. I cursed my son on my deathbed without even knowing it. 

I asked him to protect his mothers, but that statement only came back to hurt him even more—more than I ever intended. 

“Stop that, Sieg.” Sylphie’s voice remained firm despite her strained face from holding her emotions. She was still so strong even after all of these years. 

No, of course she was. She was the same Sylphiette who dragged me out of my depression and cured me. She was always this strong.

“He’s right, though…” Lara spoke in a hushed tone. “If we were stronger, this wouldn’t need to—”

“A parent must protect their child—” Roxy’s voice cut through the three. Sieg and Lara’s expressions saddened. “Rudy was always protecting all of us. He never wanted any of us to go near harm’s way… He was a sucker for his family, honestly.” She giggled at her words and, by doing so, coughed up blood. 

My hand found its way onto hers—I knew she didn’t feel it. “You two should finish what he started.” Her eyes, which always held a sleepy look, had a sense of resolve applied to them in this moment. “Do us proud.” 

The two who were applying healing nonstop ceased at that moment. Their tears fell, but they didn’t bother to stop it.

“We leave her in your care, White-Mama.” The green glow resumed from Sylphie’s hands as Lara spoke to her.

Lara stood up and wiped the tears from her face. “Let’s go, Sieg.” 

Even with his name being called, her brother didn’t move, not even a centimeter. He just kept staring at his dying mother with wide eyes. 

“I—I can’t—” I could hear footsteps rapidly approaching.

Alek came over and pulled him up to his feet. “Don’t say you can’t.” He spoke in a quiet hiss. His eyes were burning with a mixture of rage and bloodlust. “As long as Laplace stands, you have to keep moving!” Alek pointed his finger away from the group, and I turned my head to follow.

In the distance stood a figure who I could only assume was pondering the sight before him.

My body grew cold at the sight of him. Not because the man infront of me terrified me like he most likely did many others. What scared me was what he was wearing. It was the magic armor. The same one I had worn during my fight against Badigadi. Now, it was being worn and manipulated by the Demon God Laplace. 

He was wearing something I had created. That my friends, family, and I had spent so painstakingly long putting together for my sake. The one I entrusted to Lily and now was being used to kill my family.

“Can this just end already?” I felt my heart sink to even greater depths. I looked back to Roxy as I spoke. I didn’t want to see it anymore. I couldn’t handle just watching anymore. I didn’t want to know how this ended. I didn’t want to see the woman infront of me die. I didn’t want to see this with my eyes. 

I was scared of what would become of me after the fact.

“Do you think your father could sleep soundly as that mother fucker wears his armor and kills his friends?! Do you think the Quagmire would stand here and watch people die?! Huh, Sieg?! Didn’t I train you to be better?! Aren’t you stronger than this?! I know Rudeus was!” Alek was shaking him violently. 

My son offered no resistance.

“That’s enough, Alek.” Sándor’s hand came in from behind, holding his son’s at bay. 

“I’m sure Father would’ve already figured out a plan… I can’t… I’m not as strong as him.” Sieg’s voice wasn’t offering any sympathy towards himself. “I’m not as strong as the Mage King.” He looked like he was thoroughly finished. He sounded pitiful at the moment, but I knew I would be inconsolable if this had happened while I was alive.

I wouldn’t have fared any better than he had. As soon as Roxy was hurt, I would’ve fled the battlefield with her in tow. I would’ve turned tail and run to the farthest reaches of the world to save her. I know I would’ve because there isn’t one person who knows me as well as I do.

“You’re stronger than I/he ever was.” My words weren’t alone. They overlapped with someone’s voice. I looked back to Sylphiette. The look on her face was difficult to discern. It looked like she remembered something from long ago. 

It was a look of longing. 

“Mother?” Sieg’s focus was turned towards Sylphie. What was she thinking about? Our time in Buena? The time I showed her weakness? Or something entirely unknown to me that came about after I died?

“When you were born, I was worried about you. You had the same hair I was bullied so ruthlessly for, so I thought you’d only lead the life I would’ve.” She looked at Sieghart. A slight smile on her lips. One of recognition. “Without your father. I wouldn’t have been able to live the life I have, but you managed to pave your path. So, at the very least, you’re better than I ever was.” 

“Mother, I—”

“Can you keep the racket down? I want to die at peace at the very least.” Roxy’s voice was quiet. Her speaking was so soft you could barely discern what she was saying, but I heard her clearly, and Sylphie, sitting beside me, did as well.

Sylphie gave the woman an uneasy smile. “Could you hold on for a little bit longer, please?” Sylphie’s facade was slowly but surely crumbling. Her voice was finally threatening to break at any moment. “I-I don’t want to be alone yet.” Those words struck me harder than I ever thought possible. As Sylphie started crying, I planted my head on Roxy’s chest. Even though I was watching, I could still hear her heartbeat and feel her body’s heat. 

Both were slowly coming to a lull. After all, Roxy wasn’t going to make it out of this. The hole in her chest hadn’t closed, but the healing was somewhat stopping the bleeding. That didn’t change that all three of us were sitting in a pool of Roxy’s blood. 

“Sylphie…” Roxy’s voice broke through the silence again, forcing the woman to hold back her tears. “Thank you.” 

Their eyes met. I don’t know what they could’ve said to each other then. Or what their gazes conveyed to each other, but Sylphie broke down and sobbed. I knew what must’ve been shared between the two was deeply emotional. “I’m so happy I met Rudy back then. Because of that, I was able to have a life like this. I was able to start a family. I was able to be a teacher. It was all just one big adventure, yeah…?” Sylphie nodded her head frantically. She didn’t try hiding her feelings. She just wanted to let her friend know exactly how she felt before she was gone. 

“I’m just so happy.” Roxy’s mouth upturned into a quivering smile as tears started flowing. “I’m so happy that I fell in love with him. I’m so happy that you accepted me.” Sylphie’s hands never stopped glowing, even as her sobbing grew louder and her entire body quaked under her feelings. 

Roxy’s hand reached up to her friend’s. Her’s were a deathly white as she held onto Sylphie’s. “I don’t want to die, though.” She was scared… She was so afraid. “I want to see the children Rudy gave us grow up… I want to see all of them live their lives.” Her crying only worsened. 

I watched her face as she said that… I… I wished I didn’t.

…I wanted to heal her… I tried to, but my magic wasn’t there… I couldn’t do anything. All I could do was scream. I could do nothing but cry. I was powerless, pathetic, and weak. 

“So please watch over them all, Sylphie. For me… For Eris... For Rudy.” Roxy’s breaths were growing shallow. “I’m sorry for going ahead of you.” 

Sylphie nodded back and forth rapidly as if to tell her everything was okay. “I guess I’m going to meet Rudy again then… I’m sure he’s as handsome as ever.” Her smile became firm on her face.

“I’m jealous, you know. You and Eris get to hog him all to yourselves.” The two women shared one last laugh. No one spoke. No one moved. They just watched. 

Even Laplace watched. 

What was he thinking at this moment? Even though he was feared and our destined enemy, we didn’t fight him now. We just waited for one demon girl to die. He must’ve been so thoroughly confused that he didn't know what to do.

“I’m coming, Rudeus…” These were the last words of Roxy Migurdia, as Orsted told me. 

Her face had one of those all-too-rare smiles. It was the same one she had after we married and when she delivered Lara and Lily. I knew that smile as Roxy Migurdia at her happiest. 

“I hope you’re still waiting for me.” A moment of silence was all that remained after. You could practically hear your heartbeat with how quiet it was now.

“R-Roxy?” Sylphie spoke as she shook the woman. Her breathing had stopped, and her eyes had grown dull. 

She was still looking up into the sky. I wonder what she was looking for as she did so. Was it an answer to her life? Or maybe it was her finding solace in everything.

I doubt it was any of those… She was probably looking for me… 

Roxy Migurdia was dead. 

The woman I loved. The woman who helped me so much throughout my life. 

A person I worshipped like a god in my strife had now died infront of me. 

I broke down. I couldn’t bear it anymore. Hearing those words. Her last words. The ones Orsted didn’t tell me. I now knew he had told me only a half-truth that day. He told me half of what Roxy’s last words were. I understand now why he withheld them. It was for my sake. Because no matter how long Roxy waited for me. I was already gone. I was already living in another world where time had been reset back into the past. 

I had left all of them back there in that world. 

No matter what, they would never see me again.

Ruijerd stepped beside Sieg at that moment. He grabbed my son’s shoulder in a vice-like grip. A dark shadow hung over the warrior as he spoke. “I’ll make an opening for you. I’ll give my life for this, so don’t you dare hesitate.” His voice was steeped in anger. Not only was he facing his sworn enemy, but he was now facing the person who had just killed his friend’s loved one. 

To the Superd warrior, that was an unforgivable crime that should be paid by death. 

“Ruijerd Superdia.” Perugius’s voice was soft but filled with hate for the armored man infront of the group. In a moment of what must’ve been clarity for the man, he continued—sparing one last glance at Roxy. “Let us die together.” His voice was firm, steadfast, and almost unnervingly calm. “For Roxy Migurdia—for my comrades. Let us both die while sending this man to the deepest pits of hell… So that Orsted can finally finish all of this.” His golden eyes focused on Sieghart. “Saladin… Do not flinch.” His eyes left the boy as he focused back on Laplace.

Sieg’s face burned with a white-hot anger as he nodded. “Yeah.” His teeth were bared, and his lips barely moved when he spoke.

Alek readied into his stance with the unsealed Kajukuto in hand. “Father?”

“Yep.” Sandor slumped into his stance. “Right behind ya.”

“Sis?” Sieghart spoke.

“I’m here,” Lara responded. “Let’s finish this.” She breathed in and pointed Aqua Heartia toward Laplace. She glanced at her mother behind her one last time and turned back to face the Demon God. “For Papa.”

A moment later, Sieghart jumped forward with everyone on his tail. Everything went white after that. I thought I was waking up from this cruel nightmare finally, but in a moment, everyone was gone. Then I saw him standing there. 

The only man I hadn’t seen during this fight. 

A man clad in a white coat with black fur around the neck. His golden eyes shone through everything like he knew all. Even now, he held that stern grimace he always had. 

Ortsed stood there. Not moving a muscle, he looked behind me at Roxy’s body. His facial features shifted. Almost as if he was trying to figure out a way to express what he was feeling right now. He seemed to settle on a disheveled frown. One that if anyone else saw him making, they’d scoff at his seeming apathy to what was infront of him. I knew, though. I knew he was feeling such indescribable guilt that he couldn’t even form a reaction worthy of such an emotion.

“I’m sorry, Rudeus.” He held his head down. He didn’t bother to bring his head up. He left it down, resigned in defeat, his voice low and regretful. “I failed you.” I don’t know why I reached out to him then. All I knew was that I was already moving before I could stop myself.

I blinked at that moment and felt something pass through my hand that I had outstretched. It was a sick feeling, and whatever it was, it made an awful sound. When I opened my eyes, Orsted was gone. The only people that were here were myself and Roxy.

My hand was through her torso. My bulky armored hand had torn through her with absolutely no effort. I was wearing the magic armor. The same one Laplace was wearing only a short time before.

The only thing I could look at was her eyes… The way she looked at me with those eyes. 

Oh, god—those eyes.

“Rudy?” Her expression was horrid as blood dripped down out of her mouth. Hurriedly, I slumped down and pulled my hand out of her. I cradled her body as we fell to the ground together. I tried healing her, but it wasn’t doing anything. No matter how much mana I put into her body, it was going nowhere and doing nothing. I had never learned how to use healing magic without the incantations. I could never do it. I could never save her even if I wanted to.

Now, Roxy was dying in my hands. The one thing I relied on the most in this world was utterly useless. My magic was doing absolutely nothing.

The well of emotions I had was far too much to bear. “Please, Roxy. J-Just live. Please, please, please. Just… J-Just… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry… I-I’m s-sorry.” My whimpering continued into a muffled mess of pitiful drivel.

But even then, she calmly placed her hand on the armor, leaving a handprint of blood on its hard stone surface. 

“I love you, Rudy.” Her lips were pulled up into a smile that didn’t fade. She still held the same smile she had when she died. “I’m sorry you had to wait so long.” Even as she died in my arms, as her body went limp and lost its life, she never lost that smile. Even when she died, she lived exactly as she wanted.

She never stopped loving me. 

Everything went white around me the next moment, and I woke up in a cold sweat with tears in my eyes… 

I didn’t want to wake up from that…

I never wanted to see what I had just witnessed. I’d do anything to go back there. To redo everything that had been done. I thought I left my life without any regrets. Even as the Man-God mocked me and told me he’d tear everything I built down, I didn’t care. I left it all to them. 

I was wrong for doing that. I had regrets now. I had so many regrets that I couldn’t bear to hold.

…I wanted to die…

Paul knocked on the door. There wasn’t a response, so he figured entering would be fine. It was early, after all. He doubted either would be awake at this time of the morning.

Opening the door, he was met with a quiet room. On the bed in the corner of the room were both Sylphiette and Rudeus sleeping soundly beside each other. If Paul didn’t know his son any better, he would’ve thought the boy would’ve taken advantage of this situation, but he was pretty tame compared to the man when he was his age. 

“So, still asleep, huh?” At Paul’s hushed words, the little girl started to stir, and in a moment, her eyes opened.

She propped herself up in a daze and rubbed her eyes. “Lord Paul? What’re you—” She looked beside her and, in an instant, stopped speaking. When she turned back to face him, her face was beet red. 

You know you’re not making it any less apparent, little Sylphie. She waved her hands infront of her face and opened her mouth to speak. No doubt she would’ve screamed something like, “It’s not what it looks like!” or “I swear it was just a one-time thing!” Of course, the last one wasn’t something the little girl would know, but Paul liked to think about the scene's hilarity anyway.

Instead of letting her voice her concerns, Paul simply put a finger to his mouth. “Better be quiet. He’s still sleeping.” 

Her head turned back to the boy, and she nodded in agreement. She moved her hand toward his face and brushed his hair away. Paul could see a smile spread across her lips as she did so. This is like illegally cute to look at, right? How does my son manage to sideline a girl like this? Hell, I’m sure I would’ve been broken by day one… Well, she’s not my type, so—stop that, Paul! This is your son’s love life. Not your own. He reprimanded his conscience as he looked at the girl.

“Want to go down and get breakfast ready?” The girl’s ears twitched as she turned back toward him and nodded. She hopped off the bed, and after a moment, the two managed to leave without disturbing the other room's resident.

“Wouldn’t it be better to wake Rudy up?” The little girl questioned the man as they descended the stairs. 

“Nah, he needs some good rest now and then.” It wasn’t usual for him to stay asleep this long most of the time, but he was still a growing kid, so Paul figured it wouldn’t be wrong to let him get a few extra hours of shut-eye. After all, he stayed up late last night talking to his friend.

“Lord Paul—” The girl started, but Paul quickly interjected.

“Just call me Paul. I’d grow pretty conceited if a Water-Saint Magician kept calling out to me with such respect.”

The girl gave him a strange look as she opened and closed her mouth. “Mister Paul.” She reiterated. She seemed dead set on addressing her friend’s father by some honorific.

“Whatever floats your boat.” The man casually blew off her resistance.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you want me to stay over…? It’s not like I thought it was an inconvenience or anything like that, though.” She hurriedly clarified what she said. More often than not, Sylphie spoke a lot more fluently nowadays. It felt like Paul was talking to an adult some of the time. 

He also had the same issue whenever he spoke to his son. So, at this point, Paul was an expert at dealing with odd children. “Is it that you’re worried about him?” 

“I guess you could say that. You know how Rudy gets, right?” 

“His nightmares, you mean?” 

“Yeah, he tended to have them whenever something with Roxy popped up. So I figured her leaving would do something—guess I was just paranoid.” Paul rubbed the back of his neck as he looked down at the girl.

“I think that’s really kind of you, Mister Paul.” 

“Well, I try to be his dad occasionally.” A short chuckle escaped his throat as he spoke. 

At that moment, Paul’s loving wife came up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. “And you suck at that.” Her tone had adopted a playful manner as she spoke to her husband.

“Geez, that’s cruel, don’t you think? I do my best, you know?” She let go of him a second later and briefly kissed him. Paul felt half compelled to pull her back to him, but Sylphie was right infront of them, so he figured he’d hold off. It’s best not to corrupt the poor girl any more than she would be if she ever married his son.

“C’mon, let’s make breakfast, Sylphie!” Zenith pounced on the little girl and dragged her off to the kitchen.

Paul looked at the scene infront of him as he watched his wife drag his friend’s daughter quickly into the kitchen as she put her to work. Lilia was already quietly prepping, but the other two did their best not to get in the way or be a brother. 

It was a regular day in Buena. It seemed everything was going to be just alright. “Haah—maybe it was all just in my head—” 

It was in the middle of his sentence that he heard it. It was quiet, but even so, they heard it—all of them. 

There was no mistaking that sound. It was coming from upstairs, and there was no mistaking the sounds they heard. Upstairs, the sound of sobbing could be heard. Everyone knew who. After all, everyone in the house except one person was downstairs.

Paul didn’t know why, but he also felt like crying at that moment. He looked at his wife, and she looked back. Both of their faces were contorted into worry. He looked at Sylphie, and he saw her with a sad frown. Lilia, too, had her face turned into one of worry.

He needed to do something—anything. “I’m going up—” The sounds stopped then.

Everything and everyone was as quiet as a mouse at that moment. The sound of footsteps was heard plain as day. They moved from his room into the hall and onto the stairs. No one moved, and no one spoke. All they did was watch as he slowly appeared from the stairwell.

When Paul saw him, he knew something was wrong. His posture was straight, his stride uncaring as he descended the stairs. Usually, you wouldn’t think anything was wrong, but that wasn’t how the boy carried himself. 

Something had happened, and Paul knew he wasn’t there for it—no, he was. He was just up there, after all. Nothing seemed wrong, but obviously, something was. 

Paul was just too blind to see it.

“Mornin’, what’s for breakfast?” His eyes told his father all he needed to know.

They were different from the bright-eyed boy he knew as his son. The eyes he had now didn’t feel like his at all. They held little emotion. Paul had seen these eyes before. The same ones that had given up on life. He had seen it more than once in his line of work. The eyes of someone who lost a loved one so dear that the person couldn’t help but think, “ What else is there for me to do?”

His son had those same eyes. 

Paul looked down at his feet. Then, over to Zenith. She looked like she was about to cry just looking at him. That was just how much his demeanor affected them. She noticed the appearance, too, but they could do nothing now. Sylphie held her worried look but made no effort to move.

Paul realized at that moment that whichever Rudeus went to bed last night stayed asleep. 

They didn’t realize it then, but a vital part of Rudeus died that winter, and they had no way of getting it back.

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Sixteen: What Does One Do With Unending Guilt and The Greyrat's Child

It was a neverending spiral. 

I couldn’t think of anything besides that night. That’s how the past few weeks had played out in my head. A cycle of self-employed guilt that racked my brain.

I know what I saw that night was just a dream. It was a nightmare that I would no doubt remember for as long as I live—but that’s all it was. Be that as it may, I couldn’t turn a blind eye to it. I couldn’t bring myself to…not after what I saw.

That nightmare occurred in a location I knew very well. It was in Fittoa. More specifically, by a then rebuilt Roa… Well, at one point, it was. Then, the war with Laplace must’ve reached the area, and the region was razed. That was where the final battle between Laplace had taken place. 

From what I saw, it was a bloody and vicious battle that had claimed many lives. The fight was so significant and vital that every big player showed up to battle the Demon God. Among the few were all people I knew. 

Ruijerd Superdia, a lifelong comrade and friend I had met on the demon continent as Eris and I traveled back to Asura after the Displacement Incident. Accompanying him was his daughter and my niece, Luicelia Superdia. From what I heard from Orsted, she was a woman who held incredible importance in every other battle against Laplace the man had been through. 

Aleksander Ryback, otherwise known as Kalman III. The North God I had thrown myself into mortal combat against in Biheiril. Without Orsted’s interference at the end of that protracted warfare against Badigadi, I would’ve died to the man. After his defeat, he had become what I was to my employer. A beneficial asset in his neverending battle against the Man-God. Of course, I considered him a friend at a certain point. You could only work with someone for decades if you got along with them at the end of the day.

Alongside him was his father, Alexander Ryback, otherwise known as Sándor von Grandeur. The man who instituted the name Kalman in the world’s mind. He sought to honor his father’s legacy by becoming the North God after him and spreading tales of the hero Kalman across the land. He did so and became entrenched in the annals of time. I, however, knew him as an upbeat and lackadaisical man. He was the kind of guy you’d happily make your child's godfather, in all honesty. Finding him at the heart of some party wouldn't be weird.

Perugius was also there, but his familiars were nowhere to be seen. They had most likely already been culled by Laplace before I had arrived. To see the hero of the Laplace war stand before the man himself was something you’d see in a painting, but I didn’t find myself caring too much. What I did find wholly out of character from the man was his seeming lack of disdain for my wife. He even said he’d give his life to avenge her and his comrades. Something extraordinary must’ve happened while I was dead for the notorious demon hater to suddenly have a soft spot for a demon.

A woman with red hair was there as well. At first, I thought she was Eris, but I knew that was impossible. When I saw her wrist and on it the same bracelet I had worn in my service to the Dragon God, I knew in my mind that it had to be the same little girl I had seen before I had died. My great-grandchild, Ferris Greyrat, had stood confidently next to legends and held her own. I was happy she kept her promise to the old man she had barely known, but I also felt regret now that I had put her in such a situation. I only talked to her briefly after she woke me up, but even then, she decided to become someone like that. I felt terrible that I sidelined the girl to talk to the rest of my family before I went. I could’ve at least spared a few more words.

Sieg was there as well. When I died, he still looked like a young man, but when I saw him there, he seemed veritably middle-aged. His cheeks, which once appeared youthful, were now grizzled from the combat he had found himself in. He looked like a war veteran, and no doubt was by that point.

Lara was still the same as I had known her before she left. She still wore the same hat Roxy had given her. She still wore my tattered robe from when I traveled on the demon continent and still held my old staff. The same one she had admired since she was young. She was unchanged, but when I saw her, I knew she had been through her fair share of tribulations. I could tell that she was an adult now. Between her leaving, my dying, and the final battle, she, at some point, had become a reliable person and had finally grown up and left her father’s shadow.

Then there was Sylphiette… She was still as beautiful as ever. Surprisingly, she hadn’t changed much physically—early fifties at the latest. It must be her elf blood at work. I mean, she was a quarter-elf, and from what I’d heard, most elves live to be older than one thousand if they’re pure-blooded, that is. Anyway, that stuff sure was helpful. By the time I was seventy and some old codger, she was still a dashing young woman. Even then, I didn’t think I deserved her love. She could have left me and found some young man to cozy up to, but she never considered that. She even abhorred the idea of it. It only made me feel more guilty.

Then there was Roxy. 

…I don’t know what to say, but she was the same woman I had fallen in love with. She would’ve probably started growing a little by then, but I couldn’t pay attention to those details… She was dying, after all. I couldn’t focus on much other than that when I was sat there next to her. 

Why did the people I love have to go through so much pain? Why did Sylphie have to cradle her dying friend? Why was I allowed to get another chance after everything I did? I didn’t deserve this life. I know many people who did, but I wasn’t one of them. Why did they put themselves in danger like that? Why did Sylphie and Roxy engage in that warfare when they were outmatched? I didn’t want any of them to do this. I just wanted them to live their lives. Maybe die in a quiet cabin with their loved ones surrounding them, just like how I went. 

But that was what I wanted. Not what they wanted

It didn’t matter to me anymore, though. None of it did. They were all gone. I was the only one left. 

When I saw Roxy’s breathing stop. When I felt her body heat disappear. When I saw that cute smile on her face. The same one she would give me whenever she asked me for something or wanted to do something naughty. The same smile that confirmed she was at her happiest. When I saw Sylphie cry like I hadn’t ever seen her, I knew then that it wasn’t just a nightmare… A part of me went away, and it didn’t come back, and it may never.

But it was just a nightmare.

What I saw wasn’t real, but it felt like it. No, I knew it had to be—for some reason, I was seeing something I shouldn’t have known. A part of me knows that happened. For some reason, I know that was what roughly went down during that battle. A battle I couldn’t participate in. The same battle my wife had died in. 

The one where the armor I relied on became an obstacle everyone else had to overcome. The same armor I told Lily to tamper with. I failed her just as much as I failed Sieghart. 

I was as responsible for Roxy dying as Laplace was for running her through. 

When my thoughts came to that point, I didn’t feel like doing anything. When I was most needed, I was useless and gone. I cursed my son with a goal that only led to more pain. I cursed my daughter to improve an armor no other mage could wear besides myself and our greatest enemy. I helped change Orsted into a person who was considerate of others’ feelings, but by doing so, Roxy died. 

Because I had met Roxy, fallen in love with her, and given her a family, she felt obligated to protect that family even if it meant her dying. 

She was like that even when I took her to Shirone. If she didn’t have that necklace, she would’ve been killed by Randolph. She was always willing to protect her family, even if it meant giving her life. She was even willing to let herself die so I could live. I should feel proud of what she did. After all, I would’ve done the same, but it wasn’t the same for some reason. No matter how long I thought about it, her image on the ground never became more bearable. 

How could it?

Am I a terrible person because I’m selfish enough that I could care less if thousands died if that meant Roxy would’ve lived? Is it wrong that I love her so profoundly that seeing her die only made me want to follow her? Even now—when I can’t reach her? 

My shortcomings killed the person I had placed so high in my mind. She died because she had met me, and when the time came, I wasn’t there to help her. When I came to that thought, I didn’t feel like doing anything; the only idea that came to mind was how much I wanted it all to end.

At that point, my thoughts would return to the beginning, and everything would loop over and over in a continuous pattern. I can’t die. That’s what I initially thought. Then I felt I needed to live… But why? For my parents? For Sylphie? For Kharn or Orsted? No, it wasn’t for them. 

For Roxy, then?

…No… Maybe it wasn’t even her.

I wanted to run to her, hold her tight, and beg her never to leave, but I couldn’t. Our relationship wasn’t anything like that, and I didn’t want her to ever go through what I saw. She didn’t remember me the way I did her. A fantastic person like her didn’t deserve what happened to her. 

No matter what, I wouldn’t let that happen again. Even if that meant cutting off my relationship with her, if it meant none of them would die, I would cut off everyone I love.

I didn’t deserve this life. I had done everything I was meant to do in my last, so I didn’t intend to get in the way of their lives. I had lived a life I was proud of—one that was gone now, and I didn’t want to forget it. I didn’t want to forsake that life, live this one, and forget everything and everyone from that one… I couldn’t. 

The thought alone scared me. 

I wasn’t strong. I wasn’t capable. I just wanted to be done… Is that wrong? Am I irrational? A simple nightmare caused this, but it was much more to me. It was my failure. 

If the Man-God is my enemy, that only means he’ll come for me. He’ll come for my family by extension, and they shouldn’t be caught up in that fight without knowing what’s coming for them. No matter what, I couldn't allow them to be caught up in my mess.

I didn’t want to see anyone else die. I didn't want to be the reason that the people I love died. 

At the end of it all, I was doing this for myself…

I just wanted them to live.

>Zenith<

My son is incredible. That was one of the first thoughts I had of him. 

Even when he just barely started talking, he was compassionate and caring. I would’ve thought it strange for someone his age to be like that, but I realized that was just who Rudeus was. He was always like that, after all. He was oddly dependable, and I could tell he deeply loved his father and me. Those were pleasant days.

When he started learning swordplay and magic, I thought he would eventually find one he preferred, or maybe he would throw a fit about being told to learn both simultaneously. He didn’t do that, though. Instead, he seemed to love being taught by his father. I couldn’t have been happier at that time. Then we met Roxy, and the days seemed to brighten even more. 

That was until that nightmare came. 

To say we were worried for him would be an understatement, but we pushed through, and Rudy got better. After that, Rudy made his first friend in Laws’ daughter, and things seemed to improve again. My son even became a Water Saint at the age of four. I can’t even remember if something like that had ever happened, but it was all the same with Rudy. He was a genius, so he could do anything.

However, he couldn’t do everything. He was still only a child, and when another nightmare came and went, it left me rattled over what was happening to my beloved son. For a while, I thought Rudeus would be fine. He was strong, capable, and intelligent. I was sure he would become amazing later in life, but that would be then, and we’re in the now. I couldn’t help him when it came to those times; by the time I thought I could, it was already too late. 

I love my son, and I know my son loves me. That’s why I’m worried for him. That’s why I’m concerned about him more than I’ve worried about anything in my life. More than when I left my house. More than when I became an adventurer and more than when I decided to marry Paul and start a family with the man. All of those were dwarfed in comparison to what I was feeling now. 

He changed that night after Roxy left and didn’t return to being the easy-going son I knew. He became a pragmatic person who rarely smiled or laughed. He would mutter about being wrong or weak whenever he practiced his sword skills or magic. He never seemed satisfied. 

He’d come home with torn blisters on his hands, and I would lecture him. Then he’d offer a weak smile and say that he had to. Then, the next day, he’d return just the same way. 

I couldn't stop him.

The only silver lining was that he stopped ignoring Sylphiette, but now he always had this unfeeling attitude. The girl, Millis bless her soul, didn’t seem to mind much, or at least portrayed herself in that way. She’d often come up to me and try to brainstorm a way to help the boy in any way she could. She’d even tell me what Rudeus taught her whenever they went out. Most of them were things I couldn’t even begin to figure out. I guess that’s what’ll happen if you’re taught by a saint-ranked mage as intelligent as Roxy. 

I quickly learned that little Sylphiette was trying to ease my mind in any way she could. That only improved my thoughts of her even more. I’d like nothing else for the girl’s affection to one day be reciprocated by my son, but that day was not close. 

His sword lessons with his father, which had once been boisterous and semi-entertaining in their own right to watch, were now a quiet affair of little talking. Paul wasn’t good with feelings. He never was. So, watching him try to understand our son, I could tell quickly that he was making no headway into the subject either, but watching them only made me realize Paul himself had changed over time. 

Rudeus, on the other hand, continued to keep to himself and work himself to exhaustion. Neither of us could stop him. 

My son was a caring individual and a genius to boot, but nowadays, it seemed like he was slowly trying to separate us from him. 

The only thing I knew from being his mother was that I knew nothing about my son. I don’t know how he thinks, feels, or what he’s trying to do. The only thing that I can do is try to be understanding and help him in any way I can.

To continue to love my son. That’s all I can do at this point.

A couple of weeks later, some fortunate news graced our home. “You’re gonna be a big brother, Rudy!” 

The news of my second pregnancy came, and even I was shocked. It had been six years since I managed to have Rudy; ever since then, both Paul and I were worried that I couldn’t have any more children.

Then, a little while after Rudeus changed, I started having the telltale signs of a pregnancy. Morning sickness, cramping, lack of a monthly visitor. It all pointed to one thing. 

I was pregnant yet again. Which meant our family was expanding. This obviously made me happy. I mean, how wouldn’t it? The problem now was Rudeus. Neither Paul nor I knew how he would react, but when we finally announced it to him, he seemed elated. For the first time in a while, he didn’t seem as gloomy as he had been. 

Obviously, I was happy about that. As long as Rudy was happy, I was as well. 

The house didn’t stay carefree for long, however. 

“My humble apologies. It would seem I’m pregnant.” The ever-quiet Lilia spoke up one morning as the rest of us ate. A moment of silence crept on all of us. After all, everyone here knew who the father was. There was only one person it could be.

“S-Sorry! I-It’s probably mine.” My husband Paul bowed his head, almost ramming it into the table. My husband, who I compromised with by making him swear to only love me. He cheated on me while I was pregnant with his child, and at the same time, our son was going through Millis knows what.

I stood up, even surprising myself with how calm I managed to appear as I did so. Then, I walked over to my husband. When I stood infront of him, I couldn’t hold it in anymore, and I slapped him. I hit him quite a lot. Enough that my hand turned red, and my handprint was firmly outlined on his cheek. He exited the dining room and moved to a corner to mope. Just Lilia and I were sitting at the table, with Rudy between us and his father. We sat there like that for what must be hours. Eventually, a storm arrived outside and started aggressively blowing against the house, but I couldn’t bring myself to mind that.

“What do you intend to do?” I was angry at Paul. I was so angry that I knew I could explode and tell them both to leave the house at any moment, but I had to hold it in. When I was infront of my son, I was the kind, caring Zenith Greyrat. But even then, I wasn’t gullible.

“I intend to help Lady Zenith with her delivery. Then I would take my leave and return to my hometown.” The woman I knew as quiet had quickly become meek before me.

“What of the child?”

“I fully intend to raise it there as well. I’m hoping my parents will provide aid.” She didn’t look at me. 

“A month’s ride in this weather? You’d be exhausted from the birth. It doesn’t take a genius to tell you you’d die before you get there, Lilia.” Truth be told, I didn’t want her to die. Of course, I wouldn’t want to allow the woman I’ve grown close to over the years to receive a miserable death. Yet, even with that fact, I knew she must’ve had a part in this. Lilia wasn’t the kind of person to let herself get pushed around. If my husband really did do something unspeakably cruel to her, she’d voice her displeasure, and of course, I’d listen.

The simple fact that she hasn’t spoken up yet was admittance enough. Lilia, in her own way, was seeking punishment from me.

I couldn’t bring myself to speak. Lilia was already accepting her fate. I could tell so from a glance at her face. She was really willing to die for this. I know I had every right to yell at her to leave, but I found the fact that she’d willingly throw herself into death somewhat… admirable…? Weird right? The woman who betrayed my trust was someone I somehow found admirable. Maybe that’s not the correct word for my feelings, but seeing her willing to end her life because she betrayed me only told me more about the woman I hadn’t known. 

However, that didn’t change the circumstances we found ourselves in or her guilt.

Nevertheless, I was angry over the debauchery the two had shared while I carried a child. They willingly continued to have nights of forbidden pleasure while I was carrying Paul’s child, and Rudeus struggled with whatever was going on in his head. 

“Mother?” My son was the one to speak.

“Rudy, this isn’t the time—” 

“If Lilia is pregnant, I’m gonna have two little siblings, right?” His voice was calm and level. 

“Yes, you will be, but that isn’t what we’re discussing now. The ends don’t justify the means, Rudy.” I found myself growing more and more irate over time. Of course, I didn’t want to be mad at my son. He was worried. He had it written all over his face, even if he was trying to be level-headed. Combined with his circumstances, I felt he had already suffered far more than he deserved.

“We’re talking about how Dad messed up?” His tone remained calm, and even if what he said was phrased like a question, he sounded sure of what was happening.

“Yes.” 

“And that’s why Lilia’s in trouble, too?” 

“She also had a part to play—”

“Father has some hold over Lilia, though. It’s not like she could say no at the end of the day.” Rudeus teetered on his feet back and forth as he spoke.

“What?!” My voice slipped out after I heard my son’s words.

“Huh?!” From the room next door, I could hear Paul shout out.

“Lilia’s our maid, and from what I know, maids are supposed to do as their employer says, so it would make sense if Father had some way to keep her quiet about it.” He sounded with reason, but I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. “This can’t have been their first time, so that just means Father was hiding it before now. Wouldn’t it be better not to punish Lilia but instead punish Father?” I could tell from a glance what was happening here. My son was trying to worm Lilia out of my sight. Though, I must admit that what he suggested did sound reasonably compelling.

“Rudy! What the hell are you—”

“You be quiet!” I slammed my hand to the table. If there was anyone that shouldn’t be talking here, it would have to be you, Paul! Don’t you get that?! 

“B-But…” Paul’s voice trailed off pitifully as he slinked back into his corner.

“Lilia, is that true?” The woman had a look of shock plastered all across her face. 

“No, absolutely not.” She shook her head along with her speaking. I had figured as much already. The woman most certainly has some accountability in this whole fiasco. It wasn’t just Paul’s fault. Lilia had some form of engagement. However, if I had to pin the blame on anyone, it would have to be my husband. Even if Lilia did seduce him, he was the one with the dick at the end of the day.

“Mother, please. It’s father’s fault. Lilia didn’t do anything.” He sounded desperate. Was he willing to back the woman who most likely seduced his father? Was he ready to ruin our relationship over this? Or did Rudeus not understand what was happening here? He was a child. He didn’t act like it, but he was still only six. Still, he didn’t sound naive about the weight of the conversation.

“I suppose you may be right.” I forced myself to talk.

“Is it okay to punish Lilia for something that Father did?” You don’t understand Rudy. What your father did hurts me more than you could know. 

“I would say no…typically.” I didn’t want to be the one to send the woman to her death. She was the one who delivered Rudeus into this world. He probably would’ve died without her help while I was conceiving, and I would’ve followed along with him. But I can’t just forgive her for doing something like that . 

“My little brothers or sisters will have someone to play with as they grow up. They’ll have a friend just like how I have Sylphiette.” He staggered for words. “Wouldn’t that make them happier?” 

He was really trying to find reason here, wasn’t he? Does it not matter that I’m the one who was hurt? 

“Please, Mother.” His voice cracked. I could see the tears in his eyes starting to build. When was the last time I had seen him cry like this? Ever? I only remember him crying after the nightmares—and I never wanted to see those tears again. His eyes were looking at me in a way that told me more things than words ever could hope to.

My son knew what was happening here. I could tell. Even then, he just wanted us to be happy. I don’t know what he’s been through or is going through, but he was still the same compassionate boy I had given birth to, even if he wasn’t the same now, even if he was distant and a little dissociative. 

“I don’t want Lilia to die.” With those words, something clicked. As I looked at him, it was almost like something in my head just found its place.

Rudy’s still my son. He’s still the weird boy I had given birth to. He’s still my Rudy.

“Haah… I can’t win against you, Rudy.” I sighed as my body shook from my emotions. I rubbed his head as I brought him close to me. He was lucky he was a cute boy and that I owed Lilia any sort of debt. 

“Lilia.” The woman didn’t look up. She still held that downcast look. I kept the final say in this argument. “You’re our family now. Stay with us.” 

The woman’s eyes flashed to my face. A look of shock spread across it as her eyes flitted between Rudeus and me, even as her tears started to fall a moment later. I don’t know when I would forgive her, but Lilia wasn’t an evil person. She was the kind of woman to pay back her debts, and I’m sure this wouldn’t be forgotten so easily. This would be a debt that may as well be held onto for life. 

I walked to the room next to ours and found my husband utterly pitiful. “And we’re going to have a very long talk tonight.” Paul would have little say in familial matters—or ever going forward—for the foreseeable future.

It was going without saying that I wouldn’t be sleeping with the man for a while. Neither was Lilia. We were both pregnant anyway, and even if she wasn’t, I would leave and head home if he decided to have another late-night tryst. 

Paul was on thin ice from now on, and if he slipped, I was gone. Thanks to our son, he was, at the very least, getting that level of leniency from me, but that was all he was going to get. 

I began to leave to head upstairs but heard words spoken quietly behind me. “Lilia. Please don’t blame the child.” The words were spoken by my son. 

I didn’t look back as I continued up the stairs.

Knock, Knock, Knock. A quiet tapping was heard from the door. I wonder how long I’ve cooped myself up here? I was sprawled over my bed—alone. I’m sure Paul was downstairs comforting Lilia right now or something, but I guess that was fine if that was all he did.

It’s not like I was the one hurt or anything.

“Mother?” A high-pitched boyish voice called out from the other side of the door. Its owner was very easily identifiable within this house.

“You can come in, Rudy.” The door squeaked open a moment later, and I was met with my son. 

He entered the room without a word and closed the door quietly behind him. I propped myself up and tried my best to not look absolutely miserable. “Did you want to talk or something? Just so you know, I’m not going to leave your father over this—” 

“I’m sorry.” He hit me straight out of the gate. I guess the grief was building up quick on his side.

“I know, Rudy.” His face was dejected. He looked like a man who had just watched his best friend’s lover pass away right before him, and now he was confronting him with the news. 

“You don’t have to be sorry, Rudy. I… I understand why you did it… I didn’t want to send Lilia to die either.” There was a pause between us.

“I just didn’t want our family to end like that.” His tone had yet again grown distant. As if he was remembering something that he shouldn’t have been able to. “I knew you wouldn’t make a move by yourself, so I had to give you a little push.” 

“You call that a little?” I giggled at his words slightly, but he only met me with a sad smile. “You’re right, though. Without you here, I would’ve told one of them off, if not both.” He had a strained expression. “Thank you for doing your best, Rudy.” I offered him the kindest smile I could. Even now, when I knew he was struggling, he tried his hardest to comfort his dear old mother. 

I would be swooned by the acts if I weren’t a married woman or his mother. Maybe this is what Sylphie and Roxy found so charming about my boy. I guess Paul’s side of the family really was stronger than mine. 

Rudy was terrific, sure. I haven’t heard of any other four-year-old able to cast saint-rank magic in history. Maybe Saint Millis himself, but that still compared my son to the man with an entire religion built around him. 

No, what was so unique about him was the seemingly intrinsic way he managed to help people when they were down. I had seen it repeatedly whenever Sylphie doubted her ability or ridiculed her appearance. Or when he helped Roxy with her magic studies using chantless spells or complimented her body. That last point made him seem much more similar to his father, but from what I could tell, the girl appreciated the compliments. Roxy wore her heart on her sleeve a lot of the time anyway. 

“I still don’t think I did enough, though. I could be better. I could be stronger. Our family deserves to be safe.” The boy’s stance on family was definitely one of obsession. He was obsessed with our safety. It’s not like it was a bad thing or anything like that, but I could tell he was trying to wear himself out by doing his best for us. 

It made his mother worry for her son.

“One day at a time is good enough for you, Rudy.” I waved him over, and he listened. When he reached me, I placed my hand on his head and drew him into a hug. If he was like Paul, he would’ve been trying to do something obscene, but he just stood there and wrapped his arms around me. 

Moments like this were all I wanted from him. I didn’t need him to become some mighty warrior that would lead the world to salvation or for him to conquer continents in his family's name. He doesn’t need to grow up right now. That could come later. All I wanted was for him to continue being my son just like he was. To continue being the cute little boy I gave birth to and let me show him how much his mother loves him every now and then. That’s all I need.

“You’ll get to where you want to be eventually. So, right now, just continue being whoever you want. As long as you do that, I’ll always remain your mother and love you no matter what.” I stroked his hair with a hand, and a moment later, I heard crying. 

It wasn’t me. It was Rudy. He was crying against my chest like a little baby. For once in his life, he was acting his age. That night, I fell asleep cradling my son in my arms. It had to be the best sleep I’ve had in a long time.

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Seventeen: When A Friend Isn't Enough and To Roa the Fortress City

>Sylphiette<

The winds never stopped howling outside my house. The winter was terrible, but the days passed by. Before anyone in the village knew, it subsided, and spring had come. 

No one starved, no one froze, and no one even went hungry. I don’t think any of us were doubting that we would live. Not after those supplies had been shipped to our village. 

It didn’t take long after for Buena to grow exceedingly peaceful. The memories of the assassination plot had long been forgoed from everyone’s mind and instead were replaced with an exaggerated sense that everything would pan out in the end. Everyone continued to live and be at peace with where they stood… On the contrary, the only thing on my mind the entire time the winter winds howled outside my house was the boy I called my friend, who had changed irrevocably that autumn night. 

It wasn’t a lie to say Rudeus was my only friend. Our master, Roxy Migurdia, was a personal confidant, but I wouldn’t necessarily call her a friend. During my time as her student, our relationship was relatively professional, or at least that’s what Rudy would usually call it. However, if anything, I viewed the woman as something like an older sister.

However, Roxy was gone, and Rudy had changed with her departure. The once upbeat Rudeus that would avoid me occasionally was now placid and unmoving. For some reason, he stopped trying to avoid me, but instead, he simply didn’t want to play that often. Of course, that still meant he would teach me magic occasionally whenever he had the time, but instead of the simple things he used to tell me, he now found himself willing to say to me his discoveries.

It was remarkable, really. Rudeus knew a lot about everything. I knew that already, but for some reason, I found the way he was teaching me was his way of imparting something. What that something was, I couldn’t quite tell. At the end of the day, I was happy enough to talk to him, so I was proud that he found me worthy of his knowledge, but that didn’t mean Rudeus was anything like how he was when we met. He wasn’t the same, and I wanted to help him. But even with that in mind, I couldn’t do anything for him. 

I asked my father about it, but he gave me an answer that neither helped nor soothed my worry. I asked Rudeus’ parents, and unfortunately, even they didn’t know what their son was going through. Of course, at that point, the relationship between Mister Paul and Lady Zenith was already strained because of his infidelity. 

Thinking that, a little thought invaded my mind. I wonder if Rudy will be like that when he’s older? The idea intruded into my thoughts, and a vision of a house with Roxy, Rudy, and I appeared momentarily. I had to slap my cheeks to chase the thought away. “No, good Sylphie.” I chastised myself. Thoughts like that wouldn’t help me any. 

The Rudeus I had initially met wasn’t there anymore, but he was still nice. That should be good enough, but the simple thought that he was going through something that I couldn’t help him with was something I couldn’t abide. When his family was on the verge of breaking apart in the winter, he stood up and tried his best to resolve the situation. Even when blizzards wrapped around the village, he would be outside, ensuring everyone was okay and paving paths through the snow with his magic. He had changed, but he was still Rudy. 

I wanted to help him, but it felt like I couldn’t. So, instead, I trusted that whatever he was going through could be resolved by him. He was terrific, after all. I’m sure he would figure something out. 

I decided to place my faith in Rudy.

“Violent Storm is a saint-ranked wind spell that can control—” Rudy’s voice came out crystal clear as his eyes looked up into the sky. 

A few months had passed, and spring was in full swing. Which meant we had returned to our previous area on the hill. On this particular day, I decided I would put some of Lady Zenith’s teachings to the test. 

What would that be, you might ask? Well, I asked Lady Zenith for some advice, and she informed me that letting the boy lay his head on my lap may help. His mother told me this tended to cheer up boys for some reason. Why, I didn't know, but I learned from my father that physical contact with someone you like tends to make you happy. So, at the very least, I found myself giddy today.

It took some coaxing from me, but he eventually relinquished control of his head to me. Did it help him? I couldn’t tell. He still had that distant stare he often wore nowadays. However, Rudeus found himself spouting some reasonably incredible things about magic. He often did this nowadays. Still, the topic we’re on is something I didn’t expect. Violent Storm…? A saint-ranked wind magic…? It’s Rudy, so I’m sure he pieced something together and found it out. Still, I didn’t know if I was as interested in this as he was. Not that it wasn’t enjoyable.

I stroked his hair, and he stared at me. “Is there an issue?” I quickly withdrew my hand from his head when he looked at me with those eyes. It looked like he was staring right through me. 

“N-No!” My shouting made his eyes widen from the sudden sound. “S-Sorry, I meant not precisely.”

“Is there something else you want to talk about then?” His tone was flat all the way through as he spoke.

“Uhh, not really.” Was there anything I did want to talk about? I think just being able to speak to Rudy is enough for me… Well, maybe that wouldn’t be bad to talk about. “How about your sisters? Are Norn and Aisha fine?” Rudeus’s sisters had been born just a little over a month ago. Coincidentally, they were birthed just a few weeks after Rudeus turned seven.

“They’re doing fine. Not much else a baby can do besides cry whenever they want something, though.” Was he annoyed? It sounded like he was just a tad bit annoyed.

“Well, how have you been holding up?” Was I pushing a little too much? Roxy always told me not to try too hard for something like this, but even Roxy didn’t know everything. She even said she wasn’t the best at dealing with kids or comforting people. Sorry, Master.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Umm, I dunno. Like, is everything going good?” 

“About the same as usual.” He responded to my question with a dry remark, and a sigh escaped him as he looked back into the blue sky. He scratched his chin a little later as if he remembered something out of the blue.  “I guess… I might be leaving soon?” 

Everything tensed when I took those words and thought about them as a shock ran through my body… Leaving? As in leaving Buena? 

He looked back and spoke as he held eye contact. “I asked my father for a job.” He was being blunt about it. 

It hurt when he said that, but I held back my tears. I couldn’t cry. I wouldn’t let myself return to being that pitiful sniveling girl with green hair in Buena. “You’re getting a job? What for? Do you even know how long you’d be gone?” His eyes widened slightly at my answer. 

“For Ranoa, I figured you couldn’t afford it, so I asked him about it. So I figured saving the money by getting a job would be easy… As for how long, Dad said I can’t leave until I’m twelve. So, at the very least, until then.” It sounded like he had already made up his mind on this subject. That meant there was no way I was convincing him to go in any other direction, but I still felt like he was working with another goal in mind. I’m not one to pat myself on the back, but I thought I could read Rudeus better than others.

“Well, I’ll be waiting here for you then.” I’m sure my face was bright red when I said that, but I didn’t mind.

“Are you sure you’d be okay with waiting for five years?” He made an emphasis on how long it’d be. 

Why is he being all pushy all of a sudden?  

“Why wouldn’t I be? It’s for Rudy, and it’s not like I’d be going anywhere.” This conversation was taking that kind of a turn. I didn’t know if I liked that or was immensely flustered just with the prospect.

“What if I don’t come home or leave Buena altogether?” He continued to stare me down.

I thought for a second and came to a suitable answer. “I don’t want to leave the village, but I’m sure I’d follow you.” His eyes widened more at that, and in a moment, he shot up from my lap to look at me at eye level.

“What if I don’t return because I’m avoiding you? What if I left without a trace and didn’t want you to come for me?” I could tell he was trying to get to something, but I didn’t understand what.

“Well, then I’d do my best to fix whatever I did wrong…” He was being weird. Weirder than usual, but this felt like some sort of test for some reason. “Then I’d chase after you.” To me, these answers were the only right ones. To me, they were simple.

“Why would you? What would make you do that?” His voice wasn’t soft-spoken anymore. He was on the fine line between talking loudly and shouting.

“Uhh, are you gonna make a girl say that, Rudy?” He staggered slightly after I spoke. Did I basically tease him there? I hadn’t meant to if I did. I was just following Roxy’s teachings about being blunt.

Without another word, he plopped onto the grass and spread his body as far as possible. “I just don’t get it.” He had a dejected look on his face. 

“If you want to leave, I won't stop you.” He didn’t look at me. “I’ll get stronger when you’re gone. So that when you come back—or I have to chase you down—I’ll be able to stand next to you, Rudy.” 

Did hearing that really make him this upset? I thought, if anything, it would’ve made him a little happier—

“Sylphie…” His arm covered his eyes as he dragged his speech. I don’t know what could’ve prepared me for what he would say next. 

“Why do I see things when they’re done and gone.” He wasn’t asking me a question. I could see his face scrunch up beneath his arm, and I could tell that he was crying. I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

“It’s all my fault. If I just… If I was just better. Then none of that would’ve ever happened.” His voice strained between his tears. I didn’t know what to do besides offer sympathy as he lay there. 

“I’m sure whatever Rudy did wasn’t that bad. I’m sure you had your reasons, but I’d like it more if you talked about it. Then I could help you.” I was practically pleading with him. This was the first time since the incident that he even remotely opened up to anyone. But just as quickly as he did, he closed his doors again. He wiped his face with his arm and looked into the sky.

“I might tell Sylphie at some point… Maybe.” He didn’t sound entirely sure about that to me—and he sounded more distant than I’d ever heard.

“We can just talk about magic if you don’t want to.” I shot myself into the conversation, trying to alleviate any tension in the air. 

A weak smile pulled at his lips. “Sure, what do you wanna know?” 

I lost my chance to help. For some reason, I knew that was an opportunity, but I squandered it, and now it felt like the distance between us had only grown wider. 

I wonder how long it’ll be before he leaves. How long will it be until he’s normal again?

>Rudeus<

“Come on, Rudy! You can do better than that!” My father egged me on to come at him, but I stayed still. There were way too many North God techniques that could be used from going into your opponent haphazardly. Also, as much as Paul liked to only think with his sword or dick, he had an aptitude for combat. 

Still, I couldn’t stay put all day, but his current stance had too many openings. Which obviously meant it was a trap. One that I should be able to work around reasonably efficiently. I lunged towards him, a burst of wind magic aiding my speed. I made it to him, and I struck down on his shoulder. 

Still, I wasn’t nearly fast enough that Paul wouldn’t be able to react. 

Of course, he brought his sword up and parried it right before I made contact, but I expected as much from the man. The motion was smooth. Paul only really ever used the technique Flow from the Water God style. He didn’t need much else, considering his strength mainly relied on his creative nature and instincts.

He used his weight to throw my sword to the side. Using a quick kick to his body to rebound off of him, I found myself at a crossroads I had expected. Now, he was going for the offensive. Exactly as I wanted. His strikes came in fast and quick. At some point, he decided that holding himself back during our training would only be a detriment to my growth. Of course, he could have no clue that I was already well-versed in Water God, but he was a good enough practice partner at the end of the day. His decision to try during our spars was hard on my still-growing body, as I had no touki. At least it was a good workout.

Every time a horizontal slash came in, I parried. Whenever an underhanded attempt at a hit flew at me, I avoided it with either wind magic or gravity magic. It was like this how we trained. At some point, Paul realized my potential in Sword God and North God was abysmal. Honestly, it wasn’t like I could do much in that department. I was a coward in every right, so I only ever had any kind of talent in Water God because it was mainly about defense. I just didn’t mesh well with the other two styles. So we focused wholeheartedly on Water God for me, so our training sessions mainly involved parrying anything and everything he could think of throwing at me.

Wish I could use the gauntlets, though. They’d definitely help out. His onslaught slowed after a few more strikes, and eventually he stopped.

“Haah, that should be good for now, Rudy. Let’s take a break for right now.” He waved his hand toward me. I wasn’t all that tired. Most of the time, I would run my body haggard with magic at all times of the day. Gravity magic, elemental magic, anything that I felt would help, I tested. Everything I had was an avenue I could take to get stronger. I wasn’t satisfied. I wasn’t nearly strong enough to do everything I wanted to. That’s why I couldn’t allow myself to relax. 

Not that I needed to worry about confidentiality for too much longer. Today was the day I would be leaving.

“Already here, huh? Maybe she finally learned how to be wise about her time?” Paul’s voice let out in a quiet realization. 

In the front of our house, a carriage pulled up. Honestly, it was closer to a stagecoach. The door on the back of it opened, and out came a tall, muscular woman. Tan skin, cat ears, a tail, and a much too revealing top that left no room for imagination. Yep, only one woman I had ever known fit that description.

“Yo, long time no see, Ghislaine.” My father offered a wave to the woman.

She didn’t move or even bat an eye at the man as she looked at us. “Yeah.”

I heard some shuffling within the house behind us, and a moment later, Zenith and Lilia came out, cradling Norn and Aisha, respectively. The two little girls were still toddlers. Which meant absolutely no coherent language came from their mouths. Honestly, it was weird seeing them like they are now when I practically only ever knew them when they were already grown. 

“It’s been ages, Ghislaine! Is everything going well?” The beast woman offered a small smile to my mother.

“This your kid?” Ghislaine brushed Norn’s hair, receiving what must be a happy gurgle from the baby girl. “She looks like she’ll take after you more than Paul. That’s good.” A dry chuckle came out from my father.

“I take it that everything is all set up and ready to go?” The beast woman nodded.

“Take care of Rudeus for us. Please?” My mother looked conflicted about what was happening. 

To be fair, even though I already knew what would happen, I can’t find myself minding the circumstances all that much. 

Will this be the last time I see any of them? Will I end up helping Orsted perpetually and throwing away all my ties to my loved ones? At this point, I didn’t even mind that prospect. As long as they lived, that was all that mattered to me. After all, they always did in every loop I wasn’t born into. They could manage without Rudeus Greyrat in their lives.

Paul looked at me. “Rudy, what would you do if I told you that you wouldn’t be allowed to see Sylphiette for a while?” His expression was oddly soft when he asked that question. 

“I wouldn’t really mind all that much. I’m sure she could get by without me.” I answered truthfully. The Sylphie I’ve come to know isn’t anything like the one I had known. She had a spine when dealing with people; Roxy and I taught her, and she had a goal. Even if said goal wasn’t a particularly amazing one, I knew that Sylphiette would make it just fine, even without me by her side. She was still a big crybaby, sure, but she was strong. I’d go as far as to say she had a strength I lacked.

“I figured you’d say that.” Paul’s sword didn’t move, nor did he try to react in any shocking way. “You see, Laws and I talked about this a little bit. Originally, I thought you’d take after your old man and try to seduce the poor girl.” He dragged his hand across his face. “At the end of the day, your old man is a piece of shit that can’t even handle keeping his dick in his pants for over a month.” A couple of agreements were affirmed by the women beside him. “I’m not a good role model, so I thought the worst.” He looked down at me. “That’s why I’m proud of you.” 

The moment was sweet. Sweet enough, I almost forgot I was talking to Paul.

“You stepped in when I almost ruined everything. You fixed my fuck up, which you shouldn’t have ever had to do, especially at your age.” A blush grew on his cheeks as he swatted the air infront of his face. “Anways, uhh… Laws and I talked and concluded that you weren’t a bad influence on Sylphie. Not one bit. I mean, you’re the person who stood up for her after all. So we thought she would rely too much on you in the future, and well…” His voice dragged on as he shot his glance over to the gate. I followed and found a sight I couldn’t really say I expected. 

Laws, Cecilia, and Sylphie stood there. I’d never gotten to know Sylphie’s parents like I do now. They were good people, and they appreciated me for helping Sylphie. Which only made me feel worse. Why did these good people have to die?

“Sorry for doubting you, Rudeus!” The elf bowed, and his wife followed as Sylphie stood awkwardly beside them, glancing between me and her parents. “I’m sorry for having you do my job as a father.” His face was full of consternation.

“That wasn’t what I meant by doing any of this—” I was cut off by the man’s hand coming up.

“I know you didn’t. You’re a good kid. I was just worried about my daughter.” He placed a hand on her head. “I thought she’d grow up and solely rely on you, but lo and behold, when I told her about today, she was okay with it.” He laughed. “Who would’ve known that my daughter grew a spine?” What was he getting at?

“Of course, if I manned up and acted like her father, I could’ve stopped the bullying myself…” He bowed again. “So thank you for everything you’ve done for us, Rudeus! I really mean it!” The man’s face didn’t return to meet mine as he kept his head low.

“Father, what is all this?” I looked at Paul, and he looked back at me with questioning eyes as if he had no idea what I meant.

“What do you mean?”

“I just thought you’d try to knock me out… Aren’t you the kind of guy to do that?” Honestly, that was what I had been waiting for. Not some heartfelt farewell between everyone I knew in Buena.

“Why would I do that?” His stupified look completely took out any wind I had in my sails. “Sure, I might’ve done that a couple of years back, but ever since I’ve had you, I learned just how much more of a man I need to become.” A giddy smile pulled at his cheeks, just like the one he had when I was born. “Because I had you, I can finally try my best at something. You know? I’ve got a family now, one that I love. So it’s only right that I gotta do my best!” 

This stupid idiot. I felt my eyes water, but I held back. This wasn’t how Paul acted. He was brash and frankly an idiot, but the man infront of me? He was still an idiot, sure, but he was a happy idiot who decided not to rely on his sword for everything.

“The young master has done nothing but be kind to me in his time here, even though all I’ve done so far is show him contempt,” Lilia said from beside Zenith. A pleasant smile sat on her face as she looked at me with fond eyes. “So all I can do in recompense is wish you luck and pray for your safe return.” 

Zenith butted in after the woman stopped. “You’ve had your troubles, but I’m sure you’ll be able to pull through. You’re my baby boy, after all.” She sauntered up to me and placed a kiss on my forehead. 

Norn reached her hands out to me, and I gave her my finger. “Ha haa! Baa, baa!” She pulled on my finger and gave a gurgly laugh. 

Am I okay with leaving this behind? Did I have to? Couldn’t I stay?

“I’ll miss you, Rudy.” Zenith’s voice quietened. She was on the verge of tears, I could tell. “Your mother loves you.”

It’s not like I’m going to Millis or some far-away place or something. I’m just gonna be in Roa… After that—I guess I don’t know.

“Uhh… Can I go grab a few things?” I looked at Paul again.

“I’m not stopping ya.” With that as a go-ahead, I went into the house and to my room. It was a quiet affair gathering my things. I didn’t think of much other than packing away what I couldn’t leave. My robe, gauntlets, cannon, and pouch of magic crystals all fit into one bag with some organizing. I looked at the sword Paul gave me for my fifth birthday that I had propped against a wall and, with only a quick thought, decided to carry it down with me. 

With a full bag on my back, a sword resting beneath it, and a wand attached to my hip, I left my house for the last time and went back outside.

“Get everything?” Paul called out to me after I came back out. I saw him smirk when he saw the sword on my back. 

I walked up to my father. A man I hadn’t expected any of this from. If he was going to fight me, I would probably not hold back, but then Ghislaine would get involved as well, making me less confident about my chances. Of course, I would’ve left, but I hadn’t expected this action from the man. I feel this is the right way to go about this. This felt like something I would’ve done in my previous life.

“Yep.” I looked at him, and he, in turn, looked down at me.

“If you wanna visit, you can go on ahead. I don’t want to separate ya from your sister’s or anything.” I distinctly remember him doing the exact opposite last time around. “Of course, you’re gonna have a job to do in Roa, so I figure you won’t have much free time, but whenever you do, it’d be nice of you to come down. From what I hear about the girl you’ll be tutoring, you might come home earlier than I expected, but I’m sure you’ll figure something out!” 

You’re not making this any less awkward, Paul. What with your stupid embarrassed face. 

Zenith came up and elbowed the taller man. “Just tell him already, you idiot.” Her tone came out in a low hiss to not startle Norn. The girl was always a quick crier.

“Uhh… Well, you see. Ahh…” He fumbled around for a little while as we all looked at him. “I guess what I’m trying to say, Rudy, is that, umm…” It was a very long pause. His face contorted with his thinking, and eventually, he let out a long sigh. “Take care… I love ya, son…” His face was bright red after he was done. 

A moment of silence washed over all of us as not one person spoke. That was until loud laughter resounded through the air. “Hahahahaha!” Even though Ghislaine was a woman, her laugh sounded fairly man-like. I wonder if she even trained her vocal cords? Well, that might be true, considering she was a beast person.

“C’mon, it’s not that funny, Ghislaine!” Paul stomped his foot onto the ground like a toddler would while throwing a tantrum. “This is a super serious father and son farewell happenin’ here!”

“Oh, lighten up, would ya, Paul? This shit is hilarious! I mean, come on! Paul Greyrat having a heartfelt farewell with his family instead of swinging his sword like a moron? I can’t wait to tell Phillip about this.” The once stoic woman wiped a tear away from her eye. 

After a moment, her laughter eased up, and she looked back at Paul. A look that held some kind of recognition in it. “Can’t say I expected this. You changing and all.” For the first time, the woman gave the man a slight smirk.

“I’ve tried.” Paul looked back at Zenith and Lilia. “But, I gotta try a little harder.” The beast woman nodded in agreement. 

Finally, I made my way to the person who hadn’t spoken yet. 

“So you’re really leaving, Rudy?” 

“Yeah, I am. Do you not want me to?” Sylphiette shook her head.

“If it’s something Rudy wants to do, then there’s no way I can tell him otherwise.” The girl reached up and patted my head. “So you should just do what you want from now on.” 

Thanks, Sylphie… I think—I know what I have to do.

“You’ve grown. I still remember when you just let people walk all over you.” I gave her the best smile I could muster. 

“That’s because of Rudy and Roxy’s teachings!” The girl brought her arm up in a motion of patting her bicep. “So you don’t have to worry about me! I’ll manage.” She sounded so resolute in her speech. It was like she knew everything would work out in the end. 

“That reminds me. I wrote a few things down for you, so you can just ask my parents to borrow the magic book if you want them.” The girl nodded along. It wasn’t much, really. It was all I could think of as a last farewell gift to the girl.

She’d be fine from here on out. I wasn’t necessary anymore. So my job here is done. 

Ghislaine finished talking with Paul and Zenith and walked past me back to the carriage. “I guess it’s that time.” I sighed.

Sylphie’s face fought off a frown, and I could see the corners of her eyes moisten. “I’m going to miss you, Rudy.” Leaving a girl like this behind still left me feeling completely hollow inside.

But a nice girl like her doesn’t deserve an old fart like me.

“Goodbye, Sylphiette.” My last words to her. They were simple. I intended that to be the last time I spoke to her. That was what I resolutely decided in my head.

I walked past her and went to Ghislaine, who was waiting at the back of the stagecoach.  When I looked behind me, I was met with friendly faces—a few with tears and others with smiles. I took one last glance at Buena Village. I looked at the lush fields of wheat and houses that speckled the horizon. A few villagers were out in them working away. I didn’t really know anyone here in my past life. I didn’t care much then, but now I found myself doing the opposite. 

This is all real. Everything I’ve been through has happened. 

Buena Village was the place where I was born. It was my hometown and a place I held close to my heart. At one point in my life, I wanted things to return to how they were here. I wanted to have peaceful, uneventful days with my family and just live for the sake of living.

Now, I don’t think I’m allowed that luxury. Not anymore, that is.

I waved to everyone before I entered the carriage, but I spared one last glance at Sylphiette. The girl who was my first friend and the same person I had mistaken for a boy, not once, but twice. She would become the woman I fell in love with, and I decided to share the rest of my life alongside starting a family, but now she was a child, and I just wanted to see her happy. She had tears in her eyes but never looked away from me.

I’m gonna miss this place. That was my last thought as I took my last ever glimpse at Buena Village. 

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Interlude Chapter: A Minister's Folly and When the Village Boy Met the Eccentric

In the illustrious city of Ars, the capital of the kingdom of Asura, a man sat in a lavish room in the Silver Palace. His plump and large body didn’t move as he worked and wrote on papers on his desk. Most, if not all, were far too confidential to leave his room without being in the hands of his most trusted confidants. Of course, those people were few and far between in the palace, especially for a man such as Darius Silva Ganius, who had quickly risen to the seat of a high-ranking minister. 

He made many enemies in his time, rising to the position he found himself in now, but that mattered little. He had a foothold in the palace; no meager attempt would dissuade his position from changing. This meant he had also grown lax and somewhat bold in his activities. Be it from his choice of food to his living expenses…even the women he wished to bed.

Darius was a rotten man to many, but very few knew how deep his depravities ran. To him, it didn’t matter what he had to do to get what he wanted. All that mattered at the end of the day was that he got it. If he wanted a woman in his bed chambers, she'd be there by that night. If he wished to see a noble’s brat disciplined, he’d make sure he did it personally. Those examples just scratched the surface of Darius Silva Ganius's true identity. A depraved fat bastard who’d found himself in a high-ranking position of power. That’s who Darius was.

How did a man like him make it so far up in the pecking order of the cutthroat political world that was the Asuran kingdom? The answer, while simple, was also improbably insane. 

Darius made it as far as he did because a self-proclaimed god had come into his dreams and guided him to where he stood. This god was aptly named the Man-God by his followers. Only a select few knew this name; even fewer would live to usher it. That was because most of the apostles of the Man-God were short-lived. 

There were many reasons for this, but the largest was a single man with a vendetta against their god. This man was known as Orsted. Otherwise known as the current Dragon God. Obviously, Darius knew not to trifle with the man; his god advised him so. So, instead, he set his sights elsewhere. 

Not long ago, his god came to him in a dream. It had been years since the last, but the Minister’s devotion hadn’t waned, not even a bit. His god asked of him a straightforward request in the white plane of nothingness that was his domain. 

“I need you to kill a family in Buena Village. More specifically, I need you to kill one boy.” The request was simple. One that Darius would’ve scoffed at the simplicity of, but this was at the behest of his god. If he wanted it done, then so be it. 

Kill Rudeus Greyrat and his family. That was the job given to the Minister, and because it was a request from the person he held above all, he made sure to be extra thorough. It took him quite a bit of planning and a change of hands a few times to ensure it would go without a cinch, but Darius eventually figured out the best course of action. After all, there was little a low-ranking knight like Paul Greyrat or the saint-ranked water mage Roxy Migurdia could do against North King Nuckelgard. The Minister had his thoughts about the blue-haired girl who had escaped his grasp, but he would hold off and do as he was told for now. 

With that, the Minister went about his days in relative peace, knowing that within a short time, he would do his god’s words justice and end the life of the filthy cretin that somehow managed to draw his ire. That would be all, and this matter would be settled. 

“Just thinking of making him happy gets me in the mood…” The man peered into his papers and landed on one name. “I wonder how she’d taste?” His tongue licked at his chubby lips in anticipation of the new delicacy his sight had fixed to.

All the Minister had to do now was wait for the word of Nuckelgard about the confirmation of the assassination. “Graaaaawh…” A yawn escaped the Minister’s throat. It was only midday, but he found himself oddly tired. “Well, if it’s just a nap, it never hurt anyone. Besides, paperwork without a break can hardly be called enjoyable.” With that, the Minister of Asura found himself drifting into sleep at his desk.

When his consciousness returned, his body had ended up leaning toward one side of his chair with his body pointed toward the windows to his room. The sun, which had been bursting through the curtains in his room recently, was now firmly planted high in the middle of the sky. 

“What a waste of a couple of hours. Why didn’t anyone bother to wake—” His body turned toward his desk. An acrid smell invaded his nostrils as he did so. It should’ve been evident to him as soon as he woke, but his body was still reeling from his slumber.

The pungent odor of blood was spilling from his desk. The same desk with papers scrawled over it only a few short hours ago now housed a repulsing sight. One that made Darius’ face go white with terror. 

Two decapitated heads of the assassins he had assumed he’d be hearing from at any point now were lying on his desk. “What the hell?!” His body shook as he stood up. His breathing quickly grew irregular from fear. His sudden outburst only minorly abated when he noticed no one else was in the stench-ridden room. 

Instead, his attention went to what lay infront of the dreadful sight that had found itself on his desk. A simple letter was set infront of the heads of the North King. A letter that had a stamp with a simple but recognizable symbol. 

That of the Dragon God. 

His stump legs wobbled at just the sight of it, for Darius Silva Ganius knew what that symbol meant to any devout follower of the Man-God. 

Their certain death. 

He stumbled forward in a scared manner toward the letter. His awareness was at the highest it had ever been throughout his life. The sense of fear, dread, and adrenaline that the simple piece of paper made him feel was suffocating. Even more so than the lifeless heads of Nuckelgard. With a motion, he grabbed the letter and ripped it open. His breathing hitched as he did so, and he seemed stuck in time as he read it.

“To Minister Darius Silva Ganius,

I usually start with a polite introduction in most of my letters, but you could find me questioning that thought understandable in my current circumstances. After all, you don’t usually treat your enemies who’d send an assassin after your family kindly, would you? 

However, an introduction is due, even if I find it unnecessary. My name is Rudeus Greyrat, otherwise previously known as the Magic God. Frankly, I know you were the one to send Nuckelgard after me and my family, and as you can so easily see, they were… let’s say, dispatched…to keep the nitty gritty out of things. 

I know your pitiful god was the one who told you exactly what to do. You even keep a journal of your ‘audiences’ with him. The fact that the guy has a singular follower amazes me with his attitude.” 

With the mention of his encoded journal, the piggish man shook in his boots. The entire letter to him made almost no sense in the grand scheme of things, but one thing had unmistakeably been proven. Rudeus Greyrat, somehow, was a follower of the Dragon God and even proclaimed himself the Magic God. A title that, to Darius, no one had ever held. 

“I’ll cut to the chase, Darius. You’re lucky to be alive right now. The only reason you are is because I find you more valuable to us, alive than dead at the moment. You can thank my boss for his generosity. 

So, where does that leave you? 

I’ll make sure to lay it out plain and simple for you. 

If you do anything to meddle in my plans, I would see it necessary to retract the kindness I’ve offered you. Unlike you, the Dragon God and I find it essential to treat people cautiously. I've set you aside instead of taking the necessary steps to remove you. Consider yourself in my debt.

So know this, you fat, piggish bald man. At any time, on any day, I could waltz into your office and butcher you like the swine you are.

So tread carefully, Minister, know you’re being watched, and remember to steer clear of my family if you value your life.

Also, don’t even bother sending Auber Corvette or your lap dog, Reida Reia, to finish the job. They’ll both die the same grisly death that Nuckelgard had, and if you at the end of all this still don’t take this letter seriously, you can rest assured that you can at least have my word on that front.”

The Minister had turned pale by the time he reached the end of the letter. He didn’t breathe in the short moments after he finished reading. Because of this, he fumbled a little, and the letter he’d been clutching to the point of his knuckles turning white slipped to the ground. When he tried bending over to retrieve it, his knees finally gave out from the dread and fear he’d been afflicted with. 

He knew in his bones that the boy his god had warned him of had been in this very room not long ago and most likely had stood beside him at many points. Darius was a dead man walking, and he knew it was undoubtedly a fact. He looked down at the envelope and found another slip of paper.

“P.S 

You should really get the defensive barriers in your room checked. They could use a bit of repairing after I left.

Also, these letters should disintegrate within a few minutes after you unseal the envelope.”

Upon recognition of the letter's words, the minster found his hands scorched with flame as he was forced to let go of the letter and watch any hope of blackmail vanish into thin air. 

The prime Minister panicked as he sprinted out of his office as fast as his legs could. It didn’t take long to find the Silver Palace’s barrier specialist, and within a few minutes, the Minister and the older man returned to Darius’s office. 

“So you’re telling me someone broke through multiple king-ranked barriers?” The older man’s voice's inflection clearly showed how irritated he was.

“I don’t know! Just check! What do we pay you for?!” Darius’s voice had grown shrill.

The man moved over to one of the bookshelves and promptly scooted it out of the way. “Whatever… My time is better spent elsewhere—” His hand brushed against the magic circle behind the bookcase. His voice completely cut off as his eyes focused on it.

“So? What is it?!” Darius yet again screamed toward the man. The man, however, didn’t respond but instead stayed silent for another minute.

“Well, the barriers are still up.” Something in his voice shook as he spoke. It was almost as if he didn’t believe his own words.

“That’s good—” Darius, however, took that as good news, but the barrier expert cut him off before he could finally relax.

“But they’re not mine.” The chill that ran down the Minister’s spine was something otherworldly.

“So… What does that mean?”

The older man looked back to the Minister with widened and shocked eyes. “If all of the barriers are like this one, then we can safely assume that the king-ranked barriers that lined your office were replaced with what I could only assume to be emperor-ranked ones.” The man’s face was filled with a severe expression.

The Minister realized at that moment that his unwanted visitor who had invaded his room not only taunted him with the heads of the assassins he sent after him but decided that while Darius slept, he might as well replace the barriers that lined his office with superior ones. It's a stupidly naive idea. It's an impossibly stupid move on his part. 

But that wasn’t how it came to the Minister. Darius knew at that moment that this was Rudeus Greyrat’s way of telling him that he could and would be able to kill him if he ever wanted, no matter where he was or what he was doing. 

That night, his god came to him in his dreams and warned him to steer clear of the boy and focus his efforts elsewhere. 

A few weeks later, a rumor circled around the Silver Palace that Minister Darius's room was the safest place in the capital. But to Darius Silva Ganius, that room became nothing more than a prison where he was awaiting his sentence.

>Rudeus<

“Haah.” A long exasperated sigh escaped my throat as I walked down one of the many crowded streets in Ars. While my body was still that of a child, it didn’t necessarily mean I was averse to physical activities. Actually, I was anything but. Still to fly off to Ars in only a couple of hours from Buena right after last night's goings-on. Even I felt tired. I wasn’t going to mention how I managed to worm my way out of the village without drawing anyone’s attention, but at the very least, I shouldn’t be bothered about my little outing.

“Maybe fear factoring him into compliance wasn’t the right idea. If he sends Reida or Auber after me, I doubt I could just so casually toss them aside.” As I walked, I continued to think to myself. Sure, making Darius back down is a good thing, and the fact that both Orsted and I already know he’s an apostle makes our job significantly easier later on when we decide to deal with him, but for some reason, I just didn’t like how things were headed. Maybe it was because I’m messing with something I didn’t even think about last time that’s getting to me. At this point, I could only play a supporting role in Orsted’s missions. I was still far too young to be helping with everything else. So, I’d resolved to play my role from the shadows.

Maybe that’s what's bothering me. I just outed myself to an apostle, but did I have a choice? Orsted isn’t a reliable source of protection for my family right now, so I have to be the one to do it… No, this was the right decision. I firmed my resolve as I continued walking.

“Still so much work to do," I sighed. "—I guess I finished at least one job…” I kept walking toward an exit to the city. “Honestly, what does my boss think he’s doing running a kid like me ragged—” Without realizing what was happening around me, I bumped into something and fell backward. 

“Oh, sorry about that! You better watch where you’re going, kiddo.” A chipper man’s voice called out as an armored hand shot toward me to help me. “You looking for your parents or something?” 

“No, I’m not. Sorry about bumping into you, mister—” I looked up to see the man in question.

He stood taller than Paul. His figure was covered in bright plate mail, but the armor offered no restriction to his movement, and just one glance at the man told you he was more than physically fit. His dull red eyes gleamed down at me as a cheeky smile spread across his lips. His long black hair was slicked back and fell past his neck. His other hand scratched his unshaven face in a slightly awkward movement. 

The pole fastened to his back jostled as he dragged me up to my feet with his hand. It was his weapon of choice. If anything about him was the dead giveaway, it was that. “You good?” I knew who this was. There wasn't any way I could forget.

I stopped and stared and mistakingly said the only thing on my mind. “Kalman?” I couldn’t even prevent the words from slipping out of my mouth. The shock of his appearance made my jaw practically fall on the floor. What were the chances you would meet Alexander Ryback on your day out? They were low, considering the man liked to travel all over the place and preferred to stay in one place for a short time. At the end of the day, he was a wanderlust fanatic.

“You know me?” His finger pointed to himself, and his eyebrows raised. His eyes, for a second, grew sharp but quickly receded into the easygoing appearance they were before. 

“O-of course not.” Panic ran through me as I chastised myself for my lack of caution. Now, I had a North God clearly wary of me.

“I don’t really think you can pretend not to after what I heard. Also, please, I go by Sándor von Grandeur these days.” His hand shot out infront of him for a handshake. “Just call me Sándor.”

“Uhh, Rudeus Greyrat.” I shook his hand and shook it. “I should really be going, actually—” 

Grrrrrr. 

My stomach rumbled… Because, of course, it just had to. I forgot to eat before I left Buena.

“Care for a bite? I don’t mind paying.” The man flaunted his arms in a welcoming gesture as he pointed behind himself to a tavern. 

“I really shouldn’t impose.” 

“I don’t mind, but I’d love it if you answered a question or two. It’s not every day that I find some random kid that knows my name.” His approach wasn’t forceful, and he didn’t seem like he’d suddenly swing at me.

I don’t think it should be that bad. I mean, it is Sándor. He’s an easygoing guy… yeah, why not? What could possibly go wrong? When I say it like that, I feel like I may end up dying today or something.

“Well, if you’re that adamant, I can’t say I’d mind.” 

“Good!” With a thumbs up to me, I followed Alex into the tavern. 

The crowd inside was noisy, but no one even paid the two of us any mind as we entered and sat. A barmaid made her way over to us.  I ordered quickly, but Sándor didn't. 

He must not be hungry. I guess being an immortal demon has plenty of uses besides being ‘immortal’.

“Okay!” The man’s voice was loud and boisterous as he looked at me. How he spoke at that moment reminded me a lot of his mother. 

“Okay…?” I answered dumbly.

His smile only grew wider. “I was going to ask how you know me, but I figured it would be rude to be the only one asking the questions, so how about we play a game of questions while you eat?” His jovial attitude never subsided.

“You’re the one paying for my food, so I don’t much mind—”

“Nonsense, it would leave me doubting my sense of justice if I did so.” Now, he was talking about justice or whatever. He sure was a character, alright.

“Sure, go ahead then.” 

“Okay, then first, I’d like to know how you know who I am.” His big eyes didn’t look away even as the maid placed my order infront of me and left. I’ve gotten this far but didn’t know where to start. Do I just get down to the meat of it all and confess? The Sándor I knew was the sort of guy you could tell the truth to, and he’d believe it at face value. Even if he was relatively airheaded and easygoing, he was still very perceptive. The fact that I’m here right now means he doesn’t see me as a threat. 

So, go with the truth from the start, then?

"Would you believe me if I said I was the Magic God and knew things a regular child shouldn’t?” He blinked at me as he didn’t move or speak, and even then, he just kept staring. Without a word, I conjured a Water Ball , and his eyes widened slightly.

Maybe he’ll just call my bluff and walk away from here? That’d be the best in this situation.

He brought his hand to his chin a moment later and rubbed it thoughtfully. “Silent caster, huh…? Hmmm…” 

“I didn’t think you’d—”

“I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.” His response left me dead in my tracks. 

“W-What? J-Just like that?!” The man shrugged his shoulders at my attitude.

“I’ve been lied to for lesser things.” His response was flat. “And it’s not like I’ve gone by Kalman in a long while, so no one reasonably alive should remember me.” He shrugged his shoulders again. “Plus, you talk awfully weird for a child your age. Well, unless you’re a hobbit or some demon race—”

“I’m a human.” The man nodded at my remark. 

“That only makes what you say more believable.” He let off a short chuckle. “So, mister Magic God. What would you like to ask of Kalman II?” At the mention of the names, some patrons focused their confused gazes toward us.

“Well, what’re you doing in Ars, Sándor?” The man hummed at his name. 

“You know you could ask something more. I don’t know…impactful?” I shook my head toward him as I cut up the pork on my plate.

“I think the reason you’re here is impactful enough.”

“Well, suit yourself.” He ran his hand through his hair as I ate. “I’m in Ars because I just wound up here.” Now I know why he asked me to reconsider. Of course, it was that simple.

A thought came to mind with his proclamation. “You didn’t see a man in your dreams, perhaps?” I probed further. It was essential to know if the Man-God had contacted him in any way, shape, or form. Especially considering the city's importance and the coincidental timing of when I happened to be here.

“Can’t say I have.” Yet again, a flat-toned response. I decided to leave it there. Sándor didn’t typically lie about such a thing, so I decided to trust him.

“Okay, what do you want to know next?” I scrubbed my face with some conjured water as I spoke.

He stroked his chin. “I guess I’ll take a page out of your book then. What’s someone like yourself doing in Ars?” 

If I were telling the truth, I could continue to do so. “Assassins were sent after me and my family, so I was busy delivering the heads of North King Nuckelgard to their employer.” I figured lying wouldn’t get me anywhere, and surprisingly, Sándor seemed reasonably receptive to my viewpoint. 

His eyes looked to the ceiling as he nodded along. “I see.” He continued shaking his head and stopped when he snapped his fingers and pointed at me. “How’d you do it? I’m pretty sure the two whelps were North Saints by themselves, but from what I’ve heard, they’re a pretty underhanded bunch.” The mention of underhandedness seemed to make him twinge.

“Gravity magic,” I wasn't going to start lying now. Alex's eyebrows rose alongside my statement as his interest peaked. “And wind magic to cut their heads off.” I finished.

“You know gravity magic?” The way his voice inflected showed just how important the topic was to him. I guess his old weapon, being a gravity magic-infused sword, made the specific subject something of a point of interest. 

“I only managed to master it after many years of grueling study.” 

“Years? You reincarnated or something?” His question only turned even more heads. 

Will they kick us out for being a couple of wackos?

“You could say that.” Go big or go home, or whatever the saying was.

“Wait, if you’re the Magic God and a reincarnated person… You wouldn’t happen to be Laplace, would you?” For the heavy subject matter, the man’s voice remained carefree. Though I could tell he tensed just a slight bit.

“I'm not.” 

“Good.” The simple back and forth eased him a little. I wonder what he would’ve done if I said yes. Nevermind. He would’ve probably come after me right after I confirmed it.

“You mind using whatever you did on them on me?” When he spoke, he signaled ‘them’ by cutting his neck with his finger and then pointed to himself. 

“I don’t mind, but—”

“I can handle it.”  He reassured me, a smile on his face all the while.

It’s not like I didn’t think you could. 

“Sure then.” I only agreed because it wasn’t like I was in any shape to refuse. I mean, I was sat across from the North God. Retired, sure, but it didn’t make him any less life-threatening to me if he decided I was a bad apple he wanted to get rid of.

With a raise of my hand and a lowering of my wrist, I applied magic to the man in front of me. The spell aptly named Crush was what I used. When I first learned gravity magic, I could only make objects float briefly, but now I can do all sorts of things with it. Make objects heavier, fly, and even return objects that I throw. Hell, I can even manipulate spells mid-flight with it. 

I relied on earth magic a lot in my last life, but after I learned gravity magic, those two specific trees were all I needed to use whenever I found myself in a fight. 

The force I applied to him wasn’t anything to scoff at. It was around the same weight I used on Nuckelgard when their bones snapped under the pressure. Though almost unsurprising, the man sat calmly before me, even with the added weight. Completely unmoving or flinching. 

“I’ll be.” He spoke slightly appreciatively and almost melancholicly as I released my spell. 

“Good enough for you?” 

“Very.” His cheery smile returned to his face. “I was a little skeptical about you, but consider myself sold!” I don’t know if I should be happy or scared that a man like him recognized me.

Probably safer to be scared.

“So, that was what you were doing? I thought you just wanted to see if I could do it?” 

“Well, gravity magic is one heck of a thing to learn. Not many devout mages can even begin to use it, so if a child could do it, I’d only be insane to think you’re nothing less than a god-ranked mage.”

“You’d be insane to think a child is a god-ranked mage.” I clarified, and the man hummed in response.

“Well, maybe I am. I've been called mad more than a few times." He scratched at his stubble. "Kay, you’re next.” The man pointed toward me.

I thought for a while. Then, almost as if a light bulb had gone off, I asked a question I thought better not to remain unknown. “You wouldn’t happen to know where your son is, would you?” The man eyed me.

“Alek? No, I haven’t talked to him in a while.” The man’s tone took a bit of a somber one. 

Well, I guess I should’ve figured that one out.

Knowing where Alek was helped in some ways. The main and most evident one was that I didn’t want Hitogami just sending him out of nowhere to kill me, but given his nature of wanting to become a hero at this point in his life, killing me meant little. Unless Hitogami somehow convinced him that I’m the reincarnation of Laplace or something.

“Okay, Rudeus. Final question.” 

“Go ahead, Sándor.” 

“From what you’ve told me, you seem to be on your own agenda, but I feel that someone like you wouldn't work alone.” I could tell where he was taking this. “So, who is it that you work with?” 

Now, where is this coming from? Is this his way of seeing how I stand? Or is there some other reason…? To confirm things about me? No. That smile hasn’t changed a smidge, and it doesn’t matter if I tell him who I work for, considering I already disclosed that info to Darius in the letter. There’s no way in hell a man like Alexander would ever be an apostle, either. 

“I guess you could say I’m the Right Hand of the Dragon God.” I flashed him my bracelet.

His eyes widened. For the first time in any part of this pseudo interview/interrogation, I could visibly see that what I told Alex had thrown him for a loop. 

“So, you work under that Dragon God?” His face held a stern demeanor.

“Orsted and I are what you could call comrades. Maybe friends if you’re generous about the terminology. I guess it wouldn’t be wrong to think that way either.” I scratched at my chin as the man whistled at my words.

“Well, damn.” His face relaxed as he leaned back on the stool he sat on. 

“Any other questions?” He shook his head. “Then, if you’d excuse me, I’ll have to get home.” I sat up, and the man offered me a nod and a smile. 

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Rudeus Greyrat.” The man held out his hand, and I took it with a shake. “Let’s catch another time.” He pulled his head back a little and let out a laugh. “Though that could be a couple of years from now. I’ve never been that time-sensitive.”

“The pleasure was all mine, Sándor von Grandeur.” I let go of his hand and, with a wave toward the man as he placed coins on our table, left the tavern, and walked back to the outskirts of Ars.

The meaning of what I had just done only dawned on me after my departure as I flew through the sky with my applied gravity magic.

Did I really just nonchalantly talk to fucking Alexander Ryback?! I stopped moving in mid-air. Holy shit, I really did... Now I have something else to worry about.

That was the day I met Sándor von Grandeur. A man I’d never have expected to meet at such a point in my life.

“Fuun Fu Fu~ Fuun Fu~” The man hummed to himself as he meandered the streets of Ars. It was a tune that not even he knew the name of. Why was that, you may ask? Well, it was because it was entirely made up on the spot. 

Still, the man found himself in a particularly cheery mood. Not that he wasn’t particularly cheerful most days, but he found himself like that this afternoon for one reason. He met a person he found incredibly interesting. A boy, to be more specific, but even he found himself doubting that about him. To the man, the boy he talked to had the air of an older man. Maybe he was not a particularly old man, but he was definitely far older than he was physically. The boy he had met earlier that day was Rudeus Greyrat, a person Alexander Ryback had learned was something of a reincarnated person. 

That alone piqued Alex’s interest, but his claim that he was the Magic God only heightened his curiosity for the boy. From what Alexander could remember, no one had ever claimed the Magic God title. Sure, Laplace himself could’ve, but he was always called the Demon God, though some people did change his title colloquially. So, what did that title entail exactly? It obviously meant that the mage in question could at least cast god-ranked magic, but the title of Magic God had a specific weight behind it. 

It meant that the mage had mastered all kinds of magic to their absolute peak. This told that the boy Alexander Ryback had met not even an hour ago was someone who could most likely cast every kind of god-ranked magic there was. Or at least the majority of them.

Why did he go along with a young boy’s wild imagination? It was because Alex had a strong sense of whenever someone was lying. To him, that boy hadn’t spoken a singular lie; even if he had, being on friendly terms with the Dragon God of all people made him significantly more credible than ninety-nine percent of the nobility in this country. Orsted was someone whom Alexander had only briefly been graced with the presence of, and in that short time, he had been at the complete mercy of the man. That enough indeed spoke volumes of the boy’s skill.

Alex knew that the boy wasn’t someone anyone could take easily. He had demonstrated incantation-less magic infront of the North God and even used gravity magic on the man. A spell that he knew the boy could’ve put significantly more weight into. 

The notion of a person like that only widened Sándor von Grandeur’s smile as his attitude brightened even more. Then, a most horrible realization dawned on Sándor. “I never asked where he lived!” The people beside him quickly darted their heads toward him as if he were insane.

His shocked demeanor only stayed a moment longer as he righted himself and continued to walk as if he didn’t have a worry in the world. “Well, I guess there are only so many Greyrats in this country. So it shouldn’t be too hard to find him.” 

With that spoken out loud, Alexander C. Ryback went about figuring out where the boy he had spoken to earlier that day lived.

Though, that story is for another day.

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Eighteen: The Fiery Red Head and the Abduction of the Magic God

“When I’ve seen the death of the woman I loved so deeply with my own two eyes. What else can I do but ridicule my inability and weakness.”

—I’ve been given yet another chance, but that doesn’t mean anything. I can’t do anything for the people I love; no one remembers me, and the strength I’ve gained is useless.

Author: Rudeus Greyrat

The sun was already half past the sky above us as I sat looking outside the window. The only thing I focused on was the rocking of the carriage. I didn’t pay much attention to the woman across from me, nor did she. Ghislaine was a person of few words. That much I knew.

“I didn’t think Paul’s kid would be as quiet as you are.” She looked at me from where she sat. Her arms draped along the length of the seat she was sitting on. Her face was as calm as ever, but there was a faint hint of a smirk on her lips for some reason. 

“Father is rather boisterous, but I don’t think you’re wrong to think I take after him.” Sure, I had my proclivities, but I liked to think I sobered up over the years. Still, Paul and I had an awful lot of similarities.

“So what? You a pervert, too?” The woman’s face held a knowing look. 

“I hold myself back.” The only women I would perve on were those I loved, and well…they’re gone now.

“Well, that’s good. Don’t want you running around trying to seduce the lord’s granddaughter.” The woman sat there for a moment before she suddenly started up again. “Paul has changed quite a bit, though, so maybe you being like him isn’t the worst thing. You’re still Zenith’s kid, too, so you can’t be all that bad.” The woman probably didn’t mean that negatively, but it was hard to tell with her. She was always so forward and blunt with things.

“I can assure you I’m not like my father…” I looked at her for a moment. “In some ways.” Paul was a womanizer, and I was more often than not accused of such as well. The apple never fell far from the tree. 

The woman gave a short chuckle, and the silence between us resumed. It wasn’t atypical of a conversation with Ghislaine to die. The woman spent little energy on conversation and most of it on her duties. Still, it would be better to have a little bit of idle chatter, considering we’re still a few hours away from Roa, but Paul decided to not pass a letter to me to kill time. I guess he thought I’d figure it all out by myself. 

What a great father I had.

“So, how much do you know about the job?” Surprisingly, the woman was the person to initiate, but I guess even she probably found the long pause too awkward for her tastes. Her uncovered eye looked at me with a gleam. She probably knew I was being thrown into unknown territory and knew nothing besides what I had heard from Paul before we left. Was this her attempt at being nice? I wonder…

“That I’m to tutor a young lady for five years and that somehow that’ll pay for myself and Sylphie’s tuition for magic school after.” That’s about all I could reasonably know without giving off red flags. Ghislaine wasn’t brilliant, but she wasn’t stupid. She was perceptive, and Paul had never mentioned Philip’s name—or anything for that matter…he was leaving me out in the dark this time, wasn’t he? I guess he thinks too highly of his son, but I haven’t been doing all that good at hiding what I could do. So, I think I could understand where he’s coming from.

Of course, my whole ploy of going to Ranoa was just that. A ploy. One, I was using to leave Buena. I never intended my job’s payment to be fulfilled. The orb was in the sky above Roa, according to Orsted, so the time of my employment being finished would never come. All that was left for me was to confirm its existence. After that, I’d know what I needed to do.

I left Sylphie back in that village. I wasn’t going to return. That goodbye was just that. A farewell with the intention of not meeting again. The thought alone makes me sad, but I don’t intend to return there. It’s for her sake… That’s what I have to tell myself.

“So that’s your little girlfriend’s name.” The woman raised an eyebrow as she hit her open hand with a fist as if she just realized something important.

“It wasn’t like that.” Did that sound angry? I guess it probably did. “I just helped teach her magic alongside our master.” From my point of view, that’s precisely what I did. I just taught the girl alongside a mentor who was someone I couldn’t match. Then I left a few notes to hopefully round her off and called it quits. I was a slacker of a teacher who didn’t deserve a student as hardworking as Sylphie.

“You normally don’t go out of your way to work a job for another person just because you can.” Ghislaine quipped back to me with an amused smile on her face.

“And you don’t typically see a Sword King starving to death on a highway with no money.” She looked back at me—a scowl on her face. I probably said too much there, didn’t I? I guess all of the politicians I was forced to talk to during the later part of my life ruined what sense of humility I had.

A moment passed, “You know, kid… You’re not as bad as I thought.” Suddenly, the woman laughed, relieving the tension in the air. Ghislaine had a somewhat easygoing smile as she spoke as she reclined further back into her seat. “Sure, you’re kinda moppy and all, but at least you’re not that much of a buzzkill and have some spine to ya.”

I rubbed the back of my head with my free hand. “Well, thank you for thinking so, Miss Ghilsaine.” She stuck her hand out toward me.

“You can drop the miss, kid. We’ll be working together.” With that, the quiet atmosphere returned, but it didn’t feel like there was any more need to talk. Everything that needed to be said was. 

There were more things I wanted to ask, but those could be answered later. I’d be in Roa for three years at the end of the day. At least, as long as the orb doesn’t explode before its due date. Still, I was in no rush. I could figure out some things later. I had time to. Time that I would use.

A couple of hours later, we arrived at the fortress city of Roa. It was just like how I remembered it. It was still an imposing sight from afar, but when you’ve been on the Chaos Breaker or set foot in the Silver Palace, this place didn’t look all that special by comparison. It didn’t mean that nothing stirred inside my chest when I saw it. I hadn’t seen this place in decades. I couldn’t even remember everything about the place. To think this place will be gone in a few years. It was a bitter thought that I didn’t want to think about.

From the window, I could see it—the orb… It wasn’t small, but it wasn’t as big as it had been before it finally gave way. At least from what I could recall, but nonetheless, it was very much there. Orsted’s letter said as much, but I hadn’t been able to confirm it with my eyes yet. So, seeing it only filled me with a sense that everything happening around me was real. 

No matter what I did, this would all be gone within a few years. It being there meant that the Displacement Incident would happen, and everyone I had met so far in this life would have their lives uprooted… Everything would be destroyed. How could I even stop it? It floated there, completely unfazed by everything. I can’t even begin to understand how that thing works. The object hovered there, unmoving, and it would continue to do so until it would finally activate. 

For now, I had better worry about the things infront of me. The things that were better to spend my time on.

The sword Paul gifted me leaned against the carriage wall in its sheath. I didn’t prefer swords. I’d learned how to fight with my fists from Orsted, so I preferred that style, but that didn’t mean I didn’t know how to wield a piece of metal. I had to be able to. Instead of anything special, I simply pulled my bag toward me as our carriage passed the gates into the citadel. Of course, we went through the entrance without a fuss or wait period. The perks of being in a carriage from the manor. 

I was in safe territory, but I had to be cautious, and it was always better to be safe than sorry. I opened the bag so Ghislaine couldn’t see inside it and rummaged underneath my robe and cannon to pull out the Zaliff gauntlets. Ghislaine’s eyes lit up a little when I pulled them out and equipped them, only for the armor to cinch onto my arms as I spoke the incantation. Her expression turned to one of even greater surprise. 

“What’re those?” She didn’t move so much as a muscle as she looked at the armor.

“Gauntlets I made. They help my physical strength.” It wasn’t good to lie to Ghislaine, of all people. She had a nose for liars, and I didn’t consider myself the best at telling fibs. Well, I guess the part about me making them was a lie, but they were originally made by Zanoba and Cliff, to begin with, so there really isn’t any way I could get around that. 

“I see.” She didn’t seem wary of me as she nodded with a knowing look. She didn’t have her eyepatch off, so she didn’t even seem to think it was necessary to check them for any magical shenanigans…she decided to believe me. That was good. I'd be reasonably concerned if I saw a boy whip out a pair of magic gloves, but we’re talking about Ghilsaine here. She probably thought they were neat and that she could cut me in two if I did anything funny. But I’m sure Paul told her at least a little about me, so she’s probably going off her instinct. That’s what I was guessing, at least. I should be okay…as long as I don’t comment on her intelligence. 

“We’ll be arriving in a minute.” She eyed me up one last time. “Philip’s a sly guy, so I’d say watch yourself, but I’m sure you’ll be fine.” She looked out the window. “You’re gonna teach me, so I’m sure you’re smart.” 

Already placing that much expectation on me? I fear I wouldn't meet your standards if I didn’t know as much as I did. This beast woman worked in strange ways, but I’d considered her a friend for many decades, so she wasn’t nearly as bad as I remembered her being initially. I thought she was more distant, but maybe it was because I’m who Paul felt was an advanced Water God swordsman. 

Is this the respect between swordsmen that Eris always talked about? I guess I can’t understand it even now, considering I’m still a magician in my eyes. Roxy was a mage, so that’s how I viewed myself. It was a connection I shared with her that I didn’t want to lose.

"Here you are.” A hot cup of tea was placed infront of me with a quiet thud. “The Young Master should be returning shortly. So, if you’ll wait here for the moment.” The man stepped away from me quietly.

“Of course, thank you.” I lifted up the cup to my mouth and sipped the liquid. It had a nice flavor, but that’s what you could expect from the Lord’s manor. 

Ghislaine stood in a corner, overviewing the room as she remained silent. Alphonse was nowhere to be seen, but there was a butler here. Thomas. The one behind the kidnapping ploy. There would be no way to tell he was up to something with a glimpse. He seemed normal and well-behaved, but I’d met many terrible people like him. So I knew one when I saw one.

That would come later. For now, I had to wait.

“Is he in here?!” 

A boisterous voice sounded outside the room. It was loud enough to shake the entire manor as the door to the room slammed open. From the other side walked in a middle-aged man. He was muscular and had a big build. Even though he held himself with fiery dignity, you could tell he was getting older because of the grey strands speckled in his dark brown hair. Even then, he was still undoubtedly healthy for his age.

I remembered him vividly, oddly enough. Sauros was the old man I had known when I was Eris’ tutor. Sure, he was a loud and brash man, but he was a good person. It felt good to see him again. 

“So you’re Paul’s brat?!” He jutted a finger toward me as if accusing me of something. He and Eris were similar in that way. Always demanding things at face value and such.

“Yes, sir. I’m Rudeus Greyrat. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” It didn’t take long for me to stand up and bow. Of course, I used the Asuran variant. The only person I ever showed my traditional one to was Orsted, but I knew it would only be seen as impolite to nobility. All of the parties Ariel forced me into helped remarkably regarding such moments. 

Sauros’ face didn’t move. He continued to glare at me, but after a moment, he huffed and turned around. “Awfully polite for Paul’s brat! You have my permission to stay here!” With that, he left just as he came. A veritable storm of a man. He didn’t bat an eye at my gloves. For a second, I thought I would get into trouble by wearing armor. Well, even if he did, it isn’t like I could put them anywhere. My belongings were taken away by a maid as soon as I arrived.

“That would be the liege lord of Fittoa Region, Lord Sauros Boreas Greyrat. He’s also Master Paul’s uncle.” Thomas spoke from where he stood. It seemed he sought to fill me in on the details of the man. Of course, I already knew as much. In fact, I likely knew more about the man than the butler did.

“I see.” I gave a proper response anyway. It was important to at least act naive in moments like these.

“What’s happening, Thomas? The door is wide open.” Through the still-open door walked a thin man with sleek brown hair. He wore a deceitful smile and appeared what could only be described as fox-like—conniving, in other words. “I just saw Father, and he seemed awfully chipper. Did something good happen?” The man glanced over at me for a moment. As he did so, he had a look of realization, but he didn’t turn away from the butler.

“I’m sorry, this is the Young Master. The Master was just in and seemed pleased with Lord Rudeus.” The butler, without hesitation, gave his briefing.

“Ah—if he’s a person even Father likes…maybe I’ve chosen poorly?” Without a word of greeting, the man sat opposite me on a sofa. Even now, I’m sure he’s plotting something or another. Philip was always like that, after all, even till the end.

I, yet again, stood and bowed. Nobles loved having their egos stroked in this world. Of course, I didn’t have to do much of that for Philip or Sauros, but it was still better to make a good first impression. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir, my name is Rudeus Greyrat.”

“Philip Boreas Greyrat.” He looked me up and down. “To think Paul’s child would know etiquette.” He seemed almost stunned at the mere notion of the word. Not that I blame him.

“Mother taught me, and we have a maid who used to work in the palace before she was hired by our family. So I know a thing or two.” His eyes never left mine as he nodded slightly.

He reclined slightly as he spoke. “Then, Rudeus, how much do you know about your job?” This question again? Well, I guess it can’t be helped.

“I’m supposed to help the Young Mistress with her studies for five years, and then I’ll be given the money to enroll in the University of Magic.” It was the abridged version of what I knew, but I’m sure Philip was already well-informed about Paul’s lack of information sharing.

“Only that much?” Philip let out a quiet scoff. “I guess it is Paul we’re talking about here.” The man looked to the ceiling briefly, then faced me again. A gleam in his eyes as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Do you like girls?”

“Not as much as Father.” That was almost certainly a lie, but I at least liked to think I was tied down. At least, I used to be.

“Then you’re good enough.” His face seemed to relax.

“I’ll have you know I can restrain myself when it comes to a job.” I could already tell where he was going with this.

“Oh, I’m sure you can, but you can’t blame a father for worrying about his daughter’s chastity.” He shrugged his shoulders in a lazy motion. “Paul would go out of his way to please any cute girl he saw.” That much was very accurate. “But, I guess I won’t know if you’re any different until I see what you can do.”

“No faith in me?”

“None at all, but it’s not often when you meet a child good in the sword and an academic.” He circled his thumb around the edge of the cup infront of him as he spoke. “It’s also been a while since I’ve seen a kid as conniving as you.” His smirk only seemed to grow wider.

That last comment caught me off guard. Did I already mess up somewhere? Was it the mention of my mother teaching me etiquette? “Why would you think that?” 

“Your eyes.” It was like he was simply stating the truth. “You remind me of when I was young.”

“I see.” 

His grin grew. “Maybe you are someone I can trust this with.” He looked at the doorway. “My daughter has only taken a fancy toward Edna, her etiquette instructor, and Ghislaine, her sword instructor.” He glanced over to the woman standing quietly in the corner. “She’s a problematic girl who’s already lost five other teachers. So…any ideas on how to gain her favor?

“The Young Mistress sounds like something alright.” I knew how to deal with Eris, but now she was back to being a brat. Something I hadn’t needed to deal with for decades. It was honestly a blessing none of our kids turned out like that. 

So now I guess the question is how I’ll deal with her. “Forge a fake kidnapping; I’ll help her return from there. By doing so, I’ll show her everything that knowledge can do for her in the long run. By the time we get back, she’ll want to learn.” The kidnapping strategy didn’t go to plan last time, and it probably wouldn’t happen again this time, but that was beside the point.

Philip’s mouth opened then closed as he thought in his head momentarily. “That may just work.” His eyes locked with mine. “Did Paul teach you that for catching girls or something?”

“Father would never need something like that to get a girl to like him.” Philip nodded along.

“You’re quite right about that. Women would always pile up on him no matter what he did.” He stroked his chin as he continued to nod. “But that idea of yours doesn’t seem all that bad. Of course, I don’t know if it could work until you see my daughter.” 

“Speaking of dealing with her. How much can I do to deal with the Young Mistress?” 

His gaze turned sinister as he looked back at me, but maybe because of how I looked at him, he decided to back down. “Anything short of hurting her.”

“I’m a Water God practitioner, so there’s no need to worry yourself.” Philip nodded his head slightly as he gave a nod.

With that, Philip turned his head back to the butler. “If you’ll lead Rudeus to her, Thomas.” 

“Of course.” The man responded with a bow. 

Intense. That was the first thing I thought of when I saw her. 

It’d been a while since I last laid eyes on her. Of course, this wasn’t the person I had known. Not even close, but she was still, at the very least, the person she used to be. Which to me meant I owed her. She was still Eris, even if she wasn’t who I had known.

“I’m Rudeus Greyrat. A pleasure to meet you, Young Lady.” Eris didn’t like formalities, but there was no way I would just forgo the image I’d built up for myself thus far. 

She stood there, her feet far apart at about shoulder width, and her arms crossed over her chest. It was the same old pose I’d seen her in countless times. I even felt a smile threatening to surface by just looking at her. “Hmph!” Her head turned upward as her long hair moved slightly from the movement. “He’s younger than me, and you expect him to teach me? Quit joking around!” Whatever moment I was having was ruined when she started shouting.

“I don’t believe age has much to do with anything, Miss—”

“You got a problem with me or something?!” Before I could even finish speaking, she was already screaming back at me. This was bound to be a fun day.

“No, I’m just saying that even if I am younger than you, it doesn’t mean I can’t do things you can’t.”

Her hair abruptly flared upward as if she was transforming. She was getting angry. That much was plain as day. She’s still as scary as ever. This Eris would be nothing to the one I knew, but I would be lying if the girl hadn’t always scared me throughout my life. She was just intimidating, and I didn’t much like intimidating people.

“You’re certainly full of yourself! Who do you think I am?!” It sounds mean, but trying to talk to Eris as you would any reasonable person was not the way to converse with her. I was going to get nowhere doing it like this. So, I guess I needed to swallow whatever courage I had.

I took a deep breath and spoke with my resolve firmed. “A girl who’s too much to deal with.” Her fist clenched. Scary. If you thought she was angry a moment ago, that was just a preamble.

A fist came in and threatened to smash my face. It was a sloppy punch. It didn’t have any particular technique about it. It was just a punch, meaning to bash someone’s teeth in. In other words, it was a punch I was very used to. I had been hit with that very punch innumerable times in my past life.

I brought my hand up and brushed it aside before it reached me. Unsurprisingly, she was still pretty strong, but I guess I was kind of cheating when I had gloves meant for improving my strength on hand. 

She looked at me, almost as if she was offended by what I did. “Don’t block my punches! Take what you deserve!” Yet again, she threw another, and I blocked it again. 

“And what exactly do I deserve?” Even as I spoke, another fist came flying in. She didn’t seem to think about giving me any breathing room. 

“You’re younger than me, and you talk back to me!” A leg came up, and I brushed it away. “That’s more than enough reason!” Her fist swung back toward my face, and I pushed it away again. 

If I knew one thing about Eris, she'd pay me back tenfold if I took a swing of my own. That was something I wanted to avoid. “Just stop moving already—”

“That’s enough, Eris.” A voice from the doorway called out. It was Ghislaine. “Your footwork is all wrong. You’re not gonna land a punch on him like that.” She didn’t seem to mind the fact that I was being attacked all that much, but I guess that could be expected. I did notice Ghislaine glance in my direction, though.

“I can see Paul wasn’t wrong about you.” Was blocking a couple of punches really all she needed to validate Paul’s words? Well, I guess seeing it firsthand is better than hearing it by word of mouth, and it wasn’t like Eris was particularly weak for her age…she also probably didn’t think much of Paul’s words anyway.

“But, Ghislaine!” The little girl suddenly let up. Her face still practically screaming with rage whenever she glanced my way.

“Don’t even start with me, young lady.” The next moment, Ghislaine approached us, grabbed Eris, and dragged her out of the room. “You’ll miss your sword lessons at this rate.” That seemed to calm her down somewhat. Only somewhat, however.

“I’ll come back for you!” Before they were out of eyesight, Eris yelled at me one last time. Her eyes still burning with rage. 

That line was reassuring. If not foreboding. 

 Ghislaine looked, a slight nod and a thumbs up before she exited with the thrashing girl in her hand. Did Ghislaine just throw me a bone? She never did anything like that last time. 

The butler in the corner looked at me with a look I could only see as admiration. “I’d like to go see Philip. I have my answer.” He nodded, and with that, my first meeting with Eris had concluded with me only making her hate my guts. 

So I guess it wasn’t all bad. I’m not here to make friends at the end of the day.

“So, what do you think?” Philip sat infront of me. A look of satisfaction on his face. 

“I can probably manage.” His smile seemed to grow with my response. Either he was surprised that I would willingly throw myself into the proverbial fire that was Eris’ tutor, or he was hiding how he felt about all of it. It was probably a mix of both.

“Are you sure?” He cocked his eyebrow. “I mean, I’ve never seen anyone get out of their first meeting without getting punched at least once, but I’m sure you could do anything else.” Was he trying to help me out…? Nah, definitely not. He was just an overprotective parent and didn’t want Paul’s kid near his daughter. Understandable honestly. I’d have done the same thing. 

“If I run back home now, Father will only make fun of me, so that isn’t an option.” That was only an excuse, but I’m sure Philip didn’t really care. “If I can, I’d recommend my plan from earlier.” 

“The kidnapping ploy?” He rubbed his chin as he thought it over. “If you believe it’ll help, then sure.” 

“Suddenly feel like being generous all of a sudden?”

“No.” His gaze was cold but held something like recognition somewhere in his face. “I just want to see what the child Paul keeps lauding can do.” 

“I guess that means I can’t disappoint.” 

“I suppose it does.” Quiet fell between the two of us shortly after he finished speaking. There weren’t often times between us that were quiet like this from what I could remember. To be fair, I hadn’t had many moments with Eris’ family. If the Displacement Incident hadn’t happened, I’m sure I would’ve gotten wrapped up in politics, but I’m sure the Boreas family would’ve all appreciated having me around. 

Still, I’m happy with how it turned out in the end. Because of the mana disaster, I grew as a person, and from then on, my life started to change. Some problems came up, but I managed to deal with them. 

I had a life that I was happy with. 

“I’m sorry you had to wait so long.” My breathing hitched as I remembered that nightmare. I could feel my body quaking now. The mere notion of living a peaceful life made my body seize up.

“You okay?” The only thing that dragged me out of my mind was Philip’s voice. He had a questioning look in his eyes as he gazed down at me. 

“I’m fine.” I placed my hand over my heart as I breathed in and out. 

No matter what, I couldn’t allow that sight to come true.

“Let me give you the details about what I have planned.” Without missing a beat, I continued. Philip, on his side, just looked at me for another moment, then deftly nodded. I could see Thomas perk up a little in the corner of the room after I spoke. It looks like I’d be having to deal with him again.

When I woke up, my head was throbbing. It almost felt like someone took a baseball bat to it… Which someone probably did. 

“Isn’t one of the mantras of kidnapping to not damage the merchandise?” My voice echoed back into my ears. No matter where I looked, it was dark, and I couldn’t move my hands. “Yeah, why not shove a little boy in a box and tie him up? Nothing could go wrong.” I deadpanned to myself as I incinerated the ropes binding my hands.

I pushed the lid above me and slowly crawled out of the box. I was met with a dark, damp cellar when I looked around. It was musty, didn’t smell the greatest, and had heaps of thrown-away armor piled in a corner. It was very much a space where you would put kidnapped children. 

Besides my box was another just like it. No sound came from it, but I could tell who was in it.

Without making much noise, I stepped closer to it and lifted the top off the box. Inside was a girl who I’d met just recently. The same girl who’d come at me intending to bash my face in. Eris Boreas Greyrat. 

“Hey.” I tapped her on the shoulder. My past self might’ve thought this was a good time to do something nefarious, but all I saw in the girl infront of me now was someone I needed to protect. “Hey, wake up.” I shook her slightly, and her eyes fluttered open slowly. 

Her face went from drowsy and confused to thoroughly enraged at the sight of me. “What the hell is—” I put a finger over my mouth and did the same to her.

“It looks like we’ve been kidnapped. Try to be quiet.” She looked at me for a second, then without any regard, she shot up without warning and ran toward the door.

“Ghislaine! Ghislaine, where are you?!” Her shouting was loud. Loud enough that whoever had us captured could most certainly hear. “Ghislaine! Ghislaine, can you hear me—”

“Pipe down you fucking brat!” The door Eris was screaming at was kicked open, sending her flying back toward me. 

“That hurt! I’ll clobber you!” The man had a big build. Certainly, no one you’d find appealing, and he had a specific stench that only made you turn your head away. 

“Shut up, you stupid brat!” His arm came up, and a fist met Eris’ face. It was a sick sound. One I didn’t want to hear. 

Even then, I stood still.

The punch's force sent Eris flying as she landed a few feet away from where she had stood with a thud. “I’ll tell grandfather about this—” She lurched forward after she had made contact with the ground. The anger in her eyes was real and burning, but the man was already standing over her before she could get up and retaliate. Then, he started stomping on her without a second thought. 

“Just shut up already!” I just stood there and watched. Unfortunately, I left my gauntlets in my room in the manor. It wasn’t like they’d let me keep them anyway, but even without them, I knew I could take this guy down. The only reason I didn’t move was because I knew Eris needed this sort of wake-up call. That was what was saving this man. That was the only reason he wasn’t already dead. 

His beating stopped as a whimper left her lips. He looked down at her almost as if admiring his work, and a second later, spit flew out of his mouth toward her. “That oughta teach ya.” With his point made, he turned toward me next. His gaze was annoyed with a twinge of anger. A fist came down on me a moment later, but only once. “Depressing little shit.” With that, he left and slammed the door behind him. 

“Asshole.” I spat out the word in a whisper as I went over to Eris. Some of her teeth were knocked out, and a good number of her bones were probably broken. However, even though she could barely breathe, she kept whispering about getting revenge. Typical Eris, really. The only thing atypical was that she was beaten by a couple of nobodies, but that could be excused. She wasn’t the person I knew.

I reached out to touch her, and she winced. Anger flashed through her face again, but it was pointed at me this time. “Stay still; I’ll heal you.” With a quick incantation, her injuries faded and closed. 

By the time I was finished, she was already trying to stand up, only to fall back down. “What’s the deal? I’m still injured over here. Heal me all the way!” Her breathing was ragged, but the only response I could give her was a decline.

The truth is I healed her for the most part. I couldn’t have her screaming her head off right off the bat and getting herself killed. “If I heal you, you’ll just start yelling again…” I knew that if she could, she would. “Ghislaine can’t hear you from here, so that must mean we’re far from Roa if I had to guess, and anyway, if you knew how, you could just heal yourself.” 

“But that’s why you’re my tutor—”

“I haven’t been hired yet because a certain person didn’t like me. So I’m not obligated to give you my aid.” That was a full-blown lie, but I wasn’t about to admit to that. 

She winced at herself as she propped her body against the wall. She was still in pain, but I’d seen the girl shrug off getting her arm cut off, so I’m sure she’d manage the discomfort. Right now, I just had to focus on sticking to the plan.

There were only two exits to the room. The door in which our kidnappers lay behind or the bared window in our room. Obviously, that meant that the only logical exit we could take was the window. No matter what, I needed to show Eris that violence isn’t the only solution. Of course, it solved a lot of things, and I knew she wouldn’t abandon that idealogy, but as long as I could get it into her head that it didn’t mean everything, I would consider this a success. “Now, if you excuse me, I don’t intend to die today, so I’ll be taking my leave.” With a quick burst of magic, the stone around the bars crumbled. Letting me slip through.

“Don’t leave me here!” Her voice, while pained, was still loud. Which only meant one thing.

“I said be quiet, you brat!” The man’s voice called out from behind the door, but as soon as he was going to bash the door open, I blockaded it with stone. “What the hell?! It won’t open!”

“What do you mean?!” Another man’s voice flitted through the air. From everyone else’s point of view, two grown kidnappers versus two children was a settled matchup. 

I was hoping Eris would realize that as well. 

“Well, I’ll be leaving now.” I started to leave as I threw the bars that were once securing the window onto the ground. The pounding on the door only grew louder as I did so.

“Don’t leave me here!” She wheezed as she clutched her side. She was in no shape to move, but even now, she settled on demands. 

“If you listen to me, I’ll help you. But promise me you won’t yell. I don’t want you getting us caught.” 

“I don’t have to listen to you—”

“Can you really get back by yourself?” How long was it going to take her to just give? I can’t imagine it being that hard to say a simple please, but we are talking about Eris here.

“I’ll take care of this.” One of the men spoke in a low tone. Then, the slamming stopped a moment later. It looked like they were going to make their entrance.

“Can you promise that you won’t be violent or shout?” Her face twisted in annoyance, but I saw fear flash in her eyes as she looked back to the doorway. There were two straightforward options she had. It was either swallow her pride or die. 

“I promise not to be loud.” So she swallowed her pride… Good job, Eris.

“Good. Let’s get out of here.” 

“X-Healing.” The green glow from my hands disappeared as the spell ended. 

After I was done, she stretched her arms, ensuring everything seemed in order. I knew it was, but she still seemed to be a little apprehensive of me since I hadn’t healed her all the way the first time.

“Good! This’ll do!” 

“Didn’t you just promise to be quiet?” I whispered back. I wasn’t worried about the kidnappers finding us, but the entire point of this plan was to prove a point… Well, if push comes to shove, I’ll just kill the men. They hurt Eris and intend to pawn us off to Darius after all. So they were enemies in my eyes, at least.

“Why should I have to keep a promise to you?!” Great, she’s right back to how she was acting. I guess removing the tsun from the dere is more challenging than I thought. Well, I did just meet her today. Or I guess now it’s yesterday, considering it’s past midnight now.

“If you’re gonna be like that, I’ll just leave.” It wasn’t good to push her buttons, but she understood when she was grandstanding a little too hard. “Good luck.” Without so much as another glance toward her, I started walking away. 

“Hmph!” Her arms were crossed over her chest in her usual defiant pose. 

“Where the hell did you brats go?! Get out here!” Distant shouting was all that could be heard throughout the streets of our town. I don’t really understand why you’d be shouting if you’re looking for kidnapped people, though. Wouldn’t that betray the purpose of trying to find us? It’s not like we’d willingly return to them after all that. 

“F-fine. I’ll be quiet—a-and I won’t hit you.” Eris spoke in a hushed voice. It seemed the yelling had gotten to her. She was still a kid, so I’m sure the beating she got was something she wasn’t going to forget anytime soon. Hell, I’d be pissing myself right now if I didn’t know what was happening—and wasn’t secretly a hundred-year-old man in a child’s body. 

“I’ll do my best to get us back to Roa then. Just stay close. You never know if they’re—”

“Come on out, you brats!” The voices, which had been distant, had suddenly become closer. Close enough that they’d see us if we weren’t careful.

“Eris! In here.” I pointed toward an outhouse. It was our best option to avoid them. It wasn’t like they were going to check a toilet for children.

“S-seriously?” She didn’t seem to like the idea, however.

“Yes, seriously. Quickly!” Even though I was whispering, it was hard to not feel my heart in my throat. The entire situation was something I hadn’t been in a lot. Most of the time, it was me doing the talking and manhandling, but now I was on the run from some kidnappers. Hell, at one point, I did the kidnapping, but that was beside the point, and the circumstances were completely different.

I pushed Eris inside and closed the door behind us. A minute later, running was heard outside. “They can’t have gotten far! Keep looking!”

“I swear to god, if they are, I’ll gut them!” That was the bald man who stunk to high hell. It didn’t sound like he was all too happy at our escape. 

“Don’t forget we need one of them alive.” The other sounded more reasonable, but it wasn’t like I would go out there and try to diplomacy my way out of the situation. 

Suddenly, I felt a tug at my shirt. It was Eris. Her body was shaking. She must be afraid. Their footsteps grew distant a moment later as they ran off in another direction. “We should be fine now.” With a gesture, I opened the door, and we exited. 

When we exited, she seemed to get a grip and let go of me. “You good now?”

“Pff… Why wouldn’t I be?!” Irritated, she shouted. Only to cover her mouth in a worried fashion.

“You’re fine.” It was good that she took her promise seriously, but she was probably more worried about herself than anything. “First, we need to find a carriage, then somewhere to stay for the night.”

“W-we’re not going back to Roa?” She seemed even more worried about that thought.

“There’s no way we can make it back before morning, and even if we could, no carriage would be willing to bring two children to Roa in the middle of the night.” She didn’t seem to like the idea of staying in some place that wasn’t her home, but she was going to have to suck it up for one night. 

“Come on. Let’s find a carriage to figure out fare to the next town over.” From what I could tell, we were roughly a few hours away from Roa. We’re probably around two or so towns away from the city. So we'll need to manage our finances for the time being. Sure, I probably could’ve taken a magic crystal from my pouch, but it wasn’t like anybody would have enough money to exchange a crystal for coins in some rinky-dink village. 

“Whatever you say.” She seemed out of it, probably from her drowsiness and adrenaline rushing through her body. I, however, was fine. That was perhaps the only reason she was willing to listen to me.

We walked through the town for a little bit. It was obviously quiet. Only a few people were up; if they were, it was either by pure happenstance or they had some business they needed to take care of. 

“Do you see that?” I pointed toward a wage sign. It simply stated the fare for a coach ride to neighboring towns.

“I can’t read.” The way she said it almost made me laugh, but she sounded so seriously irritated that I even asked the question that I held back. 

“It’s a sign for the fare to neighboring towns.”

“And why do I need to know that?”
“It’s important if you’re ever traveling to be able to calculate your money and be able to finance properly. Reading is a core skill necessary for that.”

"Calcu—late? Can’t you just do it for me?” 

“I’ve still not been hired by your father, so I’m afraid I can’t.” Eris gave me an uneasy look. “Today, however, my hand seems to be forced.” 

“Why do you talk like that?” Her expression, which had seemed to sour over time, now had its usual annoyed appearance.

“Like what?”

“Like Father.” Did I talk like Philip? I guess he did say something like that when we spoke, but seriously? Maybe it’s because I usually tried to sound like a conman whenever I did any sort of public speaking. Or perhaps it was just my inner schemer coming out. 

“My parents have always called me a little weird.”

“Did they also say that you always look sad?” Her tone was harsh and derogatory. It seemed she wanted to poke fun at me a little.

“A couple of times.”

“I see.” She stopped speaking with that said. It seemed my answer caught her off guard. It wasn’t like I hadn’t noticed how my attitude affected Paul and Zenith. It was apparent that my being there made them more and more worried for me. That was another reason I decided to come to Roa, even though I had no intention of going to Ranoa. 

“I get what you’re saying, though.” One of her eyebrows raised as I said that. “Honestly, you probably won’t need to know how to read. You’ll probably have someone who can do it for you.”

“That’s what I was telling Father. I don’t need a stupid tutor or anything. All I need is the sword—”

“I’m sure you’ll become a great swordswoman, but even Ghislaine has had problems in her adventuring days because she didn’t know how to do math or read.”

“Even Ghislaine?” Did she really think that a brolic woman could do anything?

“Yes, even Ghislaine. Actually, that’s another reason I’m here. I’m supposed to be teaching her as well… Magic as well, of course.” Eris’ attention perked up a little.

“Magic? Why would she need that?”

“Well, it’s never bad to be able to light a fire or make water to drink whenever you want.” She didn’t seem all that interested in that aspect. “You want to become an adventurer or something when you’re older, right?”

Her eyes grew wide. “Uh, yeah—I do, but it’s not like Mother or Father will let me—”

“I’m sure Philip would let you if you convinced him. It’s not like a noblewoman to practice swordplay, to begin with, so maybe that’s what he’s aiming for.” I knew that to be a fact, but I could tell from the look in Eris’ eyes that she didn’t. Instead, it looked like I was almost piecing the puzzle together for her. “I can tell you’ll make a good adventurer. But there’s bound to be a time when you’ll need to know how to read or do some math. Otherwise, you’ll eat monster dung in the middle of nowhere.” 

You’d think after hearing that, the girl would be reeling with disgust, but instead, it seemed I only piqued her interest even more. “That’s a story Ghislaine told me, by the way.” The girl beamed with even more excitement. 

For a moment, I forgot that we were on the run from kidnappers. It felt like I had returned to the days in Roa. The ones where I would chat with Eris about things and have Ghislaine tell us stories. 

I’ll wait for you, okay? So make sure to not make me wait too long. You know how I am when it comes to that. An image of her flashed through my head. An image of Eris laying infront of me. Her grey-speckled red hair flowed over her shoulders. 

That was the last time I saw her. Those were the last words she gave me before we fell asleep together that night.

“Rudeus, you okay?” The girl next to me shook me violently with one hand. 

“Sorry, I was… I was spacing out.” The image didn’t leave me. It wouldn’t. That one stood out most prominently, like everything I’ve failed to do. My unfulfilled promise to her. To the girl infront of me.

“Don’t do that! You gotta help me here!” Yet again, she shouted, but this time, she didn’t apologetically cover her mouth. 

“Sorry.” She nodded along, seemingly satisfied with my answer. I guess I was just a pushover no matter the life.

“Thanks for earlier, though.” She didn’t meet my eyes as I looked back at her.

“Earlier?” Like how earlier? When I was blocking her punches or something? That was just me trying not to get brain damage at the tender age of seven.

“The whole adventurer thing.” She was uncharacteristically quiet. “No one’s said anything like that. Not even Ghislaine.” She fidgeted, almost as if she was uncomfortable by just standing where she was. “S-so, thanks.”

The ever-rare Eris, thank you. I’d have to commit this moment to memory. 

“Stop looking at me like that… I’ll hit you!” And she was back to being the same old Eris I knew. So much for the pleasant moment. I was just starting to get Christina vibes. 

Not that I’d ever see that adorable little girl again… I paused for a moment. I’ve got to stop remembering everything. This is no time to get sentimental, Rudeus! Let’s just finish this up.

“Let’s go and get someplace to stay. I’ll take care of the money.” 

“Umm, sure.” With a little taken aback motion, Eris followed me. 

Finding a place to stay wasn’t all that hard. What was hard, however, were the beds. Or, I guess, the hastily put-together straw mats they just happened to call beds. By the time I woke up, Eris was still sitting, fidgeting. It seemed she didn’t get much shut-eye, but I didn’t get much myself. My body could handle operating on little sleep. That didn’t mean I didn’t try to get adequate rest nowadays, though. I was a growing boy, so every bit of sleep I could get was more than welcome. 

We set out without delay, only a short time after I woke up. At one point, a couple of cloaked riders passed by our carriage. Other than that, it was an uneventful couple of hours. 

When we arrived back at Roa in the early morning, I knew that was when the real fight would begin. My sense of time for the travel was off, apparently. My estimate of a couple of hours literally meant two. So we arrived at Roa right before the crack of dawn. 

Travel time didn’t mean much to me, considering I could probably just fly there in a fraction of the time it would require anyone else to get there by horse. 

“We’re almost there, Eris.” You could see the manor from where we stood. It wouldn’t be much longer till we were at its gates. 

It was then that he appeared in front of us. Carrying a lantern while looking particularly shady. It was Thomas, the butler from the manor. In hindsight, this was so painfully obvious that I’m surprised Philip hadn’t already dealt with him, but knowing the man, he probably assumed he could get some blackmail in some shape or form on someone else by leaving him be. 

“You’re from the manor!” I knew they were here. Watching us from the shadows in the alleys adjacent to the street we were on. The detection magic I had made that all the more apparent to me. They were just waiting for their opportunity to strike. 

I started running off toward the man, and with a sigh of relief and a brief stagger to her step, Eris followed, but before she could say anything, she was hoisted up and stolen in a split second.

I looked back just in time to see her red hair dart into an alleyway. Needless to say, I gave chase. 

When I got to where I saw her, I could see the two men’s backs clear as day. Eris was draped over one of their shoulders as they ran away. This was the part I had been waiting for. Everything depended on this. They turned a corner, and I followed. By the time I got around, they were closer than they had been. It seemed Eris wasn’t making their job any more straightforward than needed. That’s good. It made my part a whole lot easier. 

I shot magic through my legs as I forced an earthen wall to form infront of them. The two stopped abruptly infront of it. They looked around for a moment. An annoyed tone painted their voices as they turned to face me.

“What is it, brat? You could’ve just gone home if you stayed put.” The longer-haired man looked back toward me as he drew his sword. 

“Let go of me—” She covered her mouth before she could finish yelling. It looks like she intended to keep her promise to me even now. Though, honestly, I wouldn’t mind her yelling in this scenario. Ghislaine would come running if she did, and I wouldn’t have to get my hands dirty, but it was a good sign that she decided to trust me with this.

The man holding her drew his sword and put it up to her face. An open threat he didn’t intend to go through with. “Let the girl go.” With an open hand, I formed a fireball. One I had every intention of launching into the air as soon as I thought the time had come.

“I can’t do that.” A voice spoke from behind. It was Thomas, the butler. Who could’ve guessed the guy was working for the bad guys all along? “The little Lady Eris needs to go somewhere for me.” The look in his eyes was most undoubtedly sinister. 

He had a cocky smile on his face like he had everything figured out. Something about it made me just want to punch the guy. “What? To Darius, no doubt?” His face shifted to confusion a moment later. It looks like I caught him red-handed.

“It looks like you’re better at magic than I thought. How about you join us? We’ll give you a cut. I’m sure a kid as bright as you know money's value. If you’re even a kid, that is, and not some halfling pretending to be one. People always look down on you guys, so a little money could never be that bad, right?” He sounded desperate. I guess I could understand why. They were on their way to a big payday, and they weren’t running away right now because a boy had a fireball pointed at them. They were getting antsy. It wouldn’t be long before the sun fully rose.

“A tempting offer.” There was only one option for me here.

“That girl has only given me trouble since I started working at the manor. She’ll only give you trouble after you become her tutor.” Thomas clearly had some kind of vendetta he wanted to settle. Eris tended to be violent. Unrightfully so most of the time, but that was how she was. Unfortunately, someone as gullible as him had become employed under the Boreas. 

“If you understand, you should raise your hand slowly.” The guy infront of me kept waving his sword everywhere. He was trying to defuse the situation so he could cut me down. I’d seen the look in his eyes hundreds of times.

“I do…” I slowly raised my hand to the air. “I understand that there are some things that money can’t solve.”

“Cut the crap!” 

“It’s not crap.” I looked him in the eyes. 

“What?!” He was pissed now. It wouldn’t take him much longer to come charging at me. 

“No matter how much money I have, it won’t do anything for me. It’ll never bring them back, so our discussion here is done.”

“Huh?!” 

Without another word from my mouth, I released the fireball in my hand into the sky. Catapulting it above the rooftops and having it explode in a flurry of colors. It was a distraction and an alert to Ghislaine. Still, the primary purpose of it was to blind everyone in the area.

I, however, was ready. I started to run toward the two swordsmen. Typically, I’d hold back, but this time wasn’t the same. They had a hostage I needed to save, no matter what. One that I wouldn’t mind killing to get out of harm's way. “Not so fast!” The man who’d been speaking to me was the first to react to me. He was still too slow.

I only used two Earth Lances… That was all I needed. I placed them right beneath the two men, and a second later, the earth shot up from the ground like spears. 

In the next moment, the two men were impaled as I caught Eris from falling onto the ground. I glanced back, and I saw them. They were dead. No doubt about that, but this wasn’t my first time killing someone anymore. I wasn’t the same person back when I came to this world. People in this world would kill people for no good reason and do it without remorse. While I couldn’t do that, I would if it meant someone I cared about being hurt. This fell under that category.

“You good?” I looked at Eris. Her face was still mesmerized by the sky. She always said how much she liked the look of fire magic, after all. 

“I-I’m fine.” She pushed herself off of me. We were safe now, so I guess that was only to be expected.

“W-what?” Thomas, however, seemed to be at an utter lack of words as he stumbled backward, falling onto the ground behind him. 

A moment later, I heard a deft thud behind us. It was Ghislaine. She got here faster than I thought she would. “Ghislaine! Ghislaine!” Eris immediately ran over to her as fast as she could. All that energy she had from yesterday came right back when she saw her sword instructor. I could understand why. Just looking at Ghislaine gave you a sense of courage in a way. 

“Is this all of them?” She nodded her head towards the bodies. I didn’t bother to look at them. I didn’t particularly like to see bodies.

“Yeah, those were the two that kidnapped us.” I turned my attention to Thomas. “It looks like he’s the one behind it though.” She nodded her head.

“You know, I came to look after I saw that explosion, but I guess you had it handled.” She looked down at me and offered her hand. 

A handshake? I guess I wasn’t in much of a position to refuse. “Paul really was right about you after all. Good job.” Eris looked at the two of us. A look of bewilderment in her eyes. Maybe this would raise her opinion of me a little. As long as she’d listen to my teaching, I didn’t much care for anything else.

“You can fill Philip in on the details back at the manor.” The woman nonchalantly looked at the bodies and then at the still frozen-in-place Thomas with disinterested eyes. 

With that, the night of the kidnapping came to an end. 

“Eris!” Philip came rushing out when we were back inside the manor’s walls. “You’re back awfully late…” He ran over to Eris as she slouched down onto the ground. Her legs gave out from underneath her. She hadn’t slept last night, so she was probably utterly exhausted. Philip looked at his daughter’s tired expression and then back to Ghislaine and me. “What happened?” His tone came off as threatening. The kind of threatening you wouldn’t want to figure out entailed.

Without a word, Ghislaine threw the hogtied Thomas forward infront of Philip. “Lord Philip, it isn’t how it looks! It’s all just a misunderstanding!” He must’ve known that he just sounded desperate.

Philip looked at him for a moment. Then back to Eris, and after another moment, he spoke. “Take him away.” With a nod to Ghislaine, the woman moved and grabbed him again.

“Lord Philip! Lord Philip!” Thomas screamed as he was taken away. I had no doubt some kind of torture probably awaited him. Most likely execution as well, but I wouldn’t pry into those matters. 

“Eris, are you okay?” Philip reached out toward his daughter as Ghislaine walked away, only to be swatted away by her hand.

“Our promise was only until we got back, right? So I can talk now?” She seemed thoroughly fed up with everything that happened.

“Of course.” She didn’t look back at me as she walked off. She was undoubtedly angry at me, but I could sense she was slightly grateful for what I did. Or maybe that was just me hoping for it all to end well. 

I had gone about what I previously did in a fairly identical way, but I still felt like something was different. I was worried that, for some reason, I’d change something I didn’t want to. That I’d do something I would regret. 

Without missing a beat, Eris turned around and assumed her defiant pose. “I give you special permission to call me ‘Eris’! Special permission, understand?!” She was awfully dramatic for something so small. At one point, I even called her by name, but maybe she’d already forgotten that. It was best if she did. I didn’t want to be on her bad side.

I looked back at Philip, who gave me a simple shrug. “So you mean it’s okay? I can work here?” 

“Hmph!” She turned away from me. 

“Thank you, Lady Eris.” 

“No ‘Lady’! Just ‘Eris’!” This was the same, wasn’t it? The same way it had all happened before. It’s been so long that I can’t even begin to remember how this all played out, but for some reason, this felt right. Like I was on the right path. I’d rather use formalities to keep my distance, but I knew she’d just hit me if I didn’t, so I guess I had no choice.

At the very least, my meeting with Eris didn’t go poorly. She was safe, and that’s all that mattered to me. 

Now, I just had to make sure Eris would be strong enough to face anything. Even alone, but that would come later. For right now, I had to teach her how to read. 

That was an entirely different monster.

That day, I became employed under the Boreas family in Roa and officially became Eris Boreas Greyrat’s tutor. 

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Nineteen: The Mad Dog's Tutor and an Elf’s Rolling Days

“Then if you apply this method, it should be easier to use magic… At least in practice, it is. That doesn’t mean it’s for everyone, though.” I looked at the two infront of me—a look of contemplation on one and frustration on the other. 

“I think…I get it—maybe.” Ghislaine whispered as she looked down at the notes I had given her. It was nothing too special—just the rudimentary basics of magic. Of course, it didn’t help that she couldn’t read quite yet. But that let me use them to teach her how to read while I also taught her magic. It was just my way of cutting out the middleman. 

“I still don’t get it!” On the other hand, the other person I was teaching had no such luck in her studies. So far, that is.

“Magic isn’t the easiest thing in the world, Eris. Not everyone can just do it in such a short amount of time.” Eris was having absolutely no luck in magic. That didn’t mean that she wasn’t trying, though. If anything, she was trying to learn magic more than she was trying to learn how to read or do math, but I could understand that. I, too, would rather be flinging fireballs around than be stuck doing equations and reading all day. 

“But you make it look way easier than it is!” Eris was practically fuming now. It wouldn’t be long before she started trying to beat me up and running off, but at this point, I was pretty much used to that kind of violence… Also, how is that my fault exactly? 

One singular month had come and gone since I arrived in Roa—one month of pure, unadulterated agony that was teaching Eris Boreas Greyrat.

I’d be lying if I said it was easy. I’d also be lying if I said at some moments, I didn’t feel like ripping the poor girl's head off in frustration. But I didn’t let that stop me. I’d only be doing Roxy a disservice if I stopped teaching a girl who needed my knowledge. Of course, it wasn’t like I would just up and leave Eris to her devices. What I was doing had a purpose. I had a job to do. One that I intended to fulfill no matter what.

The only problem now was that the girl I was supposed to teach typically decided that she didn’t feel like learning that day. So it isn’t like I didn’t have my hands full. Still, trying to convince Eris, of all people, to learn was miles better than dueling some god. 

Still, there were times when Eris didn’t seem like she would back down. This was one of those times. 

“It’s easy for me because I’ve spent years learning how to do it.” A small flame formed on my fingertip with a flick of my fingers. Learning even a little bit of magic proved immeasurably valuable when it came to adventuring. Being able to light a campfire at will or fill a canteen in the middle of a desert just made everything easier in life. “I’m sure you can be just as good with practice.” She didn’t seem all that persuaded. In fact, it appeared she was poised to bolt for the door any second.

I glanced toward Ghislaine for help, but she sat by the window, utterly unfazed by everything happening. 

It looked like I’d be doing this alone.

“What could I do to convince you?” I guess all I was left with was bargaining. Eris never made negotiation easy.

“Hmph!” She didn’t seem too intrigued by that either. She stood in her usual defiant stance. I’m honestly surprised she hadn’t hit me yet and ran. I guess that means she does want something.

An idea clicked in my head at that moment. “What if I show you some magic that’d be good for swordsmanship?” With those words, I could see her interest start to show. 

“Magic for swordsmanship? I’ve never heard of it.” Ghislaine spoke up after my declaration. It seemed I even managed to get her attention. 

“Well, it’s not particularly for swordsmanship alone, but it is handy if you are one—”

“Just out with it already!” Eris yelled all of a sudden. She was getting impatient.

“Sorry.” Managing her mood swings definitely made this job more tricky than most would care to deal with. I could see why so many tutors were already fired—and I’m still the only one that’s managed to get this far even. At the very least, I could expect some tolerance from Eris whenever I taught her. It seemed she admired my strength in some capacity, it seems. “I’m talking about healing magic.” 

Ghislaine and Eris stared at me. The look of confusion plastered on both of their faces. Could they seriously not understand why it was so helpful? Isn’t it kind of redundant? “Is that seriously it?!” Eris was really pissed now. In fact, she was already swinging.

I let it hit me as I was sent flying back. If there was one thing Eris was good at, it was physicality. I could never understand why Philip even had the slightest hope that he could shape her into a prospective noblewoman. Even at her age, she seemed awfully determined to learn the sword. She even had the talent for it, but nobility doesn’t think like me. Even Philip has ulterior motives. It's a good thing that I have my own as well.

I propped myself back up on my hands as I rubbed the cheek she had hit. It hurt like hell, frankly, but I’m sure being run through hurt more. This was nothing in comparison. By the time I looked up at Eris, I had expected her to either run away or continue her onslaught, but instead, I found her looking at her hand with a grin on her face… Was she that happy that she finally hit me? That's kind of rude of you, young lady.

“You can at least warn me when you’re gonna punch me, you know?” She looked down at me and frowned.

“That takes all of the fun out of it, and besides. You explain things weird and frustrate me, so you deserve it.” That's an awfully succinct answer, Eris.

“Then how about I let you hit me so long as you listen to me?” I spoke before I could even think about the consequences of that promise. 

Before I could take my words back, Eris turned her head away from me. “Fine.” Her tone was low, but she was at least pleased with that outcome.

It looks like I’ll be using a lot of healing magic on myself now. “Oh, you mean using healing magic on yourself whenever you’re in a fight, right?” Ghislaine, who hadn’t spoken in a while, interjected as I brushed myself off as I healed the bruise on my cheek with a quiet chant.

Did it take her that long to figure that out? “Yeah. You’re bound to get cuts and scrapes whenever you fight, and you never know if you might need some magic to make it out alive.” 

“I’ll just make you heal me then!” Eris went right back to her usual attitude. 

“I can’t always be with you whenever you get yourself into some scrap.” She frowned.

“Rudeus, I’m teaching Eris the Sword God style. If she kills whoever she’s fighting with one attack, there isn’t any need to heal. Besides, the incantation you mages use for healing spells takes too long.” So that’s why Ghislaine was confused about what I said. I guess it would be confusing for a woman who ends conflicts with a single stroke of her blade. But for people like me, it made complete and utter sense that being able to heal any kind of laceration or deep cut with a couple of sentences outweighed dying. 

“I can understand where you’re coming from, Ghislaine, but even you have to have had moments where you’ve almost died from some wound you’ve gotten.” 

“I guess you’re not wrong.” 

“Besides, Eris still has some time to learn the chant-less versions of spells.” 

“What about chant-less?! Tell me!” You could maybe not yell right into my ear when you demand something from me.

“You usually have to learn magic without incantations around the age of ten to do it. So you only have a couple of months till that period is over. Of course, I know a person who’s been able to do it with a lot of practice and learning magic from the ground up, but it’s significantly harder after a certain age. So I’d like you to bear with me for a while.” 

“I still don’t get it!” 

“Being able to heal your wounds mid-fight without needing a chant sounds too good to be true.” Ghislaine looked at me with sincerity. It seemed she was genuinely thinking about what I was saying with a serious outlook now. “Eris.”

“Yeah, Ghislaine?” The girl looked worriedly over to the beast woman.

“Do your best to learn it. It’ll be good for your sword training.” With that, it seemed the woman’s mind was made up.

Eris looked at her with a surprised and hesitant face. “If you say so.” If it meant improving her sword skills, Eris was bound to agree. But she still looked unsure of what she agreed to. 

“Okay then! Let’s get back to studying.” With a clap, I went back to where Ghislaine was sitting. She immediately perked back up and started focusing.

As for the other person in the room… “Don’t wanna!” With that, Eris ran out and disappeared from eyesight. 

What a troublesome child. I lamented with a long, tired sigh as I left to find her.

A wooden sword came in with a quick motion. But it was quickly brushed aside with a simple parry. While she had a lot of bite and bark, Eris was still a beginner with the sword. It felt nice being better than her at the sword for once. 

“Keep pushing him, Eris!” Ghislaine shouted out from the sidelines. She always watched our mock duels whenever we had training. It was helpful for Eris and helped me fill in any holes in my technique that I realistically could. “Don’t let your strikes be so obvious! You’ll never hit him like that!” 

“He just keeps dodging! What should I do if I can’t even hit him?!” She was slowly getting angry. This was how most of our sparring sessions were going. We would spar, and I would avoid all the hits I could. Then, at the end, I would end our duel with one riposte. It wouldn’t take long for Eris to get strong enough that I would need my gauntlets, but they weren’t required for now. Still, all my training with her only seemed to make the girl hate my guts even more. Which I wasn’t necessarily against. The more distance that remained between us, the better. I was just doing my job here.

“Of course, he’s dodging! He’s a mage and a Water God swordsman! Less thinking, more swinging!” Ghislaine’s approach to training helped Eris but did absolutely nothing for me. I was a repetitive learner at the end of it all. When I began training with the sword, it was the same. I just kept doing the same swing over and over again. That was how it was for years until I started working under Orsted. 

Orsted. I wonder how he’s doing. I hadn’t thought about him in a while. He was the only person I knew in this world besides Kharn. Knowing him, he’s probably off doing something that’ll make Hitogami mald. So, something utterly worthwhile. 

“What’re you making that creepy face for?!” Eris swung toward my face. Too bad for her that it was sloppy. 

It was a simple trick. With a flick of the wrist, her blade was knocked off course, and with a simple and quick motion, mine met her neck with a light tap. “I win.” It was with that simple declaration that Eris looked back at Ghislaine. The woman nodded with a deft movement, and in the next moment, Eris threw her wooden sword down on the ground and sat down angrily. I didn’t even know someone could sit down angrily, to begin with, but leave it to Eris, I guess. 

“This isn’t fair.” She grumbled to herself. In essence, she wasn’t wrong. Sure, she wasn't naturally better at the sword than I was, but I had more than a few years on her, and unfortunately for her, a lot of that was combat experience. 

“Rudeus is advanced in Water God. Of course, he’s going to beat a beginner in Sword God. Doesn’t matter how good you are, Eris. It’s just the state of things.” Ghislaine approached us and gave a slight nod to me. What it meant, I had absolutely no idea. Swordsmen and swordswomen were so hard to understand that I was only really ever able to tell what Eris was thinking on any given day—and I guess Jino too, but that was different. 

“Doesn’t mean it’s fair!” She crossed her arms in defiance as she stayed sitting. 

Flawless logic, as always, Eris. As I looked at the girl, I pushed down the smirk that wanted to form on my face.

“If it makes you feel any better, Eris, I can’t form any kind of aura, so you’ll beat me out eventually.” Consoling her was the only way we could continue. So, I figured this would be the best way to do it.

Ghislaine looked at me, stunned for a second. “What do you mean by that?” She sounded unsure of what I said.

“I guess this was going to come up eventually.” It’s not like my inability to form any touki bothers me anymore. It sucked, but that was about it. I made up for it with my magic skill. “Father always said it’d come eventually, but it hasn’t… It never came because I can’t use it to begin with. So I’m only ever gonna be as good as I am now.” That was a partial lie. If I had my armor with me, I was technically better, but that was only because I was basically cheating.

“Seriously?” Ghislaine seemed slightly stunned. I guess she hasn’t seen a swordsman without a touki. Honestly, I couldn’t blame her. Paul had made me out to be some kind of prodigy, but at the end of the day, I was just some loser who was reborn one too many times.

While Ghislaine was somewhat flummoxed about what I said, it only put the wind back in Eris’ sails. “Of course, I’d eventually be better at you than at the sword! It’s only right for you to be better at magic! Yeah!” The girl seemed awfully happy at my expense, but that was fine. 

“You’ll get there eventually, Eris. But for now, you might want to focus on your technique. It’s still too easy for me to block and parry any of your strikes.” The girl looked down at me—literally and probably metaphorically.

“Hmph!” She turned her head as she assumed the Eris pose. 

“So you seriously can’t use touki at all?” Ghislaine still seemed confused.

“One hundred percent. It’s impossible. At the most, I can use magic around my body to protect myself and to help my speed, but other than that—nothing.” 

“Then why are you advanced? You have to have some kind of touki to be advanced.”

“Father’s stupid. I fooled him with magic.” 

“That makes sense. He doesn’t think about his swordsmanship, I guess. He just does it.”

“Anything you teach me isn’t really going to stick. So sorry if I disappointed you, Ghislaine.” One of the main reasons I was even allowed to come here in the first place was that Ghislaine would oversee my sword training, but I didn’t have the cards in my hands to be able to be a swordsman. So, at the very least, I could be apologetic.

“Why would I be disappointed?” Instead of the retort I had expected from the woman, she hit me with an answer I hadn’t necessarily expected. “If anything, you’re stronger than what Paul said. You’ve got more to you than meets the eye.” 

Ghislaine praising me? That’s unusual. “Thank you for that, but I’m afraid I’m still too weak for your words. I still have a long way to go.” It felt gratifying to hear a Sword King praise me for my efforts, but I, no matter what, couldn’t allow myself to become complacent. I needed to be better. To be stronger. It was for that reason that I was here. 

“Come on, Rudeus! Let’s get back to training! I want to kick your butt!” Eris dragged me off as she grabbed my arm. 

It was good that she was feeling enthused. As long as she got stronger, I was okay with this life. As long as everyone was safe, it would all be okay, even if I wasn’t here.

As Ghislaine watched the two begin sparring, she couldn’t help but think about what Rudeus had said. She didn’t know what he meant by what he said, but she couldn’t help but think of her master when he said it. For some reason, Paul’s son gave her a feeling she had only ever felt from the Sword God himself. 

A feeling of superiority. For some reason, when Rudeus said he was weak, she realized just how strong Paul’s son was. Ghislaine knew that only the strong could call themselves weak when they had the power to change things. Ghislaine knew only the strong were allowed that luxury. A luxury she has never had. 

Needless to say, Ghislaine was going to enjoy her time teaching the boy whatever she could. “This will be an interesting five years, that’s for sure.” She quietly spoke to herself as she watched the two continue their spar.

>Sylphiette<

“Is this good enough?” Putting down my hands, I looked over the fields I had been watering. Compared to their slightly dry appearance a few minutes ago, I’d consider this a job well done.

“Looks plenty fine to me, Sylphiette! Thanks for your help. You’re a real doll for that.” Mr. Peters gave a slight bow toward me. 

“It’s no problem, Mr. Peters. It’s what my Master always did.” The mention of Roxy left a somewhat melancholic feeling in my throat, but I patted that down. There was no reason to be sad for something like that. I’d see her again after all. “Just make sure to give Father the money.” I hope I didn’t sound too demanding.

“Of course.” Contrary to what I may have thought, Mr. Peters didn’t seem fazed by the mention of payment. Instead, he seemed pleased with his fields as he looked back at them. “You mages always make the best harvests. I'm sure he would’ve loved to see them like this.” The look in his eyes was sad. 

That’s right… Mr. Smith used to help him with his fields. The thought of the man no longer dredged up immediate response from people, but his absence was undoubtedly still felt by everyone.

“Well, I’m sure you have someplace else you ought to be missy. Don’t let a sad old man like me keep ya.” With a bit of motion for me to leave, I waved goodbye to the man and approached my next destination.

One month has come and gone since Rudy left the village. Since his ‘farewell’, and ever since I’ve been helping around the village just like Roxy used to. It felt gratifying to help people like this. It wasn’t even that long ago when I was being bullied every day for my hair. Now, I was helping people with their livelihoods and making money from it. Of course, I made sure all of it went to my parents. I never left the village, so there really wasn’t any need for me to have money. I couldn’t use it anyway, and it wasn’t like there was anything that I wanted. I already have everything I ever did now. 

I continued walking as I passed through the fields. Everyone was busy with work, but they’d see me and wave occasionally. “Thanks for the other week, Sylphiette!” That was Mrs. Peters. 

It made sense to see her next to her home at this time of the day. “No problem!” I called back to her as I continued walking. 

Buena was peaceful now. No one was hungry, and everyone seemed happy. It was nice. The only thing missing now was Roxy and Rudeus being here. I still had a lot of things I had to do before then. So that would have to wait.

“Afternoon, Sylphie! You help out the villagers again?” When I came into eyeshot of the house, the man out in the front yard had already seen me. 

“Like always, Mister Paul!” Rudeus’ father stood in the front of his house—training, of course, like always. 

“You know a kid your age doesn’t need to do all that, right?”

“Rudy would be doing the same thing if he was here, so I’m just picking up his slack.” Helping people felt nice. It was like I was needed, and that made me feel better. Besides, it isn’t like I had any other friends I could talk to and play with. “Father also lets me get away without doing chores as long as I’m helping the village.”

Paul flashed me a big grin as I finished speaking. “Little trickster, aren’t cha?” He turned his head to look back at the house, almost as if he was saying I could go in. “Zenith is inside if you need to speak to her, but if you want to play with the kids, they're asleep right now.” He thumbed his chin for a second, but he must’ve brushed off whatever idea he had as he shooed me away. “Just make sure to act like a kid every now and then. You guys are gonna worry your parents to death.” I could only assume he was including Rudy in that comment. 

I don’t know why, but I doubt I worry my parents as much as Rudy.

I walked up to the house and opened the door into the home. 

Unlike the many times I had paid the Greyrat home a visit, dinner wasn’t being prepared this time. Instead, Zenith was sitting in the small living area of the house as she watched Norn and Aisha sleep. I couldn’t see Miss Lilia anywhere, however. She must be out getting some supplies or something. 

I stepped closer to the woman as she turned at my footsteps. “Oh, Sylphie? It’s good to see you. You still running around helping the village out?” In a hushed voice, Zenith spoke as she stood up and stepped closer to me. The woman always seemed so radiant in my eyes. Even now, she was smiling. The only time I had ever seen her without one was when Rudeus’ nightmare had reared its head. That was a rough day for all of us, though.

“Yep. I came over to get the notes Rudy left me.” With a gentle nod from the woman, she spoke. 

“You can go on upstairs. I haven’t touched anything there, so you should know where everything is.” 

“Thank you, Lady Zenith.” 

“You don’t need to add the ‘Lady’, Sylphie. It makes me sound old.” The woman deadpanned at me as she scratched her cheek. 

“You aren’t any older than my mother, Lady Zenith.” The woman didn’t seem any happier hearing that. Was it because my parents were older than her? 

Seeing as the day wasn’t getting any longer and I still had some responsibilities at my house, I decided to head upstairs and get the things I needed. 

Unlike the rest of the home, his room hadn’t been touched since his departure. For what reasons was that the case? I didn’t know. I didn’t ask either. It felt like I was already overstepping my boundaries by coming over next to every day and taking my study materials. “Mister Paul and Lady Zenith are still kind to me.” I didn’t want to betray that kindness. 

The notes in question were on his desk. Alongside them was the book we always studied. Though, in Rudy’s case, he, more often than not, just taught me what was in it. Looking down at the stack of papers was still bizarre. They were neatly organized into a stack. A small binding to hold them together. Usually, people would be shocked to find anything like this. It was a book at the end of the day, and books were anything but cheap. But I knew it wasn’t a book that anyone else had. The handwriting was unmistakably Rudeus’. The same handwriting I used to study to learn how to write and read. Which meant it was made for me. The thought alone made me giddy. 

C ould I consider this an early birthday gift? Rudy would be gone for another five years, so it wasn’t like I couldn’t believe it as one. 

Still…five more years until I would see him again. “What if I was avoiding you?” The words he spoke that day were still in my head. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get them out of my thoughts. No matter how much I tried not to think about it, I always returned to that day. Especially the day he left. The way he left sounded like he was leaving me. It sounded like he would never see me again—but of course, we would see each other again. He was only going to be gone for five years. Then he’d come back, and we could go on some adventure and meet up with Roxy. Then we could settle down somewhere and get—

“Maybe I should relax a little.” I still had a lot of time to think things over. “Father’s been telling me to take my life a little slower… So I should do that.” With the notes and book nestled underneath my arm, I left the Greyrat home. 

“I still have no idea what most of this means.” More often than not, trying to make out the information in the notes confused me. Whatever information I had thought I had known about magic from my studies seemed almost useless while trying to understand Rudeus’ writings. When I initially looked at them, I got a headache just trying to think about it all and decided to look at the magic book… That wasn’t any better.

For some reason, Rudy went through the entire book and scribbled out most of the text, saying it was ‘wrong’. All the while, he filled the margins with corrections for the text. What he meant by the corrections was anyone’s guess, but over the past month, I think I had started to understand what he was trying to get at.

For example, a page in the book discussed mana capacity and how it was dependent solely on birth—needless to say, that entire page was corrected. The page about casting styles had chant-less spell casting added to it. Of course, those were things I knew about from my training. What intrigued me more was what the notes he left me had inside them. To be frank, whatever I read could imprison me in some city, mainly because of the covered topics. 

There were more than a few mentions of taboo things, like teleportation, but he only went into them in depth a little. Then, there were a few pages of saint-level spells from different magic trees. Fire, wind, and even healing and detoxification. If I remember correctly, Roxy told me Millis locked away healing and detoxification spells in Millishion, which begged the question of why Rudeus had them. 

Initially, I wanted to think that Rudeus was just brilliant, but some things weren’t adding up. It sounded weird, but I was starting to believe that my friend was a blessed child. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities. He was smart and knew exactly what to do in any situation. Blessed children seemed to have all sorts of abilities, based on what Roxy had told me. So it wasn’t like Rudeus couldn’t be one. But for some reason, I couldn’t believe that either. 

All I knew about my friend was that he was intelligent, caring, and going through things I couldn’t know about nor allowed to know by the boy himself. So, I could only read his notes and try my best to learn all I could. 

Which was still a monumental task.

There was too much information for me to finish it all in a short amount of time. So, instead, I was going to have to take it slow and steady, just like when I started learning underneath Roxy. 

At least it was fun. That was the best part about doing these kinds of things. Rudy left some things to help me out, so at least he didn’t leave me with nothing. “I just wish he left some explanations for some of these things.” The notes didn’t exactly tell you what you could do to help the process. It just sort of told you things, but I guess he jotted everything down reasonably quickly, so I wasn’t going to get mad at him… It wasn’t like I was going to get mad at him for anything else either, for that matter, but that's beside the point. 

Making headway into everything wasn’t going to come quick or easy, but it almost felt like he was testing me or something, and it wasn’t like I could just leave the gifts he left with me unstudied. 

“What happens when I finish all of this, though?” That thought almost scared her. It only made sense. The notes infront of me were the last thing he left with me. So it only made sense that I never wanted them to end, but eventually they would—and I wouldn’t have anything else to do when they did. Or at least anything new to learn from them. “So I guess I could work on my control.” Rudeus’ control of his magic was always so precise. I wanted to be able to make the figurines he did one day, but I could tell that was something that I probably wouldn’t ever be able to do. The gap in our skills seemed too big in that aspect.

“Then, should I finally start sword training?” The question left me a little perplexed and more than a little uneasy. I had never even considered picking up the idea of sword training until my graduation when I had mentioned it to Roxy. It was only then that the idea started to fester in my head. I wanted to become someone who could help Rudeus, and no matter how I looked at it, he didn't need help with magic from someone like me. So that really only left the other avenue. Picking up a sword. It wasn’t like there weren’t different ways I could help him, but I could figure those out later. Besides, learning how to use a sword was always helpful for self-defense.

A mage knight. Or a spellsword. Whatever the terminology was. I asked Mister Paul about it once, but how he explained it confused me more. “Even if I wanted to start, I don’t know where… I don’t have anyone who could teach me.” That was the other issue at hand with that idea. Sure, I could always ask Mister Paul to teach me, but he had already taught Rudeus most of what he had known, and now he was off learning underneath some master swordswoman. “If I asked Mister Paul, I would lag behind Rudeus again. Just like always…”

No matter how I looked at it, my only solution was to find someone more skilled than Mister Paul…in Buena. 

So I was basically screwed. 

Still, I couldn’t let that stop me. “I’ll worry about the teacher part later. For now, I should just work on everything infront of me. I’ll worry about the sword stuff some other time.” I already had enough on my plate as is. Helping out the village, visiting the Greyrats, and continuing my magic training, it felt like I could run myself ragged by adding another thing into the mix. 

“Is this how Rudeus felt whenever he did all those things?” Whenever we were younger, he seemed to live twice as fast as everyone else. Were things just as hectic for him as they are for me? No, it was probably even worse. Even now, I don’t really mind all that I was doing. It was fun, but maybe that’s because there was a reason for what I was doing.

I wanted to be ready for Rudeus when he came back. “I’ll be here, Rudy. So I hope you’ll come back.” The words almost sounded like a prayer. I was just hoping that the farewell he gave me wasn’t the last thing he would say to me. 

So, I will continue to do my best for my dream to come true just as I have been.