Chapter 9

Climbing up the stairs with quite a large amount of caution I made my way into the storage room where I could sense mom's mana from. I don't know exactly what she was looking for but her mana shows that she was experiencing a spike of positive emotions so she most likely found it.

Opening the door mom stepped out, a thick book in her hands. "Oh, Rudy! Are you already done with Paul?" She asked, her free hand dropping down for me to grab. Physical contact was a strange new addition to my life but I couldn't say I hated it, rather I think the opposite may be true.

"Mhm. I beat him up for you mom." I spoke calmly while grasping her hand. Even though I confidently said that I beat him it could barely be considered anything more than scratching him. As for the latter part of my words, the main reason for hitting him was to encourage him to continue growing but I was also getting some revenge for his lust for Lilia.

I loved Lilia but if it meant our family wouldn't fall apart I would ensure that dad and her didn't do anything too intimate. Until I can find a way to add her into the family without tearing our family apart they'll have to stay as innocent as somebody close to my dad can be.

"Oh my. I guess I should reward my knight in shining armor then?" Mom teased, not quite believing me. Then again I wouldn't believe that a child barely older than two years old could beat a swordsman as accomplished as my father made himself out to be either.

"Teaching me magic is more than enough." I responded, pulling myself closer so that I was hugging her leg. I was bad at expressing my emotion so I decided that physical actions were the most suitable replacement.

"Thank you, honey." Mom said with a smile, her hand gently rubbing the top of my head. Leaning into her touch I closed my eyes. Slowly but surely the memories of the horrors of the orphanage were being erased by my new family.

I was truly blessed.

Once my mother's hand was removed I opened my eyes only to see my mother's teasing grin. "My little Rudy is so adorable!" My mother cooed, pulling me into a bone crushing hug. Contrary to the pain I feel my heart feels warm. How mysterious but amazing a family can be.

"Mhm. Too much." I mumbled from in between the death trap known as a woman's assets. Dad may enjoy my position but I surely don't enjoy being suffocated even if it was from my mother or a beautiful woman.

"Sorry. You were just so cute!" Mom apologized sincerely. Some may stress over being treated as a genius however it was undeniable that there were benefits, my being treated well above other children my age being a good example.

Nodding my head in acceptance I held my mother's hand as she lead me to the small hill where I had practiced mana for the last few months. It was a convenient area as it was nearby the house but also allowed me to have some level of secrecy unless they specifically looked for me.

"So first things first we'll have to get you to feel your mana." Mom explained as we sat on the hill. It was the perfect area for a picnic, maybe I should see if we could do that at some point. That would be nice.

"I can already do that." I revealed calmly. It may seem unusual to her but I would rather not waste my time pretending to not know how to do something I've been able to do since the moment I was born.

"Really?" My mother questioned in faint shock. It wasn't quite as exaggerated as I expected so perhaps it isn't completely impossible? I don't have enough knowledge of what is normal and what is not. "I thought only magically attuned races like elves and demons could do that?" Mom muttered to herself.

So demons and elves can do the same? It would make sense as their genetics would be much more attuned to magic from centuries of practice than most other races though I may be wrong from a lack of information so nothing is set in stone.

"Since you can do that let's skip to the next step! Basic healing magic is infusing your mana into the target area to increase the natural healing speed. Watch this." Mom explained before placing her hand on an injured mouse that she had in her bag. "Let this divine power be as satisfying nourishment, giving one who has lost their strength the strength to rise again!" Mom chanted quietly.

As if responding to her words her white and emerald green mana quickly traveled throughout her body, eventually reaching leaving her body through her hand and latched onto the mouse and wrapped around it like a bubble. Within seconds the injured mouse's flesh began regrowing.

"See? Pretty cool right?" Mom said with a proud look on her face as she moved her hand revealing a perfectly healthy mouse despite the nearly fatal injuries it had beforehand. It was impressive from both a magical standpoint and a scientific standpoint.

If I were to wager a guess of how healing magic worked it would be that the spell increased the speed of the cell's reproduction in order to make it appear as though the target had been magically healed.

Normally this process would shorten the target's lifespan slightly as the cells can only reproduce a limited number of times however I doubt that is the case. Mom had surely healed my dad numerous times and yet he didn't appear to be older than he should be, rather he was mentally younger than he should be at his age.

From there I can assume that either dad somehow didn't seem to have aged or that the spell used mana as a substitute in order to leave the target's lifespan untouched. There was no real proof to my theory but considering that healing magic hadn't been removed from the public eye for aging people irreversibly I would say it was correct.

"Mhm. You're cool Mom." I praised her sincerely. The role of a healer is always the most precarious and the difficulty of learning when to heal, how to heal, and where to position yourself at such a young age is really impressive.

"Oh, my little Rudy is so cute!" Mom shouted, once again pulling me into a hug. Lightly tapping her shoulder she finally released me and I could once again breathe and bring oxygen back to my brain.

"Can I try?" I questioned Mom. I had slight confidence that I would be able to recreate what she had just done fairly easily now that I knew the proper steps and what alteration I should make to my mana as well as the necessary knowledge to support the spell.

"Sure but don't get too upset if it doesn't work okay?" Mom advised gently while pulling a knife out of her pocket and cutting the mouse in the chest. The difference in action and tone was horrifying mother.

Placing my hand above the mouse I firmly grasped the target mental image of each cell being cloned by mana to heal all wounds. Surrounding the mouse in my emerald green mana I could see the wound healing at a speed noticeable to the naked eye.

It was a far cry from mom's as she had plenty of experience but it was good enough and soon enough it would be at her level due to the difference in knowledge between us. My mother had experience that trumped mine but I had knowledge far above whatever this world held.

"I did it." I told mom who looked at the mouse dumbly. For her, me using a spell after seeing it once was something defying common sense but I was a man made genius with Mana Sense, it wasn't something only limited to myself.

"My Rudy is a genius!" Mom shouted out happily, once again smothering me in her chest. She seem truly pleased by how talented I was. Unlike those who looked at me in jealousy in my last life, she was truly pleased.

"Love you." I told her, my feelings not being able to be contained. Compared to my last life this one seemed like heaven even if there were flaws dotted around, dad being the main cause of them.

"I love you too Rudy!" Mom said sincerely while rubbing my head, a gentle and kind smile on her face. Leaning into her touch I hugged her on my own accord and closed my eyes.

I think now would be a good time for a nap.