6 Roxy Migurdia

The day finally came for his magic tutor to arrive. When he saw her, Rudeus didn't really know what to feel. Because the home tutor didn't look old enough to graduate middle school.

That was his first meeting with Roxy Migurd, someone who would become his magic mentor.

"Hello I am Roxy Migurd. I am the magic tutor. Who is the student?"

"Yo." Rudeus casually greeted while standing between his parents.

'...Why did this kid just greet me so casually? I'm at least 10 times his age- ahem, I mean, 4 times his age.' Roxy's first impression of Rudeus was less than ideal.

"Yes, you will be teaching my son. He is a genius!" Zenith proudly proclaimed.

"Hahh... you always see parents like this... naively optimistic people who think their kid has talent just because he's an early bloomer."

Roxy seemed resigned to have wasted her time on her journey to this remote countryside village.

Zenith's eyebrow twitched.

"Miss Tutor, this is not an exaggeration. He has already reached Intermediate level in three different magic types! The only reason why we hired a magic tutor was because I could only teach Rudy up to that level."

Needless to say the tutor was not convinced, only looking back with doubt.

"Really... Intermediate? Well, I guess it's something that can easily be proven. Do you mind demonstrating some magic, uhm, Rudy is it?"

I nodded but glanced at Zenith first with a meaningful and questioning gaze.

She nodded at me as well, providing her approval to reveal my chantless casting. It seemed that she was feeling rather offended and now she wanted me to show off and wipe off the look of suspicion the teenage tutor had on her.

'Mom, how old are you really. Is there a point to being so vindictive towards someone so young. Not that I could say anything since my current body was now only four years old.'

Following Zenith's instruction I raised my palm and aimed it at Roxy who lifted an eyebrow at me.

Well I guess she didn't find the joke funny. I moved past her and let my palm face the sky. I willed the mana circulating beneath my skin to move and gather at my palm, while mentally visualizing the spell I wanted to cast.

This was the incantation-less casting method I came up with. Let my mana gather, visualize the spell, determine size and quantity of mana required to fuel the spell, and control my mana to replicate the spell with just my thoughts.

"Water Cannon"

A liquid orb formed in mid-air, perhaps with ten times the volume of a typical water ball, near my palm. The next moment, the large concentration of water, denser than it appeared, was launched into the air with frightening speed and leaving a faint shockwave that blew up the magic tutor's short skirt.

From the corner of my eye I could see the teenage tutor's face change from skepticism to disbelief. Her expression of shock deformed her pretty face into a rather ugly one.

The water cannonball continued its flight up into the sky, although it could not keep up its velocity and height indefinitely. Eventually, the water cannon dispersed into hundreds of thousands of water droplets that rained back down, causing the farmers and villagers below to wonder if it was starting to rain.

"Was that okay?" I asked the magic tutor, trying to keep my expression neutral. Though to be honest her face was rather funny.

"T-that's...! Without incantations? No, is there a magic circle present somewhere?"

Roxy turned to Zenith, "What is this, some type of a trick? Where's the magic circle?"

Zenith, to her credit, did not look annoyed or offended. Instead she was even looking a little proud. To her, Roxy's reaction meant that Rudy's performance was so impressive even the magic tutor was suspicious of its legitimacy, even thinking a magic circle might have been responsible.

"I told you, he has mastered intermediate magic for three elements including healing. Hmm, if you're still suspicious, you can suggest a spell, any spell under fire and water, for Rudy to cast. That way you can't say that there's something like a magic circle responsible."

Zenith suggested, although Rudeus could tell she was just trying to torment the poor girl even more.

"S-so confident!? Then... alright. Do you know Great Fireball?"

That was a Fire spell of Intermediate grade, one of the most commonly used spells by Intermediate grade magicians and above because the first spell most magicians learned from the Fire school was its Beginner counterpart, Fireball.

Without replying, I turned my palm towards the sky again and aimed at a particularly fluffy looking cloud.

"Great Fireball."

A vague blurry sphere formed from the accumulation of mana was created some distance from my palm while wind violently whipped around Rudeus the caster.

Roxy had to use one hand to hold down her hat while even greater disbelief replaced her expressions when she saw the vague sphere started to morph into flames, forming a ball of fire as she had requested. She could even feel the heat emanating from the condensed flaming sphere.

A moment later, like the water cannon he had previously fired off, the Great Fireball was blasted into the sky as well. However, unlike the water cannon, the spherical fireball was able to maintain its shape, only exploding and releasing a loud explosion high up in the sky.

"See? No magic circles. Rudy is just a genius!" Zenith proudly proclaimed, leaning forward and bending down to capture Rudeus' smaller frame in a loving embrace.

Rudeus indifferently received the bodacious hug, letting Zenith's breasts rub all over the top and back of his head. He was already used to his mom's overly affectionate skinship and it no longer affected him.

"I-I see. This is certainly out of my expectations..." Roxy shakily responded, putting up a tough front but inwardly unable to comprehend the magnitude of what she had just witnessed. Rather than calling it something rare. It would be more accurate to call this deed impossible.

The thing she liked so much about magic was its rules. Magic had a rigid system that one needed to follow in order to be able to cast spells. It was easy to understand, without any hidden intentions to see through or telepathic messages she couldn't hear.

However, to think that a 4 year old boy would destroy her recognition of those exact rigid rules of Magic, all the preconceived structures of spell casting so nonchalantly at that... it was unthinkable!

"Then... can I call you teacher?" Rudeus asked innocently. Looking up at the short, but still taller than him, teenage looking magic tutor who was secretly nearly four decades old.

'Am I really qualified to teach someone like him...?'

Roxy hesitantly nodded, "Yes, though you can just call me Roxy."

She then turned towards Zenith and Paul who were watching them with faint smiles "This magic tutor position, I'll accept it."

This was how Rudeus started learning Advanced magic under Roxy Migurdia.

....

Roxy stood in the Greyrat household garden, looking at the boy who was sitting innocently on a wooden chair, gazing at her in anticipation.

The petite Migurd felt a little flustered at his gaze. Why? Because she felt like she was being stared at by a future Emperor-ranked magician.

Regardless of her personal feelings however, she was here to do a job, and that was something she at least had to get right.

"Your mom told me she has taught you the fundamentals of magic, is that right?" She started, though inwardly changing the curriculum she had planned before arriving and witnessing her new apprentice's prodigious talent.

"Yes! There are three broad types of magic: Attacking, Healing and Summoning. Each is divided into seven ranks: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Saint, King, Emperor and finally God!" Rudeus answered enthusiastically.

Ever since being stuck at Intermediate rank for his study of magic, he had been looking forward to taking the next step. Even more so after hearing that his parents had managed to find a magic tutor. Roxy may look a little young but she should be well versed in magic to be accepting students, so Rudeus was excited to learn from the girl.

The blue haired girl nodded mutely, "Indeed. To use magic, you need magical power, or more commonly known as mana."

Roxy started explaining the origins of mana but caught herself as she spotted the glint of interest in her young student's eyes fading slightly.

'R-right, he must know of basic things like this if he can already do Intermediate magic… Not good, as his teacher I need to earn my student's respect!'

"U-umu, it seems that you already know all these, so I won't waste time. Since you are already familiar with Water and Fire magic up to the Intermediate rank, then I assume you haven't seen Advanced level magic so far, right?"

The interest in Rudeus' eyes returned twofold. "No, I haven't seen Advanced magic before! The 'Guide to Magic' book mama has only goes up to Intermediate rank magic."

"Hm, I see. Then shall we begin today's lesson with a demonstration of Advanced level magic?" Roxy asked, though she already knew how her student would reply. The best thing about magic, and teaching it, was that the teacher could show off their superior magic and see the awe in their student's eyes!

Rudeus clapped his hands together with barely restrained fervour, "Yes please, Instructor Roxy!"

'Instructor Roxy… that does have a nice ring to it…' She mused to herself before brandishing her staff.

Roxy looked back at her student and started, "I only recently graduated from Ranoa Magic Academy. But I have reached Saint rank in Water magic, and Advanced rank in Fire, Wind and Earth magic for attacking spells; as well as Advanced rank in Healing magic."

"What I will demonstrate for you today will be an Advanced rank Fire spell. Watch closely."

Facing away from Rudeus, Roxy exhaled deeply, wondering why she was so nervous demonstrating a mere Advanced-rank spell in front of a five year old. Putting that thought to the back of her mind, she began her incantation.

"Fire, thou rage and burn. Focus thine fury and smite thy enemy. Let naught stand in thine way and pierce through the darkness. Scorching Ray!"

A bright light emerged from the tip of Roxy's staff, and without warning, what could only be described as a fiery laser shot out and flew towards the sky. It climbed high up before the circular column of fire dissipated from the lack of additional mana sustaining to sustain its shape.

Wow… the sky is really taking a beating today.

Rudeus mused to himself but immediately started applauding as he saw Roxy look back at him expectantly.

He truly was impressed however, since it was the first time he had seen an Advanced rank magic being performed. Furthermore it was a laser beam at that. That was something that would get any young boy's heart pumping with adrenaline.

"Amazing! That was so cool, Instructor Roxy!"

She inwardly let out a sigh of relief. 'At least I managed to uphold my image like this... but why does being acknowledged by a 4 year old feel so satisfying?'

"Ahem. That was an Advanced rank Fire magic called Scorching Ray. It's one of the few spells in the Fire magic school that has a very long range."

Roxy started explaining as she paced, but stopped when she noticed Rudeus was chanting something.

"That's-!? Rudeus, wait!"