6

Pov Roxy:

Everyone had left the courtyard except for the child I was supposed to teach.

Well, his parents called him a child, but he was more than a 3-year-old baby. Chubby, but I couldn't complain considering the pay.

Our lessons began, and I didn't know what to say. The child was a genius in magic. At first, I thought this would be some kind of babysitting job, but I was proven wrong. The child had the ability to perform magic without incantations.

Even I, a Holy Water Saint-ranked mage, could do little more than shorten incantations, and this 3-year-old could use magic without incantations, leaving me more than impressed and humiliated to be outdone by such a young child.

I might have considered inviting the boy Yoriichi to join us at first, but I dismissed the idea, remembering that Zenith had mentioned Yoriichi had no interest in magic.

Rudeus had approached Yoriichi several times, exchanging a few words, before returning to his practice.

...

Pov Narrator:

Days passed. Every morning, Rudeus trained with Roxy, and in the afternoons, he trained with Paul in swordsmanship. Yoriichi, during this time, only watched from a distance as they trained. Roxy had asked him a few times if he wanted to join, but he had declined each time.

Occasionally, Yoriichi would stop watching the magic training to observe Paul's sword training. From Roxy and Rudeus' perspective, it seemed that Yoriichi preferred physical combat and weaponry over magic.

While Paul practiced with Rudeus, Yoriichi approached them.

"Can I practice?" Yoriichi asked softly, as he usually did.

"Eh? Why now?" Paul asked with interest.

"I don't know, I just wanted to try," the boy replied, waiting for Paul to give him a turn.

Paul sighed. "Alright, but don't be disappointed if you're not very good," he said, underestimating a child who had never practiced with a sword before, even though Yoriichi had bulked up since Lilia had brought him in.

Roxy, who was watching from a distance, was surprised. She had been talking to Yoriichi every night, or at least trying to. The boy wasn't very talkative, but she had learned a bit about him from Lilia and Zenith.

She knew Yoriichi was an adopted child who had been through a lot at his young age, forcing him to grow up and mature faster than other children. She knew he hadn't spoken until the day she arrived at the house, and she knew he was warm-hearted. He always spoke to her calmly and sincerely, with a friendly smile, and she liked him. She had met children his age who were nothing like Yoriichi. He was kind, respectful, and always wore a friendly smile.

But here he was, for the first time, wanting to participate in something. She had been somewhat disappointed that Yoriichi didn't want to practice magic with her, but there was nothing she could do about it. As she contemplated her thoughts, she blushed instantly.

He was just a child, much younger than her by many years, even though his race had a long lifespan and a slow development. He was still a child, albeit a cute one.

In the courtyard, Paul handed him a reasonably sized wooden sword, enough for Yoriichi to handle the weight comfortably.

"Well, this will be a practice spar, so no strikes to vital areas like the head or groin, understood?" Paul explained and asked, clarifying the rules for Yoriichi.

"Yes," Yoriichi replied, nodding calmly.

"3... 2... 1... Begin!" Roxy, acting as the referee, announced, starting the fight.

Paul and the others didn't know what was happening. The atmosphere suddenly turned cold, as if a predator were stalking its prey. Zenith, who had come out to watch the match, held onto the doorframe to keep from falling over, in stark contrast to Rudeus, who fell backward onto the ground.

"What is this feeling? I feel like I'm going to die," Roxy thought to herself, watching the fight closely while her hands trembled.

Rudeus, who was in the duel, clutched his stomach, feeling like he might vomit at any moment.

As for Zenith, she became serious. She knew it was an instinctive killing intent coming from the fight. She had once been an adventurer and had experience in these situations, but it was surreal that a young child could exude such power.

"Damn, that kid's something else," Paul thought, trying to keep his arms from trembling.

He looked at Yoriichi, whose eyes were like those of a hawk. His presence had vanished, leaving nothing behind.

"What the hell, I can't feel anything," Paul said aloud, being heard by everyone.

The sensation of impending death disappeared, leaving only the heavy tension in the air.

Flash, flash.

One step, and Yoriichi was in front of Paul, delivering a flurry of strikes with his wooden sword. Paul, an advanced swordsman, struggled to block them but managed to do so.

He leaped back to create some space, focusing on the child. He was not taking this lightly.

"Damn, he's strong," Paul thought, examining his nearly splintered wooden sword.

Yoriichi lunged at Paul again, this time aiming for his leg, which Paul managed to block. He was prepared for the child's next attack.

A punch.

A dull thud echoed through the area as Yoriichi landed a punch on Paul's shoulder. If it had been a real sword, Paul's arm would have been severed.

"Ugh," Paul groaned in pain but retaliated with a kick to Yoriichi's ribs, sending him sprawling on the ground a few meters away.

Yoriichi got up, and everything suddenly calmed down. He looked at his wooden sword, tossed it aside, and then retreated into the house.

"Eh," Roxy, the first to snap out of the initial shock, ran after Yoriichi to check on him.

Both Zenith and Rudeus approached Paul, who was nursing his sore shoulder.

"Damn, that hurts. That kid's got some strength," Paul said, now sitting on the grass.

"I didn't know a child could be that strong," Zenith said, using a healing spell on her husband.

"The kid is really strong, but I wonder why he left after that blow," Paul said, pondering Yoriichi's reasons.

"I couldn't say, maybe we'll ask him later," Zenith replied, bandaging Paul's shoulder.

Meanwhile, Rudeus stared at the wooden sword on the ground. It was on the verge of breaking after just three strikes.

"Damn, he's so strong for his age," Rudeus thought, shivering at the thought of receiving such a blow.

Pov Roxy:

He's stronger than I expected, and his killer instinct is powerful enough to make an average person vomit, and he's just a child. I can't imagine what he'll be like with more battle experience.

My amazement grew as I watched the fight. Besides having a strong killer instinct, he was incredibly fast and strong. I could hear how his wooden