Volume 1, Part 15: Early Years - A Fellow Greyrat.

(AUTHOR'S NOTE)

So, this is it for this chapter. Leave a comment of your 'oh-so' magnanimous views about the chapter, leave a vote if you haven't been inhaling industrial solvents for all your life and recommend this book to you mates so you can enter your "slay-girl" era as soon as possible.

P.s I am not sober, again.........

And I'll see you all next time.

RUDEUS GREYRAT

It has been many weeks since the last letter from Julian arrived. He said he had an escort job to do. Surprisingly, he was a C rank already. Quite commendable given the fact he started a few months ago. Paul's jaw was on the ground when he heard about it. Guess he can say goodbye to catching up to Julian. Although he said he is still Advanced Ranked, that is simply on paper. There is no one who can confirm his rank, but it is very true that he is at the level of a saint ranked swordsman.

On the other hand, Sylphy's growth is apparent. She can use voiceless incantation up to the intermediate rank. She's also able to slowly perform the delicate controls.

Comparatively, my sword techniques' ranks aren't changing much. Even though I'm improving, I still haven't left a mark on Paul's body, so there's no real feel to it.

Also, Lilia's attitude seems to be better. She has always been wary of me in the past. Well, it's to be expected since I've been whoosh-whoosh-whoosh casting magic since I was young. Even though she basically keeps her expressionless face, her words and actions make me feel like she respects me a lot. Even though I find the feeling of that to be pretty good, it will make Paul lose his position, so I hope she stops that appropriately.

In any case after that incident, Lilia begins to talk to me a little.

Mainly about Paul.

Lilia actually learned sword techniques in the same dojo.

At that time Paul was very talented, but he didn't like practice. And he usually skips practice to play in the city. And Lilia lost her virginity due to Paul's sneak attack during the night when she was sleeping. Paul was afraid of revealing this incident and escaped.

She plainly describes to me the events that happened.

The stocks in Paul's shares began to plummet the more I hear Lilia's described events.

Rape plus adultery. Paul's a scumbag.

Apparently, she had told Julian all of this quite some time ago. Good thing he never leaked it out.

But Paul's personality isn't that of a bad person. He's wild and free like a child, the type that brings motherly instinct out. He tries hard to be a father. But he's terribly weak in being patient, and whatever that he thinks of, he immediately puts it into action, he's definitely not a bad person.

"What's the matter, why are you staring at me. Do you want to be as cool as your father?" He asked me during sword training as I looked at Paul. This fellow is always trying to joke.

"A man who nearly caused a family to break up with his adultery, is cool?"

"Uuugh..."

Paul shows a pained expression. I warn myself to be careful when I look at that expression. Even though I'm the donkan type. I won't cause affairs, except with girls trying to fight over me. I'm that type who will try to cause that sort of thing.

"Well, with this matter as a warning, please don't lay your hands other than mother."

"L...Lilia is fine right?" Seem like this guy hasn't suffered enough.

"The next time mother might leave to her hometown without saying anything..."

"Ugh..."

Surrounded by 2 women, is this guy trying to create a ménage à trois? Getting a beautiful wife and a maid that he can attack anytime, while teaching his son sword techniques in the rural area living a decadent life.

Hey hey, that's making people too envious. Isn't that one of the best endings? Like a certain light novel, laying hands on both Louise and Tabitha and still be fine? Should I stop chasing the donkan type and learn from him...?

No, no. Calm down. That family meeting, that final look on Zenith.

Do you want to be looked at with those eyes?

It's enough to have 1 wife.

"If you're a guy you should understand right?" Paul is still insisting on it. I understand it, but I don't agree with it.

"What are you trying to let your 6 years old son understand?"

"Aren't you drooling over Sylphy. That kid will definitely become a beauty in the future." I can only agree with that.

"I guess. Even though I think she's very cute now."

"Isn't that easy to understand."

"I guess." Paul's a scumbag, but we still find it easy to talk. Even though I look like a kid, I'm past the mental age of a 40 years old NEET. A true scumbag.

Ironic coming from me but even I fade away in comparison. Only limited to a game, but I like girls, and of course I like a harem. My base quality might even be the same as Paul's fondness for women. This feeling happened after I talked with Paul after I forcefully stripped Sylphy.

After that incident, I feel that Paul is willing to approach on his own and be frank about things. Because I showed off my weak side, he isn't forcing himself to be a strict father, meaning that he has grown as well.

"Hehe..." I suddenly notice Paul grinning.

He wasn't looking at me, but behind me. When I turned my head back, Sylphy was standing right there. She often came to our home. When I looked closely, she was fidgeting a little with her face dyed red in color. She must have heard what I said earlier.

"Hey, repeat that one more time for her to listen~"

Paul's teasing is really classic. I laughed through my nose. Really, you don't get it. Paul's still naive in some areas.

Even if something that comes from the heart, you will get used to it if you hear it too many times, and the thrill of it will become weaker. You must let people feel like you're very dense, but it will be more effective if you let out your true heartfelt words once in a while.

It can only be once in a while. You can't do it the 2nd time. So. I just smileed and waveed at Sylphy. Also, Sylphy's just 6. It's 10 years too early to talk about this thing. If you praise her as cute and continuously spoil her, she wouldn't become a good woman. My older sister is a fine example.

"A-about that. Rudeus, is also... cool, too?"

"Is that so, thank you Sylphy."

I smile faintly and reveal (my supposed) shining teeth.

Sylphy's really good at socializing. I almost thought it was real when she looked at me with her eyes full of admiration. Praising Sylphy as cute is my true words, but that doesn't include any romantic love in it.

At least for now.

"Then father, I'm off."

"Don't push her down in the grass!"

Who would do that. I'm not you.

"Mother!! Father is -----"

"Wahh, stop, stop...!!"

Today is another peaceful day for our family.

JULIAN GREYRAT

I finally arrived at the spot where my employers for the job were. It was quite a lavish carriage, adorned simply but one couldn't help but notice the golden patchwork. They had tried to make it look ordinary, but the material was of high quality, making me think otherwise.

As I approached closer, I saw a man walk up to me. He was quite tall and seemed to be really young. Probably his late teens or early twenties. With fairly good features, he had light brown hair and green eyes. He was lean and despite the cloak over his body, I could tell that his build was quite sturdy and robust. A warrior, it seemed.

The other one was quite good-looking as well, but he seemed to pale in comparison to his comrade. He had a small pair of glasses over his nose and had long hair. However, the amount of mana inside him was much more potent and larger in volume.

"Who are you?" The tall man with brown hair asked.

Taking out my adventurer card, I held it out loosely, offering them to take it and look at it for themselves. The brown-haired man's eyes widened as he looked at me from up to down, sizing me up, "Julian..... Greyrat?"

He seems to recognise the Greyrat name.

"Yes, that is me. I was recruited for an escort job." I replied, giving a little bow.

"Escort job? We didn't ask for on-----" He was interrupted as the other, black-haired man interrupted, "Oh, it was me who put up the task. I heard about a magic swordsman who was progressing quite quickly. And since there are a few disturbances in the kingdom lately, I wanted you to help us with escorting."

"Hm. Thanks for having me." I replied, this time with a much more formal gesture. They particularly aimed for me. It can't be anything good. If things go south, I will have the blood of nobles on my hands.

"How old are you, again?" The brown-haired man asked.

"I will turn 7, soon."

"And what is your father's name?"

I stayed silent for a while, trying to sense any kind of hostility from him. There was no hostility, as of now, but it seemed like if I don't answer, I can fall into something crazy. "Paul. Paul Greyrat."

He seemed surprised for a while. Suddenly he wrapped his arm around my neck, letting out a chuckle, "As expected from a Greyrat, you rebelled and left home so early."

"Do you know us?" I asked, a bit confused.

"Nope. No idea who Paul is. But it seems like you're my cousin." He said, flashing a toothy grin.

"Sorry?"

"My name is Luke Notos Greyrat. Nice to meet'cha."

That doesn't help at all. Roxy was right. I really can't catch a break with all this attention directed at me.

"Uh, nice to meet you?"

"Don't pressure him too much, Luke. He is still a kid and a runaway. You'll scare him." The black-haired man spoke, "oh, I am Derrick by the way."

"First, I am not a run-away. I am adventuring on my own free will and by my parent's consent. Second, nice to meet you, Derrick." I replied as they both seemed to have been taken aback.

"I thought all you'd know and do would be to chase skirts. Looks like you were raised better than that. A shame." Luke commented.

Of course, since he doesn't know about Paul, he'd think my upbringing is good because of my father and mother. As much as Zenith loved both of us, she didn't really play a big role in raising us. Being reincarnates, we pretty much grew up by ourselves. Also, what does he means by 'A Shame'? Is being a shameless person some sort of merit or medal for our family members?

"Is he here yet?" A mellifluous voice said as all heads turned towards it. Although the kept it hidden, I felt both of them bend their back.

Hm, royalty perhaps?

The wind as the figure appeared within my line of sight. She possessed cascading tresses of lustrous, sun-kissed gold, complemented by her captivating azure orbs that gleamed with certain allure. Her countenance, possessing an ethereal charm, was graced with a fair visage and a modest yet beguiling bosom. She stands at a stature befitting the norm, adorning herself with an enchanting pallor.

She had the same feature as me, almost as my hair was darker shade of gold while her's was more refreshing and lighter, well complimented by sunlight. "We are ready to go." Luke said and she nodded but she locked her eyes with me for a brief while.

"Is he the one?" She asked.

"Yes. He is the magic swordsman I told you about." Her eyes travelled up to down, gazing me with a ferocious yet somewhat...lustful intent.

What's wrong with people in this world?

"I see. Well then, let's go." She announced and a thin smirk danced at the corner of her lips as she peeked numerous times over her shoulder, looking at me until she disappeared inside the carriage.

"Let's do our best, yeah Julian?" Derrick said with a cheery smile while Luke grinned.

"Hm." I merely hummed in response. I somehow do not like what is happening.

(***)

A few days went by. Nothing much happened in these days. The woman we are escorting, it seems like she is some kind of a high ranking noble or a royal. One look and you could discern it as well.

From the way she carried herself to the way she did simple tasks such as drinking tea, she exuded in air that screeched "Royalty!"

There are a few other discoveries that I made.

The woman is a pervert. Most likely prone to sadistic tendencies. I could feel it in the way she looked at me.

The other discovery, while not very crucial, was that Luke, just like Paul, is into women with large breasts.

The woman I was escorting, Ariel, was just below Paul's range of targets. However, I can imagine him shooting an arrow this way as well. Well, not that he would be able to do that now. With Lilia and Zenith he won't be able to do anything else. Since they would be taking a huge toll on him.

Their delivery dates are approaching as well. I want to see them...

"So, Julian, is our miss your type?" Luke asked with a gentle nudge of his sword's hilt. We were taking a rest right now and Ariel was sitting in a distance beside a bonfire.

I looked at her for a while before replying. "Not really. Just intrigued."

"Intrigued? By what?" He asked again, inching closer.

If I say 'breasts', the conversation can be over soon. But I don't want to be hunted down.

"She seems like a noble." I replied, flatly.

"Well, you're not wrong." Luke admitted. "But that is all I can say."

"Don't worry, I wasn't going to ask anything else anyways."

As me and Luke went back and forth, talking about various thing, Ariel approached us.

She was wearing a light pink suit that covered her body from top to bottom and sleeves that were made of thin net-like fabric. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail and she had a tray in her hand. "Here, have some." She said, presenting a plate full of pastries. I heard my stomach grumble just at the sight of it.

This new body sure was strange. The emotions that I used to feel even before, now became oddly apparent. I say this because I saw Ariel giggle as she looked at my face. Don't tell me I am drooling.....

"You're usually so serious." She commented and pulled the tray a little away, making me crave even more for it.

She has some personality issues. I can feel it, in my bones.

"Miss Ariel really likes cakes." Luke spoke up as he took one from the tray, "you should try one as well."

Looking up I saw her lips pursed up, ready to see my reaction.

Sighing, I raised my hand up, "I don't feel like eating right now. Maybe next time." I humbly declined. While my stomach cursed me for not accepting the offer, I didn't want to give her whatever satisfaction she was trying to seek from my reaction.

RUDEUS GREYRAT

After a while, Zenith started to go into labor. It was really hard that time. Because it was a breech delivery. Lilia was also unable to move, so the midwife from the village was called to help out. But the old lady had no solutions either.

Zenith's delivery was that severe. Going into labor for so long, both mother and child had lapsed into a dangerous situation. Lilia was using all her knowledge and moving around. I also tried to do what I could, constantly releasing healing magic to help out.

With our efforts, the delivery was successful. The child came into this world without issues and cryied energetically, unlike me and Julian.

It's a girl. A sister. Luckily, it's not a younger brother. At the moment where we got relieved, Lilia also started showing signs of giving birth. That was the moment when everyone was relaxed and tired.

That word premature labor danced in my heart. But this time the midwife succeeded. She handled the breech delivery terribly, but she seemed to be experienced in premature delivery. As expected of her age.

I follow the midwife's orders. Kicking the frightened Paul's butt, I let him carry Lilia to my room. In the meantime I used magic to create hot water, tried my best to gather clean cloths, and returned to the midwife. The rest was handed over to the midwife.

At the child's birth, Lilia called out Paul's name lovingly. The sweaty Paul firmly grabbed her hand. The child that was just born was smaller than Zenith's daughter, but this kid also cried out healthily.

This side is also a girl.

Both are female. Both are sisters.

"Both sides are girls?" ----- Paul laughed in a silly way.

A stupid father's face. This is the 2nd time I've seen that expression. Come to think of it, Paul's really too miserable. After all, the female faction in our home has grown 2 times. At this scenario, who has the smallest foothold?

Probably the father who committed adultery with a maid that gave birth. My goal is to be a respectable older brother. No. Not just respectable, but the better older brother MUAHAHAHAHA.

Paul will definitely not get respected, probably.

Zenith's daughter, Norn.

Lilia's daughter, Aisha.

These are the names that have been given to them.

(***)

JULIAN GREYRAT

Nothing much happened in these days. If my guess is accurate, Zenith would have conceived the child by now. It is almost nigh time.

I should get there before they are too old. Or else, Rudy can take my little siblings all to himself. While I don't really care about genders, I hope I have sisters. Since I've already had my experience with a brother, which isn't exactly pleasant, strictly speaking but it isn't bad either.

Maybe this whole "family" thing is making me giddy in this new body and I am wishing for new things to happen.

"Heads-up. Something is coming this way." Luke announced with a grimace over his face.

Looking up, I saw a horde... of what seemed like flying squirrels. On a closer look, I identified them immediately.

D-Class monsters. Shironian Flying Rats. It meant we were close to Shirone, but these monsters don't usually attack on this route, neither in this way. Something was wrong. I've read about these monsters in a book. These are monsters similar to flying squirrels about a meter in length. They are capable of flying between trees in high speed, slicing through their victim's necks.

I saw Ariel crane her neck out of the carriage, to get a better view of what was happening. Before the othes could respond, I arrived in front of her, the sound of my sword leaving its scabbard echoing with a dull metallic screech as I sliced cleanly through the monster's body, cleaving it into half.

"Uh....huh?" Ariel couldn't really process what was going on. Pulling her out of the window and dashing backwards, I moved a safe distance away from the carriage.

"Are you ok!?" Luke asked, his voice frantic as beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks.

"I am. Thanks to Julian, he saved me." Ariel replied, the usual feverish look replaced by a stern one. Things were quite bad right now. Luke might be a noble warrior but looking at his moves earlier, he will die if 2 monsters teamed up on him. There was a hole horde of these monsters.

However, there was one thing that bugged me. The way they were reacting to me. It was like they were being driven mad, or starved as they flew in my direction. It wasn't attracted towards Ariel.... but me.

"Luke....." I raised my voice over the loud buzz of the frantic monsters as they charged in our direction, "take Ariel and retreat."

"I won----" I interrupted him as I let my touki materialise in a dome shape around me, slowing the monsters down. My voice distorted under its influence, morphing into a dense and heavy static. "I am not your responsibility..... and I need the money. Can't get it if Ariel dies."

Behind his troubled expression I could see that he was not a bad person. He cared for his master a lot. If I start something, I will put an end to it. Gotta learn a little credibility in this life as well.

Luke grabbed Ariel and started to fall back while Derrick formed a barrier for her. Sensing that they were a safe distance away, I clutched my sword into my hands.

North God Style. It was a style that I personally preferred, but I advanced in Sword God Style since it needed touki more. North God style was all about surprise attacks and adapting to the enemy. It didn't even depend on weapon. Letting out a deep breath, I gripped the sword with more strength.

Heatwaves started to emerge from underneath my feet, distorting my vision of the world. The blade started to sear, turning a bright red as it caught on pure crimson flames. "Sorry Paul, I might end up breaking your gift."

The metal started to let out a screeching voice, the temperature high enough to make me feel it without any contact with it.

My heel touched the ground and a huge crated formed shortly as I bursted forward like a flaming missile. A deluge of embers scattered all over the ground, leaving a trail of flames from where I had rushed. Bringing my sword into position, I readied myself for this technique. After much practice, I finally came up with something that coincided with my job as "Magic Swordsman."

I initiated with a low-ended strike from the left followed by a low-ended strike from the right that propelled me off the ground briefly. Without a moment's delay, I continued my attack with a spinning wave attack, a scorching forwards upward slash and finally an overhead downward slash. A cross and a plus formed followed by a blazing aura that disintegrated every monster down to their bones, leaving behind charred, black bones that fell to the ground with no audible voice due to the long blades of grass.

Landing down, I quickly extinguished the flames and examined it. Surprisingly, it was still in one piece.

I am... glad.

Looking over my shoulder I saw Ariel behind Luke, watching with wide eyes and her jaw agape. She didn't have her usual sly look. Not even a hint of it. She looks better without it.

Oh wait... I just did something I shouldn't have.

Well, I guess, the person stalking me will have a statement to not do so. However, I wonder, why is he stalking me? He is many times powerful than me. Even if he comes out now, he can kill me. The real reason eludes my comprehension. Instead of attacking me, it scared and coerced the monsters into attacking me.

Strange.

(***)

A few more weeks passed, and we finally reached Shirone.

After a while of talking with Luke and Derrick, Ariel called me inside her carriage. I wasn't sure what she wanted so I kept on my guard but what she proposed was rather uncanny.

I had to reject her, of course, although the ramifications of doing so could bite me later. However, if I connect the dots, the gravity of the situation would not allow her to attack me.

I hope. Well, that aside. I have someone else to meet right now.

And I have somewhere to be as well.

(*******************)