One Who Sees Herself Unworthy and an Old Foe Resurfaces

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation

Crimster

Chapter 4: Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Four: One Who Sees Herself Unworthy and an Old Foe Resurfaces

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

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.

Notes:

Author's Note: Well, here's chapter four. You can expect a chapter every day or two. It depends on the frequency I want to release them and how much of a backlog I want to have at any given time. As you can tell by now, I intend to take what happened in the mainline story and twist it. Rudeus as a person will develop and realize things as he goes through Buena, and we'll see how he decides to handle this new life he was given.