Part 8

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But still, the long virginity had left its mark. Now that Roxy wasn't around, I sometimes wondered if she'd find someone else. I don't think she'd be able to hide it, though. I'm sure if something like that happened, the system would immediately give me some kind of humiliating Achievement, like a noble deer. So, in a way, it could even be considered a loyalty test.

Back to our village...

After Roxy left, I went on to do magic on my own. Working on spells of holy rank. And the first new form I started using to boost my reserve was changing the shape of clouds. Just as I used to create statuettes out of ice or earth, now I was trying to interact with clouds in a similar way, using water and air magic. At the core, however, was the cloud control fragment taken from the cumulonimbus spell. And, I could once again feel the mana rapidly draining away. The costs of holy rank magic are on a completely different level than the spells of the previous ranks - base level, primary, intermediate, and higher. Yeah, so, looking back, I wonder what kind of development I've achieved in magic. It seemed to be nothing complicated, but thanks to Roxy's stories, I knew that mages of holy rank could be counted on a few fingers. And the royal rank was something mind-boggling. Nevertheless, I wasn't going to stop there. After all, I didn't study magic to rise above someone and achieve a high status in society, but simply because magic is amazing!

And so...

An ordinary cloud of indeterminate shape under the influence of magic is crumpled, kneaded, and a kind of a dragon flies across the sky. Yes, at such a distance and on such a scale it was a bit difficult to detail the object, given that the material itself was new to me. But at the same time, these interactions were eating up mana like crazy. So you begin to think that for any serious research of magic you need such a reserve of mana, which normal wizards have never dreamed of.

Surprisingly, despite such an explosive growth of mana reserve, it was still recovering very quickly. Although, after a few days of practicing magic of the holy rank, I began to notice that during sleep mana replenishes not completely. Although the speed of its replenishment is clearly growing to insane values, but the reserve itself takes almost absurd capacity.

So, while doing powerful magic, I remember Roxy. She had reached the holy rank in water magic, after all. Although her mana reserve was much smaller than mine. She wouldn't have been able to create a cumulonimbus just like that. But, she had a pretty good magic staff that allowed her to do water magic more effectively. And, by the way, I should finally look up the artificer's codex.

And, once again, I was returning home after nearly emptying my reserve, though I try to save some mana for simple spells.

- Get out of the village, demon! - I was distracted from my musings by a loud childish cry.

I immediately tensed up. My imagination painted a picture of some monster like a magical beast approaching the village and the local boys trying to chase it away with shouts. Usually, my father was the one who was in charge of clearing the neighbourhood of monsters, preventing them from breeding and bothering ordinary people.

And by the time I run home to call my dad, the kids will have been eaten.

I don't even know if it's really a monster out there. And just to make sure, I run further, looking out from behind the woods.

- I wish you were dead, you brat!

Spit.

I watched in bewilderment as the trio of boys threw mud at the equally small hooded figure. And, to be sure of exactly what was happening, I used scanning. Though the system is often screwed up, it gives the right information.

Sylphiette Dragonroad.

Loli level 5.

Health - bruises and abrasions.

Mana - almost as much as a sorceress.

Strongest skill - can't do much of anything.

Mood - frightened and filled with self-pity.

Note - SHE'S A GIRL!

I don't know why that note, it was already clear that it was just a little girl.

Anyway, I didn't want to just look at all this nonsense and stepped out of the shade of the tree.

- Hey, what's going on here?! - I shouted loudly, taking in a chestful of air.

One of the boys shuddered and dropped a lump of dirt.

- Huh? Who are you?

- Oh! It's the son of Knight Greyrat!

- I said, what's going on here? Why are three guys hurting a girl?

It's funny, it's just that the stern tone made them kind of freak out.

- She's a demon! - One of the boys pointed his finger accusingly at the girl.

- Well, a demon, so what?

My answer caused the boys a state of confusion. I mean, what do you mean "so what?", the demon is a demon! At the same time, the girl herself peeked out from under the hood. A cute face with ruby eyes and short green hair. Roxy's long ago admonition about supards came to mind, but the girl certainly didn't have a stone in her forehead.

- She has the hair of a demon! She's a bloodthirsty creature!

- Who did she kill?

- What?

- Well, aren't you dumb enough to accuse a girl of being bloodthirsty just by the colour of her hair?

The children looked at each other. But it's pretty clear what's going on here. What's going on here is bullying and gaslighting! Which means it could be bullying soon!

- He's a jerk! He's sticking up for a demon!

- That's right. We're gonna tell everyone.

- Take that, demon protector!

Now I'm getting hit with a lot of dirt. And I didn't even move, just waved my hand, and the ground in front of me shook and rose in a wave, forming a wall of earth.

- Heh-heh-heh... so that's the kind of fun you guys have here, throwing mud. Then I'm in! Ha-ha-ha!

The water magic softens the ground, turning it into a thick mass of mud, the hard rock shifts downwards, returning to the ground, and finally, I lift an already impressive sphere of mud. Of course the children were genuinely taken aback by this and promptly turned round and rushed off. Even Sylphietta picked herself up and quickly retreated to the side.

And then...

Punch!

I launched a mud projectile, and it quickly caught up with the kids, raining down on them from above in a torrent, completely covering the boys in mud from head to toe. One also slipped in the mud and fell into it, knocking another guy down.

- Hey, hey, this is really fun!

- He's crazy! - Screamed the kid. - Stay back! Monster!

- Ha-ha-ha!

A dark figure rises from the mud, taking the shape of a lizard. Except, it's hard to make it move, but it's not a statue, it's just that altered form that starts to float right before your eyes.

- Aah!

And the boys run away with loud yells.

I look to the side, and Sylphietta is still here, watching me with wide-open eyes, mouth open.

- Hey, are you all right?

By the way, she's got a nice surname, too. I've noticed that locals only have first names when they're scanned, and our family was the exception. My parents don't like to talk about it, but I guess my father was born into a noble family, even though he ran away from home to live the life of an adventurer. Ordinary commoners don't have a family name. But this girl has one, and it's so cool.

- Y-yes..." She lowered her head.

- My name is Rudeus Greyrat. And you are?

I come closer.

The girl shuddered and looked away.

- I'm... I'm... Sylph... fietta.... - Her voice was completely subdued that even the second half of her name was hard to hear.

- You have a beautiful name. Hey, maybe you need some help?

Honestly, I could easily imagine those guys coming back, and even with older brothers. So I didn't want to leave the girl alone, cos she'd be a victim again. Yeah, I can feel my chivalrous spirit awakening in me, demanding to protect girls, even if they are very young. I remember something similar happening right before I got hit by a truck...

Assignment received!

Childhood friend

You need to win the heart of the lovely Sylphietta!

Reward: a childhood friend.

Oh, man!

I've seen a lot of girls in the village, even girls around my age. And the system was silent. I'm so relieved, and then this happens!

- I-I don't need... I s-self... - Sylphietta mumbled quietly.

- Come on, it's no trouble. And, wait, come here.

Surprisingly, she immediately obeyed and came over. And I took off her hood, which made the girl's long ears twitch and spread apart.

- You're an elf? - I wondered.

- N-I don't know... my dad's a half elf.

- I see. Okay, can you bend over?

The girl put aside the basket she had been carrying. And unlike Sylphiette's clothes, the basket was practically clean. Afterwards, the girl leaned over and... oh my god, are you trying to seduce me? She bent over like that, resting her palms on her knees, her head low and her arse cocked. Even though she's still a child! If she were even a little older, it would already look like an invitation.

Still, it was exactly what I needed.

- Okay, here we go.

Raising my hand, I spilled some warm water created with magic on her.

- Ahhh... - Sylphiette shuddered, and her ears fluttered.

Now a stream of warm air instead of a hair dryer.

- Woah...

- Hey, don't squeak like that.

- I'm sorry.

- Okay, now you have clean and dry hair. I'd rather have your clothes washed at home.

It's a shame to see this white hooded shirt stained with mud. The clothes themselves didn't look expensive, but neat. You could see that the parents didn't want to dress their daughter in anything. Those boys, for example, wore old rags, whatever they could spare. But on her feet the girl had sandals and short shorts. And also, after washing, when the dirt came off her hair, it only became more beautiful with this bright green colour. Although, I still like girls with blue hair better. But green is nice too.

- So you get bullied because you have hair like a Supard?

- Mm-hmm." She nodded.

Cute.

Now I even understood Zenith, who tried to hug and squeeze me every chance she got. Sylphietta evoked just such a feeling of cuteness.

- Doesn't my hair scare you?

- I think it's very pretty.

And she looked at me like that.

It makes your chest heave and makes you feel like a hero.

- Yeah, well, let me walk you out. Where were you going?

- To my dad's... to carry the basket... - She muttered quietly.

- All right, let's go together. If those guys show up again, I'll chase them away.

The girl tentatively rubs the edge of her shirt.

- Let's go..." I held out my hand to her.

- H-okay...

Nodding, she wanted to take my hand, but just as she touched it, she yanked it away.

- This way!

She headed down the main road a little faster. And I followed.

- Ah... what did you... was it magic? - The girl asked me a question.

- Yes. It turned out to be a very useful skill.

- Is it hard?

- Hmm, well, I've been learning it for years, and I'm still learning. But once you learn it, it's not hard.

The girl nodded understandingly. It was obvious that she was interested in magic. But she did not dare to ask further. In the meantime, we got further away from the village, even passed the place where I had been practising magic for the last few days, and then approached the forest. There we found a small hunting lodge.

- Your father hunts?

- Mm-hmm. - Sylphiette nodded. - He's further on...

Eventually the girl led me to a hunting tower perched in a tree. There we were met by a young-looking guy, without much muscle, with long ears and blond hair. Just like a typical elf.

- Hello...

- Oh... and you are...

- Rudeus Greyrat at your service.

- Huh... so you're Paul's son. I've heard of you. - The man smiled. - Did you see Luffy off? Thank you.

He looked at his daughter with some underlying pain. The man clearly didn't like the way her clothes were stained. He seemed to be aware of how she was treated by the other children in the village. Had he tried to do something about the situation? Maybe elves are subject to discrimination too?

- You've been abused again... - He sighed pityingly, crouching down on his knee and stroking the girl's head.

- No! - She shook her head negatively. - I had help...Rudeus....

- Ah, then I should thank you. - He turned his gaze in my direction.

- My father taught me that a boy should protect girls, not hurt them!

- Haha... right, that's right. - The man smiled. - Right, I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Rawls.

- Nice to meet you.

- Huh... Paul was right, you are very polite.

Yeah, well, I've been trying to keep my parents out of trouble like a child.

- Since you're such a knight, can I ask you to look after my daughter?

- Oh, sure. - I pounded my chest with my fist.

Sylphietta embarrassedly turned pink and lowered her ears.

- Do you want me to walk you home?

- Ah... d-yes...

- Hmm...

She looked worried, as if she wanted something but was embarrassed to say it. I thought it was embarrassing for her to ask in front of her father, so when I was sure we were done here, I took her back to the village. I thought I'd check it out on the way.

- Is there something you want to ask me?

- Umm... can I?

- Sure, I won't bite unless you ask me to. Ha-ha-ha-ha.

- You don't have to bite... - She looked at me fearfully.

- Ohhh, I'm sorry, I was just kidding.

And the girl breathed a sigh of relief.

- And... can... can you... can we be friends?

- Hmm." I looked back at her.

The little girl looked even more excited as she waited for an answer. And, not that I was eager to make friends among children, but this girl was just pathetic. She doesn't seem to have any friends at all, and to the other kids she's just someone who's conveniently bullied. But she's not so hardened by this loneliness that she's completely shut down, otherwise she just wouldn't dare to offer friendship.

- You don't have to tell anyone! So you won't be shunned by others..." she spoke quickly.

- Ah, don't worry about that. How can I be ashamed of being friends with such a nice girl?

- Я!? - The one squeaked.

- And, yes, if you want, let's be friends. - Holding out my hand to her.

- Y-yes... - She squeaked shyly, shaking my hand.

- Heh...

She looks like she's just a little girl, but she's already embarrassed. It's not as rare as Roxy's embarrassment, but it's cute.

But, this embarrassment of hers, it's worth considering that with reactions like that, the girl might be in the group in the not so distant future. And, it immediately brings up some thoughts. Right now, the group is kind of just me and Roxy. Is there still a need for a third person? It would be easier if I could decide who to include in the group and who not. But the system clearly has its own agenda. And, with this girl, harem class doesn't seem like such a joke anymore. She's small now, but she'll grow up.

Still, I can't leave her alone.

Anyway, I decided to be friends with her, and then I'll see what happens.

But what am I going to do with her now? I'm not really interested in child's play.

- By the way, do you mind if I call you Sylphie?

It's just, the full name is too long to be friendly, I think, and Luffy's nickname reminds me of the guy with the rubber hands.

- I don't mind. - Shook her head at the girl.

- Great! And you can call me Rudy. So... what would you like to do?

- I...I don't know...can you...well...teach me those things....

- Magic?

Clarifying, I created a small water balloon in my hand.

- Yes! - Sylphie nodded immediately.

And her eyes sparkled with an undercurrent of delight. Oh, that look, that passion! I can already see that this girl has a real love of magic in her heart.

- All right, then. Come... I'll teach you a simple spell and you try it again.

Sylphie nodded enthusiastically.

Soon we came to the river and settled down on the bank, near the trees. I read out to the girl the initial spell of water magic, which is the best way to learn water magic because of its softness of its initial effects and relatively low mana requirements. And, interestingly enough, Sylphie did indeed have a talent for it. She was able to easily perform the spell the first time round.

- Excellent, Sylphie. - I clap my hands. - You did it right away.

- Y-yes... thank you, R-rudy... - She was still embarrassed to use the abbreviation of my name. - You don't cast spells, do you?

- If you're talented enough, and you've mastered a spell well enough, you can use it without words. When you used magic, you felt it, didn't you? Try to summon that feeling again.....

And to my surprise, even if it wasn't the first time, Sylphie did it.

On the sixth spell, she stumbled and couldn't read the verbal form, but she did it from memory. Silent spells didn't seem to be that difficult. Maybe this world is just used to reading spells? And, it's so ingrained in the concept of magic that even powerful spellcasters can't imagine that it could be so simple? Or, Sylphie also has considerable talent in magic, I don't know all her characteristics after all.

- Very good, Sylphie! You have a real talent for it.

- Really? - I'm happy for the girl.

- Yes... you can believe me.

Her ears perked up, showing how pleased she was to hear the praise.

And then she used a few more simple spells and....

- I'm... tired..." she exhaled.

And, it was also reflected in the result of her scan.

Mana is at the bottom

In general, everything was clear. She didn't have much mana. And, it was kind of a pity for the girl. With such an obvious talent in magic, but with such a small reserve, it would be hard for her to practise. Maybe her mana will increase with time, though the books say that the reserve is fixed from birth. I'm the one with the cheat bonus for permanently doubling her mana.

Okay.

- Looks like you're running out of mana. If you use up all of it, you'll lose your strength and faint, so let's finish practising for today. You should be able to regain your strength by tomorrow.

- Alright. - The girl nodded seriously.

By this time it was already evening, and after seeing the girl off to her house, I headed for our family estate. On the way, I started thinking about magic again. Not about teaching Sylphie, but about my own further development. I should read the artefactor's code and the magic of love, which I hadn't fully learnt yet. And then I should also experiment with electricity, since I have that talent.

Oh, and I should probably text Roxy that I have a girlfriend. I mean, just a friend, not a girlfriend. And if she does end up in the group, it won't be a shock to my sorceress.

And so, I was approaching the house. And there was Paul waiting for me on the doorstep.

Only he looked really angry.

- Um... Dad, did something happen while I was gone?

And I honestly wondered what he could be so angry about.

- You don't understand why I'm angry? - The man frowned even harder.

I shook my head negatively.

- They told me how you used magic to scare the other children and summon monsters. - He said angrily. - Mistress Ada came today with her son, who was hurt because of your magic!

- Oh... I get it.

But honestly, did he just take Mistress Ada's word for it? Although, yeah, there's no concept of the Underworld here, demons are part of the real world, and Ada is just a name, and it's not a particularly funny joke, really.

- Didn't I tell you? Strength isn't given to a man to flaunt, it's given to protect the weak!

- Well, that's what I was doing... Sylphiette comes to mind.

- STOP IT! - Paul bellowed. - If you've done something wrong, you should apologise first!

- Wait, I--

- NO EXCUSES!

Time stood still for a moment. It was a familiar feeling, only luckily this time the system didn't give me a choice of some stupid lines. Instead, it gave me a new assignment.

Assignment received

Who's in charge of the house

Put Paul in his place.

Reward: You get to keep your dignity.

And just as I read that, time resumed its course again.

And here... like, I didn't even know what to say since my dad didn't even want to listen to anything. This episode itself surprisingly took me back to a distant childhood, back in the past world. Back then, my relationship with my parents didn't go well at all. In particular, they wanted to control everything in my life. There was no understanding and trust between us, only power and control. And, when I moved away from them, I felt as if I had torn off the cord from my throat and could breathe fully. And now the situation is repeating itself. I had already somehow got into this childish image and often looked at things from a child's point of view. But with more mature experience, it was easy to see Paul's nervousness from that point of view. These rudiments of a domestic tyrant didn't fit in with his normal behaviour at all.

But still, I'm human too, after all, and subject to emotion. This attitude on my father's part felt like a betrayal that made my heart clench unpleasantly in a sense of bitterness.

- No.

My voice was like ice. I wish I could say that, but no. My voice hadn't started to break yet, and even when I was angry, it was still sonorous and childlike. 

- What?" Paul screwed up his face furiously. - You're contradicting your father!?

Uh-oh.

Seeing Paul clench his fist angrily, I stepped back. Don't forget that he's a big moose who can hit you so hard that you fall down and never get up again.

- How can you even tell me off when you don't even know what really happened?

- RUDY! - He bellowed.

Paul was very susceptible to criticism himself and just went ballistic. His palm just flew into my face. Even if he didn't hit seriously, he was still too fast for me. The difference in strength is too great between a child and an adult. And I still can't use battle aura purely on reflexes, I need to seriously concentrate for that.

My cheek is on fire.

И...

Okay, calm down. Calm the hell down!

- Like this? Okay, I got it.

- Rudy.

- If it's Greyrat family policy to mob bully the weak, maybe I should leave this family.

- What are you talking about?! - Paul exclaimed.

And he even looked kind of scared. He'd hit me in the heart, and he was freaking out about it. And it looked like he was ready to hear excuses.

- I saw a bunch of boys throwing mud at a girl and insulting her for having green hair. You taught me to stand up for the weak, but I didn't know that didn't apply to non-human races. And even if I had, I would have stood up for her anyway. And even so, I didn't beat anyone up, just threw mud at them and scared them off. Do you think, Father, that that was an unworthy thing to apologise for? Well, I don't!

Having said all that in one breath, I was now trying to catch my breath.

- Was it like that? - My father asked sadly. - But, Somar did have a bruise on his face.....

- I didn't hit any of them. I can only assume that they fought somewhere else and then blamed me. It worked, didn't it? You trusted strangers and wouldn't even listen to your son. I don't think you're gonna believe me, though. You should ask Rawls about that.

- You met with him?

- Yeah, when I chased those boys away, I walked Sylphie to her dad's and then home. I was afraid she'd get picked on again when I wasn't around.

- Sylphie means... Rudeus...

Paul looked at me strangely, as if he was going through a real struggle in his soul. He pressed his lips together and finally.

- I'm sorry, Rudy! I was wrong. - He bowed his head in humiliation.

- Yeah? I crossed my arms over my chest. - Do you always plan to deal with a situation only after you've beaten your kids and then apologise?

- Rudy.

- Just remember that. And don't take it out on the next child you and your mum have. Even if someone says something bad, deal with the situation first and only then decide whether to punish them.

- I understand, I'm sorry, Rudy," Paul whispered guiltily.

This is getting a bit excessive.

And with a sigh, I covered my face with my hand, pretending to be a wise old man.

- Ohhh, parents... you've got a lot to learn.

- Rudy... I'm sorry, I've been a bad father.

- But even though it's late, I'm glad you listened to me, Dad. Thank you. Even if you're bigger and stronger, you should try to listen first, not take it out on me.

- Rudy, I get it.

- Hey, enough of this nonsense. Pull yourself together. Yes, you made a mistake, but you realised what you did wrong and apologised! Now stop acting like a guilty child and remember that you're the adult here.

- Erm, what?

- I don't know, promise to teach me a new trick there....

- Huh... okay.

Here we go.

Mission accomplished!

Who's in charge of the house

The floor has been put back in place.

Reward: A sense of pride.

Somehow.