Chapter 9 - Friend

—-- Leon Greyrat —--

The three bullies looked toward me, who was sprinting toward them, with shock.

"Huh? Who are you?" one of them asks.

Coming closer to the victim, I slow my pace to a walk as I form a few balls of water above my palm, causing the three to back away from the smaller kid.

"Does it matter? I asked you three a question. What do you think you're doing?" I say with a frown.

"T-That's the knight's kid! He knows magic!" one of them exclaims.

'He knows magic'... nice deduction skills, genius.

"H-Hey! We're just punishing a dirty demon! Don't you see? They even have green hair!" another one says.

Right… green hair was supposedly a taboo here, stemming from the Demon race of Superds in the last Human-Demon war.

Not only did I not care about such stereotypes, but under certain lighting, Roxy's hair looked like a shade of green.

And it was beautiful.

"Scram before you make me do something we both regret. Got it?" I snarl, casting a floating fireball for emphasis.

They seem to get the message as they quickly scamper away, not before barking back some words which I ignore.

Watching them walk away, I crouch down to the kid, "Hey? Are you okay?"

…Well, it was obvious they weren't.

I guess I could take this chance to brush up on my communication skills with those outside my family.

"Ah, probably not, right?" I continue. "Here, let me heal you right up."

Reaching over to their hood, I'm stopped by a frail hand.

"N-No! Keep the hood!" they cry.

Hm? Oh… green hair, right. They must have a complex about it.

"I'm not stupid like them. I don't care what colour your hair is. I quite like the colour green. It reminds me of spring and nature," my words, while a bit cheesy, seem to calm down the kid.

"A-Are you sure?" they ask meekly.

"Positive. Now come on, I need to see the damage."

Relinquishing to my request, they then lowered their hood, revealing a set of pointed ears, a cute tear-stained face, and as expected, a set of green hair.

And if my guess was right, 'they' seemed to be a 'she'.

"There we go. What's your name?" I ask as I check over their injuries.

Her face was marred in dirt and grime, as well as a few scratches from what seemed to be a fall. And under her clothes were likely more than a few bruises, if they hadn't formed already.

"S-Sylphiette- Ahn!" she shouts.

"Shh, calm down. It's just healing magic," I say, casting healing magic. "Sylphiette, huh? That's a pretty name."

She squirms as I continue healing her, likely due to the itchiness from getting healed, as well as the unfamiliarity of the sensation, but soon enough, she was as good as new.

Thankfully, there was no need for skin-to-skin contact if the injury wasn't bad enough, so there was no need to strip her of her clothes.

"Can you close your eyes, mouth, and nose for me?" I say.

She nods her head, and with her nose scrunched and mouth sealed, I then generate some warm water before cleaning off her face and hair. Controlling the stream to wash away all the dirt, after I finish, I then begin drying her off with some warm wind magic. 

And in no time at all, she was clean as a whistle, her green hair shining beautifully under the sun.

"There we go. I don't know what they were talking about. Your hair is very pretty," I say with a smile.

"T-Thank you… for everything," she responds meekly.

Shoot, was the air too warm? Her cheeks were awfully red…

"But you're… not bothered by it?" she asks.

"What? Your hair?" I say.

"T-That too, but me being a demon..."

Oh, that?

Well, since I had travelled with an elf, a dwarf, a beastfolk, and a monkey-like demon for a year, I was probably quite different from the other three kids who hadn't stepped foot outside this village.

After all, isolation breeds discrimination. 

Either way, race was the least of my worries when meeting someone. Well, unless it was a beastfolk in mating season. In that case, I would probably run away for my safety.

"I don't care. In fact, my teacher is a demon, so that just makes it better," I say.

That seems to catch her interest.

"Really?" she asks.

"Really," I nod. "Anyway, what race do you belong to?"

Roxy had told me that she was of the Migurd race, one of the many races categorized as a 'demon', but I wondered which one Sylphiette was.

"I don't know…" she says.

Hm? Really?

"Well, what are your parents' races?" I ask.

"M-My father is half-human and half-elf, while my mother is human with some beast-man blood…" she says, trailing off at the end.

Huh. Sounds… complicated.

"They… neither of them have g-green hair though, hic!" she began to sob.

Ah, shoot. I forgot, since Rudy and I were both a bit weird, but kids were usually emotional like this, weren't they?

"Hey, there there, it's okay," I console her while patting her head. "Look, soon enough, those kids will grow up and realize how stupid they were, okay? It's just the colour of your hair, right? It doesn't change who you are."

Unfortunately, those words were a lie. Prejudice didn't just disappear like that, after all.

But at least she would have me on her side, and Rudy too, even if I had to beat him into it.

"Anyway, how are your parents? Are they good to you at least?" I ask.

"Hic! Y-Yeah. My dad's scary when he's mad, but he and Mom are nice," she says through sniffles.

"That's good, then. Do you want me to walk you home?" I ask.

She shakes her head, "No, they're both at work. My dad does hunting and my mom works at the clinic, so no one's home."

Wait, at the clinic?

Ever since Mama healed from having Rudy, she had taken over all of the clinic duties, leaving me with no need to help.

Of course, with me learning magic and swordsmanship, there was no time to help out anyway. Unless there was an emergency, that is.

But in the short time I helped out there, I remember the nice pregnant woman who stopped by a few times… What was her name again?

"Your mom's name… is it Anne by chance?" I ask.

"U-Umm, yeah. It is," she says. "How'd you know?"

Huh. Small world.

Or rather, a small village.

"...I've met her before. Anyway, if you can't go home yet… do you want to play?" I ask.

I didn't exactly want to leave her to fend off the bullies by herself, and even if I was a little late for my swordsmanship practice, I'm sure Paul would understand. He's always preaching about 'morals' and stuff, after all… even though I've caught him sneaking glances at Lilia more than a few times.

Stupid womanizer. 

He's just lucky he can hold himself back, and that his gaze hasn't shifted to Roxy, or else I might have needed to learn Advanced rank healing magic for the aftermath.

"R-Really?" she asks.

I pull her to her feet, "Yep! We can play tag, hide and seek, your pick!"

Her lips spread out into a smile, she then taps her fingers together shyly, "Then… can you show me more of that thing you did earlier? With the water and the wind and stuff?"

Oh? Magic? 

How wonderful!

"Of course I can!"

Now I could get some practice in and keep a cute girl happy!

You're a genius, Leon!

"Umm, but first… what's your name?" she asks.

Oh, right. I didn't tell her that, huh?

"It's Leon. Leon Greyrat," I say.

She meets my smile with one of her own, "A-And you can call me Sylphy."

—-- Leon Greyrat —--

"Thank you again for taking care of my Phi. I was always worried about her being bullied... Who knew that such a polite kid would be Paul's son," Sylphy's father, Laws, says.

"Indeed. It was nice to see you again, little Leon. You sure have grown up nice and handsome. Isn't that right, sweetie?" Anne asks her daughter.

Sylphy just meekly nods her head in response.

"It was my pleasure. It's nice to meet another kid my age… who isn't mean, that is. But I really should be getting home now," I say in response.

Yikes. At this point, I might miss my sword practice altogether.

"Alright, be safe getting home!" Anne says.

"Bye Leon! Thanks for showing me your magic! And… and for saving me too," Sylphy says.

I give her a lighthearted wave, "It's fine. Let's do this again tomorrow, okay? We're friends now, after all."

"Y-Yeah!"

That girl, while still meek, really came out of her shell once I showed her a few magic spells.

She was quite interested, to say the least.

Well, if she wanted, I could also try teaching her, but that could wait for later. She was only Rudy's age, after all. And unlike him, she wasn't a crazy genius.

With a skip in my step, I make my way back home, only to see a very pissed-off-looking Paul standing in front of the door upon my arrival. His hands on his hips and his face drawn into an angry and disappointed frown.

Uhh, I… didn't think he took sword practice that seriously. 

Especially considering I was only a kid.

"Umm, I'm home?" I say. "Sorry I was late, I was just playing with a new friend-"

"Do you know why I'm mad?" Paul says, cutting me off.

"Uhh, is it because I missed sword practice and didn't tell you?" I ask.

His scowl deepens, "No. It's because Ms. Eto's wife came by earlier, telling me you punched her son, Somal."

I did what to who?

"I… don't know what you're talking about-"

"Don't spout bullshit with me, Leon! What did I tell you about being strong?" he snaps.

He's told me a lot of things about getting strong.

How to use it to get ladies, how to get girls, how to get women- Yeah, Paul was a simple man like that.

But not completely without morals.

So, if I'm understanding this right, he must want this answer.

"To not get strong just to flaunt it around?" I say.

"Exactly! So why did you hit Somal?" he asks, still irate.

"No, I don't know what-"

"No excuses!" he cuts me off again.

Dammit. It was always the same with this guy.

He would do before he could think, and never took a moment to calm down and use his brain.

"Well? Why aren't you talking?" he asks.

Haa…

"Because you don't seem to want to hear my side of the story-"

"Enough!"

Feeling a stinging pain on my cheek and a ringing in my ear, I quickly regain my balance.

He… hit me.

W-Why? What had I done wrong?

It wasn't anything too surprising. 

After all, we had sparred numerous times, and against a skilled swordsman like him, I was bound to get struck more often than not.

But this… this was different.

"Just apologize, Leon! Apologize for doing something wrong, and then I'll take you over to Somal, where you'll apologize to him!"

What?

Who the hell was Somal?

And why the hell was I supposed to be apologizing for!?

"Why!?" I ask.

"Because no son of mine- scratch that, no son of Zenith's, bullies the weak!"

As if being hit by another smack, I feel the world come to a stop as my chest clenched in sadness.

No… perhaps it was confusion? I mean, why was he saying such a hurtful thing?

Or maybe it was the feeling of betrayal.

No, that wasn't it either.

I just felt overwhelmingly… lonely? Yeah, lonely sounded like the right word.

He was right, after all… Mama… wasn't my Mama. And Paul wasn't my father.

Even though I knew he didn't mean it, especially since he looked quite shocked at what he just said… it hurt all the same.

And so, with my emotions in turmoil, and my chest swirling in a lost sense of confusion at the feelings I felt, I did the only thing that felt natural.

Run.

"Ah! Leon!" I hear Mama shout from behind me.

But with my vision blurry with tears, I ignore it in favour of running into the night toward the hill where I practice magic.

—-- Roxy Migurdia —--

"I don't think Leon is the type of kid to hit someone without a reason," I say to the people gathered at the table.

Paul had come home fairly irate at his son, saying that he had gotten into a dispute with another village boy, but I was quite skeptical at the whole thing.

After all, Leon was extremely mature for his age, and he was also a kind child. But then again, he hadn't had much interaction with kids his age. And I knew that if someone pissed him off the right way, he wouldn't sit idly by.

"Haa… I know, but since Leon has always been a perfect kid, Paul's quite worried about not being a good parent. Especially with Rudy growing up. I just hope it works out okay…" Zenith says worriedly.

"I'm sure it will. After all, Young Master Leon should be able to explain himself clearly, and as Miss Roxy said, I doubt he is at fault," Lilia adds.

"Yes, you're right. I just-"

Smack!

The sharp sound of a hand hitting skin resounds from past the doorway.

"D-Did he…?" Zenith asks in shock.

Haa… for some reason, I had predicted something like this happening.

While a great swordsman, Paul left much to be desired in terms of emotional maturity.

As Lilia and Zenith make their way toward the door, with me following behind, we hear what seemed to be the finale of their argument.

"Because no son of mine- scratch that, no son of Zenith's, bullies the weak!"

Even my eyes widen at the words.

After all, to an orphaned child, especially one with such a close bond to their mother, that was not something meant to be said. Especially by someone meant to care for them.

Zenith and Lilia, quickly getting over their shock, run out to open the door, just in time to see the sprinting Leon jump over the rock wall of the garden.

"Ah! Leon!"

Zenith's cry falls on deaf ears as she then turns to Paul, her expression the pure incarnation of anger.

Smack!

A second slap resounds.

"What in the hell do you think you just did, Paul? You wanted me to 'leave it to you', huh? Well, look what good that did!" she shouts.

Lilia, on the other hand, just glares at the man, though somehow her gaze felt sharper than any sword even the greatest dwarves could craft.

"I-I… messed up," Paul says. "I didn't mean it like that-"

"Damn right you messed up!" Zenith shouts. 

"I told you that that wench was eyeing you the whole time and that the kid didn't even look you in the eyes when telling you what happened! But noooo~ No way, Zenith! 'This is the perfect chance to instill some discipline into him!' Into my sweet boy! My sweet boy that is supposed to be ours!" Zenith lectures him, poking his chest. "Didn't you always complain to me about your father? Hmm? Aren't you just doing the same thing now!?"

At least Paul has the conscience to be ashamed, his head hanging meekly as he took in his wife's words, but that didn't really help with the situation at hand.

"I swear to Milis, if Leon feels worried when hugging me even once after this, there's no sex for a month! No, a year! Haa…" Zenith then turns to me. "Roxy, can you go check on him please? I don't… I don't know if I'm the best one to go get him."

"Of course, Zenith."

Leaving the shaken Paul and the two irate women, I follow the path Leon took.

Damn, I sometimes forgot because of his age, but Leon was already an Intermediate-rank swordsman. That meant that he was way faster than me.

But luckily, it didn't seem that he ran far, as I only had to reach the top of the nearest hill before noticing the balled form of my student against the tree.

"Hic-! Hic-! Gah, sniff!"

I can't help but frown a little at the sight.

No, perhaps a little wasn't correct. I was frowning quite a bit.

I… felt pretty close to both of the boys I was teaching, but especially Leon.

It… didn't feel good, seeing him like this. Sad and alone.

It reminded me of my old self.

Luckily, that made it so I knew how to make him feel better too… At least I hope so.

Sliding down next to him, I hesitantly reach my arm over his shoulder, drawing him closer to me.

"...Are you alright?" I ask softly.

He only nods his head in response, lowering his face to his pulled-up knees.

I… sometimes forgot. No, I often forgot, that Leon was still a child.

After all, when you're from a race that stops growing once you reach the age of a teenager, age is always a tough subject.

And considering this child was teaching me how to perform what was seen as the pinnacle technique for magic in chantless casting, it was understandable why I viewed him as a bit older than he was.

But seeing him like this… yeah. Leon, for all his genius and maturity, was still but a child.

For some reason, the thought brings a small smile to my face.

Why was it? 

I felt the same thing whenever he got embarrassed around me too.

I guess… it was because he looked cute.

"I-I'm fine. Just… can you stay here for a little bit? With me?" he asks with a nasal voice.

Yes, this childish side of Leon was very cute.

"Of course," I say, smiling down at the boy. "Leon… I can understand what you're feeling, you know."

It wasn't exactly the same, but it was close enough.

Plus, Leon always liked to use analogies during his explanations.

Combing my hand through his hair, I continue, "I told you about my race, right?"

"T-The Migurd race?" he asks.

"Exactly," I nod. "But I never told you about their special trait."

He turns his head to look at me curiously, "Special trait?"

"I suppose you could call it a unique form of magic. But all the members of my village can communicate telepathically with each other… all except me," I say, looking off to the distance with a sad smile.

"Oh… that must have been… lonely," Leon says, cuddling closer to me in a sign of affection.

Ignoring the way my stomach tingles at the closeness, I continue, "It was. And I left my homeland because of it. But… I feel much better now."

"That's… good. You're… important to me."

Guh! T-That… I knew he wasn't saying such things to flirt with me, but that only made my heart flutter even more. 

"A-And you're important to me too, Leon. So? Did you want to talk about what actually happened today?" I ask.

Nodding his head, he then goes on to explain about his walk on the town, the bullies he scared off, and the new friend he played with.

Slowly, the sadness on his face morphed into an excited smile, one that could charm even the coldest of hearts, as he talked about his day.

Just why… why couldn't he have been ten- no, nine years older?

Haa… but I suppose this was nice too.

—-- Information on the Six-Faced World —--

Continents of the World

Central Continent : The largest continent in the central and western parts of the world. The human race makes up the majority of the population.

Milis Continent : In the southern part of the world, it connects the Central and Demon Continents. The northern part of the Continent is where the Great Forest is located, the homeland of the Beast race and elves. In the south is the Holy Milis Kingdom, the world's second-ranked country and home of the Milis Church.

Begaritto Continent : In the southwest part of the world, it has a large number of labyrinths and many strong monsters. As a result, the majority of the population are adventurers or ex-adventurers.

Demon Continent : In the eastern part of the world, it is a Continent full of strong monsters and many different races of Demons. As the fertility of the land is very low, the majority of the population is very poor.

Heaven Continent : In the northern part of the world, this Continent is 3000 meters above sea level, making it extremely difficult to visit. This is also where the Heavenly race lives.

—-- Rudeus Greyrat —--

I didn't really understand what was going on.

Paul was quite angry at my brother for… some reason, and then they argued before Leon ran off.

Knowing the idiot that was my father, it was definitely his fault, but I was still confused about what made my extremely mature brother act so… childish.

But then again, he was truly a kid, unlike me. So I guess that was natural.

As for how I knew he was a normal kid, well, I had said a few things in Japanese, and even the small bit of English that I knew, in an attempt to get a rise out of him to see if he was like me.

But alas, he would only look at me confused, before trying to correct me with a similarly sounding word in the Human tongue.

But putting that aside… I was confused.

"What happened, Mother?" I ask Zenith.

Both she and Lilia were quite mad, and Paul had been banished to sit alone at the table.

Rubbing my hair, she answers my question, "Your father said something mean to your brother. Haa… I just hope Roxy can cheer him up."

Something mean?

But… it didn't sound that bad to me, though. At least not compared to some of the stuff Paul had said during training. And the slap… well, he had gotten worse from Paul's sword, so I don't think it was that either.

Maybe it was the stress? Or perhaps the accusation alone.

But still…

"Why did it make Leon so sad, though?" I ask.

"Well… you see… your brother didn't exactly come from me like you did," Zenith explains. "Though I love him all the same."

Ah… so he was adopted.

That explained a few things.

There was the fact that he had brown eyes when Paul had green and Zenith had blue. Also, there was the fact that they had settled down to have me, despite being adventurers while Leon was still a baby.

"Oh… when did you take him in then?" I ask.

Zenith leans back against the chair, "Back when your father and I were adventurers, there was a bandit attack against a nearby village. And unfortunately, I couldn't save his mother. His birth mother, that is."

Ah… well, if Leon saw his mother die, then it would definitely explain why he was such a Mama's boy.

"We adventured with him for a while, since I promised to take care of him, and then once we had you, we settled down-"

She's interrupted by the sound of the door opening, revealing the ever-beautiful loli-sensei Roxy, and my brother holding her hand beside her, eyes red from obvious crying.

Getting so close to Roxy… Hmph! I'll let this go just this once, brother. But only because Paul did something stupid!

—-- Leon Greyrat —--

Hesitantly, I reveal myself from behind Roxy's robes.

It definitely felt embarrassing that she saw me break down like that, but at the same time, I wouldn't want anyone else to calm me down.

"L-Leon, son… I… I'm sorry," Paul says, bowing his head.

The expression he was wearing was so different from his usual confident smirk. It felt heavy with worry, so I knew he was truly remorseful about what he said.

Crossing my arms, I tilt my chin up in the air, "I-It's fine. I should expect that from an idiot like you."

"Haha, yeah… I really am an idiot. But… you know I didn't mean what I said, right?" he asks.

"Yeah… I know."

I'm then smothered in one of Mama's suffocating hugs, and feeling her warmth, the last of my fears hidden in my mind wash away.

"My baby Leon… you know I love you so much, right? And I'm so proud to have you as my own. You understand that, right?" she chokes out.

"Yeah… I know, Mama," I say in return.

Giving me one last squeeze, she then knelt, her eyes meeting mine as she gently stroked my hair.

"Can you tell me what happened today?" she asks.

I send a cautionary glance toward Paul, to which he grimaces while scratching his beard and averting his eyes, "Yeah… sorry about that too…"

"Don't worry, Leon. Just tell them what happened. I'm sure your mother already has an idea," Roxy adds from behind.

Nodding my head, I go over what had happened today, and how I stopped the three bullies, which was where the misunderstanding likely came forth.

After I finished talking, Paul spoke up, "Shit… so it was something like that… I'm sorry, kid."

"It's fine. You already apologized, after all," I say in response.

With how much pride the man had, an honest apology was more than enough. Plus, seeing Lilia, Roxy, and Mama all send him stern glares helped.

Mama's mouth then curls into a teasing smile, "Sylphiette, huh? How interesting… is she cute?"

For some reason, she then looks over to Roxy as well.

"Uhh… I guess? She's nice, and she really likes magic. I was actually hoping I could push my swordsmanship lessons until a little later so I could keep her company," I say, looking over to Paul.

"Hmm… I don't know-"

"Paul." "Master."

Both Mama and Lilia interject.

The man quickly raises his hands in defeat, "Kidding! I was just kidding! Just don't be out too late, okay? It's dangerous to train in the dark."

And so, with our bonds reforged and our grievances put behind us, the family then sat down for dinner, putting an end to the eventful day.