Volume 1, Part 16 : Early Years - Uudelle matkalle

~9307 words

RUDEUS GREYRAT

I'm 7 years old now.

My two sisters, Norn and Aisha, are growing up without any problems.

They cry whenever they wet the bed, dirty their diapers, get hungry, or feel something is wrong. They even cry when there's nothing wrong. It's normal to cry at night. It's normal to cry in the morning. They cry even harder during the day.

Paul and Zenith are crumbling mentally, at a rapid rate to a debilitating extent.

But only Lilia is always full of energy saying things that are a stark contrast to Paul and Zenith's approach. "This is the right thing, this is actually definitely raising children! It was too easy with Young Master Rudeus and Julian! They never even cried! You can't call that raising a child!"

She takes care of the babies with her experience. Adding on to it, regarding the matter of crying in the night, I have already gotten used to it due to my younger brother in my past life, so I don't really take notice of it.

I'm not really bragging, but I have already experienced taking care of a baby due to my younger brother. Looking at me changing the diapers, washing the clothes and cleaning up, Paul gives off an expression of being useless.

Which he is, not even going to lie.

This guy is just like the Japanese males before the war who knew nothing about housework.

I don't expect him to be like men after war who only know how to jerk off to 2D girls and become a cuckold slave, but geez, this man is beyond help.

Even though he's very skilled in swordsmanship, and receives deep trust from the villagers, he's half-baked when it comes to being a father..... that being said when I am being generous.

He's horrible.

And this is already the 2nd baby... Sheesh.

JULIAN GREYRAT

I turned 7 today. So did Rudeus.

I still am not aware of the genders of my siblings since the letters I receive are sent on a permanent address of Adventurer's Guild in Roa. Guess, I will just have to wait.

Right now, I was walking towards the Royal Castle in Shirone.

Roxy is supposed to be here. She said that she was recruited as a magic instructor here for a prince. Not sure if she likes it here since the way she wrote about it hinted that she was a little troubled by it.

As I arrived in front of the castle, there was a moderate sized bridge that curved upwards, just above the crystal-clear stream. The castle was on the other side of the bridge. Looking up, I saw the castle extend almost indefinitely in the sky, blocking any sight beyond it.

Both sides of the bridge were adorned in the kingdom's flags, stretched well above and fluttering in the breeze.

Reaching towards the huge double doors made out of a rather sturdy wood, I addressed one of the guards stationed there. "I am here to see a friend."

The guards looked at each other, confusion evident on their face. "What friend are you talking about, kid?"

Taking out a letter that had Roxy's invite and her seal on it, I extended it towards them. "Hm? How do you know her?"

Well, it was natural for them to be skeptical of me since I was asking them to be allowed inside the castle where the prince was. "She was my brother's as well as my teacher for 2 years. She is also my friend." I explained.

They exchanged dubious glances before parting from the gate. "You will have a guard stationed with you all the time. You might pass. Forgive the rudeness but this is necessary protocol."

"I understand." I replied, waving them goodbye. As the doors opened, they talked to a warrior who had a decent amount of aura as she started to follow me. The inside was much greener than I had expected. An array of cherry blossoms alongside the boundaries of the castle casted a captivating look that made me stop and look at it for a while.

The path that led to the indoors of the castle was made out of grey polished stones, that seemed to compliment well with the crunchy foliage of bright golden and autumn red sprawled all over it. On both sides of the stony path, there were multiple plants----fruits and flowers bearing alike. Their scent wafted like a sweet honey-tinted aroma that could make you want to slower your advance.

"Where is Roxy?"I asked the guard beside me. He was wearing a heavy lustrous armour. Probably a Water God practitioner. Since they don't focus on mobility, unlike Sword God style.

"She has just gotten free from her lectures with the young prince. Miss Roxy is usually by the balcony at this hour." He replied, not sharing the perplexing look as his peers.

"Hm. Thanks. Can you please guide me there then?"

"Sure." He replied and started to lead the way.

RUDEUS GREYRAT

Talking about here, I'll treat it as restoring Paul's reputation and talk about his good points. About this person who has all sorts of weakness all over him, and no matter how you look at it he's a scumbag Paul, I acknowledge him.

Why? Because he's strong. First is Paul's sword techniques rank.

Sword-God Style: Advanced

Water-God Style: Advanced

North-God Style: Advanced

Yes, all the styles are advanced. Now, if you ignore his prodigious child who achieved it all when he was not even 6, it sounds impressive.

Talking about advanced, it's said that people with talent would have to spend 10 years on each stance in order to reach the advanced rank.

Talk about being thrown in dim light. Anything I say goes to show Julian's talent. Poor Paul.

Anyways.

If you compare the advanced rank to kendo, it's about 4th to 5th dan. The intermediate rank is about 1st dan to 3rd dan or so, and as a common knight, reaching the intermediate rank is enough to qualify. The saint rank requires the upper rank 6th dan and above, but I'll ignore this first. Julian performed a Saint ranked technique according to Paul and the aftermath was much more devastating than anything upper 6th dan can do.

This example is, Paul has kendo, Judo, Karate reaching the strength of 4th dan.

And all of them are trained halfway before abandoning it. Even though he's not a decent human being, his strength can be guaranteed. Also, even though he's only 25 years old or so, his practical combat experience is in abundance, eerily so.

The advice that he gives is very cunning and practical. Due to him being too much of an instinct user, I can't understand even half of it, but I know that what he says is all correct. The 2 years I've spent learning from Paul, haven't let me rise above the elementary ranks.

After a few more years, I don't know how my physical strength will improve, but currently no matter how I do mental training, I can't find a way to beat Paul. Even if I use magic or play around with strategies, I feel like I absolutely can't win.

I've seen Paul fight a monster.

More accurately, it was him who showed me. After being notified that there was a monster, he said [Observing is also a form of experience] and dragged me outside, letting me watch his battle from afar.

To tell the truth.

He's too damn cool.

Why? Cause I never saw Julian fight so I have no idea what it is like. So for me, Paul is more cool.

Anyways, Paul's opponents were 4 monsters.

3 <<Assault Dog>>, that look like trained Doberman,

1 <<Terminate Boar>>, a wild pig-like monster with 4 arms.

It seems that the wild pig has led the dogs and appeared deep within the forest. Paul easily handled them and severed off their heads within moments. Let me say this again, that is too damn cool.

How should I describe it? His entire battle feels like he is full of elegance. What makes me excited is how there's an unfathomable rhythm to it, looking aptly presentable. It's not adequate to describe it with words. If you really need to use a word to describe, it's charm.

Paul's battle style is full of charm. It draws people's trust, made Zenith fall in love with him, Lilia yielding her body to him. The number one man in the village whom you want to sleep with.

Well, meh, whatever.

Definitely not jealous. (< is lying)

I'm grateful for his existence. I'm grateful this powerful existence is beside me. If there was no Paul here, I might have easily turned out to be arrogant in this world. Like challenging a monster recklessly just because I know some magic, but I can't hit the <<Assault Dog>>, and get cruelly bitten to death.

No, perhaps it might not be monsters, but men. Arrogantly challenging an unbeatable enemy. A scenario that happens all too easily. Trying to punish the bad people but getting wiped out instead.

The warriors in this world are strong beyond comprehension. If one is serious, he can run at the speed of 50 kilometers. The dynamic vision and reaction aren't normal. Because of healing magic, one wouldn't easily die, but the opponent can kill in one strike. The existence of monsters has made the human race adapt and become strong.

Furthermore, Paul who's so powerful is only at the Advanced rank. Judging from the swordsman, there are many people out there that are more powerful. In this world, the famous people and monsters, there are way too many out there that Paul is not a match for.

Prime example, his own kid who isn't even 10.

There is always someone better than you. Paul's existence taught me this natural conclusion. Although, no matter how many good points he has, he's a useless father at home.

Even if you're an Olympic gold medalist, you're still a criminal if you commit a crime.

You can the CEO of an NGO helping orphans, but a rapist is a rapist. A scum is a scum. And Paul will be Paul.

Right now, I was practicing with Paul.

Just like many other days, even today I can't win against Paul. I probably can't win tomorrow too. Recently, I don't have the feeling of improvement. But if I don't continue training, I will not improve and fall behind Julian.

I think I understand what Julian meant when he said that recently he hasn't been able to cast spells on a bigger level. Even without me telling him, he knew the inner mechanics of the Water Saint spell, but he said if he tried it, his mana would deplete quickly. His mana pool, compared to mine was quite small but in comparison to an average human, it was still pretty huge.

Even if there's no sense to it, the process of training will become my skill.

Probably.

It will right? There's no mistake to it?

As I was thinking of this and that, Paul suddenly remembered something. "That's right Rudey. About school you..." When he reached the middle of it, he paused, his face twisting into a look of deep contemplation before returning to the former one, "...Never mind. Nothing, let's continue." Paul raised his wooden sword as if nothing had happened.

I didn't miss that.

"What, school...?"

"The school refers to the Fittoa region's capital's Ranoa style education system. It's in charge of teaching language, history, etiquette and mathematics." He explained.

"I think I've heard about this in the past."

"Usually, a child your age will attend school... You don't need it right? Learning language and mathematics?" Paul asked.

"Hm, that's true."

I'll treat it like Roxy taught me Mathematics. And in turn, I taught Julian about mathematics. He was a quick learner since he learned every operation of mathematics pretty quickly.

After the two girls were born, the finances dipped slightly into the red, and I helped take a look at the account books. In the end, they were shocked. I was afraid of being called a genius or something, so I immediately brought out Roxy's name.

In the end, Roxy's evaluation went up again, that's fine with me.

"But I'm interested in school. Aren't there a lot of kids the same age as me gathering together? I might be able to make friends." I argued but Paul spat at that.

"It's not a fine place that you believe it to be. There's no flexibility to the etiquette lessons, there are a huge bunch of useless rules, and there's no meaning if you learn about history. You will absolutely get bullied, and when the brats from the nobles gather together, they will cause a fuss if they aren't number one. If they see you, they will form a party to bully you. Something like why you are better than me despite the fact that I have a duke as my father."

It's like he experienced it firsthand. I heard that Paul left home due to his father's strictness and the disgusting nobles. The etiquette and history lessons are there to give vanity to the Asuran nobles, they are probably something that make people feel oppressed. I will surely also feel the same way since Paul and I are similar.

"Is that so. I thought there might be daughters of the nobles out there who are cute."

"I suggest you give up. The nobles' daughters might wear makeup and do up a hairstyle and put on perfume, but once they get into bed, because they don't do any physical activities, their body shape is really terrible. Well, there are those out there who like the sword, and have a pretty good body, but most of them use a corset to cover up things, so if you don't strip them you won't know. Father has been deceived many times..."

Paul looked up to the sky as he said that, and his words were subtly persuasive.

Imagine getting scammed so many times. Would take a real honry mutt to be deceived that many times.

Even though he talks like a scumbag, because of these experiences, he has managed to get a good wife like Zenith, so his words have deeper meaning to them. "Then... I won't go to school."

There are many things I want to teach Sylphy. Also, if I know I'll get bullied and still go there on purpose, there must be something wrong with my mind. Didn't I become a NEET for 20 years just because I got bullied.

Last time I checked, I definitely am not into BDSM.

"That's right. Instead of going to school, you should become an adventurer and go into dungeons. Just like Julian."

"Why adventurer of all things...?"

"Dungeons are a good place. Because the girls don't wear makeup, you can tell whether they are pretty. Regardless of a swordsman or warrior or a magician, they have really good bodies."

Putting the scumbag comments aside. According to the books, dungeons are a form of monster. It is merely a simple cave that has warped due to the accumulation of mana, and finally changed to a dungeon. At the deepest part of the dungeon, there is said to be a source of power, a mana Crystal, and there is a protector that protects it, often called as Boss.

I wonder if Julian was able to go into a dungeon.

WAIT!

If he goes to a dungeon....

.......doesn't that mean he can take every kind of beauty to bed?

NOOO! Am I going to be outdone by a shrimp?

Ehmmm, anyways, I will see that matter later. Back to the main topic.

The mana Crystal is bait that has a strong temptation. The monsters that are drawn into the dungeon, will die from triggering a trap, starve to death, or be killed by the protector. The dungeon will absorb the mana from the monster. But, there is also the possibility where the monster eats the mana Crystal, or occasionally gets buried when the dungeon collapses.

The dungeon sounds like a monster because of this fuzzy description. Also the monsters are not the only ones drawn to the mana Crystal. Humans are also foolishly drawn to it.

It seems that the mana Crystal can be used as a catalyst for magic, so the price for it is extremely high. Even though the price is determined by the size, even a small mana Crystal will sell for enough that one would be able to play around for a year. Furthermore, while the monsters are only eyeing the mana Crystal, humans aren't merely going for that.

There are monsters that have years of mana in them, or there are adventurers' equipment that have been left behind. There is also another bait.

Magic Items.

Magic items are different in the sense that they do not use the user's mana and still cast magic. It's just that the majority of the magic Items do not have very useful abilities. Most of them are trash. But amongst them are cheat-like items that make even god ranked characters pale.

If something like that is sold, they can earn tremendous amounts of money, and there are people who are drunk on the dream of getting rich overnight entering the dungeons. Most of them collapsed in their journey, and the mana that dungeons receive make it even bigger and deeper.

And thus, there is a huge amount of treasure sleeping in the deepest part of the dungeon.

There is a confirmation of the oldest and longest dungeon situated in the central continent of the red dragon's sacred mountain region - at the Dragon Crying mountain foothills [The Dragon-god's Hole]. According to articles, this has been around since 10,000 years ago. The estimated deepest part is at 2,500 floors. It's said that there is a certain hole that connects the top of the Dragon Crying mountain to the bottom of the dungeon, and if you jump from there you can reach the deepest part of the dungeon in an instant but using that method no one is able to come up.

Just to add on their hole doesn't spew lava. The Dragon-God's hole is meant to catch red dragons. Sometimes the dragon that passes by will be sucked in. The verification of this cannot be ensured, but since it's a monster that has lived for 10,000 years, it wouldn't be strange if it's capable of doing something like this.

Additionally, the dungeon that is recognized to be the hardest difficulty is situated in the Heaven's continent 『Hell』, and the center of Ringus's sea [The Demon-God's Cavern]. The entrance to these two places are very difficult to access, and it is very difficult to supply things there. It is said that the dungeon is very deep and there's no way to explore it step by step, so it's rated as the highest difficulty.

The above is the knowledge that I know of the dungeons.

"I read the things about dungeons in a book."

"<<The 3 swordsmen and the dungeon>>? If you can explore the legendary dungeons like the book, you will definitely leave your name behind in history. Do you want to try working towards that?"

--- <<The 3 swordsmen and the dungeon>>

The 3 genius swordsmen that later on went to become the Sword-God, the Water-God, and the North-God, who challenged a huge dungeon after several setbacks. During the journey they had laughter, fought amongst them and had farewells, and they finally succeeded in conquering the dungeon.

The dungeon they went into is 100 floors deep.

"Isn't that a made-up story?"

"That's not the case. It's said that the various styles came from the dungeon."

"Eh. But if it's so lucky to become a god ranked person, even if I try hard, I won't become anything right?"

"Father tried before. Rudy can certainly do it."

Later on, Paul told me a story, about a ghost race youth who entered with a human swordsman and entered the water-fish's nest dungeon, where they lost a companion but insisted on beating the water-fish race. There was a half-baked magician who fell into the dungeon by accident and was picked up by the party who had just lost their magician, and woke his dormant potential and became strong.

He's telling me this as if he has been trying to find an opportunity. Come to think of it, Paul said he wanted me to become a swordsman. He must have thought that after I listen to the stories, read the <<The 3 swordsmen and the dungeon>>, I will be in admiration of the terms, dungeons, adventurers and swordsmen.

Dungeons. Interested.

Even though I find it interesting, at the same time I find it's dangerous.

Also, I am not as strong as Julian. At least when it comes to swordsmanship. Despite his less reserves, he is able to utilise it in such a good way that it makes up for the majority of it.

Now you'd ask why am I such a pussy?

That's because the characters that appear in the book died abruptly.

In the book <<The 3 swordsmen and the dungeon>>, there are other characters that appear besides the 3 swordsmen. But with the exception of the 3 swordsmen, they all died.

Some of them got hit by a fireball and turned into charcoal. Some of them fell into a hole and turned into soup. One of them got cut into two when the adventurer's head raised up. They didn't receive a scratch from the monster's fight, but once they got careless, they got wiped out by the traps.

Even though the 3 swordsmen elegantly avoided the traps like protagonists, but I don't think someone as careless as me can avoid them. I'm the donkan type after all.

"How about it? Adventurers are interesting right?"

"Are you joking?" Why should I intentionally go to such a dangerous place like I'm seeking thrills. If it's possible I wish to be like Paul surrounded by women. "Chasing after girls' butts suits my character. My dream is to be like father to be surrounded by a few of them."

"Is that so, is that so? But let me tell you, my son, it's always better to pursue just one fine derriere!" Paul exclaimed, playfully pointing at my back. Oblivious to his shenanigans, I turned around and was met with the sight of a grumpy Sylphy, looking as if she'd just found a lemon in her soup.

What misfortune....

JULIAN GREYRAT

Climbing a flight of unnecessarily long, spiraled stairs that led to the topmost floor where the prince, Pax Shirone's room was, I heaved out a long breath of relief. The stairs were finally over. Rather than feeling happy, I dreaded the time when I have to climb these down.

Not like I was ever afraid of them, but it seems like this new body had developed a new paralysis demon for itself. One other reason could be the fact that my physical age is just 7 years. I am not physically mature to be climbing or doing such arduous tasks.

Even after the event with Ariel, I felt a huge toll on my body. I should avoid using complex techniques that involve both swordsmanship and magic. My reserves recently have come to a standstill. While it is not much of an issue, I will deplete all of my mana after 2 King-ranked earth spells.

Mana depletion is bad. I should just avoid a situation where I have to use magic so much. My talent in magic is subpar, if compared to Rudy. One reason could be the mana reserve, but I have recently hit a ceiling with everything.

"We are here. Miss Roxy would be behind this area." The guard stationed with me informed me, pointing towards a veil of curtain. A few streaks of evening sunlight, dyed in a deep citrus shade permeated from the gaps, blinking in and out of existence, in tandem with every wild flutter of the wind.

"Thanks." I presented my gratitude to the guard before moving in that direction. Removing the curtains I saw her, her hands dangling over the balustrade, her eyes looking over the entire city. I was about to immediately greet her, but I saw a rather repulsive blob of flesh slowly making its way towards Roxy. Before she could react it suddenly latched itself onto her, hands slowly creeping up to her... chest?

I was about to cut it down, but it was at that moment I realised that it wasn't a repulsive parasite monster but rather the prince of Shirone, Pax. Roxy immediately reacted, using fire magic to ignite him. Although the spell in itself was rather harmless, the royal 'prince' started to roll on the ground as if his bones were being seared.

She should probably do that.

The prince fumbled with his words, trying to get his hands on Roxy again but she just called out for the guards, escorting him away. The prince spew out a lot of threats at her, about killing her if she doesn't comply but the way guards reacted and how harshly they dragged him away, it seemed like the prince had no vital significance. Probably he is very late in line of succession.

Letting out a long sigh, she gripped a cup in both her hands and looked over the balustrade again, her shoulders slumping as she slowly wiggled the cup in her hands.

Walking over to her, I rested my hands on the railing as well and I bent, placing my chin over my arms.

She suddenly recoiled, taking a step back. I wasn't looking at her. But I could feel her eyes burning holes into the side of my skull. "The city is livlier than I expected. Even from up here." I commented, without looking at her.

"Uh....huh? Ah.... yeah... it is." She replied, her voice shocked, still, as she kept looking at me.

Leaving the support of the concrete railing, I stood in front of her, finally looking at her. When I first met her, she looked to be just a few years older than us. Now she looked even more mature, a certain look of confidence regained in her which she had gradually lost when she was teaching us.

"How have you been, Roxy?" I asked, my eyes fixed on her with a stoic expression.

She blinked in surprise, momentarily thrown off by the disconnect between my tone and my facial expressions. After a brief pause, she returned to her senses, her eyes filled with concern and her hands gripping my shoulders gently.

"When did you come here!!???" she exclaimed, her voice filled with a mix of excitement and worry, her emotions overflowing.

I sighed internally at her sudden outburst, feeling a slight discomfort from her vigorous shaking. "I might throw up, stop jerking me," I protested, my monotone voice revealing my lack of enthusiasm.

Realizing the impact of her actions, she quickly released her hold on me, a hint of remorse crossing her face. "Oh, sorry... but when did you arrive here? Why didn't you tell me?" she inquired, her tone now tinged with curiosity and a genuine desire to understand.

"You were busy playing with the prince. I thought I wouldn't intrude," I replied with a shrug.

"Haaah!? Playing?" she grumbled, a hint of disappointment in her voice, her expressive face clouded with confusion.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of my lips, though, from her reaction, it seemed that it didn't quite reached my eyes. "I'm joking," I reassured her, my words still flat and devoid of amusement.

"Your face is screaming 'I am 100% serious,' you know," she teased, her eyes sparkling mischievously as she looked up at me.

"Is it?" I questioned, my tone neutral and my gaze fixed on her.

"Yes...pfft~" she trailed off, stifling a laugh before continuing, "... Regardless, I'm happy you're here now. I have so much to talk about," she said, her voice overflowing with excitement and warmth, her emotions dancing across her face.

"Hm." I nodded silently in response, my lack of visible emotion contrasting with her vibrant energy. However, showing extra attachment here could result in something drastic later.

After all............

Someone's watching me.... again.

RUDEUS GREYRAT

Recently in my room, I'm teaching Sylphy a lot of things.

Not the ones you'd generally expect from me... although I wish I could do that.... HEHEHE.

Ehm, anyways, to explain the details of the theory behind voiceless incantation, it's faster to teach from the basics of physics and maths. Even though I was the lowest in my class during middle school, I entered an idiot high school with much difficulty, only to stop in the middle of it. Therefore, I can teach only a limited number of things.

Even though learning isn't everything in school, I regret that I didn't study more things.

Sylphy has basically understood how to write and read, as well as 2 digits additions and subtraction. Teaching her the multiplication tables is a little harder, but she has a pretty sharp mind. I'm sure she will even catch on to division soon enough.

Not as sharp as Julian though. I just had to teach him the basics of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Surprisingly, he seemed quite invested in learning from me. As he should. Anyways, with that, he was able to perform these tasks with any amounts of numbers. Truly a genius.

Along with magic, I teach Sylph about science. I didn't teach Julian about it since he has a natural feeling for magic. Despite his low reserves, he is able to comprehend most spells.

"Why does water that's heated up become steam... air?" Sylph asked with a cute look on her face, an imaginary question mark appearing over her head.

"Well, the water vapor has evaporated into the air. But if you want to evaporate it, temperature is a must. So, when you make it hot, it will be easier to evaporate." I explained as simply as I could. I'm currently teaching her the concepts about evaporation, condensation, sublimation.

"...?" She put on a face full of incomprehension. But she's a straightforward kid, she absorbs things quickly.

"Well, you should just know that anything will melt if you make it hot, and it will condense when it cools down." Since I'm not a teacher, it should be enough like this. Sylphy's smarter than me. If she tries it out on her own, she will get it. If she uses magic, I won't be afraid that there isn't enough experimentation.

"Will rocks also melt too?" She asked. An interesting question.

"You need a really high temperature."

"Can Rudy melt rocks?"

"Of course."

Even though I say that I have never tried it. Recently I managed to roughly separate the air. Using this, I can forcefully add in oxygen and hydrogen, so I can achieve the temperature for melting a rock, but it's possible that I might burn myself, so I didn't want to try it.

Just to add on, there's an advanced ranked magic called [Molten rocks].

No matter how you look at it, it's a melded magic that mixes earth and fire, but it's classified as advanced fire magic. Even though it's classified to a certain system, there's a relationship to other systems. If you want to increase the fire power you can just keep on pouring mana into it, but if you use combustible materials, you can increase the power more effectively.

This is what I understand to this point.

What Julian said was that he didn't consider it to be melded magic. While what he said wasn't in scientific terms, what he meant was that, if, just like now, i can separate air molecules, there is a way to separate molecules for rocks as well. He had a pretty distinct way to do it and he didn't burn himself in the process. However, I might burn myself since our methods are different.

My magic level didn't change very much from the time Roxy said her farewells. Even though I tried combining magic, or use various methods, or using science to increase the strength. From the surface, perhaps the level has risen quite a bit, like attack potency or diversity in arsenal.

But I'm feeling the bottleneck of it. With my knowledge, I am unable to accomplish something harder. If there's some difficulty in my past life, I could have searched it online, but this world doesn't have something so convenient.

Who should I learn it from......

"School?......" I muttered to myself. It seems there is a magic school. Even though Roxy has some slight criticism to the magic school, I should be able to enter it.

"Is Rudy going to school?" Sylphy looked at me with very uneasy eyes. Every time she turns her head, her green hair will also moves in tadem. I told her with the frequency of every month [It's better to keep longer hair].

I have finally succeeded since lately Sylphy has started to let her hair grow. Even though the length is only about a girl's short hair, the slightly untidy emerald like hair will move along with her head. It feels great. There's just a bit left for a ponytail.

"I won't go there. Father also says I will get bullied and I can't learn anything there."

"But Rudy has been strange lately."

Really? I didn't realize that. Did I do something stupid again? Even though I'm carefully trying to act like a Donkan character in front of Sylphy.

"I've been strange since birth." I repliedc with half of the intention to inquire about it, slightly grinning over what I said. Sylphy creased her forehead and shook her head vigorously.

"That's not it. How should I put it? It's like you're not energetic..." Oh. That's what she means. I think too much. I thought I did something stupid again. I got worried by her.

"That's because I'm feeling the bottleneck. I didn't improve much on magic and sword techniques."

"But... Rudy is really amazing?"

"For my age it's probably so." I replied as bubbles of water started to form around my extended hand. Indeed, in this world, I might be really amazing at my age. But I still haven't done anything. Magic as well, I'm just relying on my past memories and managed to notice on how to use voiceless incantation and do it slightly better than others.

But because my past life's ability to memorize things is low, now I have already reached my limits, and I'm unable to advance. How many times have I regretted not being able to learn more things, now I can't relearn it. Also, my past life's common knowledge might not work here. There are many rules in this world that I don't know. I can't keep relying on my past memories right?

Magic is this world's logic. There are so many people out there with tremendous amounts of talent in magic and swordsplay. I might be a saint in water magic, so what? My brother, although not official, is a saint ranked swordsman. On top of that, he is probably nearing saint stage in magic as well.

So, I need to understand this world.

I want to... no, I HAVE to get stronger.

"I feel that it's time to move on to the next stage." I announced. Sylphy's magic is getting better and better, and she has become smart. Looking at her, my heart often burns with anxiety. I'm useless for being the only one not moving forward. Even though I keep saying that I'm a donkan protagonist, after I grow up, I might be ditched by Sylphy.

"Are you going somewhere?" Sylphy asks me with a frown on her face.

"Indeed. Father also says that it's better for me to become an adventurer and enter the dungeons, and there aren't a lot of things I can do in the village... If I want to I should either go to school or become an adventurer..." I didn't think too much and just randomly said it.

"N... No!" Sylphy suddenly shouts and tackled me, hugging me like her life depended on it.

Woah. What, what, what's wrong?

A love confession?

As I was thinking about that, I realised Sylph was trembling all over. "Miss Sylphi...ette?"

"N, o, no... no!!" Sylphy tightened her hug on me till the point I feel I couldn't breathe. Did Sylphy feel something over the lost and silent me...

"N, no, don't go... Uuu, uuu, hic." She sobbed. Her small shoulders were trembling violently, her face burying in my chest.

... What, what. What's wrong? I first rubbed Sylphy's head, and softly patted her back.

At the same time the butt...... No, no I'm not Paul. Leave the butt alone.

I wrap my arms around her back and use my whole body to experience Sylphy's touch. She feels so warm and soft. I buried my face in her hair, smelling something nice. Ah, this is great. This, is really great... I feel like...

"Uu, I don't want you to go. Don't go, anywhere..." I came back to my senses.

"Ah, ahh..." I see. That's how it is. Recently, Sylphy has been coming to our home in the morning a lot more. Once she comes over, she will look at me happily practicing sword techniques, then training magic or learning. We have been doing something like this. If I leave one day, Sylphy will be all alone. Even if she uses magic to chase the bad kids away, she won't make any friends.

Once I think to there, my heart finds her to be even cuter. She's only liked by me. That's something that only belongs to me. "I got it, I got it. I won't go anywhere." I actually have to throw such a cute child behind to go somewhere else? Improving my magic?

So what? I already can use saint ranked and advanced ranked magic, if something happens, I'll be a teacher like Roxy. Before I can reach the age of an adult, I'll spend my time with Sylphy. Let's do that. Growing up together, raising her a little to suit my taste. The Hikaru Genji project.

Hehehehehe.

......... Ha!

Nooooo! Calm down calm down calm down. Didn't you decide to be a donkan type? Why did you suddenly plan that... But, but..........

A donkan type isn't a reason for doing a Hikaru Genji project... right?

Wait! What am I thinking about!! But... Bah. How much should I pretend not to know what this child feels? She's only 6 years old. She sticks very closely to me. I can feel her goodwill towards me. But that shouldn't be in the sense of romantic love. Then let's keep that.

But when should I keep that?

10 years old, 15 years old... or later...? What if I'm hated by Sylphy? Even though the like score is currently at MAX, there's no guarantee that it wont drop. During then, can I hold it in......?

I... can't!!

There are things humans can and cannot do!! Look at her. She's so soft, warm and gentle, and she smells so nice. She's trying to tell me her feelings, and I'm supposed to ignore that?! That's too strange right? If we're conscious of each other, I should move on to the next step. I shouldn't hold it in by myself and not move forward. We should move together as one!!

Should I waste my time on mistakes? Even though I know it's a mistake and not correct it? I've decided!! I will raise Sylphy as a type that I like!!

Oh, I'm giving up as the donkan type!! Sylphy------------!!

"Hey Rudy...... There's a letter for you."

Paul barged in and I returned from my [Imaginary World]. I hurriedly push Sylphy away. That was too dangerous. I nearly became a scumbag boss character. I need to thank Paul. But this time I managed to hold onto my true feelings. I still have my limits.

I managed to restrain myself this time. Can I restrain myself the next time...?

The letter was from Roxy.

"Dear Rudi:

How have you been?

Time really flies, it has been 2 years since our farewell.

Now that I'm not continuing to drift, I can finally write a letter to you.

I'm staying at the Shirone capital. It seems that I became famous after entering a dungeon as an adventurer, and I got hired as the Prince's home school tutor.

Teaching the prince has made me recall of the days in the Greyrat family.

The prince is similar to Rudeus. He's not as good as Rudi, but his magic potential is distinct and he's also very clever. Also, he's the same as you since he spies on me changing clothes and steals my underwear. He's always full of himself and is different from Rudeus in that department, but his actions are like yours.

Should I attribute that to heroes being lustful?

I'm worried if I'm going to be attacked during this employment period.

What's so good about this weak and frail body...

Ah, am I being impolite and disrespectful to the crown by writing all this...?

Well, I'll talk about that later. I think it should be okay since I'm not saying bad things behind his back. The kingdom wants to appoint me as the court magician, even though it's for a limited time.

It's just so that I'm doing magic research, that's a coincidence.

Oh, that's right. I can finally use Water-King ranked magic.

The library in Shirone kingdom has books related to Water-King ranked magic.

I thought I was unable to take another step after learning saint ranked magic, but I can actually do it if I try.

Rudeus must be capable of using Water-Emperor ranked magic by now. Or should I say, that all your other systems have reached saint ranked. The studious you might even have touched the Healing Magic or Summoning Magic by now right?

Or have you started going onto the route of a swordsman?

Even though there's a bit of a pity, but if it's Rudeus, no matter which road you choose it's okay.

My target is to be a Water-God ranked magician.

I have said before that if you find you have a bottleneck in magic, you can try knocking on Ranoa University's doors.

If you don't have a written introduction, you will have to undergo a test. Though, if it's you, it should be easy to pass.

Well then, I'll end it here.

- Roxy

PS: By the time you reply, I might not be in the kingdom, you don't need to reply."

This letter is such a wake-up call. Damn it. I searched for Shirone on the map. It's a small country situated in the Central Continent southeast area. It's not too far away from a straight line. But the mountains in the Central Continent have red dragons, so there's no way to pass it and you need to go around a long way by the south side.

A faraway kingdom.

Furthermore, the Magic University in Ranoa requires traveling in a roundabout way to the Northwest.

"Hm..."

Roxy didn't teach me any king ranked magic...

It's because she didn't know. On the reply letter I didn't write anything noteworthy. That's because I didn't want Roxy to know of my useless status. Even though I'm not sure how amazing I am in her eyes, I didn't want to disappoint her. But, coming back to think about it. Magic University? Roxy once said that it was fantastic there. But, it's too far away.

I can't throw Sylphy away. What can I do...?

Anyway, I added a PS on the letter:

"Also, I'm sorry for stealing your underwear. And sorry for losing it."

(***)

The 2nd day after the letter arrived, I stated my thoughts when the family gathered for food. "Father, can I make a selfish request?"

"No."

I got immediately refused. But Zenith sitting on the side knocked on Paul's head. Lilia sitting on the other side also added an attack. Because of the pregnancy saga, Lilia also sits at the dining table to have her meal. In the past, she fulfilled her status as a maid by serving from the side, but she's now family.

It's okay for polygamy in this country?

Whatever.

"Rudeus. Whatever you need just say it. Father will satisfy you." Zenith said gently while looking at Paul who's grasping his head.

"Young Master Rudeus has never said something selfish before. It's time to test Master's dignity and reliability." Lilia added.

Paul straightened himself again, crossed his arms and raised his chin, making him look important. "Rudeus actually states he's having a selfish request. It must be something that's out of my league."

Paul gets hit again and falls flat onto the table. These are the small jokes during family time. Then I told them.

"Actually, I feel that my magic learning has reached a bottleneck. I wish to go to Ranoa's University to learn..."

"...Oh."

"But after I told this intention to Sylphy, she started to cry and doesn't want to be apart from me."

"Oh, this playboy, who do you resemble? Eh?" Paul get hits a 3rd time with a 2 chain attack.

"So, I want to go to school with her, but her family isn't as well off as ours. So, I want to make a request to pay school fees for both of us."

"Oh..."

Paul puts both of his elbows on the table, and casted a sharp, piercing gaze on me like a superior officer. This is the gaze he often uses when he is holding a sword. The only moment when Paul deserves respect.

"No." Paul said the same thing as before. This time it's real. Zenith and Lilia were also quiet this time.

"There are 3 reasons. Number 1, you're still learning sword techniques. If you put them down now, your skill will become undeveloped. As your teacher, I can't let you put them down now. Number 2, about money. If it's only you, we can still handle it, but we can't do that if you want us to handle Sylphy's as well. The fees for the Magic University are not cheap, our household's money isn't like hot water where you can constantly run it. Number 3, your age. You're only 7 years old. Even though you're a smart kid, there are many things you don't know. Your experience is severely insufficient. We can't throw away our responsibilities as parents."

"Didn't you let Julian go for a much more dangerous task?"

"Julian is different. I am not saying he is better than you. But the amount of power his little body contains, it's downright criminal to hold him down here. Other than that, he didn't request to go just because he could find a skirt."

As I thought, that didn't work. But I'm not giving up. Paul is different from the past. He will think about it and give reasons. That means if I satisfy these 3 conditions it will be fine. Don't be anxious. I don't need to go right now.

"I understand, Father. Then, I'll continue practicing sword techniques as usual, about the age problem how many years do I need to wait?"

"That's right... 15, before you're 12 years old you must stay at home. But given there isn't much disparity between you and Julian, I can do a compromise and let you go where you're 10."

10 years old, hm.

I remember you're an adult once you're 15 years old.

"Can I ask why you said 12 years old initially?"

"Because when I left home, I was 12."

"I see, I got it."

10 years old to Paul is something that can't be negotiated. Since I don't want to belittle his pride as a male, I can only shut up and nod.

"Then the final problem."

"Oh."

"Please introduce a job to me. Since I am literate, and able to use math, I can become a home tutor or teach magic. It's best if the salary is high."

"Job? Why?"

Paul looked at me with serious eyes, as if to intimidate me.

"I'll earn Sylphy's school fees."

"......This can't be said that it's good for Sylphy."

"Yes. But this is for myself."

"..."

Silence persisted for a while. It's not a comfortable atmosphere for me.

"Is that right...... I see..."

Paul seems to have thought of something and nodded. "I got it. I can help you ask about it if it's this matter."

Paul used a reliable expression to reply to me. It's different from Zenith and Lilia's troubled expressions.

"Thank you very much."

I lower my head in thanks, and dinner continues.

JULIAN GREYRAT

"Is that so?" Roxy asked with a stern, worried expression as she leaned back into her chair, looking up at the night sky.

"Hm." I only hummed in response, taking the cup of tea up and taking a sip from it.

"That indeed isn't normal. Shironian flying bats have attacked travelers before as well but that many at the same time and targeting a single one is quite new, even for me." Roxy let out a sigh as she voiced her concerns, "I think you've made an enemy."

"Hm? Enemy? The most jobs I did were finding pets though. There was only one job where we had to hunt. Other than that, I don't think I did anything to make an enemy."

"We? Do you have a party?"

"I did indeed form a party. Sadly, they all died." Roxy narrowed her eyes. "I was able to survive, thanks to them."

She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes until they were thin slits. Looks like she isn't going to believe me. However, her eyes widened suddenly, as if she had remembered something.

"Have you visited a labyrinth yet?"

Labyrinth. They're supposed to be quite perilous.

"No, I haven't, yet." I replied. While it was true that I was interested in them, diving into one would be nothing short of suicide if I go alone.

"Do you plan to?"

"One day, yes."

"Before becoming a tutor here, I was trying to do research and doing experimentations to improve my magic. I went to a labyrinth which isn't very far away from here."

Roxy was already a king-ranked water mage. I think if she goes along with me, it can be much safer.

"So? If you want, I can come with you."

"Aren't you under a contract?"

"I am not leaving here. I can just ask the king to grant me a leave. I can serve the absent days later."

"You don't have to trouble yourself."

She shook her head, her small braid shifting from her left to right shoulder. "I am not being troubled. Since we've met after so much time, I want to spend some time with you...." she paused, ".......also, I want to see for myself how much you have improved."

I placed my chin over my interlinked fingers, contemplating over her offer.

"Come on, why are you thinking so much?"

"Ok. You can come." I replied as she smiled, "well then, you stay here, I will go talk to the king right now."

"Right now?"

"Hehe, you don't want me to leave you?" She asked with a sly, vulpine grin.

"Uh, no. You can go ask the king."

She hopped off, disappearing behind the curtains as I stood up as well. I stood by the railing, taking in the whole city.

'Now then, let's see what this is all about.' I thought to myself as my eyes changed colours from a light shade of sapphire to neon green. The world shifted, inverting the colours as one distinct mana presence stood out from the rest.

Strange. It's not human.

It was facing the other way, but as soon as I caught exact location of it, it looked back, right into my eyes. My whole body juddered as I felt the presence grow overwhelmingly large before shrinking out of existence.

Like that, it was gone.

RUDEUS GREYRAT

As I continue training, Paul spoke up, "Rudi, I want to ask you something."

"What is it, father?"

I listen to Paul carefully with a stiff expression. After all, this is my first job including my past life. I need to work hard.

"You... Ah. If I wanted you to separate from Sylphy, what would you think?]

"Huh? Of course I don't want to."

"That's true."

"What's wrong?"

"No, nothing at all. Even if I told you, you would turn things from black into white." The instant he says that. Paul completely changes. A blood thirst emits from him to the point that I can feel it even though I'm a novice.

"Eh!?"

"...!!"

Paul takes a step forward along with a silent pressure.

Death.

This word flashes across my mind. I instinctively use all my magic to attack Paul. An explosive wind is created in between Paul and I, using wind and fire magic at the same time. I jump backwards, boosted by the hot wind pushing me backwards. I have simulated this many times. With Paul as an opponent, there's no chance of winning if I don't pull away from him. Even though the explosive wind does damage to me, I can gain some distance if I can frighten away the opponent. But Paul pays no attention to it, and charges forward like the earlier pose he had.

(It's ineffective after all!!)

Even though I expected it, I still feel dread welling up. I need to take the next step for evasive maneuvers. The back is impossible. The opponent is moving forward too quickly. I instinctively think of that. I create a shock wave to hit my body on the side. With the force of the shock wave, my body flies to the side. The sound of the wind being cut grazes my ear, making my body break into cold sweat. I see Paul's sword swinging where my head was earlier.

Good.

The first strike has been avoided. This point is advantageous. Even though the distance is still very close, I can take the next step to pull away. I can see my victory. I sink the earth where this guy is going to step next. Paul steps onto that small pitfall. Just when I think of that, he shifts his body weight instantly on the other leg, and continues to charge at me without delay.

(It's not good enough if you don't disable both legs at the same time!?)

I created a marsh at my feet. Before I sink, I cast a water current and slide backwards like I'm skiing.

It's too late...!

It was too late when I had this idea. Paul steps onto the solid ground on the edge of the marsh. The force that he stepped on makes the ground sink. There's only one more step left to come close to me.

"U, uaahhh!!"

I use the sword to engage him in panic. A clumsy strike that doesn't belong to any style. I feel a slippery, hateful feeling on my hands as I swing the sword with brute force.

(It has been deflected by the Water-God style...)

I only know that. After the Water-God Style deflection comes the counterattack. Even though I know that, I can't react to it. Like a slow motion cut scene, Paul's sword swings towards my neck.

(Ah. luckily it's a wooden sword...)

My consciousness dives towards darkness as I feel the strike on my neck.

JULIAN GREYRAT

Roxy was granted leave but not immediately. After the prince threw a tantrum in the royal court, the king in attempts to stop further humiliation gave Roxy the leave but only after a month. In this month, I just stayed in Shirone.

After a while, Roxy suggested that I should learn the Demon God's language. Since I didn't have anything better to do, I decided on learning it.

While it was quite arduous for Roxy, she decided to teach me anyways. Morning sessions were dedicated to Pax while in the evening both of us would go outside and take a walk.

At night Roxy usually teaches me the Demon-God tongue.

The prince, for some reason, has developed some sort of rivalry with me. Every time I use magic or talk to Roxy, he will try to attack me. I did try to avoid him but often when I am alone in the market, he sends his personal guards to attack me.

Because the king was informed the day, he first tried to assault me, he can't have me removed by inflicting any kind of blame.

Although, I don't understand. Can't he see? Roxy and I share a platonic relationship due to our past. It still baffles me how he gets insecure over just me talking to her. He surely is suffering from a crippling inferiority complex.

Well, long story short. I was able to survive a month of relentless assassination attempts, the prince was put behind the bars for stealing an imperial artefact.

I wonder how. (😗🎶)

Other than the presence that stalked me, I am not really worried about anything else.

Well then, let's just hope everything goes well.

NARRATOR's POV

With that, both brothers----Julian and Rudeus Greyrat, dispatched onto an adventure, having no idea what was waiting for them.

How will Rudeus' student turn out? Will he be able to teach or become a pancake instead?

Will Julian finally become strong after staying weak for so long? How will his adventure with Roxy in a perilous labyrinth affect his relationship with her? Will he be able to pull something or becoming the laughingstock in comments?

Find out in the next volume of Jobless Reincarnation x COTE - Lucid Realities.

For updates, join discord from link to this para.

AUTHOR's NOTE:

With that rushed chapter, Volume 1 has come to an end. Thanks to everyone who read, voted and commented despite the debilitating lack of intelligence and physical prowess. I'd like to present my gratitude to all the infant chimps who despite their twin brain cells commented theories and smacked the vote button harder than your mum smacks you with the holy 'Chappal'.

That is it for today.... or, should I say, for a while. Need some break for me self as well. I'll see you all next time.

>Con ese capítulo apresurado, el Volumen 1 ha llegado a su fin. Gracias a todos los que leyeron, votaron y comentaron a pesar de la debilitante falta de inteligencia y destreza física. Me gustaría presentar mi gratitud a todos los chimpancés bebés que, a pesar de sus células cerebrales gemelas, comentaron teorías y golpearon el botón de voto más fuerte de lo que tu madre te golpea con el sagrado 'Chappal'. Eso es todo por hoy.... o, debería decir, por un tiempo. Necesito un poco de descanso para mí también. Los veré a todos la próxima vez.