Technique & Conversation

It had been a few weeks since Roxy arrived, and my daily life, which I initially thought wouldn't change much, had been completely turned upside down.

The spell I cast that day...

My mother got the gist of it, so I had no choice but to reveal my hidden talent for magic to her in the most playful way I could.

After that, I couldn't even tell whether the following days were pure hell or bliss. She continuously ambushed me with her gigantic weapons multiple times, and the nights filled with loud moans, as if coming from a loudspeaker, were absolutely soul-wrenching and annoying.

Despite that, since she was also a fellow Magic user who was so fond of Magic, I had no choice but to indulge her for hours, showcasing my Magic control like a street performer to be a good child. Surprisingly, I didn't seem to mind it.

Despite seeing it hundreds of times, her eyes always sparkled whenever I created an exact replica of her using Water Magic, as if she were a little girl. To stop her from requesting it repeatedly, I began making small ice figurines of not just her, but everyone in the house, as they all gave me those intense puppy-dog eyes after I made a beautiful one for Zenith. It was indeed a good choice; not minding Paul and Rudues though, but even Lilia and Roxy accepted the figurines gratefully, treating them like treasured items.

Surprisingly, Roxy even remarked, "I have never seen someone—much less a child—possess such an incredible amount of Magic power and such terrifying control over it!"

Because she said so, I couldn't help but wonder: Was I the only one who could control his Magic power to such a degree? Surely, there must be others with similar abilities.

Even though I was fortunate with my magical talent, I had no proficiency in Battle Aura—a mystical power that Fighters and swordsmen develop through rigorous training.

Unlike Magic, Battle Aura had no visible effects. Its primary use, which I observed during Paul's practice sessions, was to exponentially enhance one's physical abilities in battle. Control over their Battle Aura determined a swordsman's rank. For example, Paul, who could wield it effortlessly, was ranked in the Advanced class. Those who struggled to wield it or lack control were ranked Intermediate or Beginner. Additionally, a person's rank was also influenced by their combat skills, whether in hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship or with other weapons.

However...

In spite of having no talent for Battle Aura, I refused to give up!

I tried and tried, yet couldn't succeed.

Something was wrong, I knew it.

It was as if my body was refusing to manifest this specific power for some reason. Most of the knights, even Laws and other villagers, could use Battle Aura when I watched them secretly clearing monsters. Though not as effectively as Paul. If I had to guess, Laws was probably around Intermediate-rank, while the others were at the Beginner-rank in terms of Battle Aura.

I hate to admit it, but I had come to a conclusion: Battle Aura was simply rejecting this body of mine. And I had no idea why...

So, I dropped the idea of trying to conjure Battle Aura. Instead, I decided to invent a new method—or spell, if you will—to boost my physical attacks. And bam! After a few weeks of continuous trial and error, I finally succeeded.

Another spell... no, calling it a spell would be incorrect; it was more like a technique in every sense.

By harnessing my dense magic power, I created an extremely condensed magic suit, similar to Iron Man's armor.

This Magic Armor allowed me to channel my magic power into all physical attacks, significantly amplifying their strength. I could easily smash a boulder to smithereens with enough magic power! Not to mention, the magic consumption was substantial, but it was ultimately manageable. With my perfect control and massive reserves, I could maintain the Magic Armor for about an hour.

Yes, since this was a genuine technique I created myself, I named it Magic Armor.

A technique born out of desperation, made solely for me.

I was also relieved to discover that, aside from myself, no one could see the Magic Armor enveloping my body—not even Roxy seemed to notice it.

After developing my Magic Armor, our sword sessions became rather invigorating. Despite struggling with my height and adjusting to the rapid movements of the nimble Paul, I could easily hold my own against this damn monkey. His shocked reaction was extremely satisfying for some reason.

Not that it was the same for Rudeus.

Still, I couldn't help but notice that during our practice sessions with Paul, he struggled more than I had anticipated.

Perhaps it was because he was still small?

No, size didn't really matter in this world. It wasn't even fair to use age, whether young or old, to gauge someone's innate talent. Since Paul was an above-average genius in swordsmanship, it wasn't unreasonable to expect that Rudeus would be similarly gifted.

But...

After observing him regularly for two weeks, I finally concluded that he had no talent for the sword. Neither his stance nor his reaction speed improved after two whole weeks. Even though he was a reincarnator like me, it was hard to believe he lacked improvement.

I was an exception, though, because I had already mastered every move Paul had shown us without breaking a sweat. From simple swings to various techniques of the Sword, Water, and North God styles, I had completely ingrained them in my mind and body even before these afternoon sessions began. Though, without Battle Aura, those moves felt hollow. But since I had created my Magic Armor, the difference in performance was like night and day.

The sharpness and power behind each slash were almost comparable to Paul's. This was why I invested so much of my precious time: to execute these cool moves that every man dreams of.

Yes, magic was cool and all. But swords were in a league of their own.

The reason I trained my body was that I wanted to have some close-range attacks or defense measures for assurance. Even though I had many spells and abundant Magic power at my disposal, I didn't have any defensive spells. Magic Armor didn't work defensively either.

I'd mastered various attack spells, but unfortunately, I didn't know any specific magic that could help me during close combat. However, after acquiring Magic Armor, which boosted my physical attacks and swordsmanship to decent level, I figured I might not need defensive spells as much.

Since even Roxy had no knowledge of Barrier Magic and neither did Zenith, I had no choice but to delay learning those spells and plan to study them on my own later. I asked Roxy why it was so hard to acquire Barrier Magic. She simply nodded with a smile, probably pleased, and casually explained: "You see, my dear student, it's like this: For hundreds of years, the holy country of Millis has restricted the practice of Barrier and Detoxification Magic beyond the Beginner rank. As a result, ordinary people find it difficult to access even basic knowledge or theories about these spells, let alone learn the Beginner or higher-level versions."

O-oh, so it was like that.

Those bastards... Playing politics.

In the end, I pushed my luck one last time and asked Zenith, hoping that as someone from Milishion, she might know the Beginner rank spell. All I needed was the incantation, and I was confident I could create my own Barrier Magic with ease.

However, it was futile.

"Ah," Zenith's face paled when I asked her about Barrier Magic. She stood there for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, perhaps recalling unpleasant memories, before finally responding, "Forgive me, little Xeno, but I'm really bad at Barrier Magic... Even though many people called me a genius... Uhh, I'm so embarrassed..."

So that was it. No luck for me, it seemed.

However, seeing her embarrassed face and pout, I couldn't help but act as her child. "For me, Mother is the best! No, she's the greatest!!" I said with exaggerated enthusiasm. It worked, though.

Zenith beamed and showered my cheeks with kisses. "Mmm~ what's this, my little baby is charming his mother, huh... My, so sweet~" she teased, and indeed, her teasing lasted a long time. Not that I minded.

And so the day passed with Roxy teaching Rudues and me about magic theories in the early morning and general knowledge on various topics before bedtime. I especially looked forward to the evenings, where sword fighting with the advanced-rank fighter Paul proved challenging but undeniably rewarding.

I continued my daily exercises in the backyard before the afternoon. I was concerned that someone, probably Zenith, might intervene to stop me from overexerting myself, but I was mistaken. She remained silent, merely observing my training with what seemed like pride. Lilia also didn't object; she simply said, "Please call me at once if you need any help," with noticeable enthusiasm. Afterward, I resolved to show her more appreciation. For years, I had used my spells to help her clean the house, but to me, she was more like a second mother than a housemaid. So, I decided to treat her with greater care in the future.

As for nutrients, I had buried some rations nearby, so that wasn't an issue.

That aside, my brother Rudues did attempt to follow my routine. Perhaps he felt embarrassed or jealous, but within just half an hour, he collapsed to his knees, coughing and drenched in sweat. After that, he never tried to imitate my routine again, which was understandable. Instead, he spent about ten minutes warm-up training with Paul before solely focusing on swordsmanship.

It seemed he had developed a special bond with Paul for some reason I wasn't aware of. Good for him, I thought.

Because I lost my parents early on Earth, I lacked a deep bond with them. I barely remembered them, so I couldn't connect with them as I did with Zenith and Lilia. Paul was an exception. He had proven to be a severe disappointment—he had tried to abuse Lilia in the past, as she told me, which was one reason I couldn't view him as a father figure. Moreover, I had caught him leering at Lilia and other neighboring girls so many times that even as a fellow human, I found it hard to condone his behavior.

Was Zenith not enough for him?

Was he truly unsatisfied with just one wife?

He had been faithful to Mother so far, so I no longer felt any disgust toward him. I understood he had just turned twenty, so his raging hormones might be clouding his judgment. Though I couldn't be certain if he had what it takes to be a good person—namely, fidelity.

As long as he remained loyal, it would be acceptable.

The days turned into months, and before I knew it, half a year had passed.

The monsoon had ended, and autumn had begun. The leaves had started to turn red, and with each passing day, daylight grew shorter.

The air was moderate, neither too hot nor too cold.

Despite the changing seasons, each day remained the same for me.

My sole focus was to improve upon the previous day—that was all I could strive for.

Last month, my reserves had reached a new level and turned silver. After focusing intently for a few days, I finally discovered the reason behind the color change.

It came down to density. My body already held a significant amount of Magic power, and as I increased it further, a change was inevitable. This change manifested as the condensation of my Magic power, which was marked by the color shift.

The more Magic power my body stored, the denser it became. However, the output of my spells remained unchanged, and there was no difference in magical nature change either.

I couldn't help but wonder what this meant.

Others didn't possess magic power like mine, so I couldn't make direct comparisons. Even Roxy's magic power, though low compared to mine, was merely black, as mine had been years ago.

As for Rudeus, his magic power was gray.

This initially shocked me, but considering he had been practicing magic for over a year, it made sense. With his continued practice, it was expected that his reserves would grow. I saw this as an opportunity to investigate the phenomenon myself.

One night, while he was sound asleep, I secretly channeled a small amount of my magic power into his body. However, his magic power rejected mine. The moment our magic powers came into contact, his crumbled and was absorbed by mine.

Despite this, I noticed no change in my own magic power. As a result, I decided to set the issue aside for now and disregard the anomaly. It was reckless of me to attempt something that could have potentially harmed Rudues, so I planned to investigate it at a later date, once I had left the house.

Having concluded that matter, I left the house for a stroll around the area. This had become a habitual activity for me, same as emptying my reserves, but it also provided an escape from the noisy procreation session that was underway between my parents, which was a rather inconvenient disruption to my peace, or should I say sleep.

This is a nightmare... How am I supposed to sleep in such condition?

Should I bring Lilia to have a chat? No, she must be busy doing her daily relief session... A pity.

Hmm?

As I pondered, I caught sight of a teenage girl in a short nightgown sitting on the stone fence. Her right arm was lifted, her eyes closed, and she wore a troubled expression, clearly deep in concentration.

The girl was none other than Roxy.

What is she doing? Wait, I think I know...

Perhaps due to the darkness or her weak senses, Roxy hadn't noticed my presence. She continued attempting what seemed like a Voiceless Incantation. After struggling for some time without success, she sighed and closed her eyes with a disappointed expression.

Seeing her like this, I couldn't help but sigh. For some reason, my feet moved of their own accord, and before I knew it, I was beside Roxy, who still hadn't noticed me.

Learning Lightstep was worth it, I thought.

With her eyes still closed, I said, "The sky at night is pretty, right, Sensei?" and promptly took a seat on the stone fence next to her.

"Ahh!" she squeaked, clearly startled, despite being a demon. In the end, she was just a normal girl.

Due to the sudden shock—or perhaps because she was caught off guard—Roxy lost her balance and almost fell. But a quick reaction from me prevented her from tumbling backward. I gently grabbed her shoulder to steady her and helped her regain her balance. "... Sorry for startling you," I apologized as I let go.

Roxy took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and composed herself within moments.

I guess she is easy to scare, huh... Noted.

"No, it's not your fault," she said, shaking off the surprise. "I was just caught off guard."

If this had been my previous life, I would have definitely started to sweet-talk her, but I didn't. It wasn't that she hated it or anything, but that was my disgusting past, and I hated it to my core. Forcibly filmed every day with different girls by my uncle and being sexually abused by my own aunt daily from the age of 12 was definitely not normal. And I let myself willingly fall into depravity even after that—I wasn't normal either.

"Hey?" Roxy's worried face appeared in my view. "Are you alright, Xenos? You don't look well... Is something troubling you? Wait, Xenos having trouble... that's not possible, right?"

"..."

I just smiled. Observing her rapid yet cute reactions was calming me down. My heart and mind swiftly settled. "No, I'm alright, Roxy-sensei," I said softly, but then I quickly added, "Hmm, I just can't sleep with all the noise in the house, you know."

Listening to my words, Roxy let out an "Ohh" before tilting her head slightly with a blush.

Seeing her embarrassed reaction, I couldn't help but smirk. Despite her mature demeanor, it was clear that she couldn't hide her discomfort when the topic of sex came up.

"T-that's..." she stammered, struggling to find a response.

"It's fine, Sensei," I said, gazing at the glittering sky. "In return, I get to spend some time with you privately. It's not so bad if you look at it that way..."

"You..." She widened her eyes and poked my left cheek. "Doing that again, huh... Wait, seriously, how do you come up with this stuff? I don't understand... you're just a kid."

Sigh, being called a kid sure hurts a lot... Well, I'm only three, so...

"Hmmm," I hummed before blinking at her. "Well, I'm a genius... Don't you agree, Sensei?"

Roxy's Pov:

"Yes, yes, you're my super genius student... Happy now?" I said matter-of-factly.

Yes, he is a genius—no, "monster" would be a more appropriate word to describe this child.

He possesses so much magical power that I can't even fathom whether his reserves have a bottom line. And while I won't delve into his absurd talent for magic and battle aura, which even makes me jealous, his relentless effort to better himself each day leaves me speechless.

Despite being the youngest, he conducts himself more maturely than anyone in the Greyrat household.

Ah, right, the only exceptions are when he is with Miss Zenith and with... me.

I don't understand why he shows such affection towards me, especially when I see myself as rather unremarkable.

Even though he is just a child...

No, it's unfair to treat him as merely a child... I know that, given his mature demeanor and how much he cares for his family, he's already an adult in every sense. Yet, in comparison to a demon like me, he remains just a child.

And most importantly, he is my student—an exceptional one at that. A relationship between a human and a demon is bound to face insurmountable challenges, and Miss Zenith and his family have shown me such kindness. I can't repay their benevolence by doing something so shameless. It would tarnish the reputation of demons if I were to commit such an unforgivable act.

"Sensei?" Xenos's sweet yet charming voice interrupts my thoughts.

"Hmm, what is it, Xenos?" I ask, though I soon find myself lost in his mesmerizing blue eyes.

"Do you want to learn Voiceless Incantation?"

"..."

So he does see me struggling earlier. How embarrassing; I want to disappear...

In response to his genuine words, I smile. "I do, but it seems I don't have as much talent as I thought. I've been trying for six months and still haven't succeeded."

I look at his calm face, devoid of any childishness, and decide to voice what I've been holding back. "...I feel average compared to you and Rudues. It's even surprising how a talentless mage like me managed to find such geniuses as students. At one point, I even take both of you for granted. Ah, and I'm quite jealous of you, you know."

My face burns, even though it's night.

In my frustration, I realize I might be sharing more than what he asked for.

Though it is less of my concern, what I worry about the most is how he'll react...

"I see... I hate to admit it, but I knew... That Sensei was jealous, from the beginning..." Xenos says with an awkward smile.

He knew? From the beginning?

Ah, I want to disappear...

My own student knew his teacher was jealous of him... I'm a failure as a teacher...

Yet again, his voice reaches my ears.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Sensei... Being jealous and trying to overcome your shortcomings is merely a part of being normal. So, it's really alright... Remember, you have taught us with everything you have for six months. It would be different if you had tried to hold yourself back, but you didn't... That's admirable, Sensei."

This child...

I can't find the words to say.

I just silently stare at the sky.

He reads me like an open book. What else can I even reply?

"Do you have any dream or goal, Sensei?" he asks.

A dream, huh...

I do have a personal and somewhat embarrassing dream, so I won't tell him...

As for goals...

"Hm, I do have a goal..." I answer, feeling my heart stir with excitement. "I want to become an exceptional teacher... Not just a normal one, but someone who can teach not only Magic but also how to be a good person... Do you think it's weird? It is, right?"

"No, it's not... It's a very noble goal. As expected of my teacher, you're a very kind-hearted person..." he says, beaming under the starlight.

Thump...

My heartbeat speeds up... I wonder why...

Seeing his genuine smile, I reply, "You think so? Well, I'm still lacking, so it's a long road for me... Hmm, what about you, my dear student? Do you have any goals?"

"I do," he answers, almost instantly.

"Ohh..."

So he does have one? I wonder what it is... Perhaps becoming the strongest person? Or maybe he wants to study Magic at a higher level... Something like that.

"I had a dream, but... It's already fulfilled. Now, I have just a simple goal..." he says, a warm smile on his face.

I tilt my head, looking at him with curiosity.

"I... I just don't want this to end, you know, spending time with my loved ones..." Shaking his head, he asks, "Does that even count as a goal?"

"Yeah, I think so..." I reply.

That was a pure lie.

How could I answer him truthfully when I had simply abandoned my loved ones for my own selfishness? I ran away from home without saying a word and never returned to visit my parents...

Ungrateful me has no right to evaluate his goal.

Thud...

Xenos landed on the ground. "Shall we go, Sensei? I think they're finished..."

How does he know?

Well, it's about time, so it's easy to guess, I suppose...

"Sure."

Coming off the stone fence, we begin walking back to the house, side by side.

The silence doesn't last long.

"Ah, I forgot the main topic..." he suddenly says.

Hmm? What topic...

I look at his face as he continues, "About Voiceless Incantation..."

Voiceless Incantation, huh...

Does he want to ask something about it? But I'm not very skilled in that area... What does he want to discuss? I'm not sure I can be of much help...

But it seems my concerns are unfounded.

"You see, Sensei, Voiceless Incantation relies on both imagination and magic flow. However, for you, casting spells with Incantation has become such a deep habit that your magic flow activates only through Incantation, not through your own concentration. What I'm trying to say is…" He smiles at me and continues, "All you need is regular practice and patience, and I'm sure you'll achieve it in no time. And with me here now, I'll make sure you get it for sure!"

"..."

He really is...

I turn away, struggling to control my emotions, but I can't help but say, "Thanks... Xenos."

I'm not sure what expression he's making, but I can guess he must be smiling at me.

In a few moments, we arrive at the house in silence and return to our separate rooms after exchanging good nights.

As I bury my face in the pillow, I can clearly feel my heartbeat quicken whenever I think of Xenos.

"Sigh, what am I going to do... This child is dangerous... For my heart," I murmur.

Before I know it, my eyes lose focus, and I fall asleep.