—-- Leon Greyrat —--

“Atta boy! Put some more oomph into it!”

Dodging Paul’s obvious thrust, I press my back foot against the ground, before launching towards his open chest while swinging my sword from the side.

Thwack!

But before it could reach him, he twisted his blade just in time to parry me.

“Hehe. Nice try, but it’ll be a while before you can hit me,” he mocks. “But don’t worry! Even if you did get me, it’s not like it would hurt much!” 

Dammit… this guy really knew how to get under my skin.

That must be due to the Water God style’s provocation techniques… or maybe it was just him and his annoying self.

Leaping back, I raise my sword once again to defend against any strike he sends my way, but instead, Paul simply rests his sword against his shoulder while stroking his chin.

“Hmm… know what? I think at this point, you can call yourself a Beginner swordsman,” he says with a grin.

“Really?” I ask doubtfully.

While my skills have definitely grown over these past months, I still have yet to hit the guy.

“Yep! While you’re still weak, that’s just because you’re a kid, and because you’re fighting me. With a real blade in your hand? Yeah, I could see you putting up a fight against a swordsman. Especially with your skill in parrying,” he answers.

As he said, while I didn’t care for any particular style, I found the Water God techniques a bit easier to learn, as the art of parrying didn’t need strength to perform.

“Well… that’s great then. Which style am I a Beginner in?” I ask.

“All three of them! I mean, there’s not much of a difference between the three at the Beginner rank, since you’re just learning the basics. But now that you got the basics down, I can start showing you some cooler stuff!” he exclaims.

Ignoring his childish antics, I look down at my wooden sword, and the hand, which was previously so smooth, that was now covered in callouses and blisters.

It seems like the hours spent swinging my sword and training my body weren’t for nothing.

…I’m glad.

“What? Are you worried about how worn out your hand is now? Don’t worry, my son! That’s just proof of your dedication. And besides… women really like that rough texture in bed, you know~” he says, making a beckoning motion with his fingers.

I hated that I knew what he was referring to. And I hated it even more that I could hear the moans of my mother every night, likely due to said actions.

Damn this cursed knowledge of mine.

My lips curl into a frown, “...I’m telling Mama you said dirty things.”

“Hah? You wouldn’t! This is something between men, you know!”

Then you should keep it that way, and not tell it to innocent little boys like me.

“Just don’t infect Rudy with your… Paulness. I might have the mind to not follow your example, but he’s young and impressionable. Besides, I’ve already caught him stealing panties from the laundry more than once,” I say, shaking my head.

“That’s my son!” Paul says proudly.

“You’re not helping…”

Turning away from his annoying smile, I take in the beautiful scenery. The rolling hills and fields were painted in a thin layer of snow, creating a serene view that stretched as far as I could see, sparkling under the effect of reflecting sunlight.

Looking toward the village, I could see the various houses and cottages with roofs dusted white, contrasting with the black plumes of chimney smoke.

The air was crisp and still, and the surroundings quiet, save for the odd chirping bird.

It was so… peaceful.

And with my recent advancements in magic, the worst part of the winter, the cold, had all but been eliminated.

It took a little while, but I was finally able to generate heat without causing a fire, primarily by imagining the molecules in the air vibrating a little faster.

Hmm… thinking about that made me feel a little more motivated.

“I’m gonna practice my magic now,” I say.

“Huh? Alright. Just don’t use up all your mana, okay? I don’t wanna go draw water in the cold like this,” Paul says with a shrug.

Seriously? So lazy…

But I’d rather he ask me than ask Mama, so…

“Fine. I promise.”

With Paul heading back inside, I make my way out of the yard and toward the hill next to our house.

Since I was now learning Intermediate spells, I didn’t want to damage anything or hurt anyone with my practice, so I asked Mama if I was able to bring my studies outside.

She accepted, of course, but only as long as I didn’t harm the villagers and made sure to stay within sight of the window. And this hill was perfect for both requirements.

Flicking my hand, I send out a wave of fire to melt the snow around the top, and then stomp my foot, raising a small stool from the ground.

Taking a seat, I then pulled out my notebook, which had things ranging from original spell ideas to breaking down the movements of swordsmanship, and even some scientific knowledge I thought important to write down.

Anyway, as I learned more Intermediate spells, my knowledge of magic had grown, as well as my belief that the rigidity of spells was not needed, and in fact, held magicians back.

I mean, there were countless spells out there, likely enough to do anything one ever needed, but was there a need for me to learn them all when I could just produce the same effect on my own?

I didn’t think so. 

But still, I would go through every spell I could and master it, seeing if any insights would be useful for my growth.

Intermediate spells, for the most part, were simply more controlled and powerful versions of Beginner spells, with some merging two spells into one.

For instance, Water Cannon, which launched a large concentration of water, was just a stronger Waterball, fit for combat.

It was in this rank that I also began seeing melded magic, which as the name implies, was the merging of multiple magics into one.

This also brought about another question of mine.

When I cast a Waterball and then heated it… was that water magic? Or was it also fire magic?

Heat was firmly in the domain of fire magic, but when I cast the spell, I imagined the water molecules vibrating to create the desired effect. So which was it?

And did it matter?

Mana was mana, so did it even need a defined element to work?

Casting a fireball, I pour some more mana into the spell, causing the fire to grow hot enough that the snow on the ground begins to melt.

Fire magic.

I then imagine oxygen gas, before injecting it into the fireball.

The air hisses as the fireball turns blue, and at this point, I can feel my face beginning to sweat.

Now, was that still fire magic? Was it wind magic? Was it both?

Releasing a sigh, I concentrate the flame into my finger before launching it at the ground, creating a small crater from the impact.

Confusing… So confusing…

But I suppose I didn’t need all the answers. And my struggle to answer them was quite fun.

Maybe once I got a tutor, they could answer some questions of mine that I had. But for now, let’s do some training.

Clapping my face in an attempt to reset myself, I then summon a ball of earth in my hand before transforming it into various shapes.

After the discovery that adjusting a spell expends more mana, I had all but discarded my focus on depleting my magic power reserves, as by training my control and precision, I was able to deplete my magic power at an even greater rate than before.

On that note, I had also tried to cast magic across my body, with… varying results.

If I had to explain it… it felt like there were… veins, almost. Veins which allowed mana to flow throughout the body.

Mana veins, for simplicity’s sake.

Anyway, these veins only showed up around the hand, or rather, only led to the hands.

But I found out that mana veins were also present in the feet, though… to a lesser extent.

As seen with the stool trick, I was now able to cast earth magic through my feet, but only when I was in contact with the ground.

Something like casting a Fireball with a kick was possible, but as soon as it went away from my body, the spell dispersed, as if it had lost the connection with me.

I guess I would have to keep practicing to see if that could be changed, but I had a feeling that it was just the way it was, which was fine by me.

As long as I could cast earth spells through my feet, allowing me to use them seamlessly with my swordsmanship, that was enough.

Hmm… perhaps I should start doing some practice in regards to that too?

Just getting used to casting magic while moving, that is.

It would be better to start early so that I can build up the habit, even if I don’t integrate it with my swordsmanship right away.

Hmm… Swordsmanship… Magic…

Focusing on the ball of earth in my palm, I will it to form the shape of a sword before compressing it into a hardened, stone-like material.

This was the Beginner-rank earth spell, Stone Sword. Quite useless for most magicians, and unless you lost your sword, pretty useless for swordsmen too. 

But I wonder… could I take it further?

Closing my eyes, I concentrate on the sword while imagining the lattice of the stone’s edge vibrating. Not to generate heat, but rather to increase the sharpness, just like the Intermediate-rank wind spell Sonic Boom did to the air.

My blade generates a soft hum and I open my eyes before summoning a small pillar of ice. 

Releasing a horizontal slash with my new blade, to my surprise, the pillar is instantly bisected.

“...Cool.”

It seems that infusing magic into my swordsmanship was going to be easier than I thought.

But then, just as the thought enters my mind, I watch as the blade in my hand crumbles into dust.

“...Okay, maybe not.”

I would probably have to focus on reinforcing the blade somehow, right?

That should be possible once I reach the Advanced rank… I hope.

I mean, that boulder slash Paul always likes to show off with never seems to chip his sword, so there should be something to work with there.

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

Rank Titles in the Sword God Style

Beginner: This rank is where practitioners begin learning the foundations of the Sword God Style. To attain this rank, they must have a basic understanding and ability in swordsmanship.

Intermediate: Intermediate Sword God practitioners can contend with an average knight, and can swiftly cover their body in Touki.

Advanced: This rank is attained when one can consciously use their Touki.

Saint: One is given the title of Sword Saint when they can completely control their Touki and can use the ‘Longsword of Light’. When a Sword God Style attains this rank, they are given a dark leather jacket with a white fur trim collar by their master.

King: There is no known condition for attaining the title of Sword King, as it is only a title bestowed by the Sword God. The practitioner who attains the title also gains a sword from the Sword God’s collection, as well as a special title.

Emperor: This rank is attained when two Sword Kings battle against each other in front of the Sword God as witness. The winner then becomes a Sword Emperor.

God: The most powerful practitioner in the world at the Sword God Style and the leader of said school. As such, there can only be one Sword God at a time. When someone bests the current Sword God in combat, they can then assume that title, and if the Sword God dies without being bested by a successor, the next strongest in the style assumes the title. The Sword God can give anyone any rank in the Sword God Style that they wish, even if the person in question has not met the usual requirements.

—-- Rudeus Greyrat —--

It had been a little over two years since I had reincarnated, and while not much had changed for my family, I had gone through an intense period of growth. Most notably…

I can walk now, baby!

But that’s not all!

During this time, I also learned how to read, going through the five books in our house, which all happened to be in my older brother’s room.

I wasn’t jealous though, as not only did it make sense for my seemingly genius of a brother to read a lot, but I was also given free rein to invite myself into his room whenever I wanted, so nothing of value was lost.

But deciphering the language wasn’t something endeavoured alone, thankfully enough. 

Luckily, as soon as Leon noticed I had taken an interest in reading, he began to read me one of the two fantasy novels for bedtime each night, which greatly increased my understanding of the written language.

Although… it was a bit embarrassing to say ‘Thank you, big brother!’ to what was a four-year-old child, I swallowed down my pride with the overwhelming gratitude I felt.

Anyway, after gaining an understanding of the language, I found myself drawn to A Textbook of Magic.

I mean, who wouldn’t?

Of course, someone who came from a world without magic would find that interesting!

But on the very first few pages, I found myself wondering how much credibility this thing had.

There were only two ways of performing magic, the book said. Either by using a magic circle or by using an incantation.

I, of course, had ample reason to doubt that.

Not once had I ever seen my brother cast magic with either of those methods. He simply… willed the elements to do his bidding. Same with his healing magic, like when I had a sore throat that he cleared up.

But… my mother always did call him a genius, so maybe that was just a thing for him?

Hmm… maybe I’ll ask him for some help if I can’t find out how myself, but I should try working at least a bit on my own.

I would hate to instantly shoot past my toddler brother in skill and destroy his confidence, after all.

Plus, if my parents found out I knew magic, I might be forced to practice outside like Leon is. And I… wasn’t ready for that quite yet.

So I’ll keep my abilities, if I had any, a secret for now.

Let’s see… well, I should probably start with the weakest spell, right? 

Start from the basics, and then slowly build myself up. No shortcuts, only constant progress.

I wouldn’t let this second life of mine go to waste… and hopefully, I could remove my eternal wizard status on the way too.

Seeing how my two parents and my brother were quite the lookers, I think I had a good chance to not be lacking in the charm department. It was just putting that charm to use that would need some work.

But I had a lot of time to learn, right? 

Besides, being socially awkward was probably seen as cute as long as you had a handsome face to go behind it.

Anyway, I was getting too deep into semantics.

Okay, so… let’s go with the most basic and safest of spells, the Beginner-rank water spell, Waterball.

Let’s see… the chant is…

Raising my hand, I then recite the words written in the book.

“Let the vast and blessed waters converge where thou wilt and issue forth a single pure stream thereof - Waterball.”

Suddenly, I felt a sensation like blood pooling in my raised hand, and then, as if that blood was squeezed out through my palm, a ball of water manifested itself in front of me.

I was startled at the strange sensation, and as a result, “Gah!” the ball of water fell to the floor.

I guess concentration was needed to keep up the spell.

Damn… Leon was a monster, wasn’t he?

Okay… now let’s try it again.

Concentrate… focus on the image of water…

Feeling the same welling sensation in my hand as before, I increase my concentration.

If I wanted to do this right, I should master the basics first. Just like how I used to practice combos in fighting games, I needed to imprint this sensation on my muscle memory.

Or rather… magic memory, in this case. But same thing.

Drawing a deep breath, I felt the blood-like phenomenon course through my body toward my hand, before expelling out of my hand, but this time slower and more controlled.

Image… Waterball… a ball of water… wetness… wet… wet panties-

Whoops. That last bit kinda just slipped in there, but it was a welcome thought.

Wet, water, water waterwaterwater-

“Hiyah!” I cried, shooting my hand out before me.

And, in that instant, a ball of water came into being, before promptly falling onto the floor.

Splish.

…I did it.

Just like Leon, I could cast magic without an incantation.

Didn’t that mean I was a genius like him?

Hehehe- Wait… No, I shouldn’t call myself a genius just yet.

Didn’t I already know? Someone who puffed themselves up with pride would only end up getting cocky and failing at life.

I didn’t want to fail.

Just like my brother, I wouldn’t let this get to me. 

Instead, I would practice diligently, while keeping a level head. There was no need to think of myself as better than anyone else. 

I should just buckle down and get better through constant practice.

But… I wouldn’t be lying if I said I didn’t feel good right now.

Hehehe~ Well, let’s try that again!

Holding my right hand outward, I feel a weight pressing down on me. The weight of exhaustion.

“Damn… am I out of MP then?”

Such a paltry amount? I barely made two balls of water before being put out of commission!

Wait… I think I’ve heard my brother talk about something like this, back when I was a baby.

My magic power, or MP reserves… he said that they should grow if I start using magic early, right?

Okay, then let’s try this once again!

Conjuring the image of water, alongside the familiar welling sensation of mana, I quickly passed out.

—-- Leon Greyrat —--

I was now five years old.

This meant that I had also had my first birthday, as with human traditions, there were three major birthdays one celebrated for the ages of five, ten, and fifteen.

The first birthday was to celebrate a child living and beating infant mortality, which was quite morbid, but it made sense in this medieval world filled with magic and monsters. 

The second, which was at age ten, was to signify when children usually started apprenticing with a craftsman, such as blacksmithing or tailoring, or starting to prepare for whatever job they were destined for.

The third was to signify becoming an adult, and for most, this was the age where you began to search for a spouse and start a family. 

But I was still pretty far away from that.

For my birthday, Paul had gotten me a set of two swords. One that was a short sword, which I could use with my current stature and another which was adult-sized for when I grew up.

He also made a long speech about morals and stuff, but the seriousness of it all quickly faded after he forgot his words halfway through.

But still… it was a nice gesture. And was a legitimately praiseworthy attempt at parenting.

From Lilia, I had gotten a handmade red wool scarf, which I instantly began wearing as part of my everyday outfit, much to her happiness.

Mama got me a book on protection or barrier magic, that covered up to the Intermediate rank in spells. 

Unfortunately, I had the book taken away from me soon after receiving it so I didn’t run off to my room to read it, but I was able to get it back into my possession after the dinner.

And from my brother… well, I got a cute smile, and that was all that I needed.

All amazing presents, especially considering our modest income. And honestly, my family was enough of a gift, at least to me.

Of course, I didn’t sit idly as the time went by.

I was now proud to call myself an Intermediate-rank magician in every school, save for protection, which I had only scratched the surface of, and summoning magic, which I didn’t even have a way to start. 

Alongside that, I was also now a ‘Pseudo-Intermediate’ ranked swordsman in all three styles, according to my father.

What did being a ‘Pseudo-Intermediate’ rank mean?

Well… nothing, really. At least not to the rest of the world. 

It was simply something that Paul made up as a way to accurately describe my abilities with the sword, and for such a simple man, I think it was a pretty smart description.

As he put it, I had the skill and technique to qualify as an Intermediate-rank swordsman, but due to my body, I was still a little too weak to truly be considered as one.

This was an odd state of limbo no one else has likely found themselves in, as I was quite talented at the sword while also having the advantage of training from such an early age, and thus my mental abilities in swordsmanship outgrew my physical ones.

Anyway, back to magic, while I haven’t embarked on any Advanced-rank spells just yet, it didn’t mean I hadn’t progressed in my abilities.

While there was the fact I wanted to slowly master the basics before moving on to something more advanced, there was also something else I’ve learned from my constant sparring with Paul.

Advanced magic… was a bit much. A bit too much, I mean. So much that it was mostly useless in combat.

As I had learned before, the more you increase in the rank of a magic spell, the more complex it is and the more magic power that is required, and as a result, most Advanced-rank magic was for large areas of effect and weather-altering spells.

And in combat, that was quite useless. Especially in a swordfight. Rather, a simple and strong spell would be better than a gaudy one.

Besides, I had already started to move away from the concept of spells, and more into the realm of using magic as it is, so I wasn’t too hung up on not being an Advanced-rank magician.

Of course, I ended up using magic in a way that replicated spells, but that was just due to-

Kaboom!

The heck!?

Darting my head toward the source of the explosion, my eyes widen as I watch a trail of water vapour, originating from our house, arc across the clear blue sky.

And seeing the ball of water which was causing said trail… that was Water Cannon, right?

Intermediate-rank magic? 

Mama didn’t know Intermediate-rank elemental magic, and I don’t think she started studying it again, so… was it Rudy?

I knew that my baby brother had been practicing magic in my room, and seeing that he was only filling up buckets with Waterball, I had decided to leave him to his lonesome. 

I didn’t think he’d fire off an Intermediate spell! 

And in the house, no less!

“The fuck!? Did a monster attack or something!?” Paul shouts as he sprints into the house.

Releasing a small sigh, I release the control of my magic, causing the blue flame I was controlling to dissipate into the air before following his lead.

Running up toward my room, I’m met by the scene of absolute carnage, with the entire section of wall blasted to soaked splinters as Rudeus stood there in mute shock.

My room…

“The hell? Rudy, are you okay?” Paul says with narrowed eyes, scanning the surroundings carefully.

That look… it reminded me of our adventuring days. 

It’s good to see our domestic life hadn’t completely eroded his skills.

“Oh my goodness!” Mama says from the doorway.

Always the calmer one out of the two, she then looked at the destroyed wall before turning her eyes to the puddle on the floor, and then to the magic book that was splayed out next to Rudy.

Her gaze shifts between the book and my brother a couple of times before she breaks out into a wide smile.

“Rudy~,” she says sweetly as she crouches down.

Ah… I knew that look.

It was the type of smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, and for some reason, despite the warmth, sent a chill down my spine.

She did this the first time I used Intermediate-rank magic if I remember correctly.

Well… I suppose it was Rudy’s problem now.

“Did you read the words in this book out loud?” she asks gently.

But even that soft tone couldn’t hide the tremble of excitement in the way she spoke.

“I’m sorry,” Rudy meekly replies with a tiny nod.

“Sorry? Paul says, baffled. “That was an Intermediate-tier sp-!”

“Oh, honey, did you hear that?!” Mama interrupts, jumping to her feet. “I knew it! Just like Leon, I knew our Rudy was a genius!”

Mama then began hopping around in ecstasy, her hands balled tightly into fists.

It was nice seeing Mama so happy, but… where was I supposed to sleep now?

“Wait, hold on a second, we haven’t even taught him how to read yet. How the heck-”

“I’ve been teaching him,” I interject, cutting off Paul’s words.

I hadn’t taught him, really. I’ve just been reading to him at night. But for the past few months, Rudy hadn’t wanted to do that anymore. Instead preferring to head right to bed after dinner.

That was likely due to feeling exhausted from practicing magic, as well as the fact he could now apparently read on his own.

Hmm… maybe he was like me after all?

Not that it mattered much.

“Uuu~ Such a good brother you are Leon!”

As a reward for my white lie, I was then engulfed in another one of Mama’s suffocating hugs.

Despite the fact I had gotten a bit taller over the years, I was still but an infant in front of those breasts.

“We have to get him a magic tutor right away! I’ve wanted to get one for Leon for so long, so isn’t this the perfect opportunity!?” Mama exclaims.

Wriggling my way out of her grasp, I walk over to Lilia, who had begun to clean up the mess, before taking control of the water on the floor and collecting it into a cup.

“Thank you, Leon,” she says.

“No problem, Lilia. Now… what are we going to do with this wall?” I ask.

“I do not know. But for now, you can sleep with me,” she says. “Is that alright?”

I nod my head, “Of course. Thanks, Lilia.”

As to how I could take control of said water, well… that was another application of magic I had found in my research.

When one used elemental magic, said magic’s matter would remain even without control, effectively turning from magic into, well, regular matter.

Well, except for fire, but that was only because there was no fuel to continue to combustion.

So what did that mean?

It meant that all matter had a connection with magic, which also meant that one could control the elements, even if they were not conjured with magic.

This made sense, as with regular elemental magic, once you conjured the form of the spell, like a ball of water with Waterball, it became regular water that you could then do what you wanted with it.

Hmm… taking control of matter through magic… thinking about that, I wonder if I could use some sort of telekinesis eventually.

“Honey, let’s head to Roa tomorrow and post a job for a tutor! We need to make sure Rudy can hone his talents!” Mama continues.

With Mama continuing her ramblings, I looked down at the silent Rudy, who was sitting there with a blank face, eyes lost in concentration about… something.

Come on, baby bro… at least apologize for messing up my room.

You’re lucky I don’t have any mementos save for Big Sis Ghislaine’s ring.

“Hold on a moment. Didn’t we promise that if he was a boy, I would train him as a swordsman?” 

Paul, opposite of Mama, seemed less enthusiastic about Rudy’s talents.

“You can’t go back on a promise like that,” he shakes his head.

“Don’t talk to me about promises! You break them all the time! And I made that promise before our son launched an Intermediate-rank spell at the age of three! Without any training, and right through our wall! Which you need to fix, by the way!”

Not wanting their spat to get any more heated, I decided to interject the argument.

“Couldn’t we just do what we do with me, and train him in both? He can study magic in the morning, and then swordsmanship in the afternoon with me.”

That seems to put the quarrel to an end, as the two share a look before turning back to me.

“Oh… right. Sorry, I kinda forgot we could do that,” Paul says, abashed.

Seriously…

Anyway, with Rudy’s training plan decided, it seemed like I would finally be getting a taste of magical education in this world pretty soon, other than what Mama did with Healing magic, of course.

I hope I can actually learn something useful rather than everything from the textbook being repeated back to me.

Maybe if I’m lucky, I can see what Saint-rank magic was all about too.

…Nah, who was I kidding.

What Saint-rank magician would come out to the sticks to teach a couple of toddlers of a low-ranked knight?

For now, though, I was just hoping the walls in Lilia’s room were thicker than my own.

I had a feeling that Mama would be a bit more excited than usual, and I did not want to hear that.