—-- Leon Greyrat —--

When I got back, I was greeted by a set of three wide smiles. Even Lilia was getting in on Paul and Mama’s antics.

Ignoring the thumbs-up Paul was sending me, I made my way over to the saddened Rudy.

“Hey… you okay?” I ask.

He raises his head, “Huh? Uh… yeah,” he sniffles. “I’m fine. It was to be expected, right? I should just be glad she stuck with me for so long…”

Over the years, as Rudy has slowly grown into his own person, I’ve noticed two things about my little brother.

One, he had horrible confidence issues.

I don’t think it was my fault, as he never seemed to have self-doubt in his intelligence and magical prowess, but rather about… the more human aspects of life.

This was especially noticeable once Roxy came into our lives.

But hopefully, this trait would start to wane as he met more people and discovered what a good kid he was, so there were no issues there… hopefully.

Second, I also noticed that he has trouble with change.

Not wanting to leave the house… not wanting Roxy to leave… he wanted to stay in the protective bubble of his current life.

It wasn’t a bad thing, per se. Some may even call it endearing.

But for anyone, especially a growing child, change should be welcomed rather than feared. That was all part of growth, after all.

As his big brother, I would have to guide him through such difficulties, and with my help, these two issues would hopefully melt away with time.

I watch as Rudy’s face suddenly morphs into a frown.

“What’s wrong, Rudy?” I ask.

“N-Nothing! It’s just… I forgot to give Roxy back her panties…”

…Seriously?

Sensing my disapproval, he continues, “Don’t worry! Even if they’re used, I’ll be sure to treat them with utmost respect! Promise!”

No… I wasn’t worried about that…

Haa, he had more of his father’s genes than I thought, huh?

He better keep that perversion away from Sylphy though.

I don’t want to regret letting them meet.

—-- Leon Greyrat —--

It was the day after Roxy’s departure, and it seemed whatever fears Rudy had about going outside had been completely quelled.

“Bye, Mother! We’ll be back by sundown!” he exclaims.

“Alright! Be safe! And listen to your brother!” Mama replies firmly.

With those departing words, I then led Rudy through the village, pointing out what was what and who lived where. As there were only roughly 30 households, it was pretty easy to keep track of everyone and everything.

“So… where are we going, brother?” Rudy asks as we make our way toward the forest.

“Sylphy’s house,” I answer. “It should be a nice surprise for her since we usually meet up at the hill. Although I bet she’ll be mad at me, considering I’ve skipped out the last couple of days.”

Rudy tilts his head in confusion, “But didn’t you tell her what happened after Master taught us her Saint spell?”

“Yes, but it still sucks to be left alone. You know about her hair, right? Makes things hard,” I say back.

“Aha… you’re quite fond of her, aren’t you brother?” he asks.

“Of course I am. She’s my first friend, and unlike the other village kids, she’s very smart and mature,” I answer.

Rudy grows a teasing smile, “And she’s cute, right~?”

I flick his forehead in response, “Yes. And also very innocent. So don’t be mean. Also, whether you two click or not, you’re helping me make her something nice for her birthday.”

I had a few ideas as to what to get the girl for her upcoming birthday in the fall, but I was still in the planning stage. Hopefully, I will be able to get or make her something that would last a while.

Soon, we reached Sylphy’s house, which was a wooden shack with latches for windows, unlike ours which had glass.

I always remembered how lucky we were whenever I visited them. While our family wasn’t as rich as most Asuran nobles, we were still in a very good situation compared to most.

Luckily, with Sylphy being taught and excelling at various subjects, she should be set for the future, and even have enough to support her parents. But until then, elementary fire and water magic solved most of the problems her family would encounter in the winter.

Walking up to the home, I didn’t even need to knock on the door before a blur of green dashes out before slamming into me with a hug.

“Leon! You’re early!” Sylphy exclaims.

Rubbing her head affectionately, I answer her, “I told you, didn’t I? Now that I don’t have formal magic lessons in the morning, I can spend most of the day with you until sword practice. Besides… I brought a guest.”

Finally understanding the situation, Sylphy releases me before turning to Rudy with fearful eyes and scurrying behind my back.

For some reason, my little brother was looking at me and Sylphy with a wide, teasing smile, similar to one Mama would wear. 

But he quickly wipes away the expression as he waves his hand, “Nice to meet you Sylphy! I’m Rudy! Rudeus Greyrat!”

“H-Hi…” she greets back.

Hmm… she was still a bit scared, but hopefully, once she learned that Rudy wouldn’t care about her hair, she would open up a bit more.

This fear of rejection and discrimination was also the reason she had avoided coming to my house even after all this time. But at least she had gained some confidence in her natural trait, judging by the fact she had now grown his hair to chest length.

It was pretty, after all. It would be a shame to keep such nice hair so short, which was why I had suggested growing it out.

Wait… Paul said it was always good to comment when a girl is pretty, right?

While I didn’t plan on following his womanizing example, Sylphy did have confidence problems, and that might be a good way to relieve them.

“Your hair looks nice, Sylphy. Have you been using that soap we made?” I ask.

“H-Huh? Thanks, Leon. And yeah, though it’s almost out now…” she says.

“That’s fine. It should be even better the next time since this guy has a botanical book,” I say, pointing to Rudy.

“Really!” Sylphy says happily.

Rudy, on the other hand, is only wearing a slight frown of confusion, “Huh? I’m not following.”

It’s Sylphy this time that answers him, “W-We used ash and animal fat to make soap, but since we didn’t know what plants were harmful, we couldn’t add any nice scents…”

Rudy’s eyes widen, “Oh! I see! Then this would be pretty useful, huh?”

Rudy then pulls out his book before setting it on a table I quickly made with earth magic.

“Do you know how to read?” he asks Sylphy.

“Y-Yeah, but I still have trouble with new words…”

“That’s fine then! It has pictures for this reason.”

Well… it seems like those two became fast friends.

I think this would be good for both of them going forward.

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

Dungeons and Labyrinths

When mana infuses into a place, particularly underground, a labyrinth or dungeon is created. Labyrinths and dungeons all have a ‘core’ where the mana is concentrated, and as long as this core is alive, the dungeon or labyrinth will continue to expand by absorbing the surrounding mana. Anything within the labyrinth or dungeon will be affected by its mana, which causes the creation of magic crystals, magic items, and a high population of dangerous monsters.

Labyrinths and dungeons are explored by adventurers, either for their own interests in acquiring magic crystals, items, and monster materials or through a quest issued to the adventurer guild when a labyrinth or dungeon is spawned in an undesirable location, such as near a city or a major road.

‘Labyrinth’ and ‘dungeon’ can be used interchangeably for these structures, but typically, ‘labyrinth’ is used when the structure or traps are the most dangerous part of exploration, while ‘dungeon’ is used when the monsters are the most dangerous part.

—-- Leon Greyrat —--

Reforming my stance, I bring my sword close to my side, readying the wooden blade to defend against any of Paul’s attacks. But instead of putting on any pressure, he casually holds his sword forward with a confident smirk.

“Is that all? Come on, you gotta hit a little harder than that~” he taunts.

My eyebrow twitches.

This man… he was so infuriating sometimes. 

Taking a breath, I then lower my sword before running forward, my stance kept low to the ground.

As I reach the man, I slash with all my strength, only for my blow to be easily parried as my sword is smacked to the side.

But I had predicted that.

Letting go of the handle, I let the sword spin in the air before grasping it in a reverse grip as I leap off the ground once again.

Twisting my hips, I let the rotational motion empower my swing as it nears Paul’s surprised face.

But even with the surprise, he easily dodges, and with me in the air, he sends his sword towards my vulnerable form with a flick of his wrist.

I bring my open palm to the flat side of his blade, and by guiding the blow to the side, I use the basics of the Water God style to counter-attack by letting my parry flow into a sword strike.

“Hup!”

But instead of landing a clean strike on his neck, I’m sent back by a punch to my side.

Landing on the ground, I prepare to reset my stance, only to see a wooden sword coming straight towards me.

I raise my sword in a hurry to block the strike, but Paul’s blade weaves around my blade before landing a blow on my wrist, the pain causing me to involuntarily let go of my sword.

I… lost.

“Urk… shit,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Haha! Not quite good enough to win against me just yet, Leon!” Paul laughs, “Oh, and don’t use that word when Lilia and Zenith are around. I’ll definitely get hounded on by them if they hear something like that coming out of your mouth.”

Just as I’m about to ask what I did wrong in our spar, I’m interrupted by the sound of a pair of clapping hands.

“Nice try, brother!”

“You’re amazing, Leon!”

Smiling over at Rudy and Sylphy, I then get up and brush off my dirtied clothes, “Unfortunately, not amazing enough. Anyway, do you two wanna practice some magic before dinner time?”

“Yeah! Let’s play!” Sylphy exclaims.

Smiling at her happy tone, I pick up my sword off the ground, “Sure, just let me change out of my clothes first. Assuming that we’re done, Father?”

He shrugs in response, “Yeah. Just make sure to do some practice swings before bed. At least a thousand. Otherwise, you’ll never surpass your old man here.”

…He just always needed to get the last word in, huh?

Suppressing the urge to send him a middle finger, I make my way back inside, with Sylphy and Rudy following behind.

Haa… but he was right. 

I wanted to surpass him.

I could feel myself getting closer, but I still needed a final push to reach his level.

Could it do with that energy I felt whenever I focused on my sword?

Hmm… maybe. But I guess I’d find out sooner or later anyway.

—-- Paul Greyrat —--

As the front door closed behind the three children, I finally released the tension I had been holding.

“Haa… that was a close one.”

Jeez… that kid was truly a monster.

I had been putting up a casual front, both due to my pride and to make sure Leon didn’t get conceited, but soon enough, I wouldn’t be able to keep up the act.

While he had always been a natural at the sword. Recently, he has been improving at a much higher rate and has taken in every lesson like a sponge.

Perhaps he’s found some motivation to get stronger with Roxy leaving him?

I knew that love could do stuff like that.

Not only did he have his cute tutor wrapped around his finger, but he also had his little friend sending obvious signals to him, even if neither of them knew it yet.

Haa… not even eight, and he already had two girls in the palm of his hand. I guess I must have rubbed off on him more than I thought, huh?

…Zenith and Lilia definitely won’t like that.

Anyway, while Leon wasn’t my flesh and blood, I was still definitely proud of him and how much he had grown.

Hmm… he’ll probably be hitting advanced rank soon, and after that, I wouldn’t really be qualified to teach him anymore.

…That was a bit embarrassing.

Anyway, if he wanted to continue improving after that, I’d probably have to send him over to his ‘Big Sis’ Ghislaine, who I had helped get a job as a guard and a swordsmanship instructor with my cousin in Roa a couple of years back.

Although, considering that she was now a Sword King, and also a Beastwoman, I only really needed to do the introduction.

Those Boreas sure loved the Beast Race. Almost as much as the Notos love big breasts.

Anyway, I probably wouldn’t even need to beg for her to train him, considering how close they were when he was smaller.

Plus… I had heard that the young lady over there had been kicked out of the noble’s school, so maybe he could flex some of his teaching skills too.

Seeing how smart Sylphy is, as well as her crazy magic skills, he was definitely cut out for it.

But for now… I might need to get back to my past training routine unless I wanted to get beaten in a spar by my son who hasn’t even had his second birthday.

That… would be a bit embarrassing. Even for me.

—-- Sylphiette —--

Extending my wand, I try to transform my mana into a wave of fire, just like Leon and Rudy did.

But to no avail.

“Guh! Haa… I can’t do it…” I grumble.

“Yes you can, Sylphy,” Leon says.

The ball of lava that was hovering above his hand then transformed into a ball of glossy black rock, something Leon called ‘obsidian’.

It was very pretty.

Seeing that, I couldn’t help but think about the necklace he gave me for my birthday, as the green pendant at the centre was also made of this rock.

I wonder how he made it green though… it must have been very difficult.

But then again, he also let me use the wand his treasured tutor gave him, so I should have expected that level of kindness from him.

Both he and Rudy were very good to me, despite my hair.

Leon would even call it c-cute!

“-lphy? Sylphy?”

“Hwa-!?”

I jump in surprise as Leon’s face suddenly appears in front of me.

No, it had been there for a while. I had just been lost in my thoughts…

“Jeez. No wonder you’re having trouble. You have to concentrate, silly,” he teases. “You’re having difficulty with fire, right? What’s the problem?”

I look down at my hand.

Why couldn’t I do it?

I knew how important the image was to magic, but I had a clear image of flames, whether it be from the family stove or Rudy and Leon’s magic, so that wasn’t the problem.

I knew that I didn’t have a high affinity with fire magic. But even then, I should be able to do it to this level.

It was just so… frustrating.

Especially when the other two could cast magic so easily.

“I… don’t know…” I say sadly.

“Don’t know, huh? Hmm… you remember what fire is, right? And the three things that are needed for it?” he says.

I nod my head, “Yeah. Heat, fuel, and air, right?”

“Yep,” he says with a nod. “The air part is easy. As for most spells, you can just use the air around us. Heat, other than the initial spark, is self-sufficient with the already burning fire. And fuel is just the magic power we use. So, what part do you think you are having trouble with?” he asks in his teaching tone.

The ‘teaching tone’, which I called it, was when he already knew the answer to a question but wanted me to find it out myself.

Some might call it annoying, but I knew that he was doing it for me. Plus… for some reason, I don’t think I could ever feel annoyed at Leon.

Anyway, he always makes sure to leave hints in his question, or at least the explanation beforehand, so let’s think, Sylphy!

Hmm… the air couldn’t be it, as I didn’t need to do anything to use it… so it was either the spark or the fuel.

And the fuel was just my magic power, so as long as I had good control of my mana, and a proper image, there shouldn’t be a problem with that either.

In that case, “Is it the spark?”

“Hmm~? Maybe, but I don’t know for sure. Here, let’s test it,” he then raises his hand and clasps it with mine, sending a shiver of excitement down my spine.

Before I can even think about that feeling, he continues, “Now, I’ll provide the ignition, so try to fire off that spell, okay?”

“O-Okay!”

Going through the same thing I did before, I release my mana, and to my surprise, a wave of fire shoots forth, scorching the air as it flew before fading into nothing.

“Whoa!” I exclaim.

Leon claps his hands, “Yep! That was pretty cool, Sylphy. Now that we know the ignition is the problem, let’s try to fix it. So… what do you imagine for the ‘heat’ or ‘ignition’ of the fire?”

“Hmm… usually a fireplace or one of your spells. It works for the other fire spells I do, so why doesn’t it work for this one?” I complain.

Leon shrugs his shoulders, “I’m not sure, to be honest. But if I had to guess, your image of heat was too unrefined and too weak. Considering Flame Wave is an Intermediate-rank spell, it might not be enough for it.”

“S-So what should I do?” I ask.

“Be more scientific!” he smirks, “Imagine the little particles of air buzzing around at high speeds and slamming against each other. Remember what I said about heat and friction, right? Try to use that image, as well as the basic image of what ‘fire’ is.”

Heeding his words, I extend my hand once again, thinking of the air rushing around, just as he said.

Okay… gather up the mana… concentrate and converge… fire… friction… heat…

“Ha!”

With a shout, I release the spell, and to my surprise, a giant wave of flame surges forth, melting the snow as it passes and even scorching the earth hidden below.

“I… I did it! Leon! I did it!”

Hopping on my feet excitedly, I then jump into his arms with a smile.

“Well done. You’ve now reached the Intermediate rank in all four elements,” he says.

But as soon as I look up to see his proud smile, my body freezes.

My heart thumps in my chest and my face feels hot.

Slowly, I come back to my senses as I release my hold on him, “Y-Yes. It’s thanks to you…”

“Nonsense. I just gave you a push, is all,” he says nonchalantly.

M-Mother had talked about feelings like these before.

In fact, she had been talking about that kind of stuff ever since Leon started being my friend.

The feelings of liking someone, or even loving them.

D-Did I love Leon? 

“Huh? Sylphy, why is your face so red?”

“N-No reason!” I quickly exclaim.

Uuu… did I really love him?

Maybe? I don’t know… but I guess I have some time to figure these feelings out.

—-- Leon Greyrat —--

We were well into winter, and Mama was now, well, going to be a Mama to another.

She was pregnant.

As soon as the first signs of morning sickness appeared, I used a detoxification spell meant to identify diseases and complications, and as soon as I did, I discovered a second life growing in her belly.

If the timing was normal, I should be expecting a little sibling in the summer, which was a good time to have a child. I just hoped that the finances would be fine with such an addition, especially if Rudy wanted to go to Ranoa.

Walking up to Rudy’s door, I quickly open it, “Rudy, it’s dinner… time…” only to reveal him kneeling in reverence in front of a… pair of panties.

Now, as I often helped Lilia with the laundry with my water magic, I knew that they weren’t Mama or Lilia’s.

They were way too small.

And considering he had already admitted to it a while back… were they Roxy’s?

I didn’t think he was serious.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Praying to my Goddess’ holy relic, of course,” he answers, still praying.

“And who is this Goddess, exactly?” I ask.

“Master Roxy, of course,” he responds smoothly.

So it was Roxy’s…

Walking up to him, I lift him by the scruff of the neck, “Hey!”, as I pick up the ‘holy relic’ with my other hand. 

“Seriously? Why do you even want this thing, brother? Isn’t it just a piece of cloth?” I say.

Standing up, Rudy then gives me a confident grin, “Oh how blind, brother of mine. That might have been a piece of cloth if not for the scent that has been bestowed upon it.”

…What?

“What scent?” I ask before cautiously sniffing the clothing in question.

Hmm… it’s musty… but also a little sour with a hint of sweetness.

But still… I couldn’t understand.

“What’s so great about the scent, brother? You know I can make you some incense from the forest if you want, right?” I say.

Rudy then wags his finger in a disapproving manner, “It’s not about the scent itself, but rather, where it came from. You do know what I’m talking about, right?”

‘Where it came from’?

But panties only touch a woman's…

I feel my face heat up in a blush as I instantaneously form a sphere of whirling hot water around the panties.

“Y-You pervert! What the hell are you thinking!?” I stammer out.

The brother in question, though, only looks at my hand with sorrowful bewilderment. “The scent…”

I deposit the now-soaked panties on the ground.

“I-If you do something like that with Sylphy, I’ll start going serious in our spars. Got it!?”

Instead of answering, Rudy simply drops dejectedly to his knees, “Brothers… why do they always destroy my things?”

You destroyed my room!

Ha, no, I was passed that.

“Now c’mon. It’s dinner time. And if you respect Roxy that much, then pray to the amulet she lovingly made for you instead. Not her… panties,” I say before heading down the stairs.

Seriously… he was way too much like Paul. In his womanizing ways, that is.

My father wasn’t a bad man, by any means. I would actually say Paul was quite a good man, and there was a reason why women swooned over him.

But to show such perverseness as a child… I was worried about what my dear little brother would grow into.

If he strayed too far, I would be sure to bring him back to his senses.

Heading back downstairs, I help Lilia set the table before Rudy shows his face a bit later.

“What’s wrong, son?” Paul asks.

Rudy shakes his head, “Nothing Father… it’s just… the essence of divinity… has been lost…”

“Uh… okay?” Paul responds, confused.

Yeah… I was lost too, Father.

With everything set, and everyone ready to eat, we were then interrupted by Lilia taking a nervous bow.

“I’m terribly sorry,” she says, sending a pained glance my way, “I’m pregnant.”

In that instant, everyone froze, and the air became enveloped in a chill as if the door had been left open.

The question of who was the father passed briefly through my mind, but considering the fact that she never left the house save for maidly duties, the answer was obvious.

Paul, ever since Mama discovered she was pregnant, had needed to go without sex. Something I was grateful for, as I no longer needed to do something to distract myself from the noises, but considering the lustful nature of the man, it was obvious what had happened.

With everyone’s gazes falling onto the man, he quickly took a deep bow, “I’m, uh, sorry… that one’s… probably mine.”

Yes. That was quite obvious, Paul.

I could slowly feel the respect for him that had grown from our swordsmanship lessons, and his general attitude around Rudy in trying to set a good example as a father, fade away to nothing but disdain.

Despite all the morals he preached about ‘being a man’ and ‘keeping your promises’, it seemed that he had forgotten about his most important promise to Mama.

Mama slowly rose from her seat before walking over and slapping the man, leaving a large red handprint on his face.

I also wanted to slap the man, or maybe even go a step further, but I held myself back.

There were more important matters to discuss.

Now… how would we deal with this, I wonder.