Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation
Crimster
Chapter 11: Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Eleven: The Happenings in Buena Village and Dinner at the Greyrat's
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Eleven: The Happenings in Buena Village and Dinner at the Greyrat's
>Sylphiette<
Reliable, strong, caring, determined, and yet somehow still humble. I'd contribute those traits to the boy I know as Rudeus Greyrat. Whenever he saw someone in need, he'd always go out of his way to help them. He wasn't overbearing with his attitude and never flashed his strength for no reason. Whenever I fell and accidentally hurt myself, he'd heal me. He never stopped working to better himself after he graduated from Roxy's teachings. He's never stopped improving himself but never gloats or talks himself up in any scenario.
On the contrary, Rudeus Greyrat downplayed himself far too much. He could do the things I worked hard to achieve with little effort. I wouldn't be lying to say he had so much more potential than me, a random village girl unfortunate enough to be born with green hair, but even then. He still treated me the same as he would anyone else.
That's how I knew he was strong. That's why I knew Rudy was born into this world for better things. This was the boy I had come to know. The one I'd seen as my ideal for almost two years.
The winter of the assassination flew by, and then another winter passed us by just as quickly. Thankfully, that one had been much more peaceful. Beuna had grown quiet over the past year, and the mourning of the death of Mister Smith had subsided for the most part. No one would forget him, but for the sake of everyone, they had to move on. They had to go on and live their lives. It was just like this that over a year passed in the village.
Rudy had turned five, and festivities in the Greyrat home had ensued. Nothing particularly extraordinary had happened. He was gifted a real sword from his father and a long-winded speech about being a man. Then Lady Zenith gave him a book on plants. They were ordinary gifts, but they meant a lot to the boy. I couldn't consider myself his friend if I didn't see that much.
I turned five only a short time later as well. My birthday wasn't anything special. Honestly, I considered Miss Roxy and Rudy's family attending enough of a gift as is. Rudy reprimanded me for that thought and told me I deserved everything I received. I don't completely understand him even now. One moment, he'll avoid me for no reason; the next, he'll comfort me by saying something nice. Rudy was weird like that, but that wasn't something I minded. I liked that part of him. He was dependable when it counted and was distant when I needed to figure things out for myself.
Months had passed since then, and Rudy had turned six. I would be following in some time, but not for a while. While he was being trained by his father in sword styles, I was still being tutored by our master. Roxy always told me that I was learning quickly, but compared to Rudy, I knew I wasn't as quick, but that was fine. As long as I kept working on everything I was learning, eventually, I could reach him. That was the practical viewpoint, anyway. If I could even reach him in the first place was another matter in its own right.
Even if I couldn't, I wouldn't mind. I'm sure I'd be upset, but I knew I couldn't stay bitter forever. What I wanted was to be able to stand next to the boy, and I wasn't going to stop until I could. No matter how long it took me.
"Ah! Laws, little Sylphie! Pleasure seeing ya this fine morning!" Lord Paul greeted my father and me with a warm smile as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He was standing infront of the Greyrat house. Standing beside him was Rudeus, who was also dripping with sweat. From what I could tell, he was steadily progressing in the sword, and from what Lord Paul had said, age was the only factor holding him back. Swordsmanship was only another thing that Rudy had me thoroughly beaten in, but considering I didn't practice it myself, it didn't mean much. Rudy was just naturally good at a lot of things.
"Good morning, Rudy!" I ran toward the boy as he cleaned the sweat off his face with a cloth that was placed nearby.
"Moirnin' Sylphie." I noticed the heavy bags underneath his eyes as he looked toward me. I'd seen his slow change in demeanor and grogginess over the past few months but tried to pay it no mind. Roxy had stated that he was most likely just stressed from the happenings two years previous and, more importantly, his nightmares. Be that as it may, seeing him like this still didn't make me feel any better. Our master didn't prod him too much about it. It felt like she was giving him some space. I didn't know why, but it wasn't like their relationship had worsened, so I didn't think about it much.
"It looks like you haven't been sleeping, Rudy." I reached to touch his face, but he quickly pulled himself away.
"Ah, these?" He pointed towards his eyes. "I've just been studying a lot, is all. So I haven't been sleeping quite right." He had the disposition to panic slightly whenever he was lying. So I knew that was a lie as soon as he spoke.
I pouted, "You should sleep during the night instead of staying awake, you know?" I learned from Roxy that setting people straight as quickly as possible was an excellent way to do these sorts of things, especially when they were doing something stupid.
Paul's hand fell on Rudy's head as he ruffled his hair. "You should listen to your little girlfriend, Rudy! Ahahaha!"
"L-Lord Paul?!"
"Dad, you know it's nothing like that." The boy diverted his gaze from us as he sighed and brushed off his father's hand. Rudy's father had been teasing me in increasing quantity as of late. Even Lady Zenith had been chipping in occasionally, but most of the time, she was the one who kept her husband in line.
"I'd much prefer it if you didn't tease my beloved daughter every chance you get, Paul." My dad sounded irritated.
It's not like I mind it that much.
"Yeah, yeah. It's not like you can expect me to not take such low-hanging fruit when I see it." Paul rubbed his chin as he smirked at Dad. "Still, it's important to get enough sleep, Rudy. If you don't do that, your awareness and spontaneity will drop, and you'll just wind up dead from some random thug." It felt like Lord Paul was talking from experience. I didn't know if I should be worried or sympathetic.
Dad put his hand on my back and pushed me slightly. "Phi, isn't Miss Roxy waiting for you? You shouldn't keep her waiting." He had a wooden sword in his hand. After the incident in the woods, our parents trained, often together. It wasn't like my father was any match for Rudy's, but it didn't bother the knight. Both men had decided this around a year ago and didn't intend to go back on it. They wanted to get stronger so what happened wouldn't happen again. So, just like I was trying to catch up to Rudy, they were trying to protect their families. It was admirable, and I looked up to them for that.
Still, the two of them never did mention what had happened in those woods. Only that the assassin had attacked them and that he was dead by the time they returned. I don't know if it was because of the situation, but no one asked questions. For the most part, Lord Paul took care of the cleanup, and that was that. The only mention I'd heard of it since was one time Master had mentioned it. Apparently, some magician had wandered through at some point during that night.
Roxy's speaking felt like she knew something, but again, I didn't want to pry. We all wanted to forget that night to some capacity.
"Y-Yeah—" My attention drifted back to Rudy. His eyes darted away from me when I looked at him. "Rudy, do you want to go and play later?" I pulled at his sleeve. The question I asked was one I believed I already knew the answer to.
"I don't think today will be good, Sylphie. I wanted to do a few things—maybe another time?" He matched my stare as he sheepishly remarked, rubbing his head with his hand as he responded to my question.
"I'm okay with that. As long as you promise." I stuck my pinky finger out. Tying him down was better than letting him run off—at least, that's what Lady Zenith told me to do.
He stuttered in place when he heard my request. "Uhh, sure—" He took my pinky and wrapped his around it. "Promise." Well, that settled that. I know Rudy wasn't one to break a promise.
Leaving them alone, I walked toward the house and opened the front door. When I got inside, Roxy was already waiting for me on the dining table. Lady Zenith was also sitting beside the demon girl, chatting away happily. She poked the girl's cheek as she giggled softly. It didn't look like Roxy was having that pleasant of a time being prodded by the lady of the house. Zenith's blue eyes met mine as she gave me a quick smile. "You're a little early today, aren't you, Sylphie?"
"Father wanted to come train since he doesn't have a watch today." Zenith mouthed her understanding to my words. She turned back to the demon girl and whispered into her ear. Roxy's cheeks flushed, and then she retorted to the blonde-haired woman after stuttering for a second.
"Anyways, Sylphie." Master sighed as she looked away from the woman poking fun at her. "Today, you'll be learning more melded magic." Roxy looked at me for confirmation. When it was time for a lesson, Roxy would swap into her teacher mode, as I liked to refer to it. I'm positive the only reason I learned so much so quickly was because of how good of a teacher Roxy was.
My writing and reading have gotten to the point where she's told me there's little need to improve, and my math skill is also perfectly serviceable. At this point, I could get a job at any location within Asura reasonably reliably. Not that anyone would want to hire me, though. Considering my hair color and all.
That's beside the point. My magic had also improved, so I could cast almost all advanced-tier spells with little difficulty. Rudy says that seeing improvement felt really good, and I could tell what he meant by that now. However, he also said that a sense of accomplishment shouldn't be met with compliance. It was essential to try new things to broaden what you could do. His advice hadn't led me astray yet, so I readily followed it.
Whenever I think about something, no matter what, it always goes back to Rudy…
"—Sylphie. Sylphie!" Thwack! Pain spread through my forehead after Roxy flicked it. "Are you in there?" The girl looked at me with a questioning gaze, her sleepy eyes never drifting far from my face. I guess I was spacing out a little.
"You worried about Rudy, dear?" Zenith chimed in as I rubbed my forehead. I was pretty obvious with my thoughts. I would even sometimes let them spill out while I was thinking at certain moments. I really didn't want a repeat of last time. The embarrassment lasted a whole month.
"Just a little is all. He looks exhausted nowadays. He's already practicing swordplay frequently, but then he goes right on with studying and practicing magic." The pain in my forehead died as I looked at the table infront of me. "It's like he thinks we'll all disappear if he doesn't—I just don't get it."
Zenith nodded slowly, along with my talking. "I think you're right to be worried. I mean, even if I'm his mother, I can barely ever tell what he's thinking, but at the very least, I know he's doing something he wants to, but if it gets to the point where I have to intervene, I'll do it in a heartbeat, okay Sylphie?" Zenith smiled widely at me, rubbing my head as she did so. I liked Rudy's mother. She was kind and caring. It's not like my mother wasn't like that. In some weird way, it was somewhat different when someone who wasn't obligated to be nice was kind just because they could be.
"The young master is undoubtedly more determined than Master Paul was at his age, so I don't see much concern to be had," Lilia said from the corner of the room. She had been slowly preparing dinner and minding her business, but the implication of Rudeus's current behavior apparently got her attention.
Judging from Roxy's face, she didn't seem to agree with their perspective, but she stayed quiet. "Anyways, Sylphie, do you understand the concept I was trying to explain." She looked back into the book before us. What was she talking about again? Oh, right, melded magic.
"I'm not going to lie, Master. Rudy may have already taught me about most of this." It wasn't even a lie. Whenever Rudeus and I played together, he'd always tell me more about magic and how it worked.
I'd ask him how water turned into steam, and he'd respond, "You know how when you boil water, it evaporates because it gets too hot? It works the same way with magic." He always seemed to have an answer to any of my questions, and he also always seemed to dumb them down enough for me to understand. I knew Rudy was brilliant, but it just put into perspective how much more I needed to learn.
"Haah—is that kid trying to take my job now, too…? Well, at least I'm not paid for this." Roxy listlessly stared into the wall infront of her as she spoke. Learning that her previous student was teaching her current student sort of took the wind out of her sails a little, it seemed. She looked back towards me. "So you're still preoccupied with Rudy, Sylphie?" I nodded. "You want to talk about it some more than?" Her sleepy eyes looked at me.
"I don't think it's all that important—what about your lecture?" I didn't want to ruin her schedule because I was worried about someone.
"You don't have to worry about that, Sylphie." She scratched her cheek. "I'm actually running out of material to teach you." A soft chuckle escaped her throat. "Besides that fact, you're troubled, so I'd rather talk about that."
"I'm fine, really. Don't pay me any mind—"
"We could never do that, Sylphie! You're my Rudy's friend, so it's only right to listen to you!" Zenith clasped her hands around mine. They were soft but had a particular strength to them.
Roxy placed her hands on my shoulders as she stood beside me. The look in her eyes and smug smile she had suggested she was scheming something. Needless to say, I didn't like where this conversation was going. "Lady Zenith, I don't have any previous experience, so can you gratefully give the little miss some advice on boys?" Oh, perfect! Now she was reeling in Lady Zenith into this.
Zenith sported a scary smile on her face. It was a smile I'd learned to fear while I'd known the woman. "You want some advice, Sylphie?" She was scaring me a little—no, a lot.
"I'm fine, Lady Zenith." I tried to stand up from the chair I was sitting on, but the older woman gently pulled me back down. How red was my face right now?
"Now, now, no need to be shy~." She added enunciation to her words as she scooted closer to me. "I know you and Rudy have been getting closer lately." Why was I being questioned all of a sudden?
I looked over to Roxy, but she proved to be of little help. She had a particularly evil grin on her face as well. Don't just sit there! The woman I looked up to didn't move a muscle as I stared at her with panicked eyes. Instead, she met my gaze with a smirk and a shrug of her shoulders.
"Uh, Rudy's been avoiding me more recently, actually." My voice was shaky as I talked. I didn't deal with high-stress situations, and I considered the mother of the boy I liked, prodding me with questions one of those.
The excitement in the woman's eyes seemed to die on the spot. "That boy, I swear." She rubbed her temples in annoyance. "I'm sorry about him, Sylphie—he's a little complicated." Her face strained as she talked. "You know about the nightmares he's had, yes?" I nodded. "As his mother, I beg you not to hate him for his attitude. I'll be grateful enough if you try to bear with him." An uneasy smile sat limply on her lips.
"I could never hate Rudy for something like that! I'm trying my best to get stronger—S-So I–uh… So I can stand next to Rudy. I want to be able to help him so that if he ever needs someone, I can be there for him." Zenith's face contorted into shock, then a look of what can only be described as pure joy.
I couldn't even react before I was swept up in her arms as she hoisted me into a hug. She practically crushed me into her embrace as she jumped up and down with me in her arms, squealing in what could only be described as joy. "L-Lady Zenith, ca-can't breathe." I struggled to push out the words.
She stopped a moment later as she gave me a weak apology. "Sorry, you're so cute that I couldn't resist." She grinned as her cheeks turned red.
"Lady Zenith—"
"Just call me mother, okay, Sylphie?" She had a lackadaisical look, as if what she had just said was the most natural thing.
"What?! I-I can't!" My accursed stuttering made a comeback as I stammered. The only thing that met my embarrassed facade was the woman laughing.
"I feel like you'd make for a splendid daughter, Sylphie." At this point, I'm convinced that the Greyrats are having a competition to see how embarrassed they could make me. The kind and caring person I knew as Zenith Greyrat was a scoundrel in her own right. Actually, it wouldn't be an overstatement to say that everyone in the Greyrat family was a scoundrel in their own right.
"I'd have to agree with Miss Zenith for that statement." Roxy chimed in as well.
Zenith gave an absent-minded look towards Roxy. "Actually, I'd feel like you'd fit in the role of daughter-in-law as well, Roxy." The blonde woman dumbly stated, getting a little yelp from Roxy as a reply.
She pointed to herself in a befuddled fashion. "Me?! Why would you say that, Miss?!" It felt like Roxy wasn't sure how to respond to the statement aimed at her.
"I don't know?" The woman scratched at her cheek. "My Rudy will probably end up chasing after plenty of skirts when he's older… He takes after his father in plenty of ways, after all. So I'd be at peace knowing he ended chasing after you." She looked back at me with a slightly worried look. "I wouldn't worry about yourself too much, Sylphie. If he takes after his father in other ways, I feel it'll take more than just one woman to handle him." As she spoke, I could hear Lilia in the corner mutter something.
But what did she mean by 'handle'?
Zenith had a stone-like face after she spoke. Lady Zenith was a follower of Millis, and they practiced monogamy. I had more than once walked into the Greyrat home when Lord Paul was persistently seeking his wife. He was what my father called a womanizer, and when I asked the man himself, he admitted to that. It makes sense that Rudy would grow up to be like him. It was with that thought that the topic of the discussion finally dawned on me. Wait, are we talking about marriage?!
"I'll do my best to stay out of your way, Sylphie." With a light blush, Roxy commented as she avoided eye contact with me. She was twiddling with her hair with a nervous look in her eyes.
Out of my way? What does she mean by that?! I was practically screaming in my head at this point. I like Roxy, and I knew Rudy liked her, too. "But I don't see any issue with including Master." I didn't know what she meant by her statement, but I felt terrible about leaving her out of things. After everything she's done for both of us, it felt wrong. What did she mean by staying out of my way anyway? All of us living in the same house seemed like it would be a lot of fun.
Zenith laughed again, and Roxy grew as red as the sun. "Okay! This conversation is getting way out of your age group now—how about we just get dinner ready?" Although it didn't cover much, Roxy tried to hide her flustered face with her bangs to the best of their ability.
"That sounds like a plan, daughter-in-law," Zenith took a condescending tone as she spoke. A giddy smile spread across her cheeks.
"For the love of all that is holy, please stop saying that!"
"Honestly, I don't think it'll be long before my Phi comes home saying she wants to marry Rudeus." The two men walked through the door, and almost instantaneously, my father managed to get on my nerves.
"Dad!" I yelled, and he yelped in response. Seeing the sight, Paul heartily laughed.
Father relaxed a moment later. "Well, I can never tell with you nowadays, Phi." He looked kind of gloomy as he spoke.
A second later, his head jerked forward, and I heard as I heard a smack. "You shouldn't tease your own daughter like that." My mother entered from behind the two.
"Oh, Cecilia! Welcome! Will you be joining us for dinner after all?" Zenith walked up and clasped her hands as she spoke.
"Mother? What're you doing here?" The more important question I should've asked was where Rudeus was.
"Oh, right. We didn't tell you we were eating at the Greyrat's tonight." She covered her mouth as if to say she forgot.
"Honey, where's Rudy?" Zenith's tone had a twinge of worry mixed in. After all, the boy should've been sparring with his father. It's been a few hours since we started preparing dinner, so if anything, he should've finished his training an hour or two ago.
"Oh, yeah! He left about an hour ago. He told me he had something to do and that we could eat without him." We all looked at the man in silence. "I figured it was fine; he told me he'd return before dark." Paul scratched his chin while sounding utterly carefree about the whole scenario.
Without even looking, I could feel the temperature in the room dip. Yep, Lady Zenith was mad. Zenith put two of her fingers and rubbed her eyelids. "I'm sorry in advance about my language, Sylphie." She spared a glance in my direction. "Are you fucking stupid, dear?!" She slapped the man a moment later. It was a firm smack that left a red mark on his face.
"What?" He sounded annoyed as he rubbed his now-red cheek. "We're talking about Rudy here, Honey." He stopped rubbing the spot that had been struck. "He'll be fine. If any beast comes after him—honestly, I feel more sorry for them." He whispered at the end.
"You're the worst sometimes." Zenith turned away from her husband as she scoffed. She was no less angry than she had been a moment before. It was almost impressive that Lord Paul was this dense about things. He was certainly not the most considerate husband. Zenith returned to me and gave me a warm smile, albeit slightly stressed, as she led me back to the table.
No one left to go search for him. You might think it odd, but we knew he could handle himself. Even if he was my age, he was about as capable as an adult.
Paul finally entered, and behind him were my mother and father. It was a somewhat odd affair to be eating at someone else's home.
I wasn't inexperienced with the house—or eating here, but the last one was because of Rudy's fifth birthday party. Something about the dinner's atmosphere felt off without Rudeus present. I could tell from looking at everyone seated around the table that they thought the same.
"I guess it would be an appropriate time to mention this, considering everyone who needs to know is here." Roxy was the one to break the silence that pervaded the table. Everyone looked at her. Paul and Zenith had some look of understanding on their faces as they looked intently at the sleepy-eyed girl.
"The time for Sylphiette's graduation is coming soon… This means that I'll be taking my leave from Buena in a short time." I figured as much, but that didn't mean I was ready for the actual declaration.
Leaving? Master is really going to be leaving the village soon? I thought about jumping out of my seat, wailing into the woman, and not letting her go. I wanted to cry from the news alone but couldn't. I wouldn't allow myself.
I wasn't the little girl that needed to be protected anymore. I didn't want to be that little girl anymore.
"Are you sure, Roxy?" Zenith wore a contemplative face. "We wouldn't mind you staying with us longer—I still have so many more recipes I can show you." She wasn't trying to be overbearing and force the girl to stay, but she didn't want her to leave either. It just showed how much the blue-haired demon had come to mean to the woman.
"Yeah, like Zenith said. We'd love it if you stayed—right Laws?" Paul interjected before Roxy could respond.
"Of course! All the villagers will start complaining after you leave." My father followed suit in his own reasoning.
Roxy responded to their pleas with a soft smile. "I feel like I've imposed on all of you far too long for my tastes." Her remark came off as a little pained.
"Don't be ridiculous, Roxy. You're practically family to us." Paul pushed farther.
"And thank you for thinking that—but after tutoring Sylphie, I've realized how much harder I can work." She giggled slightly. "Not to mention the shock that Rudy gave me." She seemed to think after that.
"I'm sorry our problem child made you lose some confidence." Paul was crass with many things he said, but you could tell no malicious intent was tied into his words. If anything, he seemed to be genuinely apologetic to the woman.
Roxy didn't let the words bother her any. "He did nothing of the sort. What Rudy gave me was a wake-up call. He made me realize that no matter how skilled I thought I was, someone could always show me up—" She paused, and a look of recollection formed on her face, along with a somber smile. "Rudy admires me so much, and I don't even know why—I've been trying to figure it out, but I don't get what's so appealing about me. So I decided it would be unbecoming of his so-called master to not strive to be the person he looks up to. To do that, I must leave the village and grow stronger." Her face grew resolute. "So when we meet again, I want to proudly call him my student." All that followed was silence from the rest of us.
Zenith shed a few tears from the girl's speech. Paul shared her tears as well. In just three short years since she arrived, Roxy Migurdia gained the village's respect. She had become a sort of protector to our small village in the same way Lord Paul was.
"I'll make sure I get stronger so I'm worthy of being Master Roxy's student!" I loudly declared. Everyone's eyes focused on me at that moment.
I, too, have come to know the demon known as Roxy Migurdia. She was sometimes crude with her words, but she was always understanding. She was strict with many things, but it demanded your focus, and somehow, even with that, she never came off as overbearing when teaching. She was meek at some moments but intense in others. To me, I was a person who was destined to be alone. That was the reality I had come to accept, but just as I thought all hope for me was lost, I met this woman, and from there, my life changed. I gained a teacher and friend, one I admired so profoundly that Rudy was the only person on even ground with her in my heart. I wanted to be strong enough to stand by Rudy when I was older, but I also thought I had to prove my worth as Roxy's student—to earn my right to call her my master.
Roxy Migurdia is a person who has wholeheartedly earned my respect in the time I've known her.
"I expected you to bawl your eyes out at the notion of my departure." Roxy moved over to me, and no one else dared to speak. "You've grown a lot in my time in Buena—you're no longer the little girl who was meek and cowardly because of her hair… You've grown—even if just a little…" She put her hand out towards me and stroked my head. "You'll always be worthy of being my student." A few tears escaped her eyes.
This is the first time I've seen Miss Roxy cry. I felt tears building up in my eyes. She was right about me. I'd grown a little since her arrival in Buena, but at the end of the day, I was still a girl—a child with big dreams still living in her own fantasy.
"I'm sure Rudy won't take my departure nearly as well as you, Sylphie." Her tears dripped down her cheeks. "So when he's in a heap on the ground crying, you'll help him, right? At the end of the day, Rudeus isn't nearly as strong as anyone thinks he is." She softly giggled through her crying.
"N-No matter what!" I sobbed, and the woman hugged me. My face was firmly placed into her bosom as I stained her robe with tears. The graduation hadn't even occurred, yet we were all already crying. I could hardly picture how we would react when the promised day arrived.
After we got our bearings back, we all sat back down and talked happily about the times in Buena we'd shared with the blue-haired girl. We ate and talked about tales and memories, good and bad. We shared our happiness together that evening.
Even then, one chair remained empty on the table.
Notes:
Author's Note: Here we have chapter eleven. There isn't much to say about this chapter. It's just some character interaction and Rudeus mysteriously leaving for a few hours during the day. What he's doing is anyone's guess, but he could be trying something or another away from any watchful eyes. Roa's writing is going well so far, so nothing is too significant to point out on my upload schedule. Still, I'd warn everyone that you may eventually see a dip in frequency if I decide it has to be done.
As always, feedback is greatly appreciated.