In short, I need to meet the Dragon God.
Until that day comes, I must live carefully, without attracting the attention of either gods or men.
In other words...
Until I meet the Dragon God, I cannot alter the course of history.
I'm fully aware of what that means. Tragedies will unfold, events I know well and could prevent if I so chose.
Like Sylphy's parents.
Like those who died in the Teleportation Disaster.
Like Sauros.
But I'm sorry. I, Rudeus Greyrat, am a selfish man.
I will try, within reason, to save the innocent, but not at the cost of the larger plan.
And if anyone dares to obstruct me...
It's embarrassing to admit, but once, I burned an entire city to ash just to vent my rage.
Yes, I lost control back then.
But that madness still lingers in me, restrained, yet intact.
Hitogami.
Your opponent now is someone who will stop at nothing.
Stay hidden in the Void World. Wash your neck and wait.
...
Time passed.
In the blink of an eye, two years went by.
During those two years, I maintained the same curiosity about the world (especially the soft warmth of breasts) as I had in my last life and slowly grew up.
Zenith, Lilia, and Paul all noticed something odd about me.
But that was all.
On the magical front, I began my training again.
Thanks to the Laplace Factor within me, my mana capacity is nearly bottomless. It would be foolish not to make use of that.
And because of my absurd mana pool, I used magic without restraint, never worrying about conserving power.
That meant I had to keep training to prevent stagnation.
Water magic, however, was inefficient and risky. Someone might mistake it for bed-wetting.
Ahem. Not the main concern.
The main issue was that babies are only awake for a short time each day, so I had to burn through my mana within that limited window.
My solution?
Gravity magic.
The spell once used by the Dragon King, a technique that couldn't be replicated with magic circles. But with my knowledge and experience, I managed to master it.
It consumed an insane amount of mana.
Every day, I would levitate myself one millimeter off the ground, using gravity magic continuously while I was awake.
Once my mana ran dry, I'd fall asleep.
This approach raised no suspicion. The gods, including Hitogami, shouldn't notice either.
After all, that bastard isn't omniscient. He just sees the future.
...
Then came the day. A quiet afternoon. I was three years old.
The time had come.
Roxy Migurdia would appear soon.
Ah...
Great Goddess.
Allow me to welcome you with chantless water magic!
In the attic, I gathered all my magic into my palms, forming a massive sphere of water.
I performed the spell like a ritual, with reverence and awe.
This was a sacred rite.
A summoning of my God.
Boom—
A towering column of water blasted forth, carving a massive hole into the wall. Oops. Maybe a little too much force.
Half the wall was gone.
I forgot—I had far more mana now than in my previous life.
"What the hell happened?! Oh..."
Paul burst in, eyes wide as he stared at the destroyed wall.
He initially assumed it was the work of a monster.
Then Zenith came.
Her eyes moved faster than his. She saw the magic textbook on the floor, then looked at me. Her smile softened.
Heh. I know what she's thinking.
Back when I was born, she and Paul had made a decision: if it was a boy, he'd learn swordsmanship. If it were a girl, magic.
Well, I'm a boy. So I was supposed to learn the sword.
But now? I'd shown incredible magical aptitude.
No doubt about it.
They began to debate whether to hire a magic tutor.
The decision, as always, was the same.
Magic lessons in the morning. Sword training in the afternoon.
Did they even consider whether a three-year-old could handle that?
Well, they're first-time parents. Can't blame them too much.
A few days later...
She arrived.
"My name is Roxy Migurdia. I hope you'll take care of me."
She looked like a junior high student.
Wearing a brown magician's robe, twin braids, and a staff in one hand, with a travel bag in the other. Small, dignified, quiet.
Pale skin untouched by sunlight. Her eyelids were half-lowered as if perpetually sleepy. Lips forming a neutral, unreadable line.
No glasses, but she gave off the air of a scholarly girl from the library.
Roxy Migurdia had arrived.
But when I looked at her, what flashed before me wasn't this young, energetic figure.
It was her fragile form on a hospital bed, her body crystallized by a magic stone disease.
Tears welled up without warning.
Ah...
You're here.
Roxy. My teacher. My goddess. My wife.
I swear on everything...
I will protect you.
——
Roxy's Perspective
After graduating from the University of Magic, I tried finding work in the city.
As a Water Saint-ranked magician, I thought it would be easy.
I was wrong.
Maybe it was because I'm a demon (Migurd), maybe because of my blue hair?
Either way, job after job slipped through my fingers.
So I tried my luck near the border.
Still nothing.
Seriously?
I'm a Water Saint-level magician, and I'm wandering the streets like a starving beggar.?I remembered what I'd said to my master when I left school.
"I don't need to call you master anymore."
Thinking back... how foolish I was.
Then, just when I had lost hope, I saw a job posting for a magic tutor.
Might as well try.
That's how I ended up here, in this village.
And then I saw the child I was to teach...
You've got to be kidding.
He's three?
Three-year-olds are barely past babbling.
"Ah, so you're the tutor?"
"Y-yes..."
His parents hesitated, unsure how to explain the situation.
I sighed, ready to politely decline.
But before I could speak, the child started crying.
No.
He wasn't crying.
Tears simply poured from his eyes.
"Hey, Rudy?"
"Don't be afraid. Not all demons are bad..."
His parents tried to reassure him.
"His name's Rudy. He's a sweet child. He must've been scared."
I knew why.
Because of my hair.
In certain light, it can look green. Like the feared Supard race, the demons were said to eat children.
I'd been judged for it before.
Ah...