The fourth year since his reincarnation into another world, autumn of the year 411 of the Armored Dragon calendar.
This autumn was especially crisp and refreshing.
The maple leaves in the forest had begun turning yellow, too.
An entire year had passed since Roxy first stepped through the Greyrat family's front door.
Life had been quite comfortable during that time. With another person in the house, even the air felt a little livelier.
Although Luo Ge always said his dream was to become a swordsman, his thinking was not actually that rigid.
He studied swordsmanship with Paul in the morning and magic with Roxy in the afternoon.
Swords and magic!
He wanted them both!
It was just that, compared with Rudeus, his little bit of magical talent fell short.
Even Luo Ge had to admit that.
That brat Rudeus might have been a creep, but his talent for magic was utterly ridiculous.
If Luo Ge rated his own talent at eighty points, Rudeus would have scored ninety-nine. Giving him another point would only make him conceited.
Precisely because Rudeus shone so brightly, Roxy instead devoted more energy to the relatively weaker student, Luo Ge, giving him special attention.
Magic assignments after sword training, key points to study... these had practically become Luo Ge's daily required coursework.
Of course, Luo Ge was always skipping class.
Luo Ge had long since made a clear plan for his magical training.
He intended to specialize in the healing and detoxification magic he was best at... to support his swordsmanship.
Ultimately, nearly being poisoned to death by a pufferfish last time had left far too deep a psychological scar.
If he had known detoxification magic back then, would he really have ended up on the riverbank, eyes rolling back as he waited to die?
Besides, if he knew detoxification magic, he could eat as much pufferfish as he wanted in the future. How wonderful...
In terms of long-term development, if he stubbornly focused on magic, he certainly would not measure up to Rudeus and would be outclassed at every turn.
But if he focused on swordsmanship and used magic for support, even ten Rudeuses together would not be a match for him alone.
Yes, that settled things nicely.
Just imagine.
If he was injured in battle someday, he could casually cast a healing spell, instantly close his wounds, and replenish his stamina in a moment. Fighting while recharging-wouldn't that make him a veritable perpetual motion machine?
Luo Ge was immersed in this wonderful fantasy when a sudden burst of vigorous activity came from the room next door.
"Darling!"
Zenith and Paul had started yet another round of battle.
Luo Ge and Rudeus could not help exchanging a knowing glance, the same bitterness and helplessness written in both their eyes.
Honestly... their young mom and dad had far too much energy.
Perhaps after producing such an excessively outstanding pair of twins as Luo Ge and Rudeus, Paul and Zenith intended to keep making alts.
Maybe they could have a few more geniuses like Rudeus and Luo Ge to strengthen the Greyrat family.
Hmm...
Almost every night, sounds that made people blush came from behind that door.
Luo Ge, for his part, had little interest.
With no woman in his heart, his sword would naturally be divine. Since he had come to another world, of course he wanted to become the strongest man in it.
Women would only slow his sword draw...
But that brat Rudeus... was hopeless. Every time he heard those sounds, he put on an utterly disgusting, lecherous expression.
He looked exactly like Jiahao, Luo Ge's best buddy from his previous life.
Luo Ge could hardly stand to watch.
Even when sleeping, Luo Ge did not dare turn his back on him, trembling with fear that he might accidentally make a move on him.
In the middle of the night.
Luo Ge opened his door, intending to go to the toilet alone.
The corridor was dim, with only moonlight leaking through the window frames and laying silver-white strips across the floor.
He was about to pass Paul's bedroom door when a faint light suddenly caught the corner of his eye.
Huh?
Someone's there?
The door stood slightly ajar, and a figure was leaning against the crack, peering intently inside.
Luo Ge took a closer look and froze on the spot.
It was Roxy.
Teacher Roxy, normally so dignified and innocent as she solemnly taught their lessons, was currently giving a live demonstration of Voiceless Water Magic.
The sight instantly dealt young Luo Ge a devastating psychological blow.
He nearly stared himself stupid.
Only after an unknown amount of time did Luo Ge hurriedly avert his gaze. Holding his oil lamp, he prepared to tiptoe away quietly and pretend he had seen nothing.
However, he accidentally stepped on a slightly loose floorboard.
Creak-
"Who's there?!"
Roxy whipped her head around. Moonlight and lamplight crossed in the corridor, and their gazes collided head-on.
Luo Ge awkwardly tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Good evening, Teacher Roxy... um, I was just passing by."
"Y-you can carry on with your Voiceless Water Magic. Just pretend I'm not here."
"Huh? Voiceless Magic?"
Roxy's cheeks burst into flame, and she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into right then.
"...You didn't see anything, did you?" Even she could hear the guilty uncertainty in her voice as she asked.
Luo Ge fell silent for a moment, then cautiously said, "If I said I didn't see anything... would you believe me, Teacher Roxy?"
"..."
Roxy's expression darkened visibly.
Luo Ge instinctively shrank back, a little frightened. "Um, Teacher... you're not going to kill me to silence me, are you?"
Roxy drew a deep breath and lowered her voice through gritted teeth. "You... won't tell anyone, right?"
"Of course I won't." Luo Ge nodded solemnly.
Roxy had just breathed a sigh of relief when Luo Ge suddenly leaned toward her ear and lowered his voice, a hint of mischief in his smile. "It's just... Teacher, you wouldn't want anyone else finding out about this, would you?"
"Huh?"
Roxy grew tense, fidgeting as though he had seized her by her fatal weakness.
"W-what do you want?" Her voice sounded a little weak.
"Teacher, I want you to help me..." Luo Ge drew out the last word, leaned close to Roxy's ear, and told her what he wanted.
"No!"
Roxy instinctively waved her hands, her cheeks so red they looked ready to bleed. "Anything but that... absolutely not!"
Without allowing any argument, Luo Ge took her small hand, his gaze sincere. "You can. Just this once, okay?"
"No! You're too young. For something like that, you should at least..." Roxy's voice grew quieter and quieter.
Luo Ge blinked. "Teacher, I did promise to keep your secret, you know, but you have to listen to me!"
Roxy bit her lip and struggled for a long while before finally giving in, nodding awkwardly. "All right... just this once. Never again."
"Great!"
Luo Ge's mood instantly brightened. "Teacher Roxy finally said yes!"
Early the next morning.
Luo Ge got out of bed early and spotted Roxy in the corridor, stretching after having only recently gotten up herself.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Luo Ge immediately went over to greet her. "Good morning, Teacher Roxy."
Roxy was a little embarrassed, but she still replied softly, "Good morning, Luo Ge."
Then Luo Ge went straight to Roxy's side, rose onto his toes, and whispered into her ear, "Teacher, don't forget our agreement from last night."
"I know."
Roxy clutched her little braid, looking as cute as a small animal caught in someone's grasp.
Rudeus, who had followed behind, immediately noticed something was wrong. Something was definitely going on between those two.
But Rudeus could not put his finger on what it was.
Damn it.
Did this stupid little brother beat me to it?
True to form, Rudeus conjured up quite an elaborate scenario in his head.
As usual, they washed their faces, brushed their teeth, and enjoyed breakfast with their family.
Incidentally, the food in this world was not particularly tasty. Without the seasonings from his previous life, the flavors tended to be bland.
Even the milk they drank every day had a faintly gamey smell.
But even food like this was not something ordinary families in this world could freely enjoy.
Once breakfast was over.
Luo Ge went running around the village.
This extremely disciplined lifestyle, which was even somewhat harsh on himself, had continued for quite a long time.
Even Rudeus thought he was grinding too hard.
Luo Ge was drenched in sweat when he returned. Lilia had long since heated water and was waiting for him.
"Welcome home, Young Master Luo Ge!"
Lilia was someone who observed her duties and etiquette, but deep down, Luo Ge could tell she was not close to either him or Rudeus.
There was even a faint sense of distance...
Still, she was very dedicated to her duties as a maid.
Luo Ge nodded lightly, then, with Lilia's help...
Or, more precisely, with some halfhearted resistance on his part, he took a bath and changed into clean clothes.
When he went downstairs, Roxy was still teaching Rudeus magic.
"Teacher Roxy, about what you promised last night?"
Seeing Luo Ge approach, Roxy grew uncomfortable all over, her eyes evasive. "All right, I know."
"I'll do it..."
Rudeus had never seen Roxy look so shy. All sorts of strange images instantly began forming in his head.
Plots from the doujins of his previous life.
Himself lying in a hospital bed, while Roxy and Luo Ge were outside the door...
Himself sound asleep, while Luo Ge held a knife to Roxy's neck beside his bed, and Roxy could only cover her mouth.
On the subway, Roxy and Luo Ge in a corner he could not see...
This is bad!
Rudeus's expression instantly turned extremely ugly.
He walked up to Roxy, took a deep breath, and spoke in an intensely chuunibyou tone. "Teacher Roxy, from here on... leave it to me!"
"Evil Luo Ge, I am the Moon Shadow Knight... I shall not allow you to harm a hair on this maiden's head!"
Then...
There was no then.
Luo Ge easily sent him flying with a single punch, and his body began twitching nonstop on the floor.
"Is this... really all right?" Roxy asked worriedly.
"It's fine..."
"I knew to avoid his vital spots when I hit him. Trust me, Rudeus will be fine."
"All right. There's really no helping you!"
Roxy put on her felt hat and her mage's robe, then picked up her staff and set off.
Of course, as she left.
She did not forget to cast a healing spell on Rudeus.
At that moment, Rudeus watched his respected teacher leave with his evil younger brother.
"No!"
He knelt on one knee, wanting to chase after them.
But when he reached the courtyard, he still could not overcome that psychological barrier. His previous life had affected him too deeply.
"Noooooooo!"
Rudeus could only kneel on one knee, pounding the ground as anguished wails escaped his mouth.
What genius Rudeus?
At that moment, he was nothing but a powerless disciple.
"Looks like it failed!"
Luo Ge was a little disappointed.
He had originally thought that provoking Rudeus like this would make him step outside the house.
But Luo Ge realized he had still overestimated him.
Although he did not know what had happened in Rudeus's previous life, Luo Ge could roughly guess that he must have suffered extremely severe psychological trauma before reincarnating.
Hmm...
He would leave it at that, then.
Next, he would enjoy his picnic with Roxy. Luo Ge had already made up his mind.
When he got back, he would really show off in front of Rudeus.
Before they knew it, the two soon reached a deserted stretch of riverbank.
"No..."
"If Mr. Paul and Mrs. Zenith found out about something like that..."
"What would happen if they found out?"
Roxy stood before him, looking utterly embarrassed. If she hadn't promised Luo Ge, and if she didn't have to keep her word as a teacher...
She would never have agreed to such an outrageous request from Luo Ge.
Under Luo Ge's persistent coaxing, Roxy could only put on a helpless expression. "All right, just this once. I really don't know what to do with you."