◆◇◆
Thanks to Lilia, I was able to escape Mother’s almost obsessive attention.
Mother had not even listened to Father, yet she took a single word from Lilia to heart.
Perhaps words exchanged between women carried a weight men’s words did not.
I did not know the details, but I was simply grateful that, as a result, I could roam freely about the house and spend more time with Rudy.
Without having to worry about Mother watching us, my brother and I went upstairs and devoted ourselves to studying magic together.
Of course, Father’s wishes had to be taken into account as well, so we began learning swordsmanship in the mornings.
Rudy seemed to find physical activity tiring, but in my case, I actually preferred it.
Early each morning, I rose and joined Father in the garden, gripping a wooden sword as he taught me the fundamentals of swinging a blade.
Father tilted his head in surprise when he saw me, whom he had assumed was frail, diligently swinging my sword.
"Well, this is unexpected. I thought Rudy would be the one good at swinging a sword, but Lumi, who’s weaker, is better at it."
"Father, I’m an indoor type."
"An indoor type? What’s that supposed to mean?"
"The sort of commander who uses his head rather than his body."
"Don’t talk nonsense! You’re my son, so you ought to know how to swing a sword at the very least! Look at Lumi. He’s been doing downward swings without a single complaint."
Rudy’s excuse did not work on Father at all.
Still, it was not entirely wrong.
Rudy’s talent for magic far exceeded his talent with a sword.
It was only natural for those blessed with keen minds not to be accustomed to physical work.
That was why civil officials and military officials were divided when governing a country.
In Rudy’s case, he was suited to being a civil official.
As for me, my mind was not particularly brilliant.
And even in my previous life, I had lived with my heart set on the sword.
Even if this was a world other than the Earth I had known, I would hold a sword until the very end.
As one of the Shinsengumi carrying the memories of a previous life into this world, I would never cast aside the way of the warrior within me.
Besides, I knew better than anyone that, perhaps due to my lack of imagination, I was ill-suited to be a mage, a calling that demanded one wield freely shaped forms.
That was why I swung a sword.
But—
Is every wooden sword in this world modeled after a Western blade?
Even allowing for the fact that it was a practice sword, it was far too uncomfortable to use.
The blade tip was broad and thick. It resembled a Western one-handed sword rather than a Japanese katana shaped to cut sharply through things, making it utterly unsuitable for using the swordsmanship of my previous life.
"Father, if you have something like a carving knife, could I borrow it?"
"A carving knife? You mean a dagger? What for?"
"This sword is too inconvenient for me to use. I want to alter its shape so that it’s easier for me to handle."
"What? But this is what wooden swords are supposed to look like. Besides, didn’t we agree with your mother that you wouldn’t handle blades?"
There was the agreement I had made with Mother, but more fundamentally, Father seemed to dislike any method that went against his own standards.
That did not mean I could give up on my sword.
Father and son, our intentions at odds.
There was only one best thing I could do in this situation.
"...Daddy. I’m asking you like this. Can’t I?"
"U-urgh!"
"Can’t I?"
"A-all right! I get it, so stop with that cutesy act from those tiny little limbs!"
"Thank you."
"I told you to stop, and you change your expression again in an instant... What a frightening child."
I made my eyes shine as brightly as possible, clasped both hands beneath my chin, and acted cute like a little girl begging for something.
This was my secret weapon, the very tactic that had persuaded Mother when she had been displeased by the idea of me learning swordsmanship from Father.
No parent could refuse a child acting cute—especially their own child’s whining.
I myself had once laughed heartily and indulged every whim of my young sons and grandchildren.
But...
Perhaps because the person inside is an old man over one hundred and sixty-eight, I’m embarrassed too.
Even using this tactic was a shock to me.
Still, I wanted to insist on this matter of the sword, so I made the sacrifice as though swallowing bitter medicine.
"Rudy? Why are you standing there so blankly?"
"Huh? No, it’s just... I was thinking Lumi is amazing."
"What is?"
"Hmm. It’s like, ‘As long as it tastes good, it doesn’t matter!’ ...something like that."
"What does that mean?"
"It’s just a thing."
For some reason, Rudy seemed troubled by my question.
Was he doing his best to seem mature as my older brother?
Rudy really was Rudy.
◆◇◆
To teach us magic, our parents decided to hire a tutor.
Father was one of the few knights in the area and held the status of a low-ranking noble.
By the standards of my old world, he seemed to occupy a position something like that of a lower-ranking samurai.
In other words, he possessed a certain degree of standing.
However, where we lived was an isolated rural corner even by this country’s standards.
There were scarcely any mages in this borderland, much less talented people.
Father put in requests with the Mage Guild and the Adventurer Guild, but how many people would be willing to settle down in such a remote village to teach children?
I thought it would take quite some time to find a tutor, but apparently one had turned up with surprising ease and would arrive tomorrow.
Since there was nowhere to stay in the village, it seemed she would live with us as a boarder.
Our parents had apparently expected a retired mage to come here looking to settle in the countryside.
After all, there was no reason a promising young person would come to a place like this.
In this world, only mages of Advanced rank or higher were permitted to teach magic.
So we expected someone with the kindly wrinkles of a middle-aged or elderly person who had accumulated years of experience.
"I’m Roxy. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
Yet the one who arrived, overturning both our parents’ expectations and mine... was a girl who was still quite young.
At most, she looked about old enough to be entering high school.
She was petite, with long hair reminiscent of blue jade braided into twin tails, white skin untouched by the blazing sun, slightly sleepy-looking and blunt eyes, and a mouth that gave off an unapproachable air.
She gave the impression of a literary girl one might see at a young ladies’ school in the Taisho era.
The four of us welcomed her before the front door.
"..."
"..."
Our parents were so startled by her appearance that they seemed unable to speak.
Well, I felt the same way.
The person who had come as our teacher was the complete opposite of the person we had expected.
"Uh, ah, you’re... um, the tutor?"
"Um, you’re quite, quite... I mean..."
As our parents seemed uncomfortable finishing their thoughts, Rudy, held in Father’s arms, opened his mouth.
"You’re small."
"You’re not one to talk."
With that sharp reply, the girl who had introduced herself as Roxy sighed and spoke.
"Sigh... So, who are the students I’ll be teaching?"
"Ah, these children."
Mother introduced me in her arms and Rudy in Father’s.
"Hello."
When I answered in a small voice, Roxy lowered her gaze and let out a sigh.
"Sigh... It happens sometimes. Foolish parents who believe their children have talent just because they developed a little early..."
To say something like that openly in front of the parents.
This girl apparently had more nerve than her appearance suggested.
"Do you have a complaint?"
"No, but I don’t believe your sons will be able to understand magical theory."
"It’s fine. Our Rudy and Lumi are good at everything!"
Mother’s foolishly doting remark made even my cheeks turn red.
For someone whose only talent was holding a sword, to be told I would be good at everything...
It was the first time in my life that I had received such embarrassing praise from a parent.
At Mother’s words, Roxy sighed once more.
"Sigh... Very well. I’ll do what I can."
And so, lessons with Teacher Roxy in the morning and swordsmanship lessons with Father in the afternoon became part of our brothers’ daily routine.
◆◇◆
"Then, this magic textbook... No, before that, let’s test how much magic the two of you can use."
On the first day of class, Roxy took my brother and me out into the garden and aimed the end of her staff at one of the trees there.
"First, a demonstration. [May the blessing of great water be at the place you desire. Let the flow of a clear stream be here now]—[Water Ball]."
With her incantation, a ball of water as large as a watermelon formed at the end of her staff.
The water ball flew at great speed toward the tree she had targeted—
Crack!
It easily snapped the thick trunk and drenched the fence with water.
However...
"What do you think?"
"...It is impressive, Teacher. However—"
"That tree is one Mother has raised with great care, so she’ll be angry if she sees it."
"Huh? Is that so?!"
"It certainly is."
The tree she had broken happened to be one Mother cherished and raised as lovingly as she did me.
Once, Father had broken one of its branches while swinging his sword, and Mother’s face at the time had been that of a true demon.
Yes. Like seeing that person from long ago.
[Shinsengumi Vice Commander! Hijikata Toshizo! Here I come!]
[Shinsengumi Second Unit Captain! Nagakura Shinpachi! Making an appearance!]
[Shinsengumi Tenth Unit Captain! Harada Sanosuke! You imperial-loyalist, foreigner-expelling bastards! Don’t even dream of running away!]
[Everyone, charge!!]
Charging straight at sword-wielding ronin without fear, murderous intent pouring off him—he was the very embodiment of the Demon Vice Commander.
Those ronin, crushed beneath that spirit, would tremble like aspen leaves and throw down their swords at the mere mention of Hijikata Toshizo’s name.
If I could glimpse that Vice Commander in Mother... then I could understand in my heart how Father must have felt when he had faced it himself.
"That’s a problem. I have to do something...!"
Roxy hurried over to the tree and desperately propped up the broken trunk.
Then, holding the trunk with a face reddened like an apple, she said,
"Uuu... [Holy power, be abundant nourishment; grant those who have lost their strength the power to rise once more]—[Healing]."
At her incantation, the trunk slowly returned to how it had been before it broke, as if time itself had reversed.
Rudy and I watched with wide eyes, then applauded Roxy.
"Phew."
"Teacher, you can use healing magic too!!"
"That was cleanly done magic."
"Huh? Ah, yes. I can use magic up through Intermediate rank without any trouble."
"Amazing! That’s amazing!"
"No, anyone can do this much with proper training."
Her tone was somewhat stiff, but judging from the slack smile at the corners of her mouth, she seemed pleased all the same.
Roxy cleared her throat and composed her voice before pointing at Rudy.
"All right, Rudy, Lumi. Give it a try."
"Yes."
"...Understood."
At Roxy’s call, we nodded and stepped forward.
Apparently something had gone wrong for Rudy, as he held out his hand with a troubled expression.
"Uh, what was it again?"
"‘May the blessing of great water be at the place you desire. Let the flow of a clear stream be here.’"
It seemed he had forgotten the incantation.
Well, ever since he had first learned magic, Rudy had used only silent casting, so he had apparently forgotten how to chant.
As an ordinary person, it was a realm I could not hope to imitate.
Still, perhaps because even the shortened incantation he had heard only once was unfamiliar, Rudy stopped in the middle of chanting, omitted the rest, and fired a ball of water.
"May the blessing of great water be... [Water Ball]."
It was a little smaller than the water ball Roxy had made and slower as well.
Its power and speed were both far inferior to the magic he usually fired off.
Even so, it smashed through the tree trunk with satisfying force.
In the brief opening created by Rudy’s first strike, I hurriedly stretched out the hand with the magic circle drawn upon it and released mana.
A thin, water shuriken in the shape of a needle, about five inches long, shot from my fingertips and embedded itself in the fallen trunk.
Seeing our magic, Roxy addressed us with a complicated expression.
"You omitted the incantation. And that on the backs of your hands... did you draw magic circles there?"
"Yes."
"...Forgive me for saying so, but I cannot use magic through incantations. So, following Rudy’s advice, I activated magic by engraving magic circles on the backs of my hands."
"Then is this how Rudy and Lumi usually use magic?"
"Yes."
"Until recently, we drew magic circles in ink, but now we are studying how to make fine marks with mana, connect them, and briefly inscribe them on the backs of our hands in order to use various kinds of magic."
"How can that be... Magic circles require a special pigment containing mana to activate... Sigh. ...I see. The size and power of the water balls are both good. And being able to wield personalized magic circles is impressive too."
"Thank you."
"Thank you very much."
At our replies, Roxy accepted it calmly, before a smile gradually appeared on her lips.
"...This will be rewarding to teach. Now, let’s quickly move on to the next spell—"
Just as she excitedly began to open the magic textbook—
"Aaaaaah!!"
A scream rose from behind us... from the direction of the front door.
The owner of that voice was Mother, who had come to watch our lesson.
She had dropped the tray of drinks, covered her mouth with both hands, and stared at the tree, snapped clean in two and pierced through with holes.
Her expression was utterly distressed.
The next moment, it transformed, growing red and furious like a demon’s.
Mother strode over and confronted Roxy.
"Teacher Roxy! You there! Please don’t use the trees in our garden as targets for experiments!"
"Eek!! But Rudy and Lumi did this..."
"Even if the children did it, you were the one who told them to!!"
Roxy shrank before Mother’s anger.
Perhaps she was shocked; she slumped down like a cat abandoned by the roadside.
However one looked at it, trying to shift the blame onto three-year-old children was not a very becoming sight for a teacher.
"Yes. That’s right."
"Make sure this never happens again!"
"Yes, I’m sorry, ma’am."
After that, Mother neatly restored the garden tree with [Healing] and returned inside.
Once Mother was gone, Roxy sat down on the ground, scribbling letters and beginning to mutter.
"I made a mistake on the very first day."
"Teacher."
"...Sigh. Will I be dismissed tomorrow?"
She was apparently more sensitive than I had expected.
No, she looked no different from a young girl, so it was only natural that she would be dejected.
As I stared blankly at the dispirited Roxy, unsure what to do,
"Lumi, Lumi."
"Hmm?"
"You know... how about doing that thing once?"
"That thing?"
"You know, that cute act that made Father go all weak in the knees."
That was Rudy for you. Unlike me, who only stood there watching, he had thought of a way to comfort his teacher.
It was a little embarrassing, but I bore some responsibility for this incident too.
I ought to take responsibility in my own way. I turned toward Roxy’s back and gently patted her shoulder with my mitten-like hand.
"..."
"Lumi?"
"Teacher, I’m sorry. I’ll be careful from now on."
"L-Lumi?"
Just as I had done with Father, I put on an act with innocent sparkling eyes and enough puppy-like yearning for affection from its owner that one could practically hear a little whine beside my ears.
"Cheer up, Teacher~."
Roxy’s cheeks turned pink as she looked up at me with trembling eyes.
"R-right. Thank you for comforting me."
Her pale hand stroked my head.
As she petted me, her expression somehow became slack and relaxed.
"Teacher, you didn’t fail."
"Rudy?"
"You gained experience, so there’s no need to be depressed."
"I see. Thank you."
"Yes. Then please continue the lesson."
That was how, from the very first day, we were able to grow close to Roxy.
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