The scorching sunlight streamed down upon Buena Village, drying up the ground and withering the plants due to the lack of rain over the past several weeks.
This is considered a common occurrence throughout the summer months in the northeastern part of the Asura Kingdom.
"Huh…The weather is hot once again." Zenith sighed as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. She was tending to her garden and preparing to cast a water ball spell to nourish her plants and trees, which were suffering from the terrible drought that plagued the entire village.
"Let the great protection of water be on the place thou seekest. I call upon a refreshing burbling stream here and now. Water Ball." Zenith used her water ball spell to spread the water around the flora and trees outside her residence.
Moments later, Lilia approached and responded to Zenith, looking concerned. "Ma'am, we are unfortunately running low on water."
"Oh my, how awful!" Zenith replied, peeking below the water well and discovering that the water level was very low. There was hardly any water to speak of sadly.
Zenith and Lilia continued their conversation indoors as Zenith cast another water ball into a large vase for her family's daily use.
"When the water level drops, it will be quite concerning for many people who can't use magic, unlike me, Rudy, and little Roxy," Zenith said, expressing her worries about the harsh drought surrounding the village until Roxy arrived.
"Oh, Roxy? The merchants are in front of the village mayor's house," said Zenith. Roxy thanked her before departing the Grayrat residence and walking towards the village market square, where most traveling merchants sold their merchandise to the locals.
As she browsed through the vendors' wares, one salesman welcomed her, intrigued by her presence. "Welcome! An adventurer? That's quite an unusual sight in a small hamlet like this."
"I'll be here for a while, so could you please show me your housewares and everyday goods? Oh, and would you be able to bring back some books on magic on your next visit?" Roxy requested.
"I can handle that for you if you pay in advance, but I don't have the expertise to know which is good or has a bad quality. Wouldn't it be better if you looked at them in person?" The salesman replied to Roxy, suggesting she should go to a bookstore within the city of Roa. So she can find the correct magic tomes.
"You have a point…In the meantime, I'll buy those housewares you have over there," Roxy said, pointing to the household items she wanted to purchase.
Hmm, maybe I should go to the city of Roa tomorrow to buy the magic tomes I need to tutor Rudeus in other magic-related subjects.
Meanwhile, Roxy overheard some of the villagers discussing their worries about the low water levels in Buena Village.
"The water level's worryingly low in the river, too." one woman remarked.
"Won't it rain soon?" Another asked.
"I hope so…My wheat field and vegetable garden won't last long under these poor conditions because of this dreadful drought." The first woman replied.
The Next Morning~
Roxy POV
Tomorrow, I plan on tutoring Rudeus in the morning. Then in the afternoon, I'll depart Buena Village by hitching a ride on a stagecoach to the city of Roa.
"Mommy, class is over," Rudeus announced to everyone and Zenith responded. "Good job Rudy. By the way, could you please conjure up some water for the plants in the garden?"
"It would be my pleasure😇." Rudeus with a delightful smile on his face.
"Well then Ms.Zenith, I'll be leaving now," Roxy said, behind the front door inside the house, carrying her white suitcase.
"Oh yeah…You mentioned yesterday that you were going to the city of Roa right? Just be careful, okay." Zenith said to Roxy, as she, Rudy, and Lilia bid her farewell.
After leaving the Greyrat house twenty minutes ago. She waited for a stagecoach to arrive and take her to the city of Roa. Until suddenly a random wheat farmer man approached her.
"Uhh, hey, you. You're that magician gal that lives in Paul's place right?" The farmer asked.
"I am, but why do you need me for exactly?" Roxy said, questioning the young man's intentions towards her.
"Where do you think you're going at a time like this? Planning to run away all by yourself!?" The farmer shouted at Roxy as he put his hands on her shoulders. In a weak attempt to keep her from leaving the village as soon as possible.
"Excuse me? Please let go of me this instant!"
"If you're a magician who lives here, then you are indebted to this village and should at least—."
During their aggressive conversation, a stagecoach wagon immediately appeared on the travelers' dirt road, awaiting any customers who were seeking a ride.
The stagecoach man responded to Roxy. Asking if she needs transportation. "Are you looking for a ride, miss?"
"You bet I am," Roxy said as she grabbed her suitcase and instantly climbed into the backseat of the stagecoach wagon.
"HMPH! Ungrateful little shit, of a demon girl!" The farmer said bitterly behind Roxy's back as he walked away. Later the stagecoach's horse began galloping on the traveler road-track toward the city of Roa as Roxy lay back on the wooden seats and sighed as she noticed the wilted plants and vegetables in the fields.
Buena Village and the city of Roa are a day's coach ride apart, just the right distance. Neither too near nor too far to go buy a few magic tomes and be back in Greyrat House in the evening.
Last I remember, the city of Roa was the only major settlement spared from destruction in the Laplace War, four hundred years ago.
The City of Roa, Sunset~
Roxy POV
Okay, I finished buying the magic tomes. Now I just gotta withdraw some money from the Adventurers' Guild then—
"Oh! A magician? Someone who seems proficient at water magic spells?!" The guild receptionist woman said to the requester, until she glanced at Roxy who recently just entered the adventurer guild. Noticing her attire resembled a magician, she instantly knew the bluenette girl was perfect for the job requirement.
Then she quickly and unexpectedly approached Roxy, leading her towards her face, and responded. "We have tons of quests, so please, accept some!" She said with a cheerful and eager attitude, feeling quite happy that at least one magician had shown up to fulfill some of the requests that require a water elemental magician.
"I see…😅" Roxy replied with a grinning smile, a worried facial expression, and a sweat droplet on her forehead, due to the female receptionist getting up in her personal space without warning.
Roxy and the receptionist continued their discussion near the bulletin board that listed and showed many adventure requests.
"We got this one…And this is looking for water magicians too." The receptionist said, pointing to the request papers.
The drought wasn't just in the vicinity of Buena Village. There are a lot of villages and towns in the Fittoa Region requesting the same thing and everything pays very well. Even with the current situation like that, there are still a lot of quests left over…
Does that mean there's a shortage of people who can cast the necessary spells🤔?
At that moment, I remembered some of the words the racist villager said to her today.
"Planning to run away all by yourself? If you're a magician. Then you have a debt to this village, and you should—"
I see that's why that villager was saying that. I know those eyes far too well…Those were the eyes of someone who wants to use me like a tool just because I'm highly skilled in using magic compared to the average person.
The only reason these requests are present to me in the first place is that I was reduced to working a mid-wage job. After all, I'm a demon.
If the Asura Kingdom weren't so prejudiced towards the demon race. I would've gotten hired as a court magician protecting a rich noble, and teaching magic to a handsome man who would be my ideal husband someday. Which would've helped me receive a fancy mansion and enough money to buy all the sweets I could desire😋.
But life isn't fair in this world. Sometimes you gotta take advantage of the small opportunities until you eventually obtain a satisfying and prosperous existence.
In the end, I didn't accept the adventurer's requests and left the adventurer guild. Along with some of my withdrawn money.
Eventually, I exited the City of Roa and returned to Buena Village, making my way back to the Greyrat house.
As I was strolling on the stone bridge, the trio of troublemakers Somar, Teo, and Arlo were sitting on a little hillside with a single tree below the bridge and saw me and responded to me rudely.
"Hey, demon! What gives? Didn't you run away?!" Somar shouted to Roxy and continued talking to her. "My dad said he went to ask you something and you weren't there."
Teo responded, in an attempt to mock her integrity. "We figured they found you out and you ran away. A lame magician who can't do much of anything like you must've told some real tall tales to roll into a knight's house."
"Yeah Teo, I bet she's too weak to help our village," Arlo said to his friends with a smirk on his face and then pointed at Roxy as he began ridiculing her. "That's probably why a useless magician like you ran scared before everyone else found out that you lied about being a powerful spellcaster."
Ugh😮💨, I think Somar's father Mr.Etowasasking about the drought when I wasn't at the Greyrats' house at the time. Well, I guess if Ms.Zenith and Sir Paul bring me requests from the villagers…Then I guess I can't refuse, but otherwise…
"Hey don't run away and ignore us demon girl!" Somar ranted as he shook his fist in the air with an angry tone in his voice, disrupting Roxy's chain of thought, but she simply gave him the cold shoulder as she traveled towards the Greyrat house.
"Welcome back little Roxy," Zenith said with a lighthearted smile on her face as she opened the front door for Roxy.
"Welcome back, Ms.Roxy," Rudeus said, greeting his mentor with a bright smile on his face. I feel quite happy to see her back home.
"There's time before dinner, so you can relax in your room for a while," Zenith said as Roxy started to take off her magician hat.
"Excuse me, Ms.Zenith?" Roxy said.
"HMM? OOH! You probably want to wash the sweat off first, right?"
"Lilia," Zenith said, calling for her helpful maid's assistance.
"Understood, Ma'am," Lilia replied to Zenith and began gathering the white towels, matching colored washcloths, and the large circular wooden washtub.
"Thank you…Hey Rudy, would you mind joining me in the bath? I could use a little company?" Roxy asked Rudeus if he wanted to bathe alongside her and he replied. "Sure master I would be happy to bathe with you😃."
Rudeus POV
I'm Rudeus Greyrat and right now I am taking a bath with my goddess of wisdom in her bedroom once again. I was completely naked head to toe and Roxy was completely nude too. Seeing her pale white skin always made my heart flutter and skip a beat with each enchanting touch.
I was sitting with my legs stretched forward inside the wooden washtub filled with cool water. While Roxy was sitting with her legs in a "W" position behind me, scrubbing my short light brown hair.
I could feel her soft and voluptuous breasts pressing against the back of my head…It felt very nice, all things considered.
Roxy's breasts are B-Cup size so they are considered small from a grown-ass man's perspective. But in my four-year-old toddler's body, her breasts look surprisingly big and enchanting from this viewpoint.
Uhh, wait a second, why the heck am I bathing with Roxy like this in the first place!? This never happened in the previous timeline.
The first time it happened I thought I was just fortunate because I defended her from that trio of troublemakers who were mocking her for being a blue-haired demon. But lately, I have been bathing with Roxy two or three times every week.
Maybe using the Dragon God Reincarnation Technique has unintentionally made me a lucky lecheror maybe my family is more genuinely affectionate towards me compared to my last life because this time around I started interacting with them more often, showing compassion, respect, courtesy, and acting a little childlike with everyone too.
Also, I wasn't being perverted towards Roxy unlike my last life, which would explain her sudden behavior for letting me bathe with her I guess. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she thought I was the sweetest, well-mannered, and kindest child she had ever met.
I turned to Roxy who was currently scrubbing her long blue hair with a white towel and asked. "Hey is there something bothering you Ms.Roxy?"
There is something on her mind that she wants to get off her chest. Maybe the prolonged drought that's affecting Buena village is somehow bothering her?
"Nothing you need to be concerned about, Rudy. But thanks for worrying about me." Roxy replied and embraced me in a comforting hug that gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside.
"Well if anything is bothering you, Ms.Roxy. I'm always here to lend an ear." I said with a cheerful smile on my face.
"Sure, now close your eyes Rudy I'm gonna wash away the soap in your hair okay," Roxy said, smiling, as she grabbed a small wooden bucket of water. I closed my eyes when she said that, and then she poured a bucket of cool water over my head. The soap suds that were stuck to my head were washed away, and I shook my head vigorously.
"Okay, I think we're both squeaky clean now. I'll go grab your towel so I can dry you up."
It looks like bath time with Roxy is over once again. Oh well, until our next bathing session my beautiful goddess😍.
Finally, the two of us got out of the wooden washtub that was filled with water. Roxy told me to hold still while she dried the water off my body. I didn't mind one bit, as she wiped down every corner of my body.
Then she dressed me in my underwear, a white short-sleeved shirt, and matching colored shorts.
"Okay, you're all dressed for bedtime now Rudy. In the meantime, you should wait in your room until Zenith says dinner is ready."
"Alright, Ms.Roxy," I replied and we both waved our hands goodbye. As I exited her bedroom. I walked through the hallway back to my bedroom.
I also decided to get back to constructing my figurines of Lilia and Paul until dinner was ready.
Since I have already finished creating the colored figurines of Zenith, Sylphiette, and Roxy. I can't wait to give them the completed figurines on my fifth birthday, I'm sure they're gonna love it.
Nighttime~
Roxy POV
After taking a refreshing bath with little Rudy and eating a delicious dinner with the Greyrat Family. I overheard a conversation downstairs between Zenith, Paul, and a group of villagers talking at the dinner table.
"I sent a petition to the landlord of the Fittoa Region, but since this is a real frontier village way out in the sticks…I wouldn't be surprised if they just hung us out to dry." One man said.
"You've got the solution, don't you Paul? Just ask the demon living at your house to help us!" Another insisted.
"You mean ask Roxy?" Paul said with a serious tone in his voice.
"That's right! Demons are simple-minded folk. You just need to flatter her a little…She'll feel so good that she won't be able to help but sprinkle around a little water for us."
"Hey, that's really rude, you know," Zenith said, rebuking the male villagers for disrespecting Roxy for being a demon.
"Well, we're the ones asking for a favor, ya know." Another villager said, expressing an ounce of sympathy to Roxy.
Another rebuked the other villager's response. "The village is facing a crisis here. As someone who lives in the village, it's only natural that she helps us, right?"
"Oh, sure, sure. Why don't you all come to a consensus first and then come talk to us after?" Paul suggested to the group of villagers and continued talking.
"But you should know…That girl's not stuck here. It's not acceptable to drive a hard bargain with her just because she's a demon. Even if we ask her in good faith…It's all up to her whether she decides to take on the job or not. Can you truly say, you won't hold it against her if she says no?" Paul said as he stood up from his chair and stared directly at the crowd of villagers to assert dominance and share his opinion without question or interruption.
"But you should know…That girl's not stuck here. It's unacceptable to drive a hard bargain with her just because she's a demon. Even if we ask her in good faith…It's all up to her whether she decides to take on the job or not. Can you truly say, you won't hold it against her if she says no?"
Paul resumed his speech with the villagers. "This village is made up of people who were once exploited themselves. They gathered together here in this small settlement to escape that life of oppression. We all worked hard to get here right? So now that your backs are against the wall, you're going to exploit someone else?
"WHA!?" One man remarked.
"Can't you just lay off already?" Another replied.
"We'll be back tomorrow in the afternoon to discuss with the demon girl about a mutual agreement and satisfying payment for her services." The third villager said as his companions proceeded to the front door to take their leave.
"Very well," Paul said as the crowd of male villagers exited his house.
After all the villagers left the house, I proceeded down the stairs and responded to Sir Paul. Grabbing his undivided attention.
"Uhh, Sir Paul?" I said with a worried facial expression.
"OHO. You heard all that, didn't you? Well, don't worry. I can protect a little girl like you, Roxy dear." Paul replied. Lightly teasing Roxy to ease her tension.
"I may look like this, but I am a saint-level water mage and an A-ranked adventurer. I will not be defeated so easily by angry villagers, no matter how many of them come at me." I said confidently with an annoyed look on my face.
"Ahhaha. You said it girlie!" Paul said with a grin on his face. As Zenith smiled right beside him.
After that whole ordeal ended and Sir Paul gave me words of comfort, I said goodnight to everyone. Then proceeded back to the bedroom to go to sleep.
The next day, Afternoon~
Roxy POV
It was another blazing hot summer afternoon. I just finished teaching Rudeus a few advanced-tier spells today.
"Roxy, you have a visitor who needs you to conjure rain for the entire village," Paul said and insisted that we should discuss this important matter indoors.
Sir Paul called for me, saying the villagers have requested me to cast a rainstorm over the entire village and its wheat fields to end the prolonged drought that plagued their homeland. They're even willing to compensate by paying for my services.
"This is the most the village can spare. Do you think it's enough for you to end the drought for us?" The young man asked as handed over the small sack filled with money on the dinner table.
I grabbed a small sack to take a look at the contents inside. After counting the coins I found out there's at least thirty Asura Copper Coins and fifty Asura Large Copper Coins. It seems like a good amount to compensate me.
Usually saint-tier magicians are paid five Asura Silver Coins monthly for their services and ten Asura Silver Coins if he or she is hired as a court magician. But since the villagers aren't rich I'll gladly accept the payment to save the village from this awful drought. Besides if I refuse they definitely resent me for not offering aid.
"This is enough to hire me…What I plan to do is dangerous, so please tell all the villagers to remain in their homes until the storm clouds cleared." I replied and grabbed my magic staff. Getting ready to depart outside the village to perform my saint-tier spell, cumulonimbus.
"Wait? You mean…" The young man said with a surprised facial expression.
"She said she'll do it." Paul said, reassuring that my statement is genuine enough.
"Really?! Got it! I'll spread the news right away!" The villager said as exited the Greyrat family residence and warned the entire citizen that I was going to conjure a dangerous rainstorm upon Buena Village.
After walking a great distance to an empty grass field with a flat horizontal outside of the village. I decided this place was perfect to perform my Cumulonimbus spell.
"Okay, this looks like a good spot." I said and raised my staff skyward. Then I started casting the incarnation.
"Oh, spirits of the magnificent waters and imperial prince of lightning who rules the heavens. I beseech thee to grant my wish and bless me with thy savagery! Reveal thy might to this insignificant servant. Strike awe with a blow of thy divine hammer on the anvil, and cover the land in water! Now come, oh rain! Sweep all else away in thy flood of destruction! Cumulonimbus!"
Mmm, I might as well accept the other adventurer requests from the Fittoa Region that need a water elemental magician due to the drought that plagues their lands.
Besides, there is no harm in making a little extra money, so I can avoid a financial situation in the distant future. I can probably do all those quests the next day, right after I finish giving Rudeus magic lessons.