Chapter 2.

"Okay child... Show me your best." - Roxy said, her eyes still wide with shock, but now anticipation as well. - "Before I can teach you anything, I must see what you're capable of. And do not pull any punches either, It'll be difficult to teach if you do."

"Very well Ms. Roxy... May we move? I don't believe this area would support my spells." - My teacher was clearly uncomfortable by the suggestion... Why was that? Was it because the notion of my magic being strong enough to blow up a room was discomforting? Probably, but I couldn't know for certain.

Sighing heavily, the mage started walking behind me as I guided her to a place beside the house, giving us a view of mostly unocuppied land full of trees and other potential targets.

"Go on then."

Heeding her words, I aimed my hands towards a tree around 40 meters away and closed my eyes, concentrating to the best of my abilities. There was no reason for me to conceal my prowess in this situation, and thanks to Zenith, I had learned chantless magic wasn't some sort of taboo, so I was free to do whatever I pleased... And in truth, I was curious about my limits too.

I closed my eyes, and mana gathered at my fingertips once more. I wondered if using a fire spell would be going too far, but with another mage around, it should be no problem even if a tree or two were to be ignited... Fire it is.

The air grew hot as tiny sparks began to fly around, only for a ball of fire to appear in front of little Tanya, dwarfing the child and burning her hands as she continued to concentrate. In the next second, the sphere had been shrunk, or rather, compressed into the size of a head, and the heat was so intense grass started to squirm around the girl.

Sensing my hands burn and the magic be compressed to its limits,I finally released my magic. I opened my eyes just in time to catch the damage caused by my strongest spell to date... And damage it had done indeed.

In an instant, the sphere of flames flew towards a tree and exploded on contact, sending a shockwave back as the plant was blown to pieces. Little fragments of ignited wood flew out of the explosion, which had a 5-7 meter radius from my quick observation, though, I had opened my eyes much too soon to really catch the full scope of it.

I looked at Roxy, who found herself staring with wide eyes. She then looked at me and tried speaking, but no words came from her lips. Had I overdone it? Well, she asked for it.

"Child..." - Before she could continue, i interrupted her. - "Do you have a spell to put out the fire? My mana is still stable but I'd rather rest after that."

"Wha- Ah yes! Sorry!" - She said before pointing her staff to the sky and reciting a quick incantation, launching a massive water mass towards the sky, which was quickly dispersed and fell back down, causing artificial rain, thus putting out the fire.

At the same time, both of my parents had run out of the house to check up on what was happening, only to be met by my trademarked innocent little girl smile.

"I am sorry, Mother, Father! I may have gotten a little excited..." - They both stared at me in silence for a moment before turning to Roxy, who was similarly flabbergasted.

"I... I will be honest, she may be the most talented child i've ever come across. I will do my best to teach her." - She stated, her voice shaky as her grip tightened around her staff.

Silence.

- Ͼ - ⨀ - Ͽ -

Roxy's presence was warmly welcomed by my parents, they had even thrown a feast in her name the day she arrived, and I... Got a scolding for almost setting the fields on fire, naturally. Though, it was less a scolding as much as it was a plea for me not to cause mayhem, which I had no intention of causing in the first place.

I learned much from my teacher. She had an excellent didatcic, and my child body allowed me to absorb information much faster than usual. Thanks to her, I could easily cast almost any form of intermediate magic within 3 months of arriving, and by the 6th she was teaching me the basics behind advanced level so I could cast it within the year.

Aside from just magic, she also taught me a variety of other subjects, further expanding my knowledge of the world. And of course, I also learned a bit about herself. Apparently she was a species of demon, a migurd. I questioned her a lot about many things, and in the end, got most of the knowledge I wished to acquire from her... Though, having her teach me the demon god language was a nice prospect, one I'd most certainly bargain for.

My training with Paul was also going smoothly. Of course I was still a toddler, and a girl no less, so he wasn't super rough with me, but the physical conditioning he put me through was somewhat paying off.

I questioned him about the magic he used to enhance his body, and was met by a rudimentary explanation of what battle aura was. Apparently, it was an entirely separate system of magic that had nothing to do with mana, but it was just as vague. Considering Paul's shows of strength and tales, I wouldn't be surprised if he could easily shrug off a stab wound through the use of battle aura... I couldn't use it though, even after thorough explanations from Lilia as well, who was once a fighter in her own right, I couldn't feel even a shred of battle aura around my body. Though, maybe it was an age thing, so I dropped the matter entirely after some time.

Zenith was also a wonderful teacher, being exceptionally patient, as I had some trouble with healing magic. I learned much from her even in just half an year, and she also learned much from me, having been able to cast some chantless magic after a month of contant training with me, and now, 6 months later, could easily heal wounds without uttering a single word, which was good. Should I ever need her to be quick, the extra couple seconds would most certainly be welcome.

Roxy also joined in, being eager to learn from me as well. After so much she had done for me, I saw no reason not to repay her kindness, and having allies around was better than having others be neutral towards me. She struggled more with chantless magic than Zenith, but she picked it up as well, being able to cast up to intermediate level spells with no incantation whatsoever. I figured she would be able to cast any type of magic that way without issue in no time all by herself, but it didn't hurt to further gain her favour by being there.

After a year with my teacher, I never felt my mana run out again, and the potency behind my spells was greater than ever... Geez, magic in this world made the stuff in my previous life look pathetic in comparison. I was likely the most powerful magic user in the world back then, but as just an advanced level mage in this world, I was already close to reaching the sheer energy output my previous life could achieve, and there were still 4 ranks above advanced!

Saint level magic had been possible for me for a good while now, but I was holding off on it for now. I wished to master a wide array of spells from each rank before moving up, as the versatility of magic in this world proved itself impossible to ignore. I had no reason to rush things either, and though Roxy was disappointed by my insistence of remaining an advanced level mage for now, she understood my reasoning.

I had no such luck with swordsmanship though, By this point Paul felt confident I could take up a blade, but even after a year, I couldn't use battle aura, which greatly diminished my combat ability. Still, I had managed to replicate it by using spells, propelling my limbs with air magic to make myself move faster and strike harder. It wasn't exactly the most efficienct method, as it required a lot of concentration, and even if I were to put my full focus on fluid movements with it, it was impossible to keep it up all the time due to the more rigid nature of my method. As well as this, my body's durability wouldn't go up through the use of magic, so receiving a hit from Paul usually meant being incapacitated on the spot. My lack of reach also bothered me, maybe a spear would be better suited for my tiny body.

Hm... If I had a computation orb, it would be possible for me to replicate battle aura entirely, but for now, I was content with the results I had gotten. There was room for improvement though, and i'd make sure to test my theories as soon as possible.

- Ͼ - ⨀ - Ͽ -

A year and three months passed since Roxy arrived, and she couldn't help but feel there was nothing else she could teach the girl. The only reason she was not a saint ranked mage yet was because she didn't want to, and that was the only reason. It was frightening, such a young child was already at a level most could only dream of. No... It wasn't just frightening, it was terrifying! No child should be able to do the things she did, no child should be able to speak the way she did, no child should be like... That. It was hard to explain, but even after spending so much time with Tanya, Roxy couldn't help but feel uneasy around the sweet girl she had come to love.

Everyone in the village, save for Paul and Zenith, also shared the feeling. Whenever Tanya went out, the others would feel as if they were in danger for some reason, which wasn't entirely wrong, if she really wanted to, it was likely the girl would set the entire place on fire in the fraction of a second, but she wouldn't... Or so Roxy hoped. She was a serious but kind child, she'd never do something so cruel, right?

Eventually, she had no more advanced spells to teach Tanya, and so the graduation day arrived.

- Ͼ - ⨀ - Ͽ -

We stood at an empty field far away from the village, likely to avoid any collateral damage, my graduation would be completed by the casting of a saint rank spell after all.

"I can only cast it once-", the mage paused for a moment before continuing. - "Watch closely, memorize it, and then cast it."

"This is your final exam."

I nodded, and Roxy took several steps forwards, taking a deep breath as she prepared herself to cast the spell.

"Grand spirit of water and imperial prince of lightning who ascends the heavens, grant my wish and bring out a savage blessing, display your might insignificant beings.-"

The mage changed her posture and pointed her staff towards the sky,

"Strike awe with a blow of your divine hammer on the anvil, and cover the land in water!"

Dark clouds started to gather round, and then it became clear to me this was no spell, it had the potential to change the climate itself, and due to its rank, I expected nothing less than a storm.

"Ah rain! Sweep all else away and expel everything!"

"Comulonimbus!"

The clouds overtook the sky entirely, and in an instant, immensely powerful winds blew, and water began to pour down from the skies. Thankfully I was prepared, having anchored myself beforehand in anticipation for the storm... Even still, I was almost blown away, and could only hug the tree-branch I used as an anchor as tight as possible.

I saw lightning strike at several places, but one ended up hitting the steed which had carried us here. Once Roxy saw the animal down, she immediately ceased the spell and came to the horse's aid... I was mostly impressed by how quickly the skies had cleared after that.

It was now my turn.

I began reciting the incantation which I had memorized seconds earlier, and after no time at all, I had cast the spell without issue.

After the demonstration, We sat down at a nearby lob, and Roxy began speaking.

"I didn't tell you to make it bigger than mine." - I simply stared at her, and she continued. - "It's a shame, now there really is nothing more I can teach you."

She stood up and looked at me, her eyes a bit watery, almost as if wanting to cry.

"Congratulations, you are now a Saint-Class water mage."

I continued to stare at her. Losing Roxy would be a massive blow, she was too competent! How could I let her go?! She hadn't even taught me the demon god language yet! I had to say something.

"You are wrong... I need you still, master."

Roxy looked at me with a mix of pity and happiness, before a hint of disappointment creeped into her face. She tried speaking but I cut her off.

"I am sure you have other spells to teach me still... I wish to learn them all."

"And aside from that, i'd like you to teach me how to speak the demon god tongue properly. And well..." - I paused for a moment, considering my next words carefully. How could i get her to stay? There were plenty of ways surely, but i had no idea what would stick with her... Wait, my fifth birthday was not far away, could I perhaps appeal to her emotional side as well?

"I want you to be here for you, and assist you with chantless magic! You're more experienced than I am, surely you will find new ways to utilize incantationless spells!"

"And... I want you here for my fifth birthday... You know, it will be my first big celebration, master Roxy."

She looked away for a moment, gripping her staff tightly before turning back with a smile on her face. I knew that look.

Bingo!

"Okay Tanya, you win... Ill stay until your birthday, okay? Please treat me well until then."

- Ͼ - ⨀ - Ͽ -

A lot of time passed since then, and my studies in the demon god language were progressing smoothly. Unfortunately, Roxy wasn't able to teach me many more saint rank spells, but the ones she did were plenty already.

She was also able to master chantless magic eventually, and alongside Zenith, she brainstormed several ways of utilizing it in practical scenatios. All of her ideas were always welcome, of course.

My training with Paul was also progressing smoothly, though at a much slower pace than magic. By this time, I was able to consistently give my Father some trouble in battle. Between using attack spells, and air magic to enhance my movements, I was able to come close to beating him a few times, though only when he was caught off guard. Alas, I never managed to actually do it... No battle aura on sight still.

Lilia seemed to be warming up to me, though she was still cautious for some reason. Roxy was like that at first too, but it dissipated with time... Why was it the maid was so weary of me? Aside from being scarily powerful for my age, I was nothing but kind to those around me. Either way, I hoped to curb her weariness of me in due time.

Finally, my fifth birthday had come.

It was a simple celebration. Just me, Zenith, Paul, Lilia and Roxy were around, but it was still enjoyable... Mostly due to the food, but being appreciated wasn't something I disliked either.

Paul gave me a sword, which i'd probably never use, but I was grateful regardless.

He also performed some questionable tricks with his blade, it made me question if he used his sword swallowing techniques elsewhere as well.

Mother gave me a book, which was greatly appreciated. And roxy ended up giving me a wand, quite possibly the most useful of all the presents I received. Wands and staffs generally raise the potency of spells without any downsides, so it was nice to have it. She also gave me a carved necklace, a ward of sorts. I didn't care much for it, but there was no harm in wearing it, I wouldn't look bad in it either, after all.

I thanked them all profusely, and the party was finished.

Back in my room, I could only think of how well things were going so far... Would I be able to live peacefully in this life? After all the troubles I went through as Tanya Degurechaff, all I wanted was to get some rest... Maybe, just maybe, this life wouldn't be so bad.

I fell asleep.