-Roxy-

  It didn't take long to reach Buena Village. As a town in the Fittoa Region, it wasn't far from Roa. I could have made the trip on foot in a few days, but the carriage arrived that same afternoon. Wanting to stretch my legs before meeting my new students, I had the coachman drop me on the edge of town. Getting directions would also be a good chance to meet the townsfolk.

  To my surprise, no one seemed to mind my appearance. A few confused me for a child at first, but after clearing up the confusion, I was given the same respect I had spent years earning in Roa. When I asked the townspeople about how welcoming they were, I was informed that one of the children in the village also had demonic hair. It had caused a stir when she was born, but her father had protected them for years, so they made a concerted effort to not betray that kindness. Now, with the girl already having passed her tenth birthday, even the few who tried holding contempt for her had grown to care for her.

  Hearing this made me feel safe in Buena. I was concerned about having to reestablish myself after leaving Roa, but now I knew I'd be able to start life here on the right foot. Once I was pointed in the direction of the Greyrat house, I departed with the confidence that I'd made the right choice taking this job.

  “Hey, look! A new demon came to town!”

  Or, maybe I spoke too soon. A short distance from the center of town, I was shouted at by a boorish boy. He was accompanied by two other young men, but they seemed to be embarrassed by his outburst.

  “Are you still going on about demons? When are you going to grow up?”

  “Yeah. Leave the girl alone. We gave Sylphie enough shit back in the day.”

  “I wasn't going to bully her! I was just surprised to see another one!”

  As quickly as they came, they left. While I was surprised by the outburst, I was more than willing to overlook his rude behavior in light of his friends' correction.

  “You think she's Sylphie's girlfriend?” Although, it seemed he'd still go on to gossip about me.

  ““Shut up!”” The other two reprimanded him in unison.

  I chuckled to myself. If this was the extent of the rudeness I'd be shown during my stay, I believed I'd be enjoying a pleasant job. Although, I was curious about this other demon. The woman mentioned a girl, but these children seemed to be talking about a boy. Were there possibly two? I'd need to look into them once my affairs were settled.

  On the outskirts of town was a rather large estate. Given the Greyrat's noble heritage and large family, it wasn't too surprising that their house would be the grandest in Buena Village. A stone wall stretched a good length of the property's edge. As I passed it to see the front of the house, the sight before my eyes made my heart freeze in my chest. A young girl, likely one of the Greyrat daughters, was crumpled in a heap on the ground. Standing over her was a living nightmare.

  Even among demons, one race was feared by all. They had been bloodthirsty monsters during the Laplace war. Even their own kin weren't spared, as they slaughtered everyone in their path. Nowadays, they were rare, but seeing one was a death sentence. Their green hair, the red gem inlaid into their forehead and deadly spears were the telltale signs of the Superd. As the blasphemous creature turned to look at me, I hid behind the wall.

  Holding my breath, I tried to compose myself. The only option was to run, but what of the Greyrat family? If I ran, they would surely be slaughtered. However, I doubted I would stand a chance against them, even if I had assistance.

  “You must be Roxy.” I shrieked. I thought I was going to die. Turning my staff on the Superd, I readied my self for combat.

  Standing before me was the demon from before. Immediately, I realized I had been jumping to conclusions. While his hair was a striking green, that was as far as the similarities to the Superd went. His forehead had no gem and he was wielding a wooden sword instead of a spear. In fact, his soft features and elongated ears looked like those of an elf, rather than a demon. It also wouldn't have made sense for such a monstrosity to be accepted by the village. Given my own struggles with discrimination, confusing a child for a monster was unforgivable. With a considerable amount of blush covering my face, I bowed in apology. “I'm so sorry. I saw your hair and assumed the worst.”

  “It... It's alright...” The boy took the hood of his jacket and covered his head. I could tell from the patches and frayed edges that he'd had it for years. The reflex to hide his hair sent a pain through my chest. I needed to make this right.

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  “No, it's not.” I reached over, pushing his hands aside and lowering his hood. He looked away, but I wasn't going to let him run. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.” Stroking his head, he started looking my way again. “That's better. Remember, never let anyone put you down for how you were born. Especially those who don't know your struggles.”

  Starring at my hair, he seemed to understand what I meant. “Did you struggle too?”

  “Plenty. In the right light, my hair can look green as well.” I thought back on my days adventuring across the Demon Continent. While it wasn't common, getting confused for a Superd was never a pleasant experience. “So, hold your head high. Never let anyone confuse you for anyone else, uh...” I meant to address him by name to send the point home, but I realized I didn't know it. What had the boys from earlier called him?

  “Hey, Sylphie. Getting along with the new teacher?” From the yard came a man. No doubt, this was Paul Greyrat. While he was far more rugged than Philip, I could see the family resemblance. “Roxy, right? Glad you made it. I hope you treat my girls well.”

  “Of course. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” With a small bow, I greeted my new employer. “I can't wait to meet the three of them.”

  “Let's get you settled in first.”

  With that, I followed Paul. I took one last look back at the boy and smiled. “I'll see you around, Sylphie.”

  After being shown to the room I'd be using during my stay, and getting all my belongings set aside, I met Paul in his living room, where two girls and Sylphie sat. One of the girls had brown hair and was pouting. I was pretty sure she was the one I saw on the ground before. The other was a maroon haired girl who looked ready to jump out of her seat. Standing before them, I introduced myself. “Hello, I am Roxy Migurdia. As of today, I will be teaching you magic. Could you introduce yourselves?”

  The brown haired girl stood, looking less than enthused. “I'm Norn Greyrat. I'm no good with magic, so you should focus on teaching Aisha and Sylphiette.” With that, she sat back down. It seemed I'd have another unmotivated student, but I doubt any would give me as much trouble as Eris.

  The other girl jumped up, seeming to compensate for her sister's disinterest. “I'm Aisha Greyrat! I can't wait to learn more magic. I've been studying hard.” With a bit of arrogance, she put her hands on her hips and pushed her chest out. That amount of confidence was refreshing.

  Turning to Paul, I had a lingering question. “Where is the third girl? I was told your disciple would be joining us.”

  “Umm....” Shyly, Sylphie rose. Then, as if remembering something, she stood up straight. “My name is Sylphiette. I want to learn how to better use magic while sword fighting. Thank you for accepting me as your student.”

  As she returned to her seat, I realized the mistake I had made. The two demons had been this one elf, and she was a girl. “I-I'm so sorry. I confused you for a boy.” I bowed in apology for the second time that day. “Please forgive me, Sylphie.”

  “It's fine.” Looking up at my new student, I realized she hadn't lost her confidence with my continued mistakes. “I'll hold my head high, just like you said.”

  The first few months in Buena Village proved that this tutoring job would be far easier than the last. Aisha was a genuine prodigy, needing only the most minor of instruction to understand any subject she couldn't grasp on her own. While I had feared Norn would be demotivated after seeing her sister's continued success, she instead found great joy in finally understanding magic. She struggled more, but given Aisha's independent streak, I was able to give her the extra attention she needed.

  That left Sylphie. She had a strong grasp of wind magic and only needed some additional aid when she was learning the other common fields. She wasn't on Aisha's level, but I was certain she was putting in the time outside of our classes to keep her progress from stagnating. However, given her unique application of magic, her studies soon devolved into research.

  Any time Jenius sent me more material on shortened incantations, Sylphie and I would pour over the documents to try and understand the practice of shortening spells. He had also taken it upon himself to send material on silent casting, though it was mostly anecdotal evidence and diaries, which I had seen during my time at the university. Jenius had talked me out of pursuing the topic of silent casting when it inconvenienced him before, so this might have been his way of trying to make amends.

  One day, when we weren't making much progress, I brought up something that I had been noticing for a while. “Hey, Sylphie.”

  “Yes, teacher?”

  “Are you growing your hair out?”

  “Yeah.” She took a strand in her hand and started twisting it. “Is that weird?”

  I chuckled. She was getting better about standing up for herself, but still had these small moments of insecurity. “No, I think it looks nice. I just thought you kept it short so it wouldn't get in the way during sword practice.”

  Sylphie looked morose for a second. I worried I had stepped on another landmine, when she looked at my hair. “I guess you'll just need to help me braid it once it's long enough.”

  “I'd be happy to.” Going back to my research, I realized Aisha had picked up one of my documents. “Do you need help, Aisha?”

  “I got through the book I was reading.” With a look of wonder and excitement, she pointed at the research. It was one of the stories of a magician that could use silent casting. “This looks fun! Can I join you guys?”

  “Roxy! I need help!” Norn, on the other hand, was struggling again.

  “I'll be right there!” Getting up to go help her sister, I pointed at the papers in Aisha's hands. “You can read those. Just don't mix them up.”

  As I moved to help Norn, I caught a glimpse of Sylphie out of the corner of my eye. She seemed to still be admiring my braids. I was happy she was starting to like her own hair. It helped ease the guilt I held for how I treated her at first.

  By the end of the first year, Aisha had taken the lead on our shortened casting research.