7th chapter-Rudy starts with reading the plant dictionary, but decides to go outside to meet the neighbors and play. He asks permission and gets it easily. Evidently Paul was worried because Rudy has never acted kid-like up to this point. Paul tells him he was flipping skirts at Rudy's age, and tells him to feel free to bring a friend home. He warns Rudy not to respond to force with magic, as its their responsibility as nobles to look after the people(not bully them). So Rudy heads out carrying the cane and dictionary, with the intention of doing some skirt flipping of his own(which somehow I doubt was the intention of the talk). A few days pass, and things are going well. The villagers are friendly to him, which he attributes to his parents and Roxy being well liked. He starts exploring the surroundings with the intention of learning the local geography and plant life(with the dictionary). That way he will be fine even if he gets lost. He thinks about how the forest can accumulate magical power which can spawn various monsters, but that there is regular sweeps to clear them out. He adds that he could probably defend himself if he encountered one with his magic, but that it would be better to run. He can't allow himself to get too big for his britches, as he doesn't have any real combat experience. He finds a hill capped with the biggest tree around, but then hears some local children bullying a child Asmodian. The three bullies are pelting another boy with mud balls, and making a game of it. He thinks about how he was bullied in the past. The child isn't fighting back, but Rudy makes his own mud ball with magic and hits the leader with it. The bullies predictably turn on him, seeing as he is helping the "evil" Asmodian. Rudy freezes a little and mocks himself for being scared of children, but past experiences don't go away that easily. Rudy defends himself with magic, but doesn't retaliate(remembering Paul's message). Seeing as they can't hit him the bullies get tired of it and leave, and Rudy congratulates himself for defeating bullies for the first time in his life. He finally turns to the other boy and is surprised to find him to be about the same age as himself, and a bit of a bishounen at that. He thinks that he can thank Paul and Zenith for his own above average looks at this point, especially considering he didn't look all that great in his previous life. He helps the boy clean off the mud, surprising the boy that anyone would be nice to him. We quickly find out why, as he has the same green hair that Rudy was warned of(it was hidden by the mud). Thankfully, he doesn't have the red jewel on his forehead, and is therefore not a Superudo. The green hair is just bad luck. Rudy asks him why he didn't resist, and he replies that he couldn't win. Rudy replies winning isn't as important as the resistance itself. Anyway, the boy is a bit of a mix. His father is half-elf, and his mother is human with a little human-beast(basically humans with cat/dog/ect. ears, you know the drill). His ears are a little longer than his father and he got the green hair out of the deal. Rudy holds him while he cries and pours all this out, with Rudy thinking how unfortunate this kid is. He also wonders how close to reality his idea of elves are. He decides since that the boy is sure to be handsome in the future, he will make friends with him now so he can get some of the girls he is sure to attract. That's not the real reason, but its the justification in his own mind. He just knows how it feels to be bullied. They exchange names, and the other boy kind of mutters his, with Rudy hearing the name Sylph. Rudy accompanies him for a bit and then he gets to meet Sylph's father. He thinks about how he looks pretty much how he thought he would(classical elf prettiness). Sylph's dad is a hunter and is named Rawl(again, not sure on the name). He is one of the people who helps Rudy's dad keep the forest clear of monsters. Rudy impresses Rawl with his maturity, with Rawl remarking that he loses confidence as a parent when he talks to him(as Paul must've done a great job). Rudy asks him if he can play with Sylph in the future, with Rawl giving the go-ahead as long as they stay out of the forest. The two head back to the tree where he found Sylph earlier, with Rudy having no idea how to play the games kids do in this world. Sylph asks him if he can learn the magic he did earlier, with Rudy being a little skeptical but agreeing to teach him. They "play" until sunset, with Rudy going home to an angry Paul. Rudy wonders why Paul would be angry, and briefly considers that he might have found the object of worship in Rudy's room(Roxy's panties). That wasn't the case though, as it seems one of the bullies(or their parents, hard to tell) came to complain. Rudy tries to tell him that he only threw a mud ball(magic was only used to defend himself), but Paul wasn't listening to "excuses". Rudy gets a little fed up with it and mouths off, getting punished. After getting beaten up Rudy apologizes a bit, but manages to get his story through. Rudy heals himself with magic and Paul is forced to apologize himself. Rudy doesn't blame him, but Paul remembers when his own father wouldn't listen to his "excuses" and is chagrined. He asks Paul how old he himself is, and finds out he is 24(having married at 19), and thinks about how in some respects Paul is younger than he is. Although Paul has much more life experience, Rudy is more mature(at least in his own mind). He asks if he can bring Sylph over some time, and gets the ok. It switches to Paul's perspective, where he is shocked Rudy was angry for the first time. Evidently the mother of one of the kids came to him earlier in the day with a bruise under her son's eye, blaming it on Rudy. Paul knew the kid already had a reputation for bullying, but he chose to believe their story. He thinks about how Rudy is already a St. class water mage, so he has to be stricter because he could really hurt someone if he tried. It would've been a one-sided beatdown, and he didn't believe Rudy would keep it in the realm of a child's fight. He regrets his actions in underestimating Rudy's maturity yet again. He thinks he is a failure as a parent, ect. The chapter ends with him at least being happy that his son has found a friend.
8th chapter-Rudy is 6 now, and his life hasn't changed much. He spends his time training swordsmanship in the morning, teaching Sylph, and trying expand his magic. He has recently started experimenting with using magic while fencing, such as hardening his posture with earth, or speeding his sword with wind, ect. While he continues to get stronger, his skill with fencing still hasn't gone past beginner and he is struggling with it. He wants to win against his father, but feels that if he waits til he is 16-21 Paul will be past his prime and it would have no meaning. So his goal is to win once within the next 5 years. He would prefer to win with swordsmanship alone, but he would settle for winning with his own kind of fighting. It skips to him hanging out with Sylph. Evidently he tried to make friends with other kids, but every time he did the mother of that one bully would come screeching to his house. It annoys him and Paul, so he has given up on that. He remarks that the tree where he first met Sylph has become a sort of territory for the two. He leaves the other kids alone and they do the same. He has focused on teaching Sylph, who has gone through much the same process he did with building up his MP. Evidently Sylph is really good in wind and water, but struggles with fire. Rudy explains that it is common to have a weak and strong system, but that he is good in all systems. Sylph has some burns on his hand from grabbing a fire poker, and while he is no longer afraid of fire, he has some leftover instinctual distaste for it, which weakens his ability. He claims that unlike an RPG, race doesn't affect it, but surrounding factors do. Since he grew up comfortably, he has no weak system. He remarks about not feeling jealous of Sylph's looks, and that his feeling is much like what he expects a father feels like. He has also taught him reading, writing, math, and sciences. Sylph manages to cast an intermediate water magic and asks about the hot water Rudy made before. Rudy explains that its a combination of a water and fire spell cast at the same time. He tries to demonstrate but the only way to parallel cast like that is with no chant. He has spent the last year teaching Sylph the chant system, so he worries that it might be too ingrained at this point to do it his way. His fears are groundless, because Sylph manages easily enough. Rudy compares it to training wheels on a bicycle, and praises Sylph's talent(after all Roxy never could, and Sylph is a real child). While they are practicing no-chant, it starts to rain. They both head to Rudy's house because Sylph's is too far. Rirya greets them at the door and tells them both to take a bath. Rudy strips and is surprised Sylph is looking at him embarrassed. He thinks its no big deal and they are only 6, so he tells him to raise his arms and starts dragging off his clothes. Sylph hits him and starts crying, prompting Rudy to tease him by yanking off his pants. Its at this point the obvious comes into play, Sylph is a girl. Rudy has the equivalent of a mental record skip and freaks out. Paul walks in and doesn't know what to think at this point. It switches to Paul's perspective where Rudy is explaining the situation. Rudy is apologizing since he honestly didn't know. Paul thinks in his head that womanizing is in his lineage, which Rudy has somehow inherited(lol). Also, Sylph's real name is Sylphyette(Sylphy for short). Evidently Rudy is the only one who didn't know she was a girl, which Paul thought he already did considering they have spent the last year together. Paul advises Rudy him to sincerely apologize to her, while privately thinking that Rudy can use this failure to capture her. He thinks that is ominous, but for the first time he thinks is son might be an idiot. It switches back to Rudy's perspective, where he has finally managed to get forgiveness after many apologies, coaxes, and praises. He wonders how he could have mistaken her for a boy, but thinks that it can't be helped since her hair was short when they first met and she wore boy's clothes. Explanations are given for both. She was bullied for her hair so it was obvious to keep it short, and the boy's clothes were so she could run if it came to it. Plus Sylphy's family isn't wealthy, so skirts were hard to come by. Rudy's attitude changes and he starts to find Sylphy cute, advising her to grow out her hair. Sylphy is still wary of him from the bath incident, but they get back to lessons. There is a quick description of Rudy's current skills, which I have already covered in my summary. He is also an intermediate healer in the therapeutic system(cuts, broken bones, ect.) and beginner in the detoxification system(the healing of poisons and diseases). He still doesn't know any summoning magic. It switches to the training with Paul, where Rudy is depressed because Sylphy is still a little mad at him. Rudy asks for advice, but Paul advises him not to get too subservient. He says women like a strong man, but that they also want to see a weak side. He tells Rudy to show a little weakness and that Sylphy will take him back(WTH are you teaching your kid?). Rudy thinks that its like maternal instinct, and thinks he might be a little scary to her. Paul tells him how to pull off the act, and Rudy thinks of Paul as a first class tactician. Paul finally catches on to what he is teaching his 6-year old, but by then its too late. It switches to Rudy practicing the sword under the tree, while thinking of how he can act weak in front of Sylphy. Sylphy shows up and Rudy exaggerates his tiredness. As expected, Sylphy takes the bait hook, line, and sinker. Rudy is happy to be back in her good graces. He starts thinking that Sylphy would be a good wife in the future, and then gets mad at himself seeing as Sylphy is still a child. They are back to normal, with a note about Rudy becoming an insensitive hero.