“Even so, why did that suddenly come up? Did something happen?”
Kurt asked.
It might be sudden, I suppose.
After all, he suddenly said he wanted to practice together, so it’s natural to suspect there was some sort of trigger.
So I told him about how Fiene had been harassed by some neighborhood delinquents and how I helped her out.
“I see, so that happened. We need to find out which kid from what house it was and go give them a warning.”
“Were you hurt at all?”
While Kurt was indignant, Diana was worried about my well-being.
“I’m fine, really.”
“To fend off an older kid like that—well done, Nero.”
“What are you talking about? Magic is meant to defeat monsters.”
“That’s still impressive. You know how to hold back, Nero.”
I hadn’t thought much about it at the time, but this power could hurt someone if I wanted to…
That’s something I might need to keep in the back of my mind.
By the way, I had been curious about something for a while, but it was brought back to the forefront after what those delinquents said.
That is—why am I a homunculus?
I hadn’t yet heard the reason why my young parents chose to take the risk of having a homunculus instead of simply having children like everyone else.
Now seemed like a perfect opportunity to ask about it.
I decided to go for it.
“Can I ask one more thing?”
“What is it? I’m happy to listen to whatever you have to say, Nero.”
Kurt said with a big smile, waiting for my response.
“Why am I a homunculus?”
The moment I said it, I worried that the friendly atmosphere would freeze over. Honestly, I was a little anxious.
It’s one of those so-called taboos.
However, the reality was far from that.
On the contrary—
“Did those kids say something to you? Depending on what they said, I won’t stay quiet.”
“Do you remember their faces? If you tell me, I’ll drown each one of them in water.”
They were all set to beat up those delinquents.
And even gentle Diana was saying something kind of scary!
“No… I was just curious about it, so I wanted to ask.”
“Is that really the case?”
“You can be honest with me, you know?”
The two pressed closer with serious expressions.
“It’s really okay…”
When I said it again, they finally let out a sigh of relief.
Then Kurt opened his mouth.
“So, you want to know why you’re a homunculus?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s a long story, but the main reason is that Diana and I have been cursed so that we cannot have children.”
“Eh…”
That was an answer I never expected.
I thought there was a high possibility of physical factors like having difficulty conceiving or being sick…
“A curse… who would do such a thing?”
“A monster.”
“!? Monsters can even cast curses?”
“Yeah, if it’s a high-level monster or a ‘demon’ with higher intelligence, they can do that.”
Demons…
Do such beings exist?
I had thought that monsters were far removed from any kind of intelligence, like the black ants I encountered recently.
However, if there are enemies that can curse with such intention, I need to reconsider my thoughts.
“Why would the demons do such a thing to Dad and the others?”
“Well… we don’t really understand it ourselves.”
“?”
“If I were to force a reason, that’s about all I could come up with.”
“What’s that?”
“I mentioned before that magical talent is largely hereditary, right? Strong magic is a threat to monsters. So perhaps they are trying to prevent strong magic users from having offspring…”
Could they really be trying to weaken human combatants in such an roundabout way?
If they simply wanted to break the line of inheritance, it would be easier for monsters to just kill them on the spot.
So why go through the trouble of using a curse?
That part didn’t quite sit right with me.
“And… I’m a guy, so I was unaffected in any other way except for not being able to have children, but for Diana, the aftereffects were significant.”
Does that mean the curse affects men and women differently?
“For women, the flow of magical power becomes poor. Magic power circulates even in the womb, and that’s related to inherited attributes. It seems the curse works to obstruct that flow, and as a result, it negatively impacts the circulation of magic throughout the entire body. That’s why Diana can no longer fight as a magic warrior like before…”
Eh… was Diana in such a state?
I had thought she spent more time at home than Kurt, but that’s what was going on…
But doubts remained.
“But… Mom taught me magic, right?”
She had demonstrated magic right in front of me.
It doesn’t seem like she’s unable to use magic…
As I thought this, Diana spoke up.
“That’s true. Just like you said, it’s not that I can’t use magic at all. However, because the flow of magic is poor, I can’t use magic strong enough to defeat monsters like I could before.”
“That’s…”
“But don’t worry. If I don’t use my magic, it’ll flow even worse, so it’s better for me to use a little bit of magic every day. So teaching you magic is also part of my rehabilitation. Plus, I still have the skills and pride of the Water Dragon Witch, so you can rest easy.”
She smiled as she said that.
If it were me, I would probably feel discouraged in such a situation, but she was so cheerful that it didn’t show at all.
I genuinely respect her for being able to stay like that.
“…So, that’s the curse we’ve been under…”
Kurt continued on.
“We wanted a child. A proof that we exist and share our hearts. So, we ventured into human transmutation as written in ancient alchemy texts. Even if the child we bore had no magical power, we would protect them. That was our decision.”
From their serious expressions, I could sense their determination to make the homunculus their child.
From what I’ve seen with Ayra and the reactions of those around us, it seems that human transmutation is a well-known method in this world and isn’t particularly forbidden.
However, perhaps the reason there are no children like me is that it’s difficult to protect a child without magical power from the threats posed by monsters.
Given their age, the parents would likely grow old and pass away first.
Once that happens, they couldn’t keep protecting the child forever.
Yet, that child wouldn’t have the magical power necessary to become independent.
No one would want to intentionally create a child who would have to depend on someone else to survive.
The determination of my parents, who decided to create me despite such circumstances, must have been quite significant.
“So no matter what anyone says, Nero is our son. We won’t let anyone complain.”
“I feel the same way,” Diana added.
Those were words I appreciated, but…
After a brief pause, they seemed to realize that their choice of words wasn’t quite suitable for speaking to a child…
“Oh, I ended up talking about something a bit too complicated. Was it too early for you, Nero?”
“Not at all. I understood well. I know that you both care about me.”
When I conveyed that, they looked at me with wide eyes for a moment, then—
“Oh! To hear such words from Nero! I’m incredibly moved right now!”
“Oh, how adorable! I love you, Nero!”
As they said this, they sandwiched my face between their cheeks.
I’m happy to be loved, but it’s a bit suffocating!
Iris, who had been watching our family with a smile, suggested to add a bit of color to the moment.
“Shall I open a special wine?”
“Oh, that sounds great. Please do.”
“Shall I bring some soup for Lady Diana and Lord Nero?”
“Yes, thank you.”
With their responses, Iris headed to the kitchen.
The warm atmosphere enveloped the table.
I long for moments like this.
I hadn’t felt much of it in my previous life.
As the calm ambiance wrapped around us, Kurt, who had taken a sip of wine, turned to me.
“By the way, I have a job coming up as a magic warrior… Nero, would you like to observe?”
“Eh, really?”
That was an invitation I never expected.
However, would it be alright for a child like me to be there?
“It wouldn’t be honest to say there’s no danger, but we’ll be facing low-level monsters. With Ayra and me, we should ensure sufficient safety. Besides, it would be good for you to see what kind of work a magic warrior does.”
Ayra would be there too.
She is at the same fifth magical angle level as Kurt.
With those two around, it should be fine.
I also wanted to see the actual scene of a magic warrior fighting.
I had seen Kurt fight before, but I found it easier to grasp the sensations by seeing it with my own eyes than just thinking about it.
Observing would be good learning for me too.
“Yes! I want to go!”
When I answered eagerly, Kurt smiled while tilting his glass of wine.
“Got it. I’ll let Ayra know as well.”
