Chapter 3

I suddenly woke up.

Thank goodness, I’m alive…

But my relief was short-lived as I realized something shocking had happened.

I had arms and legs.

And, of course, a body to go with them.

Small, pudgy arms and legs—this is clearly the body of a human baby!

I’m so glad I didn’t turn into a monster or anything. More importantly, I didn’t die as just a single cell.

But still, why did this happen all of a sudden?

I heard something about a growth reaction, but isn’t this a bit too fast to grow from a single cell?

I have no idea how much time passed while I was unconscious, but judging from the sight of my parents sleeping with their heads slumped over on the desk, not much seems to have changed since before I passed out. It couldn’t have been more than two or three days at most.

I can tell they’ve been watching over me the whole time. They probably collapsed from exhaustion after staying up all night.

“Hey, your kid’s finally starting to look like a baby!”

I flailed my tiny arms and legs inside the incubation tank to get their attention.

The splashing must have caught my mom’s ear, as her heavy eyelids slowly opened. She was still half-asleep, but the moment she caught sight of me, I could see her eyes widen in shock.

“!? Ah… ah… my baby…”

“Hm? What’s going on?”

My dad woke up at the sound of her voice, and the moment he saw me, his eyes widened as well.

“Oh…!!”

“Dear! Our baby, it happened!”

“Yeah…”

Dad nodded, savoring the joy of the moment, and both of them rushed over to the tank.

“You did great! You really did it!”

“Thank you for being born… my precious baby.”

I’d never been directly told anything like that by my parents before, so I was deeply moved. It felt genuinely nice that they were happy about my existence.

As I basked in the joy, a thought crossed my mind.

Is this my official birth into this world?

Why was I being raised in an incubation tank?

And how are these people my parents?

There were so many questions left unanswered.

But for now, I had a body, so I could gather information as I went. No need to rush. One step at a time.

“Hey, we need to give him a name,” my mom said.

“You’re right, what should we call him?”

They looked up at me floating in the tank and started discussing it.

“Actually, I’ve been thinking of a name for this day.”

“Oh, really? What is it?”

“Neroeftia… the name of a kind water dragon.”

“Nero, huh? I like it!”

Dad seemed pleased with the name, nodding as he repeated it to himself. Mom looked happy too. Then Dad turned to me and said:

“From today on, your name is Nero. Nero Almster. Nice to meet you.”

Ah, likewise. I have a feeling I’ll be depending on you two a lot from now on, so I want to make a proper introduction. Though, being a baby stuck in here, all I can do is wave my little arms.

Still, Nero, huh…

As someone who used to be Japanese, the name feels a bit strange, but I guess I’ll get used to it eventually.

In any case, it looks like I’ll be able to live a normal human life from now on.

But first, I’d really like to get out of here…

I flailed my arms and legs, trying to convey my desire.

“Hey, doesn’t it seem like Nero wants something?” Mom asked.

“Really? But he’s just a baby. It’s not like he can have that clear of an intention…”

“What are you talking about? Babies can communicate their needs just fine, you know?”

“They can, huh…?”

“Yes, they can.”

Mom stared at me intently. And then—

“Could it be… this little one wants to get out?”

Yes! As expected of my mom! She totally gets me! My desperate signaling paid off.

However…

“Out, huh…”

Contrary to my excitement, Dad didn’t seem too thrilled. Why wasn’t he on board with the idea? Then I noticed Mom was also wearing a serious expression.

Huh? What’s going on with both of them?

Just as I was confused by their reactions, Dad spoke shocking words.

“Sorry, Nero. We can’t let you out just yet…”

Whaaat!?

Why not…??

“The world outside is full of monsters. It’s far too dangerous for someone so young to go out. Especially since you don’t have any magic, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Wait a second…

I just heard something I couldn’t ignore.

So, this world has monsters, I get that.

But what do you mean I don’t have magic?

The way he said it makes it sound like having magic is the norm in this world. Does that mean people without magic are rare or seen as outcasts?

And how do they even know I don’t have magic when I’ve just been born?

“This is for your own good, Nero. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to be patient for a bit longer. Let’s say until you’re three years old… By then, you’ll be able to sense danger and hide yourself, so…”

W-wait, hold up! What did you just say?

Three years old!?

Are you telling me I have to stay in here for another three years?

Even incubators don’t keep babies that long.

Sure, it’s cozy in here, and I’d rather not get killed by monsters, but three years sounds incredibly boring.

Also, what about food and bathroom breaks?

“Don’t worry… It’ll be fine. Mommy and Daddy will keep watching over you. As long as you’re in there, you won’t feel hungry, and you won’t need diapers either.”

Ugh…

It’s like Mom can read my mind and answered my thoughts perfectly. I appreciate that, but still… thinking about the future makes me feel a bit down.

No, this won’t do. I can’t just settle for this situation.

There has to be a way out.

That painful growth reaction I experienced before.

If I can go through that again, I might be able to speed up my growth.

If I succeed, I could get out of here sooner than expected.

I don’t know if it’s possible, but it’s worth a shot.

Alright, let’s give it a try.

I gathered all the determination my tiny body could muster.