“What does this mean?”
Kurt asked, “Can you see the ‘demon horn’?”
If what came out of my hand is the demon horn, then of course I can see it.
But Kurt should know that too.
So why is he asking such a thing? The only thing that comes to mind in this situation is… well, not much…
Since there’s no point in lying here, I decide to be straightforward.
“Yeah, I can see Daddy’s demon horn.”
At that, Kurt’s eyes widened even more.
Then he firmly grabbed my shoulder.
“That’s amazing, Nero! That’s the ‘Eye of Destruction’!”
“The Eye of Destruction…?”
“Yeah, it’s the power to see the demon horns of others.”
So that’s what it is.
Normally, you can’t see the demon horns of others. That’s how it works.
If that’s the case, I can understand Kurt’s reaction.
But is the Eye of Destruction really that rare?
“There are only a limited number of people in the world who possess the Eye of Destruction. For you to have it means you have a natural talent. Just having magic power is already surprising, but having the Eye of Destruction too… You’re going to be an incredible Demon Breaker! Right, Nero?”
Kurt, overwhelmed with joy, started patting my back vigorously.
I get that he’s excited, but he’s a toddler, so could he not hit me so hard? It hurts.
Still, I didn’t realize that being able to see someone else’s demon horn was such a valuable ability.
Could this also be due to the artificially induced growth response?
Kurt says I have talent as a Demon Breaker, but I don’t feel it yet.
Looking at the corpse of the demon lying in front of me, I can’t help but think if I can really face something so terrifying.
With this small body, it seems like I would be easily torn apart.
As I was thinking about that, Kurt was gazing at the demon corpse, lost in thought.
“However… even though it’s a low-level one, to have a demon appear in a place like this… We need to report this urgently…”
He murmured something.
It seems that it’s rare for a demon to appear in the middle of town.
Now that he mentions it, it does make sense.
Since this town is surrounded by a magical barrier, it means that the demon in front of us broke through it to enter.
That’s equivalent to saying that the current defense measures are meaningless.
For those who live here, it’s a serious situation.
“Are we going somewhere different?”
An unexpected event has occurred. It wouldn’t be strange for my magic measurement plans to change.
“No, we’re going to the church. But we just have to stop by somewhere before your magic measurement.”
“Hmm.”
I’ve heard that the church governs magic and also plays a role in organizing the Demon Breakers.
It’s possible that the report about the demon Kurt just defeated will also take place at the same location.
So, Kurt and I headed to the church in a shabby carriage with the door hanging off and a hole in the ceiling.
Part 2
The church was bigger than I had imagined.
In my previous life, I had the impression that churches were small, with the chapel taking up most of the building, but the church in this world was as big as a school.
Since such a building was right next to the royal castle, it wouldn’t be surprising to mistake it for part of the castle.
Inside the church, there were multiple rooms, and Kurt told me to wait in a chair in the hallway before entering one of the rooms.
He probably went to report about the earlier demon.
It seems I’ll be waiting for a while.
Just as I was thinking that, Kurt surprisingly returned quickly.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Alright, let’s go to the Hall of Oracles.”
The Hall of Oracles…
Is it where we listen to messages from the God of Magic?
Led by Kurt, we arrived at the Hall of Oracles, which looked like a spacious hall.
At the front, there was a giant stone statue that seemed to be of a goddess, and a line was forming in front of it.
Everyone in line was a parent with their child, and all the children looked to be around three or four years old.
I thought I would be the only one receiving a judgment, so this was an unexpected sight.
“Are they all doing the same thing as me?”
“Yeah, that’s right. The demon horn can be assessed and confirmed when anyone turns four. That’s why everyone in line is the same age.”
I see, that makes sense.
However, even though my body is like that of a four-year-old, how will I be treated as someone who has only been born for a little over a year?
“Hey… is it okay if I’m not four?”
“Hmm? That’s not a problem. You’ve already manifested your demon horn. Normally, people practice after this assessment to be able to produce their demon horns.”
“I see.”
“You don’t have to worry. Now, let’s line up.”
Prompted by Kurt, I took my place at the end of the line.
Then, a parent and child who were in front of us noticed us and started talking.
“Hey, isn’t that Kurt?”
The one who said that looked like a young and beautiful woman, too young to be called a mother.
She carried a sword at her waist like Kurt, exuding a cool yet beautiful charm.
From her demeanor, it seemed like she was an acquaintance of Kurt.
Next to her stood a girl about my height.
She would probably be receiving a magic assessment too.
“Oh, Ayra. Speaking of which, your daughter just turned four, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, Diana just celebrated her birthday last month. But what brings you here…? Huh?”
Ayra paused as she noticed me.
“Who is this child?”
“My son.”
“!? Your son… using that method?”
“Yeah.”
It seems she knows that I’m a homunculus.
“…Wait, has he grown this big already?”
“I’m surprised too, but I think it’s thanks to his talent. After all, he has magic power. Isn’t it amazing? He’s an exceptional genius!”
“W-Wait a minute…”
Ayra looked overwhelmed by Kurt’s fatherly pride.
“Let me organize my thoughts… A homunculus with magic power?”
“Yeah.”
“How did you know that before the magic assessment?”
“This child… Nero, I think he unconsciously used magic to break the cultivation tank.”
“!? No way…? And normally, you can’t use magic until after the assessment and training… Are you saying he used magic without doing anything?”
“That’s what I’ve been saying! This child is a genius!”
“I can’t believe it…”
“And he even has the Eye of Destruction.”
“Wha…?”
Ayra looked at me, momentarily stunned.
From what I gathered from the conversation, just because one undergoes a magic assessment doesn’t mean one can use magic immediately.
I used it in a near-unconscious manner back then, so I want to be able to control it properly.
I want to practice as soon as possible.
While I was thinking about that, I made eye contact with the girl standing next to Ayra.
Was her name Diana?
She was young yet had a well-defined face, looking like she would grow into a beautiful girl in the future.
With a calm demeanor, she was looking at me curiously.
Since Kurt and Ayra know each other, it seems likely we’ll meet again frequently.
It would be a good idea to communicate a bit to deepen our acquaintance.
Thinking that, I waved my hand gently toward her.
Diana suddenly gasped and hid shyly behind Ayra’s leg.
Oh no… did she dislike me?
Or is it because I’m a homunculus?
After all, I was also bad at dealing with women in my previous life, so maybe that’s why?
Feeling down, I was pondering this when I suddenly heard a man’s voice from the front.
“Next person, please come forward.”
The one who said this was a middle-aged man dressed in a robe-like garment.
According to Kurt, who whispered to me, that man is a second-tier priest responsible for the church’s administrative duties.
Prompted by the man, the mother and child, Isla and Diana, stepped up to the platform where the goddess statue stood.
I internally cheered for Diana, thinking, “You can do it!” but I had no idea what they were actually going to do.
“Place your right hand on the stone tablet.”
Following the instructions, Diana placed her hand on the stone tablet located at the foot of the goddess statue.
In response, a momentary flash of light surrounded the tablet, gathering and converging towards the shield held by the goddess.
The collected light spread out over the shield, forming a pentagon.
“It’s confirmed at the fifth magical angle level. As expected from the daughter of the Creaving family, congratulations!”
When the priest announced this, Isla joyfully embraced Diana.
It seemed to be a very good result.
Kurt also praised the two with words of congratulations, saying, “You did it.”
Since a pentagon shape was the same as Kurt’s, and having seen him fight, I was genuinely impressed by the thought that Diana could become like that.
Moreover, judging by the priest’s demeanor, she also appeared to be of noble descent.
“Next person, please come forward.”
Distracted by Diana, I heard the call. It was my turn.
As I ascended the platform with Kurt, the priest immediately reacted.
“Oh my, Lord Kurt. What brings you here today…”
Just as he began to speak, he noticed my presence.
Before the priest could say anything else, Kurt spoke up first.
“I would like to request a magical power assessment for my son.”
“Um… excuse me, but… I have heard that your son is a homunculus…?”
“I don’t need you to tell me what I already know best. We are here under that understanding.”
“However…”
“This child possesses magical power. I have already witnessed the manifestation of magic with my own eyes. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“Wha… what?! Before the assessment!? Understood… If that is what you say, Lord Kurt… Then, over here…”
Overwhelmed by Kurt’s presence, the priest quickly backed down.
I stood alone in front of the stone tablet.
I knew the result already, but whether it was a good one or not was unclear.
The pentagon shape seemed to be celebrated, but…
I remembered the time when I broke the cultivation tank, and Kurt had asked me about the shape of the magical angle. I recalled he first asked if it was a triangle or a square.
So, does that mean having fewer angles is better?
If that were the case, then perhaps my intentional growth response had backfired.
Did I lose magical power due to making my body larger?
Ah, maybe I should have just stopped at the pentagon…
But now that I was here, I couldn’t leave without doing anything.
I placed my hand on the smooth surface of the stone tablet, feeling tense like Diana had.
Suddenly, dazzling light radiated from the tablet, shooting up towards the goddess statue.
The light gathered into a round shield, forming a heptagon.
It was the expected result.
Turning back, I wondered if I would see expressions of disappointment at how I had let them down, but instead, Kurt and Isla stood there, mouths agape in shock.
Ah, was it that bad…?
That was a bit of a shock…
As I thought this, suddenly—
“Seventh magical angle level!?”
With those words, the priest collapsed, falling to the floor.
Huh? What does that mean??
Everyone’s reaction was so intense that I started to worry and asked,
“Was I… that bad?”
Then, snapping back to reality, Kurt exclaimed with a shaky voice.
“No! That’s not it! Quite the opposite!”
