Chapter 215
Chapter 215
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 215
Chapter Title: Anima Lessons and Abductions
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'Training... I'll help you with that, so stay away from the blood clot while you're transformed.'
"......"
"...What are you thinking about so deeply?"
Since Nihil was spacing out, Sir Evan approached like the loyal dog he was. He'd already started whining about doing training together the moment they returned to the Vernus Palace, begging him not to run off again.
It seemed Sir Evan was bothered by the fact that he couldn't stay away from Lianus's side, so Nihil's wandering off made him anxious.
Nihil snorted at the worried knight and gave a half-hearted reply.
"I'm thinking of running away because the dog won't listen."
"Have you lost your mind? Like I said before, no running away."
"The kid."
"Lord Carus's lesson will be over soon."
"I see."
Nihil pushed himself up from where he'd been sprawled on the sofa. The transformation had worn off, so his body felt much lighter, but that didn't mean his mind was at ease.
Especially because...
"...Fluffy..."
His precious grandchild had been taken away so pointlessly. Nihil fiddled absentmindedly with the front of his robe, feeling empty inside.
"...? Come to think of it, where did that little magical beast go?"
"It's not a magical beast, it's an anima. How many times do I have to tell you?"
"What's the difference?"
"...It's completely different. I'll explain, so listen carefully, doggy."
Nihil found it annoying to explain, but since Sir Evan might have to deal with an anima someday, he decided to expend a bit of his energy on it.
"There are two main types of magical beasts. One is the kind humans commonly know—the ones naturally formed from mana crystals as cores. Demons don't count those as magical beasts. Hmm, it's like... a walking mana potion, sort of."
"...I see."
So humans risked their lives over something as trivial as a mana potion?
"The magical beasts demons refer to are the animals or monsters from the demon realm. Unlike the first type, they leave behind bodies when they die, so we cook and eat them or process their bones and hides for use."
"Doesn't sound much different from human hunting."
"Did you think demons were something special? They're no different from humans in the demon realm. The only difference is that their racial scope is a bit broader."
Humans classified similar races like elves, dwarves, or beastkin separately, but demons had so many hybrids from the start that such distinctions didn't exist. It was easier to just lump everything with enough intelligence to learn speech under the demon category.
"What does that even mean? If there's a talking troll in the demon realm, that counts as a demon too?"
"Exactly. Even a talking lynx would be a demon there."
"......"
"The demon realm runs on strength alone. The strongest one becomes king and maintains order. It's a simple structure—if a lynx is super strong, it could become the Demon King."
"...Have you seen it happen?"
"Well, the methods are a bit different, but from afar, it's not that dissimilar to human society... How did we end up talking about this?"
Nihil ignored the awkward question and retraced the conversation, wondering how he'd ended up explaining so much.
"Oh, right, I was going to explain about anima. Anyway, an anima is closer to what humans think of as magical beasts. The differences are that it's bound to its mana owner and has intelligence."
"Like a familiar?"
"No. Familiars have a master-servant contract. An anima's existence is independent, unlike that."
"...Complicated."
"Hmm... It's not that hard a concept."
Nihil decided to give the slow-witted dog an eye-level explanation.
"In short, an anima is like... from a knight's perspective, a lump of aura that's been compressed."
"...?"
Sir Evan's head tilted to the side. It didn't match his vague idea of what an anima was at all.
"Think of it as a clump of aura so dense it maintains its form even when separated from its owner."
"Is that... possible?"
"Of course not for normal people. Only someone like a grand duke can do it."
Our kid really is amazing, objectively speaking. Still, it'd be nice if he returned Somnus.
"So where's that furball?"
"...Taken."
"Who'd take something from a grand duke?"
"...The grand duke."
"......"
Sir Evan's pupils trembled faintly as he listened. He hadn't expected Nihil to have met the grand duke during his brief runaway.
"I went to borrow a knight from the kid's dad, and the grand duke was there by chance. Then... I got scolded."
"...I see."
Sir Evan hesitated, unsure how to comfort him, then patted his head.
"More importantly, I feel like I'm going to get kidnapped soon."
"...? By who?"
"Me."
"...Kidnapped by who?"
"The grand duke."
"......"
Who announces their own kidnapping so casually?
"I messed up too badly to refuse."
"...Isn't kidnapping something you can refuse...?"
"If you don't want it, you won't get kidnapped, right?"
"......"
Yeah, you're so smart.
Sir Evan narrowed his eyes and poked Nihil's forehead. Then, at the obvious thudding footsteps from outside, he slyly lifted the corner of his mouth and opened the door.
"Nil! Sir Evan!"
"My dear friend, Sir Evan, my secret friend!"
Sir Evan chuckled at the priest entering with the same energy. Lianus immediately checked on Nihil's condition.
"Nil, did you rest well?"
"Yeah."
Nihil hopped down from the sofa and scooped Lianus up effortlessly. Having his strength back felt great.
"N-Nil..."
"Yeah?"
"...D-Did I get shorter?"
"......"
...Should've pretended to struggle a bit.
It seemed the kid had gotten some weird misunderstanding from his previous excuse.
"I rested so well that I have overflowing energy."
"I see! You do seem much better. Actually, you've been a bit off the last few days."
"Huh...?"
"Somehow strangely... um... like something was bothering me..."
"Irritating?"
"Oh, no, not that you're irritating... Something, um, I can't explain it well."
"...I see."
Lianus said it was nothing now and not to worry, but Nihil realized Lianus had felt uncomfortable because of his transformation.
Do I really have to stay away during training?
Worry flooded in.
Thinking about it, his little one wasn't all that patient.
"Baby, come here!"
"......"
Lianus welcomed him happily, having no idea the baby was the kidnapper who planned to spirit Nihil away.
"[Have you given it any thought.]"
"[...Aren't you being too hasty, Dia.]"
"[Hasty? It's already been 6 hours and 37 minutes. More than enough time to decide.]"
That impassive face saying such things was truly infuriating.
"[I haven't even discussed it with the kid yet.]"
"[What's there to discuss.]"
"[But... I've never been separated from him for that long...]"
Dios scrunched up his face at the pathetic excuse.
"[Anyone would think you'd been apart for months! Even at most, it's just a week!]"
"[Who knows if it'll take longer.]"
"[As if you'd care, leaving the kid behind!]"
Dios yelled in frustration. It wasn't like the blood clot had nowhere to stay or was alone—such overprotectiveness was ridiculous.
"Ku-ya!"
At that moment, the thing he'd tucked in his bosom wriggled and popped its face out.
"Fluffy!"
"Kui-ku!"
"Hah."
Dios let out a hollow laugh at the tearless family reunion scene. Anyone would think they'd been separated for years.
"Ah, Fluffy wasn't there?"
Lianus scurried over to Nihil's side. He'd assumed Fluffy, who always slept in Nihil's arms, was still there.
"Yeah. The grand duke took him."
"So the baby snuck Fluffy away from the grand duke?"
"Uh... yeah. Sort of."
"But Fluffy looks a bit smaller..."
At those words, Somnus let his body droop pitifully.
"Kui..."
"Dia, did you bully Fluffy?"
"Bully? As if!"
Dios couldn't hold back against his anima's fox-like antics and finally shouted.
"He brought it on himself! Do you know how noisily he wailed, dripping mana from his eyes like tears?!"
The creature didn't even have tear glands, yet it wasted its own mana to fake tears—utterly detestable.
"How just like his father."
"......"
"Guess it's natural for an anima."
Dios felt a sudden self-loathing. Did that loathsome thing really resemble him? Of course, as his anima, it had to...
"...Must be corrupted by demon energy."
Nihil smirked at Dios, who refused to admit it to the end.
An anima was born from condensed power, naturally infused with its caster's desires in the process. The difference from its master was its lower intelligence and purity, expressing those desires freely.
"...Father."
"Dia, give me a little time."
In truth, Nihil had already made up his mind. He just hadn't figured out how to convince Lianus.
Then, something clutched tightly at his robe hem. Looking down, he met the eyes of the little one gazing up with drooping brows.
"Being with me for a week... is it that hateful?"
"...Dia, I can't understand why you won't accept Fluffy."
He's just like you.
Nihil quickly scooped up the child and patted him. He suddenly felt like a real kid.
...He must be tired.
Heck, he'd even witnessed Nihil transforming into Lianus—must've been a huge shock.
...Give me rest.
A fleeting thought passed through Nihil's mind, and he squeezed his eyes shut before opening them.
"...Rian, I have something to say."
"Yeah?"
"Mind if I step out of the palace for a bit?"
"Huh? Where to?"
"The grand duke's."
"...Are you going for heir lessons by any chance?"
"...?"
Nihil turned to the child, wondering what that meant, but the kid petulantly whipped his head away, refusing to answer.
"Carus said it. Rumors are spreading among the nobles... that the grand duke has his eye on you as heir."
"...Such rumors are circulating?"
"Yeah. But Carus and I thought if the grand duke had an heir, it'd be more like your baby."
Lianus glanced at the baby in Nihil's arms as he spoke. The baby stayed buried in his dear friend's bosom, not moving a muscle.
He really looks just like the grand duke...
Unaware the baby before him was the grand duke, Lianus rolled his eyes thoughtfully before continuing.
"Um... actually, rumors about you being connected to the grand duke have been trickling out little by little. The grand duke hasn't spoken to anyone but royalty before. There was even a joke that conversing with him meant you'd be treated as royalty."
"Dia, people should be selective about friends, but this seems too extreme. What do you think?"
"...Shut up."
"Anyway, so?"
"You suddenly got kidnapped in front of the nobles, came back fine, and then the grand duke gifted you Fluffy... er, the anima, and word spread..."
Nihil swallowed hard.
"Guess I should've hidden Fluffy after all."
"...Do you really think that's the issue...?"
"Sure, other factors played in, but... Fluffy must've been the final blow."
"Ku-ya!"
"......"
Dios buried his face again, speechless. This was all his fault for creating the anima.
Come to think of it, the weird threats... no, gifts sent via the anima had made even his subordinates misunderstand that he had an heir...
"...Why not just become the heir?"
"Dia, were you trying to subjugate me all along—"
"......"
"Kidding. Relax."
"Hah."
If he weren't his real father, he'd have smacked him one.