A Daughter's Farewell

Perhaps even a daughter like this would be acceptable. Having resigned myself to everything, I let every ounce of strength drain from my body and fed my 'child'—who had taken the form of my younger self—with a completely empty expression. This continued for a long while...... until Rin spoke inside my head.

'W-what...?'

I understood. She meant she would withdraw the tentacles that had been linked through my eyes and ears, then become one with that child again. It meant she would finally be liberated......

Rin's mental voice paused for a moment as if choosing her final words, then, in a slightly shy tone, she uttered a single word to complete her farewell.

Whatever had sunk its roots all the way into my brain was rapidly sucked outward through my eyes and ears.

"Ugh?!!"

The sensation of thin threads wriggling and crawling between the folds of my brain, inside my eyes, inside my ears. The goosebump-inducing revulsion from that slithering touch against my eyes and ears.

On top of that, Rin's tentacles, as they moved to exit while kneading my brain, scrambled my senses and my sanity.

"Hngh, u, aeu...? Eh...? Eht? A-ah...? Ah, eah...?"

While my brain was being rummaged through, all I could do was hang my mouth open, drooling, producing only broken moans that never quite formed into language.

My vision and hearing warped violently, and I couldn't control the urine and arousal that kept spurting and stopping on their own.

"U-uh....... Uht......"

When the short but nightmarish time of the tentacles' withdrawal finally ended, my vision returned somewhat. What I saw was......

A small slime-like organism crawling into the head of Rin's replica, the one mimicking my childhood form.

The ear-stirring sensation must have been unbearable for her too; her expression was shattered into a mess, just like mine had been moments earlier.

The only difference was that she couldn't endure the feeling—her limbs and various parts of her body were reverting to their original slime state and melting away.

After a long stretch of that unbearable melted expression—her face literally transforming into slime and dripping—the creature's features regained their light. She shook her head a couple of times, then bowed slightly at the waist toward me and spoke.

"Huu...... The fusion is complete. Allow me to greet you properly. Nice to meet you. Well, it's not exactly our first meeting. I am Rin, Naixon's creation and...... hehe, also Kaira's daughter!"

I answered in a voice utterly drained of strength.

"My daughter...... you're not......"

I had expected a response like 'Well, I suppose so,' but Rin puffed out both cheeks in a genuinely sulky pout.

"Hiiing...... Mom says I'm not her daughter......"

To think she could even show such a human reaction.

At that moment, as if on perfect cue, came the sound of someone knocking on the iron door. The presence outside didn't wait for my reply; they simply flung the door open. In their hands was a bowl of porridge.

"Karin, it's time for dinner. How's your physical condition...... huh?"

When Rin saw Naixon, she bowed at the waist in greeting toward her creator, still in the exact form of a human child.

"That child...... who is she?"

"Hello, Master!! It's Rin, it's Rin! I reconstructed a new body from inside Karin-nim's body. From now on, I'll move this body myself to help with Naixon-nim's research!"

Naixon's eyes widened into perfect circles.

That was understandable. Aside from the fact that she wore nothing at all, Rin's mimicry was nearly flawless.

...... It was probably thanks to her devouring every last one of my eggs and studying human genetics and developmental processes from that vast collection of samples.

"Hmm...... So you were capable of mimicking forms, Rin?"

"Yes, yes! Master! It's all thanks to Karin-mom lending me her body so I could learn so much about humans! When I created this body, I used Karin-mom's genetic material, so right now I'm replicating her childhood appearance. If Master provides more samples, it seems I'll be able to mimic other forms too!"

Naixon hesitated for a moment, then asked the question.

"But......"

I already knew roughly what would come out of his mouth.

"What is genetic material?"

I knew it.

"Wow, so this is the meal Master prepares! I'd only tasted it through Karin-nim's mouth before, but experiencing it directly is so much more delicious!"

Rin moved her tiny body, sat at the table, and devoured the dishes Naixon had prepared with ravenous glee.

In truth, the food entering Rin's stomach wasn't digested in any stomach-like organ; she likely inserted it directly into her protoplasm and secreted enzymes to break it down.

Rin was wearing clothes. Ironically, they were exactly the same short skirt and shirt she had worn beneath her robe during her days as a hero—designed for easy movement. It seemed she had transformed her outer cells to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mimic the appearance of fabric.

"Is that so? There's plenty more, so eat as much as you like, dear."

Naixon wore an openly paternal smile as he watched Rin with satisfaction. She paid no attention to table manners whatsoever, simply clattering away.

Well, for a man who had lived as a bachelor for so long, suddenly gaining an adorable daughter must have been delightful. And not just any daughter—one who could assist in his experiments and serve as both assistant and heir.

And...... though it felt a little embarrassing to admit, a rather pretty daughter at that.

Having completely lost my appetite, I didn't even glance at the food. I simply watched Rin with a bitter smile, wearing nothing but a robe draped over my naked body to cover the essential parts.

The camisole had been soaked through, so there was no helping it. Still, the dried blood and milk that had crusted on it were gone. Naixon must have washed it for me.

I secretly tried waving my hand under the table to cast a spell, but nothing manifested. Rin had sucked up so much of my mana that my circulation system had yet to recover properly.

Because of that, I couldn't write in Kaira's Secret Diary, nor could I rewind my body's time. It meant milk was still leaking from my breasts. ...And I had lost my ovaries as well.

"Aren't you eating, Mom?"

"...... Don't call me Mom. Just call me Karin......"

"Hweh...? But you gave birth to me."

The mimicking slime tilted her head with an expression of tremendous disappointment. It was nothing like the Rin I knew—the one who had literally perched on top of my head, boasting triumphantly while peering into my insides as if with the palm of her hand.

Her personality must have become twisted after fusing with the replica that had emerged from my womb.

I smiled bitterly and added one more request.

"...I'm asking you as your mother."

"Yes, yes! Understood, Mom... ah, no, Karin-nim!"

Seen like this, she had an adorable, puppy-like side as well.

Well, she had always spoken to Naixon in that manner, and now that she possessed the form of a human girl...... Though it seemed that whenever she became too happy, her mimicry would slip and her fingertips would melt back into slime.

"Karin, you've truly worked hard. You must have suffered a great deal physically. Of course I paid the expedition fee, but that alone doesn't feel like sufficient repayment. How can I possibly express my gratitude......"

Naixon spoke while glancing back and forth between me and Rin. Indeed. I had finished the contraceptive research in just five days and even delivered a beautiful daughter who could serve as his assistant. How could he not be grateful? I smiled faintly and declined.

"I'm grateful enough that you paid the expedition fee."

I glanced at the face of my grinning slime daughter and added a few more words.

"Later, once Rin has absorbed various things and grown, it would be nice if you could let me see her face again."

"I understand. I promise. I most definitely promise."

"I... have no appetite, so I'll excuse myself now."

The mana circulation system recovers well with proper rest. That was also why most spells, including Kaira's Secret Diary, carried a daily limit of 'a few uses.' The only real opportunity for proper ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rest in a day was at night, while sleeping.

If I slept deeply tonight, the mana that Rin had drained should recover, and I would be able to turn back time without fear of losing my memories. Naixon gave a big nod, his face kind.

"Yes. Do that. I won't trouble you with any experiments tonight. For you to rest comfortably, it would probably be best not to send Rin in as well......"

"Thank you for your consideration. But please ask Rin herself and do whatever she wants."

Even as I spoke, the words tasted bitter. Was I truly feeling something like maternal love toward that monstrous being who had done nothing but use my body for her own purposes? I couldn't sigh in front of the two of them, so I only let out a deep breath inwardly.

Leaving the dinner table of that makeshift family behind, I lay down in my sleeping bag the moment I returned to my room. It was still a little early, but the sooner I fell asleep, the faster my mana circulation system would recover... As I was thinking that, I heard the door rattle.

"Whine.... whine......"

Along with an adorably whining sound.

I rose from my spot, walked over to the heavy iron door, and added my strength to open it.

"Ah...!!"

Startled by the door suddenly swinging open, Rin lost her balance, staggered, and fell toward me.

"S-sorry, Mom... no, Karin-nim. I'm still not used to moving or exerting strength like a human. My body is rather small too......"

It was such a cute sight that my heart softened a little. I asked gently.

"It's alright. Did you come to sleep with me?"

"Y-yes.... Um, you see.... It feels like I won't be able to see you for a very long time starting tomorrow, so just one last time...... with, um, Mom...... I wanted to sleep together......"

"Haa......"

I told her not to call me Mom. Well... I suppose it's fine.

I repeated to myself that she wasn't my daughter, that she was merely a bizarre lifeform who had arbitrarily toyed with my mind......

Even so, rejecting her here would be...... a terribly cruel thing to do.

"Alright. Come in."

I took Rin's cold, soft, sticky, and damp hand and led her to the sleeping bag.

When she saw me lie down inside it, Rin dispelled the outer clothing she had been mimicking, slipped in naked, and followed me into the bag.

"Eut.... cold......"

Though she wore a human appearance, her true nature was that of a damp, heteromorphic cold-blooded creature. It seemed she couldn't mimic body temperature.

I could understand. Maintaining a warm body temperature would require an enormous amount of energy.

"Still, it's somehow squishy and feels nice......"

I gently stroked Rin's light brown hair while gazing into the red, glowing eyes of the girl who had become living jelly. She was replicating the look I had before I lived as the prostitute Karin—before I cut my hair short upon leaving Arun's house—the one where I had lightly tied the ends of my long hair.

"Don't worry, Mom......"

The cold girl in my arms hesitated, then spoke.

"What do you mean, Rin?"

"You will definitely be able to find her. Grandmother...... Pirel-nim. You will definitely be able to find her......"

"......"

Without a word, I hugged the creature who claimed to be my daughter with all my strength. So this was what she had been thinking about. A slime created through alchemy, yet she had spoken words more human than anyone I had met this past year. It's chilly. It's sticky. Even so...... it's squishy, fluffy, chewy, and this might be okay too....

"Naixon-nim is precious. Mom is precious too. Having parents is a precious thing...... I can understand that now. If it's within my power, somehow...... finding Pirel-nim...... I'll help......"

Perhaps exhausted from maintaining her mimicry, Rin fell asleep with faint breaths before she could even finish speaking.

The unconscious Rin's form gradually turned semi-transparent. So transparent that the mana core glowing with a faint red light inside became visible.

Still, she seemed to have grown accustomed to the mimicry; she only became transparent without her shape collapsing into an amorphous mass.

A slime in the form of a girl.

Is this truly my...... daughter?

Holding the cold slime tightly, I slipped into a dreamless sleep without even realizing when it had claimed me.

The next morning, the moment I opened my eyes I tested a simple illumination spell.

Whether because I had rested well the night before or because I had slept while embracing a mana-rich magical creature, the magic manifested without any trouble.

Before Rin's sparkling, wide-eyed gaze, I activated Kaira's Secret Diary and rewound the time of my own body.

A body where milk slowly leaked from swollen breasts would have been too burdensome to ride in a carriage or appear before the people at the brothel again.

And...... I wanted to quickly reclaim the femininity I had lost after being absorbed by Rin.

The sense of loss from becoming a castrated woman who could no longer fulfill her role as a person after losing her ovaries, the tears that had followed, and now this act of rewinding time to regain what was lost...... I wondered what my past-life self—who had only ever known a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠man's life—would think if he saw it.

He would have known by peering into my memories, but Rin, witnessing causality twist and time actually flow backward before her eyes, was utterly fascinated and overjoyed.

Her expression showed half regret that, although she could learn magic from my memories, she could not replicate that particular ability. The other half was pure admiration directed at me.

As soon as breakfast ended, Naixon called a carriage for me.

"You've been through so much in every way. Stay healthy, Karin. I'll take full responsibility for raising Rin well."

"Mom....... Hing......"

I boarded the carriage under the send-off of a smiling Naixon and a Rin who turned her head away with effort, shedding slime instead of tears, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠headed for 'home.' Back to Arto's brothel.