Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Experiment Arc (10)
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"May I ask a few questions as a reward?"
"One question per reward. If you want to use them all on questions, I'll only answer two. Don't worry, though—I won't give you short, curt replies."
Hmm, no surprise there; it wasn't going to be that easy. No helping it. I'd start with the thing I was most curious about.
"You mentioned my father once before. I want to know how he became a test subject and what happened after."
Mere answered my question as if she'd been waiting for it.
"Before I tell you, let me ask one thing. What feelings do you have for him?"
"He's just someone connected to me by blood. Nothing more."
Hearing my answer, Mere turned her head to glance at the bookshelf for a moment.
"I see. Very well, then. I'll tell you."
With that, Mere stood from her seat and walked over to the spot on the bookshelf I'd noticed earlier. She looked around briefly before pulling out a certain notebook and returning to her chair, opening it with both hands.
"Imperial Year 1480, June 4th. Special holy magic 'Memoria Sigillum' casting request from client 'Long Ears 11-Jul.' Contact made."
"This was our first meeting. The 11th trader from the Long Ears race, name 'Jul.' Do you know we handle magic castings as transactions too? Depending on the deal, we might cast healing magic or turn somewhere into a sea of flames. Your father came needing healing."
"June 7th. Special holy magic 'Memoria Sigillum' casting request... contract."
"Memoria Sigillum is a healing magic that seals away memories for a set period when someone suffers mental anguish. It's expensive because it can't be reused for months after one casting. Your father offered himself as a test subject under me as a servant instead of money. He agreed to bear any accidents that might happen during experiments."
"June 10th. Special holy magic 'Memoria Sigillum' casting request... contract modified and executed."
"Memoria Sigillum isn't some convenient spell that handles everything on its own. The subject has to verbally specify the starting point of the memories to seal. He recited them through tears—it was memories of his dead wife. He said he had an exceptional memory even among Long Ears. Every moment was still vivid; he longed for her."
'He offered himself as a test subject just to forget my dead mother?'
I couldn't speak carelessly without having been in his shoes.
He deserved blame for abandoning his child and leaving, but his love and longing for Mother, combined with that vivid memory—how could I judge such a contract without knowing those feelings myself?
All I could think was that it was tragic.
"Among the words he recited, there were mentions of Maggot—you. Proof of his love with his wife, a Long Ears half-breed after centuries. And the culprit who got her killed. After hearing that, I made a proposal. I'd recast the magic every three years at the end of its duration to extend it for the next thirty years. In exchange, hand over Maggot—you."
'...!'
He saw me as the culprit?
I'd have to take back that sense of tragedy from moments ago.
He was a selfish man, trapped in his own thoughts to the end.
"He accepted as if he wanted it even more. We modified the contract, then I cast Memoria Sigillum to grant his wish. Afterward, I assigned him 'Maggot' as his servant's name and had him stay in the laundry room. Sadly, he met his end from shock during the very next experiment that came along."
Mere seemed mechanical and cold on the surface, but she was cunning through and through.
Would she really maintain the magic every three years for a test subject and servant who was little more than a slave? I doubted it.
She might have initially planned experiments on a Long Ear.
But once she learned of me and changed the contract, Father became unnecessary.
And considering she hadn't hesitated to perform eye-extraction experiments on the previous subject, Rat Pup, it seemed obvious his death in an unanesthetized experiment was no accident.
"From what he told me, you were in a village on the outskirts of the Rock Forest. So I infiltrated the Magren Merchant Guild—which trades with the forest—with Bark, and he found you in the woods and brought you out. We covered the nine-day journey in three days via high-speed magic carriage. The rest you know."
...So that's how the pieces fell into place about my kidnapping here.
'Bark was the one who ambushed me back then. He tore me from Grandmother's side and threw me into this hell.'
Something felt hollow inside.
The questions I'd carried were answered, but no rage boiled up, no strong impulses surged.
Maybe I'd discarded too much over the nearly two years. Or perhaps my emotions toward Father, Mere, and Bark were too scattered to focus.
Mere was still a horrific person, and Father was dead.
Even looking at Bark, he seemed utterly indifferent to me.
I steadied my mind and thought calmly. I knew Bark was just following orders, but head and heart don't always align. His tone and actions in other situations—what had he been thinking? He didn't seem apologetic or distant.
"I've said more than enough. That should answer your question sufficiently."
As I kept staring at Bark, Mere drew my attention back to her.
"You have one question left. Ask it if you want."
I'd learned a lot already, but I had one more I'd planned ahead—the most important for my future.
"You said you brought me here to experiment on a Long Ears half-breed. From my position, I'm anxious and curious: when does this experiment end? Or is there some further goal afterward?"
Thinking of Demon King Nel's case, she might judge me dangerous and kill me after the experiments.
Or maybe this experiment itself was just a step toward some other purpose?
For the first time since I'd met her, Mere smiled at my question.
—!
Mere was smiling.
Did my question amuse her that much? To me, it was pure terror.
Bark's eyes widened too; it seemed he'd never seen her smile before.
"My interest in Demon King Nel started a few years ago when I learned of certain statistics."
The uneasy name appeared right from the start.
"His defining trait was being a Long Ears half-breed, but since no half-breeds appeared after his death, I could only be curious—no research possible."
'Probably around the time I was born, but still unknown.'
"I tried experimenting on other half-breeds I acquired, but nothing special. Then I planned to experiment on your Long Ear father, but as you know, he died early in an accident. Securing you, a Long Ears half-breed, let me proceed with my original research."
Was it self-delusion calling it an accident, or true apathy? Her expression gave no clue.
"Records of Demon King Nel's childhood are scarce, but I found some. He showed exceptional magic talent from a young age. Just like you, Maggot."
Mere pointed at me, staring straight. Her gaze was oppressive; I averted mine slightly downward. But even as a woman, her prominent chest came into view, so I looked even lower.
"Hair, eyes, skin resembling Long Ears. Short ears. All just like you."
Mere circled around the desk toward me and touched my ear.
Chills ran down my spine.
"Differences: he excelled as a warrior from childhood, and his memory wasn't as good as yours."
She circled me once, then stood before me, looking down. I still couldn't lift my head.
"His parents were famous warriors; your parents had exceptional memory among Long Ears. The differences likely stem from genetics. In short, appearance and magic talent were the same as yours."
'My magic talent has to be from my past life's mental acuity.'
"Demon King Nel's magic talent shone elsewhere too. The women of Quessel city in the Empire who bore his unwanted children—all their offspring had magic talent. A hundred cases; the statistics can't be wrong. That's why I took interest."
'Every child inheriting Demon King—no, rapist Nel's blood... had magic talent...?'
Rat Pup had once told me Nel had hundreds of rape victims.
Nearly a hundred unwanted pregnancies... Horrific.
But all those children having confirmed magic talent? Astonishing.
"Now, what about children from women you sire?"
"...?"
"I believe it'll be the same as Demon King Nel. If so, possessing you opens many possibilities. For example, in twenty years, I could form a new group of hundreds of mages."
Was she saying she'd use me as a stud horse, a seed-spreader?
"Exciting, isn't it? Provide the mothers, and you get to indulge your filthy desires freely. I build a kingdom of mages from the results! The experiments might even create a new race someday!"