25.
Once upon a time, there was a man.
The man had neither parents nor siblings, yet he possessed a vast power that manifested perhaps once in a millennium.
People called his extraordinary magic—a force capable of summoning violent tidal waves, shifting weather patterns, and slaying dragons with a single flick of the hand—”Estellion.”
Estellion elevated the man to the pinnacle of magedom, but the price for such immense power was steep: the man lacked the basic emotional spectrum common to humanity.
He felt fleeting flickers of interest or displeasure, but the only things he maintained consistently were a cold curiosity and an investigative drive regarding Estellion itself. There were many mysterious facets of that power, even to the man who wielded it.
One day, while engrossed in his research, a rare sensation took hold: fear. What if he died, and the research to which he had dedicated his life simply ceased to be?
He began to hope that someone who also possessed Estellion would appear to carry on his work. A man who had never needed family in his life now desired a child.
So, the man conducted an experiment.
He synthesized Estellion with biological tissue to create a seed, which he then injected into a woman’s womb using physical penetration magic. It was a high-level procedure, and there were strict precautions for cultivating the seed…
Ah. You want me to skip the tedious details? Understood. I suppose I got a bit carried away.
In any case, volunteers with various backgrounds and physical characteristics were recruited from all over the empire.
It was human experimentation, but because the compensation—a sum a commoner could only dream of—was so staggering, a huge number of applicants flocked to him.
Enough to live on for the rest of one’s life, provided one didn’t indulge in luxuries. My mother still travels the world on the money she received back then. She received additional payments while safely giving birth to and raising me, so now she lives with the comfort of a minor noble.
But not everyone was like my mother. A significant number of experiments ended in failure.
Whether the act of creating life artificially went against the laws of god, whether Estellion was simply too volatile a power, or whether the experimental design itself was flawed—the reasons remained unknown.
Most didn’t even result in pregnancy. Half of the remainder ended in miscarriage. Even those who were born rarely survived infancy. That is why so many volunteers had to be recruited, one after another, in a string of failures.
The number of children who have survived to this day is three, including me.
No—because you are here, it has increased to four.
We three grew up together in the facility, so we know each other inside and out—to the point of exhaustion.
Ah, the “facility” is a place Leguin established within the Magic Tower. It was designed to gather the volunteers in one place for medical observation and management.
According to the records, your mother refused to enter the facility; it seems a small number of volunteers simply didn’t want to leave their homes. He would have instructed such volunteers to report experimental results via letter, but why your mother did not do so remains a mystery even to me.
Since there was no contact, we were completely unaware of your existence on this side. To return to the topic: ultimately, the experiment was not a success.
We three brothers are all mages, and though it is not for me to boast, each of us possesses exceptional talent. However, we only inherited a tiny fraction of Estellion’s power. And from the looks of it, you don’t seem to have much power either.
After that, Leguin gave up on obtaining a child who had inherited Estellion. Instead, he shifted his focus toward stopping his own aging.
He might look young, but his actual age is far greater than his appearance suggests. He will likely live on for a long time even after everyone around him has turned to dust.
Personally, it looks like a lonely existence, but… what of it? The man himself cannot even feel the emotion of loneliness.
* * *
After listening to Lexion’s long story, Philomel asked, “So? Are you saying it’s understandable that he is a heartless father? Is that it?”
“It wasn’t my intention to make excuses. I simply wanted to say that since you were his first child of this kind, he was ill-equipped to be considerate.”
“Like me…?”
“Actually, all three of us brothers, though not to the extent of Leguin, have rather faint emotions. Especially when it comes to affection.”
Lexion adjusted his glasses. “Leguin didn’t treat us like his children, and we, too, didn’t expect him to act like a father. He provided us with the necessities of life and taught us magic, but he is closer to a mentor or a boss than a parent.”
“I think I’m quite normal when it comes to emotions.”
“In my view, that is true as well. That is why it is surprising. Leguin likely never expected you to be so disappointed.”
“…….”
It was difficult enough to calm the internal whirlpool of her thoughts; the influx of information was overwhelming.
Estellion, the experiments, the cold logic of it all—it sounded like stories from a distant land, and it didn’t fully hit home. Yet one thing was certain: there was absolutely no affection in Philomel’s birth.
Furthermore, unlike Lexion and his brothers, Philomel had practically no magical power. She was, by all accounts, a perfect failure.
The two walked in silence until they reached the entrance where they had begun.
“……I’ll be going now. Thank you for the guide.”
“Phil.”
Lexion called to her just as she was about to leave.
“Why?”
“If you ever need help, come find me anytime. If you ask anyone at the Magic Tower for Lexion, you’ll find me.”
“Why are you so concerned about me? Because I’m your younger sister?”
“If I said that was the only reason, you wouldn’t believe me, would you? I did just mention that my emotions are on the faint side.”
“You’re right. In my current state of mind, I wouldn’t believe you even if the sun rose in the west.”
She wasn’t naturally a person who placed deep trust in others, but she felt as though her faith in humanity was only going to worsen.
“Personally, I feel an academic interest in you. Why did we have such stunted emotions while you are normal, despite being born from the same experiment? I want to study this.”
“Isn’t it because I have so little of Estellion?”
“Leguin might think that, but… I feel like there’s another reason. It’s just a hunch.”
Lexion was persistent. “If you don’t like research, why don’t you work as my assistant? I’ll offer generous pay.”
“I don’t know the first thing about magic. The only help I could be…”
“You can learn. Someone like you would be able to master it in no time.”
Lexion seemed to rate Philomel higher than she rated herself.
“The Magic Tower is the best place to hide your identity. Even if your past were revealed, the Magic Tower is a place even the Emperor cannot touch recklessly.”
“……I understand. Give me some time to think.”
“Take all the time you need. If you change your mind, come to the Magic Tower.”
Lexion stood there until Philomel disappeared from view, watching her walk her own path, her back showing no sign of sadness or disappointment.
“Well. Now, what shall I do with that hopeless man?”
Lexion returned to Leguin’s room. He found the man crouching behind his desk just as he had been before. A magic circle, drawn in red paint, occupied the floor where the clutter had been cleared away.
Leguin, brush in hand, was glaring at the complex symbols and hieroglyphs.
“Leguin-nim. I’ve returned.”
He announced it aloud, though Leguin hadn’t acknowledged his presence.
“Why did you come back?”
“You told me to stay because you had something to say to me, Leguin-nim.”
“Looking at you earlier, you were glaring at me like you were going to kill me. Why didn’t you just leave with her? You were singing ‘younger sister, younger sister,’ and now your master isn’t even in your eyes.”
“It was Cadin who was obsessed with the younger sister, not me.”
“You or him, it’s the same.”
“Are you troubled by that child, Phil?”
Leguin replied curtly, “I am not.”
“Oh, you seem troubled. The magic circle hasn’t changed at all from before.”
“…….”
It had taken over twenty minutes to guide Philomel to the exit and return. For Leguin, that was enough time to have completed three more circles.
“What do I care? If she ran off because she didn’t like me, then that’s the end of it.”
What a childish person.
Aside from his exceptional ability as a mage, his father was less mature than a child when it came to interpersonal relationships. Perhaps it was because he had never had the chance to form deep emotional bonds with others.
“I understand. If that is what you say, Leguin-nim, I will no longer concern myself with it either. Still, it’s a pity. That child didn’t seem to have anywhere to go. How will she survive in this harsh world when she isn’t even an adult yet…”
Lexion intentionally tossed a small verbal stone at Leguin, aiming to deepen the ripples that had already begun.
“I happened to see it, but if Jeremiah hadn’t helped her earlier, she would have had all her money stolen by a pickpocket. Ah, speaking of which, I didn’t mention that Jeremiah is also a brother.”
“……I told you I’m not interested.”
Listening to his listless reply, Lexion gauged how long it would take for Leguin to be honest.
A week, perhaps? No. Judging by his strangely anxious reaction, a decision might be reached within two or three days.
* * *
Ten-odd hours later.
Lexion, who had gone to bed early for a mage, woke to the sound of the door rattling open. Leguin was standing at his bedside with a sullen face.
“What is the meaning of this at this hour?” Lexion asked, fumbling for his glasses on the bedside table.
“You know where she’s staying, don’t you?”
“She?”
The memory of a warm-colored silhouette brushed against his sleep-deprived mind.
“Ah, Phil? She’s likely staying at Angelium.”
“Tell her to come to the Magic Tower right now. I need to meet her one more time.”
“Do you know what time it is? She’s probably sleeping. I’ll make contact when the sun rises, so just go to sleep.”
After roughly soothing him and sending Leguin away, Lexion went back to sleep with a strangely pleasant feeling, thinking that he would soon be welcoming a new family member.
However, the next morning, Lexion—who went to Angelium to find Philomel—had no choice but to regret his choice from the previous night.
He should have gone immediately, just as Leguin had said.
Because Philomel had already left the city.
And in the worst possible way, at that.