| Author: Eltria | Original Source: Syosetu |
| Translator: Mui | English Source: Re:Library |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | |
“Congratulations on passing the Third Class Alchemy Certification Exam. It’s a remarkable achievement since the beginning of our school, Leafa.”
The next day, as Alfe and I walked to school, the teachers, Mr. Lionel and Ms. Anais congratulated me. It seemed that notification of passing the Third Class Alchemy Certification Exam was also sent to the affiliated institution. In my case, the affiliated institution was St. Salaius Middle School.
“From now on, the range of things you can handle will expand, and further pursuit of knowledge will be possible. As a school, we will also be setting up support systems, so please look forward to it.”
Ms. Anais subtly informed me of the school’s perspective along with her congratulatory words. It’s something I’ve felt since kindergarten, but this school really spared no effort in supporting education. It must be because this era was so peaceful, and there was abundant support available for children in terms of effort and financial assistance.
“Since you can own a homunculus now, what are your plans for transmutation?”
Mr. Lionel asked about the homunculus. With consent from both my parents, I nodded and answered.
“Well… I plan to attempt it during the winter break.”
“If you succeed in transmutation, you can bring it to school as a follower. Please introduce it to us.”
Ms. Anais and Mr. Lionel smiled gently at my answer. The choice of the word ‘introduce’ instead of ‘show’ made me feel as if I glimpsed the human rights awareness of homunculi in this era.
With this, the groundwork for homunculus preparation, apart from material procurement, had been laid. It was quite reassuring to have the school’s cooperation.
Now that the future of transmutation is becoming clearer, I’ve begun to wonder about last night’s events once again.
Since it seemed like it might come up in conversation, I decided to talk to Alfe about it during lunch break. I had to skillfully structure the conversation so that the main topic was about transmuting a homunculus during winter break, and my relationship with the homunculus would be more like an additional story.
Ignoring my concerns, Alfe’s eyes sparkled with joy after listening to the story of homunculus transmutation.
“Leafa, you’re going to be a mom!”
Well, I had thought of her as a daughter, but being called ‘mom’ with this appearance feels embarrassing.
“No… I’ll just be her master.”
Although Alfe’s words matched my own understanding, I felt like I understood the subtle meaning behind my parents’ reactions from yesterday from an objective standpoint. Indeed, with this appearance, if I start to be called by a homunculus, I would be considered a daughter, ‘mom’ could lead to misunderstandings.
Plus, I had reservations about becoming a ‘parent’ myself.
There was no longer any wariness or disgust towards my parents. But in its place, the lingering aversion instilled by my foster father was directed towards myself. I must never become a ‘parent.’ Besides, I was creating the homunculus for utilitarian purposes, not with the intention of nurturing it like a father or mother.
But seeing the reactions of my parents and Alfe, I began to wonder if there was something wrong with my thoughts on creating a homunculus. Perhaps there were human rights issues to consider, and maybe there were other aspects I should be more mindful of.
In any case, I reminded myself once again not to show these negative feelings to anyone. It might worry my parents or frighten Alfe.
“…Leafa…?”
“Oh, uh, no. I was just thinking about transmutation…”
“Having a homunculus is great, right? You can change its appearance however you like and decide on various abilities, right?”
Alfe seemed well-informed about homunculi, perhaps having secretly looked into it. Smiling with her fingertips pressed together in front of her face, Alfe seemed to be eagerly anticipating the creation of a homunculus that could symbolize my interests and skills.
“Yeah, that’s true. I’m still considering various things though…”
As I smiled back at Alfe in that moment, doubts flashed through my mind.
Should I really create a homunculus?
Creating a homunculus would significantly change my life. Perhaps it would reopen old emotional wounds. Because of that, I might create reasons to disappoint those who care about me. Why was I trying to transmute a homunculus, risking these consequences…?
Aurora.
There was only one answer. I had to protect the important people in my life from the threat of that Goddess, who took my life as Glass with her arrogant justice and likely viewed my reincarnated life with disdain. The homunculus was a ‘tool’ for that purpose1. It must be a loyal ‘tool’ that would stand in as a substitute and fight for me when needed—a homunculus that swore absolute obedience. Otherwise, it wouldn’t fulfill its purpose.
