“A clean splitttt in twooooo! Diguardia has sliced Leonhart right down the middle! It was a grueling battle, but the end came in a single stroke! Everyone, a massive round of applause for both warriors!”
Amidst the thunderous roar of the crowd, I popped the hatch of Diguardia and leaped outside.
At the very instant of the final strike, I had cast a barrier around Ido to protect him. However, given the scale of that explosion, his safety was still precarious. I needed to get him out of there immediately.
Wait—it would be a massive headache if the surrounding spectators saw what was happening. I decided to use the smoke from the explosion as a screen, throwing up an extra veil of mist to blind the onlookers while I rescued Ido.
I pried open the mangled wreckage of Leonhart and stepped inside, quickly locating Ido where he lay enveloped in my barrier.
“Ido, are you all right?”
“Ugh… g-uugh…”
Ido had been slammed hard against the barrier and was covered in scrapes and bruises, but he was clearly alive.
Whew. That was a relief. If he’d died before I even learned who he was, the curiosity would have kept me awake for at least three days.
As I let out a sigh of relief, a sharp crack echoed from Ido’s mask. The fissure deepened and spread, splitting the mask perfectly in half before the pieces clattered to the floor.
The face revealed beneath the mask was—
“…Me?”
Slightly sleepy eyes, a small nose, thin lips, and thin eyebrows. It was my face, through and through.
“W-What’s the meaning of this, boss?! That guy’s face is the spitting image of Master Lloyd!”
“Could they be long-lost twins?! Or perhaps a perfect doppelgänger?! N-No… could such a coincidence even be possible…?”
Grimo and Jiriel were paralyzed with shock.
While I also stood there in a daze, Ido seemed to regain consciousness. His eyes fluttered open. Realizing the situation, he hurriedly covered his face with his hands and snatched up his broken mask.
“—! You saw it… you saw my face…!”
“You, don’t tell me you’re—”
Before I could finish, Ido smashed through the surrounding debris and leaped into the air. Even while desperately hiding his features with the mask, he glared down at me with one visible eye, his gaze overflowing with pure, unadulterated hatred.
“I will pay you back for this. I swear it.”
“Wait! Ido!”
Ignoring my shout, Ido was suddenly enveloped in a localized whirlwind.
Hm. That’s a spell formula I’ve never seen before.
“I’ll never… forgive you…!”
Leaving that low murmur behind, he vanished.
I see. It looks like he integrated an original spell formula into his Flight magic. He was moving several times faster than the standard rate. Moreover, he did a commendable job of masking his own mana to prevent me from tracking him.
I was momentarily captivated by the novelty of the magic, but… he was being naive. At this distance, I could still follow his trail.
“Lloyd!”
Zerof came running toward me just as I was about to give chase. Albert and the others were right behind him.
“Well done, Lloyd! Congratulations on the win! I’m incredibly proud of you!”
“Just as I expected, Little Roddy! I knew you were the man for the job!”
I was instantly surrounded by the group and mobbed with congratulations. As one might expect, I couldn’t exactly use Spatial Transfer in the middle of this.
In the time it took to navigate the crowd, Ido had moved beyond my detection range. …He was fast. I suppose I’d have to give up for the time being.
“U-Um… Competitor Ido has vanished somewhere, but regardless, the result stands! The champion is Competitor Lloyd! And Diguardia! Everyone, please show your appreciation with a massive round of applause!”
Basking in a storm of cheers, I was hoisted up and tossed into the air by my brothers and the pit crew. Yet even as I was being celebrated, my mind was entirely occupied with Ido.
Why was he here? Come to think of it, I felt like I hadn't seen him in quite a long time, but I never expected our reunion to happen in a place like this.
“I see. So he’s been doing well for himself,” I murmured softly, looking up at the empty sky where Ido had flown away.
◇◇◇
“Now then, to celebrate Lloyd’s victory… cheers!”
That night, Albert and the others held a victory party in my honor. Everyone was in high spirits, but I wasn't quite in a celebratory mood. I eventually slipped away to the balcony to enjoy the cool night air.
“This isn't like you, Master Lloyd. Usually, you wouldn't leave a party even for something like this,” Grimo noted, appearing at my side.
“He is right. Haven't you always said that attending these social functions regularly ensures people will look the other way when you get into trouble? Or are you truly that concerned about that boy?” Jiriel added.
“Just who in the world is he, boss?”
In response to Grimo and Jiriel’s questions, I gave a slow nod.
“That guy… Ido… is a homunculus I created.”
“A homunculus?!” the two of them shouted in unison.
“Hey, keep it down. You’re too loud.”
“By homunculus, Master Lloyd, do you mean an artificial human?!”
“The secret art said to be the absolute pinnacle of alchemy… a forbidden art that defies the very laws of humanity… To think you can even use such a thing…”
I placed my index finger to my lips, signaling the frantic pair to be silent. Once they had hurriedly hushed themselves, I began the explanation.
“…Yeah. It was back when I was first dabbling in alchemy.”
Actually, the whole reason I started studying alchemy in the first place was to create a homunculus. I figured that having one would make my various magic research projects much more efficient. For instance, I could have him handle my sword training, or have him attend tedious social events as my double.
That was why I made him a copy of myself.
“Things happened, and it turned out he couldn't serve as my replacement after all. Well, it was a bit of a rush job since I grew him from my own hair… but when he was young, he was constantly pestering me to play with him. It was such a bother that I, well, I didn't really pay much attention to him.”
The homunculus I created had been grown rapidly in a culture medium to match my physical age, but there were limits to how much education he could receive during that growth. Consequently, his mental age was much younger when he emerged. At the time, I was focusing entirely on my magic research, so I left the homunculus—who followed me around incessantly begging for attention—in the care of a nursery golem I’d built. I pretty much just left him to his own devices.
“…And then, before I knew it, he was gone.”
The nursery golem I’d built was a masterpiece. It could handle feeding, burping, and holding, and it even provided toys and books as he grew. I figured the golem would be a perfectly fine playmate for him… but looking back, I suppose it really wasn't good that I didn't look after him myself.
“Whoa… Master Lloyd, that’s textbook abuse. Child neglect is considered a high crime even in the Demon World,” Grimo said, looking appalled.
“Precisely. No matter how much I respect you, Master Lloyd, I must offer my own stern reprimand on this matter.”
“Ugh… I-I do feel bad about it, okay…”
I knew it even without them telling me. Even though I was only six years old at the time, I had reflected on my actions in my own way.
“I wonder if that’s actually true…” Grimo muttered skeptically. For a Majin, this guy was surprisingly sensitive about these things.
“…In any case, I now understand why that boy harbors such a profound hatred for you, Master Lloyd. If that is the case, there is no way he will simply retreat. He will undoubtedly attack again.”
“Wait, did I really do something to be hated that much?”
“I think the resentment goes much deeper than you realize, boss.”
Hmm. Even though I’m technically his creator. Nothing good is ever born from hatred, you know.
“Master Lloyd, there is no telling what a person consumed by rage might do. We should seize the initiative. …Otherwise, there is a possibility that Sylpha-tan or Ren-tan might be caught in the crossfire! T-That must be avoided at all costs!”
Jiriel was muttering frantically to himself.
Well, let’s try looking at it from a different angle. If he hates me that much, he’ll likely come at me with everything he has next time. However, if he attacks while I’m at the castle, I have to worry about the safety of others, which makes intercepting him a chore. After showing him such a vast difference in power, it wouldn't be surprising if he brought a trump card or two to the next encounter. I’d like to believe he wouldn't do something like leveling the entire castle, but just in case, it might be better for me to seek him out first.
“The problem is, I have no idea where Ido went.”
Ido hadn't left a single trace of mana behind. Tracking him seemed like it would be a monumental task. I wondered what the best course of action would be.
“What’s wrong, Lloyd? You have such a serious look on your face.”
As I was pondering the problem, Ren of the Poison Moth suddenly poked her head over my shoulder.
“Were you thinking about that Ido kid?”
“…How did you know?”
Seeing my surprise, Ren giggled.
“It’s obvious. You’ve been like this ever since the finals ended. He vanished the moment the match was over, right? You’re worried about where he went. …But, we might be able to find him.”
“Really?!”
“Mhm. We’re former assassins; tracking down prey that’s gone to ground is our specialty. Besides, Galilea is well-connected in the underworld. If we reach out through those channels, I’m sure we can dig him up.”
That made sense. Given that Ido was a homunculus, it was highly likely he had spent his time in the underworld before surfacing for the tournament. As the one currently managing the remnants of the Assassin's Guild, Galilea would probably be able to find something.
“…You’re right. I’ll go ask him.”
“Right!”
With Ren nodding enthusiastically beside me, I used Spatial Transfer to leap away.