A deep, heavy thrumming shook the earth, the tremors growing more violent by the second.
The strike of the star had torn the sky asunder. The earth was upturned, and the horizon glowed a deep, bruised crimson.
"Th-this is bad. This is real bad... What the hell is this?! Is this the Demon King’s hammer or somethin'?"
"Such overwhelming destructive power... It is Large-scale Magic that truly brings the apocalypse to mind... Master Lloyd is truly a man to be feared!"
The two stood dazed for a moment before suddenly gasping as they realized their situation.
"Master Lloyd! Are we about to get caught up in this too?!"
"The shockwave is closing in! We must evacuate at once!"
"No, there’s no need for that."
I shook my head at their frantic warnings and simply pointed a finger toward the approaching wall of force. The path of destruction stopped dead in its tracks, unable to advance an inch further.
"The destructive power of Large-scale Magic was within my expectations. That's why I’ve already deployed another Large-scale Barrier magic: Absolute Canopy."
This barrier, which created a dimensional fault, was whispered to have once withstood the massive volcanic eruptions that annihilated entire nations in the ancient past. Unlike ordinary barriers, it possessed no capacity limit. Because I had stretched this field—which blocked all physical interference—across a three-hundred-meter radius around the point of impact, not even a breeze reached us.
"Whoa... the shockwave really did just stop."
"However, the interior must be a wasteland. Ido was within the barrier’s reach; surely he cannot be alive."
"Oh, he’s fine too."
I looked down at my feet. There, lying on the floor, was the boy who looked exactly like me—Ido.
"Gah! It’s the Ido brat! How’d he get here?!"
"He is unconscious... Did you bring him here using Spatial Transfer?"
"Yeah. Spatial Transfer requires a deep connection with me, but since Ido is a homunculus I created, the Path between us is more than sufficient. It was impossible before because he was actively resisting me, but now that he’s out cold, I was able to pull him here by force."
As we spoke, Ido’s eyelids flickered.
"...Ugh."
It seemed he was coming around. As soon as Ido noticed me, his eyes went wide.
"Ll...oyd...! Why are you...? Where am I...?"
"You’re awake? We’re inside Diguardia."
Ido remained dazed for a moment before the realization hit him. He let out a sharp breath.
"You mean... you saved me...?"
"Yeah. The match is over, so there’s no need to take your life, right?"
Actually, it would be a terrible waste to kill someone with as much knowledge as Ido. When it comes to alchemy, he’s certainly my superior, and I have a mountain of questions I want to ask him about the subject. Yes, definitely.
"I didn't... ask for this...!"
Despite my logic, Ido glared up at me with resentment.
"Who told you to save me?! I couldn't even lay a finger on you... I have no value! It was the same back then! Why... why do you still insist on letting me live?!"
As Ido raised his voice, his eyes shimmering with tears, Grimo and Jiriel turned toward him.
"Still? What’s this 'still' business?"
"Did something similar occur in the past?"
"...Yes."
Nodding at their questions, Ido began to recount his story in fragments.
"As a homunculus created by Lloyd, I was raised by the Golems he built for childcare."
Come to think of it, I did make those. Raising an infant is a lot of effort, so I’d built specialized golems for the task. They were quite convenient; they didn't just provide food and water or clean up after the child, they could also soothe him, teach him, and even act as playmates. I’d made them as a set with the homunculus. As expected of me, I was well-prepared.
"Talk about hands-off parenting... Master Lloyd, you reap what you sow. I think you should’ve raised him yourself, even if it was a pain," Grimo grumbled.
"I am actually rather impressed. I have a newfound respect for you, knowing you ensured he was cared for so thoroughly. Master Lloyd!"
Jiriel tried to back me up, but that almost felt like an insult in itself. I find that a bit unsatisfactory.
"The golems themselves weren't the problem," Ido continued. "The days I spent being raised by them were happy ones for me. Eventually, I grew up and my sense of self began to bud. I started to wonder why I had been born. People are born to be of use to someone, and for me, I was certain that person was my creator, Lloyd."
Ido’s voice grew heavier.
"But no matter how much time passed, Lloyd never needed me. Whether awake or asleep, he did nothing but pursue his own research. That's why I taught myself alchemy—so that he would finally acknowledge me. I thought I could be of help... But the more I learned about alchemy, the more Lloyd’s interest in it faded. Eventually, he stopped looking at the Golems or me entirely. He became obsessed with magic instead."
Ah, that brings back memories. Back then, I was having the time of my life figuring out how to apply alchemical principles to magic. As I was reminiscing, Ido continued his tale.
"I will never forget that day, three years ago..."
"—Lloyd, I have a request."
I spoke with a heavy, serious voice to Lloyd, who was a size larger than myself.
"Hmm? What is it?"
Lloyd answered casually, his eyes never leaving his Magic Book. He didn't even spare me a glance as I spoke.
"I don't mind you being devoted to magic. But please—even if it’s only once in a while—I want you to look at me and the Golems. We are existences created by you. If we cannot be of use to our master, our lives have no meaning."
The Golems standing behind me stepped forward as well.
"Master Lloyd, please, use us again as you did in the past."
"It is our greatest joy to serve you."
"I WANT TO PLAY SOMETIMES!"
The wish of those who were my foster parents was the same as mine. But Lloyd only let out a bored sigh.
"Hmm... Sorry, but magic is a lot more fun than playing with you guys right now. Maybe next time."
"You’ve been saying that for a year now. Please. Show us some mercy."
"Even if you say that, I’m just not in the mood... Oh, I know."
A mischievous smile crossed Lloyd’s face.
"How about this? If you guys can beat me in a match, I'll play with you again. Deal?"
"...You won't go back on your word?"
"Of course not!"
Lloyd nodded with a look of pure delight. We challenged him with everything we had, but we couldn't even touch him. We were utterly, completely crushed.
"Okay, that’s it. Too bad. Well, I’m busy, so I’ll be going now."
Lloyd looked down at us briefly before returning to his book.
"—Destroy us."
I managed to force the words out of my throat as I struggled to sit up.
"We have lost the match and been abandoned by our creator. We have no value left. Please, just destroy us and get it over with."
The others joined in. Our feelings were unanimous. But Lloyd didn't grant our wish; he simply shook his head.
"I think I’ll pass."
"Why?! Are you saying we aren't even worth destroying?!"
"Yeah, not as you are now..."
Lloyd merely rubbed his chin, falling into deep thought. Was he saying we weren't even worth an answer?
"—Alchemy aside, they’re actually quite interesting," he muttered to himself. "Created life possessing a will, challenging me to a fight, even wanting to die of their own accord... they’re just like humans. I don't really feel like doing alchemy myself anymore, but... right, if I have them research it, they might eventually surpass me. Then I can just harvest the fruits of their labor and adapt their techniques into my own... Yeah, that’s a great idea."
He chuckled to himself for a moment before turning back to us with a grin.
"Right now, you aren't worth destroying. But you show a little promise. Go out, learn a lot, train, and come challenge me whenever you like."
"...Yes."
Unable to say anything more, we vowed that we would one day show Lloyd our true power. We left the castle and set out on a journey. We knew that as long as we stayed there, we wouldn't find the knowledge we needed to satisfy him. We believed that somewhere in the world, there were techniques that would finally make him take us seriously.
"And so we reached this country. Using everything we learned on our journey, we created the strongest Golem."
Ido gritted his teeth, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Ah..."
The memories were finally starting to click into place. Now that he mentioned it, I did feel like something like that might have happened.
"Even then, I was no match for Lloyd. I thought that final strike would finally bring the end I wanted. But even that was denied to me..."
The tears finally began to fall from Ido's eyes.
"Tch. A man blubbering over such trivial nonsense."
Grimo was the one to break the heavy silence. He manifested from my hand and looked down at Ido with a scowl.
"I’ve been sitting here listening to you rattle on! You’ve been raised soft, haven't you, little prince?!"
"Wha—what did you say?! What do you mean by that?!"
"Exactly what I said! 'Meaning of being born'? 'Purpose of living'? What an extravagant thing to worry about. In this world, there are more people than you can count who die without ever having the luxury to think about that crap!"
Grimo didn't even try to hide his irritation.
"In the Demon World where I came from, the lives of the weak didn't have a shred of value. But every single one of them fought like hell to live every day. Having the leeway to mope about the meaning of your birth is proof that you’re blessed!"
Ido froze at Grimo’s words.
"Could it be... that Lloyd kept me alive because he wanted to fix my naivety? Was leaving me alone and telling me to learn a lot... all to make me realize my own weakness...?"
Ido began muttering to himself. The hostility in his eyes was gone, replaced by something softer.
"Naturally," Jiriel added, his tone didactic. "Even the wealthy have their own burdens. Master Lloyd himself is the seventh son of the royal house; he must have endured countless family squabbles and internal struggles. Yet he lives with a strength that never lets those hardships show. He has surely struggled far more than you can imagine."
The light in Ido's gaze intensified.
"That’s true. I’ve seen other nobility on my travels, and the treatment of anyone other than the first or second son is often terrible. Many rot away in self-indulgence or fall into a life of crime because they lose their way. Yet Lloyd, despite his birth as a seventh son, has not rotted. He fulfills his duties to the crown and has become a mage everyone relies upon. And he doesn't even think twice about it... Heh. I’m worlds apart from him. I’ve been acting like a baby throwing a tantrum because I wanted my parent’s attention."
After his long string of murmurs, Ido looked me straight in the eye.
"...It seems I misunderstood you."
I wasn't sure what was happening, but I had the distinct feeling I was being deeply misunderstood in a very complicated way.
"It seems I still have a long way to go. Heh. With me in this state, it’s only natural I couldn't beat you. It is my complete defeat."
Ido slowly closed his eyes, his expression finally peaceful, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.