Chapter 60

Homunculus

A homunculus. An artificial life-form transmuted into being through alchemy and magic.

Its origins lay with Arcanis Rilsein, known as the first mage. It was rooted in one of the twenty-three problems he had proposed while pondering the future development of magic.

-Are life and the soul one and the same, or are they separate things?

In their efforts to solve this problem, mages had finally brought the creation of life down from the realm of God into the realm of human reason. The results were golems and homunculi.

By the present day, however, the creation of homunculi alone had become taboo. The reason could be summed up in a single remark from the Archmage, one of the allied army's heroes.

["Creating biological homunculi requires human genes."]

Golems were transmuted from nonliving materials such as earth, stone, metal, and wood. Homunculi were transmuted from living organisms, such as humans. Both were artificially created life-forms.

But golems merely carried out simple movements according to fixed commands. They had neither a sense of self nor emotions, because they were made from nonliving materials.

Homunculi, on the other hand, could execute complex commands. They possessed both a sense of self and emotions. That was because living organisms—whole human beings, in other words—were ground up to create them.

And now, this information had appeared before my eyes.

==<Entity Information>==

Entity: Alteron de Veneron

Classification: Artificial Life Kingdom, Transmuted Animal Phylum, Mimic Class, homunculus

Sex: Male

Age: 1 year

Characteristics: Replica-type homunculus

The Alteron storming away in a huff was not human. That was why the window displayed Entity Information rather than Character Information. And homunculi fell into a variety of categories depending on their intended purpose.

◆Replica-type Homunculus (Homunculus Simulatus)

: This entity is a homunculus created to imitate a human's appearance and body. Its replicated appearance is extremely difficult to distinguish from the original. This entity retains 30% of its memories through memory-transfer techniques.

That thing was a homunculus artificially created to replace Alteron. In other words, it had been made by grinding up Alteron himself.

It hadn't recognized me because only 30% of its memories remained. Judging by its age of one year, the real Alteron had died over a year ago.

This was why creating homunculi was taboo throughout the continent. And as far as I knew, there was only one party on the entire continent that engaged in this insane shit.

The Dark Merchant Company. More precisely, one of its leaders, who was also one of the Devotees of the Fallen Souls.

"Avarus."

Avarus, the Caster of Greed. At the name, Alteron's eyes trembled violently.

No, that wasn't Alteron. It was merely a homunculus wearing his appearance.

"How do you know of him...?"

Yet its resemblance to a human was chilling. Resemblance wasn't even the word for it; it was simply Alteron. Even I would never have noticed without Predatory Instincts[S]. I would have believed it was just Alteron being an asshole.

Which meant, perhaps...

'Was this how they replaced people?'

This could explain how the Dark Merchant Company had secured political patrons and allies among the nobility in every kingdom. How it had even managed to control the kingdoms' armies. Homunculi seemed to have played a major role in making that possible.

I lunged at Alteron without a moment's hesitation.

A homunculus's weaknesses differed from a human's. But this was a replica-type homunculus that imitated Alteron perfectly. Its weaknesses were exactly the same as a human's, too.

CRUNCH!

Dragon's Claw[A] ripped through Alteron's chest in a single stroke. I seized his heart. His eyes pleaded with me to spare him, but I tore it out without delay.

◆You have defeated a replica-type homunculus!

◆You have gained 10 combat experience!

Translucent text appeared, confirming the homunculus's death. Its heart lay in my hand. Though some vitality still lingered in it, using Predation[S+] on a homunculus's heart was pointless.

"What have you done?!"

Kai shouted in horror. Bernard, too, stared with eyes so wide they looked ready to split, apparently in shock.

Naturally. To them, it would look as though I had murdered House Veneron's eldest son. Killing a noble was a grave crime, even if I was a noble myself. Above all, House Veneron would never let this slide. I knew that, but there was no time to explain every detail.

CLANG! CLANG-CLANG!

Metal rang out from the end of the corridor. Soldiers were tangled together in a melee: the county's men and the viscounty’s. House Veneron's soldiers had sensed the commotion and begun to act.

I activated Predatory Instincts[S], and information on Veneron's soldiers appeared neatly before my eyes.

◆Combat-type Homunculus (Homunculus Bellator)

: This entity is a homunculus designed for combat and guard duties. It possesses enhanced musculature, rapid regenerative capabilities, and resistance to magic.

They, too, were homunculi rather than humans. The Alteron I had just killed had been a replica type, created to imitate him perfectly. In other words, its combat capabilities were quite poor.

These were different. Their sense of self and emotions had been completely excised, leaving killing machines designed specifically for battle. Each one rivaled an aura-wielding knight in combat.

Even so, the county's soldiers were holding their ground. They weren't soldiers of the bitter cold for nothing, but they wouldn't last long. I took out some oil I had stockpiled in my Inventory and poured it straight into my mouth.

At that very moment, a golden flash shot across my vision. Blond hair streamed in the frosty wind. A blue blade traced patterns through the air.

The sword whistled sharply as it sliced through the air, severing a homunculus's neck in one stroke. Somehow, its precision was even more mechanical than that of a combat-type homunculus. Kai had grown by leaps and bounds since the showdown with the lycanthrope.

There was just one problem. Unlike the replica type, combat-type homunculi did not share human weaknesses. The decapitated homunculi didn't fall. They kept fighting perfectly well without their heads.

"D-dullahans?!"

"Eek!"

The county's soldiers blanched in horror. Kai was visibly flustered as well. I alone remained calm.

I opened 「Player Information」 and invested all three stat points from my recent level-ups into Agility. By the time I finished, the oil had been digested and stored in my body as calories.

◆Activating combination skill 'Metabolic Overdrive[U]'!

◆Calories Consumed - 50,000Kcal

◆All of the player's stats increase by [+50%] for [500 seconds]!

Hormones surged wildly through my endocrine system. My nerves grew exquisitely sensitive. Boosted by Metabolic Overdrive[U], my Agility now reached a staggering 103.35.

◆Activating derived skill 'Find Weakness[U]'!

Taking in the homunculi's weaknesses at a glance, I launched myself forward.

* * *

House Veneron's soldiers were moving despite having lost their heads.

"...!!"

Clear bewilderment was spreading across Kai's blue eyes when it happened.

WHOOOSH!

A tremendous gust swept past his side. The movement nearly rivaled the lycanthrope's. Even a Master's senses struggled to follow it. But the source was no lycanthrope. It was a black wolf.

CRUNCH!

Adrian.

With savage, instinctive force, he tore through the armor of the soldier ahead and drove his hand inside. Blood spurted through the rent armor. Yet even then, he was already calculating his next move.

Before Veneron's soldiers could regroup, Adrian moved and pounced on another target. Lethal agility. Unhesitating murderous intent. Every time his red eyes flashed, another Veneron soldier fell without fail.

Recovering their bearings, Veneron's soldiers swiftly formed ranks. Like soldiers trained solely to kill, they began surrounding Adrian in an instant.

CLANG-CLANG! CLANG!

Their swords swept along different trajectories. They looked ready to tear Adrian apart at any moment. Kai rushed into motion.

Adrian did not dodge.

His red eyes darted rapidly, as though tracking every one of the countless incoming blades. Instead of retreating, he took a step forward, plunging into the storm of swords converging from every direction.

BOOM!

A deafening crash made Kai's head spin, and the formation collapsed in an instant.

Kai hurled himself into the gaps without hesitation, opening further fractures in the broken ranks. Adrian deliberately took nonlethal hits, throwing the coordinated attacks out of alignment. Kai leaped into the resulting openings.

"Aim above the navel."

SLASH!

He finished off a Veneron soldier.

They fought like partners who had shared the battlefield for decades. Two wolves slaughtering a flock of sheep.

"What in the world...?"

"G-good heavens..."

The county's soldiers watched the pair fight, utterly transfixed. Having faced Veneron's men themselves, they knew how strong they were. Every one was the equal of an aura-wielding knight. Yet they were hopelessly outmatched.

One by one, Veneron's soldiers fell beneath Adrian and Kai's joint assault. Before anyone knew it, a bloodred silence had settled over their surroundings.

All of Veneron's soldiers lay on the floor. Only Adrian and Kai remained standing, back to back, both breathing somewhat heavily.

Adrian slowly lowered his bloodstained nails. Kai, however, did not lower his bloodstained sword.

"What exactly are you thinking?"

Kai's question to Adrian was quiet.

* * *

Kai had suddenly put the question to me. His reaction was unexpected. I'd thought he would immediately start berating me, but surprisingly, he hadn't.

'Is it because his affinity rose to Friendliness?'

That might be part of it, but the biggest reason had to be Veneron's soldiers. He'd seen them fighting without their heads with his own eyes. Even without an explanation, he couldn't fail to realize there was something unnatural about them.

In that sense, his question was simple.

"If the royal court hears of this, they won't let it pass."

What was I going to do now?

Proving that Alteron was a homunculus would solve the problem. Unlike Veneron's soldiers, however, he had been a replica-type homunculus—an artificial life-form identical to the real Alteron. Unfortunately, I had no way to prove what he was.

But...

"The plan is simple."

That didn't mean I had no options. More precisely, it wasn't as though I had no ideas. I hadn't acted without thinking.

"Alteron lost his way while wandering the snowy mountains on his way to the county, and the mountain monsters got him... That's the plan."

In other words...

"We never met Alteron."

We would destroy the evidence and deny everything. What could the royal court do without proof?

"..."

"..."

The soldiers clamped their mouths shut, looking stunned. They seemed to have plenty to say, but with no specific objection to raise, they kept quiet.

"Even so, you won't fool Viscount Veneron."

Only Kai offered a levelheaded rebuttal.

"True."

I agreed with him there. And in my opinion, Viscount Veneron was very likely a homunculus himself.

So...

"We'll strike first, before Viscount Veneron realizes what's happened."

I watched the soldiers' disbelief soar in real time.

"... P-pardon?"

"What do you mean, strike first?"

"Are you saying... we're going to war?"

The soldiers began doubting their own ears. They didn't say it aloud, but their faces all asked the same question: What the fuck did that bastard just say?

"I'll get all the soldiers ready."

Only Kai accepted my order without question.

Outwardly, his expression was impassive. He looked as though he was thinking calmly and rationally, but I wasn't so sure. As far as I could see, he was burning with anger and hatred toward House Veneron for touching Seraphia.

Let me say it again. Kai was a lunatic ready to make an enemy of anyone for Seraphia's sake.

"No. Bringing the soldiers would slow us down. Speed and secrecy are the key to this operation."

We had to move quickly, before Avarus caught on. We also had to conceal our identities if we wanted to deny everything to the royal court.

'Going alone would be easier, but...'

If I happened to encounter Avarus, I would struggle to handle him on my own. So...

"Kai, you and I will carry out this operation. Just the two of us. The soldiers will defend the county against any unforeseen developments. Bernard."

"... You called, my lord?"

Momentarily dazed, Bernard snapped back to his senses at my call. His face was pale, as though his stomach was bothering him.

"While Kai and I are gone, you'll command the county."

"... U-understood."

Bernard promptly nodded and took charge of the soldiers. He had looked a little stunned for a moment, but he was a capable steward despite appearances.

Father wouldn't have appointed someone so young as head steward for no rea—

"Urgh!"

—son.

Probably.

Anyway.

"Kai, we're attacking Veneron viscounty right now."

"Right now?"

"When else?"

"But this is so sudden—"

"Didn't you know?"

Unlike in my previous life, he hadn't experienced war yet. That was probably why he was reacting this way.

◆Starting Sudden Quest [A Surprise Attack Is Supposed to Be Sudden!]

"A surprise attack is supposed to be sudden."