Chapter 91: Father (2)

“…Huh? You’re really going to help?”

The soul that had asked Royan for help.

The soul was instead flustered when Royan accepted far too easily.

He didn’t even ask what it was about; he just immediately said yes?

Royan yawned long and spoke.

“Yeah. I’ll help. What do you need me to do first?”

“W-well… you don’t find me suspicious? I’m a soul, you know?”

“Even if you’re a soul…”

Royan scratched his head with open annoyance.

“Anyone below Evan is all the same anyway…”

“???”

“If you don’t need help, I’m just going back to sleep…?”

“No, wait! Hold on! Fine, I’m listening!”

When Royan threatened (not really a threat) to fall asleep again, the soul panicked.

He didn’t know who this Evan person was, but this was a rare chance!

If he missed this moment, he would surely have to watch his dad from the same soul state forever.

He absolutely did not want that ending.

If they were going to meet again, his dad had to live a full life and come naturally.

The soul quickly began explaining the situation.

“First, let me introduce myself. My name is Lati.”

Lati.

She was Professor Moriarty’s only daughter.

Interest.

She had met death in an unfortunate accident when she was young.

Yet she had not left this world, and the reason turned out to be that childhood accident.

“…It’s a little hard for me to say this, but my dad loved me so, so much. That’s why he couldn’t accept that I died, I guess.”

“Huaaam… so?”

“He started going crazy trying to bring me back, and that’s how we ended up here.”

Lati gave a bitter smile.

“Daddy… he already crossed a taboo. He preserved my body so it wouldn’t rot and studied every possible way.”

In truth, her corpse should have long turned to white bones.

But Professor Moriarty could not bear to watch his daughter’s body decay.

He couldn’t even choose freezing.

Rapid freezing would preserve it, but the moment it thawed even once, decay would accelerate, and he would never be able to touch it again.

So the method Professor Moriarty chose was black magic.

Black magic itself was not taboo.

However, the moment it became known that Moriarty—a professor who had published papers and made a name for himself in the magical world—had learned it, his image and honor would suffer a devastating blow.

Professor Moriarty knew that better than anyone.

He had once taken pride in being more aristocratic than anyone else.

But from the moment he lost his child,

he chose to be a father instead of a noble.

A father who dreamed of meeting his child again, even though he never could.

“He conducted all kinds of research… but since it was impossible with magic alone, he went looking for alchemists, and that’s the guest who came today.”

“Evan?”

“Huh? I think… that’s his name?”

“Evan…”

Royan muttered softly.

For some reason, Lati felt chills.

“…Why?”

“It’s nothing… so?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“What exactly are you planning to do through that person?”

“Well… through him, Daddy is either going to find my soul and put it back into my body, or create a completely new body for me. He’s been searching for me desperately.”

“Wouldn’t that just make an undead?”

“You’re right. That’s why Daddy only preserved my corpse and never tried to revive it. Even if the soul is returned, the corpse won’t last long.”

Lati said.

“He’s probably planning to create a new body for me through that person. I don’t know the exact method…”

“…What if you weren’t there?”

Huh? If I weren’t there? A body without a soul is no different from a doll… probably nothing would happen, right?

At those words, Royan stared straight at Lati.

Lati instinctively stepped back.

“W-why are you looking at me like that?”

“…No reason. Evan would hate handling things this way…”

Royan lay back down on the floor with an annoyed groan.

“H-hey! Don’t lie down! If you fall asleep here, we’re all dead!”

Invisible hands shook him frantically.

Uung…

Royan blinked blankly.

Truthfully, it was troublesome.

So very troublesome.

He wanted to just lie there forever.

But for Royan, even feeling this emotion was incredibly novel.

Normally, I wouldn’t have cared whether I wanted to or not—I would’ve just lain down…

The old Royan could not control his impulses.

Rather than choosing, he was dragged along by them.

There were times he even wondered, “Am I not a person, but a doll?”

But ever since Evan appeared, he had gained the ability to choose.

Whether to succumb to sloth, or to work for Evan, the one who had given him the new power called choice.

If I mess this up, Evan might get hurt~

He would have to step up himself.

Actually, the simplest way was obvious.

Just use force.

Put this soul to sleep and be done with it.

Hadn’t she said it herself?

A body without a soul is nothing but a doll.

He could just prevent the soul from settling into the flesh, but somehow that didn’t feel like the direction Evan wanted.

Is he telling me to cultivate some patience…?

With his original personality, he would have knocked everything out and gone back to sleep himself.

But right now, that didn’t feel right.

Royan decided to follow his intuition just this once.

Truthfully, he was also a little jealous.

Lapis and Frey.

Unlike him, who still couldn’t overcome laziness, the two of them moderated their desires yet clung to Evan desperately.

He was quite envious.

Enough to think, I want to be like that too.

Frey and Lapis are working insanely hard right now…

The two Sins were currently turning the entire academy upside down.

Their single goal: to crush Professor Moriarty so thoroughly that he could never approach Evan again.

They were digging up every last piece of corruption and misdeed he had ever committed and planned to expose it all.

Besides them, there was Charlotte—or whatever her name was—that strange detective princess… and the woman who always wore suspiciously thin clothes.

“Keuung.”

Royan finally stood up, roughly scratching his tangled hair, and asked.

“Where are those devices?”

“…You’re not trying to get rid of me, right?”

“Yeah… I don’t think that’s what Evan would want…”

“Just what kind of person is this Evan…?”

Her voice sounded utterly terrified for some reason.

Royan did not correct her misunderstanding.

One less rival was always better.

Honestly, there were already too many people.

“…?”

Tug—

At that moment, someone grabbed the hem of his clothes.

It was Lucia, who had been sleeping beside him and got dragged along.

Lucia still didn’t seem to understand the situation, but her eyes were filled with affection as she looked at Royan, clearly asking to go together.

“Wanna come along?”

Nod nod.

Lucia nodded vigorously.

…

She didn’t really know what was going on.

But following a friend who liked flailing around together somehow looked fun.

***

Evan followed Professor Moriarty.

Their destination was Sajongru, the building where professors mainly stayed and conducted research.

For some reason, Sajongru was eerily quiet.

“No one will know we’re here. I put everyone to sleep before coming.”

“…How exactly did you do that?”

“I used a portion of my lifespan.”

Professor Moriarty said, turning his wrist.

An hourglass mark was engraved on it.

He had used powerful magic at the cost of offering time.

“Thank you for agreeing to my goal, Young Master.”

Evan did not answer.

Professor Moriarty didn’t seem to mind and walked faster than usual.

“I pondered for a long time. Whether this path was right or wrong. But in the end, every conclusion led to the same truth. Just once… I want to see my daughter again.”

“…Do you think your resurrected daughter would want that?”

Evan slowly opened his mouth.

Which child would be happy seeing their father commit every taboo just to bring them back?

At those words, Professor Moriarty’s feet stopped.

Did it work?

The professor slowly turned his head.

His eyes stared at Evan.

Only then did Evan realize.

The emotion in those eyes was not mere desperation.

Madness.

The gaze of someone who had been consumed by a single purpose for far too long.

No.

More than that…

What is this feeling?

Something felt strangely off.

“…No.”

Professor Moriarty shook his head.

It was somehow unnatural.

As if he were pretending to be consumed by that purpose, the professor repeated only that fact.

“The sadness… I will bear it myself. Just once is enough for me to see my daughter again. That is what a father does.”

Professor Moriarty began walking again.

Downstairs.

Toward the basement where his laboratory was located.

When he flicked his finger in front of the basement entrance, the door slid open with a shhhhk—.

Inside the laboratory.

There were many traces of things that had been there but were now removed.

“…They’re gone.”

Professor Moriarty muttered under his breath.

Evan stared at those traces.

It seemed Royan had been in the spots where those traces remained.

Seeing that he hadn’t brought anyone to use as a hostage, it was almost certain.

“Now, please create my daughter’s body. The ultimate golem, a homunculus…”

They’re not here.

Evan let out a silent sigh of relief inside.

Phew…

Good. This works.

“You should understand. You’ve lost parents too. So hurry…”

“I’m sorry, Professor.”

Evan cut him off.

Honestly, he was scared out of his wits.

But there are moments when you have to speak anyway.

Looking straight into eyes that felt less like a stare and more like a glare, Evan said.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. …I came just in case because you mentioned kidnapping, but there’s nothing here.”

“…Young Master Evan. So you’re making that choice after all.”

Professor Moriarty’s face was expressionless, but his eyes burned with anger as he looked at Evan.

Truthfully, it was terrifying beyond words.

Just being looked at made his mouth go dry.

But if he acted like a coward now, he would die.

Evan moved his hand.

“…This is…”

Chrrrrrrrk!

The floor and nearby objects around Evan twitched, then disassembled according to his will.

The broken pieces reassembled into new forms.

Golems.

And that wasn’t all.

Countless magic circles were engraved onto the golems.

All the magic circles he had memorized beforehand were now carved into them.

“You made all these in that short time?”

“Thanks to you, Professor.”

“As I said, I cannot commit taboos. So let us end this here.”

“Evan.”

At that moment,

a voice came from far away, from the entrance leading to an even lower basement.

Evan’s pupils trembled for a second.

When he turned his head, he saw Royan standing at the entrance.

“…Roya?”

Nod nod.

Royan trotted over to Evan and pointed toward the entrance.

“The thing you wanted. Is this it?”

“…The thing I wanted? What do you…”

“That is…”

Professor Moriarty swallowed hard.

Only then did Evan realize what Royan had brought.

A corpse.

He had dragged the entire preservation tank containing the body of a girl he had never seen before, yet somehow resembled Professor Moriarty!

No.

Why did you bring that??

“…You already knew I would do this. Since when?”

No…

I did expect something, but…

I didn’t plan for this far!

“…As expected of the big shot who rules the underworld… you already knew all my moves.”

While Professor Moriarty continued his absurd misunderstanding,

“I’m sorry, Evan. But I cannot give up.”

Ziiiiiiiiing!

Magic circles began rising around Professor Moriarty.

Magic that surpassed the amount of mana he possessed—bloodshot eyes and the hourglass mark on his wrist growing larger as he paid with his lifespan.

“I must bring my daughter back.”

Even though his body must have been burning with pain, Professor Moriarty continued.

“This is my last request.”

Pitch-black, corrupted mana.

The mark of a fallen mage who had abandoned everything else for a single wish.

A black mage.

Professor Moriarty declared.

“Resurrect my daughter right now.”

“…Evan.”

At that moment, Royan whispered something.

Evan’s eyes widened slightly after hearing it.

…This.

…Might be easier to resolve than I thought?