I Became The Academy Necromancer-Chapter 285: Two Children

[...]

[And if we leave her as she is? I’ve heard she grew up in a village of flesh-eating ghosts. If she became a yokai of her own will, she’ll likely follow the same path as them.]

The Dark Spiritualist’s sharp words cut deep with each statement.

[You know what becomes of yokai in the end, and I know what kind of person you are. Essentially, in its own way, this is... Xiao Hu’s plea and will.]

She couldn’t bear the fact that she had been abandoned by those she thought of as her family and close friends.

Yet, she also lacked the courage to end her own life.

It was possible that this was her way of asking me.

Begging me to kill her.

Then, the illusion of a corpse hanging from the ceiling made me think that perhaps this was what Xiao Hu wished for.

[Deus.]

The Dark Spiritualist urged me.

She believed it would be for the best to end things quickly.

“I have yet to hear from her.”

It felt like it was too soon to make a decision.

However, perhaps frustrated by my hesitation, the Dark Spiritualist let out a sigh and asked.

[Are you being serious, right? The child’s entire body is screaming the same thing! There are things in this world that are too difficult to put into words, and you surely know that.]

“But there are matters that should not be judged based on mere assumptions. I...”

Looking down at Xiao Hu, who was whining on the floor, I let out a deep sigh.

“I need to hear it from your own mouth, Xiao Hu.”

[That’ll be dangerous. Didn’t this child follow you here with the intent to kill you from the start?!]

“Precisely, she had only come for me. This child is yet to stain her hands with the blood of anyone else.”

Taking the life of a child like her felt like a cruel choice. The Dark Spiritualist smacked her forehead out of frustration but eventually backed off and went along with my decision.

[So, what do you plan to do?]

Feeling upset, she crossed her arms and asked. Though I had no grand plan, I believed it was necessary to uncover the truth behind Xiao Hu’s actions.

“You are human, Xiao Hu.”

“Kiing! Kiiiiing!”

Drool dripping down her sharp fangs, she glared at me with resentful eyes.

But unfortunately for her, I only spoke the truth.

“It is exceedingly difficult for a human to become a yokai through sheer will alone. But it seems that living among yokai from a young age must have influenced you greatly.”

Just as Lanhart had to traverse countless battlefields before he could become a vampire, it was only because Xiao Hu had lived among yokai since childhood that she was able to take on such a form.

In other words...

“The yokai you saw probably did not look like this.”

This meant Xiao Hu was unable to break free from the boundaries of what she knew regarding yokai.

Bang!

Then, as if in agony, the girl slammed her forehead against the floor. Her self-destructive actions seemed more like cries for help.

“The yokai you considered as family were not mere beasts, were they?”

Therefore, Xiao Hu’s current behavior was all just an act.

It was a sort of tantrum because she wasn’t ready to communicate.

I was about to press Xiao Hu further when...

“Help meeee! Please help meeeeee!”

A man’s voice echoed from outside the window. The sound, even though a cry for help, was somewhat faint, and without realizing it, my gaze drifted toward the window.

There was a commotion in front of the Verdi Mansion.

“Sigh. You two keep an eye on Xiao Hu for now. It might be easier for her to talk to you than to me.”

[I’ll kill her the moment she tries anything funny.]

[I’ll watch over her carefully.]

Leaving Xiao Hu in the hands of the Dark Spiritualist and Stella, I stepped outside. On my way out, I met with Deia, who was also heading out due to the disturbance.

“Please, help me! I beg you! Pleaaaase!”

Walking past the front gate, I saw Findenai and a haggard-looking man.

Having temporarily set down Sevia, whom she had been taking care of, Findenai had grabbed the man by the collar and was punching him.

Whack! Whack! Whack!

And with considerable force at that.

Her mechanical, emotionless expression as she landed punch after punch felt unsettling as it was far from her usual demeanor.

“Findenai!”

“Hey! What’s going on?!”

Both Deia and I called out to her simultaneously, causing her attention to snap toward us.

Despite knowing she needed to stop, she threw one last punch for good measure; a direct hit that caused the man bleeding from both nostrils to roll his eyes back as he passed out.

“Huft.”

Though it seemed like Findenai had no intention of explaining herself, I couldn’t let it slide.

After all, I knew she wouldn’t act without reason.

However, it wasn’t Findenai who broke the silence; it was a loud exclamation from behind.

“Mr. Goben?!”

Among the household staff who had come down to investigate the commotion, Illuania emerged looking shocked.

Hurriedly cradling Sevia in her arms, she stared at the man, whom she called Goben, in perplexity.

“Goben?”

“You don’t know him either?”

Deia asked, to which I nodded. This was the first time I had seen the man.

Judging by Illuania’s reaction, it seemed she had probably met him during her time working in taverns or brothels.

“Could it be...”

Without realizing it, I let out a faint sigh as I gazed back and forth between Goben and Illuania.

Then Sevia, nestled in Illuania’s arms, naturally caught my eye.

“During the three months when you first left for the Loberne Academy...”

As memories of her troubling past resurfaced, Illuania held her child even tighter.

“He was the client who came to see me the most often, Master.”

In other words...

“There is a high probability that he’s Sevia’s father.”

***In my office.

Deia, Findenai, and I sat around the guest table, deep in conversation.

“Well, this is complicated.”

Visibly frustrated, Deia scratched her head and casually propped her legs on the table.

“That is rude. Put them back down.”

“Tch.”

When I told Deia to put her legs down, she grumbled but quietly complied, lowering them.

I heard that the siblings often fought, and now I felt like I understood why.

“At least Sevia isn’t actually your kid. That’s somewhat of a relief, right?”

Feeling stifled and parched, Deia picked up her teacup and continued speaking.

“Honestly, considering how much time Deus spent with Illuania back in the day, I thought Sevia might be your daughter.”

“She even said she used to lick your ass.”

“Yeah, exactly. When you think about it, even Illuania had quite the extreme job. How was anyone able to put up with a bastard like that?”

Somehow, the conversation had turned into a session for the two women to berate me.

As Deia clicked her tongue and brought the teacup to her lips—

“Pffft!”

She spat the tea out in a dramatic fashion.

Luckily, I’d already anticipated this and erected a mana barrier in advance, allowing myself to remain spotless.

“Blegh! What the hell is this?!”

“It’s tea brewed by Findenai.”

“Huh. It tastes fine. Why all the drama?”

However, contrary to her words, Findenai’s teacup remained conspicuously empty.

At this point, it was starting to feel intentional.

Clearly annoyed, Deia shot Findenai a glare.

“Do you even know how to brew tea?”

“Only for Master Bastard.”

“...That’s information I didn’t need to know.”

Deia sighed deeply, directing her gaze at me.

“Could you not tell that from the smell?”

“No, I thought she’d boiled some rags or something. Who would’ve ever guessed it was tea?”

Despite Deia’s harsh words, Findenai burst out laughing; a somewhat different reaction compared to when she heard it from me last time.

She had clearly brewed the tea just to mess with us this time.

“Alright, let us get back to the topic.”

“And why didn’t you warn me if you knew? You even put up a barrier.”

“Let us get back to the topic.”

“You bastard. If I had a gun, I would have shot you right away.”

Ignoring Deia, I redirected the conversation.

Before Xiao Hu’s matter could be settled properly, a man named Goben appeared and added more chaos to the situation.

Illuania and Goben were currently having a conversation with Darius supervising them. What conclusion would come of it was still uncertain.

“What’s even there to think about? Just tell him to buzz off. Illuania and Sevia are doing fine as they are, aren’t they?”

Deia spoke casually while wiping her dirty mouth with a handkerchief. Her lack of attachment to family or romantic ideals made it easy for her to say things like that.

“That’s easier said than done.”

Surprisingly, it was Findenai who responded with a bitter tone.

“If it were just her, Illuania could have easily told him to get lost. But Sevia complicates things.”

Illuania’s little princess, who was still only babbling, was a child born from love and care.

“As she grows up, the fact that she has only one parent will become an issue. Especially once she starts interacting with other kids and they ask her why she doesn’t have a father.”

“...”

“And it doesn’t end there. If Illuania’s past gets revealed, it won’t do Sevia’s upbringing any good.”

The truth—that Illuania worked in a brothel and conceived Sevia with a random man—was a harsh reality.

It wouldn’t be a great influence to have on Sevia as she grew up.

“You seem surprisingly well-informed?”

Deia looked at Findenai in surprise. I didn’t expect Findenai to be so knowledgeable about this kind of thing, either.

Smiling wryly, Findenai crossed her legs.

“I had a friend who used to run an orphanage, you know? Quite a few of those kids ended up in Scrapyard Nomads.”

“Ah.”

She must have had her own reasons for knowing these things. Digging deeper into it would probably just reopen Findenai’s old wounds.

“But did you really have to beat up someone who might be the kid’s father?”

Especially in front of Sevia herself.

“I couldn’t hold back. A strange man showing up out of the blue and claiming to be Sevia’s dad? It would’ve been more odd if I stayed calm. Honestly, he should be grateful I didn’t pull out my axe.”

“But it’s not certain that he’s Sevia’s father, right? It’s just that the odds are high.”

It was not possible to do a DNA test here. Hence, we had no means to confirm who Sevia’s father was.

However, as I said earlier, that wasn’t the important part.

“Whether he’s the biological father or not doesn’t matter to Illuania. What matters is that Sevia will need the presence of a father figure.”

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Besides, being a coachman meant he could at least hold down a job. So, he was not some useless drunk.

“The issue is why he showed up now.”

That part needed some clarification.

“In the end, the decision lies with Illuania.”

What was best for the still-young Sevia?

That was a choice her mother had to make.

“Since we need to wait for the decision anyway, I am going to see Xiao Hu.”

The two of them glanced at me as I rose to my feet.

After firmly instructing them not to follow me and stay put, I stepped out of the room.

With some time to kill before Illuania’s conversation with Goben concluded, I decided to pay Xiao Hu a visit.

“What a coincidence.”

The timing of these two incidents seemed cruelly intertwined.

While it might sound harsh, there was another girl who had been through a similar situation.

Calling it a pitiful experience wouldn’t even begin to cover it.

A girl who had grown up with bizarre and unfit parents.

“Xiao Hu and Sevia.”

It was heartbreaking for both of them.

All I could hope for was that the lives of the two children, who had been molded into tools to fulfill their parents’ desires, wouldn’t be ruined.