Chapter 60. Homunculus
A Homunculus.
An artificial life-form created through Alchemy and magic.
Its origins could be traced back to Arcanis Rilsein, who was known as the first mage.
It was based upon one of the Twenty-Three Conundrums he proposed while contemplating the future direction of magic.
—Are life and the soul identical, or are they separate entities?
To solve this conundrum, mages dragged the creation of life—a realm belonging to God—into the realm of human reason.
The results were Golems and Homunculi.
However, the creation of Homunculi had since become forbidden.
The reason could be explained through a single statement made by the Archmage, one of the heroes of the Coalition Forces.
—Creating a Biological Homunculus requires human genetic material.
Golems were created from ‘inanimate matter’ such as soil, stone, metal, and wood.
Homunculi were created from ‘living organisms’ such as humans.
Both Golems and Homunculi were artificially created life-forms.
However, Golems merely performed simple actions according to predetermined commands.
They possessed neither Sentience nor emotions.
That was because they were created from inanimate matter.
Homunculi, however, could execute complex commands.
They also possessed Sentience and emotions.
That was because they were created by grinding down entire living organisms—in other words, humans.
Then there was the information currently displayed before me.
==< Entity Information >==
Entity: Alteron de Venenon
Classification: Kingdom Artificialia, Phylum Alchemica, Class Mimica, Homunculus
Gender: Male
Age: 1 year
Trait: Replicant-Type Homunculus
The Alteron storming away wasn’t human.
That was why Entity Information had appeared instead of Character Information.
Homunculi were divided into numerous classifications according to their intended purpose.
◆Replicant-Type Homunculus (Homunculus Simulatus) : This Homunculus was created to imitate a human’s appearance and body. Its replicated appearance is extremely difficult to distinguish from the original. Through Memory Transference, this entity has retained 30% of the original’s memories.
‘That thing’ was a Homunculus artificially created to replace Alteron.
In other words, it was a Homunculus created by grinding down the original Alteron in his entirety.
It hadn’t recognized me because only 30% of Alteron’s memories had been preserved.
Considering that its age was listed as one year, the real Alteron must have died more than a year ago.
This was why the creation of Homunculi was forbidden throughout the continent.
Therefore, as far as I knew.
There was only one organization on the entire continent that committed such madness.
The Dark Merchant Company.
More precisely, it was one of the Dark Merchant Company’s leaders and a member of the Devotees of the Fallen Souls.
“Avarus.”
Avarus, the Forger of Greed.
At the sound of that name, Alteron’s eyes trembled violently.
No, that wasn’t Alteron.
It was merely a Homunculus wearing Alteron’s appearance.
“How do you know of him...?”
Yet it looked frighteningly similar to a human.
It didn’t merely resemble Alteron.
It could simply be called Alteron.
Even I wouldn’t have noticed anything without Predatory Instincts[S].
I would have believed that he was merely the ill-mannered Alteron.
Perhaps.
‘Is this how they replaced people?’
This could explain how the Dark Merchant Company had secured political patrons and collaborators within noble society in every kingdom.
It could even explain how they had gained control over the kingdoms’ armies.
Homunculi appeared to have played a major role behind it all.
Without the slightest hesitation, I charged toward Alteron.
A Homunculus possessed different weaknesses from a human.
But this Replicant-Type Homunculus perfectly imitated Alteron.
Its weaknesses were therefore identical to those of a human.
Crush—!
Dragon’s Claw[A] tore through Alteron’s chest in an instant.
I seized Alteron’s heart.
Alteron looked at me with pleading eyes, but I ripped out his heart without hesitation.
◆You have defeated a Replicant-Type Homunculus!
◆You have acquired 10 Combat Experience!
A translucent message confirming the Homunculus’s death appeared before me.
The Homunculus’s heart remained in my hand.
Although it hadn’t yet lost its vitality, consuming a Homunculus’s heart with Predation[S+] would be meaningless.
“What have you done?!”
Kai shouted in horror.
Bernard’s eyes also widened as though they might tear apart from the shock.
Their reactions were understandable.
From their perspective, I had just murdered the eldest son of House of Viscount Venenon.
The murder of a noble was a serious crime even when committed by another noble.
More importantly, House of Viscount Venenon would never overlook it.
I understood that, but there was no time to explain every detail.
Clang—! Clang, clang—!
Metallic noises rang out from the far end of the corridor.
Soldiers had become entangled in battle there.
The soldiers of White Wolf County were fighting the soldiers of the Venenon Viscounty.
Having noticed the disturbance, the soldiers from House of Viscount Venenon had begun causing trouble.
When I activated Predatory Instincts[S], information about the Venenon soldiers appeared before me.
◆Combat-Type Homunculus (Homunculus Bellator) : This Homunculus was designed for combat and guard duties. It possesses enhanced muscles, rapid regeneration, and resistance to magic.
They were also Homunculi rather than humans.
Alteron, whom I had just killed, had been a ‘Replicant-Type’ Homunculus.
He had been created to imitate Alteron perfectly.
In other words, his combat capabilities had been considerably lower.
But these things were different.
Their Sentience and emotions had been completely carved away, transforming them into killing machines specialized for combat.
Each one possessed combat power comparable to a knight capable of wielding Aura.
Even so, the County’s soldiers were holding their ground.
They weren’t called soldiers of the bitter cold for nothing.
However, they wouldn’t last much longer.
I took some oil stored in my inventory and immediately poured it into my mouth.
At that moment.
A golden flash shot across my field of vision.
Blond hair fluttered in the frosty wind.
A blue blade painted a line through the air.
The sharp sound of a sword cutting through the air rang out as the blade severed a Homunculus’s neck in a single stroke.
Somehow, the attack possessed even more mechanical precision than a Combat-Type Homunculus.
Kai had grown explosively after his decisive battle with the Lycanthrope.
However, there was one problem.
Unlike Replicant-Type Homunculi, Combat-Type Homunculi possessed different weaknesses from humans.
The decapitated Homunculi didn’t collapse.
They continued fighting perfectly well without their heads.
“D-Dullahans?!”
“Gasp!”
The County’s soldiers recoiled in terror.
Even Kai was visibly bewildered.
I was the only person who remained calm.
I opened [Player Information] and invested all three stat points obtained from my recent level increases into Agility.
By the time I finished, the oil had already been digested and stored inside my body as calories.
◆Activating the Combination Skill ‘Metabolic Overdrive[U]’!
◆Calories consumed - 50,000 kcal.
◆For [500 seconds], all the Player’s stats increase by [+50%]!
Hormones surged wildly through my endocrine system.
My nerves became extraordinarily sensitive.
My Agility, amplified by Metabolic Overdrive[U], had reached an astonishing 103.35.
◆Activating the Derived Skill ‘Find Weakness[U]’!
After identifying the Homunculi’s weaknesses at a glance, I launched myself forward.
The soldiers of House of Viscount Venenon continued moving despite their severed heads.
“......!!”
Clear bewilderment appeared in Kai’s blue eyes.
At that moment.
Whoosh—!
A powerful gust swept past Kai.
The movement was almost comparable to that of the Lycanthrope.
Even Master-level senses would have struggled to perceive it.
But the source of that movement wasn’t a Lycanthrope.
It was a black wolf.
Crush—!
It was Adrian.
Adrian tore through the first soldier’s armor with brutal, instinctive strength.
Blood erupted through the opening in the soldier’s shredded armor.
But even at that moment, Adrian had already calculated his next movement.
Before the Venenon soldiers could reorganize, Adrian moved and pounced upon another target.
Lethal agility accompanied by unwavering killing intent.
Every time Adrian’s red eyes flashed, another Venenon soldier inevitably collapsed.
After recovering their composure, the Venenon soldiers rapidly formed a battle formation.
They surrounded Adrian in an instant, moving like soldiers trained solely to kill.
Clang! Clang!
The Venenon soldiers’ swords followed different trajectories as they swung.
The blades seemed ready to tear Adrian apart at any moment.
Kai hurriedly moved.
Adrian didn’t evade.
His red eyes moved rapidly, as though perceiving each of the numerous sword paths descending upon him.
Instead, Adrian stepped forward.
He plunged into the storm of blades surging toward him from every direction—
Boom!
A deafening impact rang out, making everyone’s head spin.
The formation collapsed in an instant.
Amid the ruined formation, Kai launched himself forward and created another opening.
Adrian deliberately accepted nonfatal attacks, forcing the trajectories of their coordinated assault to intersect.
Kai charged through the resulting opening.
“Aim above the navel.”
Slash—!
Kai ended the Venenon soldier’s life.
They moved like partners who had fought together across battlefields for decades.
They were two wolves slaughtering a flock of sheep.
“What in the world is that...?”
“G-Good heavens....”
The County’s soldiers stared blankly at the battle between the two men.
Having personally fought the Venenon soldiers, they understood how powerful they were.
Every one of them was comparable to a knight capable of wielding Aura.
Even so, they were no match for Adrian and Kai.
One after another, the Venenon soldiers collapsed beneath their coordinated attacks.
Before anyone realized it.
A bloodstained silence had fallen over the surroundings.
Every Venenon soldier lay motionless on the floor.
Only Adrian and Kai remained standing with their backs against each other.
Both breathed somewhat heavily.
Adrian slowly lowered his bloodstained claws. Kai, however, didn’t lower his bloodstained sword.
“What exactly are you thinking?”
Kai questioned Adrian in a low voice.
* * *
Kai’s sudden question was unexpected.
I thought he would immediately confront me, but surprisingly, he didn’t.
‘Is it because his Affinity has reached the Friendliness state?’
That might have influenced him, but the greatest reason was probably the Venenon soldiers.
He had personally witnessed them continue fighting after being decapitated.
Even without an explanation, he couldn’t fail to understand that they were abnormal.
In that sense, Kai’s question was simple.
“The royal family will not overlook this once they learn what happened.”
What did I intend to do now?
The issue could be resolved if I proved that Alteron was a Homunculus.
However, unlike the Venenon soldiers, Alteron had been a Replicant-Type Homunculus.
He was an artificial life-form perfectly identical to Alteron.
Unfortunately, I had no way to prove that Alteron was a Homunculus.
However.
“The plan is simple.”
That didn’t mean I was without a solution.
More precisely, it didn’t mean I was without a plan.
I hadn’t acted without thinking.
“Alteron wandered through the snowy mountains while traveling to the County, became lost, and was killed by a monster.... That is the plan.”
In other words.
“We never met Alteron.”
We would destroy the evidence and insist that we knew nothing.
What could the royal family do without evidence?
“......”
The soldiers closed their mouths, looking dumbfounded.
They appeared to have plenty to say, but they couldn’t find any valid argument against the plan.
“Even so, you won’t be able to deceive Viscount Venenon.”
Kai alone calmly refuted me.
“That’s true.”
I agreed with him.
In my opinion, there was a high probability that Viscount Venenon was also a Homunculus.
Therefore.
“We strike first before Viscount Venenon can understand the current situation.”
The soldiers’ remaining composure vanished in real time.
“....P-Pardon?”
“You mean we should 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 expressions clearly asked, ‘What the hell did that bastard just say?’
“I will prepare all the soldiers.”
Only Kai accepted my order without question.
Kai’s visible expression remained impassive. That made him appear calm and rational, but I wasn’t so sure.
In my eyes, he was burning with anger and hatred toward House of Viscount Venenon for targeting Seraphia.
I’ll say it again.
Kai was a ‘madman’ prepared to make an enemy of anyone for Seraphia’s sake.
“No. Taking the soldiers with us would make us too slow. Speed and secrecy are the keys to this operation.”
We needed to move quickly before Avarus noticed anything.
We also needed to conceal our identities if we intended to deny involvement to the royal family.
‘It would be easier to move alone....’
But if I encountered Avarus, I would have difficulty handling him by myself.
Therefore.
“Kai, you and I will carry out this operation together. The soldiers will defend the County in preparation for any unexpected developments. Bernard.”
“You called for me?”
Bernard, who had been standing there in a daze, suddenly regained his senses.
His complexion was pale, as though he felt sick.
“Command the County while Kai and I are absent.”
“....U-Understood.”
Bernard quickly nodded and began organizing the soldiers.
He had appeared somewhat dazed, but he was still a capable butler.
There was surely a reason my father had appointed Bernard as Head Butler despite his young age—
“Urgh—!”
—Probably.
In any case.
“Kai, we’re attacking the Venenon Viscounty immediately.”
“Immediately?”
“Of course.”
“Even so, this is far too sudden—”
“Didn’t you know?”
Unlike his future self, Kai apparently hadn’t experienced war yet.
◆The Sudden Quest [A Surprise Attack Is Supposed to Be Sudden!] has begun.
“A surprise attack is supposed to be sudden.”
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