“Brother, it seems like a storm is hitting outside.”
Merdes, sitting on the window seat with his face pressed against the window, spoke.
As he said, the weather outside was severe.
Although it was already an area accustomed to frequent snowfall, today’s weather was truly a snowstorm. Trees, swayed by the strong wind, seemed like they could collapse at any moment.
“I’ve never seen snowfall like this before. It’s scary.”
Merdes mumbled, rubbing his nose.
“Sometimes it happens.”
Pardes, lying on the floor flipping through pages, raised his glasses and replied.
Merdes turned his head quickly.
“What are you looking at?”
“Human anatomy.”
“Is that interesting?”
“Yep.”
“More interesting than playing with me?”
“Yep.”
“You’re too mean.”
Merdes flopped down next to Pardes, struggling.
“I want to go out… Mungmung-ah, do you want to go out too?”
“Woof!”
“Right? I want to go out and play.”
Pardes, holding the Cerberus, Mungmung, observed the wriggling Merdes over his glasses.
“You want to go out and meet those humans, don’t you?”
“Uh, uh?”
Merdes’ face turned pale in an instant.
“How did you… know?”
“It’s all written on your foolish face.”
“Huh? Really?”
“You don’t need to look in the mirror. It’s just what I heard.”
Merdes, who was about to run to the full-length mirror, giggled and scratched the back of his head.
“It’s a secret. You must never tell. If I get caught this time, I might really die…”
“If you’re afraid of dying, just don’t go out, right?”
“No, I don’t want to. It’s fun.”
Hm.
Pardes, resting his chin on his hand, looked at Merdes askew.
Not long ago, Merdes, who went out to explore the territory, was curious about the psyche of the humans who saved him. Despite knowing how wicked and insignificant humans could be.
He thought Merdes would get bored in a few days. Merdes easily grew tired of anything he tried, thinking he had some simple taste.
But it wasn’t the case. Merdes went out every day to meet humans, and when he returned, he wore a much happier expression than before.
So, Pardes became a little curious too.
“Is it fun playing with humans?”
“Yeah, it’s fun.”
“What’s fun about it?”
“Hmm.”
Leaning against Mungmung and crossing his legs, Merdes pulled himself up and replied while nodding.
“I’m not sure how to put it into words, but I feel comfortable when I’m with them. They’re all kind.”
“Kind?”
“Yeah. Yesterday, I patrolled the alley with Yuri, and we saw some drunk humans. Those humans asked me to drink with them, and Yuri got really mad. Then, the humans said they would fight to protect me.”
“To protect you?”
“Ung. They are not even a fist away from me, but they told me to stay still until the end.”
“So, what did you do? Did you stay still?”
“Yeah. If I didn’t listen, Yuri would get really angry.”
Pardes was puzzled.
It was unbelievable that a human would claim to protect Merdes. Moreover, Merdes casually mentioning that the human would get angry was even more baffling.
Is this guy forgetting his position?
Pardes stood up from his prone position.
“Anyway, Yuri did win, but she got a swollen eye. Joseph teased her a lot, and it was so funny that I played with them too.”
“Huh?”
Pardes narrowed one eye.
“Why did that human claim to protect you?”
“Yeah, I know the reason.”
Merdes chuckled.
“It’s their responsibility to protect the kid.”
“Why?”
“Naturally, they say it’s just something that needs to be protected. So they have to protect it too.”
“……..”
As soon as Pardes heard Merdes’ words, he could feel a strange tingling in a corner of his chest.
But we are homunculus.
The third existence created for the Demon King.
So, no one tried to protect us. No, they didn’t even think about protecting us. We were just pieces on their chessboard.
But… mere humans saying such things. Pardes laughed bitterly.
“Brother, if you’re interested, do you want to go out with me?”
Pardes narrowed his eyes.
“You’re saying that it’s less risky to be with me than going out alone, right?”
“Oops, I got caught.”
With a childlike laugh, scratching the back of his head, Merdes spoke again.
“But still, I want to introduce my brother to them. I bragged a lot about you! We look exactly the same, but he’s so much smarter and cooler!”
Pardes let out a bitter laugh.
Pardes and Merdes are referred to as twin brothers.
However, we are created beings. We didn’t come from the same womb. We just happened to have similar ‘ingredients’ when we were made.
Can you call this brotherhood? Is it okay to use the familial concept of ‘brothers’ just because they look alike and are the same age?
Pardes always felt puzzled about this fact, but Merdes didn’t.
Merdes grinned, grabbing Pardes’s arm.
“Yeah? So, let’s go out together. Hmm?”
Merdes’s sparkling eyes seemed to have grown a few levels, and Pardes felt curious.
“I’ll go out with you if you admit that I’m better looking than you.”
“Ah! Really!”
Merdes made a sound, scrunching his face, and then, as if it was inevitable, nodded.
“Got it. My brother is better looking. My brother is the best.”
Pardes smirked.
“Yeah. Then, let’s get out when it’s warmed up outside.”
“Yay! Okay!”
Merdes, seeming delighted, hugged Mungmung tightly again.
“If I go out with you, brother, let’s find human friends our age!”
“Why?”
“Han said so. He said kids my age should have friends!”
Seeing Pardes slightly scrunching his face, Merdes shouted again.
“I know we can’t be friends with humans! But I still want to meet them once!”
“… Well, fine.”
Pardes suddenly thought of Dehan, the temple seed guy he had seen in the greenhouse not long ago.
‘Same age… kinda.’
Hmm.
No, he’s out of the question.
Moreover, that guy is probably at the temple, right?
Pardes forced the emerging thought out of his mind and refocused on the book.
***
Shekina wandered the corridor once again.
It’s been a day.
The time Nisha mentioned.
Anxious, Shekina bit her nails.
Why is she so restless?
Well, her might be able to use a phantom beast as a familiar! If that really happened, Shekina’s current problem, ‘I’m an idiot who can’t use magic’, could be solved. All she have to do is have a familiar use magic!
‘Please, come out, something normal. Please.’
Shekina clasped her hands together, murmuring.
It was then.
“I told you. Making noise like this, everyone in the room can hear.”
Nisha opened the door and stepped out, grimacing as she spoke.
“Sorry, but I can’t stay still.”
“Tsk.”
Nisha licked her lips and gestured to Shekina to come into the room.
Following Nisha with hesitant steps, Shekina widened her eyes, surveying the surroundings. The room seemed somewhat messier than yesterday, and the magical concentration in the air was thicker. Upon closer inspection, dark circles had formed under Nisha’s eyes. She seemed to have been through quite a bit.
“So? How did it go? Did the summoning work? Did you succeed?”
“Success is obvious. Who do you think I am?”
Nisha smirked, bringing her index finger in front of Shekina’s eyes.
Slowly, she lifted that finger upwards. Shekina followed the direction Nisha pointed, and soon, she discovered something comfortably sitting at the top of the bookshelf.
“… Huh?”
A creature, seemingly having knocked down all the decorations on the shelf, now comfortably sat on the flattened surface, licking its front paw.
“It’s a cat.”
It was a cat.
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