BGDBP 36

Chapter 36

Jojo looked around.

In Ceres, most shops were single-story buildings. The ceilings were high, and the majority of the structures were pure white stone buildings. Rather than hanging signboards, they would carve engravings directly into the walls.

Here, the buildings were at least five stories tall. The distance between buildings was relatively small, and their signs and outward appearances were flashy.

‘Just like I’d only heard in rumors—various vehicles that move around without a word roam freely, and streetlights are placed at regular intervals instead of roadside trees.’

As Jojo took in the street scene, she didn’t think that this place was better than Ceres, nor that Ceres was better.

‘It’s different from Ceres.’

Whether in the Roroa Empire or in Ceres, monsters ran rampant. Because of that, most buildings were constructed sturdily as a first priority. And overly flashy decorations were forbidden. That way, even if buildings were destroyed, the cost of repairs wouldn’t be too high.

Yet this place—the Grand Duke’s domain within the central region—showed a style different not only from Ceres but from other territories within the same Roroa Empire.

‘They invested without holding back. I can’t even begin to estimate how much it must have cost.’

There were probably three reasons why this street was so extravagant.

First: they had a lot of money.

Second: the level of technological development was high.

Third: this was the Grand Duke’s territory—in other words, it was safer than other places.

‘Honestly, if you compare just architectural technology, Ceres would be superior. And yet it couldn’t build such a standardized city because monsters invade and destroy buildings at the drop of a hat. But this place even has the variable of Akxia on top of that…’

Jojo thought again that Chris was amazing. She wished she could protect Ceres so that it could develop freely as well.

‘Could I really do it?’

Just as Jojo furrowed her smooth brow and fell into thought—

“Welcome! Customer! Welcome! Customer!”

From the shop right next to Jojo, a doll resembling a mannequin waved its arm and spoke.

‘That startled me!’

Jojo clutched her chest and hurriedly looked around to see if anyone had noticed her reaction. Fortunately, no one was paying attention to her.

“Phew.”

Relieved, Jojo carefully examined the mannequin.

The mannequin was repeating the same words and the same actions. It was simply moving as perfectly designed by humans; it couldn’t actually think.

‘Unlike the Grand Duke’s doll.’

Jojo had been a special child since birth.

A special bloodline, somewhat unusual orange hair, a handsome face that inherited only her parents’ best features, innate physical abilities…

And there was one more special ability: she could hear voices that ordinary humans naturally could not.

It must have been when she was six years old. Jojo was strolling through the palace garden when she heard a voice.

[Do… it. An… swer….]

The garbled sentence and clumsy pronunciation were enough to make young Jojo frown.

—Mom, what’s that sound?

—Huh? What sound?

Her mother, holding Jojo’s hand, said with a soft laugh.

—Someone just said, “Do it, ans…wer….”

—Oh my. Mommy didn’t hear anything at all.

Dishi, thinking the child was joking, simply smiled brightly.

Jojo felt wronged. She wasn’t joking. She really had heard it!

Then the voice came again.

[Ugh, ans…wer… me!]

Jojo let go of Dishi’s hand and ran toward where the voice was coming from.

—Oh my, dear!

Dishi hurried after her. Fortunately, Jojo stopped in front of a small tree not far away.

—What did you say?

Jojo asked the tree.

And then the tree replied, saying, “Ans… ans!”

Jojo confidently said to Dishi, who was gasping for breath after running such a short distance,

—It says it’s frustrated!

—Huff, huff… what… what are you talking about…?

To cut to the conclusion, after Jojo’s persistent insistence, her parents dug around the tree and soon discovered that its roots couldn’t grow properly because they were blocked by a stone underground.

—Oh my.

—Goodness.

From that day on, though not often, Jojo would occasionally hear voices that others could not.

‘Lately I haven’t heard any voices at all, so I thought the ability had disappeared.’

Yesterday really shocked her.

‘At first I thought I’d misheard.’

So she tilted her head once and was about to let it go, but the doll Chris was holding clearly spoke.

[Doner ganei nireopseurangsa?]

It spoke such strange words in a very rough, booming voice.

‘I seriously thought a ghost was talking.’

That voice was, by far, the scariest voice Jojo had ever heard.

‘I almost couldn’t even interpret it because I was so scared.’

Most speaking beings that weren’t human couldn’t form proper sentences.

Sometimes syllables would randomly drop out, or the pitch would differ from syllable to syllable, or the sentence order would be strange, or the same word would be repeated—every time they spoke in bizarre and unpredictable ways.

Because of those experiences, Jojo was able to interpret what the “Chris doll” said.

‘Still, this is the first time I’ve ever heard a doll speak.’

Up until now, all the voices Jojo had heard came from living things like plants or animals.

But a doll? A doll was something made by people—could it really be considered alive?

‘Hmm… does Lord Chris know that his doll is special? Well, seeing that even other people call it “Lady Doll,” it seems like he does.’

They wouldn’t attach an honorific to an ordinary doll.

‘Just how is a doll alive?’

Jojo was curious about the doll’s true nature.

‘Will the day ever come when I find out?’

Humming to herself, Jojo headed toward the scene where her younger sibling was undergoing mental suffering.

Chris, who had attended a meeting filled with gloomy laughter and the smell of sweat from morning until afternoon, carefully laid Piani on the bed and left for the training grounds to practice.

Piani was dumbfounded.

[Your Grace, that’s so mean. You go off alone to see something nice!]

Ope said in an incredulous voice.

[Hey. Do you really think seeing half-naked men would be something the Grand Duke enjoys?]

[Hmph. Whatever. I’m exhausted. I can’t even move a finger!]

To Piani, who was wailing in the exact position Chris had left her in, Hesil asked,

[Why? You can’t move again?]

[No. I can move, but I don’t have any strength. I want to see muscles too.]

Piani said pitifully.

Hesil was shocked. What was so special about half-naked men to go that far…?

‘No. It’s that age. That age.’

After organizing her thoughts like an adult, Hesil asked Piani,

[By the way, compared to this morning, how do you feel now? Do you feel like more strength is filling you up?]

[Didn’t I just say I’m exhausted?]

[No, I mean, did your strength increase more after being in contact with His Grace?]

[Hmm.]

Piani got up and repeatedly clenched and unclenched her soft hand.

[I don’t really know.]

[Hmm… so half a day of contact isn’t enough to expect a meaningful change?]

If Hesil could move, she would have stroked her chin with a gleam in her eyes.

[What’s with that tone? It feels like you’re treating me as an experiment subject, and I don’t like it.]

Piani frowned.

[Sorry. I’ve gotten into the habit of observing and recording things after being cooped up in a laboratory all the time.]

[Huh? But you’re a mage. Aren’t mages supposed to be people who swing staffs and shout “Take that!” while wiping out monsters with magic?]

What nonsense. To create convincing magic or magical tools, you need blood-sweating research, you know? And what’s “take that”? Don’t tell me that’s a chant. There’s never been a human who used a chant like that.]

There certainly were eccentric mages, and mages who shut themselves indoors and lived only for magic.

But most mages cared about appearances. So they groomed themselves well, and even made their chants sound as impressive as possible.

[So? Are you saying my chant is tacky?]

When Piani said that threateningly with a dazed expression, Hesil hurriedly made excuses.

[No. I meant it was unique.]

Clearing her throat, Hesil continued,

[A-anyway, shall we start the lesson now?]

[A lesson? You mean a magic lesson? Is that starting today?]

[Of course. Once it comes up, you do it.]

Hesil said confidently.

Piani approached Hesil with her small eyes sparkling.

[Great! What should I start with?]

[Hmm. Before that, what kind of magic do you want to learn? If I know what you want, I’ll design a curriculum to match.]

[I want to turn back into a human!]

[Hmm. I knew you’d say that! I knew it! But like I said before, no spell formula has been discovered that turns a person into a doll—and the reverse is true as well.]

Hesil said regretfully.

Piani had actually expected this answer.

‘Just thought I’d try asking.’

Still, what kind of magic should she learn?

As Hesil looked down at Piani, who was so deep in thought that her face was scrunched up, she smiled softly. The look of anticipation in front of learning was cute.

‘She really looks just like an eighteen-year-old… no, an eighteen-year-old girl.’

After thinking for a long time, Piani finally spoke.

[Geez, it’s hard trying to think of it myself.]

[Don’t think about it too hard. Take a primal approach—if you had unscientific power, what would you want to do first?]

Hesil thought Piani might dream of flying through the sky, making flowers bloom out of season, or making water that flowed downward shoot up like a fountain.

She might throw punches when annoyed and be very curious about men’s bodies, but in the end, she was still an eighteen-year-old young lady.

Then Piani’s eyes sparkled as she innocently asked,

[Could you also teach me magic that roasts people whole?]