The West Wind's Destination - Chapter 2
The man’s appearance was as she remembered: shining silver hair, mismatched gold and violet eyes.
However, he seemed taller than how he was in her memory, and his shoulders were wider as well.
In any case, it seemed like it was a good call for her to come here right away.
“If you look here, you’ll understand why I am here.”
Staring silently, the Archduke froze at Bea’s introduction of the homunculus, unintentionally made in his image.
“I would like to demand compensation for this, so shall we discuss how you may do so?”
“Ah… Of, of course.”
The youthful Archduke, typically fierce, was surprisingly docile in his response.
The servants, unaccustomed to such behavior from the Archduke, whispered among themselves in shock.
The Archduke sat opposite, gazing intently.
“Why, how, did you not seek me out all this time……! I was certain…….”
Ignoring his words, Bea stated her purpose for visiting.
“I’d like to demand compensation.”
The servants, startled by her astonishing request, forgot their manners and murmured.
“C-Compensation, you say?”
“Yes. That would be the simplest and most straightforward way to settle this matter.”
Bea Westwind recalculated the costs she had incurred in creating the homunculus: the materials, labor, and the time spent raising it.
However, while Archduke Vilkanos sitting opposite her, he could do nothing to stop the shaking of his hands.
“…Ending this with money isn’t right.”
“It’s fine. Since we both had a hand in this mistake, I won’t demand a high sum.”
The Archduke gazed at her tenderly, his eyes quivering, almost on the verge of tears.
“Don’t call him a mistake.”
“No. A fair compensation will suffice to bury the mistake. I will ask no further demands.”
“…….”
Archduke Vilkanos, the young man that he was, stared at her with his distinctively sharp gaze. His gaze then shifted briefly to the emotionlessly sipping homunculus, and back to Bea with an intense look.
Bea Westwind, a combat alchemist, sensed a red flag in the Archduke’s gaze. The room felt more dangerous than a battlefield bristling with spears, shields, swords, and magic.
Reluctant to confront the Archduke further, Bea hurriedly stood up.
“Then, I consider my explanation sufficient. I’ll leave my claim with your servant.”
“B, but he’s my child!”
Bea, about to leave, froze in place.
“What?”
“My child, my family’s bloodline. I cannot let him go like this.”
Bea was at a loss for words. It was an utterly absurd claim.
“…….”
But she quickly realized the Archduke’s misunderstanding.
“No, this is not your child.”
This was not a being born from human conception but a product of alchemy. A clear result of transmutation with a known creator.
Even if it was a failure, the Archduke couldn’t possibly claim this homunculus as his own just because a few drops of his blood got accidentally mixed in.
“How can it be your child when I created and raised it without your contribution?”
The servants who had sneaked into the reception room, using trivial matters as excuses, nodded in agreement.
‘…Right, that’s a valid point.’
Even the butler, who came in under the pretext of serving tea, started nodding in agreement.
“I will make it up to you.”
Yet, despite her clear explanation, the Archduke was stubborn.
Archduke Vilkanos rose abruptly, kicking the table with a combative stance.
Thud!
The impact echoed through the room as if a shell had exploded, resembling a challenge to a duel.
“I formally propose to you. For the honor of Vilkanos and yours!”
“No! I told you already! This is NOT your child!”
In the end, Bea couldn’t help but raise her voice in frustration.
