Child Rearing Journal of the Strongest Wiseman～About My Daughter Being the Cutest in the World( Saikyou Kenja no Kosodate Nikki ～Uchi no Musume ga Sekaiichi Kawaii Ken ni Tsuite～) - Chapter 28

As I entered the study and took a seat, Chloe came in with a tray of whiskey, ice, glasses and a jug of water.

To accompany the drinks, cheese covered with dried fish paste and salami were served.

It was an unconventional choice.

I gave Chloe a quick pat on the back as she left the study.

From the mood we were in, she must have sensed that it was not a good idea for her to stay.

Seeing her, Shisō commented.

“For a mechanical doll, she’s sensitive to the subtleties of human nature.”

“I heard that after being the maid of a reclusive wiseman for hundreds of years, one can read even the slightest change in the expression of their master.”

“I see. You’ve known that girl far longer than I have.”

“Right.”

“I already met her five hundred years ago, so will that be the extent of my association with the girl?”

“I guess it is”

“I’m surprised her parts lasted this long. Aside from the circuitry and the power unit, the external parts are probably off-the-shelf. I’m pretty sure those types of parts are no longer available.”

“I already stocked up on them about five hundred years ago.”

“I see, so that means we’ll be together for a few hundred more years.”

“Well, assuming I don’t die in the meantime.”

“You’re an eternal wiseman, aren’t you?

“Yes, but I am not immortal. If someone decapitates me, I will die. If someone stops my heart, I will die too. I’m still a human being. At least.”

“Sure, I suppose. Many wisemen have attained eternal life, but immortality has yet to be attained.”

Shisō fell silent for a moment after saying this.

“……….”

The owl looked slightly annoyed.

I thought it was unusual for her to be so eloquent, but I pressed on. Frankly.

“It is quite unusual for master to hesitate. In other words, the problem you brought up this time will be quite troublesome. To be more specific, you are saying that the problem you brought this time is so serious that I am in danger of dying, correct?”

When I pointed it out clearly, the owl became even more silent.

A heavy atmosphere enveloped the space, as if lead had been vaporized.

The owl stared at my face for a while, and eventually it must have given up.

The owl’s beak began to explain the situation.

“At first I didn’t want to ask you to do this, I wanted to let you run away. That way, I wouldn’t have to drag you into another worldly conflict.”

“Do you still feel guilty about what happened?”

“Of course I am. That was the reason why the man who was to become the world’s greatest sage was forced to live in seclusion. And I am the cause of it.”

“Master had nothing to do with it.”

“Of course I do. I’m the one who discovered your talent. I’m the one who wrote the letter of recommendation to the Imperial Guard.”

“But I’m the one who asked for it.”

“……..”

It’s fact, Shisō really had nothing to do with it.

At the time, I had graduated from this magic academy at the top of my class, and I was ecstatic.

I thought that I was a genius in magic and could change the world with my power. I could make the world a better place.

I was convinced of this.

It was only natural for such a boy to join the Imperial Army and spend his days in research there.

There, I was involved in the development of weapons that killed many people, and slaughtered them with magic.

For the first few years, I was just proud of myself.

I was proud that my wisdom would be useful to my country, and that it would lead to the happiness of the people of the Empire.

I believed it.

However, that passion soon cooled down.

I wondered if the battle golem I had developed was really useful in this world.

Have I been able to save the people with the high killing power of the sword made from the alloy I developed?

Have I been able to create a peace that is worth the amount of blood I have shed?

I began wondering about this.

Feeling these doubts, I quit the army and hid in the mountains.

There, I spent all my time doing research.

For a thousand years, immersed in research, trying to become a useful sorcerer for the world, I simply spent all my time doing research and withdrawing from the world.

During that time, I developed a drug that dramatically decreased improved infant mortality.

I developed new farming methods and disease-resistant crops so that more people could eat white bread.

In addition, I also developed an efficient heating system to keep people in the north from freezing.

It would be a lie to say that I didn’t feel like I was at least trying to atone for my sins.

However, I didn’t think it would justify what I had done, nor did I think it would make the people I had killed happy.

It was just hypocrisy and self-satisfaction.

Or perhaps I could say it was an attempt to escape reality.

As I was encountering the past in this way, the owl spoke to me.

“Now, I’m not going to pretend that I don’t want to involve you in this if I can help it. But I’m bringing you into this. So I’ll apologize in advance. I’m sorry.”

The owl bowed its head. This was unusual. I’ve never seen the 《Senketsu no majo》 bow to another in the last few centuries.

“Shisō offered to help me escape and provide me with a job as a teacher. Your request will not be ignored.”

“… I’m glad you put it that way.”

“And what is it that Shisō wants from me? I imagine it’s going to be quite a challenge.”

“Very clever of you.”

“Shisō is having a hard time saying it. I can sense that much.”

“I guess you can’t hide anything from your disciples. That’s right. I’m going to ask for your help as a sorcerer again.”

“You want me to kill people?”

“No way. I’m not that much of a demon. It’s the other way around.”

“The other way?”

“I’m asking you to protect the Demon race.”

“Protecting the Demon race…”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Demons should have been extinct a long time ago, is what I see you’re trying to say.”

“Yes, at least I heard that they were extinct before I was born.”

“That’s what the history books say. But when you were in the military, you fought against the clans called the descendants of the Demon race and the pagans who wanted to revive the demon gods, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but they too have long since perished. I’ve heard that the Demon bloodline has been completely eradicated.”

I took a pause and continued.

“….But from the way you say it, Shisō implies that this was not the case.”

“That’s right. The Demon race has survived in this world. No, to be precise, they came back to life.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you ever heard of the term atavism?”

“Yes, in a manner of speaking. I’m still a wiseman, after all.”

Atavism is a phenomenon in which genes from grandfathers, grandmothers, or even older generations are reflected in a person.

Even if the whole family has black hair and eyes, if one of the ancestors has blond hair and blue eyes, that gene will be expressed and the child will be born with blond hair and blue eyes.

As I was recalling the term, my teacher continued.

“I’ll get straight to the point. There is a girl with demon blood in this academy. And there is an organization that is after her. I need you to protect her from them.”

“That’s easy to understand.”

“I know, right!”

The owl laughs inaudibly.

“So, I’m protecting a demon girl, huh…”

I mumbled again.

This may be a case where I should nod my head in agreement, but I couldn’t make an immediate decision.

Or maybe it was a good opportunity to atone for my past sins, even if only a little, but even so, I couldn’t answer immediately.

Because I had something more important to protect right now.

Of course, it was my daughter, Fiona.

If my daughter was in danger by protecting this Demon race, I would never hesitate to leave Leangrad Academy, which I thought was a safe haven.

I said, “Let me think about it for a while”, and put my stance on hold.

Shisō allowed me to do so.

“Absolutely. Take your time. But in the end, you’ll nod your head. I have faith in that.”

The owl said so and closed its eyes.

I looked through the owl and wondered what Shisō had in mind when she brought me this request.

I wondered if Shisō was hoping that by helping the Demon girl, I would make a break with the past.

Perhaps she was trying to get rid of the days when I used to get my hands dirty with magic.

That’s what I considered.

In other words, maybe I should accept Shisō’s proposal.

I didn’t think it would help me to break with the past, but it might help me to get rid of the stagnation in my heart as I raised my daughter.

With that in mind, I decided to accept Shisō’s request.

“….I understand. I shall protect that Demon girl myself.”

I thought the owl smiled when I said that.

“I knew you would say that.”

Why is that? I inquired.

“You have gained both fatherhood and motherhood by raising a daughter named Fiona. If you become a teacher at this school, you will have a sense of responsibility as a clergyman. That’s how I calculated it.”

… I see, that makes sense.

Or it could be that Shisō had anticipated this from the start and introduced me to this job.

This witch isn’t just a woman who’s lived longer than me.

It was no wonder that she had sent me to this academy with that much thought and calculation in mind.

Thinking like that, I asked the name of the girl I should protect this time.

The owl, the 《Senketsu no majo》, answered without hesitation.

The name Shisō gave me was rather unexpected.

No, it was a name I had heard often. That’s why it caught me off guard.

It was the first name I learned after I became a teacher at this school.

The first girl who tried to challenge me.

The first girl with flaxen hair who became Fiona’s friend.

The girl who came to our house many times and ate the baked goods that Chloe made each time.

Her name is Harmonia.

It is said that she is a girl with demon blood in her veins, and that she has expressed her genes in a strong way.

And because of this, it seems that she is being targeted by a certain organization.

The name of the organization is “Blood Alliance”. It was a group of extremists that had split off from the Holy Church. They were a group of fanatics who believed that only one absolute God could control the creation and death of life.

“Give me a break, there’s no end to this kind of fanatics in every age.”

I let out a cliché complaint and began to think about how I could protect Harmonia from those fanatics.