Volume 5 Chapter 5 Reminiscence 5️⃣
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Fifteen years have passed since Mama Vintenica bought me.
This year, I turn twenty-five.
…Though I still look like a ten-year-old.
As her slave—and her son—I’m hardly bound by anything, aside from the collar around my neck.
I’m even allowed to go outside now, though that’s probably because of the geass she placed on me to prevent escape.
Still… being trusted this much makes me happy. I’ve earned it, in my own way.
Speaking of Mama…
After spending so much time by her side, I’ve come to understand her quite clearly.
To be blunt, Mama is a villain.
A real one.
She’s tangled in all sorts of shady dealings—as a magic-user and a pharmacist. I’m pretty sure she’s taken lives. Probably more than I can count on two hands.
And I… I’m her accomplice.
Despite over ten years of training, I’m only a passable magician. But when it comes to drugs and poisons, my skills are just about on par with Mama’s. I follow her instructions and brew all sorts of things—potions, toxins, elixirs—that are sold off somewhere I don’t ask about. I know full well what they’re really used for.
Not good things. Never good things.
Mama and I… we’re probably headed for a grim end.
But that’s not really the problem here.
The nightly ritual still continues. It has to continue.
Every single night, Mama and I perform the “Life Sharing” spell.
If we don’t… her face will be swallowed by those cursed burns.
That’s why I was bought in the first place.
To be the medium for this ritual.
The spell binds our lives together, which is… inconvenient.
Very inconvenient.
Because every time we do it, that bond between Mama and me strengthens.
Each time, it’s this strange mix of warmth and tingling, of laughter and embarrassment, like a fever under the skin.
And slowly, I’ve come to look forward to it.
Even now, at twenty-five, trapped in a ten-year-old’s body, I laugh and squirm when Mama gently touches me, playfully teasing me under the guise of ritual, until I’m red-faced, breathless, shouting through my tears that I love her—
”I love you, Mama! I love you!” I cry, collapsing into her arms.
To be honest, I don’t know anymore if what I feel for Mama is real.
Maybe it’s just the illusion caused by the spell.
After all, she used the five other children bought alongside me as disposable tools to stabilize the life-sharing magic.
I remember it clearly. I remember how they screamed.
There’s a part of me that fears her.
Hates her.
But there’s also a part of me that truly likes her.
And that’s what I can’t figure out.
Which part is real?
Which emotion is mine?
It’s childish, I know. Not being able to distinguish what I feel.
Even though I’ve learned so much—more than most people my age—my heart hasn’t grown up one bit.
Stuck in a body that never matures, I’ve grown in the most distorted way possible.
And then…
The turning point arrived.
* * *
That day, I was mixing a potion Mama had ordered.
Deep in the mansion’s basement laboratory, in the alchemy room beside the spell chamber.
This area—the core of the mansion—is the most secure, fortified place in the entire building.
So when the whole room suddenly rocked violently, it sent a chill down my spine.
Crash!
Glass vials shattered and fell from the shelves around me. The air filled with the scent of volatile chemicals—some harmless, others lethal.
”Defense Shield!” I shouted instinctively, throwing up a barrier as I leapt back. The bottles smashed in front of me, spewing colored liquid across the floor.
If even one of those had touched me…
I shivered.
”Wh-What was that…?” I muttered, wiping the cold sweat from my brow as I looked around.
The tremor had only lasted a moment. Too brief for an earthquake.
Which meant—
”…The mansion’s under attack?” I whispered, stunned.
That was the only explanation.
Someone had targeted the estate.
Honestly, considering all the crimes Mama’s committed, it’s a miracle this hadn’t happened sooner.
She’s probably on several wanted lists by now.
As I stood frozen, staring at the ruins of the lab, a voice called out behind me.
”Boy. Don’t you dare go upstairs,” Mama commanded as she emerged from the back chamber, the one with the magic circle.
She held a staff I’d never seen before—dark, carved with runes, and pulsing with raw magical energy. Even I could feel its power.
Mama’s usual serene smile was gone.
Her eyes blazed with sharp resolve and pure killing intent.
She knew exactly who had come.
”Y-Yes, Mama…” I replied, stiffly nodding under the weight of her presence.
”Good boy,” she said softly, flashing me a fleeting smile—just for a second—before turning away and vanishing through the door.
That moment filled me with dread.
It felt like I’d been branded with cold fire, an ache spreading through my chest.
I didn’t know if I loved Mama or not…
But I prayed for her safety with all my heart.
…Part of that prayer, though… was rooted in fear.
Because if Mama died, I would probably be killed too.
That realization came later.
At the time, all I could do was cling to that helpless prayer.
Another impact shook the mansion from above.
Maybe it was multiple blows. Maybe just one massive strike.
I couldn’t tell.
But it was clear—there was a battle happening.
Terrified, I fled the ruined potion room, running into the chamber with the magic circle.
I huddled in the far corner, clutching my knees, waiting…
* * *
I stared at the softly glowing magic circle, praying silently.
I could almost feel the heat of the battle overhead, like being seared by invisible flames.
Then—
The ceiling gave way.
”Ma—Mama!?” I cried out as a figure dropped down through the opening.
The figure that crashed down was unmistakably her.
But her condition was horrifying.
Her violet cloak was drenched in blood. Her left arm dangled uselessly. Her beautiful face—once calm and serene—was now stained crimson.
She was… dying.
Still, she smiled at me.
With trembling fingers, Mama reached toward the circle and began chanting.
Power surged. The magic in the room howled in response.
Her right hand glowed, gathering energy. Enough to kill a dragon. Enough to change the tide.
Just as the spell neared completion—
”I won’t let you!” a voice rang out from above, and a second figure descended through the rubble.
From the hole above, someone landed—blade-first.
In a single, brutal motion, the sword slashed across Mama’s right shoulder—
—and plunged into her heart.
”Gah…!” Mama gasped.
The sword was pulled free. Mama collapsed.
The spell dissolved into the air.
”MAMA!!” I screamed, bolting to her side and catching her before she hit the ground.
”Don’t… come near…” she whispered, her voice faint.
Her body was growing colder.
”I-I’ll give you life! I’ll share it—!” I cried out, fumbling with my clothes in a panic.
But Mama slowly shook her head.
”No… it’s too late… I’m beyond saving…” she murmured, her voice fading to almost nothing.
Then, turning her gaze behind me, she spoke her final words—
”Lucia… this child… only Soyuz…”
And then… she was gone.
Her body lost all strength.
In an instant, it turned to ash.
”Mama…?” I called out, shaking.
I tried to hold her. But there was nothing left to hold.
The woman I had feared, obeyed, resented, and loved…
…crumbled away in my arms.
I couldn’t even cry.
I just stared.
Frozen.
”…That is the fate of one who’s become more than human. You know she sold her soul to the devil, don’t you?” came a voice behind me.
I slowly turned.
There stood a woman with golden hair that shimmered like sunlight.
An elven warrior, tears in her eyes, looked down at me in silence.
Notes:
• Vintenica – She is a tall, slender magic user, appeared as the new mistress buying six boys, wearing a deep purple robe with her right half face hidden by a white mask, half beautiful young woman and half eerie with blood-red lips, mysterious and slightly frightening.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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