"Archmage?"
The face of a man with a bushy beard was visible through the gap in the door.
'Who is it?'
As I harbored such doubts, it occurred to me that the man's name was Philip and that he was the chef here.
'This place? Where is this place?'
Before I could even think of an answer, my mouth was spitting out words that had absolutely nothing to do with my thoughts.
"Archmage? I told you to stop using such an embarrassing title. Just being Sally is enough."
I had to suspect that Sally had entered the child's memories again. However, she hadn't cast any memory-reading magic, and the feeling was different from before.
The man I met not only called me an Archmage, but also called me Sally.
'This is just Sally's point of view, isn't it?'
It felt as if I had entered her body. In other words, I was Sally.
'As if possessing Selinia wasn't enough, did I possess Sally this time?'
Or perhaps I was dreaming that I had become her because everyone kept saying "Sally, Sally." While I was lost in thought, Philip pushed a tray and entered the room.
"Oh, come on, how can we draw that? Serving the Archmage is our pride... No, that's not the important thing."
It was steaming hot steamed mussels and crispy toast. He lifted the plate stylishly, as if trying to tempt me with the mouthwatering food.
"I do not intend to interfere with the Archmage's research, but I felt this was not right, so I came in as the representative."
It was strange. The title "Archmage" didn't feel particularly awkward. Oddly enough, it felt incredibly familiar, as if the shoes were originally mine.
Philip stood proudly with his hands on his hips. It was evident that he would absolutely not leave until he had finished eating the food he had brought.
"As the head chef of the Magic Tower, I cannot let you skip meals any longer."
This was the food I liked—no, Sally liked. Perhaps because I was briefly Sally at that moment, I could tell. That was also the reason the chef was wearing such a triumphant expression.
"Okay. I was actually planning to suggest throwing a party tomorrow evening."
"A party? Did you just say party?"
Philip checked several times as if he couldn't believe it.
"Is that really true? You are someone who has never even attended a village festival, let alone a party. Didn't you know anything but research?"
"It looks like our chef isn't quite happy about throwing a party. I suppose it is a bit too sudden, isn't it?"
Sly words flowed from my mouth.
"That can't be. I just doubt whether the 'party' you are speaking of, Archmage, means the same thing I know."
Philip wasn't the only one who found the word 'party' suspicious.
'This isn't the time to throw a party.'
I don't remember clearly, but wasn't I in a very critical situation? No matter how much I think about it, this wasn't a time to be leisurely enjoying a party. Even knowing that, I was quite excited. My mouth was itching to grab just anyone and brag about it proudly.
"A small party that the members of the Magic Tower can enjoy together will do."
"May I ask the reason?"
"We have a new family member."
"A new family member?"
"Yeah. I'm going to introduce it to everyone tomorrow."
Philip asked me this and that, as if he absolutely couldn't wait until tomorrow, but I had nothing to say. After all, even I didn't know who the new family member was. Yet, whenever I thought of the new family member, the corners of my mouth kept curling up. I wondered if this was what they called cognitive dissonance.
"So, I'll just eat this much for now. But I'll eat a ton tomorrow, so Philip is going to have a bit of a hard time."
"What hardship is that? It is my reward!"
While Philip clenched his fist and burned with enthusiasm, I took a small plate of stew and a piece of bread.
“How do you feel?”
"It's delicious. The steamed mussels are really flavorful. They go well with well-baked bread."
I feel bad saying this to Philip, but even if he had brought steamed mussels that looked like they were salted and burnt bread, I would have said they were delicious. After all, with my heart full of anticipation, anything I ate would have felt like a delicacy.
After Philip left, I approached the desk. My gaze had been drawn to this side for a while. I was extremely curious about what on earth lay beyond that pile of books.
Seeing my heart pound as I got closer, I knew something special was surely waiting. I instinctively felt that my constant excitement was due to something out there.
It was only after confirming the presence lying still on the desk that I realized I hadn't even been able to breathe. Taking a deep breath, I called out that name.
'Eon, why are you doing this here?'
Because it was within my memory, my current voice could not escape. It merely lingered in my mind as a thought.
It was definitely that little kid. Without even a moment to think about why he was doing this on the desk, I tried to lift him up. As I supported his head with one hand, I noticed something strange. His facial features and height were exactly the same as the kid I knew, but he felt different.
'You're not sleeping again, are you?'
I asked for no reason, even though I knew it couldn't be true. There was no answer. The purple eyes were following me, but it felt like just a camera lens rotating. Feeling strange, I put him back down and stared silently.
“...Eon?”
It seemed like he heard my voice, but there was no particular reaction. He just blinked and looked at me.
The little one looked just like a newborn baby. No, that wasn't it. There couldn't be a newborn baby in the world with such deep eyes. So, it would be more fitting to compare him to a doll that had just been completed.
With a movement I couldn't tell if it was my will or Sally's, I swept back the child's silver hair. A shiver ran through my fingertips.
The carefully moving fingers traced down the soft cheek and stopped near the heart. Instead of a pounding heartbeat, a tingling sensation was transmitted. At first, I thought it was just my imagination.
'What?'
The little one's heart was beating completely differently from the one inside me. Not only that, but it felt as if the child's thoughts, emotions, and magical power were all inside the heart. Unlike me, who was surprised, Sally naturally accepted its presence.
“The life I created.”
This did not mean the usual method of carrying a child in the womb for ten months. Everything was confusing, but I knew this much.
"It looks like the Philosopher's Stone fits you well. That's a real relief."
Sally stroked the little boy's chest once again and whispered softly.
"My proud homunculus."
'Homunculus?'
At that single word, the world flickered. Everything I knew sank, and things I had forgotten rose to the surface. In the field of vision where darkness and light intersected, the figure of a child came into view.
'Eon... is a homunculus created by Sally using the Philosopher's Stone.'
Sally's lips touched the little boy's forehead. His body was as hard as ice. The warmth spreading from her lips warmed that cold body. It was not merely warming the body; the breath she exhaled seeped into the child's body, becoming the spark of life. It was the final step in completing the homunculus.
It wasn't just the child who was coming to life. As I shared the beginning of this special life, something was falling into place in my mind as well. I could naturally picture the journey of Sally creating Eon.
Back when the Continental Calendar was still in use, Baynan was a small, isolated principality surrounded by monsters. At first, simply threatening people entering and leaving the castle was enough for the monsters to eventually raid the city.
The knights stepped forward, but swords and spears alone were insufficient to face the monsters. The tide of battle turned when Sally, the only mage, joined the fray.
The number of monsters gradually decreased. Some individuals fled to distant places and disappeared without a trace. The last one remaining was the dragon, which was the leader of the monsters.
"The only way to deal with him is through magic."
"Mage, no, the title of 'Mage' no longer suits you. You, who saved Baynan from crisis, are the greatest mage in the world. An Archmage."
Duke Credian, the owner of the castle, bestowed the title of Archmage upon Sally. What difference does it make whether one is a wizard or an Archmage? It wasn't funny, but everyone was serious at the time.
"Therefore, great Archmage, please save this country from that wicked demon. If you do, I shall erect a monument to the great Archmage here in Baynan."
"Furthermore, all wealth and honor will be yours."
Sally stepped forward not because of the demands of those in power, nor because she had anything she coveted.
'If left as is, Baynan will be annihilated.'
The sense of responsibility to save people motivated Sally.
While fighting the final battle against the dragon with the help of elite soldiers, Sally heard the voice of God as she teetered between life and death.
[You, who sacrificed your life for countless people to defeat monsters, are truly worthy of realizing the essence of magic. I grant you the qualification to complete the Philosopher's Stone.]
Perhaps it wasn't the voice of God. The important thing was that, thanks to that momentary realization, she was able to obtain what she had so desperately desired.
'Philosopher's Stone!'
The world associated the Philosopher's Stone with overflowing gold, but what Sally dreamed of was something else.
'It creates life.'
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