I survived the decade.



　I know it sounds great, but I can't be proud of it because I'm a parasite.



　The Count of Gordo Semphis took me in. He's related to the king who abandoned me, so I'm related to him in this world.

　But his actions were in direct defiance of the king's decree. If he were found out, he would be executed with me. But he still saved me. He's a very good man.　



　I spent the first two years of my life being raised by my Uncle Gordo deep in his castle, in secret, knowing only his wife (my mother) and a few others.



　I was the shut-in I could have wished for.

　So I was satisfied with it, but my father and his family felt sorry to raise me in hiding.



　I decided to become a social recluse.

　Well, it's only temporary. I was going to use the time to prepare for a comfortable life as a hermit.



　A thin skin-like barrier hides the "king's crest". I call it . I decided to pretend that Frey did it.

　Soon after, my father officially adopted me. He said he'd picked me up from a village that had been attacked by bandits.



　Hart Semphis, son of a frontiersman, is born!



　I was born a prince, abandoned in the woods, and rose to become the son of a nobleman. I didn't do anything.



　But you know what?

　I was going to leave when they were weaned but I ended up in their care.

　It's all because of the kindness of him and the people around him.



　That's how I survived the decade...









"Ha-ha-ha-ha!　At last, at last, it's done!"



　Early morning. I shouted in my room. The room is well soundproofed, and I've set up a protective and intruder-detection ward. I don't want to disturb anyone.

　The area around the castle, located in the north of the kingdom, is cold even in the mornings in the early spring. However, thanks to the warding, the room is warm. Comfortable.



　And what have I completed?



　There is a black-haired boy in front of me. He has a very handsome face, probably inherited from his parents. However, he lacks a strong sense of dignity. When I prompted him, he introduced himself.



"My name is Hurt Semphis. I'm ten years old."



　Yes. That's me.



　Well, technically, it's the exact copy of me that I warded. Ten years of hard work, and here we are!

　I've been able to make them look exactly the same since I was three years old, but this is something else entirely, something to be proud of.



"How are you doing?" I ask,



My look-alike replies, "I'm fine, no problem.



　That's great. That's great!　I'm perfect.



　This thing can answer and answer automatically, and can make decisions and take actions on its own. In short, it's an AI-powered ward. < or .

　Well, it traces my thoughts, so it doesn't talk to me. Better than a rag.



　Hmmm. More, more. Let's test my perfect work!



"How's the weather today?"



You know what I'm talking about.　It's sunny."



"......, are you hungry?"



"You don't have that feature on, do you?　Well, I can pretend to eat if I'm told to."



　This guy pisses me off!　I mean, me. Am I too much of a bad person?



　Well, it's just a trial run.

　Besides, the operation of this so-called is not only about making it autonomous.



　I put on a pair of night-vision goggles that I keep at my feet.

　I call them .

　This is connected to the copy android, and when I put it on, I can control it. Real virtual reality!　What a contradiction.



　My view becomes that of the copy android.

　When I think, the copy starts to walk. I go to the desk in the corner of the room and look at the pen on it. Right hand in front of me. I see his right hand in my vision. He moves his hand carefully and grabs the pen. I could feel it.



""Yes!　It worked!"""



　I shout and the copy shouts.



　This way, when something goes wrong, I myself move my copy to get through the difficulty.

　Yeah. That's great. I'm awesome.

　Since no one else is praising me, I pat myself on the back.



　The copy spins around with a little leap.

　I'm wearing VR goggles in my vision, and there's a little girl on the bed behind me with a comforter over her head looking at me.



""WHY?"""



　No wonder English jumped out of his mouth.

　This room is wired for both protection and intruder detection. When did you do that?






　The girl rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked at me and my copy alternately, her round eyes wide open.

　Then she shouted.



"Mr. Anie!　There are two of you here!



　I ask further.



"Which one of you is mine?　Or both of you?



　Yeah, neither of them are yours, Charlotte.

　She's my sister-in-law. Daughter of the Earl of Gordo Semphis. She's seven. Three years my junior.

　She's a very lovely girl, not like her strong uncle's daughter. And her mother's beautiful. I'm glad she looks like you.



　Oh, I remember now.

　This guy has a habit of breaking into my room in his sleep. It was irregular and frequent, so I took him off the radar because I didn't want the alarm to go off and wake me up.

　This room is warm. It's comfortable to sleep in, I guess.



　For the time being I took off the control goggles and stopped the copying. <


"Oh my God!　One of the Aniue-sama is gone!"



"Calm down. This isn't me. It's a doll that looks just like me.



"Is it the magic of the Lord Aniue?"



"Uh, well, yeah, I guess so."



"It's amazing!　It's a real gem. What kind of magic is it?



"Let's see, ......, it's a secret right now. It's top-secret research."



　Charlotte nods in agreement. She is also known as Charlotte.



"But why do you have such a thing?　Can I have it?"



　He really wants it for himself.

　But I was at a loss for an answer.



　Why did you make a copy android?

　It's because I'm planning to leave this castle and live alone.



　I had originally planned to leave the castle after infancy, but it has become a nuisance.

　However, I have not the slightest intention of running away from home even now. I feel at home.



　However, it has begun to interfere with my ideal life as a hermit.

　My father insists on making me practice swordsmanship, and my mother comes to my room to teach me how to study.

　Charles also wants me to play with him for some reason or another.



　He is still in the stage of researching the warding magic.

　In this world, it is considered to be an auxiliary and very basic magic, and its uses are limited, but in reality, it is a terrifying magic that is bottomless.

　For the sake of my ideal life as a hermit, I want to investigate all the warding magic I can find.



　So I set up a place deep in the forest, where I planned to leave a copy android in the castle in my place during my research.



　When I kept silent, Char said in a huff



"So, the spirit of evil has begun to move in a real sense?"



　What did you say?



"Lord Anyue often disappears from his room. You are fighting with them, aren't you?



　......I used to tell her stories when I worked with her.

　I was not good at communicating through conversation, so I cut and pasted my knowledge of anime, manga, and video games into a one-sided story to fill in the gaps.



　I was so absorbed in my research of strange magic that I was sometimes away from home, and in order to make it consistent, I guess I got mixed up with the stories in her mind, and a misunderstanding occurred.



　Never underestimate the power of a child's imagination.

　Or maybe it's because I raised her in a strange way. .......



"Yes. But don't tell anyone, okay?"



　But I couldn't bear to destroy the dreams of a little girl.



"I want to help you, too!"



"No. You're too young. You'll have to grow up a little, won't you?



I am an adult!　I will not be a burden!



　This is not a scene to be cheered up with the smiling self-esteem of a child.

　In fact, he has a great deal of talent. His maximum magic level is 51. That's more than even the .



　The reason I'm accepted in this castle even though my magic level is lousy is because he was born right after I was adopted. I'm being held up as the lucky one.



"They're not so naive. What you have to do now is to build up your strength until the time is right."



　His voice is theatrical, and he poses as if he were tossing his cloak without it.

　Charl slumps in frustration.



"I want to be an adult soon. ......"



　Even a dejected Charu will eventually change.




　<>I wonder if he'll say something like that.



　I hope the peaceful life lasts as long as possible.

　I didn't realize at that time that thinking like that was easygoing.



　



　I never thought that Charlotte's life would really be threatened by an evil organization...