Ch.112Chapter 112

Why did I think the Demon God wouldn’t use a womb? Was it because I observed that unnatural body that never felt full no matter how much it ate, yet never once used the bathroom?

I overlooked it because bodily functions were practically non-existent. Perhaps I held prejudice, thinking this was a being who could easily go a day or two without sleep, something different from humans.

Because of that, I never connected the concept of pregnancy. Among my knowledge, the paper discussing the birth of Demon Gods contained the most efficient information.

What elements constitute a Demon God?

Contrary to hypotheses, condensing ordinary mana doesn’t create something like human flesh. If consciousness alone were enough, people would achieve immortality.

Something extraordinary was needed. If that “something” required another person, it would be a horrific story, but if ordinary cells could be multiplied, it would surely be simple.

My roadblock was determining which part of a Demon God serves as DNA in humans, which remained elusive despite extensive research. Generally, we know it’s embedded in each cell to form structure, but identifying that specific component was the biggest challenge.

So I was troubled. This research seemed endless. I thought I’d be lucky to finish within a year.

Then suddenly, Ourr brought it up. Couldn’t Demon Gods become parents too?

For humans, having parents is natural. This applies to all animals and even plants—it’s the natural way. I thought Demon Gods existed outside this principle, so her approach felt fresh.

Ordinary humans need one man and one woman, but considering the principles of Demon God creation, it wasn’t complicated. With Ourr’s womb, the framework was essentially complete—just add mana and consciousness.

The most challenging part—the framework—was solved.

Ourr closed her eyes and covered her ears. Despite bringing it up herself, she shook her head, saying she didn’t suddenly want to become a mother. So pushing forward immediately seemed inappropriate.

It might seem simple because we’re talking about a Demon God, but creating a body this way would be unprecedented. While theoretical papers existed, practical experimentation was impossible. Demon Gods desire to survive alone, so they don’t create children, making observation impossible.

Therefore, no one knew what would happen if a womb were used to create another body. It might take ten months like humans, or even if not, it would need to be carried until cell division allowed independent existence.

So I couldn’t just push it. I could only wait for Ourr to mentally prepare herself.

And later, when she was ready, I could ask for her consent and proceed.

Now here’s another question: if we created a body modeled after Ourr herself, wouldn’t it have the same Demon God aura?

As someone receiving Academy funding, showing unique results would be beneficial. While witnessing a Demon God giving birth to another Demon God would be remarkable and prove theoretical papers, I wondered if we could create a Demon God that, no matter how large, wouldn’t harm humans.

“Ourr.”

“Uweeng.”

Ourr made a crying sound though she wasn’t actually crying. It was her way of expressing that she didn’t want a proper conversation. When she did this, I knew today’s discussion was over.

With her childlike mind, she could simply refuse what she disliked. But that didn’t mean she was foolish. Eventually, she would realize there was no other way to bring Ouroboros back.

If her thoughts remained the same then, I would have nothing more to say.

“…Shall we talk about something else then?”

“Something else?”

“Like what to do during summer vacation.”

Ourr seemed to like my change of topic and perked up her ears. She turned her head back toward me with a cautious gaze. I gave a bitter smile at her wary expression.

I wanted to say, “Please get pregnant just once for Ouroboros,” but I held my tongue and instead brought up something she might find interesting.

“Remember when we talked about the beach with your friends? The beach is nice, but how about a valley? We could rent a pension and play there. …Though a pension might be too big for just the two of us.”

“Can’t I go play with my friends?”

“…You can’t go separately with the professor. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay…”

Ourr seemed to have asked knowing it wouldn’t be possible. Nevertheless, her response was slightly dejected.

It couldn’t be helped. If not for the incident with Beirud, that second-year student, I might have allowed it, but now after the knife attack at the Academy, other places were even more out of the question.

My duty was to protect her from attacks by others. Within the Academy, she was allowed to move freely as “equipment,” with a name tag that had now become merely decorative.

She probably wanted to play with her friends. But Ourr’s friends were students, making it awkward to hang out privately with me. It couldn’t be helped.

Instead, since Ourr didn’t dislike me, perhaps I could make up for her not being able to play with friends by giving her a proper good time?

“Instead, how about we go to an amusement park, see interesting animals there? The beach might be too crowded, so we could play in the water at a valley? Or would you like to try skating? There should be indoor ice rinks.”

“Wuo, ooooh, ooong.”

Ourr’s response contained a slightly expectant tone.

The mood, which had been deflated with the realization she couldn’t play with friends, brightened again. I realized that offering something better would inevitably improve Ourr’s mood.

“What would you like?”

“…Hmm, hmm.”

Ourr thought for a moment, then glanced at me.

“Water play is fine. It’s nice with friends, but umm, I don’t particularly love water play that much.”

“Really? Then shall we go to an amusement park, ride some attractions~ and afterward see some animals?”

“…What animals are there?”

“There’s a big parrot, I hear. It might repeat what you say?”

Ourr’s eyes sparkled. The golden irises twinkled brightly, looking incredibly cute. Seeing her already excited, I realized I’d better not fail to take her or she might really get upset.

I didn’t expect such an intense reaction to parrots. Then again, being a Demon God, it made sense she’d want to see unusual animals.

Human children visit zoos from an early age, and even those who don’t can learn about animals through videos or stories. But Ourr was different, so her reaction was understandable.

In that case, I should show her some good sights.

“If you like it, shall we spend our summer at the amusement park?”

“Yes, I’d like the amusement park. What else is there?”

“There are snakes, owls, tigers? Yes, tigers too.”

Suddenly listing animals, I could only think of a few. As I spoke slowly, I pulled related animals from different families from my mind.

“Giraffes? Elephants?”

“Hmm, hmm.”

Ourr nodded. I couldn’t tell if these were all new to her or if she was just happy about seeing them.

I was just glad Ourr was happy.

“Professor.”

“Yes?”

“…Can’t you make Ouroboros?”

Ourr suddenly asked at an unexpected moment. Asking if I couldn’t make Ouroboros meant asking if I couldn’t create a body. So I honestly shared my current research.

“It’s still difficult for now. Finding out what serves as DNA might take a year, which I’d have to accept.”

“That would take too long, right?”

“…I suppose so.”

Ourr seemed to be thinking about something.

“You have so much research to do, Professor. Won’t you be too busy if there’s always something more?”

“Being a professor is like that. Multiple research projects…”

I didn’t realize she was worried about me. And not just simple concern, but worry that too many overlapping research projects would make me busy and tired. I was touched.

Embracing my emotional surge, I quietly looked at Ourr as she fidgeted with her mouth.

“Then there’s no choice… I hope we can finish quickly. This isn’t something we do right away, but after research, right?”

“…That’s how it should be.”

I smiled at Ourr’s thoughtfulness toward me.