I suddenly felt curious and asked the Mad Magician.
"Don't you want to have children?"
"...That's sexual harassment!"
Seeing him pretend to be embarrassed while twisting his body made me want to kill him. His acting was so obviously fake, which made it worse. He was just doing this to annoy me.
But this time, my question was quite serious.
The Mad Magician seemed to sense my sincerity and, after hesitating briefly, gave me a proper answer. He's the type who responds seriously when others are serious.
"I could have had children if I wanted to, but, well..."
What?
"I'm afraid of having children."
...?
An unexpected response. But thinking about it, I could understand.
If it's fear, perhaps he's considering the possibility of losing his life in the upcoming battle with the Black Dragon. Or conversely, he might worry that any child he creates could become his weakness.
But his fear was neither of these. He added:
"What if I become an irresponsible father?"
He was talking about responsibility.
"You know, I understand what it means to be born into this world."
Moon Village.
That dim place where drunken cries never ceased at night. A childhood without proper food or clothing—
The shadows at his feet, darkness peering through closet cracks, the loneliness of pitch-black nights.
What troubled young Han Han-yul most was the loneliness.
No family. No friends. That would have been bearable, but what makes people lonely and miserable is comparison with others. The most painful thing was receiving a school notice asking to bring parents to an open class.
Seeing a classmate crying because only their father could attend since their mother was busy.
And realizing your own situation—giving a presentation with no one watching.
If only there had been someone. A sibling would have been fine, or if one parent hadn't run away, or even a greedy uncle—just one person who acknowledged his existence on this planet.
Then he wouldn't have wondered if he was an alien despite living on Earth.
So this was about responsibility. For Han Han-yul, it was.
Anyone who creates life has a duty to ensure that child doesn't feel lonely. That's why the Mad Magician feels—
"It's a heavy responsibility. I'm afraid of giving life."
—fear.
But I didn't quite understand. He was wealthy, talented, and if not for the Black Dragon issue, he probably wouldn't face any life-threatening situations for a century.
If he had a child, he had the power to do anything for that child. So wasn't his fear more like groundless paranoia?
Then the Mad Magician said:
"I could provide various things. But to truly prevent loneliness, I would need to become that child's friend."
"..."
"But you know what? I haven't even become friends with the child I created with my own hands. So I lack confidence."
"...Are you saying it's my fault you're not having children?"
I snapped back, feeling incredulous.
In truth, that was about 90% a reflexive response. After hearing that I was the subject of his responsibility—somehow, from deep within my heart, I felt a strange sensation.
I was annoyed that he seemed to be treating me like a child. But more than that, there was something else. A feeling that stirred my heart. Like being covered with a heavy but not unpleasant thick comforter.
So.
Because I thought he might tease me if I showed my confusion.
I swallowed what I originally wanted to say. I could bring it up later, at a suitably serious moment. After all, we had plenty of time. The Mad Magician wouldn't die...
And then he sacrificed himself and died in the battle against the Black Dragon.
I never managed to say those words.
Since I never said them, they remained in my heart. They'll probably stay there forever. Like a thorn.
...
"But you know what? I haven't even become friends with the child I created with my own hands."
No, Mad Magician.
The truth is, I—
===============================================================
"Dad."
"What?"
"Be honest, did you tamper with the will? I'm asking if you added something weird to get your dopamine fix because you're tired of life without TRPG."
"...No, I didn't."
I shook my head at Aisha's reasonable suspicion. But I understood why she was suspicious. The posthumous Mad Magician, who lacked seriousness even in death, had left behind quite an interesting will.
No, did I expect something like this?
[Floor 3.5 Hidden Street: "Modern Civilization Tour Guide"]
[Hello! This is a room you can't leave unless you become a family. This is part of my will, so please follow it faithfully.]
[First, think about what role you'll take. Good. Once you've finished thinking, let's move on to the next step.]
Pop!
A small Han Han-yul doll appeared in mid-air—a deformed quilted doll that looked similar to "Promise" in appearance. Jane Doe, who happened to be below it, caught the doll.
Immediately after:
[If you treat this small, precious little MadMa like family, you can clear this floor.]
[Please proceed through the floor while faithfully role-playing the family role you just thought of.]
[Of course, you might not want to do this—so here's an alternative.]
[If you don't want to play family, wear this frilly, super-cute magical girl dress.]
"..."
I crossed my arms and stared at the hologram Mad Magician.
The coding itself seemed to be designed for one person. The recorded text didn't use the word "you all," so it was probably created assuming only Little Evil God would come.
But the application itself seemed to apply to everyone. Since we entered as a party with Jane Doe, we were being treated as one set.
Which means...
"We have to do this too?"
"Seems like it."
That we also need to participate in this family play content.
...Or wear that frilly whatever cutesy magical girl dress.
But the latter option is seriously worth considering. I could argue that we should choose the dress shortcut route because we're in a hurry, giving Aisha a big prank while also testing this world's Little Evil God for signs of violence, and in my case, I could transform into TS mode before wearing it, which would be aesthetically fine—
[Of course, it would be troublesome if you transformed into a male form to wear it, so I've taken measures to fix your current appearance in this area.]
Hmm.
"Dad, are you going to wear it? You had that kind of expression just now."
"...How could I make my daughter wear such an outrageous thing?"
I'd rather die than wear such a cute, flowing dress while in male mode. That would be a serious act of rebellion against ethics and public morals, like grinding moral values in a mortar.
I quickly changed the subject.
"Well, let's start the family play quickly to clear the stage. Let's quickly decide our roles first!"
"You're so transparent. Really."
"R-roles..."
Aisha, Jane Doe, and I sat down together to start our meeting. We need to form a family including the little MadMa doll... it feels a bit exciting, like we're doing character creation.
What combination would be good for a family build with this composition? The orthodox approach would be four siblings.
Hearing Aisha call me "oppa" could be quite a fresh stimulus—
"I'll be the dad."
"?"
"I think the dad role suits me."
"What nonsense are you talking about, Aisha?"
Aisha crossed her arms and declared with a patriarchal expression.
"If you think about it, aren't I the oldest?"
"No, you were born just..."
"That's not how you should count. If I were a clone born from the Black Dragon's cells, that would be different, but I was created based on the Black Dragon itself with much of its life experience as my foundation. Considering the continuity, I'm the same age as the Black Dragon, and even if not, 7% of a thousand years is 70 years."
"No, wait. If you extract DNA from a 300-year-old aged person in cyberpunk and cultivate a second generation, you'd count that as 1 year old, right? And if knowledge and experience determine age, if I hack the goddess database and steal it, would I suddenly be 3000 years old?"
"That's different because your self-identity is Han Han-yul with the goddess added on, but my self-identity was the Black Dragon with experiences taken from it. Is something you add later the same as something you originally had?"
Rat-tat-tat-tat.
Aisha and I engaged in a verbal battle using all kinds of metaphors and examples to either erase or claim the concept of "Dad Aisha," and after 10 minutes of intense debate...
"Call me dad, Dad."
"Father..."
Aisha took the dad role.
Then, if we're going with the orthodox three-person combination, I could be the mom—
"No way! That would mean I'm married to Dad, gross!"
"Hey, I heard some daughters say they want to marry their dads. Hmm?"
"That's only when they're little; if a grown-up says they want to marry their dad, it's a crime. Don't say crazy things and choose another role. No, don't choose. Just take whatever position is left. That's an order from the head of the household."
Dad Aisha prevented this crisis and maintained the solemn peace of this household, then pointed at Jane Doe, who was fiddling with the little MadMa doll, and said:
"Why don't you be the daughter? If you can't think of anything else."
"...Ah. I... I don't want to be the daughter..."
Boom!
I looked at Jane Doe with an expression like a lightning-struck squirrel. Aisha narrowed her eyes and asked somewhat sharply:
"...Really? It's such a straightforward role. Why don't you want to do it? It's just like a play that will pass by momentarily."
"I, I... I can't be filial, so I don't want to be a daughter..."
"Filial?"
"Yes. I... I'm an unfilial daughter."
That was a very Confucian reason.
While Aisha and I had question marks floating above our heads, Jane Doe held the little MadMa's arm and shook it up and down, muttering:
"...I had something I wanted to say to my biological parents. Something they really wanted to hear. But I... was too late."
"..."
"People die in an instant. And you can't... convey any words to the dead. How overwhelming that fact is..."
It sounded more like a soliloquy to herself than words directed at someone else.
Jane Doe's eyes were hidden behind her bangs, but somehow I could feel her gaze. The nameless woman looked steadily at Aisha and left some advice.
"...Don't leave regrets. Some words... once that moment passes, you can't even say them anymore..."
"...I'll, I'll handle it myself. You just decide what you want to be in the family."
"Then, I'll be... the cousin..."
It was quite a distant choice.
In the end, the family tree was decided like this:
Aisha = Dad
Jane Doe = Cousin
Little MadMa doll = Son
And.
Me (Han Han-yul) = The grandfather's illegitimate firstborn uncle
"?"
"The backstory is that I'm an illegitimate child but the firstborn, so Aisha and I are fighting like dogs over inheritance issues."
"I asked you to play family and suddenly you're..."
"Aisha, is that how you talk to your older brother? No matter what, I'm still your older brother, so you should speak respectfully. No matter how much you reproach me for being illegitimate, the contents of the will won't change—"
"Oh, come on!"
Aisha covered her face with both hands as if embarrassed. I don't know why she's being so shy when there's someone else here.
The impromptu dysfunctional family began advancing through the modern-style Moon Village map.
===============================================================
Actually, I declared myself the firstborn uncle without much thought, just because it seemed fun.
If I'm the firstborn uncle and Jane Doe is the cousin...?
"...D-Dad. Should we... hold hands while walking?"
I could be her father. Jane Doe seems to have started interpreting it that way. She preciously hugged the little MadMa doll to her side and reached out her hand to me.
Seeing this, Aisha shouted:
"Hey!!"
"D-don't be angry, Uncle... I'll take good care of MadMa, since you're letting us stay at your house..."
"No, that's not it! Right now— Hah..."
Right. The Little Evil God of this world hasn't yet been identified as friend or foe. Aisha is probably worried about me, but it's okay. I haven't let my guard down.
"You need to immerse yourself in your role, Aisha. What if we fail to meet the hidden piece achievement conditions?"
So I subtly conveyed that it was okay.
"...Y-you're right. Dad is absolutely right..."
Swish.
As soon as Jane Doe firmly grasped my hand, lightning flashed in Aisha's eyes.
Even I could sense it by now. This undercurrent of confrontation, some kind of silent struggle over an invisible value!
"Hmph, talking back so boldly when you're just freeloading. What kind of home education did you receive?"
"...I-I'm sorry, Uncle. My dad was busy so I didn't get much education, but I'll learn a lot from my dad from now on..."
"...!!!"
A more subtle atmosphere than expected began to flow...!!