A man in a black suit is driving a car, while a man in a white suit sits in the backseat smoking a cigarette.
Tap, tap, tap.
This is the sound of fingers rhythmically tapping the cup holder.
The man seemed irritated for some reason.
The driver, well aware of what happens when he annoys his boss in such situations, remained silent and focused solely on driving.
“Idiot. He shouldn’t have been caught in human trafficking.”
The driver thought to himself, gritting his teeth internally.
Surely, that incident must have soured his mood.
“But something feels off.”
The one caught this time was a moron who wasn’t even that daring within the organization.
What possessed him to kidnap a beast-girl?
And in that Luke Forest, no less.
“Why on earth was he taking a girl to Luke Forest?”
For most crimes, bail would have been possible, but human trafficking was a serious crime that didn’t allow for that.
Human trafficking was an operation only experienced veterans within the organization could pull off.
The idea that someone impulsively did it didn’t seem plausible.
Was there really a reason to pass through Luke Forest in the first place?
However, irrespective of that, he had to take responsibility for what he had done.
As the driver internally scolded his subordinate, smoke billowed from the backseat as the man exhaled.
“Ha, are we there yet?”
“We will arrive soon.”
“Alright.”
A moment later, the car stopped so smoothly that there wasn’t even a creak or the feeling of inertia.
“We have arrived, Master.”
“Okay.”
The driver quickly got up and opened the backseat door.
With a heavy scent of cigarette smoke wafting in, a man with slicked-back hair stepped out of the car.
He flicked his cigarette butt onto the ground and casually smoothed out his wrinkled clothes.
“What’s the schedule after this?”
“Yes, today, there is nothing planned after the appointment with the Proyt family.”
“Good…”
Seeing that the man seemed pleased, he casually brought up a topic.
“Oh, what should we do about that moron who got caught human trafficking in Luke Forest?”
“Of course,”
The man suddenly frowned as if his mood had soured.
The man in the black suit felt cold sweat trickling down his spine at that expression, but he maintained an outward calm.
He didn’t like his assistant being flustered.
“Clean up after it. If it brings me trouble, you better start thinking about it yourself.”
“Yes, Master.”
———-
Who am I?
This has been one of the most important questions since humans became self-aware.
How a person defines “I” or “oneself” changes their attitude toward themselves.
Furthermore, the attitude one has toward oneself influences how others treat them, and such shifts in attitude can profoundly impact one’s life.
Why am I pondering such humanistic considerations?
A woman with neatly combed purple hair and a businesslike demeanor asks.
“Are you Luke Ilushi?”
“Yes, I am Luke Ilushi.”
“Hi, Luke. I’m the examiner sister. Can I ask you to call me Rachel?”
“Understood, Rachel.”
Having finished a simple introduction, Rachel asks Luke.
“Alright, Luke. May I know how old you are?”
Age.
That was also an important number that could define ‘me’.
However, Luke could not answer that question.
Luke couldn’t clearly remember when he died or if he died at all, so he couldn’t accurately recall his original age. Even if he did, with this body, no one would believe him.
Thus, Luke’s answer to the question that could be deemed so significant was once again, “I don’t know.”
“I don’t know.”
While it might seem he was roughly ten years old, Luke didn’t want to say, “I am ten years old.”
He didn’t want anyone to start thinking of him as a little girl of ten.
He knew too well that no one could see “the great mage, Luke Ilushi of the past” in him.
But he also didn’t want to deny himself. He couldn’t.
“I don’t know my age…”
However, Rachel took it lightly.
After all, it wasn’t uncommon not to know one’s age.
If someone had been imprisoned for a long time, unable to tell day from night, counting days would be ambiguous.
Even counting sleep as a day wouldn’t be accurate because a girl who underwent ‘beastification’ procedures wouldn’t have been allowed to sleep properly at night.
A slight chill ran down Rachel’s spine at the horrible imagination, but she didn’t show it.
Besides, she had already been informed through documents that the child had lost her memory.
So, it was no surprise that she couldn’t properly answer her age.
Seeing Luke’s glum expression, Rachel spoke gently to reassure him.
“It’s alright; it’s okay not to know your age. You just don’t remember, right?”
“That’s right. Not remembering is what frustrates me the most.”
She stopped him as he seemed to be trying to recall memories.
“Stop, stop. Don’t force yourself to remember. Got it?”
Recalling the memories of past abuse wouldn’t yield anything good.
In fact, it’d be better not to remember them at this point.
“Well… if you insist.”
“Right, right.”
As she sighed internally, she asked Luke again.
“By the way, about your ears… what’s going on with those horns?”
“The horns?”
Luke was clearly ‘human’.
Despite looking so out of place, he possessed human mana arrangement.
“Can you show me, can you?”
“Sure.”
Luke tilted his head aside and revealed the area where his horns grew to Rachel.
What was revealed were apparently solid and intricately connected horns.
Those wouldn’t come off no matter how much one pulled and shook them.
Well, since they were likely put there for that purpose, they shouldn’t fall off.
While grinding her teeth internally, she gently poked the horns.
“Can you feel anything?”
“Yes.”
“How does it feel?”
“Uhm… if I were to compare it, it feels like teeth.”
“Oh, I see.”
It seemed the nerves were perfectly integrated.
Given that state, removing them would surely entail significant pain. And even if they were to be removed, there was a risk of causing permanent physical harm.
How long ago had the procedure been done for it to become so ingrained?
‘I should tell the guardian to have a thorough examination later.’
Rachel noted “medical examination cost support” in her notebook, then asked Luke.
“Alright, Luke. How’s your heart? Does it hurt or anything?”
This was obviously a question about the Circle.
Luke nodded and replied.
“I’m fine. As long as I have enough mana, nothing will happen.”
“Hmm… So you mean you can control that Circle yourself?”
“Of course. The Circle is like my own arms and legs.”
Luke smiled at her, looking worried, trying to reassure her not to worry, but seeing that smile, she couldn’t help but give a wry smile in return.
‘Ah, how long has that Circle been left unaddressed… This poor thing…’
Not receiving timely removal procedures, it eventually came to this.
The pain humans experience when the Circle is engraved is beyond words.
And the intensity of that pain usually correlates with the amount of mana engraved in the Circle.
Due to Luke’s exceptionally high mana sensitivity among cases, the amount of mana inscribed in the Circle far exceeded the average and was among the highest of patients with “mana heart syndrome” worldwide.
Therefore, the pain he must have felt when the Circle was engraved on his heart was unimaginable.
And the engraving doesn’t end there.
Intermittent surges of mana lead to unimaginable pain from the Circle.
He must have desperately found a way to endure it.
“It must have been tough…”
“It wasn’t tough. So you should loosen that frown.”
“Ugh…”
Rachel felt like she could almost cry at that moment.
To think that someone would wrap their own pain as nothing when another person appears to be in distress.
How could this child be so mature?
Her heart ached.
“Alright, Luke. Last question. Are you happy now?”
Luke pondered for a moment but answered with a smile that seemed obvious.
“Of course!”
For a mage, new things are always right, and every day was so new to him.
And in that genuine smile, the examiner couldn’t help but make a decision about Luke’s future.
———
“Yerna, the examination is over. The results will be communicated via text in a week.”
“Ah, can’t I know right now…?”
“I also need to prepare additional documents and have them signed by the higher-ups, so it can’t be done right now…”
“Ah, I understand. Thank you. Should I walk you out?”
“It’s fine. I came alone too. Well then, goodbye.”
——–
And a week passed in the blink of an eye.
“Yerna, is it today?”
“Yes, it is today.”
Yerna clasped her cellphone tightly between her hands, her heart filled with anxiety.
“Please, please let me not be disqualified.”
Seeing Yerna so tense made Luke feel pity for her, so he approached her and patted her back.
“Don’t be too anxious. Even if I end up in a facility, I won’t forget your kindness. No matter when, I will definitely repay this grace you’ve shown me.”
“Luke…”
In that moment, her phone vibrated.
Yerna immediately unlocked the screen, checked the message, and froze completely.
“…”
Seeing her expression, Luke prepared to comfort her, thinking it was indeed a bad situation.
‘It really didn’t go well after all; I’m truly grateful for the care you’ve given me so far…’
But Yerna’s exclamation was far from that.
“Temporary extension for 3 years? Can it increase by that much?”
“3 years?”
Usually, temporary extensions would only be extended for at most a year.
But three years? That’s far too long.
Yerna, thinking there must be a reason, checked the message again.
– We would like to inform you that the temporary protection period of the temporary guardian, Yerna, has been extended. The extension period is 3 years. The expiration date for the temporary protection is December 10, 1024, and if there is no special reason, the child will be transferred to the facility designated by the government.
– The reason for the exceptional extension period is that the child currently trusts the temporary guardian very much and shows significant satisfaction with their current life, and the fact that the temporary guardian also wishes to adopt was taken into consideration. Additionally, a duration of one year is deemed inadequate for a rare species, the ‘Elf’, to find a partner.
– In consideration of the child being a patient with mana heart syndrome, additional medical financial support and mana allowance will be provided.
– Please submit the official examination results from a certified hospital within a month. The cost of the examination will be fully covered.
– Wishing peace for your home. Examiner, Children’s Family Division, Rachel Tenna.
Yerna burst into joyful cheers and hugged Luke.
“Yay! It’s done! We did it!”
“Uagh, Yerna, you’re choking me…!”
Luke turned his head away, completely stiff with the fear that Yerna might hurt herself on his horns, becoming a mere scarecrow.
