Chapter 10

I became a genius father in the game - Chapter 10 (10/109)

That Voice (2)

After finishing the headache-inducing composition, I left the castle with Lucis, riding a horse.

It was my first time riding, so I was quite nervous, but it turned out to be simpler than I thought.

'Seymour's body seems to be familiar with horseback riding.'

Not only the language of this world, but everything Seymour's body was accustomed to seemed to come naturally to me.

'After all, it's the same body.'

The horse, being a fine steed, moved in the direction I wanted without much effort on my part.

'Or maybe it's thanks to Lucis?'

Lucis, finding horseback riding interesting for the first time, was holding the horse's mane with one hand and petting it with the other.

"Clippity-clop, clippity-clop."

- Neigh!

"Clippity-clop?"

- Whinny!

It seemed they were having a conversation, exchanging words.

The horse moved carefully, trying not to burden Lucis, showing great joy each time her hand touched it.

Apparently, animals in this world liked dragons more than humans.

'After all, they're both animals, so they might feel closer to each other.'

If I were in their position, I would probably approach a giant, gentle giant with interest.

"Dragons are essentially giant lizards that have evolved to be magically compatible..."

I must have muttered this thought aloud without realizing it.

"?!"

Lucis turned her head sharply, looking at me with wide, shocked eyes.

The piercing sense of betrayal in her large eyes, as if asking, "Is that what you think of me?" made me instinctively realize I had misspoken. I quickly changed my words.

"I mean, they are incredibly great, almost god-like lizards..."

"?!"

It seemed the word "lizard" was a no-go.

"No, I mean, 'lizard' is a short form for a race that possesses 'do' something unbelievable, 'ma' perfect magical power, and resembles a 'snake'..."

"?!"

"No, no. Snakes resemble dragons. Dragons are great beings that have existed since the beginning of time."

"..."

The great Dragon Lady looked at me, as if urging me to say more.

"To add, they have wings... and, um, a beautiful tail... and... anyway, they are an incredibly magnificent existence that can't be described with words."

"Hmm."

Lucis nodded, seemingly satisfied, and turned her eyes away.

Looking at her small back, I sighed softly.

'One word from me can elicit such a big reaction...'

It was a moment when I realized I needed to be careful with my words around children.

* * *

I rode the horse to a small hill near the castle.

It was a gentle hill with a few trees, where the young ladies of the estate often came to enjoy the flowers.

'Fortunately, no one is here today.'

I dismounted with Lucis.

"Ooh..."

Lucis looked around, her mouth forming a perfect circle.

Come to think of it, this was the first time I had brought Lucis to such a nature-filled place.

"Flowers."

Lucis showed interest in the flowers blooming under the trees.

She waddled over and plopped down on the ground.

'Sia would scream if she saw this.'

Sia, who had recently taken on the role of Lucis's nanny, had become interested in dressing Lucis up, and was increasingly putting her in elaborate dresses.

The more elaborate the dress, the more it had frills and decorations, and the more it would get dirty when she sat on the ground.

'Not my problem, though.'

Moreover, Sia's screaming wouldn't end there.

"Uh-huh!"

While admiring the flowers, Lucis closed her eyes and gathered her strength.

"Hmm!"

She looked like she was trying to push something out.

As she did, her back and buttocks began to bulge—

Rip!

A pair of snow-white wings unfolded, tearing the back of her dress.

A tail sprouted from her waist, poking through a hole.

Lucis flapped her wings and tail a few times, then smiled contentedly.

"Hmm."

She then lay down on the grass.

It seemed she wanted to bask in the sunlight, something she hadn't done in a while.

"Uh?"

After lying on the grass for a moment, Lucis, finding the position uncomfortable, turned her head this way and that, then looked at me with bright eyes.

"Uh, uh."

She patted the ground in front of her.

I sat down where she had patted. A tree trunk nearby provided a comfortable spot to lean against.

Lucis then climbed onto my lap, lying half on my legs, like laundry drying on a roof or a cat stretching out.

She seemed comfortable with just her head and upper body raised, and she let out a deep breath.

"Phew."

I gently lifted her hair from her forehead.

Her golden eyes met mine.

After a moment, I looked up and took in the view of the estate below.

The sunlight filtering through the trees, the pleasant breeze, the distant estate, and the small weight and warmth on my lap.

It was a perfect moment.

'Is this what happiness feels like?'

It had been a long time since I had a break.

I had been busy adapting and dealing with the collateral relatives after falling into this world.

'It feels good to relax.'

Wasn't this what I had longed for in my overseas travel before I worked myself to death?

I patted Lucis's back and enjoyed the scenery for a while.

* * *

After enjoying the break, I prepared to do what I had come here for.

I had left the castle and come to this hill to practice magic.

'While it's not necessary to practice magic in a place with few eyes, still...'

I didn't like people gauging my magical power. I wasn't at a level I could show to others yet.

'Let's check the skill window first.'

As I thought, a glowing window of magic appeared before my eyes.

┏━━━━━━

┃ Faint Dragon Bloodline

┃ Basic Gravity Magic (1%)

┃ Basic Magic Affinity (0%)

┃ High Education (17%)

┃ Strong Body (67%)

┃ Superior Willpower (32%)

┗━━━━━━

I chuckled, thinking it might be due to the banquet incident.

'Considering that, magic practice is essential.'

I didn't want to change personalities like a different person every time I used magic. I also didn't want to accidentally cast magic when my emotions flared up.

So, I needed to perfect it through practice and make it a part of my own power.

'Seymour's power grew quickly thanks to the contract.'

Seymour reached '3-star' status within a year of making the contract.

'Star' is a level in this game world that indicates strength.

It's a system derived from how characters in mobile games are leveled up, where 'how many skills have been mastered' is the metric.

'Each time a skill is mastered, physical attributes also increase significantly.'

When characters in mobile games are 'limit broken' or 'transcended,' their overall stats increase with each additional star. This system is similar.

Each time a star is gained, the level of mastery also increases.

'Seymour mastered [Gravity Magic], [Human Experimentation], and [Artifact Efficiency].'

Even so-called geniuses take nearly a year to master a single skill, and ordinary people take at least ten years.

Seymour's rapid growth was due to several unique reasons.

'The first is the contract with the Mausoleum.'

While the contract is vaguely described as just a 'contract,' I, as Seymour, now know its exact contents.

The most helpful aspect of the contract for growth was undoubtedly the skill window.

'Being able to see the percentage increase in real-time allowed for the most efficient methods to be chosen.'

The visual representation of growth was a significant advantage.

'The second is Seymour's characteristic, narcissism.'

Narcissism, or self-obsession.

In simple terms, it's a trait of being very self-absorbed.

At first glance, it might seem like a trait to emphasize Seymour's decadent and arrogant side, but it actually helps significantly with magical growth.

'The most important factors in using magic are magic power and will.'

For divine magic, which borrows the power of gods, the important factors are faith and will.

Both magic and divine magic are based on 'wishing.'

'In divine magic, one wishes for a god to perform a miracle, while in magic, one wishes to perform a supernatural ability oneself.'

The will needed to use magic is often interpreted as 'belief in oneself,' which is stronger in beings with high pride.

'For example, even a less intellectually developed hatchling dragon can use powerful magic due to its innate magic power and immense pride.'

This is why most mages have eccentric or arrogant personalities. In Seymour's case, as the embodiment of narcissism, it was even more pronounced.

'The third is the unique training method Seymour used.'

In this world, the concept of gravity exists and is understood as 'a force that pulls downward.'

However, Seymour focused on the word 'pull' and practiced gravity magic by pushing and pulling in all directions—up, down, left, right, forward, and backward.

This was also a pattern in Seymour's gameplay, where he would fling the player in all directions.

'Seymour instinctively found the most optimal method to train his 'will muscles.''

From this perspective, Seymour was indeed a genius.

In the original story, he once used the power of gravity to stop all incoming arrows and spells mid-air, as if using telekinesis.

'Should I try it?'

While continuing to pet Lucis with one hand, I extended the other toward a fruit on a tree.

'Fly.'

I had already practiced making things fall with the pigeon, so this time I tried to pull the fruit upward.

"..."

Rustle.

The leaf above the fruit moved, but I couldn't tell if it was due to my magic or the wind.

I focused my will again.

'Fly.'

But the fruit remained motionless.

I clicked my tongue.

'Just because I'm in Seymour's body doesn't mean I'm completely him...'

While the body's habits came naturally, I couldn't possess his personality or thoughts.

After all, genius isn't something that can be achieved through effort.

'Can narcissism be achieved through effort?'

After a moment's thought, I shook my head.

'Even if Seymour is handsome, it's hard to fall in love with my own face.'

Of course, it's undeniable that Seymour is the most handsome man in the empire.

If I were a woman and possessed the body of another woman, I would definitely have fallen for Seymour.

After all, I spent weeks drawing him, so it's only natural.

'In this world, no one can deny that Seymour is the most handsome and Lucis is the cutest, even if the gods descended.'

I nodded several times.

'In fact, the beauty of these two might make the gods fly back to heaven...'

At that moment,

Snap!

Whoosh!

The fruit suddenly detached from the branch and shot up into the sky.

"..."

Staring at the fruit that flew high and then fell nearby, I looked down at my hand.

...Could it be?

No, really?

"Am I a genius?"

"?!"

Lucis, who had been lying on my lap enjoying the sun, jumped up and looked at me in surprise.