I Was Transported to Another World with a Male-to-Female Ratio of 1:3000 and Made into a Breeding Pet for the Demon Lord’s Army - 62

Chapter 62: Ken-Chan… Just Who Are You, Exactly?

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“Now then, I’ll report the results of my infiltration investigation into the human race over the past two weeks… It might not meet your expectations, but please don’t get mad, okay?”

“Of course not. I don’t believe you’d ever slack off on a mission—especially one involving males. I’ll take your report seriously, no matter what it says.”

Besides, the letter said this investigation was ordered directly by the Demon Lord herself. There shouldn’t be any idiot who’d slack off on a mission that important.

“Thank you very much. First, regarding the suspicion that ‘a curse may have been placed on all male humans’… Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to investigate this at all.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“Yes. For this mission, I infiltrated the human nation as a mercenary hired to stand guard. But, as expected, I wasn’t able to gain enough trust in just two weeks, so I couldn’t become a bodyguard for any male. On top of that, the area where males are kept is under extremely strict security. I couldn’t get past it even while invisible.”

“Hmm. Then it can’t be helped… Better that than getting caught doing something reckless.”

If someone from the Demon Lord’s army were seen in contact with a human male, they could easily be accused of kidnapping. Ideally, this was an issue I’d want resolved immediately, but since it also involved Ken-chan, it might be wiser to proceed cautiously rather than digging too deep right now.

“Then what about the other matter? Did you find out anything about Ken-chan’s origins?”

“Nothing of note, unfortunately… I tried sneaking a peek at some documents, but there was no information about anyone resembling Ken-chan, or even any reports of missing males.”

“So, no results at all, huh.”

“Yes… I’m really sorry, especially after being paid so much. I already spent the money on Ken-chan merchandise, so I can’t offer a refund, but I’ll return it with my gratitude instead.”

Maetel hunched her shoulders and lowered her head deeply, nervously.

No, perhaps this should be considered a result in itself: the fact that there’s no record of any missing males might be a critical clue in our investigation.

“Hmm… If we take this investigation at face value, then it seems there wasn’t some grand scheme or conspiracy on the humans’ side.”

“But then, where did Ken-chan come from?”

“That’s the question…”

If I had to throw out a theory on the spot: perhaps a royal court mage happened to create Ken-chan by chance and placed a curse on him so he couldn’t escape the home. And the reason there was no record of him going missing was simply because his existence was never officially acknowledged in the country—so even if he escaped, there’d be no one to report it.

If that theory was true, then everything made sense. 

“Sadly, I’m completely stumped. Even I have to throw in the towel on this one.”

But still, something about it didn’t sit right. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something much larger—something that could shake the very foundation of this world—was behind all of this.

“Oh, right. The investigation I was assigned ended in failure, but I did hear a rather interesting rumor.”

“An interesting rumor?”

“Yes, apparently, for the past few years, various monster cries have been heard from inside the castle. One mercenary snuck into the room where the noises came from and found all sorts of creatures they’d never seen before.”

“Creatures never seen before… As someone who researches living things, that certainly piques my curiosity. What were their characteristics? Can you tell me more?”

“Yes. All the beasts in that room were small-bodied, and their fangs and claws were underdeveloped—oddly so, considering they were supposedly raised in the demon realm. But the strangest part was that every single one of them was a male.”

“A bunch of unknown male creatures… That’s definitely suspicious.”

In this world, magic beasts were no exception: males were rare and valuable. Wild magic beasts sometimes attacked others of different species just to produce chimeras. And finding multiple new species—ones not chimeras—in the human realm, which was surrounded by the demon world? That was far too unnatural.

“It’s suspicious, right? This is just my personal theory, but… I think the humans might be creating homunculi—specifically male ones.”

“What? No, no. Don’t you think you’re overthinking it? Maybe they’re just collecting rare males whenever they find one?”

“No… Actually, I have proof that supports the theory. Please take a look at this little one.”

Rustle rustle… rustle rustle…

“Nyaa~”

From inside her cloak, Maetel pulled out a fluffy little creature that looked like a plush toy. It gazed up with beady eyes and let out a voice so adorably innocent you’d feel an overwhelming urge to protect it.

“What is this? Its claws and fangs are underdeveloped… Is it a juvenile magic beast of some sort? Still, I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“I believe this one may have been born from an experiment. It was so weak I couldn’t just leave it there, so I brought it with me. Right now, we’re traveling together, and I’ve named it ‘Fuwafuwa-maru.’”

“You really are something…”

“Nyaa~”

Snuuuuggle, snuggle, snuggle…

The fluffball on the desk rubbed its cheek affectionately against Maetel’s arm. Such friendliness was rare for a magic beast… and it was just so endearingly cute.

“I’ll keep it a secret from the Demon Lord… Oh? It’s wearing a collar. Did you put that on it? It looks quite expensive.”

“No, it already had that on when I found it. Actually, there’s something strange about it I’d like you to take a look at.”

Saying this, Maetel gently flipped over the collar.

【Mii-chan: If you spot me in the city, please scan this QR code and contact us. ‘Nagano Prefecture, XX City…】

“What is this? These are… Rounded characters I’ve never seen before. Is it some kind of code? And these square symbols all clustered together… Just looking at them makes my eyes feel funny.”

“Maybe it’s some kind of identification code for the homunculus. Those squares might be a code only humans can understand… Or something like that.”

“I see, so you’re saying this is evidence of humans manufacturing homunculi?”

Certainly, the collar seemed to serve some purpose beyond just identifying it as a pet. In particular, those strange square patterns that couldn’t quite be called letters or symbols—there was no way they were mere decoration. They had to be some kind of code.

“But… if we’re going to report this to the Demon Lord, we need something even more convincing as evidence.”

“In that case, there’s one more decisive piece of evidence—in the lower half of its body. Please pick it up and take a look.”

“Wha—pick it up!? Are you sure that’s safe? What if it falls apart the moment I touch it!?”

“It’s fine, really. Just lift it gently from under the arms.”

“O-okay… Like this?”

“Nyaa~”

Lick, lick… lick, lick…

The fluffy creature began licking the finger I used to lift it, as if puzzled by it. Despite me being many times its size, it showed no fear whatsoever. I couldn’t help but wonder how it had survived this long. It reminded me of Ken-chan…

I wonder what Ken-chan is doing right now…

“So I just look at the lower half? Lower half… Lower half… I don’t see anything… Wait, nothing?!”

“Nyaa?”

Yes—there was nothing there. The body part that should have obviously been present in any living creature had been completely erased, as if it was erased by magic.

“Neither male nor female genitalia… What in the world is going on!?”

Could that even be possible? There was nowhere else it could be. Judging from its appearance, its genitals should be located around here. 

“The reproductive organs that should exist in any living creature are missing… This is proof that the human race is creating homunculi. Most likely, this child is a failed creation born during the process of making a male,”

“I see… A creature born naturally would have to possess those organs. So their absence becomes definitive proof that it wasn’t born through natural means.”

As a theory, it made sense. Maybe it could be overlooked in the case of small insects, but for a mammal of this size to lack reproductive organs was simply unthinkable. The possibility that the organs had been removed crossed my mind for a moment, but there was no reason to do such a thing to a precious male.

“Also, this child might have some connection to Ken-chan.”

“Oh? Now you’re bringing Ken-chan into this… Hey, don’t tell me—”

“The fact that his origins are completely unknown… And taking into account the presence of a curse—an inhumane act—it’s possible that Ken-chan too…”

THUD!

“Stop right there… Even if it’s just a hypothesis, there are things that should and shouldn’t be said. Anything more than that would be an insult to Ken-chan, who is doing his best to live right now! I won’t tolerate it!”

I slammed the desk hard, rejecting Maetel’s theory outright.

Don’t screw with me… After all this time, I finally found him—my fated partner—and you’re telling me he’s not even human? Like hell I’m accepting that!

“I-I’m sorry. I went too far with my speculation…”

“…No, I’m the one who should apologize for yelling all of a sudden. I’ll go ask the Master for a drink and get some fresh air while I’m at it.”

Clatter!

Struggling to hold back the surging emotions, I quietly stepped out of the soundproofed room enclosed by magical barriers.

The lack of caution, not even running when approached by a female… A powerful curse, strong enough to threaten the life of a precious male… And a total mystery—no one knows where he came from or who he even is…

“Ken-chan… Just what are you, exactly?”

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