Two acts of mercy.
Ruger had never expected this. Teacher, family, overseer, admirer, and perhaps more besides-over those long years, Jenny had been an extraordinarily complicated presence in old Lunse's life. The old dog-head had even called her his owner.
As for those two acts of mercy, the first was naturally to let old Lunse struggle on his own, trying to seize an opportunity that was unlikely to come to anything. If he failed, Jenny would consider him free to return to his duties with peace of mind. After all, that was what he had been created for. The second act of mercy was represented by Ruger, this little dog-head. How could someone who should never have existed, a being created from nothing through an experiment, have any younger relatives? The clause in the contract about nurturing a younger generation was simply permission for old Lunse to try to leave descendants of his own in this world.
Now, though, it seemed the old dog-head had either never done so or never succeeded. In fact, many Wizards found it difficult to have offspring after becoming powerful, bloodline Wizards especially. Some ceased to be human even while they were still weak, and old Lunse's circumstances were an exceptionally unusual case even among bloodline Wizards.
In that case, what nephew was there to speak of? In Jenny's eyes, this strange-looking nephew of his had evidently become a child old Lunse had somehow cobbled together.
No wonder Jenny had reacted that way back then.
Thinking back briefly, Ruger recalled his first meeting with Jenny. At the time, he had wondered whether this powerful Aunt Jenny would see through the fact that he and old Lunse were not related by blood.
Old Lunse had said Jenny would believe whatever came out of his big canine