Chapter 148
Translator: penny
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: Refugees - 3
Elsia and I talked it over, and then I went straight to find Chloe.
Chloe was preparing food for the refugees alongside Sylvia.
"I'm back."
"Dear, you're home?"
"Sian~"
Chloe approached me first, followed by Sylvia coming to my side.
Unlike Chloe, who was in the early stages of pregnancy, Sylvia's belly was already showing noticeably.
"Sylvia, you're pregnant—don't push yourself too hard."
"No, no. I've been overflowing with energy lately. I feel great."
Sylvia showed me her arm in response to my concern, but I couldn't shake off my worry.
'We've got plenty of money now. Time to hire help for the housework.'
I'm a proper noble now—I didn't want my women getting their hands wet with chores forever.
"Sylvia, you don't need to do any more housework."
"Hm?"
"I'm planning to hire a few refugees as maids. And you're my woman—I can't keep making you work so hard."
"But... I don't know how to do anything else."
"You've got something else you need to do for me. And you're pregnant right now. Think about our child."
"Sian..."
After sharing a brief kiss with the blushing Sylvia,
I took Chloe to my room.
"Dear, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."
"Why are you apologizing?"
I pulled Chloe into my arms and said,
"You're my wife. You have every right to speak up, and I respect your choices."
"Dear..."
"You trust me, so I have to trust you too. That's what marriage is."
We exchanged tender gazes, and naturally, our kiss deepened with passion.
"Hero, you're bac—sorry."
Helia showed up with Ciel right at the worst moment.
In the awkward silence that followed, I wasn't sure what to do.
"Ahh-boo-ahh!"
"Ciel~ Daddy's here."
Thankfully, my daughter—who'd been looking for me—broke the tension.
"She feels heavier than before. Looks like she's taking to solid food well."
"Yes, she's started crawling on all fours lately. She might take her first steps any day now."
"Really?"
Maybe she takes after me athletically—Ciel was already full of energy and movement.
"Keep growing big and strong like this."
I planted a kiss on Ciel's cheek, and she beamed back with a bright smile.
"Ahh-boo-ah! Ah-boo-boo!"
"That's right, Daddy loves you too."
Maybe because I hadn't played with her lately, Ciel clung to me, tugging at my clothes with her adorable little fists.
After playing with Ciel for a bit, Helia looked at me and said admiringly,
"You've grown even more robust in just the last few days."
"Yeah, swallowing the divine essence cured me completely."
"So the report was true."
"Does it show?"
"You don't look different on the outside, but the divine power within you feels completely transformed."
Helia checked my condition and, looking concerned, asked cautiously,
"Hero, have you felt any dizziness or mental confusion lately?"
"No, nothing like that. Why?"
Helia glanced at Chloe before whispering in my ear.
Hmm, that feels oddly intimate.
"Divine essence is a lump of divinity. And divinity carries the will of the gods."
"Yeah?"
"In the past, one Titan devoured multiple gods, and the clashing wills within that divinity drove him completely mad—he even ate his wife and child."
Getting stronger but slowly going insane? That's straight out of a certain story.
'But Helen and Ellie didn't mention anything.'
Maybe Helia was jumping to conclusions.
If eating one bit of divine essence from a mere god drove you mad, the Holy Kingdom wouldn't have invested so much in me.
"I'm fine. Thanks for worrying."
"It's nothing. It's only natural as your nymph."
Helia smiled at my thanks.
Maybe because she served Hestia, she bore a subtle resemblance to Helen.
"Helia, are you related to Helen by blood?"
"No relation to the Second Apostle."
"Really? You look a lot alike."
"Hero?"
Pheasant not available, chicken it is—I pinched Helia's cheek in Helen's stead.
Amused by the sight, Ciel reached out and patted Helia's cheek too.
I naturally handed Ciel off to Helia and went to see the rest of my family.
...
Clara and Vivian were hunting at the edge of the Dark Forest.
Even if it's early pregnancy, isn't hunting pushing it?
'They've all gotten good at using the aura Camilla taught them.'
Clara's arrow struck the War Bear squarely in the eye, and Vivian charged with a throwing axe unique to the Fangless tribe.
Vivian's axe, cloaked in blue aura, slammed down on the War Bear's front paw.
The War Bear let out a agonized howl.
They were hunting it just as I'd instructed.
"Groooaaar!"
"Vivian! Let's run!"
"Tch!"
They could've handled the War Bear between them, but another one appeared out of nowhere.
'Winter's approaching—makes the War Bears more active.'
Occasionally, losers of food competitions wander out of their territory, and this one seemed to be one.
'A War Bear in the Dark Forest is just wild dog level, though.'
Judging two at once too much for them, Vivian started retreating while Clara covered her with her bow.
'They just caught that one together—waste to leave it.'
I focused divinity at my fingertip. Blue light condensed, then shot skyward as lightning that smashed the War Bear.
Rumble—boom!
Thunder cracked like it split the heavens, flashing and tearing the War Bear apart.
"Sian?"
"My lord!"
Clara gaped at the divine might, while Vivian rushed to me with flushed cheeks.
And I was surprised too.
'What? Feels even stronger.'
I'd meant to subdue it easily with lightning, but the War Bear was reduced to ash without a trace.
'Didn't notice before, but being in the Dark Forest lifts my spirits.'
Maybe because we're closer to the Titan Mountains.
The world's only place with Titan remnants.
'Gotta climb it someday.'
I thought I was strong enough already, but the Titan Mountains didn't look climbable yet.
'Not time yet.'
I'll go after getting stronger.
"My lord! I missed you."
Vivian, now fluent in the imperial tongue, threw herself into my arms, followed by Clara.
"You feeling okay now?"
"Didn't you see that lightning? Not just cured—stronger than ever."
"Thank goodness. Really."
Seeing Clara tear up hurt my heart for no reason.
No more getting hurt from now on.
"Clara, you hunted because we're short on food, right?"
"Yeah, not enough bread for the refugees."
"No one shared grain?"
"Everyone helped a bit, but not much."
"Can't be helped."
Even if the Village Chief decided, the villagers wouldn't follow enthusiastically.
'Expecting charity from a remote rural village is foolish to begin with.'
They're busy surviving themselves—no room to help others.
"Let's grab that one and head home."
"That one?"
"Giant Boar's just ahead."
Since getting the lightning divinity, my hearing sharpened a bit.
Not comic-book super senses, but I could pick up hidden monsters' breaths.
"Can't resist pork."
I swiftly hunted the Giant Boar, then butchered it with Clara and Vivian's War Bear.
...
The people of Lugeron Village aren't ignorant of good meat.
They love juicy cuts too.
But the Dark Forest's warped ecosystem left little room for hunting, so meat was rare.
No wonder Clara called it a precious food for special days.
'And with bodies like that despite rarely eating it?'
In other words, winning hearts with meat would be easy.
"Oppa, whatcha doing?"
"Handing out meat to the villagers."
As the new lord, I figured sharing meat like housewarming sweets.
"Sian, gonna smoke it?"
"Easier to store that way. Kids, help your oppa out."
"Okay!"
Clia helped with Becky and Bessy. Used to it, the kids prepared everything smoothly.
"Clia, gonna add some spices here."
"Spices?"
"Heh, real pepper."
"Pepper?!"
The priceless spice had them jumping.
"Nobles sure are different."
"Wanna taste?"
"Me!"
Clia snatched the pepper I'd offered Clara and inhaled it.
Hey, that's not how you—
"Cough cough! Wh-what is this?!"
Pepper's nose-tingling spiciness brought tears and snot.
"Oppa! Pepper's this spicy?!"
"Of course. Spices are flavorings. Told you not to snatch."
"Waaah!"
I ignored Clia's misery and prepped the smoke with the kids.
"Mmm, smells good."
I selected wood chips for the fire and sprinkled pepper on top. The rising smoke mixed with meat aroma, whetting appetites everywhere.