Chapter 104

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Translator: Ebonarch

Chapter: 104

Chapter Title: Gresha (4)

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Sion took great pride in her family.

And from a young age, she had spared no effort in her quest to live up to the expectations of the countless family members who praised her talent and the head of the house himself—always striving to be the best.

The fruits of those labors were her confirmation as the next head at age ten, her top admission and graduation from the Imperial Academy, and the title of the Empire's greatest genius.

Even as the daughter of a low-ranking noble, she possessed a brilliant body, beauty, and intellect that could secure a marriage alliance with a count or higher—or even the imperial family.

Sion herself had been thrilled at the fact that she, so deserving, could proudly assist in her current head Leon Gresha's secret research and contribute to his experiments.

But perhaps because she had grown up too perfectly, without a single failure or experience of negative emotions, her stomach couldn't handle the sight of the laboratory's near-madness.

"Uweeeek!!!"

And thanks to her genius intellect, which allowed her to grasp the truth even faster, she collapsed even harder.

"What...? Miss...?"

The head butler panicked at the sight of Sion vomiting right in front of him.

It was the first time even he had seen Sion's mental state shatter like this.

Family members often showed mild aversion when first entering the lab after coming of age, but nothing as intense as Sion's reaction.

"Hm... Disappointing, Sion."

"F-Father...?"

Leon Gresha had returned before she knew it, having heard the retching, and spoke in his usual flat tone.

Sion barely lifted her head amid the nausea to look at him, but the moment she saw his emotionless face—devoid of even a hint of concern—goosebumps erupted across her entire body.

"Fred. Take the young lady upstairs. Not today, it seems."

"Yes, sir."

The head of the house turned away immediately after expressing his disappointment at the sight of Sion slumped on the floor, heaving, and headed deeper into the laboratory.

It was the first time in her life she had ever heard the word "disappointing" from anyone.

Bang!

"Miss!!!"

"..."

"Are you okay?"

The next day, Marie came to check on Sion's condition and peered worriedly at her complexion.

"H-Huh.... Heh...."

Mion tightly embraced Sion, who had disheveled hair and was grinning vacantly like someone whose soul had fled.

"Miss...."

"Heh.... Heh...."

"Sion..."

"S-Sis.... I'm... bet...."

Choking up, Sion called her "sis" for the first time since childhood.

"Shh.... It's okay, Sion... It's okay...."

After holding and soothing her for a long while, Marie slowly spoke.

"Miss, the head of the house said you're to rest in your room for the next ten days—no external activities, nothing at all."

".....What?"

"He said you'd understand that."

"That...."

"And after that...."

Sion's mind raced sharply, even as she sobbed in Marie's ample embrace.

She had seen collateral relatives and long-time servants in the castle moving about.

She had spotted her uncle and cousin brother there at dawn, so entering that place must be akin to the Gresha family's coming-of-age rite.

It wasn't some event from the last year or two but a madness accumulated over a thousand years—most would be shocked, and the ten days were likely given to recover mentally.

"....Got it."

"And Miss... I won't be able to serve you ladies for a while."

"What?"

"Ahaha... Well... It's an order from the head of the house."

"What order?!"

"Um... I can't tell you right now."

Seeing Sion's condition improve slightly, Marie gently released her from the embrace, straightened her clothes from the bed, and turned to leave.

"M-Marie!!!"

"Then I won't see you for a bit. Farewell."

Clank—

Sion's mind shattered once more as she watched Marie leave, her expression not her usual lively one but coldly emotionless like the head of the house's, brushing off Sion's outstretched arm without mercy.

Creeeak—

Deep into the night, the door to Sion's room slowly opened.

Shh—

With a simple incantation, Sion's figure vanished.

During the ten days granted by the head, she had barely pieced together her shattered mind and found some stability.

And the place she headed to in the dead of night, sneaking away, was the head's office.

'Even if the head butler said it was officially recognized by the Empire... the imperial family might not know everything about the experiments.'

Recalling the official document issued for "cooperation" on the异種族 procurement business plan, she decided to search the head's office to grasp the family's true situation.

'If worst comes to worst....'

Though her connections were modest, she had built a network at the Academy too, so she moved without hesitation.

Clank—!

Creeeek—

"What the..."

Sion let out a hollow laugh at how laughably easy the office door opened.

Tap—

Putting away her smile, Sion swiftly entered, closed the door, and approached the desk with a tense expression.

"Phew..."

Recalling memories, she scanned the desk.

"Hm....?"

A single document lay atop the office desk. Unlike Leon's usual obsessively neat habits, it was tossed there somewhat carelessly.

As if he knew she would come and was urging her to check it, Sion glanced at the title of the prominently placed paper.

"Family.... tree?"

Flip—

Sion knew the family tree by heart, so seeing it in document form puzzled her, and she flipped it open without thinking.

Flutter—!

"...Huh?"

Strange markings appeared instead of the ordinary family tree she knew.

"Head maid...?"

The moment she saw the name under her birth mother, Natasha Gresha, Sion's mind froze.

"B-Brother...?"

Why was her cousin—her uncle's son—listed between the head maid and her father? Sion's head spun in confusion.

Her father was mid-forties, head maid Imelda was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fifty.

Cousin Pedro was twenty-five.

And Pedro's magical talent was as abysmal as Mion's.

"N-No way!!"

Shuffle—! Flip!!

Desperately denying it, Sion flipped through the thick stack and confirmed the records of countless incestuous unions to preserve the perfect bloodline of past heads.

And at the bottom of the family tree, annotated sections.

1) Children from father-daughter breeding have more stable mana circuits and higher awakening rates than mother-son.

2) However, incest increases the chance of rare diseases in offspring; sibling pairings raise it further, so avoid unless emergency. Prioritize wet nurses for reserve production.

3) For wet nurses, select after compatibility tests matching heir's genetic traits.

4) Pregnancy impairs mana operation, and miscarriage/birth harms circuits, so if female designated heir, pre-produce reserves via her siblings or maids.

5) Post-30 births risk difficult labor and negative mana awakening impact on child, so always secure at least two reserves for sudden heir gaps.

"Ah.... Ah....."

Unlike other nobles, the Gresha ducal vassal families were all collaterals.

What she thought was family tradition or traits were actually defects from inbreeding exiled as collaterals, preserving only superior blood—a bloodline that was itself a breeding lab.

In that instant, Sion realized why Mion, utterly lacking magical talent and no threat in succession, was treated by servants and the head with the same care as herself, despite no bullying.

Thud—!!!

Ten days ago, she had barely recovered from the family secret and acted, but facing an even greater one now broke her spirit harder.

"Haa... Miss—no, Sion."

"Hiiik!!!"

A low voice came from behind her.

"A bit late. I thought you'd dig it up sooner, Sion."

"M-Marie?"

Whirling around with a scream at the sudden voice, she saw Marie standing there in a sheer nightdress.

"Hoo...."

"M-Marie? You okay?"

Marie looked off.

Even in the head's office lit only by moonlight through the window, her skin was visibly flushed red, and she groaned in distress.

"I'm fine....."

"Your body's burning up!!!"

"That's...."

Sion rose and hugged her upon seeing her poor state, then flinched at Marie's feverish heat.

"Adjusting..."

"Adjusting what?"

"You just saw... Phew..."

"...!!"

Prioritize wet nurses for reserve production unless emergency.

"No way...!"

"First, redoing the wet nurse selection exam... and compatibility test with the head... body adjustment ongoing."

"Ah....."

"No mana circuits, yet compatible with you all and the head, he says... haha..."

Sion asked Marie, who was already resigned.

"Wh.... When did you know?"

"Hm? When I came of age, the head maid told me everything."

"The underground lab too?"

"Yep."

"I... I...!!!"

"What can you do?"

Grab—!

Marie ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gripped Sion's arm and murmured.

"I... heh... was gonna confess to Alex once I came of age?"

"Ah...."

Alex was Marie's age-mate, security captain in the castle.

Even young Sion had noticed the subtle vibes between them, and Marie chattered happily about her crush.

But suddenly, Marie stopped mentioning Alex, and Sion assumed it ended badly.

"I was proud serving the glorious ducal house, thought I looked cool tending noble-blooded ladies... but turns out wet nurses exist just as seedbeds. I didn't know."

"....."

"If I'd known...!!!!"

Thwack—!!

Marie screamed and punched Sion's chest with a fist.

But it was playful, without force.

"If I'd known.... I wouldn't have loved you all this much....."

"Marie...!"

Sion hugged back and sobbed as Marie clung to her with a mix of love and hate, weeping.

After crying in each other's arms for a long time, the women faced each other.

"Sion."

"Yeah... Marie."

"If you can't decide after the ten days the head gave."

"Yeah."

"Mion..."

"What?!!!"

"So I said I'd do it."

"You can't...!"

"Whether you abandon the experiments and leave a succession gap, or keep the young lady role fully—someday Mion and I will bear the head's children."

"......"

"Your talent's real.... Better to persuade you than impregnate. Probably using this document to bind you. 'Obey nicely if you don't want to see your sister bear Father's child.'"

"Ugh...!"

Sion retched at her so-called father's actions—no, the family's obsessive madness over bloodlines.

"So Sion, I'll buy time."

"What...?"

"Already told the head. If making a reserve for emergencies... make it with me first."

"...."

"Head maid too.... bore a fool, but as compensation? She's head maid now."

"That's...!"

"Hehe... Only this territory uses commoner wet nurses, and I've already repaid my parents plenty."

"Marie.... Sniff....!"

"Don't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cry. Like when you got wet nurses at five, it'll take five years to test the born child. Mion's not of age yet, so at least 2-3 years, max five—you find a way by then!"

Sion burst into tears again at Marie's tear-streaked eyes and smiling lips.