Chapter 160
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 160
“Yes, just like that. Breathe in... and out...”
The room was draped in heavy curtains, blocking out even the faintest sliver of sunlight.
A midwife, her face partially obscured by a veil, gave quiet, careful instructions while pressing her ear against the noblewoman’s belly. Standing directly behind them was a man in his early thirties—the husband, presumably—watching the scene with his arms crossed and a guarded expression.
“Whew...”
“Inhale, exhale—yes, that’s it.”
While many in Kalamaf took on midwifery as a side job, this woman was famous for her secret methods of confirming a pregnancy. She would listen to the womb, check the tension in the tendons of the hand, or even have the woman urinate on barley sprouts to see if they germinated.
Some of her methods were more accurate than others, but when she employed them all at once, she was rarely wrong. Her forty years of experience told her that the woman before her was undoubtedly with child.
“It has likely been about a month and a half to two months.”
“I see.”
Turan and Meisa both wore expressions clouded by a complex swirl of emotions.
Their lack of pure joy, combined with the fact that they had summoned a midwife to this secluded house while keeping their faces hidden, made it obvious that this wasn't a typical married couple.
What could they be? the midwife wondered. A high-born lady and her secret lover?
The curiosity flickered only for a moment before she lowered her head, dismissing the thought. She didn't know the details, but she had lived a long life by knowing exactly when not to poke her nose into dangerous business.
“Then, for your fee...?”
“Here.”
After receiving her payment, the midwife left the manor. She turned back for a moment and offered a small, silent prayer. Whatever their relationship was, she hoped the child would at least grow up blessed.
*
In the heart of Kalamaf, at the Parsha family headquarters.
Meisa and Turan, having returned from the midwife, sat on the sofa in the lounge. They didn't say a word until they finally pulled each other into a tight embrace. It wasn't that they were upset; their minds were simply overflowing.
The situation they were in was far too complicated to simply rejoice at the news of a new life.
Turan stared blankly at Meisa’s still-flat stomach. Even with his senses as a Holy Relic, it was difficult to detect the tiny life slumbering within. To his eyes, her entire body appeared like a mass of light, surging with a staggering amount of mana.
I was the one who insisted on the checkup, but it still doesn't feel real...
He was twenty-one now. Had he been an ordinary man, he might have already been married with a child or two. Of course, as seen with the still-unmarried Asiz or Solif, long-lived nobles often remained childless until their forties or sixties. Even at that age, their physical bodies were equivalent to someone in their mid-to-late twenties.
I didn't expect her to get pregnant this quickly.
Ever since they had shared their hearts and bodies on the rocky mountain months ago, Turan and Meisa had used several well-known contraceptive methods whenever they were intimate—avoiding fertile windows or using auxiliary tools.
This was to prevent the family’s military strength from weakening. For an Enchanter, even a few weeks of absence to create a powerful magic tool was risky; being pregnant meant she would be effectively sidelined as a combatant for nearly a year.
Of course, the best way would have been to maintain a proper distance as they had during their travels... but how could a young man and woman in their prime, knowing each other's feelings, exercise such restraint? Especially under the extreme stress of constant battles against powerful enemies and the weight of managing a massive organization.
Regardless, despite their precautions, neither had expected a child to be conceived so soon. Perhaps it was because both had lost their parents or been abandoned at a young age, leaving them without a proper education on such matters.
Ssshh. Turan took a light breath while holding Meisa. Because she refrained from using strong-scented cosmetics out of consideration for his sensitive nose, her emotions came through clearly.
Anxiety, and trepidation...
Turan spoke to comfort her.
“Meisa.”
“...Yes?”
“Thank you.”
Instead of asking what he was thankful for, Meisa simply squeezed the hand Turan had wrapped around her. Then, she whispered in a trembling voice.
“Why... why did it have to happen now, in such a dangerous situation?”
“Don't say it 'happened.' This is our child. They were kind enough to come to us.”
Our child.
Saying it aloud made the reality sink in. A being that was an extension of himself, carried by the woman he loved... A being more precious and fragile than any of the lambs protected within his fence—something he had to protect at all costs.
“We should keep it a secret for now, right?”
“Yes. For the time being.”
Normally, this would be a cause for celebration, but with enemies surrounding them, they couldn't afford that luxury. If Meisa’s pregnancy became widely known, enemies would target her relentlessly in battle. While pregnancy wouldn't significantly diminish her mana or magical skill, the child in her womb could not withstand the attacks Meisa herself could easily endure. If she had to dodge every minor blow that would normally just cause a bit of pain, she wouldn't be able to fight properly.
In fact, there were problems even after the birth.
A child born between two people who were essentially the heads of Great Families. If they were terribly unlucky, the child might inherit weak power due to the influence of Turan's commoner grandmother, but otherwise, it was highly likely they would be born with talent at the highest rank or above.
That alone would make the child a target for enemies to kill or kidnap. It was even more concerning considering their enemies were fallen gods who delighted in stealing the bodies of the talented.
Meisa stroked her belly and spoke softly.
“I just... I feel so sorry for the baby. I wish they could have been born while everyone was celebrating.”
Turan and Meisa were essentially life partners, but they had not performed a formal companion rite. This was a strategic move to ensure she could smoothly take her place as the ruler of Arabion after they eventually attacked and conquered it. For instance, if Turan had been a woman and Solif his companion, the resentment from the Baraha nobles would have been several times greater. It would have looked like their family had been reduced to a puppet of the Parsha family.
Because of this, their first child was suddenly in the position of being essentially illegitimate.
“I’ll make sure that happens.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll make sure this child is born under everyone’s blessing. As my rightful heir.”
Meisa’s eyes widened in surprise at Turan’s determined murmur. How could such a thing be easy? Setting aside social issues like a formal partnership, there was no telling if their child would actually be born with the talent of a family head...
“Ah, wait. Could it be?”
“That’s right. Not now, but once they’ve grown a bit more.”
Turan nodded in response to Meisa’s unspoken question. Just as those gods did, soul magic could be used to manipulate the talent of a fetus or newborn to some extent—using a massive amount of souls as raw material.
Though not in the same way as the gods, Turan, having learned some techniques from the Half-Elves, could do something similar if he set his mind to it.
“But there’s no need to sacrifice innocents like those bastards do. We have plenty of materials anyway.”
The fallen gods lurking within the other distant families. Grinding their souls down to use as materials would literally be killing two birds with one stone. Not only would he be gifting his child with extraordinary talent, but he would also be creating a clean world free of the fallen gods who coveted such bodies.
*
After learning of Meisa’s pregnancy, Turan restricted her movements and lifestyle so that she was never far from his side. It was similar to when she had exhausted herself making Solif’s Sun Cloak.
He kept only his most trusted maids close enough to notice signs like morning sickness, and he took one additional measure.
“I was truly wrong, My Lord... Please, just once, forgive me...”
“Take her away.”
At Turan’s command, a maid who had been pleading in tears was dragged away by knights. To a place from which she would never return.
Standing beside him, Asiz watched the maid being dragged off with an expression as if he had swallowed something bitter.
“Yanel... she used to play house with me when we were kids.”
Originally, Turan had tolerated local spies who had been recruited rather than those sent directly from other families. He calculated that it would be difficult for such people to leak critical information, and if he blocked them, the enemies would only try to infiltrate in more insidious ways.
But now that he had something he absolutely had to hide, he used every means at his disposal—including the Zahar bloodline’s unique sense of smell—to conduct a full-scale purge of traitors within the family.
The results showed that far more people than expected were under the influence of other families. Even the maid who had just been dragged away was, as Asiz said, someone who had served the Berk family for a long time and had thus been permitted to serve Meisa.
“If this is too hard, do you want to hand it over to someone else?”
“No, it’s fine. I’m the butler; I have to handle it myself. Ahem.”
Asiz, who had momentarily wavered, shook his head and spoke with a firm expression. Turan’s job was only to identify the spies. The disposal of those proven guilty and the selection of new staff to fill the gaps were all tasks for the butler. That was what the position entailed.
Turan gave Asiz an encouraging pat and walked down the now somewhat empty hallway, looking around. Perhaps because of the recent upheaval, the once lively atmosphere of the manor had noticeably stiffened.
It’ll probably be like this for a while...
It was inevitable, considering people who were laughing and chatting just yesterday were being executed for being spies bought by other families. This was one of the reasons Turan had delayed the spy purge. Even if he kicked them out, others would come in or try to bribe someone else. Constant purging was not only exhausting for him but also a drain on everyone’s morale. While Turan had solid evidence, those being searched would feel like they could be snatched away at any moment.
More importantly, it was surprising that there were more from Arabion than I expected.
It was quite unexpected that more than half of the spies caught this time were sent by the Arabion or Nagin families. Ever since the failed raid led by Badal, they had publicly ignored the Parsha family as if it didn't exist. Given Badal’s final words, Turan had assumed they were too busy with something important internally to pay attention to him. Yet, while pretending otherwise on the surface, they had been desperate to dig up information.
In comparison, there were far fewer Zahar spies than expected—even fewer than those from Carmine or Ruban. This was likely due to Berit’s presence. They probably calculated that she would have access to most of the information a maid could gather. Of course, since he had recently informed them that Berit had been sent to Baraha, Zahar might try to use spies again soon...
At least it’s a relief that I can peek into their side now.
Entering his office, Turan took out several reports from Berit that he had kept in a sealed document box. They contained information on the high-ranking nobles of the current Zahar family—their names, family relations, personalities, and secrets...
Of course, since Berit herself was only respected as the child of a successor, the information wasn't perfect, but it was far better than knowing nothing at all.
Among them, Turan focused on the document at the very top. An elderly man with half-white hair combed back.
“Harun Zahar...”
The head of the Zahar family. Information about the man he was soon to meet was written there.
*
At the end of winter, just as the first sprouts were beginning to bud, the Parsha family was busy preparing for a large-scale journey. It was an event involving a massive group of over five hundred people. This was to greet the head of the Zahar family, who was coming from the Enril Desert to the southeast.
“Hey, did you pack the freezer properly?”
“Of course! Oh, wait...”
“You didn't pack it! Do you want to die?!”
Since most of them didn't have much experience with such things, there were some mishaps, but with plenty of time to prepare, things eventually came together.
Before long, the southern gate of Kalamaf opened, and a long procession began to move. There were magical beasts laden with large crates, people walking on foot, and dozens of others mounted on beasts. People watching the departure of the Great Family that protected the Gray Zone let out gasps of admiration. They hadn't realized it when seeing them individually, but seeing them gathered like this, their majesty was truly impressive.
“It really is something.”
“But why are so many mages moving? Is it another war?”
“I know someone in the castle, and they said the head of the Zahar family is coming to visit.”
“Is that true?”
“That’s what I heard.”
“Then are we going to war with Zahar too? I swear, it feels like the whole world is becoming our enemy.”
“Even if it’s not war, of course there has to be an army when family heads meet! Humans are no different from animals; even if you go to talk, if the other side looks weak, you’ll want to snap them up.”
“I see, so that’s how it is...”
Though they had tried to keep things quiet, it was impossible to stop such rumors from spreading through the grapevine. Since it wasn't something they could truly suppress, they hadn't bothered to strictly forbid it.
At the back of the procession, Turan shared a brief, affectionate goodbye with Meisa before setting out.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“I really want to go with you, but...”
“I told you, it’s fine. And like I said, if anything happens, evacuate to Baraha. That’s why I left Armani behind.”
Originally, when the meeting was first arranged, Meisa was supposed to accompany him, but the situation had changed. If he took her and a fight broke out, and the child was harmed by a stray blow, he would never be able to forgive himself.
“I’m just more worried about you than myself.”
“Solif is coming with me. It’ll be fine.”
“I suppose so.”
Solif was currently disguised as Turan’s personal servant, using Turan’s transformation mask. Turan’s inner circle obviously knew his identity, but the Zahar side likely wouldn't even suspect it. Even if they had set a trap, the two of them leading an army was enough to overcome it and survive. Moreover, the Lavitas forces, who had returned recently, were also with them.
After reassuring Meisa a few more times, Turan returned to the center of the formation and ordered the march. The Parsha army consisted of about fifty nobles and four hundred and eighty knights. This number included several wandering nobles who had recently joined, as well as additional troops temporarily conscripted from other vassals for this meeting.
The army, departing amidst everyone’s cheers, moved smoothly toward the southeast. It would take about four days to reach Bigen, the city in Kalamaf closest to the Enril Desert.
While on the move, Turan gave some jerky to Bije, who had returned after delivering a message to the Lavitas forces to the south.
“Good girl. How far are they?”
—Here, about a day at a forced march!
“Then they’ll arrive at the meeting spot right on time. That’s a relief. We don't have to rush. What about Zahar?”
—I saw them on the way; they’re a bit late!
“Tardy, are they?”
A distance that took an army a day to travel was something Bije could cover in less than an hour, so Turan was able to check and coordinate their movements this way. Even this pace was only possible because the army was composed of mages and magical beasts. If ordinary commoners with good stamina had tried to follow this unit on foot, they would have collapsed from exhaustion after the first few minutes of sprinting.
After another day of marching, the Lavitas army arrived almost exactly as Bije had predicted. Osel joked as he saw Turan.
“I spent almost my entire life cooped up in the family estate until I became the head, but somehow, I’ve been going on more outings since taking the position.”
“I’m just grateful you came.”
“Don't say that. If the head of the Parsha family asks, of course I must comply. I owe you no small debt of gratitude.”
Normally, it was common sense for the head of a Great Family or their successor to stay within the main house to guard against assassinations. If anything, the last few years had been an era where such common sense was being utterly shattered.
“The others didn't come?”
“Yes, that’s how it turned out.”
While saying that, Turan used wind magic to whisper that Solif had come along. Hearing this, Osel only twitched an eyebrow slightly but didn't respond.
While the two family heads conversed, their subordinates quickly decorated the surrounding border area with prepared items. This was a momentous occasion where the heads of three Great Families were gathering to talk. The sight of the empty wilderness being transformed into a respectable structure in an instant was impressive.
Of course, while the decorations were being set up, Turan excused himself from Osel and slipped out of the camp with Bije, heading southeast while hidden by stealth.
Before long, he saw an army approaching their location.
Let’s see... good, he’s there.
Turan had come out ahead to ensure they weren't being lured out while their home base was being attacked. Although Berit had assured him there was no such worry, he couldn't be too careful.
His concerns proved unnecessary. In the middle of the approaching Zahar army, he sensed a presence with mana even more powerful than Osel or Resion.
The head of the Zahar family was right there, in the heart of the procession.