Episdode 112

Until now, he had never once thought that there might be a baby coming.

But what if Ishael and his own baby were to come into existence?

‘Would the baby resemble Ishael with her green eyes?’

It felt like his breath was caught in his chest, overflowing with happiness.

Unable to contain the overwhelming joy, he clenched his fist and struck the wall.

‘Baby.’

The knights who witnessed his behavior quickly closed their mouths.

“Heh.”

“S-Sorry.”

“We will immediately prepare for the dissolution of the Red Castle!”

The knights hastily bowed and didn’t notice Dylan’s flushed cheeks and ears.

“First… branches.”

Dylan continued to search the underground mansion of the Red Castle, where explosions were occurring, while keeping that thought in mind.

A small baby born from anger.

Resembling Ishael’s green eyes and her silky blonde hair, their baby…

He timidly smiled as he held what appeared to be a cursed doll in his hand, piercing it with a sword.

Truly, it would be incredibly adorable and lovely…

“Heh…”

“I, I caught that horribly bizarre cursed doll with my bare hands.”

“It’s a human?”

Having destroyed the cursed doll, Dylan ventured deeper into the underground mansion of the Red Castle.

However, his mind was filled only with thoughts of the baby.

He smiled softly as he raised his sword once more.

The knights who were about to rush at him hastily leaned against the wall.

The wall was filled with all sorts of bizarre sorcery, yet it seemed preferable to Dylan smiling.

Dylan’s heart, unaware of this fact, was about to overflow infinitely…

‘Wait, come to think of it.’

He knew that pregnancy wasn’t good for a woman’s body.

‘…It’s dangerous.’

Ishael was already delicate.

She even vomited today.

Was there any way for him to become pregnant instead?

Though it was insufficient, if Ishael was in danger, he considered resorting to dark magic on his own body…

So, he wasn’t in his right mind.

With an anxious expression, he smashed open a box full of dark magic tools.

Just as all the knights were stuck to the wall as if magnets, Dylan, biting his thin lips, pondered.

‘First, let’s deal with this quickly and then think about making healthy food.’

With thoughts of Ishael and the baby in his mind, Dylan quickly destroyed the traps set by the Red Castle.

It was a cut of merely one hour.

When everything that made up the mansion disappeared, a map with coordinates appeared before his eyes.

At the top of the map was written “Husk House” in ancient script.

Dylan gazed down at the bewilderingly marked coordinates and brushed his hair back.

“We need a mage.”

Just then, as if they had been waiting, Claude and Mung Mungi appeared from behind.

“Why did you leave so quickly? We’ve been searching for a while!”

“Stop! Stop!”

He tilted his head in their direction at their reproachful tone.

“What, it’s already destroyed?”

“Wha, stop.”

“Do you not want our help?”

Dylan retorted sharply at Claude.

“Yes, please. Interpret these coordinates. It’s likely the residence of Lotvart.”

Of course, it could be a trap as well.

Claude shrugged and chuckled.

“Sure thing. Let’s get this done quickly.”

Watching Claude interpret the coordinates in front of the ruined mansion, Dylan once again renewed his determination.

He had to bring down the Red Castle, even if it was for Ishael and their baby.

There was no evidence that Ishael was pregnant.

But with the mere possibility that Ishael might be carrying their baby, Dylan was running wild.

As Claude searched for the coordinates, he mumbled softly with a glance at Dylan.

“Why do you seem so out of your mind?”

“…Stop.”

“It seems worse than usual today. Annoying.”

* * *

I arrived at the front of the Castle of Castilla with Duke Saboia.

I lightly purified the dark magic as I placed my hand on the collapsed castle gate.

The group of light spread out slowly, beginning to purify the dark magic.

Perhaps because it was a place clearly cursed, the dark magic seemed even stronger than Saboia Territory.

I wonder why.

A more severe nausea followed than before.

“Grandfather, why do I keep feeling nauseous?”

“It’s a natural phenomenon that appears when mages reach their limits. It also means your power is about to burst.”

Duke Saboia looked at me with a sympathetic tone and brushed my hair.

I nodded and replied.

“Yes, then I’ll overcome this!”

“Of course, our little one can surely overcome it. How strong you are.”

“If Claude saw me like this, he would have been so happy….”

Why are you speaking so nostalgically?

Just hearing those words makes it seem like Claude is dead.

I shrugged and retorted.

“We’ll meet again soon, and I’ll show him. I’ll start purifying again!”

“Yes, let’s do it again.”

Duke Saboia nodded solemnly.

I was standing on a small ice field near the Eternal Snow Tower.

I still couldn’t approach the heavily covered Eternal Snow Tower.

Even though I was only dealing with minor curses and dark magic around it, it’s still so draining…

“If I handle the Eternal Snow, my strength will truly be exhausted.”

“Yes. There’s no need to push too hard. Just feel the limit.”

“It feels like I’m already reaching the limit.”

“Hmm… Let’s rest a bit. Just for ten minutes, at least.”

He, in a typical grandfatherly manner, quickly grabbed my hand and headed somewhere.

I followed Duke Saboia’s lead, taking deep breaths as we went.

Sitting side by side by the lake, the Duke and I engaged in small talk.

Mostly, we talked about how fascinating it is that the cursed Grand Duke Castilla has changed like this.

“This lake used to be nothing but ice, you know.”

“Really? Can you sense that?”

“Exactly. Our mages can feel the powerful energy of newly born life.”

I smirked and nodded my head.

Duke Saboia chuckled and looked around.

“Those clusters of flowers over there are the only ones that survived and bloomed here.”

Following his gaze, I soon saw a small cluster of flowers.

“It’s amazing that flowers can bloom even in this cursed place.”

“Yes, those flowers aren’t even particularly hardy. It’s quite intriguing.”

I couldn’t help but imagine Dylan’s solitary figure and the desolate aspect of the archduchy.

Within the ice-filled archduchy, were those clusters of flowers the sole symbols of hope and life?

Did they gaze upon those flowers, yearning for the curse to be lifted each day?

I stared intensely at the flowers, blinking my eyes.

Somehow, I felt a familiar sensation.

“Those are flowers, right? Are they primroses and lisianthus?”

“Yes, why? Do you like those flowers?”

I closed and opened my eyes.

Since I first saw the cluster of flowers, they felt strangely familiar.

The day he proposed to me for the first time came vividly to mind.

“I realized I hadn’t proposed properly, so I’ve come to ask. Please marry me.”

“Um… Yes, sure. Let’s get married.”

That day, Dylan had offered me primroses and lisianthus.

He had picked those flowers symbolizing my only hope and gave them to me.

I didn’t know back then.

What those flowers meant to him…

To him, those flowers represented singular life, hope, and salvation.

The moment I realized that fact, I wanted to run to meet Dylan immediately.

Suppressing my overflowing emotions, I raised the corners of my trembling lips and smiled.

“Yes, I like those flowers. They seem like the most beautiful flowers in the world.”

“There are many more beautiful flowers. Well, to be honest, your old man here could pick all the flowers in the world, my dear.”

“But those flowers are unique.”

Just like Dylan.

Duke Saboia, who didn’t know the behind-the-scenes story of the flowers, clicked his tongue as if disappointed.

I smiled and added.

“Castilla Archduke is also truly beautiful.”

“No, not a single one is beautiful. They’re as dangerous as Castilla Archduke. You can’t live here for long. Our Saboia Territory is much better for living. It’s warm, clean, you know.”

“…Yes.”

“Let’s live together for a long, long time, my dear.”

With a mischievous smile, I rested my head on Duke Saboia’s shoulder.

“We are going to live together for a long time, you know.”

The lakeside where Dylan and I had gazed at each other seemed to ripple in my mind.

As I contemplated resting for just five more minutes here and then completing the purification, a sudden thought crossed my mind.

Was it when I first came to Castilla Archduke’s domain?

I remembered Dylan and I had played in a boat on this very lake.

And we had splashed into the lake with a big splash.

Dylan hadn’t even been able to catch me.

Those distant and blurry memories entangled in my mind, bringing a smile to my lips once again.

But right then, in an instant, a question arose in my mind.

That day, when I fell into this lake.

Why on earth couldn’t Dylan catch me when I fell into the lake?