Chapter 434: Kaisa Kureil (4) (Extra 6)
Whoops!
Kaisa couldn't comprehend what had just happened until she collapsed with a sword in her heart.
Their party was supposed to be on their way to defeat Demon Lord Pedonar, but… Why did the Hero attack his comrades?
And how could he be that strong…
"I still don't understand even after ten years have passed. Why did it have to be this way? Fantasy is a welfare center for the disabled, helping the underprivileged, and the cosmic Greenpeace to help the socially maladjusted." He sighed. It wouldn't be surprising if his complaints lasted a day or two.
"Listen carefully. I lived a good life on Earth as a man of culture, enjoying discussions about novels and comics with my friends every day. Why am I being treated the same as the losers? Don't you think they made a mistake as well?"
He looked down at her coldly.
Did he truly mean to kill his colleagues, whom he had spent at least five years, some even ten years, with?
"You're insane…"
"How can you call the Hero destined to defeat the Demon Lord crazy? Are you out of your mind?"
"You're no Hero— Cough!"
Numerous thoughts ran through her mind.
The people of the Kureil estate waiting for her to return.
The chances of her family being driven to extinction upon the death of their only daughter.
How her unrequited love went the wrong way at some point in their travels…
"Is that the end of your will?"
"…"
She wanted to clear all the misunderstandings between them.
However, with her life swiftly escaping her, she had grown far too weak for her lips to let her words escape.
Perhaps if she were given another chance…
*****
"Princess! I'm glad you're safe!"
It was shabby, the beginning of the Emperor's founding story that overthrew the new empire, which used golden golems as its frightening military force.
"It's definitely great to see you again, Kaisa. Come on, look! This is my baby. He's really cute, isn't he?"
"Yes."
Strangely enough, rather than being cute, he exuded the presence of a king from his baby fats.
Going down to one knee, she made a promise to her friend and her child.
"I swear allegiance."
The princess hailed from the royal family of her country.
And her offspring, who inherited the blood of two royal families, was the perfect justification to peacefully annex their ruined ally.
Unable to move due to her emotions, she couldn't help but feel honored to carry him.
At that point, Kaisa decided to protect the two from now on.
"Wah."
"…"
How could a newborn baby stand tall on two legs?
Perhaps children of the royal family were simply extraordinary by nature, but…
It didn't take long for her to realize how wrong she was.
*****
Unfurling his wings like a cape to destroy Pedonar, the baby walked the path of kings with a Holy Sword in his hands.
"Wah!"
With one howl, his subjects knelt and bowed down until their foreheads touched the ground.
With his bouncy butt twitching from side to side, he moved forward, finding no obstacles too great to surpass with his might.
Darkness Society, the new empire, the Snow Queen Elsh…
Nothing in the Northern Continent could hinder his rise to power.
"Wah!"
With two howls, his people began to worship him.
"You're so cute, Your Majesty the Great and Powerful Emperor!"
"Your Majesty is the noblest and cutest person in all of Fantasy!"
"Long live Your Majesty the Cute Emperor~!"
"Women will kneel before your cuteness!"
The Cute Emperor.
That wasn't what he was called right from the beginning.
However, unlike the opinions of his other subjects, he acknowledged the words of his mother, who didn't know anything about politics and wasn't even interested in it.
Her only happiness and concern were for her child to be loved by her people.
Great.
Wise.
Gallant.
Rather than the titles often given to rulers, she wanted him to be praised purely as her 'baby.'
Those who had long been in the world of politics immediately saw through the wishes of their friends at once.
However…
The compliments one could give to a baby were extremely limited.
Hence, as a result…
"You're so cute."
"Your Majesty is really cute."
"That's right."
"Long live the Cute Emperor!"
Everyone started praising and worshipping him as such.
Cute Emperor.
Though it didn't perfectly showcase the grace of the Northern Continent's ruler, he still accepted it since it kept his mother satisfied.
"How can you think of such a monster as cute?! He's nothing but a demon disguised as a baby—"
"Wah."
Those 3333 who rejected him were sentenced to death.
"Long live Your Majesty the Cute Emperor! May your cuteness last forever!"
"Wah."
While those who accepted it lived.
In short, none dared oppose his will to keep her mother delighted.
Not long after hearing the rumors about his ascendance, people from other continents began to recognize his cuteness.
Putting down her writing instrument, Kaisa skimmed through the first page of a handwritten book she had been writing for three years.
"There's never been a single peaceful day."
It looked more like a parenting diary that detailed out the growing years of His Majesty than a book about her experiences, however.
Within it was his policies that tended to the Northern Continent's distant future, all of which were so filled with wisdom that she had trouble describing them in short phrases.
As his escort, she was always with him, allowing her to watch how he united the Northern Continent under one banner from the very beginning.
Even at this moment…
"Wah."
She was still guarding His Majesty while he was playing with her chest.
"Your Majesty, if you do that…"
"Wah."
"You're right. Babies have an instinct to find a woman's breasts, but Your Majesty…"
"Wah."
"I know you're also a baby. Even so…"
She didn't even know how she could understand what he was trying to say, though she thought it was probably due to the way he intonated his wails.
Defenseless and naked at the monarch's command, she held the ruler of the Northern Continent in her arms.
Still, despite their king-servant relationship, she knew this far crossed the line.
"Wah."
"Please don't bite them, Your Majesty…"
Even though he was the Emperor, he was still just three years old.
Knowing she shouldn't think of him as a man, she let him do whatever he wanted.
… Unaware at the time that it would lead to her pregnancy.
After that, she ascended to the position of regent to follow the footsteps of His Majesty the Emperor, who suddenly disappeared, ultimately becoming the empress who gave birth to his successor.
"Chris."
*****
"How is this possible…"
Kaisa had never slept with a man, but she had a baby in her belly.
"You really didn't?"
"Yes. I swear."
Duke Kureil, her father, didn't let go of his suspicions and instead insisted she told the truth.
But she wasn't lying in the first place!
On the same day, she had a strange dream and became pregnant. About a year later, she gave birth to her first child.
"This is quite awkward."
Though joyful that his daughter had given birth safely, his expression was full of concern… No.
His smile couldn't be any broader as he held his newborn grandson in his arms.
"I know."
However, the royals and nobles of the Northern Continent were very concerned about lineage, considering it had a greater influence on a wizard's potential and quality than individual efforts, after all.
Even the Kureil family, filled with knights and swordsmen, couldn't ignore this perception of society and politics.
If it were revealed she gave birth to a "fatherless son," she would be condemned repeatedly.
"From now on, he's my child."
The Duke solved the problem by taking in his biological grandson as his adopted child.
Likewise, Kaisa lived with her son as if he was her younger brother.
… Until she met him again.
"This is my victory, Kaisa Kureil."
"Ah…"
Kang Han Soo.
*****
Memory integration was like a terrible nightmare.
After all, she had married countless Heroes since her hand in marriage was the prize of whoever would emerge as the tournament's champion.
Her many clones from different dimensions had made love with numerous men.
Even a child…
As her memories merged into one, the process tormented her.
"It's hard…"
Even now, whenever she thought of the past, nausea and a sense of shame came rushing in.
As time passed, her memories faded and her condition improved, but no amount of time could ever erase what she had gone through.
It would continue to haunt her until she ceased to exist.
Such was the severity of wounds inflicted on one's soul.
"What's hard?"
"Ah…"
Still, amid her pain, she found her resting place.
Among the men she didn't want, she also gained the only man she ever truly loved.
… Her feelings were one-sided before, but all that mattered was he was in front of her now.
As her husband.
Now, peace came to her whenever she was with Kang Han Soo, the most handsome being she had ever met.
"Everything's okay now."
"Really?"
She couldn't leave herself disorganized even for a day since he always visited her without prior notice.
It wasn't that she didn't like it. She just felt a little sorry for the maids who helped with the preparations.
When Kaisa remembered the underwear she wore today, she boldly jumped into his arms.
"What did you come here for today?"
"… You make it sound like I only come to you when I have business with you."
"Ah!"
That was a misunderstanding.
Kang Han Soo visited her regularly even when he had no particular reason to do so but to spend time with her.
The only reason she felt the need to ask such a question was that he often arrived in the evening and spent time more leisurely with her on such days.
"It's fine."
Smiling, he walked away indifferently.
He was quite a great conversationalist.
… Unlike her.
Failing to clear the misunderstanding when she presented herself naked in the locker room in hopes of making him fall for her, he ended up thinking she wanted to kill him instead.
'Kaisa Kureil. Don't make the same mistake twice.'
Softly and meekly, she replied, "It's a misunderstanding…"
"Hmm?"
He gazed at her, his expression telling her he didn't expect her to say that.
That alone allowed her to immediately understand what he thought of her until now.
Though she might have acted rashly in the past, Kaisa was determined to change for their future.
"That's not what I meant."
"Really?"
Kang Han Soo stared at her, his eyes' intensity making her heart race uncontrollably. Instinctively, she searched for Magic Sword Eyer, which she had stored away.
At that moment, he grabbed her wandering hand.
"What do you mean by misunderstanding? Look into my righteous eyes and tell me."
"Ah…"
She couldn't remember what she said then. The moment his breath brushed against her cheek, she became lightheaded, and her stomach filled up with butterflies.
However, she at least noticed Kang Han Soo started caring for her more from that moment on.
*****
"I'm glad you cleared up the misunderstanding. So, how's your second child?"
"Ah, I don't have one yet…"
The day after Kaisa slept with Kang Han Soo, Health Teacher visited her.
She was tormented every time she confronted her since she relentlessly and endlessly interrogated her.
"I see. Let me tell you this in advance, at least."
"What is it?"
"The probability of President Kang Han Soo implanting his seed in your uterus is rapidly decreasing."
"… What do you mean by that?"
She asked, forgetting to tell her to refrain from using obscene words.
"The law of nature dictates that the stronger and longer-lived a species is, the lower their birth rate. That's the reason why the fertility rate of elves and dragons is extremely low."
"No way…"
"Sidael's prolonged infancy is also because of that. He inherited the blood of someone who became a perfect god, after all."
"…"
Though there wasn't anything wrong with her body, Kaisa couldn't bring herself to feel delighted due to the sudden news.
"I thought I should tell you since this might be your last chance to have a second kid." Health Teacher declared in a serious tone and expression.
"This is so sudden."
"I feel the same way. I've never seen a student grow and change so quickly in my thousands of years of life."
"How strong did he actually become?" She asked quickly, trying to get an answer from her before she leaped out of this dimension once more.
"I don't know that either. I'm not a god. I can't see the world they live in."
"…"
Struck by Health Teacher's warnings, Kaisa worked as hard as she could.
Until their second child was born.
"Wah~!"
A goddess adorable enough to stop her heartbeat…
This was a story of a distant future, though.