Chapter 242: Rest (3)
2XyHHThe war of snow soon came to an end. Although it had begun some distance away from the main roads, there was still snow everywhere including the main streets due to the immense scale it had reached.R8dA
c7KD5yr“Everyone! Let’s clean up now that we’re done playing!”E6oFJpj
6nolqlI called out after bringing broomsticks from the barracks. It snowed very often in this area so the people in the city had a few broomsticks they could lend.wvSCS
fKPj“Hehe~. It’s my first time cleaning snow,” said Marie while gathering snow into a pile with magic. Next to her was Doggo raking the snow with a broom.ZRk
CGJdx“I won’t get in trouble for making the esteemed princess of the Potato Empire clean snow, right?”vcZek
pDKH2A“Hmm…! I, I’m telling you I was raised normally. I’m just an average countryside farm girl!”Vwv
VSrjP5k“…”QEVk
LpKg“…”ukURd
Zgh“……”MZzLQDQ
DApD“……Maybe not average.”ddY
TuBbC2“We don’t call a countryside girl with 2 million hectares of farmland ‘average’.”CrEiH
8mxIt would be nothing but blatant deception to put the word ‘average’ in front of her name.f9lq7
xUb5qN“…You’re always teasing me about how well off my family is.”gtGZcER
Tp3…Did she not like it? I guessed I had been overusing the term ‘potato princess’, but when I looked at her, I realized she was gazing up at me with a smile.SH6oDR
GpTqmRg“Why don’t you think about it this way? All of that will be yours if we get married.”d20u
PQBkFa“Kuhup…”OInBfg
UkIIt was obvious what she was trying to insinuate, and frankly speaking, it was quite tempting. Endless stream of money of the Dunareff and a beautiful wife. How could anyone not be tempted?EyCr5kH
lkTSlowly, Marie brought herself closer with a face of expectation.AyP
sPOT“Stop flirting like that.”oCVB
wevXIn the end, I defeated the temptation and gave her a flick to the forehead.pL5m
G5s5sM“Ahuk…! So mean…”5TGk9v
9mGDI“Let’s just enjoy the moment for now. When it all comes to an end… I will come up with an answer.”oGrD
KWVL“…I will be waiting.”a3LUNfs
puqRvMNSaying that, she quickly shook off her dejection and returned to having a smile.BeX
Ytf“But it was fun. It’s been so long since I made a snowman.”zLwLL
RVIaVYA“You’ve been busy these past few years after all.”knfxir
XdiK3“Yes. But this year should be the last, right?”J5wTh
rC1Rx“It will be. I will make this the last,” I replied while patting her head.dfR
XYoUntil the very end, I vowed to be responsible for Marie, this poor girl who had met a pitiful end both in the original storyline and the last iteration.SUKBYO
ijo0I“You too, Doggo.”KsZU3
5JJGp3“Woof?”Khsy
AR6Og“Make sure you keep your mom safe. You have to protect her when daddy is not there.”M6RjIS
JZQ6m“Woof!”mxW
tzoCWtvIt was such a relief that I had been able to save her.HLN
CI03R****Ft5Ne5
cQOBAt the end of the big commotion, the boys and girls decided to use the newly built hot spring to wash away their sweat.OoCL
584zThey were all tired after sweating heavily in the snow, and quickly agreed with the idea. As a result, Marie, Alicia, Hua Ran… as well as everyone within Korin Guardians headed straight to the hot spring.zdKi0
wREB“Wow~. Marie-hoobae-nim. This looks like a proper hot spring,” said Estelle, showing her admiration at how legitimate the hot spring appeared.gpPfQa
Vo1pJLAfter looking around, she continued.CA3Qtmv
h0UHJ8E“We have to give a prize to the people that built this place. Tell me the names.”ipG
9TPHQ“It’s the mage slaves of the Tower,” Marie replied.14sF9nm
TY4P“Uwek.”u2uLO8
GiTEstelle immediately retrieved her thoughts about giving them a prize, because she fervently hated the mages of the Tower.xhoN
RlE“Let’s hurry up.”YKJ
hnRThey all carefully entered the hot spring with nothing but a long towel covering their bodies and sat down on the rock beneath. Although they weren’t unfriendly to the point of being awkward, there was still a fair bit of distance between where they were sitting.5TE
T5WD“Hmm…”wXyA
s6YjeR6“Fuaah…”IzFTG
rTTK“…”TOVvT
Qnk5FHua Ran was splashing the surface of the water mindlessly while Alicia was stealing glances at the wall.95e7RJ7
pDHzWhereas Marie and Estelle were observing one another without letting go of their nerves.8ld
7YyFUBIt’s not like they were enemies.vbgt
62KrTThey weren’t, but…jf7XU
daKCvSFor a long time, the two of them had understood that they were rivals – love rivals.KgR0Z
K5G1“……Haah.”J295
me9DRCFeeling the obvious tension in the air, Josephine looked around at all the girls that were related to ‘him’.PYS
2IKpZyMarie Dunareff.BmTwM
FDo9j3The future duchess of the Dunareff Dukedom, the Potato Empire of the south.bno
E0RkRapTheir endless fortunes were enough to put her as one of the most valuable people in the continent, and yet even apart from that, she was a great mage herself.OsMX
IiuhUC5Alicia Arden.Oy3
ro0One of the successor candidates of the Arden Household – one who had so much talent in swords, that the Sword Emperor had personally labeled her as a successor despite being an illegitimate child.eIWMDv
T9LShe seemed to have less confidence than her sister, Lunia Arden, but… these sisters were oddly proactive when it came to love affairs.NsZKlH
pRZORYEstelle Hadassa El Rath.jn3
9r11qMarie and the others were famous and well-known, but Estelle had a peerless position.GQCVpX7
TfBK5jpThe child of god who received their endless affection. The only one with unparalleled religious authority after ending the long religious conflict and bringing the religions back to one.IJ1QHS
oVBIaRShe was pretty much the pope so she might not be able to become the queen on top of that, but technically, she was the first in line to the throne.TL6rT
ePDaz2There was no doubt that she was the most prestigious lady in the entire continent.Hzj4K
DPZo‘And besides…’eZwY
oMzLMpJosephine recalled the confrontation that had hit the headlines last winter back in the royal capital. It was such big news that even Kranel was in a rush to share.dSrcHO
ORXsmKing David’s shocking offer was to marry both Princess Estelle and Princess Miruam to Korin. Even for the Dunareff with their unlimited wealth, making a deal like that was nothing easy.XvReTgQ
1V5sZo“Haa…”w2cOkMI
zxMjzIt was weird.Cyy
vi0In just 3 years, Korin Lork had made the top ladies of the kingdom with the most influence and talents into his people.XPK46G
HT4wM8What was going on?BGJyT
tkFOWas this truly by coincidence?ASm
PSoh0Korin Lork.BW7e
zPlVIHe definitely was a good person with great talents himself… but for some reason, Josephine couldn’t help but think that his martial talents were not where his true gifts were in.MLpo
WseEYOD‘No matter how I see it, it feels like it would result in a bloodthirsty battle.’mETt43g
hsVMEven aside from those three girls, there were several other women around him who were each powerful and strong. It was concerning because a civil war breaking out between these women could put the world at risk yet again.Zdrkbpj
v3KGS7f“Haa…”3n62S
1ZlcxqCIt was truly a big concern. Josephine thought while sighing.fPuwp
Rg2“Is something wrong?” asked Alicia, after hearing her sigh and coming closer.FUZ
zOXP8x4“N, no. Nothing.” Josephine replied.HOkkz5k
xgEeEHEJosephine tried her best to hide the secret that could break their relationships all at once.9giVEnh
N4G2‘How could I… tell them that Hua Ran has Korin’s baby?’FB0
ZfsShe had shared it with Erin so that she could be mentally prepared for it, but things were different for them.EhGU
5WzkThese girls were only tied together by one connecting figure, that is Korin Lork, and Josephine couldn’t dare break that apart by sharing the secret.eLTHn
iI0“Oh right, Hua Ran-ssi. How are you feeling? I heard you vomit and feel more fatigued when you’re pregnant.”CKZc
ABK5“Huh?”rNB0U
WP4UN“Hnn?”EYr3
W3mT1c“???”Iwpjd9
D6oMAgYAlicia suddenly dropped a bomb that gathered the eyes of everyone nearby.kZ13
rIDRMr“Pregnant?”ABX
qQpUTH7“What?”XIHy8
BHzMarie and Estelle showed the biggest reactions, as they stared at Hua Ran with trembling eyes, wondering if they heard something wrong.3TpIzv3
NmbEThere had been a tacit agreement to step up ‘once everything was over’. Was there really someone who not only jumped the queue, but also had the winner’s card with them?uWMO3Yr
AEYEq‘I, I thought I was hearing things!’JjFloUy
0l5tolMarie, who had been denying it and trying her best to think of it as her hearing things, was shaking, and so was the water in the hot spring.H8B
Ub1“……Me?”ATOOgN
SXLgcYEAnd the one at the center of this uproar, Hua Ran, simply tilted her head and asked back at Alicia, wondering what she was talking about.5N9dd
4FeaB7M“I heard you have to take care of your body even when you are early in pregnancy. You have to be careful.”Mk9Z1nb
pOfjX0“W, w, w, w, waittt…! Wait, Alicia-hoobae-nim? W, w, w, what do you mean?!”mK5Oof4
JcQh5qEstelle was not only flustered and was screaming. Pregnant? Hua Ran? With whose baby? There could only be one person!evl9V
lQP“H, Hua Ran…! Is this true?”rBi1di
ow1PDShe just couldn’t believe it and asked Hua Ran to confirm it, but Hua Ran simply blinked her eyes and looked back, before asking as if she was lost.nrM9Jgy
RhWyixY“What’s pregnant?”EOaes
U1Tzx“Huh?”NPjfbt2
IGum“Hmm?”Pf3R
NWk0CX“Umm… Hua Ran-ssi,” said Alicia. “You were like… buying baby goods, right?”hn8
dJFFu“Yeah.”TZS8Z
d5eFRK9“With Professor Josephine.”nn38o
EDlkf“And?”ULSw5u
eS2lLgAlicia was also lost for words because of the unexpected response from Hua Ran.q0auzO
4AzqJWhy was she buying that now if she wasn’t pregnant, and why was she preparing for a baby so far ahead of time?B0UlMN4
TYc7q“So uhh… wasn’t that because you had a baby?”0v5
ZQB6Zk“I don’t have one ‘yet’ though.”JProx
qaQLIu“???”xoOy
oqXhjThe girls couldn’t understand what was going on and were starting to feel frustrated when Hua Ran suddenly threw in the keyword.j2cT41
hLkKCCk“The storks aren’t coming because of the snow. So I will have a baby when it stops snowing.”eSDX9C
Bey“???”R9BU6d
pIhG“???”bhENwgj
T5Jgh“???”9nOwDuW
o1fszMpHold hands with a man overnight and a stork will come carrying a baby.kj1P
zOsLrIt didn’t take long for Alicia to see through what Hua Ran was saying, and realize she was lacking in health education.WT0w
RGo4gnAfter some hesitation, Alicia started explaining about the process of love.ueZcWex
SR7XbEo“So… when a man and a woman— they have— where they— and through ejaculation—”BJQ7
uO7WBIt was a rather explicit lesson on reproduction.jrW
148dwHs“……Huh?”Fnst4
lcSvra‘……Huh?’zba4
HZpVLike a middle-schooler being taught about sex for the first time at school, Hua Ran’s face was turning bright red with her usual indifference nowhere to be seen.nblu0R
L862“That’s how you give birth to a baby. Okay?”OtU4s
tQR8A“…”hmhJB
uzWiz9The rest of the girls, who were suddenly made to hear about health education, appeared rather awkward but none of them were as flustered as Hua Ran.x07q82N
hts4AxlAnd only after looking at their reactions did Hua Ran realize that everyone else was aware of this shocking truth except for herself.PFD
YUjX“Im…”YVwi2BV
eM4w4e8“Im?”N8z7ku
3Xnyu0w“Immoral…”DyxIRj
xdRofLDThe first ever health education was a great shock to the 4-year-old jiangshi and the 15-year-old girl.ej074dU
Gq9FQZK****yeFRL
m26HvCombining several armies into one was no easy feat.rEWI
oErUoC150,000 northerners and 70,000 from the kingdom. There were more than 10,000 in knights and mages alone, and breaking them down into battalions was tremendously difficult.9UQ3Gf
ksxIZWho would be the commanders? What would be the line of commands and why did everyone have to be a part of this war?28w
tR2dDWGWell, although things were difficult, the reason and rationale behind taking part in this war was clear for both the northerners and the kingdom’s military.zP6BWFp
2JSrnMThe sacred expedition was grouped into one due to the fake prophecy from the Saintess, and the northerners were also being commanded by skjaldmaers, the demigods whom they served. They would probably appreciate the cooperation of the southern kingdom’s expedition army, because that could allow them to defeat Tates Valtazar.DdQ
3KW9H‘They were fighting against each other in the last iteration though.’O4CyGY
BwHJGAccording to the original storyline, there was a conflict between the kingdom and the northerners, coming down after breaking the northern border city in one fell swoop. That as a result slowed down the preparation against Valtazar, but things were different this time around.GCa06iY
PG17Q5uAll those northerners were on our side. As long as we could persuade the valkyries, it meant that their entire military would be coming with us.dEd
Yt2“Anyone inside?”Mpgl
OQmbfqThat was why I was here, forming connections with valkyries.0O7J07l
CY8UA“You have come, Sir Korin Lork.”SDKy2P7
PlB39bb“Please drop the ‘sir’ part.”5kw
scu“I wouldn’t dare.”CdU
remI3dnSkuld the Valkyrie was a beautiful lady with golden eyes and long black hair reaching her waist.zAjHIUQ
gH86jJnEven though I had met several valkyries, Skuld was different from them in many ways. Rather than a warrior, she was more like a scholar and gave off a mysterious atmosphere that made her appear omniscient.WFT6gJ4
ahL7vkn“Could you share the reason behind your visit?”eBa2
OEp“I would like to ask you to see the future for us.”ZoHdxf
ghHMuv“Aha~” she smiled.ZRRNA4
D4DpAnother reason how she was different from the other valkyries was in that she was one of the norns who could foretell the future. The norns prophesied about the world’s destiny, and out of them, Skuld was one who could tell the future.LCxMPs
lTWH“Sir Korin, your destiny is so obvious in plain sight, that I wonder if there even is a point in me foretelling it.”ezJn
F2C“…”JQJw6Ba
FAIoI wanted to ask her. Could I really defeat him and save the world? Was it a happy ending waiting for us at the end of the tunnel?owVBfsD
eooaaAs if she could see through my intention, Skuld continued with a smile.DU6z
x5t“If what awaited you was a destined defeat, would that make you give up?”lOp6
kmppt“…Probably not.”lJ1
l4BWw“Exactly, so there is no point in foretelling this destiny. Because you won’t give up no matter the outcome.”4S39RH
NqQLFp7Perhaps it was a roundabout way of telling me that fighting without thinking about destiny could yield better results, and she had a point.TDDy
HDt6“Well then… can you tell me anything else about my future?”ykry
OL2CgmB“…Even if I tell you certain aspects of the future, it doesn’t mean they will be predestined.”slsdI
3xQLmxWhat she meant was that the future I saw here would be meaningless if I lost to Valtazar.GpDOUZ
GWTP“Right.”9no2gm
Yf9“Foreseeing the future is fundamentally about seeing a fragment about the future. We cannot twist or distort it by any means.”URF
6aNT0If“Can I think of it as something with a high probability?”rzK
fC1“That is correct. Think of it as one of the ‘possibilities’.”icxU
S9ZcAb‘Very ambiguous and obscure I know,’ she added with a smile.L7JZ0X
MOAE“But if you are okay with that,” Skuld continued. “I can have a look into your future.”NiLT
xWJ6M“I, if that’s okay.”yEl8Aok
yZkkZ5It was a bit nerve-wracking, because there was a chance that it wouldn’t be positive.q33D
27KEl6If this was modern Earth, I would have ignored it, thinking to myself that nothing good comes out of believing in fortune-tellers. I still remembered how an old man claiming to be a physiognomist, my PT client from the gym, was talking about some nonsense. I had the ‘Destiny of Dilemma,’ or something like that apparently. Hahahaha.vp6Ko
MyKBut this was a world with gods, magic and real mythologies. They wouldn’t be pure nonsense right?OM4u
ZP711e“If you could give me your hand…”txgu
t80IO“Ah. Sorry.”JCO
c9YfBPSkuld opened my hand and began reading through the lines of my palm. Then, she closed her eyes in silence.6Wi1o89
uaczRBreaking her long silence, she said.G4Ct
BK4Ei“…I can see a woman with a bulging belly. You seem happy with your ear next to her belly.”q1d5uBJ
32kNW, was this about relationships? A woman with a bulging belly… who was it? I wondered.WyN55w1
l3a3NFWas it Marie? Alicia? Hua Ran? Estelle? Miruam? Master Erin?Tafj
7OkRDamn it. Now that I thought about it, I was one hell of a son of a bitch, wasn’t I?3Ird
bIpz2o“Aaah. Sir Korin you are… surrounded by a lot of women. Oh no…”lIs0Ve7
N0TvX“W, what’s wrong?”ajbgSpR
oyOB8K7“There’s no need to worry. You will… overcome the pain and bear fruit in the midst of it.”bUTdegW
cTaR2“How can I not be worried!?”BfH2
zpo“I can see you, Sir Korin… vomiting blood in your last breath.”KlG
7u0There’s plenty to be worried about!Zl4LHoI
OIu“Sir Korin. Your fate is that of someone who will die due to women. Ahh, what a happy ending for a man it is.”FmHLN
jIgl3f………… What?dPexF
SdMThe first chapters from 1-242 belong to the Penguin Squad group, and chapters to SS9 belong to the Suul TL group. If you have any problem or issue with that, you can let me know so I can remove it.eUWw2
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