Vol.0 Ch.147 She is with Child

Vol.0 Ch.147 She is with Child

Duke Alaric was sitting in his study. Over the months he laid off one-quarter of his staff to put up the facade that he was struggling financially. But he had set up a few secret accounts years ago that no one knew about. He used to keep most of his minor lords on his side.

He also arranged the marriage of his oldest daughter to a powerful noble family that was across the White Sea.

The Noble Family was a part of the Kingdom of Gavina. It was a small island nation made up of two major islands that housed most of the population and five minor islands. It was a peaceful kingdom that was rich in agriculture. So it was perfect for his daughter. And the kingdom was far away, so if something bad were to happen to Quinus, she wouldn't be close to the Kingdom of Faifyr to become the next heir.

Marcus was the one who lost his right to be the next heir to the throne, but his daughter did. She was still considered a part of the royal bloodline. So she would have become an obstacle for her brother.

So Alaric took care of two problems. But he had a hundred more to deal with. It was becoming a juggling act that would end his life if he made one slip up. So he had to be vigilant, especially for the next five years.

And as far as the other Noble Families knew, he was showing them that he was in a tough spot. He needed to keep it that way until he could strike again.

***

Alaric was sitting at his desk when he heard a knock on his door.

"Enter," Alaric said.

Belial the butler entered his master's study with a message.

"Your Lordship. I have news of that traitor. She's getting married and she is also with child. Should we send word to the Assassin's Society?"

Alaric leaned back in his chair and brought his hands up as he intertwined his fingers together to think.

"Hmmm... So she's with child and getting married?..." Alaric muttered to himself while pondering. He took a moment, weighing out the pros and cons.

"How long will the messenger take?"

"It takes about three week's ride to get there and back if they ride their horse into the ground."

"Tck!... That's too long... I doubt she'll be going on a honeymoon..." Alaric said while shaking his head.

"But she might be away from the Prince after she gives birth, My Lord."

Alaric thought about it some more.

"Maybe... But then again, my nephew could still be around her. And I doubt that she would leave the palace to give birth... It's too risky, Belial. We'll wait. For now, we need to make sure that the funding coming from the Kingdom of Gavina doesn't get tracked by my brother's people or the snake Duval. I need that money to keep the minor lords on my side."

"Yes, My Lord," Belial said as he bowed.

"Is that all? Good. I need to finish the ledgers. You're dismissed."

"Very well. I will see to the arrangements."

Belial left the room and the Duke went back to writing his ledgers on the new taxes he needed to pay to the kingdom.

"75% of our income is gone now..." Alaric muttered to himself. He did have his secret accounts but that would draw too much attention. And he could only use what money his brother knew about. And he knew it wasn't going to be pleasant.

'Goddess damn it... Of all the things I need to deal with. Sometimes I wish I could use my gold to make life easier.'

Alaric was pissed off that his assassin turned on him and nearly got him executed by his brother. And his financial situation is the way it is, thanks to Marquess Duvel trying to bleed Alaric dry to weaken his support with the minor lords. But he was too naive and thought he could have control of the Duke and the kingdom.

"I won't let you get the best of me, Duval... You will regret letting me live. Mark my words..."

Alaric grumbled as he continued to write.

***

Quinus was half listening while he was reading his book.

"I see. So I'm guessing the other continents have other rare races?"

"Most likely. It's said that the Beastkins have a kingdom and live in harmony with the Dwarves in the Kingdom of Lothar. On the Reimus Continent which is far off to the southwest of Agon. The continent is covered in desert and is rumored to have an entire civilization underground."

"I guess that makes sense... What are the rarest races then?"

"That would be the halflings, who were almost wiped out by the Vampires centuries ago... Something in their blood made the Vampires go into a feeding frenzy. You can find a halfling as a trophy with some rich nobles. Or as a slave with a vampire."

'That's awful... Wait! What the fuck! Vampire?!' Quinus was reading about the Dark Elves in his book and missed the part about vampires being uncommon in the world.

"Vampire?" Quinus asked as his voice cracked.

Wina could tell that he was afraid and surprised.

"Yeah... They can be a bit of a nuisance for us warm-blooded people. They're very dangerous and they're a pain to kill if you aren't a Maja or a Mage."

"I-is that so..."

"Don't worry, Prince Quinus. The kingdom's Royal Knights are more than capable of handling a Vampire. Plus the Vampires find the taste of humans tolerable on average. So they won't go out of their way to make us into cattle."

"R-right... And are there any more rare races?"

"That would be the Fairies and the rarest are the Dragons."

"Dragons!?" Quinus panicked at first.

'Come on, Quin! Of course, there would be Dragons in a magical setting... I need to get used to this crap. I'm not on Earth anymore.'

Wina smiled.

"Yep. Dragons are the rarest race, but also the superior race on Tertius. And the thing that makes them stronger than us is they don't need to slay monsters to grow their mana vein. Where we need to slay monsters to grow ours... They can breathe fire and can be the size of a large mansion. They are majestic beasts that are both intelligent and powerful. They can speak our languages and even the beastkin tongue. But there's one thing that most commoners don't know."

"What is it?" Quinus asked as he was drawn in and wanted to know the secret.

"They can take the form of a humanoid and they almost look human. But you can tell the difference because they have a set of horns and a scaled tail. And their eyes are reptilian and their pupils are slit."

'Why is Wina telling me this stuff?' Quinus thought to himself. 'She must have a reason for this... Right?'

"Is that so?..."

"Yes... So, if you ever run into a Dragon in their human form. I would recommend running away, My Prince."

Quinus could see the serious look on Wina's face.

"Why are you telling me this, Lady Wina?"

"Because you could have a Demi-god mana vein. And if you get strong enough, a dragon will notice you, and who knows if it's a good dragon or not? You need to know this, so if the time comes you'll be ready. Because this world is not a nice place, My Prince. We humans forget that there are other races that can push us around. And you'll have to be prepared."

Quinus took this information in, to the best of his ability.

"Thank you, Lady Wina. I'll be careful."

Wina nodded and went back to her book while Quinus did the same. He couldn't help but be drawn to the illustration of the female Dark Elf.

'I wonder if I'll run into one of their kind...'