CH 615

The women around Roel were experienced at night watch. His high frequency of sustaining injuries gave them plenty of chances to accrue experience in that field.

Every time he was bedridden, those women would capitalize on the opportunity to get their way. Both Charlotte and Lilian were veterans in that regard. Surprisingly, it was the aggressive Nora who was more honest in that regard.

As the successor to the throne, Nora Xeclyde’s actions represented not just herself but the Saint Mesit Theocracy and the Genesis Goddess Church too. That meant that she couldn’t act wilfully, unlike Charlotte and the others. In fact, Nora was known as a dignified and graceful princess by most.

In the first place, Nora had gotten close to Roel because it was only with him that she could drop her perfect persona and reveal her true self. This avenue to freely express herself felt like a salvation to her… just that her expressions became increasingly diverse as time passed.

In the bedroom, Nora held tightly onto a golden chain while gasping for air. After hours of battle, she finally collapsed into Roel’s arms with a flushed face.

Roel surprisingly didn’t voice his usual complaints about her domineering demeanor. Instead, he freed himself from her chains, sat upright, and gently stroked her hair.

“Does it hurt?” Roel asked concernedly as he looked at the red patch on the bedsheet.

“A little, but it’s fine.” Nora shook her head in emphasis. “I have already been through it once; it’s better this time around.”

“That was a mana avatar,” Roel replied with a helpless smile as he recalled the night they had spent at Tark Prairie.

Back then, he had just returned to the real world and found himself in grave danger due to the Collector’s ploy. Cornered, he had no choice but to summon Nora via Ascendwing. Driven by a mix of many emotions, the two of them decided to cherish the present and had their first union.

While the summoned Nora was only a mana avatar and not her real body, any injuries suffered by the mana avatar would be transferred to the main body once the spell was over. Roel thought that would spare her from pain this time around, but clearly he was wrong.

“The spell might not have registered it because the injury was too light and I recovered too fast.”

“I see. I apologize for making you suffer.”

“…It’s nothing.”

Nora’s face reddened, as she subconsciously tightened her grip on the chains. Roel found himself mesmerized by her rare show of embarrassment.

He couldn’t help but wonder why she seemed so anxious today. Unlike her usual dignified and composed demeanor, something appeared to be bothering her, pushing her to be more daring and affectionate. It was rare to catch her in such a state, and it drew out a different charm that made his heart beat fast.

After enjoying the moment, Roel eventually decided to voice his doubt. “Nora, is there something wrong? You seem to have something on your mind today.”

“You can say so,” Nora replied with a nod. She paused briefly before revealing her worry. “…I am afraid.”

“Afraid?” Roel blinked in confusion before it clicked. He let out a soft chuckle before addressing the issue: “Principal Antonio’s proposal is just a suggestion. He won’t enforce it.”

Just thinking about the recent fuss over the ‘Kingmaker Bloodline Expansion Plan’ gave him a headache. It had been a struggle for him to reason with Brolne’s scholars, who suffered from a dire lack of political awareness, and Pendor’s obstinate fogeys.

To their credit, having intercourse solely to continue one’s lineage was an old tradition in the Sia Continent, and it was thought to be socially acceptable.

Back in the Witness State, right before Roel’s confrontation with Magician King Priestley Maxwell, his ancestor, Astrid, had demanded him to have intercourse with Lilian in hopes of continuing the lineage of the Kingmaker Clan.

“He won’t be able to force that proposal on me.”

“…That’d be for the best.”

While Roel took a lackadaisical attitude toward that proposal, Nora took it seriously.

Even though Principal Antonio had raised the matter with a casual attitude, Wilhelmina’s sources had indicated a shockingly high level of support for that ridiculous proposal, especially in the academic-focused Brolne.

Rare and important bloodlines had to be passed down; this was almost like a societal obligation, especially during such critical periods. The rights of an individual had to be compromised when the interests of an entire race were at stake.

Roel’s triumph over the Deviant Sovereign had enlightened the world to the potential of the Kingmaker Bloodline. The pressure on him to reproduce would only continue to grow with time. Antonio had probably intended his words to be both a reminder and a warning.

It was completely possible for decisive action to be taken if there was no progress within the next few months. After all, no one knew when the Savior and the Mother Goddess would return.

In the worst-case situation, the upper echelons of the Genesis Goddess Church, which represented humankind’s interest, might change their stance, forcing Nora to deliver her lover into the arms of other women.

Offering one’s lover for the sake of humankind sounded like a joke, but it was both Nora’s reality and her greatest nightmare.

…No, that absolutely cannot happen. Nora might just turn against humankind if something like that were to happen. Roel vehemently shook his head.

After a long embrace, Nora, who refused to let go of the chains, voiced her truest thought: “…You’re my subject. I won’t let anyone else have you.”

“!” Those words tinged Roel’s heart, driving him to tighten his arms around Nora. He spent a moment in thought before replying, “I am a living being. I shan’t be reduced to a mere tool for reproduction. Don’t worry; I won’t let things go down that direction.”

“That might be the case for now, but the pressure will only intensify as the apocalypse foretold by the Tripartite Alliance draws close. If left to be, it’s only a matter of time before the pressure forces you to make a compromise,” Nora calmly analyzed.

“This…” Roel couldn’t refute her words, for he knew that it was true.

Human rights were nothing when all of humankind was teetering on the brink of extinction. Not even Roel would be able to stand against the immense pressure coming from all directions. Taking a step back, if it had been someone else in his position, he might also have resorted to different means to push that individual to have more children.

“The four of us had a meeting yesterday morning…”

“You had a meeting specifically over this matter?”

“Of course! We are serious about it. It’s the same for Principal Antonio too. He hopes that our efforts bear some results as soon as possible so that he can answer the scholars on his side.”

“…”

By this point, Roel was forced to take a more serious attitude toward this matter.

Nora spent a moment in thought before revealing the conclusion they had come to: “As much as we wish for it to happen, we have to concede that this matter isn’t easy for us…”

The stronger a transcendent was, the lower their chances of reproduction.

A human body was an extremely intricate design; any changes within it could lead to rippling effects. A breakthrough in one’s Origin Level was a mutation of one’s body, and the chances were likelier than not that it would compromise one’s fundamental ability to reproduce.

The situation was worse for those who possessed the bloodlines of foreign races, like Nora and the others.

Charlotte, who was the most excited about having a child, possessed the High Elf Bloodline. The likelihood of her getting pregnant was so low that the odds of witnessing a flying pig were actually higher. She would have been doomed, if not for her receiving Peytra’s blessing.

WIlhelmina’s Dragon Bloodline fared slightly better than Charlotte’s in that aspect, but it was still one of the bloodlines that suffered from low birth rate.

Nora’s Angel Bloodline was the least disadvantaged when it came to that, though her odds were still beneath those of a normal high transcendent.

The one who stood the best chance of all was Lilian.

“The Ackermanns believed in human supremacy, so there are no foreign bloodlines running through their veins. Lilian is the only one who stands a chance in the short run.”

“…”

But the problem is that she’s already pregnant… no?

Roel’s cheeks twitched, as he wondered whether he should tell Nora and the others about Lilian’s pregnancy.

Nora and the others’ worries were unfounded, as Lilian had already resolved the issue of his offspring two years ago. To top it off, their child was a prodigy dabbling in the elusive domain of temporal spells, which allowed her to help her parents even before she was born.

Not to mention that she’s fatally adorable.

Roel swelled in pride, feeling a strong urge to brag about his future daughter. It was just that he didn’t know whether should reveal the matter, since it had to be kept confidential lest Emperor Lukas hear about it.

But again, both Nora and the Genesis Goddess Church were wary of Emperor Lukas. It was also unlike Nora to divulge secrets to others.

This tempted Roel to let the news slip to her so as to allay her worry, but a shout in his ear stopped him.

“You mustn’t!”

Roel’s consciousness suddenly became heavy. A wave of drowsiness washed over him, as his body gradually lost strength. This startled Nora.

“Roel?”

“My apologies; I suddenly felt tired, so…”

“Go and sleep then.” Nora nodded understandingly.

Roel closed his eyes and fell straight into deep sleep.

…

As I expected.

In an audience room full of blossoming flowers, Roel turned his eyes toward the elevated throne, where a white-haired witch sat.

“Good evening, my hero,” Artasia greeted him as she stood up and made her way down.

“Good evening to you too. You suddenly called for me. Is anything wrong?” Roel asked grimly.

Artasia heaved a sigh before saying, “My hero, you should be asking that question to yourself.”

“What?”

“You should avoid mentioning that child for the time being.”

Roel wasn’t surprised to hear Artasia’s warning, considering the timing of her reverse summon, but he had doubts concerning it. “I understand, but may I ask the rationale behind that?”

“You’re interfering with fate.”

“Fate?”

“Temporal spells can have widespread effects. It’s advisable to avoid mentioning it to others as much as possible, lest it raise a series of unintended consequences.”

“…” Roel thought about Artasia’s warning and nodded, though it raised more doubts in his mind.

He understood Artasia’s worry—she was referring to something similar to the butterfly effect in his previous world—but this was a factor he had taken into account when he had weighed the pros and cons. He trusted Nora, and he knew that she could keep a secret.

Most importantly of all, the Witch Queen was excessively concerned about his and Lilian’s child.

While Roel was on good terms with his contracted ancient gods, none of them had shown much interest in his offspring, which was understandable since they had yet to see her. Peytra did bestow her blessing upon Lilian, but that was all there was to it.

It was suspicious for Artasia to summon him here just to stop him from informing another person about this matter.

Roel hesitantly looked at Artasia, and the latter seemed to understand his doubt. She looked at him with a wry smile as she asked, “You feel that I’m too concerned about that child?”

“Yes, I do feel that way.”

“You must have remembered the request I made during our first meeting, my hero,” Artasia said.

She turned around, leaving her back facing Roel. The throne glowed brilliantly, as black flowers blossomed around the audience room. She walked into the sea of flowers and casually plucked one to examine it.

“Are you worried I’ll transfer my consciousness into that child?”

“…” Roel narrowed his eyes.