Esdeath forced a small, awkward smile.
"I got pregnant…"
"What?!" Lortell's eyes widened. Even she was shocked. That didn't make any sense at all. How could that even happen?
Esdeath quickly hugged her head and started thinking hard, panicking. "Wait, no… you got pregnant— no! That's not what I meant!" Her voice was all over the place.
She was clearly losing it.
Whenever Lortell was near her, her brain always turned into mush. But now, seeing Lortell angry and disappointed made her panic even more. Her mind was a complete mess. She didn't know what to say or how to fix this.
Then suddenly, a soft, trembling voice spoke up.
It was Selene.
"Daddy? Are you and Mother fighting because of me? Does Daddy not like me…?" she asked, her voice shaky.
Her big silver eyes started to fill with tears. Her small face looked hurt and confused, like she might burst into tears any second. But even like that, she looked incredibly cute—too cute to stay mad at.
Lortell looked at the child, and her heart softened. Her anger started to melt a little.
"She looks like a little version of Esdeath…" Lortell thought to herself, and slowly withdrew her powerful S-rank aura.
She took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Ahem… Let's talk in private first," she said firmly, grabbing Esdeath's hand and walking toward a quiet corner of the garden.
Once they were alone, Lortell turned to face Esdeath and spoke seriously. "Now talk truthfully. She even smells like you. And I know it's impossible to have a six-year-old child appear overnight. And definitely not from just a kiss," she said, narrowing her eyes.
Esdeath took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. But even then, she couldn't bring herself to look into Lortell's eyes. She felt too guilty. Too scared.
"Actually…" she began, her voice low.
Then she quickly came up with a fake story, though there was a little bit of truth mixed in. Just enough to make it believable.
After listening to it carefully, Lortell frowned.
"So… you're telling me that when you went out to search for your friend, you found an inheritance. And there, you accidentally dropped your blood on a golden statue, and suddenly this girl—Selene—appeared and started calling you her mother?" she repeated slowly.
Esdeath nodded quickly, her expression full of nervous hope.
But Lortell didn't look satisfied.
She was still upset.
But for a different reason now.
"So you kept all this a secret from me?" her voice was quiet but sharp. "Not even telling me? Your childhood friend? "
Esdeath's lips trembled. Her hands clenched.
"No wonder you didn't let me into your dorm room. You didn't even trust me enough to share something this important… You don't believe in me, do you?" Lortell's voice shook a little at the end, a mix of hurt and anger in her tone.
Esdeath felt a painful squeeze in her chest. She had hurt Lortell. The one person she loved more than anything.
"Of course that's not true! I just thought you'd get angry!" Esdeath said quickly, her voice full of panic and guilt.
But Lortell turned her face away with a huff. "Well, now that you didn't trust me enough to tell me… I am angry."
Esdeath felt like crying. Her heart sank, but then she got an idea. She puffed up her cheeks a little, clenched her hands in front of her chest, and made the cutest sad face she could manage.
"I'm sorry…" she said softly in the voice of a weak little girl, trying her best to sound adorable.
Lortell's face instantly turned red. Her ears even twitched a little. She tried to look tough and looked away again. "I'm not falling for that! Stop trying to be cute!"
But Esdeath stepped closer and said it again—"Sorry…"
They kept repeating the same little back-and-forth, Esdeath acting like a pitiful kitten, and Lortell trying so hard not to break. But finally, after the fifth time, Lortell sighed and gave in.
She looked down, her lips twitching, and shook her head with a helpless smile. "Fine… I'm forgiving you this time."
"Yay! You're the best!" Esdeath immediately hugged her, wrapping her arms tightly around Lortell. It felt like a huge weight had lifted from her chest. She could breathe again.
But just as Esdeath was about to pull away, Lortell leaned in close. Her warm breath brushed against Esdeath's ear, sending a tingle down her spine.
"You better be ready in bed tonight," Lortell whispered in a sultry tone. "I'll be rough this time."
Esdeath's whole face turned red like a ripe tomato. She froze, her heart pounding like a drum. She didn't even dare to look at Lortell. Instead, she stared at her own fingers, nervously poking them together.
"L-let's go back…" Lortell said after a moment, clearing her throat and looking away. "I already scared my daughter too much."
Esdeath's eyes went wide. Daughter. Lortell just called Selene her daughter.
That one word made Esdeath's heart flutter wildly. Her lips slowly curled into a soft smile as she followed behind Lortell like a happy little puppy.
"Daddy!" Selene ran toward them, her eyes sparkling with joy and hope.
She had always looked up to Lortell. After hearing about how powerful and amazing she was, Selene was full of admiration.
Lortell paused for a second, then bent down and opened her arms. "Come here."
Selene's eyes lit up as she sprinted and threw herself into Lortell's hug.
"It was just a little misunderstanding. Daddy's not angry," Lortell said in a warm, gentle voice while stroking Selene's hair. A soft smile spread across her face.
Meanwhile, Esdeath's eyes drifted toward someone standing a little distance away.
It was Corin.
He was purposely avoiding her eyes, pretending not to see her.
"Hah… it's obvious now", Esdeath thought with a sigh. "He failed again. He tried to take Selene away with him, but she came back to me and ended up exposing everything."
Still, she felt a bit relieved. "Well… I guess it's a good thing in the end. Now I don't have to worry about hiding her anymore."
But when her eyes locked on Corin again, a vein popped on her forehead.
"That little rat… I'm definitely giving him a slap later."
Everyone was staring at Lortell, Esdeath, and especially Selene with confused and surprised looks.
What was that heavy, suffocating feeling in the air just now?
And more importantly… why was there a little girl here?
People were whispering to each other, not understanding what was going on. Since there was a bit of distance between them, no one could hear Selene calling Lortell "Daddy," but they could clearly see how close the three looked.
Selene looked up at Lortell with big, shiny eyes and tilted her head.
"But Daddy… why don't you have a penis?" she asked innocently.
Lortell froze on the spot. Her mind went blank for a second.
Even Esdeath's jaw dropped open.
Selene wasn't trying to be rude—she was just a very curious and innocent child. But still, that question…
Lortell quickly recovered, giving a playful smile as she decided to joke back.
"I can grow one if you want a little brother or sister!" she said with a wink.
Selene blinked. She didn't fully understand, but nodded like it made sense. "Umm… okay!"
Meanwhile, Esdeath's face turned even redder than before. Steam could've come out of her ears. She covered her face in embarrassment.
Their little family moment didn't last long, though.
Suddenly, a soldier came running toward Lortell, stopping right in front of her and bowing.
"My lady, we've gathered all the deceased. Some of them were from your Third Division. Please give the next order."
Lortell's playful mood faded instantly. Her smile disappeared, and her expression turned serious.
She took a deep breath and nodded.
"I'm coming," she said calmly.
She couldn't just joke around right now, not when her own people had died. She had a duty, and as someone of high status, she had to act responsibly.
Before leaving, she bent down in front of Selene and gently patted her head.
"I'll be going for a while, but I'll be back with new toys and snacks, alright? Stay with Mama until then."
"Okay! Be safe, Daddy!" Selene said with a smile, waving her little hand.
Lortell turned and walked away with confidence in her steps, her figure slowly disappearing into the crowd.
After she left, things quieted down for a moment.
Then Maruti walked up to Esdeath, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"Ugh, I'm so tired… I just want to go to bed already!" she mumbled with a big yawn.
"Shut up," Esdeath said while rolling her eyes. "We're not done yet."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Maruti asked, looking confused.
Esdeath pointed toward the battlefield. "Look at the ground. It's full of monster bodies. High-rank monsters! Their body parts are super valuable for making essence stones. We can't let it all go to waste!"
Maruti gave her a look. "Wow, you're really greedy, huh?" she said with a laugh.
"So, where do we start? Should we go for that lava snake first?" Maruti asked, pointing at a large creature nearby.
Esdeath gave her a light smack on the head. "Are you dumb? That one's way too close to everyone! Do you want to get caught stealing? Let's go for the ones farther away—like that Rank A spider near the edge of the forest. No one's looking there."
Maruti rubbed her head and nodded. "Got it! Let's go, then!"
The two girls quickly scanned the area. Once they were sure no one was paying attention, they slipped away like sneaky little thieves.
-----------------------
They were close to the forest now, hiding behind thick bushes as they carefully made their way toward the body of Madam Eight Legs—a Rank A monster. Her huge spider body was creepy even in death, but her eyes sparkled under the sunlight.
Those eyes were worth a fortune. They were the most valuable part of her body.
Esdeath and Maruti looked around to make sure no soldiers or academy instructors were watching. Once they were sure the coast was clear, they ran forward like two excited little thieves.
But as soon as they reached the monster's body…
Their eyes caught something else.
Standing a few steps away was a terrifying figure. A man with a rotting, zombie-like body. His skin was pale and peeling, and dark blood oozed from the cuts on his arms. But the most disturbing part—his head wasn't even on his shoulders.
His head was in his own hand.
He was the Beheaded Man. An low rank anomaly-class monster.
Esdeath narrowed her eyes but didn't look scared at all. In fact, she looked a little annoyed.
"Hah… it's just a Beheaded Man. I can kill him with a slap!" she said with confidence and stepped forward, ready to attack.
But just as she raised her hand, another hand came in front of her face, stopping her.
It was Maruti.
"What's the meaning of this?" Esdeath hissed, clearly irritated.
Maruti stood like some overly dramatic character in a play, one hand on her hip, the other on her forehead.
"Fufufu~ You poor clueless child," she said in a cringey, over-the-top voice. "Let me talk to him first. He looks like a kind soul. Maybe he'll leave on his own if I ask nicely!"
Esdeath blinked in disbelief, staring at her friend with wide, flat eyes.
"I told you anomaly-class monsters don't have intelligence," she said flatly, pointing at the Beheaded Man.
Maruti didn't listen. Of course, she didn't.
"That's why I need to prove it to you myself!" Maruti said proudly. She walked forward slowly, one hand still on her face like she was acting in a mystery drama.
Esdeath crossed her arms.
She suddenly remembered the Penetrator—the anomaly that could actually speak. But that was probably a rare case, maybe the only one of its kind. There was no way this headless zombie could talk… right?
"Alright, I believe you, okay? Now just kill him already," Esdeath muttered. "I'm sure the one you met before was just a weird exception."
But Maruti, as always, did what she wanted.
She walked up to the Beheaded Man confidently, her hair swaying behind her, and smiled sweetly.
"Hello, little headless guy! You can call me Maruti! Wanna be friends?" she asked in a cheerful tone, closing her eyes and holding out her hand like she expected a handshake.
Silence.
No response.
Maruti slowly opened one eye.
"Huh?" she looked confused.
Then she noticed something—
The head that had been in his hand just a second ago… was gone.
"Where did your head go?" she asked and bent down, looking at his hand.
And then—
BITE!!
"Aaaaghh!!!"
The Beheaded Man's head had somehow snuck behind her and—bit her! Right on the butt.
Maruti's eyes shot open. Her mouth fell open in pure shock.
"AAAAHHHH!!" she screamed, jumping into the air. "It bit me!! It bit me on the wrong place!!!"
She ran in circles, holding her bottom, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
Esdeath didn't move. She stood there with a completely blank face, one eyebrow slightly raised.
"That's what you get for not listening to me,"
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[author]
I wanted to do an important announcement.
I'm actually thinking of making an petreon account, To provide early /advance chapters...But I don't know much about it, other than it works like subscription....
So if anyone have knowledge then please share with me, Like how much should I charge? And what facilities i should provide in return...
Or you can just comment to not open it, What am I gonna do with it if not one joins...
So your response would be a great help....