The Baby Isn’t Yours

At the end of their 22-day journey, Kalia and her group arrived at their destination.

It only took 22 days due to the use of teleportation scrolls. If they had traveled by carriage, it would have taken over two months.

As Hemmie and Allen, who had been driving the carriage, stepped out of the carriage and looked around the town.

“Wow! Is this the place?”

“It’s a bit small, as you mentioned.”

Unlike when they had left, Hemmie and Allen had become slightly excited. They couldn’t hide their curiosity and a little tension.

“I told you, Hemmie. We were heading to the countryside.”

“That’s true. It is quite small. Nevertheless, the town looks very charming.”

“Yeah, it’s a beautiful place.”

Kalia, who had become somewhat accustomed to this, stood beside them, being careful not to step on her dress.

Allen reached out his hand to support her in case she might stumble, a gesture of kindness that was still somewhat unfamiliar to Kalia, who responded with an awkward smile.

It had been almost a month, but Kalia still found this kind of affectionate kindness strange.

She looked back at the town. The beautiful landscape was a blend of vast fields, a river extending to the sea, mountains, and the town.

‘Finally, we’ve arrived.’

Lua, a small city with a population of only about 3 000 people.

Four years ago, it was a place Kalia had passed by by chance while her army was defending the country.

Located behind the Aope Mountains, with a river extending to the sea and a clean lake, this very small town had no city’s hustle and bustle, but it was a comfortable place to live in peace.

With enough farmland for self-sufficiency and a large river where fish were caught fairly well, Lua was a special source of pride for its well-mannered lord, Viscount Shilton, and its remarkably high birthrate.

Everything was considered the best for bearing and raising children.

The only minor drawback was…

“Um, Kalia, there are signs indicating that this is a monster-prone area, aren’t there?”

Indeed, it was a place where monsters appeared, but that… well, it was something that could be taken care of with a single cleanup.

“Moreover, it looks like the 23rd Fairy Forest is nearby.”

That, too, didn’t bother Kalia at all.

Kalia looked at Allen with an expression that seemed to say, ‘What’s the problem with such things?’

Allen pouted slightly, his face subtly distorted as he nibbled his lower lip.

“Dangerous… signs… they are… doubled…”

Allen replied with stiff shoulders, and Kalia lightly patted him on the shoulder as she answered.

“It’s okay, Allen. Don’t be scared.”

“Um?”

“It’s not as dangerous as you might think. It’s well managed.”

The kindness in Kalia’s eyes as she said this was difficult to bear for Allen.

The look of her eyes staring at him was telling him how awkward he felt. She was asking how he could survive this harsh world.

‘No, it’s not because I’m scared!’

…He wanted to shout at her with a face that seemed to say so.

Kalia added an unnecessary but well-meaning explanation of what she was thinking when she saw him puffing up.

“The monsters mainly hunt other lower-level monsters so, as long as you don’t go up the mountain, it’s okay. The same goes for the fairy forest. The fairy forest itself is not such a dangerous area. As long as you don’t try to force your way into the forest, it’s safe to be around. In fact, it’s safer around there because there’s no way in for monsters.”

“Thank you for explaining… It still doesn’t sound safe, Kalia! Lower-leveled monsters are still monsters! The Fairy Forest is famous for being a place where you can’t escape from if you’re accidentally sucked in or get lost. Don’t you know how many disappear there every year?”

Kalia looked proud for a moment at the sight of him coming to his senses and refuting it point by point.

“I feel so relieved that Allen is such a clear-headed person.”

‘No, you…’

Kalia watched him squirm with a satisfied smile.

Kalia knew what Allen was worried about. But she believed that, at this point, there was no better place than here. The farthest place from the capital. Distance-wise, it was far, yet it was the most stable town.

It was a small and cute subcity where the sound of children’s laughter was clearly heard. Rather, she planned to stay here and take care of the lesser monsters to protect the children’s laughter.

“I know what Allen is worried about. You don’t have to be scared. I’ll be careful. Especially until the stable period.”

“There’s no such thing as an absolutely stable period in pregnancy, Kalia. You have to be careful all the time.”

“Okay, I understand. I’ll keep that in mind. But, Allen, you said that after a while, some exercise is necessary.”

“…Do you know that exercise and combat are different?”

“I’m well aware of that. Oh, by the way, after a certain point, it’s just a matter of letting off steam against ogres and goblins, you know?”

“Um?”

Allen looked at Kalia as if he had heard some unbelievable nonsense, but her serious face was sincere.

It was Kalia who was baffled by the bewildered Allen, the weak doctor.

‘…Why are you looking so surprised?’

Kalia looked at Allen as if she were trying to tell him that those creatures were only going to collapse with a single blow.

Well, yeah. Being cautious about everything is never a bad idea. After all, the safety of the baby in her belly should be the top priority.

“Don’t make that face, Allen. That’s just for a specific situation. Besides, people here are living peacefully in their own way. They even send regular extermination squads.”

“Haah.”

Allen let out a deep sigh and scratched his head.

Kalia was the only one in the world who would consider fighting goblins and ogres to be a warm-up.

For some reason, he had a strong feeling that he would encounter situations far more nerve-wracking than he had initially thought.

‘She’s just too strong.’

He knew that Kalia was strong, but the problem was that she was aware of it as well.

Allen chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

‘Yeah, she’s very strong… well…’

During the month of their journey, the three of them had become quite close, sharing many stories. Allen now felt like Kalia and Hemmie were like his little sisters.

They were hands-on, didn’t know how to throw tantrums, brave, and silent. Such a little sister who kept making him feel embarrassed.

…Oh, of course, except when they encountered a group of bandits on the way, and Kalia had decimated them all with a rusty old sword.

Yes, Kalia back then was literally a warrior.

The sight of those bandits collapsing helplessly every time she swung her sword was more brutal and decisive than he had imagined.

“Since we’ve come this far, there’s no place to go anymore. Further travel wouldn’t be good for a pregnant woman.”

“Alright, then let’s go buy a house.”

Kalia looked at the small town where she was about to start anew, taking a deep breath and smiling.

The refreshing forest air entered her stuffy mind.

‘Right here, my baby. This is where you’ll be born…’

There were only about ten weeks left. Even though the presence of the baby in her belly was minimal, Kalia was always conscious of the child, gently caressing her belly.

Despite being an inexperienced mother, she hoped the baby would feel safe inside.

Kalia prayed for the baby’s safety, even as they moved on the remaining distance.

* * *

With Allen and Hemmie, Kalia arrived in Lua.

They first entered the lord’s castle to register their settlement.

The lord’s castle they reached by carriage, about 30 minutes from the central city, was small and rustic, unlike those in the capital.

It looked like a nature reserve with barely 20 windows and much smaller stables and warehouses compared to Kalia’s property.

However, the walls made of closely stacked stones were sturdy, and there were more soldiers than Kalia expected, despite only seeing around 50 of them.

Regardless, Kalia’s statement about sending regular extermination squads to the surrounding area seemed to be true.

Wearing clothes that seemed to be of noble origin, Kalia conducted the registration procedure quickly due to the small size of the estate.

As they came outside, the children gathered around them. Dressed as if they were the lord’s children, the children had clothes that looked quite aristocratic. The children’s eyes were all fixed on Kalia.

The kids admired Kalia with longing eyes as if she were a noble lady.

Not only the children but also the soldiers in training and the castle staff watched Kalia, Hemmie, and Allen with curiosity.

However, Kalia was the one who attracted the most attention.

Longing gazes with admiration, as if looking at a noble lady from afar. In those gazes, there was not a single thought that she might be the war hero who led the peace of this land.

They spoke the same language, but with a slightly mixed regional accent, they whispered about who these people were.

Ironically, Kalia, the protagonist of those gazes, seemed to be focused on finishing this tedious process and thinking about what kind of house they could buy.

Because the estate was quite small, the registration process was not too complicated.

Ignoring the eyes of everyone quietly watching, Kalia’s group headed straight to the city.

A path adorned with nameless violet flowers stretched ahead of them. Next to the low cliffs flowed a clear river. Where the water flowed, there was the sea beyond the distant hill.

“Wow! Kalia, this place is so beautiful! How can the air be this sweet?”

Hemmie cheered beyond the carriage window.

Every visible scene was like a landscape painting created by an artist. The fact that lesser monsters appeared frequently and that there was an Fairy Forest nearby was easily forgotten in the face of such beautiful scenery.

Even the windmill to the west and the distant city seemed to blend in perfectly.

While Hemmie cheered, Kalia also looked out the opposite window.

She saw the Aope Mountains towering in the distance. The massive mountain range was dark green, and thick mist hung over it.

It felt like just the other day when she was touring this village with Simon from that hill, but it had been four years since then.

At that time, she never imagined that she would return to this place with Simon’s child. This part of life always led her to unexpected moments when she least expected it.

Kalia found it fascinating and somewhat scary, but this time she eagerly awaited the surprise that life would bring her.

‘I wonder what kind of surprises you will bring me next?’

Kalia caressed her flat belly and looked at the approaching village.

Behind the carriage carrying the three of them, the salty sea breeze was blowing.