Back home,

  Loucille looked around the rental house. They didn’t have many belongings to begin with.

  The rental house came with furniture when they rented it.

  She and Nana went to the market every day to sell fruits, while Louise was always away with his team, completing tasks for the Adventure Guild. They had only rented this pce to have a comfortable house to sleep in when needed.

  Loucille began making pns. "We only have one horse-drawn wagon, so hiring another one with a driver isn’t practical. I should sell some of our things—whatever can be sold. I have savings, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a little more money."

  "Hmm… Then, I’ll talk to the nddy about leaving for good and ask for a refund if possible."

  "I’ll buy us some dry meat.”

  “I think bringing a small pot to cook soup and a pan to heat food from time to time is a good idea too.”

  She spoke aloud as she strategized, spreading the map on the table.

  "There are vilges and small towns along the way. I can stop by to buy more food if needed."

  "Nyaa Nyaa~" Nana called out to her.

  Loucille turned her head and smiled. She should expin her pns to Nana—after all, Nana was part of the family.

  She waved her over. "Nana, come sit here with me. I have something to tell you."

  Nana walked over and settled into the chair beside Loucille. "Nyaa~"

  Loucille spoke in a serious tone. "Nana, I’m sorry. I know we just got back, but we have to travel again."

  "This time, we won’t need to rush, so we won’t be too tired."

  "We’re leaving this town for good and moving somewhere else."

  "Well… that’s the pn for now."

  She took a deep breath. "I, um… something happened. I’m pregnant. There’s a baby in my belly."

  Nana stretched out her paw and touched Loucille’s stomach. "Nyaa Nyaa Nyaa~"

  She looked overjoyed, her blue eyes shining brightly.

  Loucille pced her hand over Nana’s paw. "Yes, we’ll have a new family member."

  "You’ll watch over the baby in the future, okay?"

  "Nyaa Nyaa~" Nana nodded in agreement.

  Loucille continued, "Tomorrow morning, we’ll buy dried food and start our journey."

  "Can you reheat the soup and bread from earlier while I sell some of our things? Let’s have dinner early and rest."

  "Nyaa Nyaa~" Nana nodded again.

  Loucille was a woman of action. She followed through immediately.

  She went out of the rental house and looked around careful. She noticed some changes in the town. The number of men dressed as soldiers had increased, and they were patrolling. It seemed they were now more vigint toward the people from other countries---or perhaps it was due to the sudden increase in wild monsters.

  Loucille only looked for a short while, then went door-to-door to sell their belongings to people she knew well. When she couldn’t sell them, she gave them away for free. Then, she spoke to the nddy.

  The nddy was reluctant to let her go. She had watched the brother and sister grow up, and they had taken good care of her old house. In the end, she agreed and even gave Loucille a refund, along with an apple pie as a farewell gift.

  Loucille thanked her, bid farewell, and returned home.

  She and Nana had an early dinner, enjoying the apple pie together.

  After washing the dishes, Loucille took a warm bath and changed into her pajamas.

  She brushed her hair, then gently touched her stomach.

  "Baby?" she whispered.

  "Can you hear me? Do babies hear at this stage?"

  "Anyway, tomorrow, we’re going on a long journey."

  "I—your mom—don’t want you to be born only to be pointed at and judged."

  "Getting pregnant out of wedlock is rare here… and people who do are treated like outcasts. They think women like that are sluts—"

  She stopped herself. "What am I saying?"

  "In the future, it’ll be you, me, Nana, and your uncle—"

  Suddenly, she gasped. "Oh my gosh, how could I forget my brother?"

  "I need to write him a letter… and one for the Dean Mother, too!"

  Loucille hurried to her small table and began writing.

  *

  So dark.

  Tia tried to open her eyes, but she couldn’t.

  Next, she opened her mouth, but the same thing happened.

  Then, she tried to move—again, nothing.

  What’s going on?

  Why is my condition worse than before? Tia asked herself.

  It seemed she was trapped again.

  Why are scammers so rampant in this world?

  Oh no, this is bad. I’m feeling sleepy again…

  No, no, I can’t fall asleep…

  …Snoring.

  Tia thought she had been scammed. She didn’t know she was just a two-month-old embryo—how could she do as she pleased?

  *

  The next morning, Loucille and Nana went on their way after sending the letter and buying some dried goods.

  She also bought a new bnket and two pillows to sit comfortably while they drove.

  The weather that day was nice—the sky was clear, and the air was refreshing.

  Loucille was driving the horse-drawn wagon.

  “How is it? It’s nice to sit on a cushion, right?” Loucille asked Nana.

  “Nyaa~ Nyaa~” Nana replied, her tail swaying.

  Loucille could tell that Nana liked it very much. Why hadn’t she thought of it before?

  The two traveled for weeks. As they got further from Ratora Town, the surroundings grew more secluded. Byarrie City hadn’t been fully developed yet.

  “Nana, let’s be more careful…”

  As soon as she spoke, a goblin emerged from the bushes. “Raaagh!”

  “Nyaa! Nyaa!” Nana meowed loudly, warning Loucille.

  Loucille immediately attacked with her magic: “Water Bst!”

  The goblin didn’t die immediately—it seemed to be a little stronger than expected.

  “Water Cannon!” Loucille followed up with a much more powerful water spell.

  Fortunately, this time, the goblin was defeated.

  “Sigh… Nana, make sure you’re ready to attack with your dagger for safety,” Loucille said.

  “Nyaa~” Nana agreed, patting the dagger at her waist.

  Nana couldn’t use magic or fight well—perhaps that was why she had been left to die on the mountain that day.

  But even so, Loucille loved Nana very much.

  They continued their journey, stopping only to sleep—sometimes at vilge inns, other times in roadside shelters.

  These shelters were strongly advocated to be built by the imperial family throughout the Arindale Kingdom. They were intended to provide citizens with a pce to stay in times of need.

  During the great war that occurred before the kingdom was established, it was said that the king and his men couldn’t even find proper shelter after a tiresome battle. Life was harsh and full of hardships, which led to such an outcome.

  After two months of travel…

  They were nearing the center of Byarrie City. The nd was vast and green, with lush mountains and breathtaking scenery. The downside? The number of wild monsters had increased.

  It seemed she’d have to hire a mercenary to guard them until they reached the east.

  “I don’t want others to know about my pregnancy, but I can’t keep going like this. It’s too dangerous,” Loucille muttered after careful consideration.

  She tossed another log into the fire pit and caressed her stomach.

  “Baby, you’re about four months old now. Just wait a bit longer. We’ll get there soon.”

  Loucille leaned back against the wall. Since they were only in a shelter, she didn’t dare sleep deeply—who knew when wild monsters might attack?

  When we reach the next vilge, I’ll hire a bodyguard, she resolved.

  *

  Tia’s Perspective.

  Hmm… Who’s talking and disturbing this mighty dragon’s sleep?

  Tia woke to the sound of muffled voices.

  Angemi, is that you?

  But ever since she’d said ‘YES’ back then, Tia hadn’t heard Angemi and Devimi’s endless banter again.

  What do you mean? Where are we going? Hey, woman, are you listening?!

  Frustrated, Tia kicked her legs in protest—though she usually couldn’t move. This time, however…

  Her leg moved!

  Waa~ I can move!!!

  She kicked a few more times in excitement.

  I can move~ I can move~!

  If she could, Tia would’ve danced in joy.

  But after a few more kicks, exhaustion crept in.

  Woman, stop talking… This mighty dragon needs sleep…

  …Snoring.

  *

  “Ouch! What could be wrong? Baby, are you feeling unwell?” Loucille asked.

  She felt a sharp, tingling pain in her stomach.

  “Maybe sleeping while sitting is bad, but what else can I do?”

  “I’ll definitely hire a bodyguard!”

  Loucille went back to sleep.

  Time passed, and Loucille and Nana finally arrived at the nearby vilge.

  Looking ahead, the vilge walls were made of stones and timbers. The streets resembled those in Ratora Town, but the road was not paved with stones, and only a few carts and wagons passed by. The men wore simple shirts and pants, while the women wore pin dresses that reached their feet.

  Most houses here were also made of stone and timber. The homes were usually two-story buildings, while the stores had only one story.

  Loucille decided to have a warm meal first before going to the Adventurers’ Guild. She had been feeling a tingling sensation in her stomach since that night.

  “Nana, let’s get lunch first,” Loucille said.

  “Nyaa~ Nyaa~” Nana meowed back.

  The two ordered a simple set of dishes. After all, there was nothing extravagant in this humble vilge. She also needed to budget her money if she wanted to buy a house and nd.

  After their lunch, the two headed over to the Adventurers’ Guild. Loucille walked to the front desk and asked the receptionist:

  “Hi, I’d like to hire a strong escort. I’m pnning to travel to the mountain vilges to the east.”

  The receptionist replied, “A strong escort? Do you mean a single person?”

  “Is that possible? I’m on a tight budget,” Loucille said.

  The receptionist said, “Usually, we don’t accept such requests, especially now that the number of wild monsters in the area has increased. Let me check first.”

  Loucille replied, “Okay, thank you.”

  The receptionist turned and called out, “Mr. Ren, are you avaible?”

  “This young dy is heading east. Would you escort her?”

  “Aren’t you pnning to go that way?”

  Ren, who had been discussing matters with his teammates, stood up and approached.

  He introduced himself: “I’m Ren from Raven Wings, a C-rank adventurer.”

  Loucille replied, “My name is Loucille, and this is Nana.”

  Having a familiar pet was not uncommon, so Ren wasn’t surprised to see a humanoid cat.

  Ren said, “Our team is heading east. Let me ask my teammates if they mind me taking the job alone.”

  Loucille replied, “Thank you.”

  Ren returned to his team to discuss. Loucille observed the team, which consisted of a young man (who looked like a mage), a young woman (likely an archer), and a boy.

  After a short discussion, Ren agreed to escort her.

  The receptionist said, “Given the length of the trip, the cost will be one gold coin. Is that acceptable?”

  “Thank you, Mister Ren. Please take care of us,” Loucille said.

  Then she handed the payment to the receptionist.

  She felt a twinge of regret at the cost, but their safety was worth more than gold.

  Ren said, “No need for ‘Mister.’ Just call me Ren.”

  Loucille nodded. “Okay.”

  Ren asked, “Is tomorrow alright for departure?”

  Loucille replied, “That works for us.”

  Just as Ren was expining the pn, suddenly, loud noises erupted outside. People shouted in panic near the guild.

  An adventurer burst in, yelling, “Bad news! A pack of dark wolves is attacking the vilge!”

  The receptionist gasped. “What?!”

  A middle-aged adventurer shouted, “Let’s go drive off those beasts!”

  Another added, “We can’t let them destroy the vilge!”

  “We should help too,” Ren told his team, then turned to Loucille. “Miss Loucille, stay inside where it’s safe.”

  With that, he left with his team. Only the receptionist and a boy remained inside.

  Loucille, worried, pulled Nana to the back of the hall for safety. Dark wolves were far stronger than the slimes and goblins they’d faced before.

  She touched her abdomen and whispered, “Baby, don’t worry. We’ll be safe here.”

  Outside, the battle raged—shouts and cshes suggesting at least six dark wolves.

  Suddenly, the guild door shattered as a dark wolf was thrown against it. The beast stood, snarling, and locked onto the nearest target—the frozen-in-fear boy.

  The receptionist screamed in fear. “Ahhh!”

  Nana leapt in front of Loucille to shield her.

  Loucille cast her strongest spell twice: “Water Cannon!”

  Two cannons of water struck the wolf. Already weakened, the dark wolf colpsed after the second hit.

  Ren rushed in and saw the dead wolf near his brother. He frantically checked the boy for injuries.

  The receptionist asked, “Is your brother alright? How’s the situation outside?”

  Soon, other adventurers returned, confirming, “The dark wolves are all dead. This one was the st. Good thing it’s dead.”

  The receptionist gestured to Loucille. “She’s the one who killed it.”

  Ren, relieved, approached Loucille. “Miss Loucille, thank you for saving my brother.”

  “It’s nothing. We should help each other if we can.” Loucille waved her hand.

  If she didn’t attack the dark wolf, it might attack them after killing the boy. It was better to strike while it was distracted.

  Loucille added, “You should take him to the clinic. He looks frightened.”

  “Yes, I will. Thank you. We’ll go ahead first. Let’s meet at the vilge entrance first thing in the morning,” Ren said, rushing to his brother.

  The adventurers inside the guild began cleaning up, while some dragged the dark wolf’s corpse to the storage room to be butchered ter.

  Seeing everyone busy, Loucille and Nana went out to find an inn to stay. They would resume their travels the next morning, so they needed plenty of rest today.

  After paying for their room, the two settled in. Loucille took a bath and changed into her pajamas.

  “Baby, were you scared earlier?” Loucille asked.

  She had grown used to talking to her baby, believing it would bring them closer. Though the Dean Mother had taken good care of them, and they had lived comfortably in the orphanage during their early years, it didn’t change the fact that they were orphans—they had grown up without parents.

  But I’ll take care of my baby, I’ll do everything to make sure she grows up happy, she thought.

  “Your mom will buy a house with a yard so you can run around and py.”

  Loucille was still murmuring when she fell asleep…

  *

  Tia’s Perspective

  Who’s talking again?

  I can’t sleep peacefully.

  It’s like bees buzzing in my ears.

  Just wait… Once I’ve had enough sleep, I’ll deal with you…

  …Snoring.

  Tia, the four-month-old embryo, drifted back to sleep.

  *

  The next morning, at the entrance of the vilge, Loucille and Nana met the entire Raven Wings team. There were six of them, including Ren’s younger brother.

  Ren said, “Good morning, Miss Loucille. Let me introduce you to my team members. From the left, Roman, the mage; Shie, the archer; Athea, the healer; Roy, the scout; and I, the swordsman.”

  “Lastly, this is my younger brother, Ron.”

  “Well, then. Shall we head east now?” Ren asked.

  Loucille replied with a smile: “Mmm. Let’s go.”

  Sezaika