༺ His Resolution ༻
“Frey?”
“Uh, yeah. Serena.”
My mind, which had been frozen for a while, began to function once more as Serena’s touch reached my cheek.
“Well, uh… So…”
No, it wasn’t working, but it felt forced.
“S-Serena. This… Eat this.”
Like forcibly winding a poorly lubricated spring, I found myself taking out the moonlight crystal and handing it to her.
“What is this?”
“O-our… fruit of love?”
“Oh my.”
My voice sounded like a broken machine, and Serena covered her mouth and responded softly.
“But the fruit of our love is right here, isn’t it?”
She then gently caressed the curve of her lower abdomen.
“Hehe.”
She took my hand and quietly placed it on her lower abdomen.
– Swoosh, swoosh…
“Can you feel my belly, bearing your seeds?”
– Squeeze…
Then, as she squeezed my hand, she grasped her lower abdomen and whispered with a smile in her eyes.
“Congratulations on becoming a father.”
Hearing this, I was at a loss for words and just stared blankly at her.
– Swoosh…
The softness of her belly under my hand felt unusually warm.
“It tickles.”
As I unintentionally slowly stroked her belly, she buried her face in my neck and whispered softly while rubbing her own belly.
“Or maybe it’s not because of you?”
“Ah, uh…”
Startled, I tried to withdraw my hand from her belly, but Serena giggled and took my hand back.
“I’m just kidding.”
“It’s just a joke?”
“Yes, It’s still ovulating, and it’s only been about a week anyway.”
She looked at me with a shy expression.
“Remember when I told you I learned the Ovulation Spell last time? I was already ovulating to carry your seed then.”
“That’s… right.”
“Is something wrong? Don’t you remember because it was so intense?”
“T-That’s not it, but…”
“Or maybe that doesn’t matter to you?”
At that, Serena tilted her head, and I quickly shook mine.
“You beast.”
“…”
“It’s true, you were like a beast, so I had to keep my legs crossed for days to prevent your seeds from spilling out. My legs were so numb, I thought I was going to die.”
My face started blushing at her carefully chosen words, continuously teasing me.
Finally regaining my composure from that, I tried to speak to her with a concerned look.
“It’s going to be okay, Sere…”
“Okay, take this.”
Taking the moonlight crystal from my grasp, she quietly blushed and placed something on my empty hand.
“This is…”
“I’m not sure what this crystal is, but this seems like a gift, so I should give you one too. I don’t want to be a wife who only receives.”
I quietly looked at my hand, and I was left speechless.
“Do you like it?”
In my hand was a magic tool. To be more specific, it was a pregnancy test.
“You seem to space out a lot today?”
Two red lines entered my vision, and as a man, how could I possibly stay sane?
“What about the daytime, Serena? Can you hide this?”
As I asked while still dazed, Serena scratched her head and replied.
“Well, I did cast a spell on it.”
“W-What kind of spell?”
“A spell that temporarily halts its state right after fertilization, keeping it safe inside me. But, it’s a bit tricky.”
“T-Tricky?”
I have been out of it since a while ago, and I gently grabbed her shoulder and slowly seated her, to which Serena looked at me and said.
“This is my first time experiencing pregnancy, so the development of the spell was a bit delayed. I’m not sure if I cast it correctly.”
“Ah…”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“If it’s cast properly, I can use magic to control it at will, but if not… my belly might suddenly start swelling.”
Saying that, Serena looked at my face with a mixture of joy and worry, and smiled faintly.
“I have Absolute Obedience Magic for this. If something happens, I’ll just order myself not to be aware of it and just to cherish my lower abdomen, right?”
“…”
“And there are plenty of ways to hide it from prying eyes. Using illusion scrolls is very sim… Frey?”
As she continued to offer solutions, she noticed my rigid expression and widened her eyes.
“You stay home for a while. I’ll figure out something…”
“Frey.”
I broke out in a cold sweat, and she then grasped my hand and started speaking.
“Do you think I did all this without any thought?”
“…Then?”
“It was all planned, and I was prepared.”
I could feel the strength in her hand.
“A few days before that night, I had already talked to Ferloche.”
“Ah…”
“She mentioned the need for a ‘vaccination’ to overcome the Fourth Ordeal.”
Her expression darkened as she continued.
“Am I really unable to handle someone as beastly as you on my own?”
“…Serena.”
“Honestly, I really hate it. You are legally married only to me and frankly, I want to have you all to myself for the rest of my life.”
She held my hand and spoke candidly, then sighed.
“But that would be selfish of me, wouldn’t it? Monopolizing someone like you is just wrong.”
“Serena, if you want…”
“…It’s been in the back of my mind since the Third Ordeal.”
She looked at me with a slightly guilty expression.
“You’ve sacrificed so much for everyone, and continue to do so, even though you have been deprived of happiness since you were a child, and yet you only want a little happiness, right?”
“…”
“Monopolizing you for my happiness wouldn’t be a happy ending for you… or for others.”
“Serena.”
“What you want is a happy ending for ‘all of us,’ right?”
Hearing those words, it felt like I’d been hit by a hammer.
“Are you still only wishing for ‘a happy ending for this world’?”
“N-No, no… of course not.”
“A happy ending should include you too. We all need to create our happy ending together.”
Serena spoke with tears welling up in her eyes.
“Yet the selfish me wanted to be the only wife, monopolizing you till the end… but now there’s a ‘justification’ for it.”
“The Fourth Ordeal, right? That’s…”
“You know how terrifying uncertainty can be.”
She smiled again, then grabbed my arm and whispered.
“The reason I took the risk to ‘fertilize’ now was also to study magic.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a spell that temporarily suspends the activity of a fertilized egg. How could I possibly create such a thing when I’ve never been pregnant before? Even Irina, who is a genius in magic, can’t do that.”
“Then…”
“Did you plan to impregnate so many people at once? You really are a beast.”
She licked my lips with a playful expression, then added with a smirk.
“You can’t have all the Helpers retire at once. That would disrupt the plan. That’s why I researched the spell.”
“So…”
“I’ll teach you the magic. If someone carries your seed, they can keep it inside until everything is over. Then, they will still be able to take care of themselves.”
After saying that, she added with a stern look on her face.
“The first pregnancy is mine, though. And I won’t yield that to anyone.”
Then, a silence ensued.
“Uh, um.”
Unintentionally revealing her true feelings, her face slowly flushed.
“And if possible, I’d like to be the legal wife…”
Serena blushed and mumbled as she looked at me for a moment.
– Swoosh…
“…Oh my.”
I couldn’t hold it back any longer and held her in my arms, and she gave me a shy look as she wrapped her legs around my waist, and whispered softly.
“The best moment of that night was this.”
“I love you, Serena…”
I spoke while gently rubbing my cheek against her belly, and she blushed as she sat at the desk, slowly grabbed my head, and pulled me closer.
“There’s life inside here, Frey.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s currently on pause, and although the timing of the spell might not have been right, it’s definitely there.”
Carefully pressing my cheek against her belly, Serena whispered.
“I’m ready. I’ll survive by any means. I’m not alone anymore, and you know what I’m capable of. I’ll never recklessly risk my life or suffer, so please rest assured…”
“…Mwah.”
“Haah!?”
I found her adorable, so I gently kissed her lower belly, causing her to tremble.
“Seriously, I really want to have you all to myself…”
She looked at me regretfully and muttered.
“Can’t I be the first one to give birth to the first three kids? Oh… don’t forget, I am the first to be pregnant, okay?”
As I stared at her in silence, she raised the corner of her mouth and began to speak.
“Aren’t I better than a sly pigeon, a rude cat, a dog beastkin, or an old maiden past her prime, right?…”
“Uh, yeah…”
“I’ll take care of the rankings, so why don’t you take it easy for the rest of your vacation…”
She tightened her legs around my waist, and shyly covered her face with a fan, then she turned her gaze slightly, and whispered.
“…Honey.”
Apparently, Serena planned to act like this whenever we were alone.
“Huuu…”
Mixed feelings of worry, fear, joy, and elation left me dazed at the sudden news. But still…
– Slurp.
“…Huph.”
Somehow, my heart felt warmer.
‘I have one more reason now.’
Aria and Serena. I would protect them no matter what.
Definitely.
.
.
.
.
.
“…Seriously, you beast.”
“Hmm.”
Blushing, Serena gently touched the saliva I left on her lower abdomen, and stared at the moonlight crystal in her hand.
“So, I just swallow this?”
“Yeah. Shall I get you some water or…”
“It’s okay, it feels soft when I touch it. I don’t think I’ll need it.”
As Frey, who suddenly became a father-to-be, noticeably panicked, Serena chuckled softly and whispered in a low voice.
“Shall I swallow it?”
“…Yes.”
Blushing over a trivial matter, the boy and girl faced each other shyly.
The two, still feeling awkward about the whole thing, exuded an air of innocence that would bring a smile to anyone looking.
“Haah.”
After playing with the moonlight crystal for a while, she quietly brought it to her mouth.
– Ssshhh…
As she did, the energy of the moonlight seemed to melt and spread inside her mouth.
– Chew, chew…
She found it very interesting, so her eyes were wide open as she chewed thoughtfully.
“…Gulp.”
She then closed her eyes tightly and swallowed the energy she was savoring in her mouth.
“Bleeh…”
A moment later, she stuck out her tongue with a twinkle in her eyes.
“H-How was it?”
Frey was reminded of the incident a few weeks ago, he shyly turned away and asked, then Serena whispered with a smile.
“The color was like moonlight, but what was inside felt like star energy. It shimmered silver, and…”
“Yeah, I felt that too…”
“…It tasted somewhat like you?”
Frey looked stunned, and Serena covered her mouth with her hand and whispered.
“Just kidding.”
Finally unwrapping her legs from his waist, she fanned her reddened face and murmured.
“I feel very clear-headed.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, like my mind is spinning rapidly? Like I’m getting smarter? It’s hard to explain, but it’s something like that.”
Frey quietly turned his gaze toward the door while pondering what would happen if the already intelligent Serena became even smarter in this state.
“Seems like we have some uninvited guests? Are they planning to attack?”
“Probably just the freshmen.”
“Should I help you? Maybe show them a lesson…”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“Don’t. You know that’s not the right thing to do.”
As Frey turned to leave, Serena gave him a soft smile and waved goodbye, while still trying to compose herself.
“Then, take care.”
“Yeah, you too, rest well, Serena.”
Frey smiled back, then cautiously opened the door and stepped out.
“Good… everything’s going according to plan.”
The moment the door shut, she stroked her lower abdomen with a satisfied expression and spoke.
“If it goes like this… the legal wife will naturally be me…”
Brimming with confidence, she began to mutter to herself.
“Coo–coo!”
“…?”
She looked puzzled as her owl suddenly flew into the room.
“What’s wrong, owl?”
“Coo–coo–coo!”
On its leg was a newspaper that had just been released.
“What news could it be…”
Pondering, she stopped even her surveillance of the black cat doll she had commanded, curious about the news it brought.
“…”
Her expression then hardened sternly.
[Isolet Arham Bywalker, Scandal with Frey… Shocking.]
– Is the meaning of family an ‘adopted son’ or a ‘husband’?
[Clana, the Third Princess of the Imperial Family, Reveals that the Covenant Cannot be Rescinded.]
– Frey is still my suitor, we’re already entwined by magic…
[The Pure White Saintess is Actually a Dark Saintess?]
– Close associate reveals her and Frey’s secret…
The simultaneous explosion of scandalous articles would have been suspicious to anyone.
“Owl.”
“Coo.”
After staring coldly at the articles for a while, she whispered to the owl in a low voice.
“Contact Miho. Let’s play detective for a change.”
“Coo!”
“And…”
She cleared up her space and quieted down, and for the first time in a long time, she had a menacing look on her face.
“…Contact the Royal Guards as well.”
“Coo!”
“I was joking earlier… but somehow, I really do feel my mind working better.”
Her eyes glinted with a moonlight hue as she said this.
.
.
.
.
.
“…Hmm?”
When Frey opened the door, he saw Roswyn standing right in front of him.
“T-To everyone… the seed…”
“Hey.”
“…Ah.”
She stared into space with blank eyes and mumbled something, but came to her senses when Frey started speaking.
– Fzzzt…
“Ugh…”
At that moment, Roswyn was slowly pushed back by the system.
Despite her desperate attempts not to be pushed back, she only managed to grimace and stumble backward.
“I-Its dangero…!”
She was about to say something when Frey, who had been watching the scene, pulled his gaze away with a cold expression from her.
“Hey!”
“Huh?”
“Follow me! We need to get out of here, fast!”
Glare appeared out of nowhere beside him, grabbed his hand, and started dragging him somewhere.
“Kid, where are you taking me…”
“I’ll protect you!”
“What? What do you…”
He could only stare at her blankly.
[The ‘Owner‘ of the Helper System is immune to the effects of the Fourth Ordeal.]
[The ‘Helper’ of the Helper System is the sole helper in the Fourth Ordeal.]
Before her, the moonlight system window was floating.
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