Sister-in-law of the Heroine in a Childcare Novel - Chapter 142

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 142

For instance, there had been five capable knights who, since childhood, stood beside Orto as true brothers—lived and died together through every hardship. Even in the most perilous battles, those five clung to life itself, faithfully serving their lord. Yet the very last of them had fallen five years ago.
“…If you became the next Holy Emperor, many problems would resolve themselves. My children too…….”
“Shall I speak plainly, Orto?”
Living comfortably among the nobility alone, fed and warm—how many would willingly choose the grueling path Illian walked, seeking out battlefields to heal the wounded and face Magic Beasts?
Illian’s usual easy, good-natured smile faded, replaced by an expression worn thin with exhaustion.
“Will this ever end?”
……
The signs of ruin always appear first in the hardest places.
When prices rise, the destitute suffer first. When weather turns cruel, those cast into the streets bear the brunt without mercy.
And so, in the beginning, such suffering goes unheeded.
Of course the penniless complain they can barely afford a single meal. Of course the homeless lament the bitter cold and scorching heat. Power and privilege dismiss such cries as mere whining.
But there is always a limit to that dismissal.
Illian and Orto were not the sort to turn a blind eye to reality. They were men who bore present hardship for the sake of the future. Yet limits came without end.
Not as a Holy Emperor, nor as an Emperor—though even they could not impose their will on all things. But there is a world of difference between having the power to decide and having none at all.
“A Magic Beast appears once every ten years. Let me speak plainly: that is clearly an experiment. They grow stronger with each passing year, each one correcting the flaws of its predecessor. But what if they abandon this convenient ten-year interval? What if they suddenly flood the world with such creatures without warning?”
Five years ago, Orto had summoned Illian. Illian had written his will and come to aid him—truly, they were comrades.
“How many years did you say I had left?”
……
Illian gazed at Orto for a long moment, then slowly opened his mouth.
“…At best, I said five years. And you’ve already far surpassed that, burning yourself with methods that border on madness.”
“Just five more years. I want to see my sons grown before I go.”
“With a body in your condition, can you even face another Magic Beast?”
“What choice do I have? They’re still too young. Once we weather this storm, they’ll manage far better than I ever could.”
Orto gave a rough laugh, then dissolved into ragged coughing.
The worst possibilities always become reality—especially once you’ve taken a place of responsibility.
“…Seeing how the Princess Titania healed Flux’s wounds so readily, perhaps there’s hope for your condition as well.”
“Ha! What hope is there when the heart itself is dying? I’ve searched for answers everywhere. We’ve scoured the entire continent, even sought out the World Tree. You know this as well as anyone. Would I ask that child to heal a body as broken as mine?”
It was impossible.
That Titania might wield the Power of Light—he’d known that from the start.
But Orto’s wounds were extraordinarily specific.
He had driven a Magic Beast into a remote cavern, covered the ground with Mana Stones, unleashed every spell at his command. And Orto himself had been the focal point of that ritual, bearing the full cost in his own body. The aftermath had torn his heart like a sieve, his life force draining away ceaselessly. All manner of magical treatment and priestly healing, every remedy known had only managed to stabilize his condition artificially. But the curse-like remnants left behind by the dying creature clung to him, utterly immune to eradication.
To lay such a body bare before a young princess and ask for healing? Unthinkable.
Not only was a complete cure unlikely, but Orto had already accepted that the best he could hope for was to offer himself up—to burn what remained of his wrecked frame fighting the next beast. Why waste what strength he had left?
“I’ve always owed you a debt.”
……
“My butcher’s work—hunting Magic Beasts—that’s the burden of being born into this family. But you and your children always see the worst of it, and I’ve never repaid you fairly for that.”
“Well, most of the men who knelt to serve me came because they wanted to save lives…….”
Illian laughed bitterly.
“I confess, I don’t know. Even if I became Holy Emperor, would there be a future? If we keep barely holding on, making do year after year, and then everything shatters in an instant? If all this effort means nothing?”
Illian knew better than anyone why the Holy Emperor, entombed in the temple like a living corpse, turned away from it all. He was one of the few who knew the truth, and so he had simply shut his eyes, worn down and broken. Once he had been renowned as the very incarnation of mercy—but that was long ago.
……
“This is no words for children’s ears. But sometimes I’m afraid of the future. Afraid that all our effort now amounts to nothing.”
Illian sometimes wished for a miracle.
Even knowing how unlikely such a thing truly was.
A foolish dream, the sort only children harbor, but precisely because of that, sometimes it burned all the fiercer.
That effort might be rewarded.
That sacrifice might be acknowledged.
That some path forward might still exist.
The adults who upheld the world often carried their burdens for nothing more than this.

* * *

“Might I ask what happened on the Terrace?”
As Raymond asked from within the carriage returning to the Imperial Palace, I gave an awkward laugh.
Valentina had excused herself, saying she had somewhere to go away from prying eyes, and wasn’t in the carriage with us.
Ever since I’d nearly died before Raymond’s eyes more than once, he’d developed something of an overprotective streak. Even with the doors shut tight while I fought the swarm, I don’t suppose he failed to notice something was amiss on the Terrace. If it had seemed truly dangerous, he’d have kicked the door open and rushed in. And if it had been genuinely desperate, I’d have called out for help.
But telling someone who worries about my safety as a matter of course that I’d been attacked from outside—even with good reason—felt awkward somehow.
“Well. We all suspected it during the Dedication Ceremony, but… it seems our enemies really can command Magic Beasts freely. Size, species—none of it matters.”
“A dangerous assault?”
“Dangerous enough that I’d have called if it were serious. They were weak things—clearly they could only send the feeble ones without drawing attention. But they came in a swarm, and… I was worried about one or two slipping through the window unnoticed and stinging me without anyone knowing.”
……Wait. Hold on a moment.
Since I’m a Contractor of the Goddess of Light and even have the Sword’s protection, I wouldn’t take heavy damage from a mere Demonified insect sting.
But for anyone else, that would be a devastatingly effective attack. In this humid weather, no one would even suspect a few extra insects buzzing about.
Raymond caught the shift in my expression immediately.
“What is it?”
“…Oh, just thinking—realistically speaking, these are dangerous creatures. If they can control insects, they can use mosquitoes, flies… biting people or contaminating food would be child’s play.”
Would civilians even survive a bite from a Demonified mosquito or bug? As if to calm my growing alarm, Raymond made a light dismissive gesture.
“…Yes, your concern is certainly reasonable. But you needn’t worry overmuch. While power and size in Magic Beasts don’t always correlate, creatures that small generally can’t exert much force regardless. Even if they tried to inject venom or corrupt magic directly, the effect would be limited.”
“That’s some comfort at least.”
“What troubles me is that the enemies are targeting the Princess Titania so openly.”
Raymond’s expression darkened.
“I understand that you possess the minimum strength to protect yourself, and that you prefer to handle matters alone. But we cannot predict what methods or strategies your enemies will employ.”
……
I scratched my chin, thinking for a moment.
‘Hey, Sword. Are you listening?’
—Yes yes, my adorable Contractor, always listening to you!
(❀╹◡╹)
‘You said those with the Power of Light can use all powers. I happen to have gained the Power of Wind by chance. Does that mean I can eventually use all of them? Fire, water, things like that?’
—Indeed it does!
✦‿✦
If only the Contractor becomes the world’s strongest, you could pulverize such wicked spawn of Chernobog into powder so fine even birds won’t peck at it!
p(´∇｀)q
‘Pulverize… am I a blender now?’
Right.
I needed to gather my companions and somehow complete that ritual to become Complete Form Titania.
And the most likely candidates for companions 1, 2, and 3 were the Castrain Family.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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