The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 244

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

The annex of Abner Castle was bustling with countless people.

“Young Duke! There’s an urgent patient here…!”

“Move him this way! Miel, I need clean bandages and anesthetic ointment.”

“Yes!”

In the midst of it all, I spotted Mother bustling about and made my way over.

“Mother.”

“Annellia?”

Mother’s eyes widened instantly.

I entered the narrow passage between the beds and spoke quietly.

“The first gate has fallen.”

Mother’s hand, which had been holding a white cloth, froze completely.

However, Mother soon forced an awkward smile.

“I see. But it’s alright. There are still four gates left before the Imperial Capital, right? Our Abner Territory is also being safely defended thanks to the siege weapons you created.”

“…Over a hundred people died. Just in the battle at the first gate.”

Mother, who had been wiping a soldier’s thigh, fell silent.

The cloth was stained with hardened pus and blood.

“They must have gone to a good place. When the war ends, I’ll ask His Majesty the Emperor to erect a memorial for them.”

“The wounded number well over a thousand.”

“Really? Minor injuries can be treated directly by the medical officers, so don’t worry. Abner’s medical officers are more skilled than you’d think.”

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about.”

I grabbed Mother’s wrist as she finished disinfecting a wound.

“You can’t overdo it! Father told me everything. You’ve been here for two days straight without sleeping.”

Mother gave no response.

I handed the medicine in Mother’s hand to Miel, then pulled Mother toward the stairs.

“There are enough doctors here. Treatment is being carried out effectively thanks to the medicines you created at the pharmacy.”

But Mother couldn’t easily open her mouth.

She just stared at the ground with a complicated expression.

After a long while, Mother finally answered in a sunken voice.

“Still, I have to do something, whatever it is.”

“…”

“Only the seriously wounded are being sent here. How can I just watch people dying in pain?”

Mother’s eyes were filled with fear when she raised her head.

“I know better than anyone how monstrous Crookiatus is, Annellia.”

“…”

“When I see the injured people, they remind me of myself when I was trapped in the basement of the Magic Tower…”

I finally closed my mouth and spoke soothingly after a while.

“I’m not saying don’t come at all. Just take breaks while you do it.”

I took Mother’s hesitant hand and climbed the stairs.

Fortunately, Mother followed me obediently.

“Go to the main manor and rest, even if just for a moment. Father is extremely worried.”

When we reached the back garden, Mother finally nodded.

I watched Mother walking away.

Only after Mother disappeared around the corner did I let out a sigh.

‘…It’s not enough.’

Though I didn’t want to admit it, it was true that we lacked personnel to treat the wounded.

The treatment centers set up near the battlefields reached capacity just three days after the war broke out.

After that, critical patients began being transported to each territory’s fortress using teleportation circles.

But now even that was becoming difficult to handle.

As I was grinding my teeth…

Whooom-

A faint light flickered from Lasandra’s ring on my hand.

When I infused magic into the ring, sand immediately gathered in the air, forming a large magic mirror.

[Annellia.]

When I saw Tian’s wavering figure on the other side, I pressed my lips tightly together.

I was so exhausted that tears almost welled up without me realizing it.

There were long bloodstains on Tian’s cheek, though I couldn’t tell whose they were.

Behind him, I could see the remains of collapsed tents and a burned forest.

“Tian, are you alri—”

[Evacuate to Mark Archipelago.]

But I stopped short at his next words.

“What?”

[The demon beasts there have decreased significantly. So evacuate there.]

I stared into Tian’s eyes in the magic mirror with a confused expression.

“What are you suddenly talking about? How can I go there when everyone is here?”

[The demon beasts in the inland regions keep increasing.]

Deep fatigue could be felt in Tian’s voice.

It was natural, since I’d received reports that he’d been fighting demon beasts for several sleepless nights.

[Father has a device that can disrupt Crookiatus. So evacuate with Mother.]

Coming to my senses, I immediately shook my head.

“No. I have no intention of evacuating alone.”

When Wendel departed for the third gate, Ann visibly lost her vitality.

Sometimes she would stare blankly into space for long periods with a dazed expression.

It wasn’t just Ann.

“I got word from the orphanage kids. Many have fathers or brothers drafted to the battlefield, and Bruno even volunteered himself. He wanted to be of some help!”

The demon beast attacks had completely devastated the entire continent in just one week.

“Annellia… my father will be alright, won’t he? Right? Tell me he’ll be okay.”

Kanaelle, whom I’d communicated with a few days ago, couldn’t stop sobbing as she told me about Duke Victor.

‘It was just a few days ago that I heard he was doing theater as a hobby.’

Duke Victor had departed for the fourth gate leading an army.

It was because he had to fulfill his duty as the lord of Victor Territory.

Besides him, countless others had been called to the battlefield.

Anstis, who was Bloz’s lover, Logrio and other knights who had been my guards until my coming-of-age ceremony.

They were all continuing a fight of unknown duration in what was essentially the threshold of death.

[You’ve done enough. The siege weapons you summoned are helping the army so much…]

“There’s still more!”

When I spoke urgently, Tian closed his mouth.

“There are other summoning circles that Lasandra knows about. Some are still incomplete, but I think I can complete them in just a few more days.”

[Annellia.]

“Once that’s completed, the tide will turn. So…”

[I already heard about your magic rampage. From Ricaruss.]

I stopped in place.

And stared at the magic mirror with shaking eyes.

[I’ll be the one to push myself, Annellia.]

Tian spoke in a low voice.

It wasn’t his usual gentle tone, but a firm and cold voice.

[I’ve staked myself on you. I’ve already made up my mind to protect you by any means necessary.]

“…Tian.”

[Stop summoning weapons. This is an order as your superior.]

I was so shocked that I closed my mouth.

Tian’s eyes blazed with light.

[I am the supreme commander of this war. Sharon Abner and the Abner Duchy move according to my orders, and since you are also part of that, you need to obey me.]

“Tian!”

I shouted in an incredulous voice, but there was no change in Tian’s expression.

He simply added once more with determination.

[I’ll come to pick you up from the Marque Kingdom in three days. Leave together with Mother then.]

The next moment, the magic mirror ended without a sound.

I stared blankly down at the sand that had crumbled on the floor.

“That’s ridiculous. I absolutely won’t go!”

As soon as I entered Grandmother’s office, I roughly threw the outer garment I was holding onto the sofa.

Grandmother, who was sitting in the seat of honor, shook her head as if she had expected this.

“It seems Tian contacted you.”

I looked at Grandmother with an incredulous face.

“Did you know too, Grandmother? That Tian was trying to evacuate me?”

“Isabel said this. While it’s true that Michaeliann possess vessels of magic power, not all of them are the same size. Right now, I can’t even sense my own vessel.”

“….”

“So she said the power you possess might approach hundreds, no, thousands of times what we have. After seeing you summon ancient weapons.”

Grandmother raised her gaze and stared at me with stern eyes.

“That means, no matter what happens, you alone must survive, Annellia.”

Grandmother’s purple eyes gleamed coldly.

“If you die, the way to stop Crookiatus will completely disappear. You can tell just by looking at how the monster troops’ advance target is this Abner Territory. That their goal is you.”

“But that’s…!”

“Theo created a magical tool that emits an aura similar to yours. Using Isabel’s magic power and Crookiatus blood extracted from my body.”

My hands trembled slightly.

“When we took it to the rear of the First Gate to test it, all the monsters’ attention was drawn there. The ones who sensed your aura swarmed like a swarm of bees.”

“….”

“Theo and my plan is to confuse the monster troops with that. So you go to the Marque Archipelago with Isabel and recover your body first.”

I stood there dazed, then desperately shook my head.

“I don’t want to. Everything else is fine, but I can’t compromise on this. When everyone is fighting….”

At that moment, Grandmother rose from her seat.

Then she strode over and abruptly lifted my sleeve.

This revealed black spots that started above my hips, spread along my waist, and extended to the inside of my forearms.

“In this condition, what exactly do you think you can help with?”

I looked at Grandmother with trembling eyes.

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