The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 249

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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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Time flew by like an arrow.

It was the tenth day since arriving at the Marque Archipelago.

“Annellia!”

I wrapped my arms around Euriko, who had quickly crossed the beach to reach me.

“Huuung, I missed you so much!”

Euriko held me tight and sniffled.

She had just arrived here using an anti-tracking teleportation circle.

“Have you been well?”

“Of course! Your father was really right, you know? The monster attacks that were happening sporadically until the day before yesterday completely stopped yesterday morning.”

As we began walking along the beach, Euriko followed behind me and spoke.

“He said that even Crookiatus wouldn’t be able to keep summoning monsters indefinitely. I mean, just look at how many monsters we’ve faced so far.”

As if proving her words, Euriko’s cheeks had grown gaunt.

I asked with a worried voice.

“Is Ulgen’s ability manageable? You even coughed up blood last time.”

“That only happens briefly when I overuse it. If I rest for about a day, I recover quickly. You’re the one who’s had it rough. Honestly… I still don’t know if this is right.”

I stopped in place and lowered my voice.

“It’s definitely right. So please make sure to do exactly as we promised.”

“But…”

I grabbed Euriko’s hand and pulled her along as I spoke.

“I need to head back soon too. I can’t delay here any longer.”

Since arriving at the Marque Archipelago, time had already exceeded the ten days I had promised Lasandra.

But Father and Grandmother, whom I had communicated with yesterday, had changed their tune from the beginning.

“The number of monsters has decreased, so there’s no reason you can’t rest longer, Annellia.”

“Your father is right. When I asked Tian, he said the longer you rest, the better it is for your body.”

I was in a state where I could only return to Abner Territory if Father opened a portal for me.

But Father didn’t seem to have any intention of opening a portal for me.

Of course, I wasn’t planning to just sit still because of that.

‘I’ll just make one myself, no big deal.’

I had long since memorized the formula for the special teleportation circle that Father had completed.

The problem was that I wasn’t confident I could escape the archipelago without being noticed by Armin, Dimas, and Mother.

“You just need to buy me about two hours, right?”

I nodded.

Tomorrow, I planned to say I was going for a walk in the forest with Euriko, then teleport to Abner Territory.

‘Now that I’ve almost completed the incomplete formulas, this is the right time.’

I had devoted myself solely to Lasandra’s incomplete formulas for the past week.

Of course, it wasn’t easy.

I had only managed to complete two out of dozens.

What was surprising was that Rikentia had given me quite a lot of help.

“This formula seems to have the most hope.”

“I suppose you can’t even attempt the others?”

“It’s not that, but this seems to be the only formula I can complete in the shortest time. It looks like a magic square, but no matter how I calculate it, the arrangement doesn’t add up right.”

“How about not obsessing over numbers alone? In ancient times, they made magic squares with letters, not numbers.”

Rikentia had precise knowledge of history from before the era when Lasandra lived.

Perhaps because of that, every time I followed her advice, the blanks in the formulas were filled in one by one.

“Did you try what I told you to do?”

“It doesn’t solve mathematically, but when I substitute each cell with letters of similar syllables to the written numbers, it works. This summoning circle seems to have been spirit magic!”

“Congratulations. Now completion should be quick too.”

These summoning circles were ones that even Lasandra couldn’t figure out what lay at their end.

She had drawn complex circuits that responded to mana, but got stuck in the middle and gave up.

I had figured out what five of those summoning circles would create.

I had completely finished two of them.

Last night, as I was organizing the formulas, Rikentia spoke to me with apparent interest.

“I wish you good luck. I’m genuinely curious about how useful it will be.”

“Don’t worry. It’ll be more useful than Tia can imagine.”

“Let’s say that’s true. By the way, doesn’t the young lady have anything to say to me?”

At that moment, I found myself staring intently at Rikentia.

It was because I already knew.

The fact that she was waiting.

Rikentia seemed to want me to beg her, to ask her for something.

To please not help Crookiatus.

But I had no intention of saying such things to Rikentia.

‘There’s no guarantee she’d listen anyway, right?’

There was no reason to lower my stance first in such a situation.

That would also mean acknowledging the power gap between us.

Also, I could feel it instinctively.

Rikentia wasn’t someone who would be persuaded by appeals or requests.

All this time, I had thought and thought again about why Rikentia had come to find me.

Rikentia was a deity.

But as the war deepened, she came to the Marque Archipelago in human form and helped with my research.

Her actions were somewhat ambiguous for someone supposedly on Crookiatus’s side.

Thinking that far, the answer came to me.

‘Rikentia is just curious.’

About who I am, having nearly annihilated Crookiatus seven years ago.

Whether the Underworld, everyone on this land, truly has the power to fight and defeat a deity.

In other words, she was observing while placing the entire Underworld on her testing table.

I quickened my pace while holding Euriko’s hand.

‘I have to show her something.’

It was a contradictory situation where I needed another victory to achieve complete victory.

“Euriko, we’re going to win.”

When I spoke in a low voice, Euriko looked at me with surprise.

I met Euriko’s eyes and muttered as if making a vow.

“I’ll definitely make it happen.”

That evening.

“That’s what we decided. So I’d like Shasha to follow my instructions too.”

In the room where the three of us – Euriko, myself, and Shasha – had gathered.

When I spoke as if making an announcement, Shasha’s eyes widened restlessly.

“But Master Theo said…”

“Can you still say that after seeing the state of your arm?”

I gestured toward Shasha’s right arm.

From a moment ago, the device attached to Shasha’s arm had been emitting bright light.

“Just entering my room makes it activate that strongly. I’ve recovered as much as I’m going to recover, okay?”

Shasha looked confused.

However, she couldn’t readily refute my words either.

“Let me tell you in advance, what Grandmother, Father, and Tian are doing to me right now is clearly violence. Overprotection makes its target sick.”

“That may be true, but the situation is genuinely dangerous…”

“Do you know what happens to someone when they’re exposed to excessive overprotection? Their social skills decline, they become more dependent, and before long they completely lose their self-esteem. In severe cases, they might even develop depression or learned helplessness.”

Shasha frowned.

“I can’t really imagine Princess with low self-esteem though…”

Then she nodded as if she had no choice.

“Understood. Let’s plan to return tomorrow.”

My expression immediately brightened.

“Good thinking!”

In my joy, I hugged Shasha, and his right arm began glowing even more intensely.

The light was so strong that I quickly pulled away from Shasha.

Then I explained my plan.

“Once we get to Abner Territory, I’ll first try using the summoning circle I completed. I discovered some pretty decent spirit magic.”

“It won’t cause your magic to go berserk like last time, will it?”

“Of course not. I’ve rested as much as Lasandra said to, so it should be safer than before.”

“I heard the number of demon beasts attacking the inland regions has decreased significantly. Now seems like the perfect time to create and deploy something.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Also, everyone’s being too complacent right now. When every single person is urgently needed, the very idea of making me, an important asset, rest is…”

That was the moment.

Beep—

“…is…”

I found myself gasping for breath without realizing it.

A sudden ringing sound pierced through my head.

When I closed my mouth, I could see Euriko and Shasha approaching me, but they looked blurry.

“Annellia?”

“Princess, are you alright?”

I looked up with confused eyes.

[We advance on the Imperial Capital.]

At that moment, an unidentifiable voice rang in my ears.

My vision turned white as a strange scene unfolded.

A dark forest.

In the endless swampland, thousands upon thousands of demon beasts with horrifying appearances were lined up.

From giants reaching three meters in height to stocky demi-human demon beasts.

As wyverns roared from withered tree branches, birds took flight in the distance.

In their midst, someone wearing nothing glowed with bright yellow eyes.

[Now that we’ve neutralized the barrier. There’s no need to waste our forces on the battlefield they’ve prepared. We change plans and kill Taranta’s Emperor first. After that, we’ll advance on Abner Territory.]

Bright red blood dripped from his hands.

Naturally, my gaze moved downward.

At the man’s feet, I could see someone lying in a pool of blood.

[Now that we’ve killed the traitor Theo Lirquian, this is our chance.]

The water glass in my hand shattered with a loud crash.

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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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