The Baby Isn't Yours

Simon closely scrutinized the gatekeeper as he presented his identification badge.

The gatekeeper’s rigid eyes widened as soon as he verified Simon’s identification badge.

The guards blocking the front of the carriage immediately knelt on one knee and saluted him.

Simon waved his hand in response to their stiff greeting

“I apologize for the confusion. I will report to my superiors immediately and have them accompany you. Please wait a moment with your graciousness.”

“It’s fine. I think it’s okay to report to the higher-ups after I have gone. I and my companions will head straight to the Magic Division. But…”

Simon’s cold eyes assessed the appearance of the guards, who stood stiffly in front of him, resembling more protective gear than a security uniform.

Then, after glancing at the other guards blocking the opposite passage, he spoke again.

“The attire of the guards seems closer to protective suits than to regular gear. Has something happened in the Inner City?”

Upon Simon’s sharp inquiry, the guards looked startled and glanced at each other.

However, since there was no need to hide it, they nodded with stern faces.

“Well… it’s the demonic disease. You might already know about it, but the skin disease has been spreading here for a few days now.”

Demonic disease?

Upon hearing the word ‘Demonic disease’ coming from their mouths, Simon recalled the brief report he received from the Mage Tower a few months ago.

A skin disease spreading through the capital.

It was a skin disease characterized by black spots, accompanied by fever, itching, and heightened sensitivity to touch.

It was one of the troublesome issues plaguing Louismond, and one of the reasons Simon and Kalia urged for a swift return to the capital.

‘But I thought it primarily originated in the capital. I heard it wasn’t contagious…?’

As Simon pondered for a moment, he asked again.

“Do you know exactly when it started?”

“Well, it’s difficult to say exactly when it started as the epidemiological investigation is still ongoing. The Magic Division is conducting overnight investigations to determine how the disease spread.”

Even the Magic Division was conducting an investigation, but Simon hadn’t received a report yet. That meant the disease hadn’t spread for long.

At most, it had been around for three or four days.

“How serious is the spread?”

“Within a short time, one-third of the residents were affected by the disease. Since we still don’t know the cause of the spread, we were being cautious about entry and exit.”

It hadn’t been long since he received the report from the capital, and it had already spread this far.

Furthermore, given the rate of spread, it was sufficient to suspect an epidemic.

Simon briefly contemplated and called Allen over to explain the situation in Kalia’s carriage.

“An epidemic? Then wouldn’t it be better to avoid the risk for now? Especially since we have children.”

Allen pointed towards Sasha and Drea, who were playing around.

However, Kalia, who seemed lost in thought for some reason, shook her head and presented a different opinion.

“Didn’t they say that the skin disease spread from the capital? In that case, it seems meaningless to avoid the risk here.”

“Yeah. No matter how much we try to avoid it here, the biggest outbreak is in the capital, and we’re heading there anyway.”

“Right. So before we reach the capital, we might as well closely observe how the disease is spreading here and the condition of the patients.”

Kalia’s words made Simon feel better.

Their thoughts aligned perfectly.

As a couple, they were on the same page… Simon nodded with a sense of pride.

However, Allen became anxious during their conversation.

“But, Kalia, Sasha and Drea don’t have strong immune systems yet.”

“But Allen, even though Drea is in a humanized state, she’s not a human, so she won’t catch human diseases. There haven’t been any reports of livestock or monsters contracting this skin disease either. The same goes for fairies and elves.”

“Well, but…”

“Although we’re concerned because they’re babies, don’t worry too much. Simon and I will prevent any significant risks. Besides, Simon is the head of the Ministry of Magic. He can control the spread of the disease to some extent. Right, Simon?”

Kalia’s words made Simon smirk slightly.

Then, he leaned in and kissed the back of her hand, meeting her eyes.

“I’ll make sure the space where these kids stay is the cleanest place in the world, so don’t worry.”

Kalia chuckled at Simon’s confident words.

Simon, with his nose lightly touching her hand, exchanged a knowing smile with her.

…He was wrong.

Allen had no power or means to persuade those two.

He sighed and looked at the spirits, who were frolicking around the two babies.

Drea, who was happily smearing saliva on top of the mole’s head and biting it, looked towards Allen and giggled.

Well, those two babies weren’t ordinary babies.

It seemed like there was no need to be overly frightened.

‘It’s demonic disease…’

If the spread had reached this point based on what the two had said, then all cities on the way to the capital were likely to be equally dangerous.

It might be right to find a way to prepare and deal with it in advance.

‘And what exactly is this demonic disease… I’m curious to find out myself.’

Allen sighed softly and raised both hands.

Once the decision was made, it was time to move immediately.

* * *

Due to the sudden appearance of the boss of the Mage Tower, the Lakoa branch was instantly devastated.

In particular, Hendrick, the branch manager who had stayed up all night writing reports and overseeing the scene, couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.

“Who’s coming? Simon Terroan?”

Rubbing his stiff eyes, he rushed into the branch.

“Yes, yes! He’s on his way right now! He also requested to prepare for a Mage Tower communication meeting!”

“Why, why the Mage Tower? No, why did that human come here? Dammit, everyone, gather!”

In the midst of already being occupied with various matters, the visit of the head of the Magic Ministry was an additional disturbance!

Moreover, Simon Terroan himself was a figure who was no different from a nightmare from Hendrick’s school days.

In fact, during his academy days, it wasn’t such a big shock for Hendrick to have the top and second place snatched away by Simon and Derek consecutively.

What bothered him more was Simon’s ominousness.

Perhaps it was because he had been weak and sickly since he was young, but Hendrick felt a great attraction towards Kalia, who was strong.

His own family wasn’t from a high-ranking household, and he wasn’t the eldest son, so he didn’t have much hesitation about her social status.

From the moment Hendrick first saw her, he had been scheming for an opportunity.

But because of that annoying Simon Terroan, he never had a chance.

And at some point, Simon made Kalia find him extremely irritating and see him as a despicable person.

Hendrick knew that all of that was Simon Terroan’s doing.

Being quite clever and cunning, he could sense the subtle and wicked moves.

That’s why Hendrick resorted to extreme measures to separate Simon and Kalia, no matter what.

It was his plan to send him to the office by giving him a mild laxative.

But before anything could happen, Kalia took it away from him, and he ended up being beaten up after a fierce duel with the admired Kalia.

The incident of being humiliated in front of his crush would become a history of humiliation for a teenage boy.

No matter how much he thought about it, Hendrick couldn’t figure out how Kalia found out about the laxative.

Except for Simon, who knew in advance and took advantage of the situation…

Just thinking about that time still made his teeth grind, and now he had to face him as a superior.

It was pointless to come all the way here, far from the capital.

“…No, it’s better this way. He may be ominous, but his skills are undoubtedly those of a genius… It would be good to consult with him about the current situation.”

Furthermore, that incident was already a long time ago, and now he had forgotten everything and was pursuing a successful career as the branch manager of Lakoa.

“Yes, as a leader of an organization, I also have responsibilities and obligations. I won’t be swept away by baseless emotions!”

Hendrick corrected his thoughts and adjusted his posture.

While waiting for Simon to arrive, he organized the reports with a tense heart.

For several minutes, he looked out the window with a slight tension.

Simon appeared in the Mage Tower with unexpected characters.

* * *

“…Ah, huh? Huh?”

Surprised beyond measure, Hendrick quickly sealed his immature moans with his own mouth.

‘Damn.’

Startled, he unknowingly bit his lips, but he couldn’t even feel the pain.

In the meantime, a rough and scarred hand was extended in front of him.

“It’s nice to meet you again like this. I am Kalia Tackskate. I’m not sure if you remember.”

A hand that still showed traces of holding a sword for a long time.

She extended that hand hesitantly, looking at him with a slightly gentle expression.

Kalia Tackskate.

Hendrick stared alternately at Kalia and her hand in a daze, but belatedly regained his composure and shook her hand.

“Ah, hello. Cough, I am Hendrick Canceller. How could I not recognize the Empire’s hero as someone loyal to Rojas? It’s an honor to meet you.”

Hendrick, who restrained his sinking voice, forced a smile.

Yet, the heat rising slightly couldn’t be helped.

He felt that the clothes he was wearing were too hot.

The calloused palm he held while shaking hands felt somehow heartwarming.

Isn’t that what they call first love?

Even if the feeling of love remained now, it brought back excitement in the memories of the past.

Although he didn’t have the intention to revive those feelings now, just by looking at each other, it reminded him of the emotions he had forgotten.

Kalia, who was shaking hands, raised an ‘Oh’ expression and smiled slightly as she spoke.

“I guess you don’t remember well. It’s a pity, but it’s alright. The memories may not always be good. Still, it’s nice to meet an old schoolmate after such a long time.”

‘An old schoolmate. You… remember me?!’

Even though she remembered, she smiled and spoke to me!

I thought for sure she would only have bad memories of me from back then.

Caught off guard and excited, Hendrick grabbed her hand with both hands and exclaimed.

“I, I remember too!”

And at that moment.

Crack.

A circular current formed at the tip of Hendrick’s toes as he held Kalia’s hands tightly.