Chapter 22: Flawless Illusion
Chapter 22: Flawless Illusion
"You look happy. Do you fancy those knights over there?"
"No...!"
"Really?"
"Yes."
Gramps Zach stared at me with a suspicious gaze, but I ignored it, forcing myself to stay calm so I could maintain my usual innocent facade.
I needed to be careful.
I had nearly lost my composure because his words offended me.
Fancying those knights? Seriously? Damn it.
I'm a man, dude. There’s no way I would ever fancy another man, even in this female body.
Deep down, I’m still a man.
That hasn’t changed.
"Is that so?"
"Hm."
I nodded, but something felt off.
Why the hell is he looking at me like that? Like he’s silently saying, "You don’t need to hide it. You’re free to do whatever you want."
Is this guy seriously misunderstanding me? No, that would be absurd.
There’s no way he doesn’t know what actually happened.
He must have read the reports about me begging to see the Sword King's swordsmanship.
There’s no way he’s unaware.
He must be teasing me.
That expression of his is hard to read since he rarely shows emotion, but I’m sure that’s what he’s doing.
That realization brought me a sense of relief. At least I knew what he was up to.
He’s just trying to stir my emotions. I don’t know why, but I decided to go along with it, denying everything and pretending it didn’t affect me.
He sipped his tea quietly, his tail glowing with a faint silver hue as he finally stopped asking questions.
I turned my gaze across the table and cautiously looked at Szélanya. She was scanning my belly, searching for any sign of abnormality.
Moments later, her eyes stopped glowing.
She stared at me with a serious expression.
"This child is growing too fast. If it continues at this pace, you’ll have no choice but to give birth in about a month."
"Huh... why?"
Her words terrified me.
Why was this happening? Was this really normal?
I waited for her answer, unsure of the standard for pregnancy in this world.
It couldn’t be the same as Earth, right? No, this wasn’t normal. My child was... different. So I asked, hoping she had seen something unusual.
"I don’t know the exact reason, but I have a few clues."
"Really!?"
"Yes. It has to do with the child’s unusual physique. She also seems to have absorbed a hundred years of your lifespan. It’s a terrifying phenomenon, especially considering that you’re not a monster. You’re just a pure human. Fortunately, you were lucky. Because you elevated your realm and walked the Primordial Path, you reached the Half-Step Primaris Realm and gained a lifespan of roughly a thousand years."
"Eh...!?"
My eyes widened in shock.
A thousand years? How is that possible?
At first, I was horrified to hear that a hundred years had been taken from me. But that fear was instantly replaced by awe.
A thousand years of life? Just from reaching the Half-Step Primaris Realm?
What the actual hell... if I fully transitioned into the true Primaris Realm, what would happen then?
Just thinking about it made my heart race.
With that kind of lifespan, as long as nothing went wrong, I could accomplish anything.
I could gain wealth, take revenge, explore the world.
I had time.
Almost endless time.
I was lucky. So incredibly lucky.
I chose the right path.
Whoever created the Primordial Path, I owe them everything.
Even if it strips away emotion and mortality, I can deal with that. I have a strong background.
I’m sure Szélanya will eventually find a way to fix it.
I just need to be patient.
"Are you okay, Nerine? Are you anxious about losing part of your lifespan?"
"Ah... no!"
I answered absentmindedly.
Truthfully, I was anxious. But not for the reason she thought.
Heh. I was anxious because of the overwhelming blessings in front of me.
I looked at Szélanya again.
She didn’t seem to grasp the weight of her words.
To her, saying I lost a hundred years was like mentioning a grain of sand.
She didn’t seem to realize that humans only live for about a hundred years to begin with.
It was clear. She was an ancient being. Someone who had lived so long that the limited life of a mortal meant nothing to her.
"I see. So that’s the reason. I understand."
I said it aloud, as if I had finally come to terms with everything.
I knew both Gramps Zach and Szélanya were watching me closely, so I kept up the act.
I made the kind of expression they would expect from someone bravely facing a terrifying truth.
They must have been prepared to help ease the shock for me.
That was why they approached the topic with such care, setting a calm mood before dropping the news.
Now, seeing me accept it seemed to relieve them.
They both sighed, visibly comforted by my reaction.
So all of this had been arranged by them.
Damn, they’re good.
Even I, someone used to deception, almost couldn’t tell what was going on.
Fortunately, I saw through it.
Just barely.
If they had kept their emotions completely hidden, I might not have caught on.
They were truly considerate, my new guardians.
I was moved.
Who wouldn’t be? They went through all this effort just to make sure I could handle the truth, to protect me from breaking down, probably to keep the baby safe.
Szélanya genuinely cared. She thought of me as her descendant.
As for Gramps Zach... I couldn’t read him. But even if I didn’t understand his reasons, the effort he made was enough to move me.
They were my greatest backers now, and they truly cared.
"Um... Nerine, are you really okay?"
"Yes, I’m okay, Mother."
"I’m relieved to hear that. Then you should go rest. Letting a pregnant girl hear such stressful things isn’t good for her health. We have more to discuss after this, so go rest for now."
"Yes, I will do as you say, Mother."
I stood up, ready to leave, but paused.
There was still one thing I wanted to ask.
I turned to her and spoke.
"By the way, Mother... is my child a boy or a girl?"
She smiled softly and answered.
"It’s a girl, dear. A healthy daughter, to be precise."
"Really? Thank goodness. Thank you for telling me, Mother. I’ll take my leave now."
"Hm."
That was her only response.
I turned around in my sandals and walked away, joining Lynn and Mia, who were patiently waiting by the doorway.
Once we returned to my bedroom, I sat down and gathered my thoughts, quietly reflecting on my plans and reorganizing everything in my mind.
I had some direction now.
If something unexpected happened, if disaster ever struck this place, I would at least have a plan.
Still, the possibility seemed incredibly unlikely.
This mansion would never fall.
Szélanya and Gramps Zach were not ordinary beings.
If any threat appeared, they would obliterate it before it even reached the gates. That level of power made it hard to believe anything dangerous could ever happen here.
Even so, I continued to prepare.
Especially when it came to getting stronger.
"Status."
Ding
📜【CHARACTER STATUS PANEL: ACTIVE】
🧝♀️ Name: Nerine Anemone
🎂 Age: 22
📺 Gender: Female
📜 Physique: No-Mark Physique
🧬 Bloodline: Type O
✨ Affinity: Stable with all elemental mana types
🔮 Realm: Half-Step Primaris 🦨 Cultivation Path: Primordial (false/perfection affinity)
🛡️ Class / Role: None
⚔️ Combat Style: None
📖 Known Skills: • Blood Boost Step • Third Pressure Point Striking Blade • Rotation Gap Movement ... More
🧠 Innate Abilities: • Battle Instinct • Eye of Origin • Eye of Silence • Instant Language Comprehension ... More
🛀 Core Grade: Mid-Tier
💫 Spiritual Root: None
🐉 Recognition Level: 1
As expected, all of my Innate Abilities were still Mid-grade.
I had originally hoped they would evolve to High-grade after my core advanced, but now I was sure that wasn’t the reason.
Staring at the panel, I felt a quiet certainty settle over me.
I had been checking it every day, watching for changes.
And now, I was finally confident in my theory.
The reason my Innate Abilities remained at a lower tier was not just because my core was Mid-tier.
The real reason was my physique. It had stagnated.
It made sense.
The No-Mark Physique was powerful, but without further development, it had become a bottleneck. The problem was, I had no idea how to elevate it.
And with my current condition, I had very few options.
I was heavily pregnant.
If I pushed myself too hard, I might die from the aftereffects.
Light exercise was fine, but anything extreme was completely out of the question.
The same limitations applied to my sword skills. I currently had around 972 low-tier sword skills, but my pregnancy had severely delayed any further progress.
And it was frustrating.
I had discovered a method to create new sword techniques by using the existing low-tier skills as a foundation.
They all shared the same origin and essence. By dissecting them and extracting their most useful elements, I could integrate those forms into more refined skills.
Crafting mid-tier sword techniques was no longer difficult for me.
With my deep understanding of sword energy, even high-tier techniques were within reach, though that would require more time and familiarity with additional mid-tier forms.
But my bloated belly limited everything. It was the one thing holding me back from unlocking my full potential.
I sighed.
Based on Szélanya’s estimation, I only had about one month left before giving birth. It felt like time slipping away.
And even after delivery, things wouldn't return to normal so easily.
Caring for a newborn, especially while breastfeeding, would make training impossible for a while.
So before that happened, I had to act. I would gather as many low-tier sword skills as I could from that old man.
I planned to drain him dry.
With that decision, I left my room, walking slowly and carefully. The small movements were good for me.
Gentle walks were a safe form of exercise for a woman in my condition.
That old man’s swordsmanship was incredibly dull, but after copying one hundred skills, I was finally satisfied.
My collection had reached one thousand low-tier sword skills.
"That old man really has an endless supply of sword techniques. He’s like a hidden treasure trove in disguise."
Smiling in satisfaction, I returned to my room to begin my next task.
I extended my hand, channeled mana to my fingertips, and began weaving it in layers.
The pattern looked like a spiderweb when viewed closely.
This kind of training increased my mana affinity and greatly improved my proficiency in forming elemental magic.
Hours passed.
The threads of mana grew thinner and more refined.
It was proof that I had progressed in my control and manipulation.
"Let’s stop for now. I’m getting hungry. I need to eat."
This easygoing life continued, day after day.
I followed the same routine, with no interruptions and no worries.
For a while, I truly believed it would last forever.
But I was wrong.
Two weeks later, something disastrous happened.
