Chapter 23: Big Belly, Bigger Problem

Chapter 23: Big Belly, Bigger Problem

It all started that night, lying in bed with my bloated belly.

I had been genuinely proud of my progress, but now I could barely move.

Two weeks had passed, and my condition had become urgent.

My stomach already looked like I was nine months pregnant.

That was the real reason I stopped going to the training grounds. I could no longer move properly.

Extreme fatigue weighed on me even when I did nothing. Sometimes, just walking left me gasping for air, as if something were pressing against my lungs.

Even urinating had become a constant task.

It felt like something was squeezing my bladder, forcing me into endless trips to the bathroom, and each one drained me a little more.

"Ha... it’s really terrible."

I stared at my hands, my arms, and my legs.

All of them looked swollen.

Yes, you heard that right.

My entire body had bloated.

I looked slightly chubby now, and if you looked closely, the changes were so unnatural they left me dizzy.

I could only mutter one word.

"Damn."

Pregnancy really wasn’t as simple as I had imagined.

All the careless thoughts I once had about how easy it looked were crashing down on me.

Now that I was experiencing it myself, I realized how helpless it made me feel.

I laughed bitterly.

I had never expected it to be this complicated. Just trying to move could leave me breathless.

Cursing under my breath, I tried to ease my mind by recalling all the progress I had made.

My mana had increased.

My vitality had doubled.

I had stacked two system reward choices.

Most notably, I had accumulated two thousand six hundred low-tier sword skills. It was an incredible blessing, especially for my mental state.

"Ahhh... I finally calmed down."

Even though I had not yet exhausted the old man’s endless supply of low-tier skills, I had stopped visiting him.

I could now create new ones on my own without any trouble.

It had become so easy that I decided to rest here and focus on solving my pregnancy issue.

Now that I felt stable and calm, I needed sleep. I had a strong feeling that in just a few days, I would truly give birth.

That was why I had been trying to make myself as healthy as possible, hoping to avoid any dangerous complications.

With that thought, I closed my eyes and allowed my body to relax. After a few minutes of easing my muscles, I drifted into a deep sleep.

I let all my guards down so no anxious thoughts could linger in the background.

And it worked. I slept for hours.

Everything was calm.

Or so I thought.

Three hours later, something terrible happened.

BOOM...

A massive, ear-piercing explosion shook the air and startled me awake.

It was followed by a powerful blast wave.

Swoosh...

I tumbled off the bed on instinct.

"Damnit, what’s going on?"

Panicked, I scanned my room for the source.

My eyes landed on the window, where a blinding glow pulsed so intensely it made every strand of hair on my body stand on end, even from a distance.

Suddenly, Lynn’s voice came from behind me.

"Young Miss, please excuse me."

Confused but too disoriented to resist, I let her act. In the next moment, Lynn conjured a formless barrier around us.

It wrapped around our bodies like a protective cocoon.

I was about to ask what was happening, but she spoke first.

"Just close your eyes, Young Miss. We’re going to teleport several miles away. Brace yourself for the residual pressure."

As soon as I heard her warning, I shut my eyes and obeyed.

I sensed no deception in her voice, but just in case, I planned to open my eyes if anything changed.

Then she lifted me gently in a princess-carry hold, holding me tightly like she was preparing for something serious.

Swish...

In an instant, I felt the shift in space.

I opened my eyes out of instinct.

And immediately regretted it.

We were now suspended in the dim night sky, three miles above where our colossal mansion once stood.

But the mansion was gone.

In its place was a towering mushroom cloud of smoke.

The land beneath it had been completely carved out, leaving a massive crater that glowed with wild, radiant energy.

I stared at the sight in pure disbelief, my breath catching in my throat.

It was like watching a nuclear bomb detonate in our home.

"What... is... this..."

My voice trembled.

Lynn answered with a helpless tone.

"I apologize, Young Miss. It seems His Highness had a disagreement with two other mythical beings."

"Huh...?"

"In other words, he got into a fight with two of the Nine Mythical Beings said to have been born from natural phenomena. I do not know the reason, but there is no doubt this is their doing."

I went silent.

My thoughts spiraled.

A disagreement? That’s what she calls this? A disagreement that blew our entire mansion into a crater? That’s so messed up.

Their way of thinking was completely distorted.

I could only shake my head in disbelief at how casually they treated something so devastating.

Being carried through the air should have been uncomfortable, but Lynn had used some kind of magic to help my body adapt to the pressure.

A pair of elegant wings spread from her back, allowing smooth flight.

Many secrets about Lynn were unraveling, but right now I had no time to process any of them.

My mind was overwhelmed by fear.

Holy shit. How did this happen now? At this critical moment? What about the people? Were they alive?

I turned to Lynn, panic rising in my voice.

"Lynn... w-what about the people there? Are they dead?"

I had a guess that they weren’t, but I waited for her response, praying she knew something.

She turned her head to me and answered calmly.

"They are not hurt. No one was harmed. His Highness teleported all the servants and even his personal pets far away before it happened."

"Really...?"

"Yes."

Thank goodness. I had feared they would be turned to ash on the spot. That explosion looked strong enough to disintegrate even the toughest beings.

I sighed in relief, but I still felt shaken. I had just begun to relax, and now this happened.

My luck was seriously running out. And that old man... was he okay? I owed him for all my sword skills.

He better not die on me.

I kept staring at the destruction below. My heart ached with a sense of loss. That mansion had been a symbol of my security.

I hadn’t even received any payment yet, and now everything was destroyed by some lunatic who didn’t even consider finding a proper battlefield.

Nine hundred square meters of luxury, gone in an instant.

My wealth.

My foundation.

•_•

Now, far in the distance, a storm brewed in the sky.

Thunder cracked, and the wind howled.

Trees were uprooted as the storm intensified, swirling with terrifying pressure.

Lynn noticed it too and muttered under her breath.

"Her Highness Szélanya has made a move. This battle will become far more dangerous if we stay. We need to retreat farther, Young Miss."

"Yes."

So that entire storm... Szélanya caused it? My mother figure?

I never expected her to be that powerful.

I stared ahead, caught between awe and dread.

We flew faster, trying to escape the growing storm.

Although it was still about two miles away, it had already begun demolishing everything in its path. The shockwaves had not yet reached us, but the pressure from the battle had.

Lynn had no choice but to increase her speed so the residual blast waves would not catch up to us.

Immense natural energy swirled around us. She was likely replenishing her core, preparing for a high-speed escape that could last for hours.

Swish...

Trees, rivers, and mountains blurred beneath us as our speed surged. We passed over countless cliffs and valleys, but I did not see a single house or hut. Only monsters and wild animals filled the land below.

I turned to look at Lynn. A light sheen of sweat clung to her brow.

Was she growing tired from carrying me, a pregnant woman, while maintaining flight at this speed?

Seeing no visible change in her expression, I activated my Divine Eyes.

It had been weeks since I last used them, but now was the perfect time. With my improved mana control and increased reserves, I could activate them with only a single strand of mana.

Natural energy lit up around her, visible through my awakened vision.

The cost of flying continuously was immense. We had already been flying for over an hour and had traveled more than fifty miles away from the terrifying battle behind us.

The strain on her body must have been overwhelming, especially since she was not using mana but natural energy.

I still did not fully understand how dangerous that was, but I could tell it required immense strength.

Without hesitation, I spoke.

"Um... Lynn, can we rest?"

"Why?"

"Because you look exhausted."

"This is nothing, Young Miss. We are only fifty more miles away from escaping the range of the formation. I marked it before we left. This is still His Highness’s territory, after all."

"Really?"

"Indeed."

For a moment I was confused.

But then, looking at her calm face, everything clicked.

And I was shocked.

Wait.

We are still inside Gramps Zach’s territory?

If that is the case...

Damn.

His land is unimaginably massive. It might as well be its own continent. And something tells me this is only one of several domains he owns.

Now that I thought about it, Lynn’s calm demeanor started to make more sense.

Despite being an emotionless person, I could usually pick up small flaws in her expressions, especially when she made mistakes.

But now? She was flawless, steady as a still lake.

That could only mean one thing.

She had experienced this before.

And not just once or twice.

To her, this disaster involving Gramps Zach’s ruined mansion, the storm, and the battlefield was nothing new.

Unbelievable.

Unable to hold back my curiosity, I asked mid-flight.

"Lynn, you’re so calm. Has this happened before?"

She raised an eyebrow, clearly debating whether to answer.

But perhaps because I was now part of the family, she spoke gently, trying not to make me anxious.

"Indeed. This has happened many times since ancient days."

"What...?"

"To be exact, sixteen times. The last incident was about four hundred years ago. It is a fairly routine occurrence."

"A routine occurrence?"

"Yes."

Four hundred years ago?

Sixteen times?

So my guess was right.

Still, something else had been bothering me since earlier.

Our mansion was gone.

Obliterated. I had to ask.

"Then Lynn, can we rebuild our house?"

"Yes, Young Miss. If you want an estimate, it will take about eighteen years to complete. That is how long it took His Highness to restore it last time. He used a portion of his hidden wealth for the reconstruction, so it is possible."

I nodded slowly.

So it can be rebuilt. But... eighteen years.

That sounds long, but with my current lifespan, it is not much.

I could probably build my own home before then. By the time it is finished, even my daughter would be a proper lady.

That thought comforted me. The heavy feeling of loss faded, and my mind cleared again.

I began thinking about what we should do next if we stumbled upon a town or village.

I was pregnant, after all.

I needed a proper plan.

With that thought, I asked her something important.

"Um... Lynn, did you bring any money?"

She replied without a blink.

"No."