Chapter 2258 – 2258. The Plum Blossom Sword Master Reincarnated Into The Baek Family
I met Yuria while holding the Lery Tree. She was with Melissa and the other maids.
I took out the Lery Tree and handed it to Yuria. Yuria received the blue peach with a slightly surprised expression.
“The Lery Tree. To think it actually exists. The rumors were true.”
Next to her, who was purely surprised, Melissa’s eyes widened.
“So it really exists…. You didn’t just paint a peach, did you? How did you get a legendary fruit?”
It wasn’t something I needed to hide. I briefly explained how I came to acquire the Lery Tree.
Yuria accepted my words without any fuss. In contrast, Melissa was shocked and gaped.
“You said you weren’t in the mansion recently… you dominated the Eastern Continent? Is that even okay? Why don’t you just settle down there?”
“I have no intention of playing king.”
If I wanted to be a king, I would have taken the throne of the Rapelli Kingdom.
Even if I became king of Kairak, there wouldn’t be much for me to do. Most of the work would be handled by my subordinates. There were clear disadvantages to that, but I wouldn’t have to deal with bothersome tasks.
My plan was to take down and absorb the Thorn Kingdom, then step back and exploit it.
The development of Kairak? That was out of the question. It was easier to exploit if Kairak didn’t develop.
Melissa shook her head after hearing my plan.
“You’re trying to suck a continent dry. How pathetic.”
“Master will achieve his goals. Because he is Master.”
Yuria cheered me on.
‘As expected, Yuria understands me right away.’
A maid brought a tray and a knife. I became conflicted when I saw Melissa holding the knife and the Lery Tree.
‘Is it okay to just eat it? There’s no law that says it’s a Lery Tree, is there? What if that old man played a trick? What if there’s poison inside?’
There was a way to confirm if that Lery Tree was real or fake…
“Wait. Stop. I haven’t checked it yet.”
“Are you worried about poison? Poison doesn’t work on Yuria, though. She’s so toxic that poison is meaningless.”
“Melissa, your words are harsh. I am not toxic. It’s just that I’ve reached the level of being immune to all poisons.”
“That’s a level you reached by handling all sorts of poisons. Master, put away your useless worries. There’s no one in this world more knowledgeable about poison than Yuria.”
Hearing that, I felt relieved. When I quietly nodded, Melissa peeled the blue peach. The blue peach was blue even on the inside. The smell was that of a normal peach.
‘Is it the color’s influence? It doesn’t look appetizing.’
The peeled peach was placed in front of Yuria. Yuria took a piece with a fork and put it in her mouth. I could hear the crisp sound of her chewing.
“Yuria, how does it taste? Is it good?”
“It’s a legendary peach. There’s no way it wouldn’t be delicious.”
I wanted to take a bite, but the mother had to eat all the flesh to see the effects of the Lery Tree.
“The taste is… that of a normal peach. There’s no poison. I’m not sure if it’s a spiritual medicine either.”
Yuria had eaten all sorts of spiritual medicines. She could be called an expert on spiritual medicines, and she didn’t know if it was one?
‘Could I have been scammed?’
Just as my anxiety was starting to rise,
Yuria finished eating the peach, and a change occurred. Her entire body began to glow faintly.
“Yuria?!”
“Are you okay?!”
Melissa and I approached Yuria. Yuria checked her body and calmly said,
“I’m fine. This isn’t a spiritual medicine, but rather proof of a contract.”
The faint light gathered at Yuria’s center and then diminished. It was as if it was being absorbed into her pregnant belly.
“Proof of a contract? What exactly do you mean?”
“I received the blessing of a spirit. It bestows a blessing on the mother who eats the Lery Tree and her child. It’s a very old spirit contract.”
“If it’s a contract, there must be a price. I feel like I’ve been scammed.”
“The price was paid long ago. There is no price for me to pay. It will be a good gift for this child.”
Yuria stroked her pregnant belly.
“Can you tell what kind of ability the child will get?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know that much.”
It was natural since the child hadn’t even been born yet.
“The due date is less than a week away. You know that, right?”
Melissa asked. It was a scolding for not staying put since the due date was near.
“Of course, I know. My schedule is completely clear for that day. Even if the Eastern Continent is destroyed, I’ll be by Yuria’s side, so don’t worry.”
“…If it’s that serious, shouldn’t you be in the Eastern Continent?”
“Yuria and my daughter are more important than the Eastern Continent.”
“Ah, Master…!”
Yuria looked touched. Looking at her smile, I recalled a concern I had been putting off.
‘What should I name my daughter? She’s my acknowledged child, so I can’t just give her a random name.’
I had no choice but to keep thinking about this problem.
• • •
“I must see the end of this war. Gather all the warriors. I will personally lead the army to the front lines.”
I declared as the War King of Kairak.
There were many problems. Gathering soldiers alone would take time.
“Your Highness. The harvest season is less than a month away. We need farmers to do the farming. Women alone will ruin the harvest.”
“It doesn’t matter if the harvest is ruined. I’ll take responsibility. Just hold on as much as you can.”
“Your Highness. We are short on military provisions. The front lines are requesting provisions from all over.”
“I will send combat rations. As long as I am here, there will be no shortage of military provisions.”
“Your Highness. We have captured deserters. The number of deserters is increasing. We need a solution.”
“Apply the system of collective responsibility and execute them by unit. Those who fear battle deserve to die.”
I led the army and arrived at one of the front lines. The great warrior there greeted me. He was a bald warrior with a rough face. He was an Aura Master. In Kairak, only Aura Masters were called great warriors.
“I greet the new War King. I am Great Warrior Chairun.”
I wondered if he would resist, but he bowed his head on his own. It didn’t seem like he would start a rebellion right away.
“I heard you’re short on military provisions? I brought them myself. Feed the warriors well.”
“Thank you. We can die fighting instead of starving to death. The warriors will be happy.”
“Instead of thinking about dying honorably, you should think about fighting and winning. What’s the situation?”
“The Thorn bastards are putting up a great resistance. We’ve attacked that damn fortress three times, but they’ve all been blocked, and we’re in a stalemate.”
I looked at the fortress in the distance. Located in the center of a rocky valley, the fortress, in its perfect position, looked as if it could withstand anything.
“It looks like we can bypass it?”
“To target the capital of the Thorn Kingdom, we must capture that fortress. The bypass route is long and has many monsters. The supply line will be several times more difficult.”
I looked around.
The warriors, who were able to fill their bellies for the first time in a while, had smiles on their faces. But I couldn’t be fooled by my eyes, which had experienced war many times. The warriors’ morale was at rock bottom. The gloomy atmosphere was ingrained and wouldn’t disappear.
“The warriors’ morale is low.”
“It’s because of repeated defeats. If we win just once, just once, the morale will skyrocket.”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t seem like defeat is the only reason. Chairun, tell me honestly. What are the warriors dissatisfied with?”
“The previous War King restricted destruction and looting. He ordered us not to harm children, women, and the elderly as much as possible.”
“Why?”
“He said that they would also become Kairak.”
“So he was trying to take over Thorn as completely as possible. The previous War King is dead, so we need a new policy. I allow unlimited looting. However, the beauties are mine. If you find a beauty, capture her nicely and bring her to me. If anyone ignores my orders and covets a beauty… I will kill them by unit.”
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t unlimited looting, but I couldn’t let the beauties be raped. I had to take them for myself.
Great Warrior Chairun trembled slightly as he looked at my fierce eyes.
“It will be as the War King wishes. When will the offensive begin?”
“I want to say in an hour, but unfortunately, I have important business. Maintain the stalemate for the time being.”
I went into my personal tent and tore a space-movement scroll.
Yuria’s due date was today. The war wasn’t that important.
When I entered the mansion, it was bustling overall. The maids were very nervous, even though they weren’t the ones giving birth. The fact that my child was being born wasn’t a special event in itself. What was special was that it was being born from Yuria. In the future, that child would be my successor.
I met Yuria. She looked quite nervous as she prepared for childbirth.
I waited outside the delivery room. There was nothing I could do even if I was inside the delivery room. Rather, my presence would make others feel burdened. There were more than 10 maids who could be called childbirth experts, so I just had to trust them and wait. I could rest assured because Melissa was by Yuria’s side.
I sat in front of a chair and passed the time.
It was a strange feeling. Until now, I hadn’t felt anything special even when my children were born, but I was quite nervous that Yuria was giving birth.
‘That means Yuria is that special to me.’
Just as I was starting to get impatient,
“Waaaaaah!”
I heard a loud baby’s cry and the cheers of the maids.
I couldn’t hold back.
I jumped up from the chair, opened the door, and went inside.
A midwife was holding a bloody infant. Yuria was lying on the bed, looking exhausted. She had a smile on her face. The mother seemed healthy.
“Master. A young lady has been born.”
The midwife carefully handed me the bloody infant. I received the child with both hands.
Once I received her, I didn’t have much to say. I blankly looked at my daughter and said,
“I am your father. I will do whatever you want.”
The baby cried. Her cry was strong, so she seemed healthy.
“Your name is Yuna Prukerus.”
And Sung Yuna.
