29-32

It stung to let Quince take Clove away like that but I could not let my emotions sway me away from what was important.

And I knew that if Clove had been in front of me, she would have understood my choice and not hesitated to agree with my decision.

"Hey, do you know those tower people? That man seemed like he was not happy to see you."

Aurora held back a chuckle at the question. Now that she looked back at it, Quince did look older than his age. 𝓲𝓷nr𝒆𝚊d. 𝘤𝑜𝘮

But maybe it was that Emilia looked younger than she was. Their maturity gap was too much to make any accurate guesses as well.

"I guess you can say that I know them. I helped them out once but they misunderstood my intentions. Also, Quince is only two years older than you so you should not call him a 'man' yet."

"Only two? But he talks like an adult already."

"Sometimes, people have to grow up much earlier than they are supposed to. But let's not talk about unimportant stuff. Lead me to your village entrance and I'll see what I can do for you."

Aurora did not want to waste precious time thinking about Quince and his unfortunate circumstances. Everyone had problems they wanted to get saved from.

And in terms of Quince, Aurora had personally witnessed the problems he was going to face. Even more so once he came of age and took up a permanent position in the Cabinet.

"Alright. If you say so then I will trust you. The village is this way."

Initially, Aurora wanted to hurry past the monsters in the forest and quickly establish security around the village.

But she had no other choice but to go slow for Emilia's sake. The poor girl looked exhausted and would not be able to keep up.

Aurora did not want to push her luck and suggest to carry Emilia either. She was not sure how much pride the goddess-to-be had. (Though it did not look like much.)

But staying with Emilia, Aurora quickly came to know a little about the teen.

First, the child was a scaredy-cat. She jumped at the slightest noise and couldn't even walk straight for the most part once the sun went down.

She was sticking awfully close to Aurora when they were walking back and Aurora could feel the small shivers wrecking Emilia's frame.

Secondly, Emilia had no idea what kind of presence she was giving off. Her aura was fluctuation with fear and power.

It was a tempting combination for the lower-end abyssal beasts. Aurora had already spotted a few trying to close in on the pair.

But thankfully, Aurora's aura was a little too strong for them to bear and they turned tails as soon as Aurora glared in their direction.

Lastly, the child was clumsy. She had just about tripped five times in the last fifteen minutes. That was a new record if Aurora had ever seen one.

The sixth time it happened, Aurora finally decided to do something about it.

"Emilia, do you need me to pick you up and hurry back to the village? You are going to hurt yourself at this rate."

The teen looked back at Aurora with a blank face. It made Aurora doubt her actions.

Had she made a mistake by offering to carry the child? Had she offended Emilia's pride and alienated her even before she had made any progress?

But then the empty jewels in front of her were filled with hope and expectations and Aurora breathed a sigh of relief.

"Please carry me. I heard that it is fun when someone does it for you. It's totally not because I'm scared or anything."

Aurora could not stop her chuckle from forcing its way out of her throat. It was funny to see the child this excited at being carried by Aurora.

"Come here. I'll take care of the monsters for you."

Aurora extended her hand toward the small teen in front of her. And Emilia jumped into her arms without any delay.

Aurora could feel the girl's emotions and aura blazing on her face and the magic was vibrating with excitement,

Aurora braced herself for the impact. But she had not expected the tingle of magic that rushed through her body.

That was not something Aurora had felt before and she had no idea what that even meant.

"Wow, what was that? Can we try that again?"

Aurora felt her breath leave her lips as she tried to gather her thoughts back inside her head.

That had been magic resonance she had just experienced. She had never expected herself to ever be able to experience that in her life.

Magic resonance was a rare but harmless phenomenon that happened when two types of magics were compatible and could be used to further one another's recovery.

Besides that, it had no other practical function. But it requires a huge amount of trust and reliance to pull off.

For Aurora to experience this right now, she had to wonder just what she did to get Emilia to trust her.

"I don't think it will work again right now. But, are you interested in learning how to do that again? I can take you to a place that can teach you about your magic and how to control it."

Aurora offered, finally getting a chance to talk to the teen about this topic.

Initially, Aurora had wanted to breach this subject carefully and not frighten the teen about what the future had in store for her.

But now it looked like she had no other choice but to bring this topic up prematurely.

"H-How did you know? I did not tell anyone about my magic because then I would have been sent away. No, I m-mean, I don't have any magic. I am a normal and average girl and…"

"…I'm sorry. Please don't send me away to the abyss. I don't want to die."

Aurora almost panicked but she took in a deep breath to calm herself down.

Emilia had not started crying yet but it was a close thing. Aurora could see the drops of tears starting to appear in her eyes.

"I won't tell anyone. And why would I when I can do magic as well? I know how the world can be to those who are different and the abyss is no place for someone like you."

"And that is why I offered to teach you how to control your magic. You won't be able to control it forever but you can learn how to hide it once you have enough control."

Emilia still did not look convinced but she did not start to cry at the first chance she got.

Aurora could see the conflict written all over her face. The girl really did not want anything to do with magic.

But she had been saddled with the responsibility and it would come back to bite her if Emilia did not do anything about it.

"But I don't want to leave this place. I love everyone in this village and I want to stay with them."

Aurora knew this was going to happen. But the girl needed to understand how the world worked and what she needed to do for her future.

"You can stay here for as long as you like but your magic will expose itself one day. Aren't you finding it hard to control already? That is why it resonated with me."

"Besides, I never said you could not return once you have enough control over yourself."

The girl looked hopeful at Aurora's words. Her eyes sparkled with hope and trust which made Aurora weak in her heart.

Unlike everyone else in her party, this child would be reliant on her for protection and other things. No one else had that kind of relationship with Aurora and it made her somewhat afraid.

"I don't think I am ready for something like that but I want to try. I don't want my magic to hurt someone but it seems difficult sometimes. Not being able to control my magic is scary."

The teen sounded scared and Aurora had to sigh to get her emotions under control.

If possible, she did not want to look at Emilia's display of emotions. It was eerily similar to something she had once felt a long time ago.

But reverting her eyes was no longer an option for Aurora. She had made this decision and she had to stick with it.

No more children were going to fall in the tower's hand and become their tools.

"If your magic scares you then learn to control it. It is in your hands what you make of it. Though I do know of someone who has magic really similar to you and could help you.

"I know where your mother is and how to reach her. Are you interested in meeting her?"

It was a gamble but Aurora was banking on it paying off.

"I know where your mother is and how to reach her. Are you interested in meeting her?"

Aurora asked this question knowing what it meant for Emilia. No matter how much older she got, she was but a child right now.

And every child had an innate longing to meet the one who birthed them. In that case, Emilia was no different from a normal child.

Aurora should have been disgusted to use such a weakness to her advantage but she could not back down. If she took her words back now, then her reputation was as good as gone in Emilia's eyes.

"My mother? She's still alive?"

Emilia sounded like a lost child. Aurora could see how much her words were eating away at Emilia's heart.

"Your mother is alive but in a complicated situation. I am in no place to tell you why you were left behind by your mother. But I can offer you a chance to find out why you were left behind."

In retrospect, what Aurora was doing was no better than dangling a carrot in front of a hungry horse.

From the second Aurora had decided to deploy this tactic, she knew she had Emilia in the palm of her hand.

"I want to take your offer. I can talk to the people who look after me and tell them that I want to go with you."

Hook, line, and sinker. She had the teen on her side now.

"Of course. But it would be better to let me talk with the adults. They will take it much better if they heard the truth from me."

Aurora was not concerned about the objections people would pose toward her taking Emilia.

Emilia was an orphan child and no one in the Horax village had enough resources to take care of her and still maintain the household.

As such, Emilia was as good as a charity case as one could see. And no one would object if Aurora did take her away.

The real problem was the tower and its twisted ways. They could pose a serious threat to Aurora in a political sense if she did not have appropriate permission to keep Emilia with her.

That was why Aurora needed to get written confirmation about what she was purposing and what it meant for the people involved. She had to draw the line between legal and illegal means.

And if Aurora could transfer Emilia's guardianship over to her, then it would be the best-case scenario.

"Alright. I will let you take charge. Let's go back now."

Emilia looked relieved and Aurora wanted to chuckle. What an amusing child Emilia was, scared but not willing to show it.

"Yes, let's go back. The faster I set up the protective barrier, the faster we can head back toward your mother's location."

"Yeah, Yeah. Let's go."

Horax village was just as primitive as Aurora had thought it to be. Their homes were not even lined up properly with protection and the village did not have a single magical enhancement lined up.

It was a pitiful sight to see in current times but it did not surprise Aurora to see such depravity in such a backward land.

Since this village could provide neither precious resources nor magical supplies, there had been no need to invest in such a place.

For the tower, it would have been better if this place did not exist at all.

But even saying this, they had sent some of their best rookies to this place which emphasized that they knew this palace had some importance to the tower.

So, did it mean that Minerva knew about Emilia's existence? It was entirely possible but Aurora knew it was too late for the tower to interfere now.

"I'll go back home for now. Come and find me once you are done."

"Sure. Get some rest since we'll be departing tomorrow for our new home."

The child cheered at her words before leaving toward a shabby hut. It had seen better days in its lifecycle and Aurora was sure it would collapse any day now.

It was lucky for Emilia that Aurora had arrived when she had. Things would have ended up as a disaster otherwise.

"Now, let's see. System, check the perimeter and find the most optimal security solution."

Aurora could have done the check herself but she felt too lazy to do that. Her system was more than capable of keeping up with her requirements.

[Affirmative. Checking for appropriate solutions.

Checking…

…Solutions found…..

…Implementing security protocol…

…Connecting to natural power source… 𝒾𝐧𝘯𝑟e𝒂𝗱. 𝒸o𝙢

...Security protocol completed]

Aurora felt the second the magic barrier went up. It was powerful but nothing a high-level beast would not be able to breach.

But the barrier was good enough to keep the village safe for a long time. Higher-level beasts did not leave the abyss. Nor were they mindless creatures hell-bent on killing and revenge.

This village was as safe as it was going to be without a permanent guard in place.

Aurora breathed a sigh of relief once she was done with her work. The barrier was up and the village was safe.

That should have been the end of things but her luck was not that good. She was soon found by the last person she wanted to see in the village.

"What are you planning? Why did you come here? Are you following us?"

Quince seemed to have a lot of questions about her work and her habits. He did not hold back anything once he started firing off questions.

Aurora wanted him to slow down but even she knew it would be impossible to change Quince's mind once he had decided on something.

"Would it matter if I said that me being here right now is a coincidence? And I have no intention of staying here for longer than necessary."

"I will be leaving this place tomorrow so treat my presence here as a hoax and forget about it."

Aurora did not want her whereabouts to reach the tower's ears. Especially Minerva was a big no-no in her book.

"I can't do that. I will have to report what happened back to the tower. You are too suspicious to not be taken care of."

Aurora flinched at the brutal words Quince let out. Even at fourteen years old, he had a sharp tongue and an even sharper temper.

Aurora was just glad that the teen seemed to not run dry on his emotions like in his last life.

"Well, if you can't accept my words, how about a trade? I will give you a special grade healing potion and in turn, you do not speak of my involvement in anything."

Aurora's proposal was met with a keen eye. Highest-grade potions were rare to come by, especially the healing kinds.

They were expensive and well-sought after.

Had Aurora not had a trump card, she would not even have gambled with those words. The funds needed to procure even one of these potions were out of this world.

Especially since there were only two ways to get this potion- by a goddess and by clearing the high-level bosses of the abyss.

Both were something no ordinary human could do.

In this way, Aurora was telling the kid that she was dangerous and had the backing of a goddess behind her. He would not tread so recklessly now.

"So this is how it is. I understand why you are so confident now. Fine, I agree to your trade but I have a condition of my own."

Quince was willing to negotiate which was a rarity to see. Aurora did not know if she should be impressed or amused at such a turn of events.

"Sure. I'll see if I want to help you out once you speak your mind."

"Tell me what you know about the tower and its secrets. I won't spend my life as a puppet for an origination I can't even see through. Since you decided to go against the tower, there must be a deep dark secret it must be hiding"

"And what will you do once you learn of this secret? Will you leave the tower?"

"This…I will decide once I know its secret."

Quince looked to be in doubt. There was something that was bothering him for sure.

Aurora had not expected to be at this crossroad with Quince this early in life. The last time she had been here, she had been dying and Quince had been the one behind most of the planning.

The poor fool had been controlled like a puppet his whole life and he had not been able to escape even after knowing the truth.

But it no longer had anything to do with Aurora.

"There is nothing like that with the tower. My reasons for going against it are because of my personal feelings and nothing more than that."

Though, I won't trust the tower 100% if I was in your place. Just be careful and protect Clove for me."

With those confusing and parting words, Aurora left the teen with more questions than answers.

"Hey, wait a minute. What do you mean by those words? Explain it all to me. HEY!"

Quince felt his temper rise as the blue-haired woman left him with more questions than answers.

He had never been treated like this before. Nor had he ever been humiliated to such a degree.

Most people did not shy away from answering when he asked them a question but here this female was, pretending as if she could not hear what Quince was asking.

There was a time in life Quince had trusted every single word his father had said. But lately, he could not help but feel like something was missing in the tower. It was changing at a rate Quince had never seen before.

"Thinking over nothing will not help anyone. I better head back and take a look at Clove. This potion looks authentic as well but I'll have a healer check it for me."

Quince had already sent a signal for help. Someone will arrive here from the tower tomorrow to help clean their mess.

It was lucky for him that Aurora was in a mood to leave before the help from the tower arrives. Otherwise, things would have gotten complicated fast for Quince.

"Clove, how are you feeling?"

The house Quince and Clove had been stationed in was not too shabby. It was well-furnished and easy to live in.

"I'm alright now. By the way, did someone save us from that monster? I can't remember clearly what happened there."

Quince deliberated about telling Clove the truth for a second. He did not want to keep her in the dark if he could help it.

But thinking back over what had happened and Clove's weird obsession with that blue-haired elder, Quince decided to keep quiet for the time being.

It was better if Clove did not know how close Aurora was to them.

"No, nothing happened. I used the emergency attack supply we were granted and we managed to get away. But the backup from the tower will be arriving tomorrow so that is no need for us to worry." i𝒏𝒏𝐫𝑒𝐚d. c𝐨𝗺

Besides, Quince had already felt the magical barrier go up around the village. It was strong enough to keep the smaller monsters out of the village.

"Quince, learn to lie better. But I will choose to believe you this time. I am too tired to go out right now anyway."

Clove seemed to be out of energy. Her fever had yet to break and Quince felt bad to see her in this condition.

Despite how Clove behaved with him, she was his childhood friend and he did have feelings for her.

Quince knew he had a solution for her problem in his hand. If what Aurora had said was true, then the potion he had could cure Clove in an instant.

But in the end, he decided not to use the potion unnecessarily.

"Yeah. Rest for now and tomorrow will be a better day."

==========================

Once her talk with Quince was over, Aurora did not hesitate to knock on the door of the village elder couple. She had an important thing to talk about with them.

The door was opened by a well-aged lady. Her white-haired head looked right through Aurora and into the distance.

"Hello. Is someone there? I'm sorry but I cannot see very well."

The milky-white eyes of the elder did look to be empty. Aurora should have noticed her sightlessness way before being told about it.

"Good evening miss. I am someone from a magic academy. I was hoping to talk to you about one of your children and a chance for free education. May I enter the house?"

"Of course. Please come in."

The old lady did not hesitate in inviting Aurora inside. The lack of defense irritated Aurora but she decided not to let it bother her.

"Honey, someone from the tower is here to offer our child a chance."

It snubbed Aurora's pride to be taken as one of the tower's lackeys but she chose not to correct the old lady yet.

It was better to lay her cards out once she had everyone important gathered in front of her.

"What did you say? Why did you not tell me before? Ying, come down with your wife right now. Our young one's future is at stake here."

Once the old man got news of Aurora's arrival, he quickly gathered his whole family down except the child of the house.

This degree of double-standards disgusted Aurora a lot.

When it came to Emilia and her magic, the village had treated her as an outcast and actively tried to break her. But when it came to their child, they could not help but be overjoyed.

"Miss, please continue with your offer."

Aurora had a lot of words to say to these greedy people. But she chose to calm herself down and focus on her main reason for being here.

"I recently discovered a child in your village with a good amount of potential. And I would like to offer her a chance to learn magic. Though I am not from the tower, I know a fair share of magic myself."

"I have also covered your village with a protective spell as an offer of goodwill. Small monsters and beasts will not bother you any longer."

Aurora poured a tone of information over the family in one go. It was a tactic to confuse the family and not give them time to think on their own.

"T-That's wonderful news. S-So how soon can my grandson leave…."

"I was not talking about your grandson but the small orphan girl in your village. I would like to take her under my wing."

Even if Aurora was not from the tower, most of the magical academies were affiliated with the tower. It was natural for the couple to doubt her words even if Aurora did make it clear that she had nothing to do with the tower.

Not that it mattered much to her now. It was better that these people believe Aurora had connections with the tower.

"So, you are saying that you want to take the child away with you to train her in magic? Are you sure you are talking about the right child?"

The younger leader's wife asked with a hopeful look.

"I am quite sure it is that young girl I want. I am not doing it just for her, but for you all as well. Her magic is extremely powerful and will explode if she does not learn to control it."

"Won't it be better for her to leave with me? As for your grandson, some officials from the tower will be arriving tomorrow. You can try your luck with them."

The family looked relieved to hear Aurora's news.

Aurora could see that they had already made their decision but were hesitating just for the sake of showing that they cared.

"B-But we have taken care of Emilia for so long. W-we can't just let her leave like this?"

"R-Right. She is like my own daughter. How can we let you take her away."

Aurora could not help but scoff at the duality of this family. They were very good at lip service. Even their expressions seemed to be genuine.

But their aura gave their real intention away. It was time to pull the real big guns.

"I am well aware of how much you care for Emilia. And that's why I am willing to show my sincerity to you as well. Here, a token of my goodwill, a mana stone for your son."

Aurora held out a small glowing stone toward the family.

Manastones were a precious resource that allowed a normal human to be able to perform magic for a short while.

But it was only a temporary solution to one's problem.

"I-I see how sincere madam is about Emilia. Of course, Emilia should go with madam."

"Yeah, Madam knowns the best."

Aurora smiled a charming smile but she also knew that her aura was working on this family.

Refusing a goddess was impossible for a human in the first place. Ones without any magic like this family were even worse.

"Then, please sign on these custody papers and we'll be done here for now."

"O-Of course. But c-can I ask m-madam a favor? Can madam take a look at my son real quick?"

The man of the house (the younger one) asked. This was the first time he had opened his mouth to say something.

Aurora wanted to ignore him but she felt she had to oblige that man. Something in her was telling her she should heed his words carefully.

"Alright, I am willing to take a look. But no one else comes inside with me when I do so except this gentleman."

Aurora made her conditions clear. The family did not look happy but the man who had asked Aurora to have a look did.

After all, he was the only one Aurora was allowed to accompany herself.

She was sure there was nothing left that could have surprised her like this, but Aurora found herself taking her words back once she looked at the kid in front of her.

"This child, has he always been like this?"

Aurora found those words difficult to speak. She had not expected to see this kid after her re-birth.

His existence was an unaccounted factor for Aurora and she could not even compute how this had happened. Where had this child come from when Emilia was supposed to be an only child?

"Y-Yes. S-o, what do you think? What should I do with this kid?"

Aurora looked the man in the eye. The man was taking a huge risk by telling Aurora about the truth behind this child.

"First of all, calm down and tell me the truth. Is this child and Emilia related? They look to be about the same age as each other."

If thighs were really as Aurora had suspected them to be, then she would have to change her approach toward this topic.

She also had to be careful to not let the tower find out about the existence of this teen.

"Emilia? Ah, yes. So you saw through their connection as well. Nothing less than I would have expected from an expert such as you. And since I decided to trust you miss, I will tell you what I know."

"It all started when that woman, no, that goddess stepped inside our village all those years ago…"

==========================

The day started as ordinarily as it could. The sky was clear and the monsters were choosing to keep away from the village.

It was a perfectly ordinary day to enjoy an outing with the family.

The day was even more special for Mr. Rose since his wife was pregnant and on the verge of giving birth. His family was about to be complete soon.

"Mr. Rose, a woman is standing outside the village doors. How should we deal with her?"

A guard hurriedly made his way toward Mr. Rose. His voice sounded as if it was panicking so Mr. Rose decided to console him.

"Oh, so what's the problem? Let her in and get her set up in the guest accommodations. It's not in the best condition but I am sure the lady won't mind."

Mr. Rose was not a cruel man and decided to invite the lady to the village.

The guest accommodation had been built by the tower long ago when Horax village had been relevant to them. But it had been a long time since that building had been maintained.

Still, it was holding up well enough to house a traveler for a day or two.

"Ah, the thing is…Umm, it would be better for Mr. Rose to see for yourself."

Contrary to his belief, the guard did not head back right that second to convey Mr. Rose's message.

That was when Mr. Rose felt his curiosity peak and he decided to entertain the lady at the village entrance.

"Fine. I will come with you to greet the lady. Let me see what the problem is."

Mr. Rose had a simple plan – to go out and welcome the lady in the village. And then he could wash his hands off this case for real.

That had been his initial plan.

But as soon as he saw the lady, he understood the guard's hesitation in putting the lady in the guest quarters.

"Are you the village chief here? I would like to ask a favor of you. I will surely repay you for this favor in form of protection from the wild beasts roaming around this place."

Mr. Rose did not have any experience with magic or the tower, but the second he saw her he understood what kind of creature she was.

To call the temptation in front of him a 'human' would be an insult to her overwhelming might. She was a goddess that had descended on this village to bless them all.

The only thing that broke that illusion was the dented belly the goddess had.

"Miss, are you by any chance, pregnant? My wife is in a similar condition as you. And as such, I would like to extend my hand to you and ask you to stay with us for the duration of your child's birth."

Mr. Rose had no intention of allowing the lady in his home at first but he could not stop himself from offering after he saw her.

His mouth seemed like it had a will of its own and it made that offer to the goddess.

"Mr. Rose, what are you saying? What would your wife say if she heard you?"

The guard that had asked Mr. Rose to come there asked. He sounded terrified but intrigued by the beauty in front of him as well.

"My wife would understand. After all, how could we turn down a lady in need of our help? And what if she's from the tower? We will all get killed if we refused her?"

As much as the lady attracted Mr. Rose, something was terrifying about her presence. She felt far too much like a predator to him.

"Ara~ How can I refuse such a kind offer? Of course, I will take Mr. Rose up on his offer."

The lady walked slowly but each step she took was hypnotic. There was a bell sound as she walked and Mr. Rose found himself falling hard.

"By the way, I don't see your husband around? How dare he abandon such a beauty like you?"

Mr. Rose might be getting in on his years but he had not lost his charm for flirting.

"You're bold. How did you conclude that my husband abandoned me? That he did not die?"

Mr. Rose felt his saliva get stuck in his throat as the goddess questioned his back. Her easy-going tone hid the hard intonation of her actions.

And for some reason, Mr. Rose was convinced that this lady had not lost her husband in an accident but a murder case. A murder she might very well have carried out.

"Y-YOU! How can you be so shameless to walk arms-in-arms with another lady when your wife is pregnant and about to give birth?"

Mr. Rose felt his soul return to his body when he heard the angry cry of his wife.

"Ah, you must be this lovely gentleman's wife. Miss is much more beautiful in real life. Your husband was kind enough to offer me lodging until I can birth to my kids. He is such a kind man."

Mr. Rose tried to hide his eyes from his wife's vengeful glare. His wife had always been a jealous woman.

"Oh, I see. He's a kind man, huh? Well, I won't take back the offer he gave you but that doesn't mean I have accepted you into our lives. You will go away as soon as you are done with childbirth."

Mr. Rose flinched at his wife's harsh words. In his option, she was making a big deal out of nothing.

But he had never been able to say anything to her in all his life. His mother had liked his wife enough to sell Mr. Rose out to her family.

And now he was all but the village head in the name.

"Of course. I would have never dared to step foot in this village if not for my unborn children. And I am grateful for all the kindness you are showing me this day."

Mr. Rose did find the situation a bit odd but he chose not to say anything about it. Keeping quiet and letting things play out was the best source of action he could take right now.

His wife glared at him yet again and Mr. Rose realized with a jolt that he was in a compromised position with the new female in front of him.

He quickly let go of her arm and gave her a small bow.

"Hope you enjoy our hospitality Mrs.."

"Shinobu. My name is Shinobu."

"Ah, yes Mrs. Shinobu, it is nice to meet you. Now if you excuse me and my husband, we have something important to talk about."

This was how Mr. Rose found himself in his new predicament. This was also the cause of the first fight between him and his wife.

But nothing came out of it and Shinobu stayed in the same house as the couple. 𝘪𝙣𝓃𝒓𝗲𝒶𝗱. 𝐜o𝗺

Mr. Rose had been spectacle about her claim of being a mage but when no monster attacked the village for a few days, he could not help but believe the female's claim of providing protection.

A few days passed away in such bliss and the day of heavy rainfall, it finally happened.

Both his wife and Mrs. Shinobu went into labor and gave birth.

One gave birth to a pair of twins with unique eyes while the other gave birth to a dead son. It was a heavy day for the family.

But Mr. Rose still decided to fulfill his duty as the host and visit the other woman in his house.

After all, she had just birthed a pair of healthy children and she deserved to have someone stand beside her in such a difficult time of her life.