Chapter 17. Upbringing.

The carriage moved steadily along the dirt road at a steady speed. The massive wheels left wide furrows behind them. Cassia, still dressed in men's clothes, drove the carriage neither fast nor slow. Fields sown with wheat replaced each other. The family's journey was peaceful and smooth. Inside the carriage, two children were sitting with their eyes closed.

"How many stuffed animals were installed in the field on the right?" asked Katerina.

"Six," the girl's clear voice rang out.

"What kind of hats were they wearing?"

"Three straw hats, two of the scarecrows didn't have a headdress, and the last one had no head," a boy's voice echoed.

"How many windows were there in the church?"

"There are two windows on each side of the entrance and three on each wall," the children tried to remember without opening their eyes.

"What trees did you see in the village on the left?"

"Apple trees, vines, pears, cherries and apricot trees"

"You forgot to mention the oak tree that grows in the center. Grace is winning!"

After these words, the children opened their eyes. The girl's figure slid into her mother's arms, waiting for her to play with her long hair (to do Grace's hair). Gray stared gloomily out the window, determined to take revenge tomorrow.

The family had just been playing a small impromptu game. Every morning, when the children woke up and saw how the monotonous yesterday's view was replaced by a completely new one today, their mother allowed them to look out of the windows of the carriage for just one minute. During the allotted time, the twins tried to notice and remember as many little things as possible from the landscape in front of them, after which their mother asked them about any random things. The one who answers most accurately wins and gets the opportunity to fulfill his little wish. The winner could choose a meal for breakfast, listen to their favorite story, or choose a time and place to stop.

It had already been a month of their continuous journey. Within a month, the travelers had covered a considerable distance. The path led through spacious fields, flowing rivers and many small settlements.

The area they were currently walking through was ordinary farmland. Ahead of them, the Deep Forest was waiting for them — the main problem for travelers trying to quickly cross the territory of the Magical Empire.

The Deep Forest was a natural barrier within the Magical Empire. It was filled with rich and diverse wildlife, almost the same as on the Elven continent, Igdrasil. However, this forest was not as friendly to casual travelers as the Province of Endless Forests in Rome. Because of the dense and tall trees, it became home to many monsters and fugitives who hunted or robbed unlucky travelers who ventured into their territory.

Since the rulers of the Magical Empire used the deep forest as a high-ranking hunting ground, they did not plan to destroy the natural barrier, despite the attractive economic prospects.

The deep forest is also home to many monstrous monsters. It was rumored that even to this day, the Deep Forest has not been fully explored, because some parts of it are dangerous even for those who have the rank of a Celestial.

The carriage moved slowly and confidently into the forest. Inside the carriage, the children settled carelessly into their mother's arms, unaware that they were entering dangerous territory. How could they? Katerina always silently protected them, quietly and imperceptibly solving problems that arose, protecting the twins from all possible threats. From their point of view, entering the Deep Forest was just another change of location and nothing more.

Very soon, the road became so narrow that the branches of the trees, like mysterious hands, tried to reach the wagon, rustling leaves and creaking in the light breeze. Driving through a particularly dense forest, Cassia, who continued to lead the team, actively listened to every rustle, slightly squinting her eyes. Suddenly, there was a loud crack of a branch, and a squirrel jumped out from behind the trees, surprised by the unexpected guests. Rushing abruptly to the side, she practically crashed into the wheels of the carriage, causing the maidservant to brake abruptly.

"So much for your vigilance," she grinned, looking back and realizing that she had inadvertently alarmed the passengers.

"Oh, squirrel!" exclaimed Grace, awakened by the sudden stop.

"Don't relax, Cassius! We are in the Deep Forest," Katerina said calmly, not forgetting to call the maid by her "husband's" name. Despite the fact that there was no one around, the mother did not want the children to think that the disguise game was over.

After 10 minutes, Cassia realized why her mistress insisted on remaining vigilant. Nearby, the sound of weapons could be heard, which was gradually approaching their group. There was no way to turn the cart off the road, the road was too narrow. Cassia drew her daggers, ready to eliminate any threat.

"Help those three, don't use all your strength. Limit yourself to using the late Mortal stage. Pretend you're desperately protecting your family. Get slightly injured, but don't let the bandits near the carriage," she heard Katerina's strict but calm instructions. Although Cassia did not know what the lady was up to, she did not doubt her words.

Soon, she saw a group of three people running from the forest, desperately fighting off a gang of robbers. There were three young-looking people in the group. A young blond boy of about 25 years old and two ladies with cat ears and ash-colored hair, who looked about 17 years old. They were being chased by a dozen tall bandits, their faces relaxed and full of sinister smiles, contrasting with the expression of panic of those fleeing. It was obvious that the bandits were rather playing with their prey, enjoying how the victim gradually fell into despair. They did not seek to deal with the group immediately.

"Damn it, there are people here! Drop everything and run away quickly!" The blond–haired young man tried to warn the newcomers.

It was clear that they didn't want to involve others in their troubles. However, what could they do? The forest was dense and dark, and the path was their only way to survive.

"Oh ho, chief, there's another loot here, and what a loot!" one of the bandits sang in a vile voice.

"That's right, that's right, Chief, look what kind of carriage we found for the convenience of your noble Self," another one began to suck up.

"Aaaaa, dear, WHAT SHOULD WE DO?!! You have to save us!" came Katerina's voice from the carriage, full of panic and hope that her "husband" would protect her and the children. The woman's acting skills were unsurpassed. Even Cassia, who was playing the role of her husband, felt for a second that she had to protect the desperate "little wife" from the clutches of ferocious bandits who would want to abuse the fragile beauty.

When these thoughts flashed through the maid's mind, she had to put in a lot of effort to keep a straight face.

"Fight with everything you have, there are children in the cart! I'll take on four of them and the leader," Cassia commanded with a cold expression, while a fit of uncontrollable desire to laugh made her lips twitch strangely. This lip twitch did not go unnoticed and caused a lot of misunderstanding on the part of the bandits. They collectively decided that the "hero lover" was trying to hide his fear behind a mask of bravery, unaware of the maid's true feelings.

"Damn, I wasn't! Girls, let's fight! We can't leave the boys to die because of us!" The blond–haired youth shouted, turning around and joining the battle.

Cassia had already pounced on the pack of thugs, thrusting her dagger into the laughing man's ribs with a sharp and flexible movement, thereby sending him to meet his creator. This unexpected action caused the bandits' faces to turn deadly serious. In that short moment, they realized that they had stumbled upon a tough nut to crack.

"Come on, guys, don't let the bastard live! The game time is over, motherfucker!" the head shouted, swinging his broadsword towards the "hero lover", who was already trying to decapitate the next fighter.

"Strong, you son of a bitch, don't relax, otherwise you'll lose your heads!" The deputy yelled desperately, joining the boss battle.

Seeing that the "defender" alone, though not without difficulty, managed to bind six bandits in battle, the group of refugees began to fight even more fiercely. The blond guy acted as a "tank", brandishing a large two-handed sword, he did not let the others pass. A smaller cat girl was shooting arrows, constantly aiming at those who were distracted.

The older one had magical abilities related to controlling plants. She stuck her hands into the ground and tried to wrap the branches of the trees around the opponents, thereby disrupting their teamwork. It was her contribution on the battlefield that allowed the smaller group to effectively fend off the onslaught of experienced thugs.

The children, who were really scared, were huddled in the carriage. It was the first time they had seen such a bloody battle. There were already several corpses on the small path, and the severed arm of one of the bandits was lying nearby. It didn't help that their ever-confident mother cowered in fear with them, trying to close their eyes. Through the cracks between the trembling fingers of the mother, the children looked at a terrible picture, as it seemed to them, straight from hell. They also saw that Cassia was badly injured. There was a huge cut on her stomach, from which blood was pouring non-stop.

It really looked creepy, especially for the little brats who had never seen such a brutal fight. They successfully forgot how their mother threatened the "father king" with the destruction of his province. Even if they could remember, they would never have thought that their "gentle" mommy could be much scarier than the current battle.

One must understand that on that ill-fated day they could only vaguely realize what had happened. The scariest ordeal was Gray's own injury, but he couldn't watch it from the sidelines and couldn't see his condition. Grace fainted when she saw her brother's blood. Even if both children had been conscious at that moment and could have watched Katerina's battle, all they would have been able to see were blurred silhouettes. The current scene was the epitome of their worst nightmares.

This is not a fantasy world where a brilliant and heroic child will take up arms and fight the enemy, regardless of the danger, to protect their loved ones. This is real life in a magical world. In a battle like this, children can only close their eyes and tremble in their mother's arms, trying their best not to hear the screams of pain and the clang of metal.

Pretending to tremble with fear, Katerina focused all her attention on the condition of her own children. She completely ignored the course of the battle. Although she understood that watching such a ruthless battle would put the twins under great stress, and more than once she wanted to intervene to stop the whole farce, but considering such an experience necessary, she hardened her heart again and again.

Make no mistake, there were no parenting forums, government support, or guides for single mothers in this world. Everything Katerina did, she did based on her own values, experience and imagination. She wished only the best for her children and did everything possible to raise them strong and independent.

In this world, death was a common occurrence, and it was better to introduce her children to such things early. Katerina decided that facing mortal danger under her watchful eye would only strengthen their will and benefit their future. And she acted in accordance with her thoughts, even if such an action caused her unimaginable mental pain.

She continued to clench her fists until they bled and convince herself that such a barbaric method of education was necessary in this cruel world where only the strongest survived and flourished. Who knows if she'll be right? Only time will answer this question.

In the heat of the moment, no one could notice how in Gray's eyes, closed with fear, his black pupils pulsed faintly, trying to absorb the cornea.…