"You may not believe this." Daisy gestured with her hand, raising her palm to about four feet above the ground. "He has already grown this tall."
Norwick paused as he stroked his blond hair, surprise flashing through his eyes. He truly had not expected a three-month-old infant to grow to four feet tall. That was indeed highly abnormal.
"His development is simply a little fast. Doom fell from the sky and survived unharmed at the heart of an explosion. It is understandable that he has some extraordinary qualities."
"That isn't it." Daisy shook her head. "That isn't what frightens me. Doom can eat at least a hundred pounds of pure meat a day. I can understand his body developing quickly."
"What frightens me is how quickly he learns. In only three months... more precisely, two months ago, I already had nothing left to teach him. He has read one-fifth of the books preserved in the Great Library, and can recite them backward and forward."
"Norwick, my king." Daisy rose and knelt on the lawn, her emerald eyes fixed on her husband as she asked, "Doom's learning ability and extraordinary nature frighten me. There is often only a thin line between a genius and a madman."
His wife's words stunned Norwick.
He remained silent, staring at the stone table before him without focus in his eyes. He was clearly deep in thought, unable to spare attention for anything else.
His wife's concerns were not without reason. Knowledge could sometimes be a curse. It recorded not only humanity's past glories and its understanding of all things, but also profound darkness between the lines.
Queen Daisy waited quietly. She knew King Norwick was thinking, and she firmly believed he could provide an answer.
She had troubled herself over this matter for a long time. Today, Norwick finally reached a decision.
After a long while, King Norwick came back to himself. Lowering his gaze to his wife, he said, "From now on, you do not need to guide him too much, nor do you need to fear him. You only need to love him—truly love him, and keep loving him."
"Love?"
"Norwick, I do like that child. Everyone who has met Doom likes him."
Daisy tucked the loose blond hair beside her ear back into place and asked in confusion, "I don't quite understand what you mean."
"Does Doom respect you?" Rather than immediately answering his wife's question, Norwick posed a seemingly unrelated one.
"He is very sensible and well-behaved." Daisy thought for a moment and realized that, aside from the instinctive fear in her heart, she truly could not find any fault in Doom.
"He is also very obedient. He carefully considers everything I teach him, then carries it out perfectly." At this point, an involuntary smile appeared on Daisy's face. "Doom's ability to act is exemplary..."
No mother disliked her own child, especially when he was so outstanding.
"No, no, no!" King Norwick shook his head, interrupting his wife's endless praise. "That is not what I asked. What you described are his talents and gifts."
"What I want to ask is whether, subjectively, he respects you and loves you."
This time, Daisy did not answer at once. She carefully reflected, recalling every little moment she had spent with Doom.
She thought of how the child told jokes when she was tired, used his still-tender hands to massage her shoulders and ease her fatigue, and even brought her a basin of warm water to wash her feet.
As his knowledge grew, he sometimes offered clever little suggestions, wanting to help her.
Though she was sometimes frightened and afraid, the concern contained in those clear eyes was so intense.
Sometimes, when their gazes met, Daisy even doubted herself, feeling that her fear had betrayed that sincere concern.
"He respects me very much, and he loves me too!" Her emerald eyes narrowed slightly as Daisy gave her answer in a gentle yet unquestionable voice, utterly certain.
Norwick nodded and smiled with relief. Then he asked, "Does he have any hobbies?"
Not knowing what answer her husband was seeking, Daisy answered truthfully. This time, however, her expression was somewhat helpless. "Doom likes those old holographic games, and he also likes fried meat."
As a mother, there was a certain helplessness in facing a child who was too outstanding.
After a child completed all his lessons perfectly, it was difficult to refuse when he made requests based on his interests.
Fried food and video games—those "bad habits" that gave human mothers headaches—still existed.
Listening to his wife's account, Norwick laughed rather unkindly. His serious face split into a grin, revealing white teeth as he laughed aloud.
"Norwick!" Daisy shot him a reproachful look. Letting out a long breath, she did not know whether being exposed to such things was good or bad for Doom.
"You need not worry or fear." Norwick's smile remained as he took his beloved's pale hand and gently stroked it. "He loves you, has an interest in things outside himself, and has things he likes."
"Everything you have said proves that he possesses humanity and the complex emotions of humans. He is not a monster wearing human skin."
"My dear." Norwick held his wife's hand and kissed its back, saying with certainty, "You have taught him very well. You have kept a pure white sheet of paper from being stained by filth."
"You need not fear him either. Humanity is the foundation for distinguishing good from evil in this world, and you have laid that foundation very firmly."
"You should be confident, and even more proud. To be the mother of an extraordinary child, you must have the courage to accept his extraordinary nature. At the same time, do not see him as some kind of superhuman in your heart. Even if he could shatter a planet with one punch, he would still be your son."
"Doom cannot control the innate gifts he has displayed. There is no need to care about the strength on the surface. At his core, he is a child who needs love and guidance."
"I understand." Daisy quietly listened to King Norwick's view. Much of the worry and knot in her heart dissolved, bringing peace to her unsettled mind. "I will do as you say. I will love him without any reservations and accept his extraordinary nature."
"Sometimes, I actually feel helpless and lost." After her husband's guidance, Daisy felt much more relieved, and a gentle smile returned to her porcelain-white face. "I worry that I cannot teach him."
"Now I understand. If we cannot give him guidance, then we should give him love. Other than love, there will only be less and less that we can give our children."
"You always know how to offer guidance through wisdom." The queen leaned against the king's thigh, enjoying a brief moment of peace and dependence in the quiet courtyard.
Because she knew that after their brief reunion would come another parting. Before long, the king would march out again to eliminate the Greenskin Orks.
The Greenskins' direct threat had weakened greatly, yet they were like a stubborn rash, constantly sprouting from the ground.
After research, the War Academy discovered that Greenskins possessed asexual reproductive traits similar to fungi. They did not need to mate. Stray hair or flakes of skin casually shed from their bodies would take root upon falling to the ground, draw nutrients from the soil, and then Greenskins would burst from the earth like mushrooms.
This troublesome species trait meant that even when campaigns against the Greenskins succeeded, postwar cleanup was more important than the war itself and took even more time.
"Norwick."
Calling her beloved's name softly again, Daisy asked sadly, "Do Ennio and Flano truly have no chance?"
"Yes."
The answer was heavy, yet as firm as steel.
Norwick and Daisy had two sons: their eldest, Ennio Norwick, and their younger son, Flano Norwick. Both were outstanding.
Before Doom arrived, eldest son Ennio had been Norwick's preferred choice, the one most suited to become the heir and lead the Night Watchers.
Like generations of King Norwicks before him, he would lead the people of Nul in search of the faintest hope of returning to the depths of space.
But things were different now. King Norwick had seen true hope—the hope of completely breaking free from their shackles!
"I feel sorry for Ennio."
Unable to see his wife's face as she lay against his thigh, Norwick heard the choke in her voice. "For decades, he has never dared relax for even a moment, doing his utmost to understand and inherit you so he could meet your expectations."
Scalding tears fell and shattered against the cold armor.
Norwick clenched and loosened his fist. He had once hesitated, questioning whether his decision had been hasty.
But things were different now. Nothing could shake his resolve.
"Have you seen Doom's talent?" King Norwick stroked his beloved's back with his large hand, soothing her sorrow. "Can Ennio catch up to him?"
"The finish line Ennio has yet to reach is merely his insignificant starting point."
"I think that you, who have spent the most time with Doom, should understand this and understand my choice."
The queen's body trembled as she stammered, "This is too unfair. Can Ennio accept it?"
"The world was never fair." Norwick let out a long sigh. "If Ennio truly understands me, he will know that the choice I made is right."
"The Norwick Family's oath lies not between thrones, but in the vast universe."
After saying that, the two fell silent. Daisy stopped crying and fell asleep against Norwick.
A while later, a court maid hurried into the courtyard, her expression panicked. "Your Majesty, the Third Prince has run to the arena!"
"Take me there!" Daisy suddenly opened her eyes, rose, and started to leave. Then a large hand caught her.
"I'll go too. Since the siege, I have not seen Doom once."
Before you continue