Time flew, and more than a year passed...
Rudeus opened the system panel to check:
[Character: Rudeus Greyrat] [Health: 300, mana: 1000000, strength: 100] Emotion Points: 2890800.
Two God Rank blessings still shone in the status panel:
[God-Caressed Cheeks] -- Greatly enhanced natural looks, vastly increasing the efficiency of gaining favor with the opposite sex. [God-Gushing Tear Glands] -- Increased mana recovery rate by 10000%.
He had rarely spent anything in the System Shop over the past few years, so he had accumulated quite a few Emotion Points.
Now that his Touki had stabilized at the intermediate level, it was time to spend big.
He opened the shop's potion section and searched for "Touki Talent Potion." A list of prices appeared before him:
[Elementary Rank Touki Talent Potion] Price: 1000 Emotion Points [Intermediate Rank Touki Talent Potion] Price: 3000 Emotion Points [Advanced Rank Touki Talent Potion] Price: 6000 Emotion Points [Saint Rank Touki Talent Potion] Price: 180000 Emotion Points [King Rank Touki Talent Potion] Price: 1800000 Emotion Points! [Emperor Rank...] One hundred million! [God Rank...] Ten billion!!!
At the sight of those last two numbers, he broke down on the spot.
Grandpa System, I called you grandpa, and you really took me for your grandson?
Could learning God Rank Touki make someone immortal and indestructible? Ten billion... I'd have to conquer the whole world to have any hope of earning that much, wouldn't I?
Complaints aside, Rudeus ultimately exchanged his points for a King Rank Touki Talent Potion from the shop, wincing at the cost, and drank it in one gulp.
The description said it was slightly sweet, but all he tasted was bitterness.
The bitterness went straight to his heart, as if mocking him for squandering those 1.8 million Emotion Points.
Even more infuriatingly, his body gave no response after he drank it. It was just like drinking a glass of ordinary sweetened water.
One point eight million, gone without a sound, and it didn't feel real at all.
Depressed as he was, he couldn't dwell on it forever.
He grabbed a longsword, casually said something to Lilia, and dashed out the door.
With a thought, he made the longsword float beneath his feet. He stood steadily on it and activated his invisibility spell.
Once he had risen to a certain height, the sword became a streak of light, racing toward the distant sky.
The wind howled in his ears, and the scenery around him stretched into thin streaks of color.
In just two or three minutes, Rudeus arrived at an extremely remote, desolate valley.
It was exceptionally well hidden, a secret testing ground he had discovered while wandering around after mastering flying on a sword.
Boulders lay scattered everywhere, a narrow, clear stream ran through it, and groups of monsters occasionally appeared. With no sign of human habitation nearby, it was an excellent place to train.
He descended slowly and looked around. Everything was as it had been.
He casually used mana to lift a boulder in front of him, then summoned the longsword from behind him and suspended it before his eyes.
Using duplication magic, Rudeus made five identical longswords-the limit he could currently control with ease.
Next, all five blades were enveloped in dense mana at once, and they immediately began to emit a faint but rapid hum.
In the next instant, the five swords shot out at different angles in every direction like eagles released from their tethers, finally converging into a storm of blades that slammed into the boulder ahead.
Swish, swish, swish-!
Sword light fell like a sudden downpour. Wherever the storm swept, the boulder shattered in an instant, leaving only a bottomless pit and stone dust billowing through the air.
The five swords became one again and slowly floated back behind me.
Applying mana like this looked difficult, but it actually wasn't simple at all.
Once mana left the body, it would quickly spiral out of control unless a control program had been "written" into it beforehand while it was still inside the body.
He therefore had to continuously output vast quantities of mana while precisely maintaining the mana structure on the blades, constantly strengthening their power.
The terrifying mental strain ultimately led me to develop one of the Magic Sword Style's ultimate moves-
Magic Sword Style secret art: Blade Storm!
For now, he could only control five swords to shred targets freely within a designated area, but later on...
He was confident that he could control tens of thousands of giant flying swords at once, wiping a country's territory completely off the map of the continent in an instant.
This wasn't an empty promise. As his understanding of this world deepened, he grew increasingly certain:
As long as one had enough mana, almost anything was possible.
The legendary dragon race could even construct magic circles that crossed time and space. Old Rudeus had also mastered the secret of traveling through time by studying dragon ruins.
If even time could be defied, what was impossible?
He pondered as he consolidated the insights from today's training. The sun gradually sank in the west.
Rudeus stood up, and mana spread from his body like a tide.
In an instant, the pitted ground became level again, the muddy stream ran clear, and the scattered stones returned to their places.
The entire valley looked as though no battle had ever taken place, as if only a gentle breeze had passed through.
He rose on his sword once more, leaving only billowing dust behind with a rush.
In the glow of the setting sun, Rudeus deactivated his invisibility spell among some distant bushes and strolled home.
From afar, he saw wisps of cooking smoke rising from the chimney on the roof-Lilia had nearly finished making dinner.
Rudeus couldn't help quickening his pace. He pushed open the door and went inside.
In the living room, Zenith sat in a chair, her face full of unconcealed joy.
When she saw Rudeus, she immediately beckoned to him.
"Rudeus, come here."
Rudeus walked over curiously, only for her to pull him into her arms and bury his face in her full, warm chest. She spoke softly:
"Rudeus~ You're finally back. Mommy has a surprise to announce tonight~"
"What kind of surprise?"
"Silly Rudeus~ A surprise is only fun if it's kept secret~" She smiled and pinched his cheek.
As dinner was drawing to a close, Zenith cleared her throat twice and spoke solemnly:
"Ahem, everyone, stop for a moment. I have some good news to announce today."
Everyone's eyes turned to her at once.
"I... am pregnant~"
The dinner table immediately came alive as everyone smiled and offered their congratulations.
Rudeus, delighted, pressed his head against Zenith's belly, hoping to feel the baby move.
He got a flick on the forehead for his trouble.
"Silly Rudeus~ The baby can't move this soon!"
Zenith gave Rudeus a reproachful look, and everyone burst out laughing.
Yet those happy, peaceful days lasted only a month before a shocking piece of news struck the household like a thunderclap.
To someone else, it might have been a bolt from the blue; to Rudeus, it wasn't such a bad thing.
The reason was simple-Zenith was a devout follower of the Millis faith.
That night, Lilia stood before everyone, hesitant and uncertain. After a long time, she finally spoke in a low voice:
"Madam... I'm sorry. I'm pregnant."
Zenith's pupils shook violently!
Lilia is pregnant? Who did it?!
She hardly ever has contact with outsiders. She stays at home all the time and only goes out to shop occasionally...
Could someone have forced himself on her?
No, impossible. If that had happened, she couldn't have come back unharmed.
Zenith's gaze snapped toward Paul-
Thud-a muffled sound rang out.
Paul dropped to his knees before she could speak, his voice trembling. "I'm sorry... It might be mine..."
Time seemed to stop at that moment, and even the air ceased to move.
Zenith was silent for a moment, the light in her eyes going out like a candle flame.
She stared at Paul with the icy gaze one would give a dead man, then slowly rose and walked toward him-
Slap!
A sharp slap rang out.
Paul turned his face aside in shame, saying nothing.
Though the wind outside was bitter, the temperature inside had already dropped to freezing as well.
"Lilia, what do you intend to do?" Zenith asked coldly.
Lilia kept her head down, her voice barely audible. "After I give birth... I'll leave on my own."
"What about the child?"
"I intend to take the child back to my hometown and raise them there."
"The journey takes a month and a half, doesn't it?"
"Yes."
"You'll be weak after giving birth. Traveling that far... you'll die, won't you?"
Lilia frowned deeply and lowered her head even further.
"...Perhaps. But I have no choice."
Zenith rested a hand against her forehead and fell silent for a long time. At last, she closed her eyes helplessly.
Paul glanced at Zenith, then at Lilia, and gathered his courage to speak.
"Um, honey, I think..."
Bang-!!
"You! Shut! Your! Mouth!!!"
Zenith slammed her hand on the table and roared.
Paul immediately retreated into the shadows.
Ugh... I really can't watch this anymore. Time for me to step in.
Rudeus walked slowly to Zenith's side, tugged lightly at the hem of her clothes, and spoke in his most innocent voice:
"Mommy, I'm going to get two little sisters at once. Why isn't everyone happy?"
"Because... Daddy did something he shouldn't have." Zenith still had her hands clasped against her forehead, and her voice was low.
"I see... But could Aunt Lilia disobey Father?" I got straight to the heart of the matter.
Zenith looked at me in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
Rudeus pointed toward Paul and continued:
"Last time I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I passed Lilia's room and heard Daddy say, 'You wouldn't want this to get out, would you? Then be a good girl and spread your legs...'"
Paul panicked instantly.
"Rudeus! You little brat, that's nonsense..."
"You shut your mouth!" Zenith slammed the table again, cutting him off.
She then turned to question Lilia. Though she received only a vague response, it made her even more certain.
"Mother, I don't think Lilia did anything wrong. It's all Daddy's fault!"
Zenith was slightly taken aback.
She lowered her head, her slender fingers unconsciously tightening around her skirt. After a long silence, she let out a soft breath.
"...Yes."
Her voice was quiet, but carried a lingering weariness.
"Since it's Father's fault, Lilia shouldn't be blamed."
"...Yes."
"I have Sylphie as a friend, and I'm happy every day. If the newborn children have a playmate their own age too, they'll surely be happy as well, right?"
"...Mm... Yes."
She lowered her eyes, her voice trembling slightly.
"Mommy! No matter what, they're my little brother and sister!"
"..."
"Mother... I don't want to be separated from Lilia!"
Those words seemed to be the last straw.
A crack appeared in the wall Zenith had built around her heart.
She slowly closed her eyes.
Memories of the past years surfaced in her mind.
Lilia had been with her when she gave birth.
Lilia had helped her care for Rudeus.
Lilia had done the housework and taken care of everything at home.
Countless images flashed before her eyes...
And now...
The woman who always stood quietly behind her was awaiting her judgment.
At the thought, a sharp pain pierced Zenith's chest.
Zenith let out a long sigh and reached out helplessly, rubbing Rudeus's face all over:
"Ah-you really are a stubborn little brat." Then she turned to Lilia:
"Lilia... stay with our family! You're already one of us, and I won't let you leave on your own."
Lilia's previously dim eyes lit up in an instant, and she looked at Rudeus in disbelief.
After saying this, Zenith walked slowly toward the bedroom. As she passed Paul, she glared fiercely at him and said sharply:
"You're not allowed in my room tonight!"
Paul, oh Paul, you should be glad this is a respectable novel.
But now, all of that was just wishful thinking.
"Mommy~ Mommy~ Then I want to sleep with Mommy tonight~"
Rudeus immediately trotted after Zenith and took her hand as they went upstairs.
For now, he would quietly wait for his two little sisters to arrive...