Ch.135Cradle of Life. Scofield Baby Factory (5)

“I think I’m done with what I needed to do here.”

I muttered as I tried on my newly fitted armor, striking various poses.

Though I wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about armor, I could tell from the texture and mobility that this was high-quality craftsmanship.

After I secured the clanking armor firmly, Simon gazed at me thoughtfully and asked, “Where do you plan to go next?”

When he asked that, I sat down in a chair for a moment and began to consider my next destination.

The closest place from here was Jericania, but since I wanted to avoid overlapping routes and explore every corner thoroughly, I chose Belfort City, the second farthest place from here.

“Belfort City.”

“Ah… I see. That must be quite a special place for you.”

At the sage’s words, I nodded.

Belfort City was the historic place where humanity first denied the divinity of the sun and moon. And I was a knight who had received the sacred message from the very sun they had rejected.

“I hope I won’t get beaten up there?”

Each city had its distinct regional characteristics, and if the current residents still preserved their historical spiritual heritage, it could be quite troublesome for me.

“Well, that was a historical event… but honestly, the current residents probably couldn’t care less. Of course, since environment shapes people, they might not look kindly upon the Sun-Moon faith… but I’m sorry to say, that’s the case pretty much everywhere.”

“A sad reality.”

I couldn’t help but feel once again how significantly the Sun-Moon faith had declined.

The faith declined because it failed to guide good and punish evil.

It wasn’t for lack of ability—they could have done so if they wanted—but for 300,000 years, they only used indirect and roundabout methods like oracles and messages instead of direct intervention, until they finally reached their limit.

I understand the sun’s intention to believe in humanity’s potential, but for people living in the present, where everything ultimately boils down to “good intentions,” the Sun-Moon faith is merely a failed religion that lost the competition due to its own contradictions.

Thinking that way, some might consider my worship of the sun no different from serving the ghosts of the past…

But still, it is humanity’s sun after all. I had no intention of compromising my beliefs.

“It’s a long journey from here to Belfort City. It will take at least a month.”

It was fortunate we had military horses that could be exchanged along the way. With regular horses, it would have been a grueling two-month journey just one way.

Even with military horses, a four-week journey was still quite a distance regardless of mount…

“Then our party might be a bit vulnerable. Give me one day. I’ll ask around and find another party or caravan heading to Belfort City.”

When I mentioned the distance, Simon stroked his beard and volunteered to find others who could travel with us.

“Do that. The more people, the better. We’ll depart in two days. Feel free to do as you please with the rest of today and tomorrow.”

Come to think of it, except for Rascal, I hadn’t really traveled with others.

There was no particular reason to do so, and knowing I wasn’t very sociable, I found interacting with others rather uncomfortable.

But now that my personality had mellowed considerably… there was no need to avoid cooperating with others.

Besides, from others’ perspective, they wouldn’t have any reason to pick fights with someone like me who had reached the rank of knight.

“Looks like we’ve got some unexpected free time again, boss. Can my sister and I go take care of some requests?”

“Just the two of you?”

“Yeah. I mean, drinking away the days is fine for a while, but if we keep lazing around like this, we might turn into World Trees.”

“Uh…”

I wasn’t sure how to respond.

Isn’t becoming a World Tree a good thing for elves?

Or wait, these sisters like excitement, so maybe she meant it in a negative way?

“Well… just choose something you can finish today or tomorrow. If you’re not back by our departure time in two days, we’re really leaving without you.”

“Got it. We’ll wrap things up cleanly, so don’t worry.”

*

And so we temporarily parted ways. My wife and I returned to our room and began to playfully discuss how to spend our newly gained free time.

“It’s already 1201… time flies disgustingly fast.”

“Indeed. It feels like just yesterday when I first met you, master…”

Since I met my wife before going to Shahelm, Raisha had spent the most time with me as a party member.

The first to form a party with me was Seriya, but she eventually left my side.

But at this point, I barely have any feelings left for Seriya.

It would be ridiculous to still harbor feelings for a woman who left because she disliked me, especially when I now had a woman with a much better figure as my personal cocksleeve.

“What are you thinking about?”

“A woman I met before you.”

“…That wood elf?”

“Yes.”

My wife disliked when I brought up Seriya.

Well, women being hostile toward other women was common enough on the streets, so it wasn’t incomprehensible, but today my wife didn’t react as intensely as usual.

“Tell me. How far did you go with that woman?”

“We were just companions. We never even slept together.”

“Hmm…”

Raisha narrowed her eyes, climbed on top of me, and embraced me tightly.

Whether she was asserting her exclusive right to me, or simply displeased with a husband who casually mentioned another woman in front of his wife…

Being a man, I couldn’t quite tell.

“Do you know why that Seriya woman left you?”

“She said I was too cruel.”

“That’s right. And I’m the woman who accepted your cruelty.”

Saying that, Raisha placed my hand against her cheek.

Her soft cheek, like low-fat milk, could be crushed in my grip if I applied force. But I didn’t.

“You’ve killed thousands, and you’ll kill many more. Perhaps over a million people.”

“…”

“Why do you think I chose such a person as my lifelong partner?”

“…”

I couldn’t answer as I usually would.

While it would be difficult to explain why I love her, if asked why she loves me, I would always freeze up.

As I stared blankly at my wife, she quietly lowered her head and kissed me.

“It’s because I believed you would love only me.”

“Belief…?”

Belief, to me, was something extreme.

Except for the belief that if I didn’t kill this person now, I would die, all other beliefs were worth less than the pitch of a scream on the street. I survived by trampling on countless people’s flimsy belief that “I’ll survive.”

“And because I could rely on you, stronger than anyone else. I love you.”

“Reliance, huh.”

Reliance, too, was a foreign concept to me.

On the frost-covered winter streets, one could rely on no one.

Not even on my collapsing body or deteriorating mind.

Only those with determination beyond reliance, and madness beyond determination, were granted survival in the place where I was born and raised.

The same goes for relying on others.

Those stronger than me were all people I had to kill, those weaker than me were people who had to die, and those similar to me were competitors.

Trusting something and believing in someone were different things, and at least in that regard, Seriya had taught me something.

“Then, will you leave me if I become weak, crumble, and can no longer be trusted or relied upon?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because if you crumble, I’ll crumble with you.”

My wife said as she caressed me.

Someone who suffers with me, alongside me.

People call that “family.”

Perhaps I’ve killed so many people just to understand this.

“Then for your sake, I must stand firmer than anyone else.”

Instead of answering, my wife embraced me.

A soft, warm, languid sensation enveloped me.

Now I could understand why adventurers and sailors blow all their hard-earned money on women and alcohol.

If this feeling could be bought with money, I would surely have killed half the population of Parcifal to earn it.

And so, our couple shared marital love 352 times in total until Simon found a suitable caravan.