chapter_0064

Chapter 63 : How are babies made?

After everything was over, in the rocky mountains near Rahman.

While Nella was resting there for a moment to recover her mana and prepare to return.

Asili, who had climbed to the highest point of the rocky mountain and was looking down at the ground, was lost in thought for a brief moment.

“How did they figure out it was me?”

It was a question she had at the time, but postponed due to the urgency of the situation.

And now that she had some breathing room, Asili asked herself.

How did the underworld guards know that she was Asili?

“There was nothing wrong with the illusion magic.

Was there a problem with the illusion magic used for disguise?

Asili could say with certainty that there wasn’t.

The one who cast the illusion spell was none other than Nella, who was currently recovering mana down below.

Even though she was unbelievably unlucky and had a terrible attitude, Asili definitely acknowledged her talent and skills.

There was a problem with Nella’s illusion magic?

The chances were far higher that the Infi-mask Asili had prepared separately had malfunctioned.

So, putting aside that possibility, another one would be that the underworld had a new rule or unknown means that Asili didn’t know about.

“Ah… yeah, considering how the underworld has become unified recently, the first possibility is probably the most likely.”

Unlike in the past where the underworld was maintained as separate entities, now it was unified as one.

So, it wouldn’t be strange if new rules had emerged that Asili wasn’t aware of.

And if her identity was exposed due to that new rule, it made sense.

They had most likely identified her as Asili through her signature twin daggers.

“The organization that recently took control of the underworld… was it called ‘Worst’?”

Asili had picked up bits and pieces of underworld news here and there.

That’s why she couldn’t help but admire the organization called ‘Worst’ for managing to unify the once-fractured underworld.

“I guess… I’ll have to keep a close eye on them.”

From now on, entering the underworld alone would practically be a death sentence, so she couldn’t go in by herself anymore.

Still, it seemed best to use every resource she had left to gather more intel.

With that in mind, she looked down at the vast wasteland with a rare sense of seriousness.

Of course, that seriousness didn’t last very long.

“What are you brooding over all by yourself?”

“Wha?! S-s***, you scared me!!”

Kael, who had approached silently and patted her back from behind while sitting atop the rocky peak.

Startled by his sudden appearance, Asili jumped straight up from where she had been sitting.

“…Huh?”

“Ah.”

As a result of jumping up without thinking,

From the narrow summit where it was hard for even one person to stand, only a vertical fall awaited Asili.

She wouldn’t be seriously hurt, but it was certain her entire body would be covered in dust.

“Ugh, damn it.”

Compressing all her resentment toward her annoying mentor into one short curse, Asili rolled across the ground.

It was the perfect ending to a chaotic day.

Right after returning from the rocky mountain, everything wrapped up quickly.

First, he reported what had happened in the underworld to Enoch.

Enoch said he would try to locate the city where the plague was spreading as soon as possible, and also promised additional support for the search for the necromancer.

After finishing the conversation with Enoch, he returned to his mansion where all his students had gathered.

They doted on Elia, who had been introduced as his daughter, and shared stories they hadn’t been able to for a long time, enjoying a short night of celebration together.

As morning broke the next day, one by one they returned to their original places, and Nella was no exception.

“I’ve got to take care of the dragon corpse I left behind and finish the remaining research. Plus, being out here after so long is exhausting… I should go back now.”

“Thanks for everything, Nella. You were a big help.”

“Oh, it was nothing. Here, this is the reward for the job I meant to give you last time.”

Rattle.

As she handed me the payment for this designated request and we were exchanging farewells before parting ways for the last time,

“Come to think of it, I think it’s better for you to hold onto this shard of the chimera core rather than me. The odds are extremely low, but you’re still working as a mercenary, so there’s always a chance you might run into that necromancer, right?”

“Uh, still, wouldn’t this be a good research material for you?”

“Heh, no matter how good it is, it’s the only clue to finding the culprit. How could I use it as a material? And I’ll probably be spending most of my time stuck in the Mage Tower like always. So, Master, please take it with you.”

“Hmm… In that case, I’ll gratefully accept it, Nella.”

Just like Nella said, the chance of actually finding the culprit was extremely slim,

Carrying a bottle no bigger than a finger joint was no trouble at all, so it didn’t really matter.

As I accepted the bottle with a word of thanks, Nella turned away from me without any hesitation.

“Then I’ll be off now, Master. If you ever get bored or need to do some fieldwork, feel free to visit my Mage Tower with your daughter.”

“Sure, Elia might be curious too. I’ll drop by when I have time.”

She probably had no intention of coming out herself since she’d be focusing on her experiments and research, but it sounded like she’d welcome us if we visited.

Smiling at her and waving, I watched as Nella’s body was instantly engulfed by the glow of the magic circle and vanished.

The only thing left was the glass bottle still in my hand.

“They all left so fast…”

Feeling a little empty but also reminiscing about the fun time I had in a while,

Nella had said before that the bottle was enchanted with both shatter-prevention and shape-preservation magic, so I didn’t need to worry about it breaking from any minor impacts.

And now, in front of the mansion gate where no more disciples would be seeing me off—

I turned to walk back to the mansion where Ruina and Elia would be waiting.

“Hmm?”

Just as I turned to take a step, I saw two figures approaching from afar.

Ruina and Elia, who were supposed to be inside and waiting for me, were walking this way.

Tilting my head at the sight, I muttered,

“Why did they come all the way out here?”

They had no real reason to come all the way to the gate.

And for some reason, Ruina looked troubled, and Elia—while not showing it openly—clearly seemed sulky.

Their unusual expressions made me tilt my head even more.

As they came right up to me, I asked,

“What brings you both all the way out here?

“Well, you see, Kael…”

I had just finished all the things I could do for now, so there shouldn’t have been anything big to deal with.

I had hoped to finally enjoy a relaxing day starting today, but could something already have happened?

Seeing the troubled look on Ruina’s face, it was only natural to think that way.

And then, the answer to my concern came out of Elia’s mouth the very next moment.

“No, Dad. Listen. The butlers, the maids, my teacher, Uncle Martin, and even Mom—none of them are giving me a proper answer when I ask them something! It’s like they’re all hiding some big secret from me!”

“A secret… Is there even anything like that?

Surely there wasn’t some big secret that so many people would hide from Elia all at once.

As I wondered and asked, Elia gave a shocking answer.

“How are babies even made?”

“Cough, cough cough!!“

The moment I heard her answer, I couldn’t help but cough violently in surprise.

A fit of coughing so intense it almost brought tears to my eyes.

And in that moment, I clearly realized—

That the peaceful, relaxing day I had hoped for had been completely destroyed by that one question.

It wasn’t quite the direction I had expected,

—

Meanwhile, as Kael was being hit with a tough question from Elia back at his mansion, the culprit responsible for this situation—Asili—was plugging her ears to block out Zenre’s nagging.

“Why in the world did you start something so annoying?! I had a bad feeling from the moment you asked the young lady if she wanted a little sibling. Why did you go and give her unnecessary knowledge?!”

“Ugh, you’re so loud. That kid’s twenty now.

Of course, that wasn’t her real reason.

The real reason Asili stirred Elia’s pure and innocent curiosity was none other than yesterday evening’s accident in the rocky mountains.

Despite maintaining a youthful appearance, her body still ached from age, and rubbing her still-sore back, Asili chuckled to herself.

“Hehe… Let him suffer a little.”

Asili, the legendary thief of the continent and a myth in the world of assassins—then and now, she was a narrow-minded, grudge-holding, and problematic disciple.