Chapter 157

When pregnant, I seem to recall hearing somewhere that hormones undergo dramatic changes.

To put it simply, it means that women’s emotional fluctuations sometimes swing to extremes.

“Uuuuuh…”

“Why are you like this?”

“The flowers… they’re so pitiful…”

Just three minutes ago, she had been saying how the flowers by the road resembled her and were good. Suddenly, Anne began shedding tears, then sobbed as if in despair while clutching the narcissus.

“Hu-hu… The narcissus will wither away someday, right…?”

“You won’t.”

Though her mood swings were a bit extreme, I understood.

Upon hearing my words, Anne paused holding the narcissus, then eventually smiled bashfully at me, causing me to chuckle too.

“Want me to blow your nose?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Maybe it was due to the baby’s influence, but occasionally, her actions became childlike. When that happened, I just accepted her whims and innocent purity.

She looked irresistibly cute, and since I perceived her actions as devoid of malice, it was easy to accept them.

“I love you.”

Then she hugged me tightly, her eyes still red, and whispered several sweet nothings into my ear all at once.

After I stayed silent for a moment, she puffed up her cheeks.

“I do too.”

It seemed like she had really wanted to hear those words. She deflated her cheeks, which had previously seemed full of petulance, and beamed again.

Though her emotional changes were intense, they were fleeting. It wasn’t as if she ever threw a tantrum or anything. It felt more like an emotional current sweeping through during heightened sensitivity days. Eventually, she always returned to being her usual cheerful self after some time passed.

Embarrassed about the emotions she had poured out earlier while clinging to me, Anne whispered that it was a secret between her and Yul.

In response…

I just smiled and gently kissed the corner of her mouth. Though slightly bashful, Anne accepted my action. Actually, these days, it’s Yul who tends to take the initiative more often.

Springtime date.

The exclusive stroll requested by the baby ended quietly with golden flutterings as we walked ahead.

Once home, Anne would receive attention from the fairies and continue static activities like sewing clothes.

“How’s our little one?”

“Heehee, I can sometimes feel the heartbeat.”

“What a lively one! Who does it take after?”

“Definitely!”

What gender might it be?

Truthfully, no matter what, I was confident that I’d cherish and love it as soon as it arrived in the world.

If it takes after Anne…

Whatever it is, it’s bound to be incredibly adorable—that much is obvious.

When we returned home, Evangelin was quietly asleep on the couch.

Anne grabbed her tools, claiming she wanted to sew outside for the first time in a while, and dashed off.

That left only the slumbering Evangelin and me in the peaceful house.

I sat carefully on the couch and gently stroked her sleeping face. Since she wasn’t resting on anything soft, I placed a fluffy cushion under her head.

Had she sensed the slight change?

She slowly opened her eyes and called out to me with a drowsy voice.

“Minho…?”

“Yeah, I’m here.”

“Uuung…”

The sight of Evangelin behaving like a child was surprisingly refreshing. She leaned her head against my thigh and snuggled into my embrace.

Gently caressing her, I showed affection.

Love-filled touches.

Warmth spread softly across her entire body like droplets.

“Just one cup of tea…”

“Hmm?”

“One cup of tea, please…”

Her half-asleep voice.

Though there was a hint of waking intention in her words, sleepiness still lingered in her tone.

“You can sleep longer.”

“Our Winter might become a heavy sleeper…”

“All babies are naturally heavy sleepers.”

“…Is that so?”

“Sleep more. If the mother sleeps a lot, the baby learns to sleep well too.”

“Nnnggghh…”

Her voice was lethargic, almost exhausted, and grew quieter. Her disheveled murmur reverberated around my ears.

Evangelin’s breathing gradually stabilized under my touch, signaling she had peacefully fallen back asleep.

I had planned to go exploring after finishing all my morning chores, but those plans were momentarily delayed.

Exploration was important, but not so urgent that I should abandon precious family time.

And besides, nothing could ever become that crucial.

“…”

“Hmm?”

Her delicate mumbles, faint and indistinct, floated like babbling.

Was it sleep-talking?

Or perhaps something she wanted to say while half-awake?

After murmuring unintelligibly a few times, she slowly opened her eyes. They revealed evident fatigue.

Seeing me, she closed her eyes again with a look of reassurance, then articulated her previous muttering more clearly.

“I love you.”

Was that statement embarrassing?

Her head turned toward my chest. The warmth emanating from her slightly flushed skin reached my sensitive senses without fail.

I lowered my head slightly.

Positioning myself near her ear.

Cherishing even the fading words that dissipate into the air.

Slowly, to her ear.

And extremely gently, I conveyed:

“I love you too, Evangelin.”

Those words carried weight.

Spoken aloud, they held significant meaning—not trivialities. Especially when filled with genuine sincerity.

“Hee.”

A childlike laugh.

A faint reminiscence of Yul escaped from her lips. She stirred slightly before slowly rising.

Her luminous gaze, tinged with drowsiness, appeared fresh yet beautiful.

Then she hugged me tightly.

Showing no intention of letting go anytime soon, she firmly grasped my back with her hands.

“Are you going to work?”

“Should I stay?”

“Mmm… No. If you have things to do, you should go.”

While placing her index finger on my lips, she added softly, “No.”

Treating me delicately, like a child, her movements enveloped me tenderly.

Whereas Anne’s child feels active and seems destined to grow well independently, Evangelin’s child gives off vibes of being educated wisely.

Perhaps it’s a difference in temperament.

Tranquil beauty.

Gracefulness drawing restraint.

There’s a special kind of loveliness that only she can bestow.

“I’ll be back.”

“Say hello to Winter for me.”

“Of course.”

She slightly lifted her clothes.

Inside, the great life lay dormant.

Naturally, I pressed my face against it and made a soft kissing sound.

Filled with love and affection.

Seemingly satisfied, Evangelin finally released me, granting me freedom.

“Winter says hi.”

“And tell them I always love them.”

“I will.”

Emotional fluctuations aren’t solely Anne’s domain.

Evangelin experiences them too.

Only, she expresses them less frequently.

Not like a whiny child asking for something.

Rather, she approaches on her own, acts according to her wishes, and finds satisfaction.

Like hugging me tightly.

Or snuggling into my arms while half-asleep.

In various ways, they were both loving women.

“Abba?”

“Was Yul here?”

“Yes! Igoba brought a present!”

Since learning about having a younger sibling, Yul’s behavior has changed slightly.

Although the change was subtle enough to easily overlook, we noticed because we observed Yul so attentively.

Gifts.

Responsibility.

Smiles when hearing words like ‘sister’ or ‘big sister.’

Calling the babies in Anne and Evangelin’s bellies by their nicknames and telling them they’re doing well.

“What kind of present?”

“Coo!”

“Flowers?”

“Yes!”

Perhaps she picked them by the roadside.

Yul approached briskly and handed me a flower.

A narcissus, common in spring.

Naturally, Anne came to mind.

“That’s a pretty flower.”

“Yes! Does it make you happy?”

“Of course.”

“Glass gets happy when she sees flowers.”

Saying this, she giggled innocently. Her pure and transparent intentions made me smile in return.

“If seeing flowers makes you happy, did you bring them as gifts to make everyone happy?”

“Yes! Abba too.”

Whenever I simplify her intentions and respond accurately…

She uses “Abba chego” (Daddy knows) to gloss over it and flashes me the brightest smile.

At such times, she seems irresistibly cute.

Her pure intentions evoke admiration.

“I’m going to work.”

“Yes! Bappa.”

“Will you give a flower to Flower Mom too?”

“Yes! I’m going to give it now.”

“Our Yul is so kind.”

“Heehee.”

Yul’s laughter serves as the ultimate farewell.

Thus, I warped back to the last location I explored.

Eternal shadows.

Toward the endless north, direction unknown, I took my steps.

Despite being a rather monotonous journey, the warmth of the flowers in my possession and the affection conveyed by the ladies warmed the spring breeze, making it far from lonely.

Strangely enough.

Travel is something people perceive and interpret that way.

Technically, what I was doing wasn’t traveling but using teleportation to reach my destination as quickly as possible. At moments like this, I wished I could use the sword master’s method of tearing through space for swift travel—how convenient that would be!

Regrettably, I hadn’t yet attained that level of mastery.

Perhaps it was a matter of enlightenment.

Even so, this method wasn’t bad either.

When visiting unfamiliar places, I still had to walk on foot, but teleportation was quite fast by this world’s standards. Moreover, with the warp device, I could freely travel to any previously visited locations, regardless of personal abilities—it was something I created with my own hands.

“Huff…”

Arriving after continuous running.

My breath formed a slight frost.

A place where respiration carries coldness.

A land devoid of spring’s warmth, perpetually invaded by chill.

I had arrived at the northern permafrost layer.

The system informed me that Eternal Shadows rested in the cold north, and following its pull, I reached the north.

Now began the arduous search.

As if indicating the system’s limits, upon reaching the spot, the beacon guiding me like a compass abruptly faded.

No worries.

Searching vast lands wasn’t overly difficult.

I had uncovered ruins by stopping supercells and parting sands.

Confident that finding something buried beneath the ice wouldn’t take long.

This belief stemmed from trust in my abilities and a small resolve not to drag out this exploration, unnecessarily extending my absence from home.

Cold seeped through my hands.

With palms pressed against the frozen ground, the chill spread.

Yet my actions remained steady.

Projecting magic power downward, I quietly scanned the area.

A single drop of ink.

On a pristine canvas, the ink spreads—so too did my magic power radiate outward.

This act of detection becomes increasingly burdensome on the brain as the distance grows.

Filtering and selecting information.

Moreover, as the range of magic expands, processing speed must accelerate accordingly.

Calmly amidst the biting cold, I read the incoming data.

Discarding irrelevant information.

Memorizing similar patterns.

Unable to predict the exact form, I retained all possibilities in my mind.

Just as I was about to halt the expanding detection…

Something extraordinarily foreign caught my attention.

An icy world.

A halted, greenish-blue transparent cavity.

A location further north beckoned unmistakably.

Instinctively, I knew.

That the place I had discovered was indeed the site known as “Eternal Shadows.”

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