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Vol 03 Chapter 91: Myth

「Ugh… I feel sick…」

「Are you okay?」

I rubbed Tetra’s back.

She’s already in the twelfth week of pregnancy, so I thought her morning sickness would start to subside… But it seems she continues to suffer it sometimes.

By the way, Julia seemed to get over hers pretty early on. That must be a matter of physical constitution.

「There are some grapes, do you want to eat them? I’ve heard that having something in your stomach makes it feel a bit better.」

「…No, thanks. Just… give me some ice, please…」

I called a servant and sent her to fetch ice from the icehouse. There should still be some left from what we collected in winter.

「…Why is that purple woman fine while I’m suffering like this…」

「Who are you calling a purple woman?」

Julia entered the room with her eyes narrowed, holding a stone plate in her hand.

「Julia, what’s that?」

「It’s medicine for morning sickness. I found it in a book I bought from a Kirisian merchant. I’ve already tried it myself, so it’s safe.」

Saying so, Julia showed me the plate. On it was a green, gooey substance. This is definitely going to be bitter.

「I don’t want it if it’s not sweet.」

「I thought you might say that, so I brought sugar with me.」

Julia took out white sugar from her bag and dumped it into the green substance. She used a pestle to mix it together, making the goo even gooier with the sugar.

「Here, open up…」

「…」

Tetra took the spoon that Julia offered and put it in her mouth. Her expression soon distorted.

「Ugh… it’s bitter…」

「Don’t you know that good medicine tastes bitter?」

Even after dumping in so much sugar, it’s still bitter. What on earth are the ingredients…

「I think the true best medicine is both sweet and effective…」

「Yeah, yeah. There are three more spoonfuls, just a little more.」

Julia methodically fed the green goo to Tetra, who consumed it with a pained expression. After finishing everything cleanly, Tetra murmured.

「Surprisingly… I’m feeling a bit better.」

「See? You should thank me.」

「But the bitterness was the worst part.」

「You’re not very honest, are you?」

The two laughed together. It’s truly a relief to see them getting along so well. I wouldn’t want to suffer the same experience King Equus had.

For now, with Julia around, Tetra should be fine. It’s probably better for her to have someone who can understand her pain in real-time than for me, a man, to be there.

「Then, I’ll be heading back.」

「Have you been busy lately, Almus?」

「Hm? Well, yes. There have been some troublesome matters… but don’t worry about it. It’s nothing serious. You two just focus on the baby.」

I left the room.

◇

「Raymond, what’s the response from the other countries?」

「…For now, King Equus believes us. King Evile has sent a response saying he wants to trust our country. King Belvedire is keeping silent. King Domorgal seems to be even more angered than before.」

「I see… Damn… Who in the world did this? Spreading curses everywhere…」

I curse under my breath. The incident dates back to the month before last. A curse had descended on the harvested crops.

The countries affected were King Belvedire’s Country, King Evile’s Country, King Domorgal’s Country… and the Equus Tribe.

Fortunately, it seems that each country had taken sufficient countermeasures against curses, so the damage was minimal.

Each country began its own investigation and discovered that the range of the curse was extensive. Moreover, they noticed that, for some reason, King Rosais’ Country was completely unaffected by the curse. Unfortunately, they couldn’t pinpoint the perpetrator… but King Rosais’ Country was under suspicion.

This led to us receiving letters of complaint from the affected countries. The complaints from  King Evile’s Country, King Belvedire’s Country, and King Domorgal’s Country arrived almost simultaneously. There’s no doubt that these three countries are coordinating with each other.

The letter from the Equus Tribe came independently, so it’s likely they hadn’t exchanged information with the other three countries.

「King Equus isn’t concerned about the curse in the slightest, it seems. Their country doesn’t have much farmland to begin with, so it didn’t affect them much. The alliance and friendly relations remain unchanged. They even proposed a joint investigation.」

「That’s reassuring… It’s good to have their full trust. I have great respect for King Equus.」

Actually, there’s no apparent reason for our country and the Equus Tribe to be at odds. Logically, one would think this scheme is intended to sow discord between our country and the others.

However, only countries with deep friendly relations with us, like the Equus tribe, will accept that excuse.

「Evile, Belvedire, and Domorgal. These three countries are completely suspicious of us.」

「It can’t be helped. We’ve never been close. Besides, haven’t we been periodically sending curses to each other for a while now?」

There’s a history there.

「Luckily, Julia-sama is pregnant. If we were the ones who cast the curse on the other countries, we would have needed her assistance. She can’t use magic while pregnant. This fact alone is keeping the suspicion from escalating.」

「Well, we are still being suspected nevertheless.」

I’m regarded by other countries as an ambitious new king, eager for territorial expansion; especially after taking quite a bit of land from King Domorgal’s Country. Even if I deny the involvement of my country in this matter, it only makes me more suspicious. Deteriorating relations seem inevitable.

「Well, there’s no need to worry too much. We’ve been through this sort of thing many times before. It’s no different than a small border dispute. It’s unlikely that the three countries will launch an attack over this. What we need to watch out for is a retaliatory curse.」

「Given Julia’s pregnancy… our nation’s anti-curse capabilities are significantly weakened. If the other three countries were to attack us simultaneously, it wouldn’t be a joking matter.」

I announced Julia’s pregnancy too early. Well, I didn’t expect this widespread curse at the time, so it can’t be helped.

「Thankfully, Julia has been maintaining the anti-curse barriers routinely. They have enough magical power for the moment. If we mobilize all our magicians, we should be able to withstand an attack. …Though, we do need a system for constructing anti-curse barriers that’s reliable even without Julia.」

It’s clear how vital Julia is to this country. Her presence alone suffices for our usual curse defense.

「We need to urgently develop this anti-curse system that borrows the name of a god.」

「If we could use that, it would significantly reduce the burden on our magicians… The problem is deciding which deity to enshrine.」

The system crucially requires a ‘myth’. That’s obvious. Praying to a non-existent god is pointless. There are myths in the Adernian Peninsula, too.

But they’re not as systematically organized as the Kirisia myths. There’s no chief god in the Adernian mythology.

Moreover, the belief in animistic spirits and fairies is still strong, possibly stronger than that in the gods.

So it becomes a question of which god to enshrine and entrust the country to. God A, God B, or perhaps God C? We need to find a god everyone can agree.

I’ve already received a draft of the system from Julia, but even she seemed undecided about which deity to choose as the chief god.

「There’s no suitable god in our country… What to do… Hey, why are you staring at my face like that?」

「Oh, I was just thinking about a saying they use in Claris, ‘the darkest place is under the candlestick’. It seems apt for this situation…」

What? Why are you staring at my face?

Ah, the tale of me being the son of Griffon-sama? But isn’t Griffon-sama more an object of awe than one of worship? That might not be the right angle.

「As you say, Griffon-sama is not suitable for this. However, that great being is rumored to be my king’s adoptive father. Your biological father is said to be Mares, the god of war and agriculture.」

「Is that what the recent rumors say?」

「Yes. It seems the rumors are influenced by the introduction of the four-field system and the victory in the recent war. While there were various theories before, now the rumors are unified under Mares.」

I don’t know the true identity of my father… But I’m certain he’s not a god.

Nevertheless, it seems my rumors have settled down. They’ve grown even more exaggerated, and are spreading rapidly over the lands as if they have wings. It’s good to hear I’m doing well, at least in the rumors.

「So, are we considering Mares as the chief god?」

「Mares has a relatively little number of worshipers. I think the best choices would be Mares’s mother, ‘Heno’, her husband and sister ‘Zelpia’, and ‘Arne’, born from Zelpia’s head. These three are related to Mares and are frequently mentioned in rituals, so they have high recognition. Plus, Zelpia is the patron god of the Rosais Family.」

Let me explain!

Zelpia, the god governing the sky, is a major god in the Adernian Peninsula, known to be male. Interestingly, Zelpia can change gender through sheer will, so is also considered a goddess. His wife and sister, Heno, is the goddess of childbirth. Julia and Tetra pray to her daily.

Born from Zelpia’s head is Arne. I’m not quite sure what to make of that myself. As the story goes, Zelpia complained of a headache, and one of his divine subordinates cracked open his head, and out popped Arne. Why Arne was in there, I’ve forgotten, but it’s probably some weird reason.

And Mares, my supposed father, was born solely from Heno. Logically, you’d think both sperm and egg are needed to create a fertilized egg, but well, gods don’t need such things. If you’ve got spirit, anything’s possible.

…If I recall correctly, my supposed father Mares was born after Heno inhaled some pollen.

So, on my family register? My father is Mares, my grandmother is Heno, my grandfather, as well as my great-uncle and great-aunt, is Zelpia, and my aunt is Arne.

…I don’t really want to join such a weird family tree.

「Hey, I never claimed to be the son of Mares. When did that become official?」

「Who knows? But the country has been plagued by external and internal troubles for a while. The citizens felt it, too. My king’s actions have given hope to the people.」

Is that so?

「Is it really okay? For me to be officially recognized as the son of Mares. From the Rosais Family’s perspective?」

「It’s fine. As you know, our Rosais Family’s founder and first king was born from a human daughter seduced by Zelpia. You being the grandson of Zelpia’s stepson… that’s quite fitting.」

Ah, is that how it is? Well, if it’s fine with you all, then it’s fine by me.

「With this, the lineage of gods converges in our Rosais Family… centralization will proceed more smoothly than before.」

Raymond spoke with enthusiasm. So, there’s that meaning behind it as well.

「Zelpia is well-known as the guardian deity of the Rosais family, but as a sky god, he’s not seen as approachable by the common folk. Heno is popular among the general populace but has fewer worshippers among warriors, especially men. Arne, being a god of professions and magic, has a strong following among craftsmen and magicians, but not so much among the majority of the population, the farmers.」

「So by using Mares, the god of agriculture and war, we can create a synergy. The populace would be more interested in the family of their king’s father, wouldn’t they?」

Not a bad idea, really. Instead of focusing on a single chief god, having three is a good strategy. And…

「Zelpia, Heno, and Arne correspond to the ‘God of the Sky,’ ‘Queen of the Gods,’ and ‘Goddess of Wisdom’ in Kirisian mythology. We can reference Kirisia’s methods for worshipping them.」

「That’s the plan.」

In the southern part of the Adernian Peninsula, a significant number of Kirisians have settled. In the neighboring southern King Belvedire’s Country, one-fifth of the population consists of Kirisians or their mixed descendants. Tetra is of mixed descent as well. Hence, the indigenous mythology of Adernian and the Kirisian mythology have intertwined, creating a rather fascinating blend.

「How long will it take to establish?」

「Well… such a large-scale spell array would need at least four months of preparation. Temples dedicated to Zelpia, Heno, and Arne already exist across our nation due to their popular worship. So, perhaps two years at the fastest?」

「Alright. Let’s get Julia’s input, even if we can’t involve her directly due to her pregnancy. She’s the most reliable in these matters. However, keep the details of the current turmoil from her.」

I don’t want to cause unnecessary stress for the two pregnant women. I want them to focus as much as possible on their childbirth. That’s all I can do for them now.

「I’ll also need to get permission from Father-in-law.」

The concept of paternal authority is prevalent in the Adernian Peninsula. Basically, the father is the most respected.

Politically, I might hold more power than Father-in-law, but culturally, he is considered superior. Hence, it’s necessary to show him respect.

◇

「That sounds good to me.」

Father-in-law said while looking out over the garden (which is actually a drug plantation).

Aren’t there better places to enjoy the scenery?

「I won’t interfere with your policies. The throne is yours now, after all.」

「Is that so?」

「Also, I’m leaving this palace.」

「What?」

What are you talking about?

「I’d just be in the way if I stayed in this palace forever, wouldn’t I? There’s a nice place with a great view and hot springs. I plan to retire there. A small residence will be ready in a week.」

If you had told me, I would have built a grand mansion for you.

「That would have been unnecessary fuss. There’s no need to spend a fortune on a man about to meet his end. Also, I’m eager to see my grandchild.」

「Just a little longer, please hold on. I believe Julia will deliver a healthy child.」

Rushing it isn’t good. And premature birth would be troublesome.

「I’ll make sure to check in regularly.」

「Ah, do that. I’ll be lonely after all.」

Father-in-law smiled wryly. Still the same crafty expression.

「Once again, I entrust my daughter and the country to you. Don’t make me regret giving you the throne.」

「I’ll strive to do something you can be proud of in the afterlife.」