NOVEL WEB Chapter 7
My thoughts have really multiplied.
Before I knew it, I must have dozed off. The movement in my arms ceased, and all I could feel was the soft wheezing breath against my chest. At that moment, I was overwhelmed with countless thoughts.
Starting with the question of why of all people it had to be me, I eventually began attempting to guess the title of this novel.
Of course, with only a lifetime of having read a couple of dialogue lines that I had snatched and read aloud from one of those spectacle-wearing otakus, there was no way I could have guessed it correctly.
“Ahhh.”
Then, I recalled something irrelevant TMI that the same spectacle-wearing otaku had once randomly shared.
Apparently, in novels where the characters reincarnate into stories, called “reincarnation novels,” it is often possible to return to reality after seeing the ending…
Finally, I had a clue.
If this really is a novel, then there must be a protagonist, and a main storyline surrounding that protagonist.
If I join forces with the protagonist, then surely I will be able to see the ending one day.
“First, I need to find the protagonist.”
Why would the protagonist be the protagonist for nothing?
They must possess a standout personality and achieve grand feats celebrated across the world.
Finding them shouldn’t be too difficult.
I speculated, or rather, hoped while setting my immediate goal.
“Uuuaaahh! Aaak! Uuuuaaaahh!”
“Fck, it was quiet for a while…”
Is this how loud babies cry?
It sounded like some demon child wailing.
Just as my irritation started to rise, I noticed the suction strength on my finger had increased significantly.
My instinct already knew before my mind did: the baby was hungry.
But here’s the problem: if I don’t even have food for myself, how could I possibly have something to feed this burden?
“…Ah.”
There it was.
Looking down, I finally noticed the enormous breasts that filled half my field of vision.
There was exactly one thing I could feed the baby.
With a deep sigh, I slumped onto the spot.
“I don’t even know if I’ll survive doing this…”.
Even if I could walk to the next town by myself, alive, if I drained my body of these nutrients, I might collapse after walking just a little.
With my stomach feeling particularly empty, I watched the baby furiously suckling and felt sorrow rise within me.
At that moment, as I entertained the thought that maybe dying here wouldn’t be so bad, I glimpsed a carriage on the distant ridge.
It seemed my time to die had not come just yet.
“Status window. Inventory. Profile. Log out.”
“What’s that woman doing again?”
Damn annoying bastard.
Reincarnation benefits, you said.
You said there would be a friendly introduction like “Hello, I am God,”
But why do I have nothing?!
“PUKHHH! I’m going insane, seriously.”
Today has been impossibly long.
The hitched ride on a carriage brought me to the neighboring town, which was much larger.
It was more like a city than a village.
Before I could even step out of the carriage, the coachman demanded a fare.
He probably already knew I had no money and smirked, trying to shove me into the luggage compartment.
His lecherous gaze scared me enough that I ended up kicking him in the face and fleeing.
He had said he didn’t expect payment for the ride.
Damn bastard.
As I aimlessly wandered the streets, I noticed people’s gazes and realized I needed to change my clothes.
Still wearing the outfit from childbirth, my skirt was completely bloodstained.
Where I should head was obvious.
I had to find a church first.
Fortunately, there was a proper church standing tall not far away instead of a tiny chapel run by a novice priest.
“Dear lady, it seems you need help. You need to clean up first.”
“Uhm. Er. Eeee…”
That was when I met the kind nun, who greeted me with a gentle smile.
I couldn’t form words properly.
It felt like I hadn’t experienced such pure kindness in about a week.
Her warm hand leading me to the bathroom without asking any questions felt comforting.
“The clothes are here. I’ll fetch the priestess. Please take your time cleansing.”
“…”
Even to strangers, she was this kind. I wondered what would happen if I revealed I was a Holy Maiden.
Perhaps I’d receive quite attentive care.
Though, as a church, they wouldn’t offer too much freedom, still it would be a place to sleep and eat. That’s something, right?
Maybe I should settle here.
I thought this as I scrubbed off the dried blood while the small bathtub turned completely crimson.
The baby, wrapped in a cloth, was starting to smell, so I gently wiped them with lukewarm water.
“It’s a girl.”
I hadn’t realized she was a girl in the midst of the chaos. All my attention was on the horns on her head, and I didn’t think to confirm the gender.
The moment the water touched her, she woke up and started crying, forcing me to breastfeed her again.
After a long while, I put on the flowing dress left behind by the nun and walked out, where I found a tall priest wearing glasses waiting with the nun.
At his gesture, I slowly shuffled along, holding the baby, and sat on the empty chair.
“It seems you have a story. If you don’t mind, could you share how you ended up here?”
“Uh, well…”
“We won’t pressure you if it’s too difficult. You won’t be chased away even if you don’t speak. We’ll help you in every way possible until you find peace and solace.”
“Huh, huuuuh…”
Tears started falling onto the cloth.
I was sobbing uncontrollably, pouring out the pent-up emotions.
These people were trustworthy.
I felt secure enough that I couldn’t stop crying.
“Would you like to hand the baby to me? Yes, I’ll hold her. Please relax.”
“Huuuuuh, like this… huuuuh… I didn’t think there would be any help without asking for something in return… ughhhhh…”
“It’s okay to cry. You can speak when you feel ready.”
“No, I’ll tell you everything now. Khung. Huuuh. The truth is, I am a Sa…?”
“Hey, what’s this?”
At that moment, the nun’s face turned pale as she uncovered the baby’s cloth to check her head.
The priest’s face, who had examined the baby’s head, darkened instantly.
Why? What is this?
They said they’d help regardless of anything.
They said they’d listen to any story.
“Kyeeeek! A demon’s child!”
“You, that…!”
“Get out! Away from this abomination!”
“Ugh! How can you carry something like this! Disgusting hussy.”
“Ahhh.”
This isn’t a demon’s child, it’s a dragon’s child.
I opened my mouth to say this but couldn’t bring myself to speak, so I closed it again.
I was chased out.
Fortunately, I hadn’t revealed I was a Holy Maiden.
It seemed they thought I was a lustful woman who consorted with dragons.
Had they known the Holy Maiden had done such acts, they’d probably have handed me over for heresy.
The thought made me shudder.
“If only you weren’t here…”
The small creature moving in my arms, this monster, felt revolting even to hold.
I had to get rid of it somehow.
Then I could live as a Holy Maiden.
But I was afraid to just leave it in any random well on the street.
That wasn’t something a human should do.
Attempting to leave it at an orphanage failed when they turned me away the moment they saw the horns on the baby’s head.
The orphanage was most likely tied to the church, so it was an expected reaction.
There was no place to accept this dirty half-breed born from a dragon and human.
I lacked the courage to kill it.
After walking the entire city until my feet ached, I finally failed to leave this monster behind.
“Haa. Haha…”
“Hey. Do you have any money?”
“Don’t worry. Even though I look like this, I’m in my right mind. I’ve got enough for a pint of beer.”
This is where I ended up.
I couldn’t resist the smell of liquor.
And by chance, I found a coin on the ground.
Walking with my head down to avoid people’s gazes, I spotted it shining between some rocks.
Good luck.
If Julia had any stats, her luck stat must be pretty high.
“You don’t look entirely sane, with your pajamas, bloodstained bare feet, and cradling a newborn…”
“Give me the beer if you’re going to, or stop bothering me.”
“I’ll pay all right. If you work at our shop.”
“Hah.”
I burst into a hollow laugh.
They wanted me to wear some skimpy clothes, flirt on the laps of men, and sell my smiles like the other women here.
That was unthinkable.
Do I look like some cheap tart to you?
“Your looks are intact, so you seem alright.”
“Huh. What a waste, innkeeper. I have someone important to find, so there’s no time to waste here. Di-glug.”
“Who? A man?”
“Uhum. Probably a man?”
The protagonist must be a man, right?
But how could I find someone whose face I didn’t even know?
In a fantasy world like this, it had to be someone like a hero, didn’t it?
“Ah. Something big needs to happen to find him.”
“What does that mean?”
“Never mind. Something huge is bound to happen soon! That’s when someone will appear as a hero. He’s the one I’m looking for. Belch.”
“Could it be a hero you’re talking about?”
“What? Hero? Yes! Exactly that person! Definitely!”
Hero.
There really is a hero in this world.
A hero for the Dragon and the Demon King.
Suddenly, everything seemed clearer.
Excited, I stood up abruptly, and the movement startled the baby in my arms.
“Where is he now? Where is he?”
“I don’t know. The hero party was disbanded fifty years ago.”
“What? Why?”
“After the great event you mentioned was resolved. Thinking about it now, it’s been nearly fifty years since the Demon King’s death and the arrival of peace, about the same as my age. That was really a long time ago…”
“…”
The hero party was disbanded.
The Demon King was killed.
Peace arrived.
And all fifty years ago?
I couldn’t process everything immediately and froze on the spot.
Something was wrong.
Something was utterly wrong.