Chapter 91

"Ugh... It's disgusting..."

"Are you okay...?"

I rubbed Tera's back.

It's already the twelfth week, so I think the morning sickness should be settling down by now...

But it's lingering.

Incidentally, Yuria was quite chipper from the early stages. It must be a matter of constitution.

"Do you want some grapes? I heard it's better to have something in your stomach."

"...Sure. I'd like some ice..."

I called a servant and sent them to the ice room to fetch some ice. There should still be some left from what was collected in winter.

"...Why is that purple woman so energetic, while I'm suffering so much..."

"Who's the purple woman?"

Yuria entered with her eyes wide, holding a stone dish.

"Yuria, what's that?"

"A medicine for morning sickness. I read about it in a book from a Kirisia merchant. I've already tried it myself, so it's safe."

Saying that, Yuria showed me the stone dish.

On the dish was a green, gooey substance. This is definitely going to be bitter.

"I don't like it if it's not sweet."

"I knew you'd say that, so I brought sugar."

Yuria took out white sugar from her pocket and poured it into the green substance.

She mixed it with a pestle, making it even more gooey.

"Here, open up."

"..."

Tera took the spoon Yuria offered and put it in her mouth, her expression twisting.

"Ugh... It's bitter..."

"Don't you know that good medicine tastes bitter?"

Even with all that sugar, it's still bitter. What are the ingredients...

"I think good medicine should be sweet and effective..."

"Okay, okay. Just three more mouthfuls, try your best."

Yuria calmly fed Tera the green goo, which Tera ate with a pained expression.

After finishing it all, Tera murmured.

"Surprisingly... it's a bit better."

"See? It's thanks to me. Be grateful."

"But the bitterness was hard to take."

"You're not being honest, are you?"

The two of them laughed together.

It's really a relief that they get along so well. I don't want to experience the kind of suffering the King of Equus did.

For now, as long as Yuria is here, Tera should be fine.

It's better for her to have someone who can understand her pain in real-time rather than me, a man, accompanying her.

"Then, I'll be going back."

"Almus, have you been busy lately?"

"Huh? Yeah, a bit. There are some troublesome things... Ah, don't worry about it. It's nothing major. Just focus on the baby, both of you."

I left the room.

"Raymond, have you received any responses from the other countries?"

"...For now, the King of Equus believes us. The King of Ebur has sent a message saying he wants to believe us. The King of Berberil is silent. The King of Dorgal is even angrier."

"I see... Damn... Who the hell are they? Scattering curses like that..."

I cursed.

The incident dates back to the month before last. Curses fell upon the crops that were about to be harvested.

The countries affected were the Kingdom of Berberil, the Kingdom of Ebur, the Kingdom of Dorgal... and the Equus tribe.

Fortunately, the countries seemed to have taken sufficient measures against curses, so the damage was minimal.

Each country began its own investigation and realized that the curse had a very wide range. Strangely, the Kingdom of Rosais was the only one not affected by the curse.

Unfortunately, the culprit could not be identified, but the Kingdom of Rosais was suspicious.

Thus, complaints from the other countries began to arrive.

The letters from the Kingdom of Ebur, the Kingdom of Berberil, and the Kingdom of Dorgal arrived almost simultaneously. It's clear that these three countries are in collusion.

The letter from the Equus tribe came separately, so I don't think they are sharing information with the other countries.

"The King of Equus says he is not concerned about the recent curse. His country doesn't have many fields to begin with. The alliance and friendly relations remain intact. He even proposed a joint investigation."

"I see... It's a relief to have their full trust. I owe the King of Equus a lot."

In reality, there's no reason for our country to be hostile to the Equus tribe.

Logically, it would make sense to think it's a strategy to drive a wedge between our country and the others.

But that's only in the case of countries with deep friendly relations like the Equus tribe.

"The Kings of Ebur, Berberil, and Dorgal are completely suspicious of our country."

"Can't be helped. We weren't on good terms to begin with. Plus, they've been throwing curses at each other regularly for a long time."

There's a history of it.

"The fortunate thing is that Yuria is pregnant. If they were really serious about casting curses, Yuria's help would be essential. Since she's pregnant, she can't participate in the curses. This is what's keeping the suspicion from escalating."

"Well, we're still being suspected, but that's not going to change."

I'm seen as a new king who is eager to expand territory. I've taken a lot of land from Dorgal.

Even if I say I didn't do it, it just makes me look more suspicious. A deterioration in relations is inevitable.

"Well, there's no need to worry too much. This kind of thing has happened many times in the past. It's like a territorial dispute. The three countries won't invade because of this. What we need to be cautious about is retaliatory curses."

"Because Yuria is pregnant... Our country's curse defense capabilities have significantly decreased. If we were attacked simultaneously by the other three countries, it would be a serious problem."

We announced Yuria's pregnancy too early.

Well, we didn't know, so it couldn't be helped.

"But Yuria has been casting anti-curse barriers regularly. They are still strong. If we mobilize other curse casters, we should be able to withstand it. ...But we need a reliable anti-curse barrier system even without Yuria."

This shows how important Yuria is to our country.

With her alone, the usual curse defense is sufficient.

"We need to urgently construct a divine anti-curse system."

"Using that system will significantly reduce the burden on the curse casters... The problem is which god to enshrine."

This system requires a 'myth.' Of course, it's necessary. Praying to a non-existent god won't do any good.

There are myths in the Adelnia Peninsula.

But they are not as systematically organized as the Kirisia myths.

There is no main god.

Moreover, animistic beliefs in spirits and fairies are still strong.

So, who should we enshrine and entrust our country to? A god, B god, or C god? Everyone must be in agreement.

I've already received a draft of the system from Yuria, but she seems to be unsure about which god to make the main deity.

"There are no suitable gods in our country... What's with you staring at my face?"

"Ah, it's a Claris proverb, 'The light under the lighthouse is dark.' It's a good saying..."

Why are you staring at my face?

Ah, is it about me being the son of a griffin? But the Griffin is more of an object of awe than a subject of prayer, isn't it?

"You're the stepson of the Griffin, right? Your real father is the god of war and agriculture, Mares."

"Is that the current story?"

"Yes. The rotational farming and the victory in the recent battle have influenced this. There were various theories before, but now it's unified as Mares."

I don't know who my real father is...

But I know he's not an absolute god.

Still, the rumors about me have settled down.

They've grown wings and tails, and I'm flying through the sky and running across the land with strong legs.

It's good to see they're having fun.

"So, are we making Mares the main god?"

"Mares doesn't have many followers. I think the best options are Mares' mother, 'Heno,' Heno's husband and sister, 'Zelpia,' and Zelpia's head-born, 'Arne.' These three are Mares' family and are often mentioned in rituals, so they have high recognition. Besides, Zelpia is the guardian deity of the Rosais family."

Let me explain!

Zelpia is a sky god and a rather prominent male deity in the Adelnia Peninsula. Incidentally, he can change his gender, so he is also a goddess.

His wife and sister is Heno, the goddess of childbirth. Yuria and Tera pray to her every day.

Arne was born from Zelpia's head. I don't really understand what he's about.

I remember Zelpia saying, "My head hurts," and one of his subordinates split his head open, and out came Arne. I forget why he was in his head. Probably not for a good reason.

And my father (according to the story) Mares is a god Heno gave birth to alone.

Logically, a fertilized egg requires sperm and an egg, but gods don't need such things.

If you have energy, you can do anything.

...I think my father (Mares) was born when Heno inhaled pollen?

So, on my household register? My father is Mares, my grandmother is Heno, my grandfather and great-uncle (and great-aunt) is Zelpia, and my aunt is Arne.

...I don't want to be part of this confusing family.

"Hey, I never said I was Mares' son. When did it become official?"

"Who knows? But the country has been troubled by external and internal issues for a while. The people can sense the atmosphere. They're expecting it."

Is that so...?

"Is it okay to officially recognize me as Mares' son, from the perspective of the Rosais family?"

"No problem. As you know, the founder and first king of our Rosais family was born from Zelpia's rape of a human girl. You would be the stepson of Zelpia's stepson... Isn't that fine?"

Oh, is that so?

Well, if you're okay with it, I guess it's fine.

"This will concentrate the divine bloodline in our Rosais family... Centralization will progress even further."

Raymond spoke with delight.

So, there's that aspect too.

"Zelpia is famous as the guardian deity of the Rosais family, but as a sky god, he is not close to the common people. Heno is popular among the common people but has few followers among warriors, especially men. Arne, as a god of professions and curses, has strong followers among craftsmen and curse casters but is not close to the majority of the population, who are farmers."

"By using Mares, the god of agriculture and war, we can bridge the gap. People will be more interested in the relatives of the father of their king, won't they?"

Well, it's not bad. Instead of narrowing it down to one main god, preparing three is a good idea.

Plus...

"Zelpia, Heno, and Arne correspond to the 'Sky God,' 'Queen of the Gods,' and 'Goddess of Wisdom' in Kirisia mythology. We can refer to the Kirisia method of worship."

"That's right."

A significant number of Kirisians have moved into the southern part of the Adelnia Peninsula. In the neighboring country of Berberil, one-fifth of the population is Kirisian or mixed. Tera is also mixed.

So, the local Adelnia myths and Kirisian myths have mixed, creating a rather bizarre situation.

"How long will it take?"

"Well... For such a large-scale curse, at least four months of preparation is needed. Zelpia, Heno, and Arne are already widely worshipped in our country, so there are temples in various places. I think it will take about two years at the earliest?"

"I see. Even if Yuria doesn't participate, I'll ask for her opinion. She's the most reliable in this area. However, I'll keep the details of the current situation from her."

I don't want to burden the two pregnant women with unnecessary worries.

I want them to focus on giving birth as much as possible. That's all I can do.

"Then, I need to get permission from my father-in-law."

In the Adelnia Peninsula, there is a concept of patriarchy.

In short, the father is the most important.

Politically, I am more important than my father-in-law, but culturally, my father-in-law is more important than me.

So, I need his approval.