V2: Chapter 5: Wielding a Sword While Pregnant, as Expected, Will Cause Problems

One week later.

"We'll arrive tomorrow. Is everyone ready for battle?" Liang Lin encouraged her soldiers.

"Ready!"

The soldiers shouted in unison.

Of course, they couldn't just go to the battlefield immediately. They would definitely need a few days to rest. She would be the one who rested the longest, because the abortion pills would have an effect on her body, requiring her to stay in bed for a week to two weeks.

And once they arrived, the first thing she needed to do was find her uncle, then explain the situation to him, and beg him not to tell anyone else. As long as she showed her uncle the unique sword techniques of the Kronin and Horace families (her mother's family), he would definitely believe her. After all, these two families never shared their sword techniques with outsiders.

After seeing her uncle, she would need to visit other families. All this traveling would take at least two weeks. By then, her body would be almost fully recovered, and she could go to the battlefield.

Of course, this didn't stop her from boosting the morale of her soldiers.

"OK," Liang Lin gestured, "I'm not feeling well today. Everyone go back and rest. After we get there tomorrow, we can rest for a couple of days and then return to the battlefield."

"Boss, are you alright? I feel like you haven't been feeling very well lately."

"Yeah, you look terrible."

"Should we get you a doctor now?"

Liang Lin waved her hand, feigning nonchalance, and tossed her hair.

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine. It's probably because... I've lost my body and become a bit more delicate. It's understandable, after all, I'm a rich young lady. Alright, you don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine once we get there."

"Oh..."

Ulysses' gaze fell on Liang Lin's stomach. He pointed there.

"Marquis, your belly is getting bigger and bigger. You haven't been eating that much lately, so why are you getting fatter? Have you been secretly eating behind our backs?"

No?

Secretly eating behind our backs... that sounds so strange.

Hearing this, Liang Lin felt a strange, inexplicable unease.

"Get lost! Go back to your rooms and rest. Don't tease me. Yes, yes, I've gained weight. I'll lose weight in a few days, and then my belly will be gone. Go back now."

Liang Lin waved them off impatiently, turned, and went back to her room.

Seriously, she couldn't be bothered to say another word to these brainless idiots. Even now, they refused to believe she was pregnant, preferring to believe she had simply gained weight. Seriously, what kind of decent person could gain that much weight and then lose weight in their face?

Even after she closed the door, the soldiers were still whispering outside.

"You guys think, could the boss really be pregnant?"

"Go away, don't talk nonsense. The boss is a grown man, how could he possibly get pregnant?"

Blaze scratched his head. "But, she's a woman now. Women can get pregnant, right?"

"Huh?"

Someone in the crowd looked enlightened.

"Right, but the boss's soul is male!"

"But her body is female! Idiot!" Blaze tapped the soldier on the head.

The soldiers exchanged glances, finally drawing out, "Oh—so, the boss is gay?!"

Bang!

The door to the room was pushed open forcefully.

Liang Lin stood angrily in the doorway, her pale face flushed red with rage.

"You lot! You're standing right outside my room, shouting like this, do you think I can't hear you?!"

"Even if you're talking behind my back, at least find a place where I'm not! This is a small inn, not a palace, the soundproofing is terrible, okay?!"

"Oh..."

Seeing the furious Liang Lin, the soldiers scattered like birds, each one running faster than anyone else, scrambling into their rooms or downstairs.

"Phew~"

"These bastards."

Liang Lin slammed the door shut again, huffing.

She lay on the bed, stroking her stomach, sighed silently, and began to mutter to herself.

“My child, it’s not that your mother hates you, wants to abort you, or doesn’t want you. It’s just… I really can’t bring myself to have you. Well, she (referring to Liang Di) could be considered your other mother, right? Your other mother and I don’t have much of a relationship. Okay, if there is, it’s only one-sided. If I had you, I’m afraid I would be in a lot of pain.”

Liang Lin thought for a moment, then continued, “Besides, I’m going to the battlefield. How can I take a child with me? If I had you, there would be a little burden… I’m sorry for calling you that. Actually, having a little burden is fine too. I’m not insulting you; the word ‘little burden’ is quite cute.”

“Sigh… I guess you were just born at the wrong time, uh, that’s not the right way to use that phrase,” Liang Lin blinked, feeling her vocabulary was limited. “Anyway, if we’re still destined to be together, um… how about this, if you’re reincarnated next time, reincarnate into me again, be my child, although it might not be in my belly… Anyway, I absolutely will never get pregnant again! It feels too damn painful.”

Liang Lin rambled on and on, until the wee hoursof the morning, feeling her eyelids getting heavy. She prepared to blow out the oil lamp and go to sleep.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside. Liang Lin looked out the window and saw that the previously gray sky was now brightly lit, with orange light streaming in through the window.

Wait, is it already dawn? Why is the light so strong? I’ve only been rambling on for a little while, and it’s already dawn?

Liang Lin stood up in confusion, put on her shoes and coat, walked to the window, and peered outside.

All she saw was a group of commoners, seemingly doing something indistinct, marching down the street, torches held aloft, shouting as they went. There were many people, and their shouts were roughly the same, yet some were slightly different. Liang Lin listened intently for a while but couldn't make out what they were saying, only a cacophony of sounds.

"What are they doing?"

The commoners, holding their torches, moved up and down as if performing some kind of ritual, heading together towards the nearby woods. Curious, Liang Lin grabbed a thick coat and went downstairs.

It was almost winter, and Liang Lin had just bought a fox fur coat. It was fluffy, comfortable, and warm, but a little too big. It made her look so small, fluffy, and round.

As Liang Lin put on her coat, she encountered the twins downstairs who had also been woken up by the noise.

Throughout the journey, Liang Lin didn't interact much with the two. The reason? Well… because a rather embarrassing incident occurred during the first week of the march.

That night, Liang Lin was as restless as ever, unable to sleep. She wandered around outside with her hands behind her back, like a seasoned inspector. At the time, the twins were staying in a room on the first floor of the hotel, in the far corner. Of course, Liang Lin wasn't intentionally eavesdropping. She could swear on three fingers that she had genuinely just happened to be passing by that night!

By chance! Completely by chance!

As she rounded that corner, her restless mind made her hear a strange sound. Yes, she was all too familiar with that sound, having uttered it herself before.

Startled, she blushed instantly. Like a thief, she suddenly crouched down, looking left and right to make sure no one was around before cautiously standing up.

"Good heavens, what audacity! Where did he find this woman?" Liang Lin muttered to herself, peering around the room to see what was happening.

"I'm not curious about this kind of thing. I... I just... I just wanted to see which guy was so bold as to be thinking about picking up girls in this situation."

Liang Lin offered this weak explanation to mask her genuine curiosity.

Her small hand gripped the windowsill.

However, the curtains were already drawn, and she couldn't see anything at all. Liang Lin suddenly felt a pang of regret, dragging her head in frustration. She felt that the fun she had finally found was gone, and she was deeply disappointed.

As she was about to leave, her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a gap in the curtains.

Huh?

Could she see inside the room through this gap? Maybe the view would be obstructed, there might be blind spots or something, but the opportunity was right in front of her, so of course she had to try. What if she could see something?

Liang Lin smiled, tiptoed over, and pressed her face against the window like a cursed spirit from a horror movie.

And she actually saw something.

Just one glance, and Liang Lin almost exploded on the spot. She couldn't believe her eyes. Mechanically, she slowly turned her head, looked at the dark grass around her, and let out a soft, incredulous sound.

"Oh my god, it must be because I haven't been resting well lately, how could I be hallucinating? How could I see such, such, such... no, no, no, it's not?"

Liang Lin couldn't describe it.

"Hmm, it must be a hallucination, I must be seeing things, let me look again."

Looking again would cause an explosion, getting any closer would melt her. If her hairstyle could change, Liang Lin would definitely have an afro, and her face would be all black.

"This is fucking...!"

This is definitely not a hallucination! It was so clearly displayed in front of her, that was everything she was seeing!

Liang Lin was struck dumb.

Yes, she saw the most explosive, most unbelievable scene.

Hazel and Edwin were 'cooking', probably because they were 'hungry', the food looked incredibly delicious, with perfect color, aroma, and taste, all kinds of dishes, every style imaginable.

They seemed to be talking, but Liang Lin outside the window couldn't hear them, nor did she want to. She simply sat down on the floor, her mind blank, feeling as if her young soul had been struck by a tremendous shock—an shock that wasn't something she could recover from quickly.

After that night, whenever Liang Lin saw the twins, she avoided them.

This pair is absolutely terrifying! And it's not fake, it's the real deal!

Liang Lin's young heart was deeply shocked and couldn't process this fact yet.

She kept avoiding the twins, which made them quite aggrieved. They thought Liang Lin disliked them, and they often sat together privately discussing how to win Liang Lin's favor.

Liang Lin kept avoiding them, avoiding them like the plague, but she couldn't escape them in the end. Tonight, the three of them bumped into each other, awkwardly pushing open the hotel door together.

"You... you two too?" Liang Lin pointed at the two of them.

The twins nodded simultaneously. Edwin said, "We were resting when we were suddenly interrupted..."

Liang Lin thought to herself:

This rest... never mind, I shouldn't overthink it. It must be normal sleep.

"It was so bright outside, I thought it was dawn," Hazel said, following closely. "But then I saw a group of commoners carrying torches. I was curious, so I dragged my brother out."

Liang Lin thought to herself:

You two were hungry again, but the fire wasn't lit, the food wasn't ready, and you weren't really in the mood, so you came out to watch the commotion, right?

"Aren't you going back to rest?"

Liang Lin's eyes darted between the two of them. The atmosphere was a little awkward—well, it was Liang Lin's unilateral awkwardness. Ever since that night, whenever she saw the twins, she could picture that 'huge, delicious-looking meal'.

Their faces were so similar, and Hazel still had short hair; it was hard not to feel a sense of unease. In short, it just looked strange.

"Miss Liang Lin, aren't you going back to rest?" Hazel asked. "You haven't looked very well lately."

Liang Lin was curious about what those commoners were doing there. How could they go back so easily? And she had a premonition. The commoners were performing some kind of bizarre ritual, holding torches, perhaps to burn an innocent person alive. Those madmen in the church did this: they'd see strange-looking people, label them demons or witches, and say they'd burn them. The commoners would believe them and help the church members tie the person up, put them on a cross, place a pile of straw on top, light a torch, and throw them in.

She definitely had to go see; maybe she could prevent a tragedy.

"Ah, I'll go with them to see what's going on over there. I'm a little curious. You guys go back first, I'm fine." Liang Lin pointed to the backs of the group of commoners; they had already walked quite a distance, and if she didn't catch up soon, it would be too late.

Liang Lin anxiously stamped her foot.

Hazel and Edwin exchanged glances. They were also curious about this, and besides, this was a good opportunity to curry favor with Liang Lin. They all admired Liang Lin's swordsmanship, and they felt bad that she was avoiding them.

"Miss Liang Lin, let us go with you. You don't seem to be feeling very well, and we can take care of you if we're with you."

"No, no, you two should go back and rest, otherwise you won't have any energy tomorrow." Liang Lin really didn't want to be with them; it was too awkward. She was so embarrassed she didn't know what to say, and her mind kept replaying 'the delicious-looking food.'

However, Hazel and Edwin insisted on going with Liang Lin. Liang Lin watched the civilian group getting further and further away, until she could no longer see them. She had no choice but to run a few steps faster.

"Alright, you two can come if you want. Don't blame me if you can't get out of bed tomorrow. Don't hold everyone back. Even if you're tired, you have to keep going. We'll be there tomorrow." Liang Lin said to the two behind her without looking back as she ran forward.

"Mmm!"

"Understood, Miss Liang Lin."

The twins followed closely behind, finally catching up with the civilian group. The three of them walked together to the grove of trees at the very back of the group.

The grove was eerily silent at night, especially since it was almost winter; the weather was getting cold, the leaves were falling, and the bare trunks were exposed, their strangely shaped branches resembling tentacles. Liang Lin had this thought, probably from dealing with tentacles so many times.

A cool breeze blew by, but Liang Lin, dressed warmly, didn't feel particularly cold. However, the twin sister, Hazel, shivered and touched her brother arm.

"Brother, I'm a little cold..."

"Sweetie, here, I'll give you my clothes. Put them on, don't catch a cold. I'm fine."

These words reached Liang Lin's ears. She tried her best not to turn around, leaving behind a stubborn and awkward back view.

Sigh, it's so sad. She's like that innocent dog on the street, walking along and then getting kicked.

After passing through a dense forest, Liang Lin and the twins were surprised to find an open space beyond the trees, even paved with pristine white tiles and surrounded by daisies. In the center stood a huge silver cross, and beside it, a pristine white statue of God—clearly a lavishly constructed piece. The scene was sacred and beautiful. However, the pale yellow light of the numerous torches added a touch of eeriness.

Good heavens, with both a statue of God and a cross, she was right. These villagers were either holding some ignorant and foolish activity, or they were going to burn some "witch" or "devil" that the church lunatics were talking about.

Before, Liang Lin wouldn't have believed in the existence of "devils," but now she did. She believed in monsters and magicians. However, she felt that even monsters, as long as they hadn't harmed others, were good monsters, worthy of living in this world. There were so many lives in this world; it wasn't just a human world, but also an animal world, and could even be a world of monsters that didn't harm humans.

Liang Lin tiptoed, straining to see the cross, but found no one bound to it.

Could she have guessed wrong? Weren't these commoners trying to burn someone alive?

Just as Liang Lin was confused, a priest suddenly appeared from behind the cross. He solemnly opened a book and loudly recited its contents. Liang Lin didn't hear a word; she didn't believe in God.

The faces of the commoners showed pious and longing expressions.

Ah…

These people, really…

Liang Lin unconsciously took a step back, afraid of being infected by their ignorance.

She had always been an atheist. Even if there were devils in this world, there couldn't be gods. Otherwise, with so many people suffering, why hadn't a kind and compassionate god appeared?

Of course, she didn't discriminate against theists. Everyone's emotional anchor is different. Some people become kind because they believe in a god, which is a good thing. What she despised were theists who had gone mad, theists who would harm others.

She didn't know how long the priest had been reciting, but after he stopped, two parishioners carrying crosses appeared, each carrying one person.

Liang Lin strained to see and found two children, a boy and a girl, about six or seven years old. They were both dirty and dressed in tattered clothes. The little girl was crying, while the boy was defiant, struggling to break free from the people behind him and to untie the ropes binding him. He was shouting something, but Liang Lin couldn't hear him clearly because of the distance.

She thought the ordeal was over after bringing up the two child, but then two more believers emerged, carrying a girl who looked to be thirteen or fourteen years old. The girl's hair was bright red, even redder than Octaville's, which was mostly reddish-brown; this girl's hair was like flames.

The commoners erupted in jubilation, raising torches and shouting.

"Burn her!"

"Burn her!"

The shouts grew louder and louder.

The girl's face was expressionless; she coldly stared at everyone before her.

The priest raised his hand, pointed to the cross, and ordered the believers to bind the girl to it.

"This is the witch Dolores! The recent disappearances of children and livestock are all her fault! Just tie her to a cross and burn her! That will avert all the recent calamities!"

The priest continued, "And these two children have already been assimilated by the witch! They can't be saved! If we let them live in this world, they'll still cause us a lot of trouble in the future! So..."

"Burn them!"

"Burn them!"

"Burn them!"

The commoners shouted excitedly.

Children have gone missing?

Liang Lin was still thinking, trying to figure out how to persuade these people to calm down and get the Knights to investigate tomorrow. Explaining things to these lunatics was difficult; Liang Lin had a headache.

But, before she could think any further, red suddenly burst into flames above the girl's head.

Huh?

When did a commoner throw a torch in? 

Liang Lin froze.

Wait a minute, shouldn't it burn from the bottom up? Why is it starting from the head?

Initially, the girl showed no reaction to being burned at the stake, remaining expressionless as she stared at the civilians before her. It wasn't until the priest announced the burning of the two innocent children that her brow furrowed.

Her lips moved, as if she uttered a curse, but no one heard her clearly. Then, her fiery red hair burst into flames, like real fire. The flames, seemingly alive, plunged into the crowd.

"Aaaaaah!"

The civilian at the front screamed in agony as his entire body was engulfed in flames. The surrounding civilians screamed and fled.

Liang Lin realized what was happening.

This woman really was a witch.

Seeing the civilian casualties mounting, Liang Lin drew her sword.

"Tsk! Get out of my way!"

She pushed through the crowd, sword in hand, and charged forward, cleaving through a blaze of flames. The flames scattered in the air, but Liang Lin's sword remained unscathed.

Ah, this sword is indeed much more nimble; unlike the previous ones, which wore out quickly with use.

The young girl also noticed Liang Lin, and wave after wave of flames shot towards her. Liang Lin wielded her longsword, slicing them away one by one, her movements elegant even with her large belly.

However, she used too much force.

Her stomach began to throb with a dull, throbbing pain, a feeling as if it were about to burst. Liang Lin gritted her teeth; this pain was unlike anything she had ever experienced before.