Meanwhile, back at the castle, nobles watched the recorded footage of Arkanis’s twisted experiments. Expressions of horror and shock filled the room as the grim reality of his actions set in.
In the laboratory, Victor stood amidst the remnants of Arkanis’s dark legacy.
The mutated bodies of his failed experiments were laid out before him, and he addressed the servants who carefully removed them. “Make sure they’re given proper burials, especially if no family comes to claim them,” he said, his voice calm yet firm.
The servants nodded, fear evident in their movements as they worked silently, avoiding even the slightest noise.
Victor observed them, an amused thought crossing his mind, ‘Sometimes, fear works better than commands’, he mused, glancing over at the surviving children.
“B-Big Brother… candy!” one of the children chimed, his oversized eyes literally!… looking hopeful.
Victor’s gaze softened briefly before he responded, “Children shouldn’t eat too much candy.”
“Why?” one asked, puzzled.
Before Victor could reply, a voice broke in. “Or else, you won’t grow strong,” an orange-haired woman said as she entered, followed by a few other women and several nobles with wary expressions.
“W-What?” The children shared wide-eyed glances, debating whether to give up the candy or not. The woman’s warm smile softened the tension, though her eyes betrayed a hint of sadness as she looked at the children before glancing at the Victor who was staring at children with indifferent expression.
One of the women stepped forward, glancing nervously between Victor and the children. “What’s going to happen to th—” She was cut off by her brother’s hand clamping over her mouth.
“What are you thinking? Don’t provoke him!” he hissed, but she only sighed in response.
Victor’s face remained indifferent. “As they were products of experiments, they don’t have much time left.” He showed them a report, and the women’s faces paled.
“Due to their mutations, their bodies will soon begin to collapse,” he added.
The women clutched the report, a mixture of sadness and horror reflected in their eyes. Most of the nobles looked away, clearly repulsed by the children’s unnatural appearances. Some murmured their hopes that their daughters would never have to return to this place…. They felt disgusted!
One of the women clutching the report asked with trembling voice, “S-So… we just wait for them to die?”
Her father scoffed, muttering, “It’s for the best, my dear. These things don’t deserve to liv—” He froze under Victor’s simple gaze.
Victor ignored the man, turning his gaze to the women. Some were staring at the children with expressions torn between pity and compassion. His eyes lingered on one woman in particular, ‘There is a way… but it’s too risky to reveal it, and I am not sure they would even live peacefully after that’ he thought, holding back a sigh.
As much as he wanted to use those golden liquids… but it was far too dangerous for others to know.
Victor sighed, his expression softening as he watched the women and the children. The atmosphere had shifted from tense to somber.
The fathers and brothers of the women sighed in relief, though it was clear they still struggled with the situation. It wasn’t that they were heartless or incapable of compassion; rather, they were terrified of the consequences, unable to predict what would happen to these experimented beings in the long run.
Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.
“I… I want to have my child,” one of the women said, her voice trembling with hesitation.
Victor blinked in surprise as he saw the woman step forward. She swallowed hard before continuing, “Even if she doesn’t live long… I want her to be happy in my a-arms, even for the time she h-has.”
Her father immediately stepped forward, trying to stop her, but Victor raised a hand to silence him. “Are you sure? They will die, you know. It will be devastating… painful. Once you bond with them, the loss will be that much harder to bear.”
Before anyone could respond, another woman stepped forward, tears in her eyes. “E-Even if they were made, they’re still our blood… I-I can’t bear to let them die alone without any love,” she said, her voice choking as she recalled seeing the children, so lonely, confined in this place. Her sobs were heartbreaking. Another woman beside her comforted her, tears streaming down her face as well.
“I love them,” the woman said, her voice barely a whisper, “Even if they die… Even if they were made… Even if they were defective… I still love them.”
“Yes!” The other women chorused in agreement.
Victor watched in silence, his gaze sweeping over the women’s determined faces. Their devotion was clear, and despite the grim reality they faced, they would not abandon these children.
They would love them until the very end, no matter the cost.
Victor took a deep breath and glanced at the children, their wide eyes full of curiosity.
“B-Big brother…?”
“You’re truly blessed,” he murmured softly. His eyes softened as he looked back at the women, a rare and genuine smile spreading across his face, “You are wonderful mothers…. I have ever seen in my life”
It was a rare sight—Victor, usually so indifferent, had shown them a side of himself they had never seen before.
The women stared, momentarily stunned by his unexpected smile and smitten!!
[+4000 AP]
[+4000 AP]
[+4000 AP]
[+4000 AP]
[+4000 AP]
[+4000 AP]
[+4000 AP]
…..
….
Victor cleared his throat as he noticed the woman’s cheeks redden, bringing himself back to composure. His attempt to hide his smile did not go unnoticed, and the women exchanged knowing glances before turning back to the children.
“Hello, little one?” the woman said softly, but the children instinctively clung to Victor.
Victor crouched down, his voice calm and reassuring. “It’s alright. They won’t harm you—they’re your mothers.”
The children’s eyes widened, glancing back at the women. “M-Mothers?”
Victor nodded with a gentle smile. “Yes, your lovely mother is here for her sweet little one~” he said, picking up one of the children and handing them over to the woman waiting with open arms. Slowly, one by one, he introduced each child to the women who had chosen to take them in.
Meanwhile, his gaze caught sight of Velc, watching intently from the corner.
Velc smirked, turning on his heel with a delighted glint in his eyes, “My daughter’s finally found herself a powerful match… a human killed a Dragon Emperor and took his throne… there is no way I lose him!!” he muttered, a pleased grin spreading across his face. “Hahaha… Better give her my blessing before some other woman gets ahead.” He chuckled, plotting all the ways he’d publicly support his daughter’s newfound connection.
Velc was here from very beginning he saw everything… more like he was manipulated to see everything by Victor.
Victor inwardly chuckled, ‘Just wait until he realizes it who am I….. Now, that’ll be a show worth watching Hehehe…’
…..
….
Meanwhile, Aqualina stood before the Origin Pillars, her gaze steady as she looked up at the radiant figure bathed in white light.
“Congratulations on completing the second trial, Aqualina Naiadia,” the Mother Goddess said, her voice warm and inviting.
Aqualina raised the heart-shaped puzzle piece in her hand, staring at it blankly before asking, “This picture… I drew it, right?”
“….” There was a momentary silence before the Mother Goddess’s gentle voice returned. “Is that truly the answer you seek?”
Aqualina flinched, shaking her head. It wasn’t the answer she had hoped for, but the question still burned inside her, her grip on the puzzle piece tightening.
The Mother Goddess chuckled softly, “There’s no need to be so tense, Aqualina. Go on, ask the question that weighs upon your heart…. for a girl who brought the shattered heart!”
Aqualina bit her lip, her body trembling as she struggled to find the words. “W-Who am I?” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Am I the daughter of Marisandra Naiadia… or…” Her words trailed off as she looked down, blood trickling from where she’d bitten her lip, her eyes filling with uncertainty.
“Or…” she hesitated, her voice barely audible,
“The mother of Marisandra Naiadia?”