The Seed Thief

Vol. 2 Chapter 7.6

The enemy, having gathered every mage they could find, succeeded in trapping Ervandas’s army within a city, using a powerful magical barrier.

He was now a rat trapped in a cage. They believed that once they overwhelmed and subjugated him with their superior forces, they could sever Ervandas’s head and display it as a trophy, demoralizing the kingdom’s army.

They were wrong.

The siege lasted for months. Not only did the enemy fail to break through Ervandas’s defenses, but he eventually found a way to shatter the magical barrier, leading his army out of the city.

From then on, Ervandas slaughtered every enemy he encountered. He didn’t even attempt negotiations. He kept killing as if his goal was annihilation.

Even the kingdom’s army that followed him feared his ruthlessness.

Thus, the war that had spanned nearly half a year came to an end. Ervandas entrusted the remaining matters to Calendus and immediately set off for his destination.

‘Lulu.’

He hadn’t stopped thinking about her since he left.

‘I promised to return soon.’

He had promised to return before thirty nights passed. But he hadn’t returned even after many more nights had passed. He remembered Lulu’s farewell when he left the forest.

She had refused to see him off properly. She knew that a long goodbye would only make the parting more painful. She had watched him go as if he were simply heading to the nearby stream or tending to the garden.

He had believed he’d be back soon, sooner than promised. He had imagined surprising her, telling her he couldn’t bear to be away any longer.

He’d planned to listen to her tales of loneliness, to bring her to the capital, to introduce her to his family. He would give her the large family she had always longed for.

But all that remained was Lulu, alone in the forest for over half a year.

As he raced towards the forest, he received the news. Remnants of the enemy army had learned of his whereabouts and were heading towards the forest where Lulu was.

Spurring his horse onward, he rode with a desperation that bordered on madness. He crossed the distance that would normally take others more than two weeks in just a few days, riding without rest.

He couldn’t afford to waste a single moment.

What would Lulu say when he returned? Would she be angry that he was so late? Would she turn her back on him, refusing to see him? No, she might even order the golem to throw him out of the forest.

He didn’t care what she would say. He just wanted to return quickly, apologize for being so late, embrace her.

‘She must be nearing the end of her pregnancy.’

He imagined her, alone in their home, her hand resting on her swollen belly, her heart filled with anxiety. Or worse… what if the baby had arrived already? Could she handle it alone, in the middle of the forest?

As strong as she was, as powerful a mage as she was, childbirth was a different kind of challenge.

‘Please, let her be alright.’

He clung to the hope of her magic. With her magic, she could easily handle even a small army. And she had mentioned the Forest Witch’s protective barrier.

However, his anxiety grew with every passing moment.

‘It’s because of the dream.’

Recently, he had been plagued by strange dreams. Dreams of Lulu running through the forest, pursued by someone. She was gaunt, her swollen belly dragging her down. In the dream, she stumbled and fell, captured by her pursuers.