I Became a Mother of a Sub-Male Son

“Shall we go in now?”

 

“Yes, that’s right. Liam, let’s go in.”

 

At Ladiana’s words, she grabbed the child’s hand and started walking. As she entered the building, there were huge white stone statues on either side. The stone statue was depicted as having an ambiguous gender, neither male nor female.

 

“Elia, there are a lot of statues.”

 

“Yes. There are really a lot.”

 

“There must be a lot inside, right?”

 

“I guess so?”

 

As she was whispering and talking to the child, she heard laughter next to her.

 

“Why are you doing this?”

 

“I thought you two looked like mother and son. Oh, would it be rude to say something like this?”

 

“Not at all. On the contrary, it feels good. You’re saying that things look good. Right, Liam?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Liam smiled brightly, as if Ladiana’s words made him feel good. She touched Deliam’s hand that she was holding.

 

“Is there somewhere you want to go first?”

 

“…hmm. It’s probably the chapel, right?”

 

“Then let’s start from the largest place, the central chapel.”

 

“Yes.”

 

She nodded and called the Duke who was ahead.

 

“Duke.”

 

The Duke turned around at her call.

 

“I’m planning to go to the main chapel. Will the Duke go there too?”

 

“I’m going to go see the high priest for a moment. Please go to the chapel with Deliam first.”

 

“Yes, got it.”

 

The Duke turned around and completely left his post with his knights. She headed to the central chapel with Deliam, guided by Ladiana. Then, out of growing doubt, she asked Ladiana.

 

“…But you can’t see the priests around you?”

 

“Today is the day of the purification ceremony, so most of the priests have vacated the main building.”

 

“A purification ritual?”

 

“It is a kind of event and ritual held at the temple once a month. Anyway, it will be difficult to see the priest today.”

 

As she walked and talked to her about various things, she arrived at the main chapel before she knew it. An incredibly large space, befitting its name, Central Chapel, filled my field of vision. The ceiling was so high that it made her head hurt. She quietly looked around the chapel and stopped at the large white stone statue on the platform at the end. The statue was so enormous that it was difficult to compare it to the one seen at the entrance. It was even so high that it barely seemed to touch the ceiling. She even thought that the sacred energy she felt from the exterior of the temple came from here. That’s why the large stone statue in front of her had a particularly special feel. It seemed as if a divine energy without a single flaw or anything was enveloping her entire body. She was even slightly out of breath, shaking her shoulders.

 

“Ellie, what’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”

 

“…No, it’s nothing.”

 

Holding the child’s hand, she slowly walked towards the statue above. Her heart was pounding and her physical condition was gradually becoming abnormal.

 

“Are you really okay?”

 

Deliam looked up with eyes full of concern.

 

“Yes. It’s okay. There’s nothing to worry about.”

 

She tried to get him to nod and reassure the child. Finally, in front of the stone statue, she took a deep breath. It was the moment when she slowly blinked and took in the stone statue completely. A strong wind picked up somewhere, sending hair flying in the air. Her hair fluttered and momentarily blocked her vision. After the strong wind disappeared, she took a step back at the new sight that unfolded before her eyes. Surprisingly, the place where she was standing now was not the central chapel from before.

 

“What on earth is this….”

 

There were no children, Ladiana, knights or anything else around. In front of her, there was only grass, trees, a fountain, and a huge stone statue… A stone statue. Yes, the statue was the only thing that didn’t change. However, the current stone statue had a very different feel from the stone statue seen in the central chapel. It felt like the divine energy had become so strong that it was overwhelming. For some reason, she wanted to touch it. When she got that urge, her legs started to move.

 

When she finally arrived in front of the statue, she stretched out her hand as if fascinated. That was the moment when her hand completely touched the stone statue. The strong wind blew again, blurring visibility. After her vision finally returned, a large tree instead of a stone statue filled her vision. What was this tree again? When she looked around, the sight was completely different from before. The place she was now was in the forest. A large, old-looking tree that exudes the most majesty among trees. It was a time when she was quietly looking up at that tree. A small chirping tickled her ears. When she raised her head a little more, she saw a white bird sitting between the branches of a large tree.

 

A strange bird with white eyes. A strangely strange-looking bird was quietly looking down at her. The moment when the head of the white bird, which was looking down at her without even blinking, tilted slightly. The bird began to descend rapidly. It was a movement like the wind, not a bird. The bird arrived in front of her in an instant and lightly circled around her. It seemed as if he was examining her, which made her nervous. Even though it was just a small bird, it felt like there was something inaccessible right in front of her. The bird that was gently circling around eventually landed lightly on her shoulder. Even the slightest movement caused her entire body to freeze. She was so nervous that she couldn’t even breathe, but the bird chirped clearly. Then, like a lie, the tension in her body completely disappeared.

 

Now she felt too uneasy… She looked down at the bird that had slid from her shoulder to her arm. She raised her arm and brought it to eye level with the bird. The bird was still staring at her with its white eyes without even blinking. Did he mind if she touched it? After a little hesitation, she very carefully smoothed the bird’s head with her other hand. Then, the bird’s eyes curved gently, albeit slightly. And the bird laughed. In some ways, it may not have been that special, but for her, the image of the bird was more intensely embedded in her mind than ever before.

 

“Who the hell are you?”

 

The words flowed out without her even realizing it. It’s definitely a bird, but why did it feel like it’s not a bird? At that time, the bird flapped its wings lightly and flew upward toward the tree. At the same time, a strong wind rose again, blocking the view of the hair.

 

“…lia. Elia, are you okay?”

 

Deliam’s voice could be heard clearly right nearby.

 

“…uh?”

 

When she came to her senses, she found herself in the central chapel from before. What happened? She urgently looked around. There were no trees, birds or anything, let alone the scenery from before. What on earth was going on…? She thought she was just dreaming for a moment, it was so hazy.

 

“…lia?”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I was just filled with admiration and got carried away without realizing it.”

 

When she pointed to the stone statue, the child nodded as if he understood. She turned her head and looked at Ladiana.

 

“Can we go see some other places?”

 

She had a strong feeling that she should go somewhere else too. Even without knowing why.

 

“Sure. I’ll show you around.”

 

Diana smiled and walked away. The child and she looked around the temple under the guidance of Ladiana. Just when she thought she had seen enough to overflow, the unpleasant feeling she felt made her turn her head. Unlike other places, the deep but slightly dark interior space catches the eye.

 

“Lady Ladiana, where is that place?”

 

“Oh, that place?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“There is a prayer room that only the high priest can enter.”

 

“A prayer room?”

 

“Yes. I heard that only priests are allowed to enter because they can hear the words of God directly.”

 

She looked into the dark hallway where the prayer room would be. Although it was said that entry was restricted to anyone except the High Priest… Why did she keep thinking about going down there? She became very upset due to the impulse; she didn’t know why this was happening.

 

She let out a small breath. Even now, she didn’t know if it’s the illusion she saw earlier. By the way, thoughts about the flying bird were all that filled her mind. Since she didn’t feel bad at all, it seemed like there was no doubt that it was some sort of sacred being. Just as her thoughts were about to deepen, she felt her skin prickling… Was this really what it felt like?

 

She urgently looked around. However, the only people visible were Deliam, Ladiana, and other knights. It was quite similar to the feeling she got from the Marquis she met at the banquet before… But no matter where she looked, she couldn’t see even a strand of hair, let alone the Marquis’s collection.

 

“Why are you doing this?”

 

“…I thought I saw the Marquis just now.”

 

“By the Marquis, do you mean the Marquis of Dior?”

 

“Yes.”

 

She looked around and waved her hand.

 

“But you can’t see it? He is a person who comes to the temple often, and he always leaves late, so maybe you saw it wrong?”

 

“…I guess that’s true, right?”

 

“Yes. And if you had come here, you should have seen a carriage with the Marquis’ emblem in front of the main gate. Considering that it wasn’t there, I don’t think you are coming now.”

 

Of course it was. When she got off the carriage, the only carriage in front of the main gate was the carriage that Ladiana rode in and the carriage that they rode in. But there’s no law that says you have to park the carriage at the front door, right?

 

“Isn’t there an entrance here other than the front door? I think there’s usually a back door as well.”

 

“There is a back entrance at the back of the temple, but it is not allowed to enter or leave without permission.”

 

“Why?”

 

“The back gate is connected to a sacred forest, so control is limited.”

 

Sacred Forest? Ladiana seems to have realized her doubts and adds an explanation.

 

“It was said that it was once used as a resting place for ancient gods. I have never been there myself, but I have never been there.”

 

It was a resting place for the ancient gods…

 

“I see. Thank you for explaining.”

 

“What.”

 

She looked at the smiling Ladiana and then lowered her gaze towards the child. The child was busy wandering around.

 

“Do you like coming here?”

 

“Yes. It’s so nice to come out with Elia.”

 

“Still, I don’t think I’ll be able to go through the water tunnel like last time. Is that okay?”

 

“Yes. It’s okay. I’m just happy it came out like this.”

 

She was glad it was still good. She, who was taking turns talking with Liam and Ladiana, turned her head when she heard footsteps coming from behind. The Duke and a priest wearing a white costume were walking here with a colorful figure. She stared at the gray-haired middle-aged man next to the Duke. The outfit didn’t seem to be typical of a priest. A middle-aged man came up to her and introduced himself with a kind smile.

 

“Thank you for coming. My name is Loud Sequon, the high priest of the Rubir Temple.”

 

“It is an honor to meet you, High Priest Loud Sequon. This is Elia Rotten.”

 

Even after greeting the high priest, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. Why did she feel so groggy? The sacred energy that came from the stone table in the central chapel was not felt at all by this person. Of course, shouldn’t she have a similar feeling as a priest? However, she could not find any sense of divinity in the man in front of her. Rather, she just felt a strong feeling of not wanting to get involved, something she felt from the Marquis. Although he was clearly smiling kindly, it felt like a pretense to her.

 

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Translator Note: