It was an ominous sound.
Axel and Kirke exchanged quick glances before rushing inside together. Though the sharp, ear-piercing scream had already subsided, the atmosphere within was chilling—far removed from what one would expect in the aftermath of a laborious childbirth. Both the Imperial Physician and the personal doctor from the Elpinard family, who had been assisting the Empress, along with the maids who had been helping with minor tasks, were all pale as sheets.
A canopy hung over the bed where the Empress lay, making it difficult to immediately assess her condition.
“What happened?”
Kirke urgently questioned the Imperial Physician.
“W-Well, you see…”
But the physician, who had just arrived, was stammering, unable to grasp the situation himself. Frustrated, Kirke turned her gaze to the Elpinard family's doctor.
“You explain.”
“Y-Your Majesty…”
Though trembling, the doctor finally began to explain, albeit haltingly.
“Fortunately, despite the difficulties, Her Majesty the Empress has safely delivered. However…”
His voice trailed off, unable to continue. Unable to bear it any longer, Kirke stepped forward and pulled back the canopy.
The first thing she saw was the Empress, drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted. Then, below her, something strange caught Kirke's eye.
“…An egg?”
Kirke couldn’t believe what she was seeing. As impossible as it seemed, a small child was curled up inside a translucent, jelly-like egg. A mysterious liquid was slowly seeping through a small tear in the egg, adding to the grotesque scene.
Kirke, still in disbelief, turned to the doctors.
“Are you telling me… this is what the Empress gave birth to?”
“I’m afraid so,” the two doctors answered, bowing their heads deeply.
Only then did Kirke understand the source of the earlier scream. She stumbled back a step, stunned. Of course, she had hoped for a healthy child—after all, it was her own—but there was more to it than that. The child’s existence held immense political significance. Only by securing a solid heir could they keep the former emperor’s faction in check.
But if word got out that the Empress had given birth to a strange egg instead of a healthy child, it would cause unimaginable turmoil.
Biting her lip, Kirke drew a dagger from her cloak. It was a dull-edged paper knife, but for a Swordmaster, the sharpness of the weapon hardly mattered.
“Y-Your Majesty!”
Seeing Kirke armed, the two doctors jumped in alarm. Did she think it would be better to eliminate the bizarre child on the spot?
“Please, calm down…!”
Before anyone could stop her, Kirke swiftly swung her sword. Once the Swordmaster had resolved to act, no amount of the doctors' pleading could change her course. The only person capable of stopping her was Axel, but he made no effort to intervene. He believed that his friend would never do anything wrong.
Kirke's sword sliced cleanly through the translucent surface of the egg. Like a water-filled pouch bursting, the liquid inside gushed out all at once, and the child, who had been curled up as if lifeless, began to stir slightly.
"Waaaah…"
The faint whimper from the child quickly grew into a loud cry. The doctors, who had expected the emperor to mercilessly dispose of the strange egg, snapped out of their daze and rushed to the crying child.
“It’s the prince!”
“His condition is excellent!”
Hearing the doctors’ swift assessment, Kirke let out a sigh of relief and glanced at Axel. Axel lightly patted Kirke’s shoulder in a congratulatory gesture before turning to address the two physicians and maids who were still in the room.
“Isn’t this a remarkable birth? The prince is a precious child, blessed by the heavens, born wrapped in a holy protective barrier.”
Everyone quickly understood the implication of Axel’s words. They could keep quiet about the fact that the prince had been born from a strange egg. However, the more people involved, the harder it would be to completely suppress rumors. That’s why Axel decided to reveal the truth, but with a plausible narrative to cover it.
The prince's birth was indeed peculiar. But if it was framed not as something bizarre, but as a divine blessing, the significance of today’s event would change entirely.
“Indeed. Congratulations, Your Majesty. The prince has been born with the blessing of the gods!”
The sharp-witted imperial physician was the first to kneel before the emperor and offer his congratulations. As soon as he did, everyone in the room followed suit, bowing their heads to Kirke and the prince.
“Congratulations!”
“A blessing for the empire!”
As praise poured in without pause, Kirke shot Axel an incredulous look. Axel, brimming with confidence, gave a slight nod, prompting Kirke to chuckle despite herself. However, beneath the laughter, her mind was a tangled web of thoughts.
Why was the Empress at the Elpinard estate? Where had the trusted maid who always stayed by her side gone?
Everything remained shrouded in mystery.
***
“Serlussss!”
Relentlessly calling out the name until it could no longer be ignored, a response finally came.
[Subscriber… When you summon me so fervently, it makes me incredibly uneasy…]
Serlus, usually so lively, spoke with an unusual caution. It was clear he had sensed the tense atmosphere.
“Refund me!”
[Refund?]
"The hourglass was defective. I used it exactly as the guide explained, but nothing happened."
[Ah, I’m already aware of that issue. As the manager of your reincarnation subscription, I always keep a close ear on your affairs!]
Serlus’s voice, which had been cautious, quickly returned to its usual cheerful tone. I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh—how could he be so nonchalant after selling me a defective product?
"Then this should be easy. Just refund me quickly. If that’s too much, at least give me a working hourglass."
[Hmm... I’m really sorry, but the hourglass you received is not defective.]
"What? You said you always keep an eye on my affairs! You must have seen that nothing happened when I flipped the hourglass."
[Yes, I did indeed see that.]
Serlus continued in an infuriatingly calm tone.
[If you check the guide closely, you’ll see on the very last line, ‘You cannot travel to a future that doesn’t exist, and in such cases, the usage fee is non-refundable.’]
"What?"
Had there really been such a line?
I hurriedly opened the user guide and projected it into the air. I was sure I had carefully gone over the guide, but I had no memory of seeing such a disclaimer.
"The last line…"
I squinted, scanning the last line, but there was no such phrase.
"Huh?"
As I muttered to myself, something small caught my eye. It was just a dot.
With a sinking feeling, I leaned in closer to the floating text, almost pressing my nose against the screen. Only then did I realize that what had seemed like a dot was, in fact, tiny, barely legible writing. And the message was exactly what Serlus had described.
"Hah... This is the kind of trick con artists use…"
As I stared at the empty air in disbelief, Serlus’s smug voice reached me.
[We in Heaven strictly adhere to the guide!]
"Oh, I’m sure you do," I replied sarcastically, staring again at the minuscule text.
'You cannot travel to a future that doesn’t exist.'
The meaning was clear.
"The Mad Dragon's resurrection will fail, then."
But in the future where I had obtained the translated prophecy, my companions and I had fought and defeated the **resurrected** Mad Dragon.
"Which means…"
The future has changed?