A small mountain valley village, Bendel.
The day in Bendel begins at dawn.
Merchants must set out early to travel to the city, while woodcutters and herbalists busily prepare for their climb.
The village women wake up early to prepare meals for their husbands, who will toil through the day.
Once the men have left, they tend to housework and childcare.
Amidst everyone’s busyness, only the children wake up late, but they make up for it with boundless energy.
They play to their heart’s content while the sun is up, only to fall asleep early, exhausted.
An ordinary yet peaceful daily life.
But peaceful days did not always last.
In a quiet village like Bendel, there was no reason to expect treasure or riches.
Yet, there were always ruffians who would take even the little they had.
“Everyone, get down!”
“If you don’t want to die, hand over everything valuable!”
Bandits swarmed in and took control of the village.
They had timed their invasion perfectly, striking when most of the men were gone.
Forcing the villagers to their knees, they gathered the defenseless women and children in the village square, pointing swords at them.
The weapons were crude, their blades chipped and rusted, but to the peaceful villagers, unfamiliar with violence, they were terrifying.
“P-please, spare us!”
“Don’t worry. We don’t plan on killing you.”
“Ha! I didn’t expect much from a mountain village, but there are some pretty decent-looking women here!”
“If we sell them to slavers, we’ll make quite a profit!”
“But before that… let’s have some fun with a few of them first.”
The bandits licked their lips, eyeing the terrified women with lecherous gazes.
Disgusted, the women trembled, clutching their children tightly, determined to protect them no matter what.
Their fear only excited the bandits further, fueling their cruelty.
“Now, let’s see… how about we start with this one? She’s got a nice chest!”
Just as a filthy hand reached out to grope a woman’s body—
The bandit’s words were cut short, his reaching hand frozen in midair.
A faint, thin line appeared on his unwashed, grimy neck.
Then, blood seeped out.
A moment later, his head tilted and slid off, landing on the ground with a dull thud.
The bandit’s body remained upright for a second, as if it hadn’t realized it was dead.
“Kyaaaah!”
The women screamed, hastily covering their children’s eyes.
The cries naturally drew the attention of the remaining bandits.
As their eyes scanned the scene, disbelief struck them like a hammer.
One of their own had been slaughtered in an instant.
“Who the hell did this?! Who killed our youngest?!”
“B-Boss! Over there…!”
The culprit was easy to spot.
They weren’t even trying to hide, standing tall with a bloodstained sword in hand.
But what truly shocked the bandits was the attacker’s identity.
It wasn’t a strong, burly man.
It was a pregnant woman, her belly round and full.
“You dare threaten peaceful villagers with your weapons and lay your filthy hands on married women? Shame on you!”
The woman who had sliced the bandit’s throat spoke without a hint of fear, her voice ringing with righteous fury.
Stunned, the bandits could do nothing but gape at her in disbelief.
The woman’s true identity was none other than Letia, a former hero who once defended the kingdom.
However, the bandits, oblivious to this fact, quickly regained their composure and snarled viciously.
“This crazy woman! You dare lay a hand on us?!”
“Just wait! I’ll kill the brat in your belly and make sure you carry my child instead!”
“Hah! You’ll spend your life as nothing more than a breeding animal, our plaything forever!”
Hearing such horrifying declarations, Letia’s eyes burned with fury.
She clenched her sword tightly, vowing never to forgive them.
Just as she was about to strike, a figure stepped in front of her—Zenith, who had abandoned her position as an aide.
“Please, calm yourself. There isn’t much time left before you give birth. Such intense movements aren’t good for the child.”
“But they just spewed unforgivable filth from their mouths!”
“I understand your anger, but such rage isn’t good for prenatal care. For the sake of your child, you must stay calm. Besides…”
Zenith’s gaze shifted upward, looking beyond the bandits’ faces.
“The one who’s truly furious… is someone else.”
Her eyes were fixed on the rooftop of a nearby building, where a lone figure stood.
The man’s face was hidden beneath a tightly wrapped cloak and hood, but the way he carried himself radiated pure, unrelenting fury.
With a swift motion, he drew the sword from his waist.
Then, like a shadow, he leaped forward.
From the rooftop’s edge, he kicked off and soared through the air.
Boom!
He landed in the village square with a resounding impact—his sword plunging straight into the skull of one of the bandits.
Using the collapsing corpse as a foothold, he launched himself once more, driving his blade through the neck of another.
“W-what the hell?!”
“We’re under attack!”
“But it’s just one guy?”
“There could be more! Stay alert!”
Chaos erupted among the bandits as they scrambled to understand what was happening.
Even with the enemy right before them, they frantically looked around for more threats.
The lone swordsman let out a slow, deliberate breath.
“I’m not handing you over to anyone else. Every last one of you… I’ll kill with my own hands.”
His voice was cold as steel, sending a chill down the spines of the bandits.
A creeping fear gripped them, as if they were prisoners awaiting their executioner’s verdict.
“Don’t be scared! He’s just one man!”
“Still… he’s clearly no ordinary fighter.”
“Doesn’t matter! Numbers always win!”
The bandits moved swiftly, surrounding him in a tight formation.
Without needing orders, several of them grabbed hostages, pressing blades to the throats of the villagers.
Their intention was clear—restrict the swordsman’s actions by using the villagers as leverage.
Yet, to their shock, the man didn’t even flinch.
‘Why is he so calm? Does he not care if these people die?’
‘Wait… what’s this?’
Suddenly, a strange sensation clouded the vision of the bandits holding the hostages.
Something warm trickled down their faces.
When they wiped it away with their palms, they realized—it was blood.
Their blood.
Then came the pain.
“Aaaaargh!”
“P-Pol’s head… there’s a hole in it!”
A gaping wound had appeared in the skull of one of the bandits.
And he wasn’t the only one.
One after another, they let out agonized screams as similar wounds opened across their heads.
Their confusion lasted only a moment before one of them grasped the horrifying truth.
“P-pebbles…?”
In the swordsman’s hand were countless small stones.
He had placed a pebble on his index finger, flicking it forward with his thumb.
Despite their tiny size, the stones had been imbued with aura, granting them the lethal force of a crossbow bolt.
“He’s… a Swordmaster!”
“What?! Why would a Swordmaster be in some backwater village?!”
“I saw it with my own eyes! He’s using aura-infused pebbles as projectiles!”
“Damn it…! Everyone, run!”
Understanding the gravity of the situation, the remaining bandits turned and scattered in different directions.
The swordsman watched their retreating figures without moving.
Then, he slowly lifted his sword.
Resting it against his shoulder, he swung it in a wide, horizontal arc—
A Blade That Cuts Through the Air
A sword sliced through the air.
At first glance, it seemed like a futile swing into empty space, but the bandits who had been desperately trying to flee all collapsed at once.
Blood gushed from their severed waists.
“For the crime of killing my child and attempting to take my wife as a plaything… repay it with death.”
With a single strike, the man had annihilated the bandits.
He sheathed his sword, his voice calm yet laced with fury.
As the situation settled, he moved to wipe the blood off himself.
However, before he could, Letia dashed forward and all but threw herself into his arms.
“Darling!”
“Whoa! Be careful!”
While Letia had leaped at him with full force out of joy, the man had to exert all his strength to catch her without putting strain on her body.
It was the first time he had broken into a sweat—something that hadn’t happened even when facing the bandits.
“You can’t just jump into my arms like that. You need to be careful, for our child’s sake.”
“Sorry, I was just so happy to see you again that I couldn’t help myself…”
“But it’s only been a day since we last saw each other.”
“To me, a day feels like a thousand years!”
Letia giggled and buried her face into his chest.
“Step back for now. I’m covered in blood—it’s filthy.”
“I don’t mind.”
“But I do. I don’t want to see my wife stained in blood.”
“Ugh! Then at least give me a kiss!”
“Well… if it’s just that…”
The man lowered his mask, revealing his face.
There was only one person Letia would call ‘darling’—Siyoon.
“Mm…!”
“You’re unbelievable.”
Siyoon gave in to Letia’s persistence and pressed his lips to hers.
As their affectionate display unfolded amidst the corpses of the fallen bandits, a bystander, Zenith, clicked her tongue.
“Judging by how affectionate you two are, I wouldn’t be surprised if you ended up having twenty more kids.”
“What are you talking about?!”
“If I offended you, I apologize.”
“Not twenty—at least thirty!”
“…Wouldn’t your husband dry up and die before that happens?”
“I’ll do my best to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Siyoon, determined to sacrifice himself for his adorable wife’s dream, suddenly had a realization.
There was a chance he might die… from exhaustion in bed.
Still, compared to his past life, it would be a happy death, so he wasn’t too worried.
“Anyway, it’s almost lunchtime. Aren’t you hungry?”
“I’m a little hungry. I rushed over here, so I only had a light breakfast.”
“Then I’ll go prepare something right away! Let’s eat together.”
“Sounds good.”
With a bright smile, Letia grabbed Siyoon’s arm and led him home.
From her beaming face to her lively steps, she was practically a golden retriever in human form.
Watching his wife, Siyoon couldn’t help but smile.
However, he had overlooked one crucial fact.
Dogs… have mating seasons.
“Uh… honey?”
“Yes?”
“Is it just me, or is today’s meal strangely… nutritious?”
“Hehe…♡”
Letia blushed, her face turning a deep shade of pink.
Even an idiot could tell what she was implying.
Siyoon, unable to simply put down the food that had already been served, forced himself to eat under Letia’s expectant gaze.
For some reason, he felt like he was getting indigestion.
“Shouldn’t we start being careful?”
“They say you need to be cautious starting from the ninth month. I still have about seven days left before that.”
To Siyoon’s ears, it sounded like she was saying, I’m going to devour you for the next week.
After all, once those seven days passed, they wouldn’t be able to be intimate until after the birth.
Since avoiding it could stress out the mother-to-be, Siyoon had no right to refuse.
“Can I take a quick bath first?”
“Uh… Y-Yeah, sure!”
As a married man, those were the scariest words he could hear.
And so, Siyoon endured a long and lonely meal.
Is this really okay when the sun hasn’t even set yet…?
He thought he wouldn’t be able to eat properly out of nervousness, but the healthy meal Letia had prepared was surprisingly delicious.
He ended up finishing everything.
Once the meal was over, Siyoon trudged toward the bedroom with a heavy heart.
Making love to his beloved wife was a joyous act.
However, in Letia’s case… once she let loose, her desire was boundless.
One time, he had actually passed out, only to wake up and find that she still wasn’t finished. It had been traumatizing.
Since then, Siyoon couldn’t help but feel anxious whenever he fulfilled his duties as a husband.
It’ll be fine.
We have a baby on the way, so Letia will surely hold back.
Holding on to that hope, Siyoon swung the bedroom door open and stepped inside.
“You’re here?”
“Oh… wow…!”
Siyoon couldn’t help but let out an exclamation at what he saw.
He had seen Letia in her ‘battle lingerie’ countless times before.
By now, he shouldn’t have been fazed.
But this time was different.
The delicate, sheer fabric revealed glimpses of her soft skin, making for an enticing sight.
Yet what captivated him the most… was the way her belly was slightly protruding beneath the lingerie.
That alone was enough to send Siyoon’s desire into overdrive.
“…Possible…!”
“Kyaa~♡”
Siyoon simply couldn’t resist the sight of her round belly.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.