As soon as these words were spoken, both of Keti’s parents fell silent.
Keya, her mother, rubbed her chin and said thoughtfully, “It does seem that way. After all, your father’s bloodline and mine… But even if you two really did end up together, wouldn’t it be a bit…”
“Wait, that’s not the problem!”
Seeing that her parents seemed ready to cave, the silver-haired girl quickly began to argue back.
“Why did you all believe Alice’s words when there is such a huge problem with them? This is very wrong! You’re making it sound like I can only have children if I’m with Alice!”
“Even if I change back into a boy, I might marry another girl, right? And… even as a girl, who said our family line would definitely end with me! I… I can get pregnant and be a mother myself now!”
A successful rebuttal!
Well, it was certainly successful, but the impact might have been a bit too shocking. After Keti finished her “I can be a mother too” speech, her parents and Alice were plunged into a long silence.
After a long while, it was Keya who first rested her chin in her hand and said, sounding a bit embarrassed for Keti:
“Oh my… I didn’t expect my sweetie’s desire to be a mother to be so strong. Could it be… that you already have a boyfriend or something out there?”
“Eh? I—that…”
Cold sweat immediately poured down Keti’s face. She was done for; it felt like she had just been countered. Something was wrong. Since when was her desire to be a mother strong? This…
The scene was pure chaos. The three members of Keti’s family collectively gasped.
“Huh? So… Keti, are you really with that Lynn fellow…”
The light faded even further from Alice’s eyes.
“Calm down! Calm down, Alice! Mama will help you!”
“Haha, don’t worry, Alice. Keti promised to protect you for a lifetime. That’s a man’s promise! I’ll make sure to keep an eye on him too!”
“Wait, wait, wait… I don’t like Lynn! I definitely don’t!”
“What’s with that tsundere tone of yours!”
The situation was incredibly messy for a time. However, in the end, through the desperate efforts of the parents, Alice was finally stabilized. The first day of Keti’s return home finally passed in peace.
Of course, since she had finally made it back, she had to stay for at least two days.
It had been a long time since she had been here. Lying on her familiar little bed, the silver-haired girl let out a sigh, feeling a rare sense of peace. Perhaps she really could escape many of her troubles here.
Keti thought this and then sighed again.
‘If I just stayed in this little village for the rest of my life…’
But she couldn’t.
That was no longer the life she wanted. As for what kind of future the girl actually desired… just as she wanted to run away from the thought, Keti shook her head because she knew the answer clearly.
The silver-haired girl felt that the image was a bit blurry, yet it was gradually becoming clear.
“Let’s just rest for today.”
“Sigh, forget it… I won’t think about it so much. I’ll stay here for a few days first,” the girl murmured to herself.
However… there was one more thing.
She had vanished so suddenly. Layla and Sylvia were fine; they had just told Alice about her situation before she disappeared, so they would surely realize this had something to do with Alice. But Lynn knew nothing. He might be very worried about her.
‘Fine, I’ll send them a message.’
The silver-haired girl thought to herself. Her current strength was more than enough to send a message.
The girl quickly crafted a magic messenger pigeon and let it fly toward the Imperial Capital, carrying the message that she would be staying in her hometown for two days.
*Knock, knock, knock—!*
A few minutes later, Keti had just released the pigeon and was preparing to sleep when a knock suddenly came from the bedroom door.
The silver-haired girl jerked in a reflexive start, thinking Alice had come to “ambush” her. She nearly tried to fly away with the pigeon.
“Sweetie, are you asleep? You haven’t been home in so long, Mama wants to chat with you.”
Keya’s voice came from outside the door. The silver-haired girl immediately let out a sigh of relief. She opened the door and lunged into her mother’s arms.
“Oh, there, there. How did you become even more of a crybaby after becoming a girl? You’re so cute, my baby. Shall we go inside and talk?”
“Mom…”
“Mhm…”
The two walked into the room and closed the door. Keti sat on the bed, quietly waiting for her mother to speak.
“Sweetie, what are your thoughts regarding Alice? That little girl looks like she won’t give up until she has you~”
“I…”
Keti lowered her head. In truth, she didn’t know how to handle Alice.
To be honest, if she really had no feelings for Alice at all, she could have just ignored her or cut ties entirely. But… having grown up together, Alice had long since become like family to her.
Keti didn’t want to do anything that would hurt family.
“Hehe, you look like you’re in a tough spot. A lot must have happened while you were adventuring outside, right? You’ve become quite strong now, sweetie. Are you at A-Rank yet?”
“Um… actually, for some reason, I’ve been growing the whole time…”
“Hmm? I was talking about your Magic Talent. While you were out there—did you really not get targeted by any strange people?”
Keya teased her blankly, prompting the girl to cough twice.
“Cough… so that’s what you meant.”
However, Lynn didn’t seem to fit any of those “strange person” characteristics.
But very quickly, the silver-haired girl noticed something odd.
“Mom, you…” Keti stared strangely at her mother, who seemed to see through everything.
“How did you know my Magic Talent had improved? It was supposed to be D-Rank… Talent isn’t something that usually grows, and yet I…”
“Mom, do you know something?”
The beautiful woman curled her lips and then took a deep breath, rubbing the girl’s head.
“Hmm… do I know, or do I not?”
She spoke softly.
“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say, sweetie. It’s time I told you. But… you must never tell anyone else. Not anyone. Otherwise… our family will be in great danger.”
Keti remained silent for a moment and then nodded.
“Okay!”
She felt like her mother was about to tell her something she had never heard before. After all… she had always felt that her abilities were a bit too unique.
Even Lynn and that mage executive, Celthina, had never seen a situation like hers.
What exactly was the reason behind it?
“Well… alright. Actually, sweetie, your dad and mom aren’t just an ordinary pair of farmers, they are—”