The Baby Isn’t Yours

A few years ago, there had been a time when Kalia had ventured into the Fairy Forest at great risk to expedite the elimination of the enemies in their base.

During that time, she had discovered that the Illusion Mist of the Fairy Forest didn’t affect her.

She had hidden this fact as if it was a closely guarded secret, treating it as a valuable weapon that could be utilized effectively. It had enabled her to end battles swiftly, truly becoming her secret weapon.

‘What should I do?’

Kalia gazed at the sky beyond the window but didn’t answer the question.

Although it was still afternoon with the sun lingering high in the sky, it would set in just two hours. After the sun went down, there would be no hope of finding the children. Even the Fairy Forest became somewhat perilous after dark.

Though it might not have been so dangerous for her in the past, she was in a different state now, so she couldn’t be sure.

The sun would set soon. Time to contemplate was running short.

Kalia gently caressed her round belly. Inside that bulging belly, Sasha, who wasn’t born yet, lay asleep.

If it were not for her pregnancy, there was no doubt she would be out there searching, no matter the discomfort or moral dilemma.

Even if she was doing nothing at home and just waiting for news the next day, no one would blame her.

‘But right now, I’m the only one in this village who isn’t affected by the Illusion Mist of the Fairy Forest.’

No one else knew that, but she was well aware of it herself.

The idea of abandoning herself.

Could Kalia do it? That’s just worrying about whether her actions might jeopardize her unborn child.

If she wasn’t pregnant, she would have had no hesitation.

Kalia caressed her belly, her expression tense with a deep concern.

At that moment, her belly protruded and made contact with her outstretched hand. The baby’s movements, though likely imagined, were as if the child knew something, playfully tickling her mother’s hand.

Kalia smiled involuntarily at the pleasant sensation that made her baby seem happy. Then, she thought about something.

‘If Sasha were trapped in the Fairy Forest, and even I couldn’t do anything about it, how would I feel?’

Her heart constricted. Merely thinking about it made her anxious to the point where her head began to spin. If it were her, it would have been beyond desperation and grief.

If there was even a 1% chance of finding hope, Kalia would willingly wander through the dark and illusions of the Fairy Forest.

And Mrs. McCanna, who she knew, was a person who would willingly do the same, always speaking with a warm smile whenever she talked about her family.

‘…But.’

Despite that, Kalia couldn’t help but hesitate. It wasn’t about the risk but the concern that her actions might burden her unborn child, and that was all.

While it might not matter to anyone else, for Kalia, it was a source of worry.

‘However, the only one not affected by the Illusion Mist of the Fairy Forest in this village is me.’

No one else knew that, but she was aware of it.

Nevertheless, Kalia still hesitated, understandably so. It didn’t matter if something bad happened to her, but she was just worried that her actions might strain the child in her stomach.

Tock, tock, tock…

Once again, Sasha gently tapped Kalia’s palm, which rested on her round belly, as if tickling his mother’s hand, as if he knew what was on Kalia’s mind.

Kalia gently caressed her belly, her face deeply contemplative.

“Allen will wait for me at the edge of the forest.”

“Kalia, you…”

Allen, his face pale with alarm, interrupted her mid-sentence.

Kalia knew what Allen was concerned about. She reached out and held his hand, and with a faint smile, she said:

“I’ll be fine. As long as I’m cautious of the illusions and don’t go into the ‘Deep Forest,’ there won’t be any danger. There aren’t any monsters either.”

“But aren’t those illusions dangerous?”

“Don’t worry about that. They don’t affect me.”

“What…?”

Alen’s forehead furrowed, seemingly unable to comprehend. Kalia gave him an abbreviated explanation with a faint, understanding smile.

“It’s a national secret. Anyway, if things go south, I have a teleportation scroll, so don’t worry too much. Also, I’m not going in alone.”

Kalia’s gaze shifted toward Hemmie.

“I’m sorry for making you look after me with my heavy body, but there’s no one I trust more than you, Hemmie. Will you come with me?”

Hemmie’s eyes widened, and she was filled with such emotion that she couldn’t express in words. She immediately nodded vigorously, replying with fervor:

“Of course!”

It was as if she was shouldering the heavy weight of the world’s savior.

Kalia smiled gratefully and took the sword she had kept on the sideboard, ready for action.

“Now, let’s hurry.”

* * *

The vicinity of the western part of the Fairy Forest was crowded with people, thanks to the festival’s aftermath.

The annual festival, which happened just once a year, had a significant impact on the village’s economy, so they couldn’t afford to stir up trouble due to the disappearance of a few children.

As a result of the children’s disappearance, a state of emergency was declared, but because there were incidents and accidents to a certain extent every year, there was no particular uproar.

“There! Step back! Do not approach!”

Upon discovering that the children had gone missing inside the Fairy Forest, the Defense Agency stationed guards at the closest stone wall to the festival square.

During the previous rainy season, part of the stone wall had collapsed, and it was reported that the children had entered through that gap.

The guards were stationed around the collapsed section of the wall.

Passersby glanced at the guards and the blue forest behind them, occasionally showing sympathetic looks, but that was all.

With awe and amazement, they passed through that place after a brief pause, admiring the purple flowers.

The news of the children’s disappearance merely brushed through the minds of most people as they continued their day.

“Please, let us in! We need to find them! They’re just ten years old now!”

But the parents of the missing children were different.

“Wait. We’re sending a search party soon.”

“It’ll be dark in two hours. When are you going to assemble and send the search party? Let us in! We’ll find them ourselves!”

But the parents of the missing children were different. They protested against the guards who blocked their way, not hesitating to rush forward.

With eyes burning red, they clashed with the guards blocking their path, their eyes fixed on the blue forest behind them, unsure of what to do.

“No, you can’t. Please wait.”

“How can we wait when it’s right in front of us!”

There was a commotion between the guards with indifferent faces controlling entry and the distressed families.

Kalia watched the scene from afar for a few moments, then turned around and went to the other side.

The Fairy Forest was a huge forest at the heart of 3 countries.

The forest, which was large enough to be called a country, stretched out from its center, a place dubbed as the deep forest. Small forests branched out from the core, like blood vessels of the heart. The forest radiated out and stretched into the three countries without bias on either side.

Though it was troublesome to each of the 3 countries, it was something that couldn’t be helped.

Fairy forests were indeed a world home to many different species. It was almost like they were another world apart. The particular race that ruled that realm had a very special and frightening power.

She would try negotiating with the owner of the Fairy Forest if she could, but they didn’t want to communicate with humans.

The Fairy King was especially hostile to humans. Or so they say.

Inevitably, the 3 countries have come to neglect and ignore the forest. Most countries took a neutral, somewhat nonchalant stance on the matter because the area of forest that did cross into their territory was not large and there was no particular harm unless one went inside.

The only actions they took to manage the threat of the forest was to build stone walls and walls and impose a restraining order.

These measures were really only continuously maintained and reinforced in large cities.

In small towns, the stone walls weren’t maintained properly and were often in the process of collapsing or already collapsed.

Just like Lua.

And because of this, every so often, stories of humans who would go missing circulated. These incidents were one of the most common to reoccur.

“I think we need to enter through the back.”

Kalia, who was walking along the stone wall surrounding the Fairy Forest, suddenly stopped in front of a certain point.

The durability of the wall must’ve been weakened and spent during the last rainy season because the stone wall collapsed under her light touch.

‘I should report it to the guards when I return. Just in case, so that any children who come nearby don’t enter.’

She was sure it would be fine now amidst the chaos of the festival and the children’s disappearance, but you could never be too careful.

Looking at the collapsed wall, Hemmie brought a pile of grass from nearby and patched the gap.

“This should do it. No one will know until we come back.”

Hemmie grinned, unable to hide her pride, and Kalia gently stroked Hemmie’s hair.

A flush of red spread over her cheeks as she couldn’t help but smile.

Kalia, with a look that seemed to say, ‘Good job,’ to Hemmie, turned and walked ahead.

* * *

Rustle.

An unusual noise that didn’t quite fit in with the dense forest filled the quiet woods.

Whenever Kalia’s emerald dress, similar in color to her eyes, brushed against the bushes, it made a soft sound, creating an illusion as if a lady was taking a leisurely stroll along the forest path.

Everything seemed that way except for the clean sword she carried.

Kalia walked into the forest, radiating an aura of calmness, despite the heightened tensions, her face not overly excited or excessively tranquil.

In contrast, Hemmie, following behind her, was filled with worry and excitement, looking unsure of what to do.

“Isn’t it too deep in, Kalia?”

“It’s fine. As long as we don’t get lost in the illusions, the Fairy Forest isn’t particularly dangerous. At least until the sun sets.”

Kalia replied nonchalantly, scanning the surroundings with her tranquil gaze.

Though Hemmie had expressed concerns, her unexcitable expression remained unchanged.

Nimble eyes carefully scanned the dense forest.

Though she had told Hemmie that it was fine, her eyes still held a sense of alertness.

In fact, the Fairy Forest itself wasn’t what she feared. Just a little while ago, the footprints she had found near the forest entrance were very unsettling.

Especially because it was a form she knew well…