The Baby Isn’t Yours

Klank!

As the two forces collided, a shock wave was generated strong enough to make the ground tremble.

“Oh.”

The power of the ice sword was reduced, Kalia retaliated by charging the sword with a wooden sword.

Even with one hand.

“You know how to use power.”

Nua, who was smiling brightly, hit Kalia with even more force.

Chunks of ice and white steam escaped from the ice sword.

A gust of wind enveloped Nua’s sword. Kalia did not back down, applying even more force.

“I don’t know why you’re doing this.”

“I want to know you. Defeat me.”

“It’s not difficult, but… I don’t know why.”

“It’s not difficult… You can give pretty cute answers.”

“You don’t seem to know how to be nice to someone you think is nice.”

Nua’s eyes sparkled as if she was amused by Kalia’s easy response.

“What if this is how I show my affection?”

“In that case, I will refuse my aunt’s love. Go home.”

Klank!

With just a wooden sword, Kalia destroyed the ice sword with a single blow.

The fairies and spirits following Nua screamed as they dodged tiny pieces of ice flying into the air.

-Nua fights!-

-Nua’s ice is cracking!-

-She broke Nua’s ice with one blow! Cracked! Wow cool!-

Even so, they showed no sign of fear.

“Hemmie, take Sasha and back off.”

“…Y-yes? Yes!”

Hemmie pushed the nanny in the side and quickly pushed the baby carriage Sasha was sleeping in and moved away.

Convinced that the three of them had moved away, Kalia seriously changed her position to deal with Nua.

She didn’t have the sword she mostly used with her, but that didn’t matter.

After all, she knew that the purpose of the other was not to kill.

“Then I’ll politely kick you out.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

The ice gathered again in Nua’s hand. This time she took the sword with both hands.

It looked like she was using a two-handed sword. Although such swords had a variety of techniques and attacks, they also had a weak point.

Kalia concentrated the sword’s energy into her wooden sword. The heat blended into a blue hue.

It was a blue flame, hotter than bright red fire.

Bam! Bam!

As soon as two swords, ice and wood, collided, the ice broke and fell like hail.

Kalia’s attack was a little more powerful this time, but the ice sword didn’t break completely, but the wooden sword left a dent in it.

In addition, the legs of Nua, who was blocking her sword, were stuck into the ground.

-Wow! Fight!-

-Wow! You can win, human!-

-Kuy! Kyuuu!-

At the sound of noisy ice spirits, Nua raised her eyebrows. The flying fairies hid behind the trees and whispered, sticking out only their heads.

-Well, you can win too.-

-Wow. Nua will win…!-

Nua shook her head and crossed her arms to unleash an attack.

Kalia moved quickly and her swords flew smoothly.

Kalia jumped.

Flying over Nua’s head, she fell behind her and stabbed Nua into the loophole with the hilt of her wooden sword.

“Where…?”

At that moment, with a colossal gust of wind, ice spikes hit Kalia.

Sharp rain fell as if it was about to pierce Kalia. She quickly moved away from some of the ice spikes and destroyed others.

At the same time, through the weakly created ice mist, she swept across the ground and swung her long sword towards Nua.

Klang!

Kalia’s sword shattered Nua’s sword.

The blow was so strong that the hands of Nua, who was clutching the sword with both hands, were numb.

“You are very good.”

Nua tousled her short white hair and smiled happily.

“Come on…? Do you want to play seriously?”

The light split from the long cuts on her palms.

This was to summon her real sword.

“You tried to resist my affection, but it was actually quite provocative.”

Kalia sighed and threw away her wooden sword.

In fact, her hands were numb too.

This wooden sword would surely crumble like dust if swung again.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

She said it was annoying, but Kalia’s heart was pounding like this for the first time in a long time.

She felt light, as if her body was soaring, as if she was exercising.

On the contrary, thanks to Nua’s coldness, she felt refreshed with every breath she took.

Now that it had happened, Kalia wanted to seriously respond.

‘I wish I had another sword with me.’

But at that moment.

-Stop! What are you doing, idiot!-

Kalia’s bracelet lit up, and Gaia, who hadn’t been heard from in a long time, appeared.

Her light yellow hair flutters in the wind.

Her plump cheeks.

Her expression of anger was bright.

“…Ah.”

Nua, shocked, looked at the hardened Gaia running towards her.

Her body, which emitted cold air, hardened, as if it had immediately turned into ice.

Gaia ran up and raised her hand and hit Nua on the head.

Pack!

-Sister Nua, you’re idiot! Don’t attack Kalia!-

Stroking the tingling back of her head, Nua looked at Gaia, who was still the same as she was when she was a child.

-What are you looking at? Once you swing your sword, finish what you started! I’m not afraid of you at all!-

The younger sister who was always with Nua.

A fragment of her younger sister said to have been created from a fragment of her soul.

She got angry at her father’s words when he said he made a ‘fake’ because she was someone very close, but she never looked for her.

But…was she really a ‘fake’?

“It’s ridiculous.”

Nua smiled sadly, rubbed the back of her head, and looked at Gaia.

Kalia also looked at Gaia, who suddenly appeared.

‘I think something has changed?’

To be precise, the overall presence became stronger.

Before, it seemed like the wind would blow her away just by touching her with one hand, but that had passed. Her expression seemed more alive without even knowing it.

“What’s on your forehead? What, you became the spirit of Amuntia?”

Hearing Nua’s words, Kalia looked at Gaia’s forehead.

There was a red flame seal that wasn’t there before.

“Everything is fake,” Nua said in a cold voice, as if she was still confused, but her eyes sparkled as she looked at Gaia.

Gaia crossed her arms and raised her voice.

-Why is my sister always such an idiot? If you take sea water and put it in your pocket, isn’t it sea water? If you cut a branch, will it suddenly turn into grass?-

It was a metaphor she had heard somewhere.

An analogy that says that if you mix yellow and white, you get no longer yellow.

‘Have you been conscious since then?’

Unlike Kalia, who looked skeptically at Gaia, Nua in front of her widened her eyes as if she had heard something great.

-Now you know that I’m made of a fragment of my soul. But just because I’m a fragment, do you think I’m not Gaia? Is my soul fake?-

“…Fake. Yes, you are not fake.-“

-Although I don’t have many old memories, in my memory Nua is my sister. My older sister.-

“…”

-You came to play with me more than once without a father knowing because you were worried that I would be left alone in the forest.-

“Oh, Gaia.”

Nua hugged her sister.

It was then that Gaia hugged her sister and stroked her like she was sorry.

-Yes. I am definitely Gaia.-

Gaia looked back and looked at Kalia.

When their eyes met, a smile spread across Gaia’s face.

In this state, Gaia whispered into Nua’s ear as if she were humming.

-Then don’t fight my daughter, sister.-

* * *

Fourth floor of the castle, temporary living room.

‘Gaia… Did she have that kind of personality?’

Kalia scratched her cheek awkwardly as she watched Gaia, in a spiritual state, looking at Sasha along with Nua.

Apparently, when they met in the forest, she seemed a little shy to Kalia, but now she looked like a tomboy.

Besides, it was only natural for her to control her sister, who looked twice bigger than her in size.

‘Well, everyone has their own side to the family…’

Trying to convince herself, Kalia took a sip from her cup of hot tea.

-My God, why is my grandson so cute? Oh my god, how sweet is he!-

“I know! I have never seen such incredible beauty before. Maybe even the queen of angels doesn’t have such beauty… Did you see that? Did you see how he smiled at me, Gaia? Kya!”

-Don’t misunderstand. He laughed at you!-

“I’m very funny. Yes! You laughed at me!”

‘Hmm… They are very noisy. They talk so loudly,’ Kalia thought blankly after drinking half a cup.

The person who exuded charisma while exchanging swords with me some time ago has disappeared, and only his hands remain.

On top of that, her eyes hurt from the ice spirits playing with the mole.

‘How bothersome. Oh…’

Perhaps the sound of Kalia’s sigh turned the heads of the two women who had been busy watching Sasha until now.

-What’s happened? Are you sick?-

Gaia ran up and touched Kalia’s forehead.

“No, I’m not sick. I’m just a little… distracted.”

No matter how you look at it, Kalia couldn’t say the word ‘mother’ to Gaia because she looked younger than her.

But Gaia didn’t seem to care.

Nua appeared behind Gaia.

Ahem, clearing her throat, she awkwardly reached out and shook Kalia’s hand.

“Are you Kalia? Yes, you are indeed Gaia’s daughter. Very bold and brave. You have lived only twenty years, but you already have such skills. Aunt is very proud.”

“Yes, by the way about it. Why did you attack me so recklessly earlier?”

“Ah, that?”