CHAPTER 24: HIS ORIGIN

As Vita was the strongest druid in Wasyah Forest, it took the combined efforts of all the druids to defeat her. Eventually, she defeated. They imprisoned her and planned to abort the baby.

Before that could happen, with the help of human servants and a few loyal druids, Vita managed to free herself. Pregnant, she fled with her human husband and a handful of human servants, including Wina.

On the druids’ side, they knew they couldn’t defeat Vita if she anticipated their attacks. Moreover, her human husband was no ordinary man; he was a noble with his own soldiers. The druids then called upon not only those from Wasyah Forest but from all of Myatra Province. This pursuit lasted for months.

In the end, after Vita gave birth to Gara, she entrusted him to Wina and a few human servants. She sent them to find a safe place, aided by her human husband’s subordinates.

During their arduous journey, several servants sacrificed themselves so Gara could live. Only Wina and one of Vita’s husband’s subordinates managed to reach the Suruta Village. They disguised themselves as husband and wife with a baby.

The subordinate continued to gather information, and the last news he brought was that Vita’s husband had died at the hands of the druids, and Vita was imprisoned, awaiting beheading.

When the subordinate left again to rescue Vita, he never returned. That was when Wina knew she was the only one left to protect Gara.

...

Gara stood there like a mannequin, half-convinced he’d just heard a fanciful bedtime story. But then Wina’s sobbing snapped him back to reality.

Her body trembled, consumed by sorrow as she recalled her past and revealed it all to the child she had protected with her very life. Gentle and kind Lady Vita, the verdant green forest, the smiles of other human servants, and the druids – all flooded her mind.

Seeing his mother, Gara slowly approached and hugged her. This woman had protected, raised, and never neglected him. Blood didn’t matter. He was sure the original owner would feel the same.

Anyway, it’s real. He hadn’t just transmigrated into a fantasy world, but into the body of a half-human, half-other race. Even this body had a deep, tangled past.

Was he going to seek revenge on them? Indeed, he’d considered it after hearing her story. But not now, and not in the near future. The important thing now was to give birth to the child smoothly.

"Mom, I still have to finish my mission. I don’t know where Myatra Province is, but it must be far from here, right? I just have to provide water—"

"You can’t, Gara! Now that you’re pregnant, the druids can easily locate you. A druid’s body is different from a human’s. As fellow druids, they can smell another druid’s scent, especially a pregnant one.

Supposedly, pregnant druids emit a strong scent so that other druids can help them if something goes wrong, considering their low libido and the scarcity of pregnant druids."

He couldn’t resist a sarcastic laugh. "I bet they used that strong scent to find my real mother. Not to protect her, but to kill her."

Wina didn’t reply, feeling a tightness in her chest, because what her nominal son said was true.

Thinking about that, he understood why Wina had chosen this mountain, with its herb fields, as their hiding place. The herbs could disguise the scent. And because his own scent was now strong, she’d put up a barrier. This was also why Langga had said he carried the same scent as the Liner from Myatra Province.

"Mom, can the human race smell the scent of a druid?"

"No. Only if they are half-human, half-another race, or if they have a lineage that also includes another race, can they smell it. But not every race; only a few. I only know elves, beastfolk races such as werewolves, and devils have this ability. Why? Did someone ask you about your race?" She looked at him with panic in her eyes.

"No, Mom. I was just curious." Then how did Langga smell the scent?

Truthfully, Langga was slightly suspicious. First, his Psionic Bloodline—Madha had said only truly talented humans could awaken a Bloodline other than Elemental.

Right, perhaps he really is that talented. But then, he could smell Gara’s scent. Again, humans couldn’t do it.

Perhaps the reason he possessed the Psionic Bloodline wasn’t because of his talent, but because he was also half-human.

Then which was his race? Gara desperately wanted to ask. But if he asked such a specific question, his mother would surely catch on. He chose not to dwell on Langga.

And despite his mother’s sad face, he asked another question. He had to be prepared for uninvited threats; he didn’t want to be a fool waiting for disaster to strike.

From Wina, he learned that not every male could become pregnant, especially not humans. Druids, along with the devil race and beastfolk races, were among the few Wina knew could experience male pregnancy.

Whew, I almost caused a major incident. If Langga knew I’m pregnant, he must have thought I wasn’t human even before I knew it myself.

However, relationships between males, or females with females, regardless of race, were common, especially in the cities. Langga, being from the capital city, likely didn’t find it awkward.

Perhaps every world was like that; in secluded places like villages or small towns, not much happened because the density and diversity were much lower than in big cities, let alone the capital.

He must be fortunate that Falopo Town was small enough that druids rarely traveled there. Another reason druids seldom left their territory was that they couldn’t stand modern structures and how blatantly other races ruined nature.

Yet druids were still stationed in big cities to collectively prepare for unwelcome Mist Monster attacks.

"Then how do male druids give birth, Mom?" This was the most important question.

After talking with Gara not only about the past but also common knowledge in this world, Wina felt better and had stopped crying a moment ago.

She answered Gara’s question with a straight face, "By cutting open the belly."

Gara, "..."

...