CHAPTER 43: SAVE NEAR-RUINED WORLD

Gara and Madha attention shifted at the sound coming from outside the house.

It was Wina. She had returned from the field. Her eyes widened slightly upon seeing Madha.

Quickly, Gara stepped in with an explanation. He said that the white squirrel had been found injured not far from the house, and that Madha had just happened to help bring it in.

Yes... he lied again.

Fortunately, Madha didn’t say a word. He just nodded along with Gara’s story.

Wina stood beside the small creature and gently examined it.

"She’s pregnant," she murmured, lightly pressing the squirrel’s slightly swollen belly.

Curious, Gara walked closer to see for himself. Sure enough, the squirrel’s belly was slightly bigger than normal. At first, he thought she was just fat or had recently eaten.

"This must be the one that got bitten by that villager’s dog," Wina said thoughtfully. "Once she’s healed, I’ll take her back to the mountains. It’s not safe for her to roam in a village, or at least the village dogs will get her again."

Gara gave a small nod.

Then Wina turned her attention to Madha and said with stern voice. "It’s time for lunch. I didn’t prepare much today, so I’m afraid I can’t invite you to stay and eat with us."

Madha understood at once. "Then I’ll head back to my village."

Gara saw him to the front of the house, waving as the tall young man departed.

"Remember to change your wound’s herbs every day, okay?" he reminded him.

Madha nodded obediently.

But the moment Gara stepped back inside, he was met with Wina’s sharp gaze.

"Who gave you permission to let someone through the barrier?"

"I didn’t mean to, Mom," Gara said quickly, putting on his best pleading look. "I panicked when I saw how badly hurt the squirrel was."

Wina let out a sharp breath through her nose, clearly holding back a longer scolding.

"This barrier is here to protect you, Gara. As long as you don’t mind someone—or something—entering, they can get through. That’s why you have to be careful. You can’t just invite anyone in. What if they have bad intentions?"

Gara reached out to grab her arm, speaking in a playful, affectionate tone. "I understand, Mom. But Madha’s been my friend since we were little, so I trust him. I won’t let anyone else in. Promise!"

Wina softened immediately. "Good. I’m glad you understand."

She then headed to the kitchen to prepare lunch, while Gara stayed behind to clean up his experimental table, which had gotten messy in the rush earlier.

Once that was done, his gaze returned to the sleeping squirrel, nestled on a cloth still stained with blood.

Carefully, Gara picked her up and brought her into his small bedroom. He gently placed her near the foot of his bed.

The mattress was thin—just a layer of cotton padding—but it was still better than the hard table.

The squirrel looked like a tiny corpse, completely still. Gara knew this was the effect of the anesthetic.

Her fur was snowy white, except for the palms of her hands and feet, and a single black stripe running down her forehead.

Earlier, when he carried her, he’d noticed how soft her fur was. He reached out and gently stroked the top of her head.

He didn’t know why, but the touch brought him comfort.

"So... you’re pregnant too, huh?" he whispered, speaking to her like she was an old friend. "Did you come to the village to find more food for your babies?"

He tilted his head. "Is this your first pregnancy? Is being a mom hard?"

His hand moved to his own stomach as memories crept in of the his original world. Back when he was still a woman. He had once dreamed of marriage, of having children.

But work had taken over. Supporting the family had taken over.

And somewhere along the way... he had forgotten all of that.

He had once thought that his older brother’s three children whom he had raised since they were little might be the last children he would ever care for.

Maybe he would never marry or have kids of his own.

Maybe his life would revolve solely around making money.

But to his surprise, he was sent to this fantasy world and tasked with having 100 children.

How chaotic would this house be if I had 100 kids? The thought slipped into Gara’s mind unconsciously.

"You’re not going to raise all 100 of your children here!" snapped the voice of Goddess Freya, suddenly appearing, clearly annoyed. "Your children will be key figures in this world. They will save it from destruction."

He had only been thinking quietly to himself. Of course he knew he couldn’t raise 100 children in a small village like this.

Still, Gara frowned. His children would save this world from destruction?

"This world is on the brink of ruin?" he asked, trying to steer the conversation in a way that might coax more information from the goddess.

"This world only has five years left. Its inhabitants think they’ve regained control over the lands once swallowed by the mist, and that they’ve adapted to the Mist’s attack patterns. But in truth,

while they’ve been waiting for the next wave, the Mistfiends hiding within the fog have been multiplying the Mistwalkers, preparing for the real, devastating assault."

"And what could my unborn children possibly do against Mistfiends?" Gara asked sharply. "No matter how special they are, how could toddlers stand a chance against a force like that?"

"Damn it! Why did I tell you that?!" The goddess finally realized she had been tricked into spilling information.

"Tsk. Tsk. How can goddess curse."

"It’s all your fault! You tricked me again."

Despite the success of his little trick, Gara looked more annoyed than triumphant. "Just tell me everything! You’re the one who sent me here so my children could save the world. The least you can do is tell me how!"

"Bringing you here was already going against the will of the heavens. Don’t expect too much from me. Your children will answer their own destiny."

...