The Baby Isn’t Yours

It was all because of the existence of a monstrous magician with an extraordinary talent named ‘Simon Terroan.’

Standing alongside the ‘Iron Lady’ and the ‘Goddess of the Battlefield,’ Kalia.

The reigning magician, Simon Terroan.

Only one in a century.

The silvery strands of hair, like threads of silver, reaching beyond the ‘Enlightened Line,’ were proof of his abilities.

Simon was the only one in the Empire’s history to cross beyond the ‘Enlightened Line’ at a young age in his twenties, a span of over 700 years.

And what about his breathtaking beauty, inherited from his ancestors of the forest Elf race?

There wasn’t a woman in the Empire who hadn’t imagined what it would be like to fall in love with him.

Except for one.

The problem is, that one person was Simon’s beloved woman.

In any case, being able to spend a century with such a beautiful and great magician, and achieving together, it was no wonder that the popularity of the Imperial Magic Department among young magicians was soaring.

Even though he was like a protagonist, his colleagues who worked alongside him treated him as if he were the devil.

In fact, this mission was expected to take about a month.

Visiting seven cities, repairing seventeen magic circles, and attending meetings at three magic branches – a grueling schedule.

But Simon Terroan, the Minister of the Magic Department who looked like an angel on the outside, had neatly cut that schedule down to 14 days.

He did it by siphoning off their mana, like blood, and using it!

‘Even if he’s a 12th-class, we’re barely in the 8th class! The wicked man! The dirty man! You pretty bad man, do it all by yourself!’

They cursed him to their hearts’ content, but they couldn’t say it out loud.

Born in an era where social classes were everything, it was a given.

Not only social class but also magical talent, an immense talent blessed by the gods all at once, they couldn’t rebel against such a person.

And his temperament, how dirty it was, those who were late in their work or made excuses without reasons were quickly demoted.

The only one who dared to speak up and express his dissent was the eccentric Derek, but even he had fallen strangely silent in recent days.

Simon’s temperament had been up and down for several months, especially after Derek’s ‘conversion masterpiece.’

‘…No, there’s no way it would fail.’

That pink scroll was indeed Derek’s conversion masterpiece.

The magic of love, infused with the full force of Derek Descart, the genius of scrolls!

A magical book that amplified even the slightest bit of affection like a dragon’s golden dung, with no secondary side effects, as it was based on the ‘heart’ one had, not on hypnosis or mental binding!

‘It took a full 165 days of research, and I stayed up for 7 nights to make it!’

Whether it was friendship or brotherhood, Derek had been sure that Kalia would respond to that scroll in some way, because she had some affection for Simon, no matter what form it took.

There was no need to talk about Simon’s feelings; it was clear for all to see.

“Put it away, Derek, I don’t need this.”

Simon refused bluntly, but Derek had neatly packed it and brought it to his laboratory.

And the day after, when he checked, the scroll had been activated.

The problem was, although it activated, it didn’t seem to activate properly.

The rising temperatures toward each other manifested as tingling sparks, and as their pounding hearts made their vision blur, it automatically activated a skin-whitening effect.

It was a dramatic situation where they could only stare at each other blankly.

Why, why on earth did Simon’s research lab look like it had been through a fight?

‘Could it be because of that…?’

All the items on the desk were scattered, and torn clothes lay around.

The walls of the corridor leading to the room had marks of something hitting them, and even the decorative rope-like things had disappeared.

Furthermore, the maids said that Simon’s usually neat bedroom was in total disarray.

When the rope from the bedroom came out, Derek had no choice but to change his suspicion into certainty.

General Kalia probably deflected Derek’s magic.

Having discerned the properties of the magic hidden in the scroll, she must have been furious and probably imprisoned Simon…

‘Yikes!’

Up to that point, Derek, who had been imagining, looked at his superior, who was walking ahead, with a contemplative face.

If such a thing really happened as he had imagined, it was a disaster.

Come to think of it, their relationship had become quite sour since then.

Kalia had tried to avoid Simon, and Simon had destroyed the Imperial Garden several times.

‘No. Smart Derek. Think about it. If it had been a serious matter, Simon would have already crushed me. But look, I’m alive and even my limbs are intact!’

Derek suddenly snapped out of his thoughts. Something had gone wrong, but it might not have been as severe as he thought.

Anyway, the fact that he was unharmed was proof of that.

Derek wiped his chest again. If he went back to the tower, he would have to study the scroll again.

‘Alright. Let’s finish the work and go back soon!’

In any case, the two-week schedule was almost over, and now there was only one day left until they could go home.

No matter how hard the process had been, the thought that they could return home immediately tomorrow brought a similar smile to Derek’s tired face and to his colleagues.

Derek and his colleagues, who were walking behind Simon, secretly exchanged glances.

As their gazes met, sparks flew from their eyes, and they shouted the same words.

‘Let’s go, suckers! Home!’

‘Hooray!’

Passersby gazed at the magicians with admiring eyes, as if the subtle smiles on their faces were part of a higher-dimensional reflection that ordinary people couldn’t comprehend.

But, like any other ordinary workers hoping for an early finish after a demanding business trip, the magicians were no different.

The academy they had decided to visit was just a 5-minute walk away. They had to climb a hill, but the magicians’ steps towards their final appointment were resolute.

Then, it happened.

“Woaah!”

Applause suddenly erupted from a large shop occupying a corner of the square.

In response to the noisy cheers of both men and women, the magicians halted in their tracks.

‘What’s going on?’

A man who seemed like the shop owner came out holding a panel and, with an air of an actor, surveyed his surroundings before nodding courteously to the onlookers with a smile.

People laughed heartily.

The shop owner, just like them, set up the panel he had brought in front of the shop with a smile that covered his entire face, matching the exaggerated gestures.

The writing on the panel was simple.

[Pink Pearls In Stock.]

However, as soon as it was displayed outside, people pointed at the panel with joyful laughter.

The laughs grew so loud that Simon unknowingly furrowed his brow.

“Pink pearls?”

Henry, a small, red-haired boy who had once studied ‘Regional Culture and Its Impact on Human Nature,’ answered Simon’s puzzled mutter.

“Pink pearls are a very rare type of pearl found only in this region. They are said to appear only once a year, at most. They cannot be cultivated and can only be mined directly. Pearls, especially pink ones, are highly valued in the Tania region and are rarely traded outside. There is an interesting tradition that says the shop that had the pearl on the last day is the only one allowed to bid on the day of the discovery. It seems that the shop brought good luck today.”

As Henry explained, Simon turned his gaze as if to say, ‘I see.’

It was just some gem. In his home and Kalia’s home, gems were everywhere. There was nothing special about it.

But the words that held Simon’s attention were yet to come.

“Oh, I’ve heard about it too. Extremely beautiful and expensive pearls.”

“It’s not just a pretty and expensive pearl. In Tania, pearls symbolize ‘love,’ and among them, pink pearls signify eternal love or a happy family. It’s not an accurate term, but there’s even a saying that those who receive pink pearls will die at the same time as the one who gave it. That’s why lovers don’t give them casually. Really, I mean, they only give them to someone they want to be together with until the moment they die.”

At that moment, Simon’s body turned sharply towards the shop.

His gaze stared at the shop owner as if he were about to devour him.

The shop owner, who met his gaze, was surprised and hesitated as his sharp gaze seemed to cut through him.

‘…Why, all of a sudden?’

The magicians suddenly turned to watch Simon walking rapidly towards the shop.

Uncertain whether to follow or wait, they hesitated for a moment. Then, a thunderous cheer was heard once again.

“Wow!”

“Wow, this!”

This cheer was louder and more resonant than the one just a while ago.

The admiration in people’s eyes intensified. Amidst the applause, Simon, with his emotionless face, emerged.

The crowd parted like the Red Sea, making way for Simon.

He faced their sparkling eyes and cheers, but Simon remained expressionless.

People focused on the jewelry box held in Simon’s hand.

In the blink of an eye, their eyes widened, like a full moon.

In Simon’s hand, inside a small box, was none other than the ‘pink pearl’ that had been in the shop owner’s hands less than an hour ago.

As if snatching the pink pearl away, the shop owner was left staring blankly at Simon’s retreating figure.

Considering Simon’s personality, he probably gave it generously, so he might not feel resentful, but he appeared somewhat surprised.

A man wearing the insignia of the Imperial magician Corps seemed to have snatched the pink pearl as if it were a robbery.

Simon stood before the other magicians with the jewelry box securely tucked into his inner pocket, and said briefly:

“Let’s go.”

With puzzled expressions, the magicians watched Simon leave them behind and walked ahead.

His steps were more confident than they had been just a while ago.

‘Eternal love,’ ‘a happy family,’ and above all, ‘being able to die together at the same moment.’

A vague smile spread across Simon’s face, as if it were about to surface. His silvery hair, touched by the sea breeze, fluttered.

He absently brushed it aside, pondering how to present this to Kalia tomorrow.

Tomorrow felt too far away.

Time seemed to pass agonizingly slowly.

He wanted to see Kalia as soon as possible.