Chapter 130 The Dragonborn's Greatest Blessing
Alex and Astrid took their stances, steadying their footing as each of them gripped a wooden sword. Astrid smirked, a teasing glint in her eyes. "You can make the first move, dear."
Alex narrowed his gaze, focusing as he prepared to charge toward her in a single burst. He drew in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. Once more, he inhaled and released it… and again, a third time.
On that final breath, he moved.
With a sudden explosive dash, Alex lunged straight at Astrid, closing the distance in an instant as he swung his wooden sword toward her.
Astrid withstand Alex's attack. "Oh? It seems you've gotten fairly strong," she remarked with a faint smile.
With a quick motion, she deflected his sword to the side and immediately followed up with a counterattack, swinging her wooden blade toward his abdomen. Alex reacted in an instant, raising his hand to block the strike yet the force still sent him stumbling backward.
Astrid smirked, clearly amused. "If that sword weren't made of wood, your hand would've been gone."
Alex steadied his breathing as he looked at Astrid, who stood there with an air of confidence, almost arrogantly composed.
(Tch… if I could use telekinesis, this would be over much faster. But I already promised not to use any spells… so I have to keep my word.)
He pushed himself back to his feet, his eyes carefully scanning Astrid's body, searching for any possible weak point.
(Hmm… how am I supposed to attack her? She doesn't seem to have any openings at all…)
Astrid waited for Alex to make his move. "What's wrong, dear? Aren't you going to attack?" she teased.
Then she shifted her stance, preparing to dash. "In that case… I'll come to you, love."
In the next instant, she shot forward, closing the distance rapidly. Alex's eyes widened as he realized she wasn't planning to block this time.
(Damn it… she's too fast!)
Then, an idea flashed through his mind.
(This might be considered cheating… but I don't have any other choice.)
In a split second, Alex opened his system inventory and muttered in his mind
(Pause.)
In an instant, the entire world came to a halt.
Astrid was frozen mid-motion, just about five centimeters away from entering Alex's domain. If she got any closer if she stepped fully into it then the pause would become useless.
"Phew… forgive me, dear, but I can't let my pride take a hit," he muttered with a small, sheepish grin.
He glanced around at the motionless world.
"But this isn't a spell, right? You could call it a skill… it doesn't even use mana. Still… I feel a bit guilty using it, haaah…"
Taking advantage of the frozen moment, Alex calmly stepped aside, moving out of the path of Astrid's incoming attack and intend to go behind Astrid. Once he was clear, he deactivated the Pause skill.
Time resumed.
Time resumed as if nothing had happened.
Astrid blinked in surprise when Alex suddenly seemed to vanish before her eyes. "What?" She quickly looked around, her brows furrowing. "Where did he go?"
As she searched for him, a wooden sword quietly appeared at her neck from behind.
"Yep… looks like I win," Alex said calmly.
Astrid froze, confusion written all over her face as she tried to process what had just happened but she still couldn't make sense of it. "…Did you cheat?"
Alex cleared his throat smugly. "Ahem, ahem… it seems you need to train a lot harder if you ever hopes to defeat the invincible Alex," he boasted, walking slowly as he shamelessly praised himself.
Irritated by his arrogance, Astrid suddenly hooked her foot around his leg, tripping him and sending him crashing to the ground. In the same motion, she stepped in and pressed her wooden sword against his neck.
"So… you cheated, didn't you?" Astrid said, narrowing her eyes.
Alex refused to admit that he had used his skill, so he shook his head. "Of course not. That was purely my own ability."
But Astrid still wasn't convinced. She pressed her wooden sword a little harder against him. "Are you sure? You're not lying? Hmm?"
Alex tried to hold his ground, but with Astrid pinning him down and the pressure building, he finally gave in. "Alright, alright I lost! But that was just my skill, okay?"
Astrid broke into a satisfied smile. "Ha, of course. That means I win."
Still pinned beneath her, Alex looked up awkwardly. "So… can you let me go now?"
Astrid spoke in a playful, teasing tone. "Hmm… do you really want me to let you go?"
Alex replied with a hint of embarrassment, "Hey, Astrid… we're outside. Someone might see us."
Astrid only teased him further. "Ah, but it's pretty quiet right now, and besides "
She suddenly cut herself off, a pained gasp escaping her lips. "Aagh!"
Alex immediately noticed the change, his expression turning worried. "Astrid, what's wrong?!"
Astrid released him from her hold, clutching her stomach as she winced. "Nngh… I don't know…"
Panic flashed across Alex's face as he quickly cast Healing Hands on Astrid. "Okay, okay… it's alright. Do you feel any better?"
Astrid's expression eased slightly, but then her face suddenly turned pale, and she looked like she was about to vomit. "Oh no…"
She quickly pushed Alex aside and threw up. "Bleugh "
Sweat covered her forehead as she wiped it away, her voice unsteady. "What's happening to me? I was perfectly fine before…"
Alex had no idea what was going on either. Worried, he cast Healing Hands on her again while offering her a health potion.
Astrid, still feeling nauseous, shook her head weakly. "It doesn't seem to be helping… please, go find a doctor or a healer who understands whatever illness this is. I'm afraid… what if this is a curse from when I defeated Alduin?"
Hearing that, Alex's panic only grew. He had no idea that Alduin could have cursed the Dragonborn upon his death. "Y-Yeah… I'll find a doctor," he said quickly.
He then lifted Astrid into his arms. "You should rest at home for now. I'll go and find someone who can treat you."
Alex carefully laid Astrid down on the bed at home, making sure she was as comfortable as possible before rushing out again to search for a doctor or someone knowledgeable about curses in Whiterun.
He went around asking the locals and nearby neighbors, and they pointed him toward either the alchemy shop owner or a priest at the Temple of Kynareth. Without wasting another second, Alex decided to head straight to the temple.
He hurried over and, the moment he stepped inside the Temple of Kynareth, he shouted, "Is there a doctor or a healer here who can treat my wife?!"
A priestess named Danica Pure-Spring stepped forward, willing to help. As they walked, Alex quickly explained Astrid's symptoms to Danica in brief, his voice filled with urgency.
When they arrived home, Alex led Danica Pure-Spring to the bedroom, where she began examining Astrid. Alex waited anxiously outside, pacing back and forth.
After the examination was finished, Danica stepped out. Instead of looking worried or alarmed, she wore a gentle smile.
"Sir, please calm down," she said softly. "Your wife is not suffering from any illness or curse."
Alex, still panicked, quickly responded, "R-Really? Then why didn't my Healing Hands spell work on her? Is it worse than I thought?"
The priestess let out a light laugh before answering, "No, sir… quite the opposite. You should be relieved your wife is pregnant with your child."
Alex was stunned the moment he heard the news. This was the first time he had ever experienced something like this his wife carrying his child, his own flesh and blood.
"Is that… really true?" he asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
The priestess simply nodded, smiling warmly.
Without wasting another second, Alex hurried into the room. Inside, he saw Astrid still lying on the bed, her face pale from the lingering discomfort but despite that, a gentle, happy smile was on her lips.
"Dear…" she said softly, looking at him with warmth. "I'm going to carry your child… no our child, my love."
Alex gently caressed Astrid's face, tears slipping down his cheeks as he smiled with pure happiness. "Out of all the life-threatening battles you've been through… this is the only thing that's ever managed to bring you down like this," he said with a soft chuckle.
Astrid laughed lightly at his joke. "It seems I won't be in peak condition for a while," she admitted.
Alex smiled warmly at her. "Hehe… don't worry, my love. I'll take care of you and our baby."
Lucia soon returned home and called out, "Papa? Mama? I heard from the townspeople that something happened some kind of ill or something. Are you both okay?"
Alex and Astrid exchanged warm smiles before looking at her. Alex gently gestured for her to come closer, and Lucia walked over to them.
"Lucia, dear… very soon, you're going to become a big sister," Alex said softly.
Lucia blinked, not quite understanding. "What do you mean?"
Astrid smiled and explained, "Right now, Mama is carrying your little sibling. And when the baby is born… you'll have a younger brother or sister."
Lucia paused, imagining it how she had once been alone, and now she would have someone to share her life with.
"I'm… going to be a big sister?" she asked quietly.
Alex placed his hand gently on Astrid's stomach, and Lucia followed, placing her small hand there as well.
"Yes… that's right."
In that moment, they all knew it was something truly precious a memory they would cherish forever. It marked the beginning of a new chapter in their lives, as they welcomed the news that a new member of their family would soon be born into this world.
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