Time passed in the blink of an eye, and before anyone knew it, two months had quietly gone by.
E-Rantel.
The fortress city renowned for its impregnable defenses remained as prosperous as ever.
Although the Kingdom had fallen and the city had become part of the Empire, it seemed to have suffered little disruption.
The Blood Emperor, known for his iron-fisted rule, had shown the city a rare degree of tolerance.
He seemed to have transformed into a generous ruler, granting E-Rantel considerable autonomy.
As part of the Empire, E-Rantel was required only to pay a fixed amount of taxes each year and strictly obey imperial laws and regulations.
For a conquered city, these terms were remarkably lenient.
However, such leniency was not without consequences. It inevitably created certain problems.
More than one minister had raised objections, arguing that the policy was far too permissive and might allow E-Rantel to slip beyond the Empire's control, or even turn it into a breeding ground for rebellion.
They placed particular emphasis on a small frontier settlement known as Carne Village.
Located northeast of E-Rantel and bordering the Great Forest of Tob, it was roughly fifty kilometers away in a straight line.
Once an obscure little village, Carne Village had recently developed at a remarkable pace and become the focus of considerable attention.
Taking advantage of its proximity to the Great Forest of Tob, it had launched extensive civil engineering projects without seeking the Empire's permission.
Even more astonishingly, the village had openly erected statues of the Sorcerer Kingdom's three rulers, making no effort to conceal where its loyalties lay.
Unsurprisingly, this caused an uproar.
Although the Empire's ministers were somewhat dissatisfied with E-Rantel, they could still tolerate it.
Carne Village, however, had gone far too far. Its actions were nothing less than an open challenge to imperial authority and an act of betrayal.
As a result, destroying Carne Village became an urgent priority. Harsh measures had to be taken to preserve the Empire's dignity and rule.
Yet strangely enough, whenever anyone proposed such a course of action, the Blood Emperor would reject it, leaving the issue unresolved.
Over time, no matter how dissatisfied the ministers were, there was nothing they could do. They could only look the other way.
They repeatedly reassured themselves that His Majesty must have some deeper reason for acting this way.
...
A festive atmosphere filled a small villa beside the Adventurer's Guild in E-Rantel's inner city.
"Waaah..."
With a clear newborn cry, a new life entered the world.
"My child is born!"
A burly man with jet-black hair stared excitedly at the infant before him.
This was his own flesh and blood, carrying his bloodline and continuing his life.
"It's a healthy boy. Relax, Yago. You'll frighten the child."
The bald old man beside him gently patted his shoulder, trying to ease his tension.
Ainzach smiled and instinctively reached up to stroke his beard. Remembering his current appearance, however, he could only lower his hand with a helpless expression.
"I understand, Master. I'm just having trouble controlling myself."
Yago held the baby awkwardly, unable to find the words to express the emotions surging inside him.
Just then, the door slowly opened with a faint creak.
Yago raised his head, delight flashing in his eyes.
"Looks like we arrived at just the right time."
Naohara greeted them, his gaze sweeping over the infant in Yago's arms. An almost imperceptible smile flickered in his eyes.
Good. The reincarnation appeared to have succeeded.
"Have you decided on a name?"
Momonga, dressed in adventurer's clothing for the first time in quite a while, stepped forward and asked with eager curiosity.
Herohero stood quietly to one side, observing the scene before him.
Samirth had begun preparing for his reincarnation a month and a half earlier.
This method of reincarnation was highly unusual. It was not rebirth or reincarnation in the conventional sense.
Instead, his pure Soul had been divided into small fragments and merged into a developing embryo, allowing it to return to its most primal state.
The mother chosen for this reincarnation was the wife of someone the three of them had known while adventuring under their alternate identities.
She was the red-haired female adventurer who had taken their photograph at the entrance when they first joined the Adventurer's Guild.
After all, they only needed a womb to nurture the pure Soul fragments. There was no need to wait through an entire pregnancy.
Choosing an infant that was already close to being born as the target of reincarnation could produce equally remarkable results.
This approach not only minimized the risk of Samirth losing himself, but would also allow him to recover all his memories more quickly as he grew older.
"A name... I've actually thought of quite a few, but none of them seemed right. Why don't you help me come up with one?"
Yago scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.
He knew the limits of his own education and felt that saying his ideas aloud would only make a fool of himself.
"We can offer suggestions, but the final decision should still be yours. It's only a name. There's no need to overthink it."
Naohara shook his head and chuckled.
This outcome benefited everyone involved.
Yago had gained a Player as his son. Given Samirth's personality, the man was practically guaranteed a future of wealth, prestige, and even immortality.
Naohara had already been planning to find an opportunity, while acting as an adventurer, to give him one of the life-extending spells developed by Fluder.
"Then, just as we agreed last time, let's offer our blessings to the child."
Everyone turned their attention to the newborn boy.
He lay quietly in his swaddling clothes, his tiny body radiating warmth.
Strangely, despite all the eyes fixed upon him, the infant showed no fear or unease whatsoever.
Instead, an innocent smile rested on his rosy face, and every so often he let out a cheerful laugh, as though filled with curiosity and anticipation toward everything around him.
Naohara slowly approached, a faint glimmer passing through his eyes.
He bent down and gently stroked the infant's head. His lips moved as he whispered in a voice no ordinary person could understand.
"I curse you..."
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