Chapter 195 - The Price of Being a Mother

  Katherine Evenhart:

  It was m, and I was i, preparing something to take to Nathan. A part of me still didn’t feel fortable sending him back to the academy. At the castle, I always had him nearby. Even though my duties there were time-ing, I could still see him during my breaks.

  Would the academy accept a summoner professor of the pnt element?

  I let out a small ugh at the thought, but my mind soouro the events of the past few days.

  "I’ll cut off the head of the wretch who ordered his kidnapping..." I muttered angrily, slig through some fruit.

  "It's been a while since I’ve put you to use, hasn't it, my girl?" I said, pg my hand on my mao unicate with my Soul Golem. I felt the creature stir within, as if responding to my call.

  I made a promise when I lost my husband: I swore I’d never be a soldier again. I didn’t want t Nathan into that kind of life. But my trauma and weakness put my baby in danger... more than once.

  I remember when he was just five years old. My son was so small, and we lived in a simple home in the vilge. One day, trouble knocked on our door and forced us into this noble life, where I had to tell him about his family.

  Now, ten years have passed, and it feels like I'm reliving that nightmare.

  Staring at the fruit, I started cutting it with a surge of anger, but soon stopped, trying to calm myself down.

  I’ve already lost my husband… and now, I almost lost my son.

  I dropped what I was doing and ran to the bathroom, log the door behind me. My heart was rag, sweat was dripping down my face, and my hands were trembling untrolbly.

  I almost lost my son… I almost lost my Nathan… Why do these things keep happening to me?

  First, I lost my father, then my mother… then my first love… and now… it could be my son.

  I had to sit ohroom floor to steady myself. The truth is, I've never fiven myself. One of the st versations I had with my husband was a fight, begging him to abandon the war and e home with me. And shortly after that, came the news of his death.

  No one uands the burden of realizing that the st day you spent with the person you loved… you didn’t love them enough. You didn’t tell them how much they meant to you. You didn’t express how much you cherished them.

  This regret haunts me to this day.

  Why didn’t I give you one more hug? Why didn’t I give you one more smile? Why didn’t I tell you one more time that I love you?

  I lived in bitterness, and that pain ed me so much that, during my pregnancy, I fell ill. I almost lost my son because of that bitterness. It’s yet anret I carry within me. I bme myself for being weak at that moment, uo care for my child.

  When I was young, I was cold to others, someone who didn’t value her own life. It was this feeling, this ck of purpose, that led me to bee a soldier. But no oold me that having a child erases all that arrogano oold me that being a mother brings an overwhelming fear, a fear of losing your child so intehat just the thought of something happening to them makes a part of you die a little each time.

  “No oold me that having a child means experieng the greatest joy in life while also carrying the risk of the greatest pain if something happens.”

  I wiped away the tears that rolled down my face as I thought about the injuries I had seen on my boy's body.

  "I'm sorry, Nathan... It’s my fault. Over the years, your mother has grown weak. I argue with you because the fear of something happening to you is unbearable... I'm sorry for being this way. I’m so afraid of losing the one person who keeps me grounded in this world. If it hadn’t been for seeing your fad hearing your cry when you were born… I would’ve surreo death at that moment. It was you who kept me alive… and it’s you who still keeps me alive."

  Nathan Evenhart:

  That night, I was feeling a bit better. I could move and walk, as long as I avoided sudden movements. Cyl had insisted on healing me, but I knew how exhausted she was. Even so, she healed me a little before I tinued my recovery with the healing potion, a miraculous remedy in this world.The potion had two methods of use: the fast one, where the liquid oured directly onto the wound, and the slow one, whivolved iing it. Though slower, this method was effective for healing internal injuries and bones.

  My mother was feeliimental and didn’t want to leave my side all afternoon. She ged my bandages and insisted on feeding me. I gave in to her demands, allowio take care of me, knowing that she loved me more than anything in this world, and I loved her just as deeply.

  As we were having dinner, Martha emerged from the basement where the assassin was being held. Her uniform was stained with blood sptters. As soon as my mother saw her, she immediately called her over.

  "What did you find out? Is it what we suspected?" my mother asked, a nervous edge to her voice.

  Martha shook her head. "At no point did the assassiion the Special Eyes. I tried various methods to extract whether he knew about this information. Curiously, it turns out that the one who hired him was another assassin."

  We exged surprised gnces.

  "Wait, the tractor they were pnning to deliver me to was another assassin?" I murmured, analyzing the information.

  Martha nodded.

  "What else?" my mother pressed.

  "In short, they used those two to kidnap the young master and didn’t know anything beyond that. The other tractor, from what I gathered, is also a mage-assassin, at the same power level as those two, ahe oh the main information."

  Damn... If those two were already extremely strong, now I’d have to deal with a third mage-assassin of that caliber? I was fortuo have fought them before they took me to their hideout. Fag three mage-assassins of that level at once would’ve been plicated.

  "Most likely, this third assassin has direct tact with the one who ordered the young master’s death. Hiring an assassin to kill a high-ranking noble is not something dohrough intermediaries. I say that this assassin was hired knowing he had an intermediary team, fragmenting the identity of the true t so that only one of them would know."

  ondered over the information.

  "So, there’s anuy out there who wants Nate dead?" Chloe asked.

  "Yes… and his name is Quinn. That’s the identity of the third assassin," Martha replied.

  But just the first name doesn’t help… it’s practically useless.

  My mother was lost in thought.

  "We have to find out who this noble tractor is and make him pay! The worst part is, we still don’t know if it’s because of his eyes," my mother said.

  She was right.

  If the hired assassiwo others to capture me, the real motive behind my death remains unclear. Maybe the third assassin inteo take my eyes without the team knowing. Or perhaps the tractor wao kill me directly, using this third assassin to ehe job was dohout arousing suspi, only to collect my eyes afterward.

  tless possibilities ran through my mind.

  These special eyes are both a blessing and a curse. They’ve bee objects of desire over time, and the worst part is that the human royal family covets them above all else.

  "And what about the hey gave us? Was it as we suspected?" I asked.

  Martha nodded.

  "They were their real hey’re real assassins. And Ricardo even had a tooth with a messaging stone engraved with his name," she said.

  I rubbed my temples.

  They’re trained killers, not just mere meraries...

  Professional assassins followed a certain rule, almost like a trademark: they always revealed their true first o the tractor and, especially, to the target. It was both a signature and a grim reminder. You’d kly who was responsible for your death, and the assassin would bear the risk of having his identity exposed if he failed, leaving you alive. For the assassin, revealing his name was a symbol of unwavering fiden his skills. A true assassin never sidered the possibility of failure. He would pursue his target to the end, no matter the cost.

  "I mao find out the price offered for the young master’s death," Martha suddenly said, catg our attention.

  "How much?" my mother asked.

  "35,000 gold s."

  We exged shocked looks, stunned by the absurd amount.

  "35,000…" my mother murmured, disbelief evident in her voice.