Chapter 150: Lottery Ticket
Gara smiled faintly at his mother. "And that’s all thanks to you, Mom. You, Della, and Fian. Thank you."
"I didn’t do anything," Wina replied simply.
Relief settled over him. Turning his back to her, Gara began attaching the pump.
"Oh, Mom," he asked casually, "how long does it usually take for someone to know if they’re pregnant?"
He didn’t see the way Wina’s eyes widened. "Why are you asking? Don’t tell me... You and Madha—"
Gara glanced back, puzzled. Then froze, realization dawning. His mother probably thought he and Madha had only slept in the same room, nothing more.
His mother—never married and rather innocent—was almost too naïve. How could she possibly think that two young men, clearly fond of each other, wouldn’t do anything when given the perfect opportunity?
Whatever Wina believed, Gara only nodded. Sooner or later, his belly would swell and she would know the truth anyway.
"Oh, heavens, Gara!" Wina gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. She glanced nervously at the triplets, thankful they hadn’t woken.
When Gara turned, she caught sight of strange marks across his chest. She might never have been involved in such things herself, but she wasn’t ignorant of what those marks meant.
Wina froze on the spot, her face painted with pure shock. Then that shock softened into worry.
"Gara," she said gently, "you’re still so young, and so bright. Your mother and Della can care for the triplets. You’re free to live your life—
Go on missions as a Liner, save lives as a healer, and craft herbal products as an herbalist. But if you’re pregnant again, all of that will have to wait. You might never reach your dreams."
Her concern weighed on him, and Gara’s gaze dimmed. In the end, Wina always cared for him. Everything she said was out of love.
What Gara wanted to say was that, like it or not, he would have to get pregnant. His goal wasn’t to avoid it, but to find a way to keep living his life even while pregnant.
"Mom," Gara said with quiet determination, "I’ll find a way to make pregnancy, my children, and my identity as a druid never hold me back from what I want to do."
He lifted his chin confidently. "Actually, Hilda managed to win a cloak at auction. A cloak that can hide someone’s true identity. She’s already sent it here."
"There’s really such a cloak?" Hope lit in Wina’s eyes, swayed so easily by his words.
"Yes, Mom. And even if the cloak isn’t enough, someday I’ll find something else."
After all, this was a fantasy world. Surely there were countless mysteries and impossible wonders waiting to be found.
Mother and son continued their talk, drifting to signs of early pregnancy. Wina explained that it could sometimes be detected a week after conception by the rhythm of one’s pulse, but not everyone realized it that soon. After all, who would rush off to a healer or midwife within just one week?
Wina was different. Back when she and Lady Vita’s other attendants had sheltered Gara during their escape, a midwife—herself a druid under Lady Vita—taught the others how to read a pulse and the basics of caring for a sick infant.
Truthfully, the midwife hadn’t emphasized detecting pregnancy. But Wina had always been attentive, memorizing even the smallest details, and she’d learned the subtle rhythm of a pregnant woman’s pulse.
For sixteen years, she had revisited and practiced those lessons again and again. All so that when Gara fell ill, she wouldn’t panic about being unable to take him out of the village. She could treat him herself.
Ironically, the knowledge she thought she’d never use ended up revealing Gara’s very first pregnancy.
Usually, symptoms of pregnancy didn’t show until a month or two had passed. Sometimes not until the third trimester.
So, Gara still hadn’t told Wina about his pregnancy. But after a week, he planned to ask her to check his pulse.
Once their talk ended, Wina left to check on Della. The werewolf girl had fallen ill and hadn’t left her room all day.
While nursing Arion, Gara figured it was the perfect time to check his status panel.
* * *
[PROFILE STATUS]
Name: Gara
Age: 17
Charm: 21
Bloodline(s): Freya, Elemental, Druid
Talent(s):
Max Charm – Boosts charm to maximum (100 points). Active. Divine Fertility – Greatly enhances fertility. Passive. Unlimited Water – Generates clean, fresh water without limit. Active. Woodland Camouflage – Body blends with nature. Active.
Partner(s): 1
Children: 3
[CHALLENGE STATUS]
Challenge Name: 100 Baby
Objective: Have 100 biological children
Reward: Return to previous life with memories intact
Penalty: None
Progress: 3/100 | Pregnant (0 month)
[ITEM]
Lottery Ticket 1x
* * *
Gara was thrilled to see that his Max Charm talent had shifted from passive to active. But that wasn’t what excited him most. What he really wanted was to check the reward from his second pregnancy.
As his mind focused on the words Lottery Ticket, a new panel appeared. A rectangular box spun rapidly, symbols flashing too fast to read. Slowly, the spinning began to slow.
One line of text appeared in the center.
[Dimensional Home Pocket]
Gara tilted his head, confused. The name sounded impressive, but he couldn’t quite grasp what it meant.
The panel vanished, replaced by a square satchel made of leather.
"Is this the pocket?" Gara lifted the satchel, studying it.
Just then, the door creaked open. Wina entered with a stack of freshly dried clothes for the triplets.
"Go have some breakfast. Mom will watch the babies," she said.
Gara nodded, though his eyes stayed fixed on the new item. He opened the satchel, peering inside. It wasn’t empty. It was pitch black, like a bottomless void.
Curious, he slipped his hand inside. To his shock, the small satchel—barely the size of his palm—swallowed his entire left arm.
"Gara, your hand!" Wina gasped, dropping the folded clothes.
"Relax, Mom. This is..." Gara’s brain spun faster than usual. "My new Talent."
"You have two talents?"
"Yeah, just like Fian," Gara answered with a nod.
Wina approached cautiously. "Did you awaken a Space Bloodline?"
...