Demon Progenitor Development Project

Chapter 3 The Dead Infant Crying Loudly

The lengthy conversation was interrupted.

A servant, whose face was etched with tension and fear, interrupted the conversation.

"Master, Miss Naoko is having a difficult childbirth. The physician requests your presence." (PS: At this time, even concubines in the palace had to return to their maternal home to give birth.)

"Say your last words," the servant said, swallowing the words that were about to spill from the old master's mouth as he watched his expression suddenly change.

Kiyohara Shikibu-daijo stood up, about to leave, when he suddenly looked at Fujiwara Kita-ke lord.

Before the old man could speak, the head of the Fujiwara family kindly suggested that they talk about it later.

As the old man and his servants hurriedly left, Tsuruchiyo asked her father for leave, saying she wanted to go out and have some fun.

After receiving permission, Tsuruchiyo wandered aimlessly around the Kiyohara residence.

The rocks and streams, the pavilions and flowers, all exude wealth and elegance, with a serene style that differs from the opulent style of the Fujiwara Kita family.

Unbeknownst to her, Tsuruchiyo had arrived at a secluded place, and the servants who had been vaguely visible had completely disappeared.

The empty, deserted environment actually made Tsuruchiyo feel relaxed, and she squatted down to touch a flower she had never seen before.

A hurried footstep pounded on the wooden floor, making a creaking sound.

Tsuruchiyo stopped what she was doing and turned to look.

He was dressed as a servant, carrying a cloth bag in his arms, and looked very furtive.

"What are you doing?"

The child's tender, flower-bud-like voice sent a chill down the servant's spine.

The startled servant quickly turned around.

Upon seeing Tsuruchiyo's aristocratic attire, she quickly knelt down and bowed.

"What are you doing?"

Tsuruchiyo repeated the question.

"This young master..."

The servant could hardly speak; the things he was about to do were too unlucky.

He was afraid that if he spoke of such an unlucky thing, he would be scolded by the young master.

Do not anger the nobles, and do not say anything unnecessary in front of them.

The dying words of my father, who died after being whipped, echoed in my mind.

However, Tsuruchiyo became impatient.

Is it really that hard to say a word?

Tsuruchiyo stepped forward and directly lifted the bundle.

His round pupils widened slightly.

The baby, covered in bruises and sparse lanugo, with bloodstains all over its body, was shockingly ugly, but it made no sound and was as quiet as a doll.

In an instant, Tsuruchiyo understood what was going on.

In Heian-kyo, where beliefs in gods and ghosts were prevalent, stillborn infants were considered an omen of bad luck.

Nobles would throw dead infants into braziers to ward off bad luck.

In the original owner's memories, similar things had happened several times in the inner quarters of the Fujiwara Kita family, but he had never seen them.

The body was burned to ashes, leaving only a patch of ash.

Such children will not have funerals.

They come into this world with nothing, and no one cares. In ancient times, when medical conditions were scarce, infant deaths were commonplace.

Traveling back to ancient times is definitely the worst thing ever.

Tsuruchiyo thought to herself expressionlessly.

This was also the first time he had ever seen a newborn baby, and the first time he had ever faced death directly.

To be honest, the smell of blood mixed with the smell of amniotic fluid was very unpleasant.

"Bury him." With that, Tsuruchiyo decided to give him a proper burial.

Cover the bundle with the cloth that had been lifted.

The toddler's fingertips touched the baby's wrinkled skin for a fleeting moment.

In that brief touch, which lasted less than a second, Shugo felt a faint heartbeat.

The heartbeat seemed so weak that it was almost a hallucination for Shugo.

Realizing something, Tsuruchiyo once again lifted the bundle and placed her fingers on the baby's chest.

Second after second...

"boom--"

Another tremor reached the child's fingertips.

Still alive!

The child is alive!

Not an illusion.

Tsuruchiyo's heart pounded wildly as if it were expanding, then gradually cooled and contracted.

This child won't survive either.

After some thought, Tsuruchiyo came to a very realistic conclusion.

Even in modern times, this frail child would need to be placed in an incubator in a hospital and meticulously cared for day and night to survive.

Especially in this era.

Moreover, he was taken to such a remote place by a servant to be treated, in addition to what he had heard before.

This already demonstrates that this child, who lost his mother at birth, has already incurred the disgust of his blood relatives.

Winter hasn't even arrived yet, and this child is determined not to survive it.

The only thing I can do...

"give it to me."

The young master's indifferent voice rang out.

“This…” The attendant, who had been silent all along, finally frowned and spoke.

Tsuruchiyo waved her hand, signaling Rei to shut up.

The servant, who had been uneasy due to the long silence, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the order and handed the swaddled baby directly to the young master.

They looked as if they couldn't wait to get rid of a burden.

Holding the baby, fingers resting on the soft, tofu-like chest, feeling the faint tremors, the resentment of life.

Shugo looked at the little thing in his arms, feeling a mix of nostalgia for his past life and a touch of pity.

—Your heart won't be dealt with until it stops beating.

Tsuruchiyo watched the struggle of the young life with pity, sighing inwardly.

You're such an unlucky kid to be born here.

Boom--boom--

A sharp, weak cry, like that of a kitten, came from the air.

Tsuruchiyo glanced at the crying baby and then handed it to a servant.

"Send it back."

The dazed servant took the baby with trepidation, looking at him with an expression that sent chills down Tsuruchiyo's spine.

What's going on with this guy?

Their eyes look strange, like they're glowing.

Feeling unwell, Tsuruchiyo simply left the scene.

Completely unaware that, in the servants' eyes, it was clearly the young master who touched the stillborn infant, which brought the baby back to life.

A glint of fanaticism flashed in the servant's eyes as he looked at the crying baby in his arms.

This is a miracle of the dead coming back to life.

The servant hurriedly carried the baby back.

Tsuruchiyo returned to her father's side and asked about the Kiyohara family.

"What's going on with Mrs. Naoko?"

"She is the granddaughter of Kiyohara Shikibu-no-Taisho, and is highly favored by him. Recently, she seems to have married a newly promoted minor nobleman."

The reason why the head of the Fujiwara family had an impression of a woman from a secluded mansion was that this Lady Naoko was indeed somewhat of a jinx to her husbands.

She lost three husbands in a row, each time shortly after their marriage.

Rumors even began to circulate in Heian-kyo that Lady Naoko was a monster.

"It seems she married into the Ubuyashiki family," said the head of the Fujiwara Kita family, finally recalling the strange family name.

A seemingly casual remark struck Hiiragi like a thunderbolt.

Ubuyashiki? ! ? !

Is it that Ubuyashiki?

Tsuruchiyo froze completely.

Wait, what about that stillborn baby from before...?

I recalled the contents of the formula book I had once bought.

He survived only by crying out before being thrown into the fire pit.

This looks so familiar!

Tsuruchiyo broke out in a cold sweat.