Armored Cavalry, survive in a world full of mods

Tarina's expression was very serious as she quickly approached them, causing both of their hearts to sink simultaneously...

200 offspring (2)

Words can convey far more than just information; just seeing their serious and somber expressions, the two realized something was wrong. They stood up at the same time, and Natamus even trembled, feeling as if he were falling into an abyss, terrified that he would learn terrible news from Talina...

"What's wrong, doctor?"

Tesorus managed to remain calm, forcing himself not to let his thoughts wander, and asked:

Is Christina's condition not good? Or is it a problem with the fetus?

Tarina shook her head, her face showing hesitation and doubt.

"The lady is in good health and has plenty of energy. The baby is in the correct position and there are no signs of umbilical cord entanglement... and it is indeed time for delivery. All signs are normal."

"But the problem is that although everything seems normal, the production process hasn't progressed at all. It's stuck at this step with no new signs, and the intense pain has been going on for far too long... it's almost like..."

"Like what?"

"Like a fetus tearing at the mother's belly...like this new life refusing to leave, tearing and scratching at the abdomen..."

Tersolius frowned slightly. Even he felt a chill run down his spine at Talina's analogy, as if what was inside Stella's belly was not a soft, tender fetus, but some kind of bloodthirsty parasite.

"What exactly happened?"

Nathamus fell into a heavy silence from the very beginning, his face as hard as iron, his left hand unconsciously gripping the hilt of the greatsword at his waist. The immense grip caused the tough leather to creak softly.

"In fact, sir, I have a suspicion now..."

Talina's expression became even more serious:

"This is very likely a curse."

"curse?……"

“That’s right. I’ve ruled out all other possibilities, and even if the probability is small, this is the most likely one.”

“A healthy woman like this should have an easy time giving birth to a baby in the correct position. If this happens, it can only mean that there is some kind of ‘abnormality’... We have to consider this possibility.”

"If the situation continues to deteriorate like this, I fear the worst may happen."

Talina didn't continue, but they both knew exactly what the worst possible outcome would be.

"Do you have any ideas? We can only rely on you now."

Tresolus tapped his fingers on the railing, gazing thoughtfully at the busy servants below. Large buckets of hot water were being moved back and forth by them, and freshly washed clean cotton cloths were being boiled in the hot water. The entire mansion was bustling with activity, and hundreds of servants were working tirelessly.

They all looked flustered, and whenever they had the chance, they couldn't help but want to run. They would only slow down when the female officials scolded them to avoid colliding and falling, but they were still a bit flustered.

In this era, childbirth for women was inherently risky. Even nobles who lived comfortably and controlled abundant resources could experience difficult childbirth. It was not uncommon for women to die in childbirth, often resulting in the death of both mother and child. In particular, when a child could not be born for an extended period of time, it was practically a sign of impending tragedy.

This terrifying possibility threw everyone here into a panic, no matter how well-trained they were usually. At this moment, they lost their composure and calm, desperately searching for something to do, oblivious to everything else, completely absorbed in their work.

Almost everyone could temporarily stop thinking, but the two brothers couldn't, especially Tersolius; everyone was waiting for his instructions...

But this was outside his area of ​​expertise, so he had to seek Talina's advice:

"None of us know anything about these so-called curses, Doctor. Do you have a solution?"

Tarina shook her head with difficulty:

"I'm afraid I'm afraid I can't help you for the time being, sir..."

"...Even you can't do anything about it? What does 'temporarily' mean?"

Tersolius was rarely moved, but at the same time, he also noticed the key point in the other person's words—things didn't seem to have gotten to the worst point yet.

"Yes, my lord."

Talina nodded immediately:

“If it’s just about lifting the curse, it’s not that I can’t do it, and that’s the simplest part… But all of this depends on me knowing the location of the key ‘curse eye’ and the specific type of curse. Otherwise, it’ll be a waste of time and won’t do anything.”

"Please forgive my lack of expertise—I know very little in this area. Apart from some extremely knowledgeable masters, I'm afraid only the one who set up the curse could know so clearly. All I can do now is stabilize the lady's condition and try to delay the rate of deterioration."

“For a curse to take effect, it must be close to the victim, but we don’t know what those things that act as ‘curse eyes’ are. It could be a leaf, a brick, or even a small piece of stone. Until this is resolved, it is difficult for the victim to get rid of the curse, no matter where he goes… I really don’t know how to find these things.”

"Then let's go find them!"

Natamus was panting heavily, his extreme rage almost bursting from his eyes, his menacing aura enough to make even a lion retreat.

"I'll send people over right now to search this place from top to bottom, and destroy everything suspicious! I'll even tear this place down if necessary."

"I refuse to believe that this despicable, damned rat can hide so well!"

“Don’t go crazy here.” Thesolius turned and glared at his brother.

"By the time you find that damn thing, Christina will be beyond saving! You're just making things worse and causing trouble for everyone."

"So what should we do? Are we just going to stand here like idiots?!"

Natamus slammed his hand on the railing, snapping the wooden carvings in two. The paint on the railing peeled off cleanly, as if it had been brushed with a steel brush.

The entire wooden attic trembled at his anger, and the servants below, trembling with fear, quickened their pace.

"At this point, I'm afraid only..."

"It seems something serious must have happened here to cause my two best generals such distress."

Before the words were finished, a clear and melodious voice rang out from the side. The emperor, dressed in a purple robe and wearing a short yellow silk cloak, walked up to the second floor. His hair, which was as white as silver threads, was held in place by hairpins inlaid with gold and jade, leaving only a few strands at his temples and the back of his head.

Empress Claudia of the Empire appeared here without any announcement or ceremonial procession. The single-handed blade hanging at her waist was inlaid with gemstones, gold, and ebony. At first glance, it seemed somewhat understated, but a closer look revealed its extravagance.

Tersolius paused for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief:

"You've come at the right time, Your Majesty..."

………………

The bookshelves in the Imperial Library are unlike those in ordinary homes, which hold dozens of books. These precious parchment books are all well-maintained. Every day, someone comes to sweep away the dust, spray insecticide, and keep the place dry and cool to prevent some precious books from being destroyed here.

Scholars from many other countries flock here, drawn by its reputation, just to see the precious historical materials and learn things that are not allowed to be known elsewhere.

Here, even someone who is simply cleaning dust with a soft brush might be a scholar. Countless ideas converge and collide here, and this place gathers the most learned people in the entire empire.

Today, their work will not only involve cleaning and maintaining those precious books...

201 offspring (3)

Amidst the rustling of pages turning, even footsteps on the polished marble floor sounded distant and soft. Everyone tried to slow their movements to avoid creating any noise in this sacred place.

Bright light streamed in through the tall, narrow windows. The builder's ingenious layout allowed this massive, towering building to receive maximum light, leaving very few dark places. Every window was adorned with exquisite carvings, and every so often, someone would clean off the dust, keeping the place spotless and gleaming.

A series of hurried footsteps echoed in the spacious hall, the sound of iron armor scraping against each other particularly prominent. The emperor's guards, clad in heavy golden armor and helmets decorated with red feathers, strode in with their heads held high and walked without hesitation toward a simple gray wooden bookshelf.

The clerks and staff around didn't seem surprised. It was clear that it wasn't uncommon for the emperor's guards to appear here. They would suddenly appear from time to time and then walk towards the gray wooden bookshelves.

The emperor's guards stood outside the bookshelf, not taking a step inside, and respectfully bowed their heads.

"Miss Perilla, His Majesty requests your presence."

Did His Majesty say what he wanted to see me about?

A soft female voice rang out from the bookshelf. A gray-haired woman dressed in a white robe looked at the glittering golden figure with a hint of doubt. She was reading a long parchment scroll that was half-open.

"Please forgive me, I am not qualified to know, but this matter is extremely urgent, please come with me immediately!"

"Okay, I'll grab some of my usual things."

"Everything has already been delivered to its destination, so you don't need to worry."

Without much hesitation, the gray-haired woman rolled up the long parchment scroll in her hand, put it back on the bookshelf, and immediately followed the guards out of the library. Her thick leather-soled horn-embroidered lace-up shoes made a crisp sound as she walked away into the distance.

…………

Tersolius knew he had to give this impatient guy next to him something to do, otherwise, even if he didn't actually tear the house down, he would only make the atmosphere more agitated.

By this point, the anxiety was already immense, especially the groans that occasionally emanated from the room, which only added to the agonizing wait.

The two of them and the emperor had just gone in to check on Christina. She was in so much pain that she couldn't speak, only able to make small, intermittent sounds. Her face was pale, and her hair was stuck to her face with sweat. The bed sheet had been torn open with a large hole. Meanwhile, Talina was using all her strength to relieve her symptoms with medicine and magic.

Seeing his wife's miserable state, Nathamus was so agitated that he lost his composure and couldn't even maintain the so-called etiquette in front of the emperor. He paced around like a headless fly.

Thesolius reached out and grabbed his shoulder, then pulled him back forcefully, forcing his brother to regain his footing.

"Go check on how the servants are preparing, hurry up, my good brother! Stop making a mess here, you're blinding me."

After shoving and pushing the wandering fellow downstairs, Tersolius let out a long sigh and sat down in a chair without saying a word. The emperor, sitting in another chair, was also calmly thinking, occasionally giving an order to the attendants around him, and someone would immediately set off to do it.

Until all the attendants had been sent out, only the two of them remained in the corridor. The servants were working frantically, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

"Don't worry too much, my general."

Clautina remained calm and composed, unlike Natamus who showed signs of panic. However, Tersolius clearly saw that her fingernails had already scratched several marks on the hard mahogany tabletop, and these marks were getting more numerous and deeper. Clearly, she was not as composed as she appeared.

"The Imperial Academy and Library are full of knowledgeable scholars who have collected most of the knowledge in this land. There must be someone who knows about this curse. I don't believe that our country can't find a talent who can do such a thing."

“I just sent a servant to invite her… You may not know, but a new master has appeared in our library. She is the daughter of the library manager and has already demonstrated her abilities and extensive knowledge to me some time ago. She should be able to come in handy.”

Tersolius smiled and shook his head:

“I am not particularly worried, Your Majesty… After all, I also have an excellent doctor here, and I believe the situation will not get to the worst… But if more intelligent people and scholars come to help, I think the chances of things being resolved smoothly will be much greater.”

"...Intelligent people also come in different types."

The emperor suddenly relaxed, the serious and tense expression on his face vanished, and he leaned back, desperately pulling at his waist and neck.

“I consider myself a smart man, and no one in this country can deny your wisdom, but right now our intelligence is useless… Just like a knife used for cutting vegetables can never be used on the battlefield, no matter how capable we are in ordinary times, we are helpless in this kind of situation and can only wait for the right smart people.”

"This is just a matter of course."

Thesolius stood up, turned and leaned his arm over the railing, ignoring the painful groans coming from the back of his head, and plucked a green apple from the huge, leafy apple tree.

In this day and age, the quality of fruit is hard to guarantee. Without the help of pesticides, any insect can freely enjoy this delicious, sugary fruit, leaving behind black wormholes and rotten patches.

But this time he was lucky. The apple was smooth and round, emitting a faint fragrance. With a slight twist of his wrist, the crisp flesh was broken in two, and he handed the larger half to the emperor beside him.

"The swords that can cut through armor and flesh on the battlefield would definitely not be good for cutting vegetables, and the axes used to chop wood would suffer greatly in hand-to-hand combat. Everyone has something they are born to do, and such talent is often unmatched by others."

"If talented people can give full play to their talents and capable people can make use of their abilities, then our country can rest easy and there will be no more enemies that can hinder us."

The apples here are sweet with little sourness, thin-skinned and crisp, clearly a specially cultivated variety. As the crisp, juicy flesh was squeezed out with their teeth, the two fell silent again, but they ate the apples in their hands very quickly. Every now and then, only half a core remained, which they casually tossed into the tree pit one after the other, waiting to rot on the soil.

As the wooden door behind them was gently opened, the two were relieved to hear that the heart-wrenching screams had completely subsided. Although Christina on the bed was still covered in sweat, her expression had calmed, and she had fallen into a deep sleep. The lady-in-waiting, Dolores, began to wipe away her sweat.

Tarina, kneading the soft gauze in her hands, approached them and respectfully bowed to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, until I obtain more information, this is all I can do for now... I have used some sedatives and painkillers, combined with the effects of magic, which should allow the lady to sleep until tonight... At least in the process, she will no longer have to endure the torment of excruciating pain and will be able to recover some strength."

“You have done very well, Dr. Talina… I guess you prefer to hear that title. If you wish, all the libraries and colleges in the capital will be open to you. You can come and go as you please and look at whatever interests you. This is the Emperor’s permission, and no one has the right to stop you.”

A worried Tarina forced a smile, clearly still concerned for her patient's safety.

"Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty. This is exactly what I have been hoping for! ... But a terrible problem awaits us—although the lady is asleep, the fetus in her womb is still restless. If this continues, problems will inevitably arise sooner or later. I dare not use medicine on the fragile fetus and can only use magic to soothe it temporarily."

"This child may have changed under the influence of the curse; we must prepare ourselves mentally in advance..."

“We are prepared, Talina.”

Thesolius spoke expressionlessly, his voice filled with unwavering resolve and determination, a sentiment echoed by the emperor:

“If things really get to the point where it’s beyond repair, we need you to do everything you can to save Christina’s life, even if it means the child dies… Don’t worry, Natamus knows that if this is a poisonous fruit, no matter how reluctant we are, we can’t keep it, especially since it’s threatening a loved one and friend who is very important to all of us.”

“I have gathered the country’s best scholars and doctors, and they will all assist you. In any case, we must be careful with this matter.”

Downstairs, Natamus stood silently in front of a large tree, stretching out a hand to scratch the bark, tearing off the thick, tough bark piece by piece like peeling off a spider web. The servants beside him did not dare to approach, but kept their heads down and busy with their own affairs, even trying to slow down and soften their breathing.

Tarina hesitated for a moment, her expression complex, before finally gritting her teeth and revealing a resolute look:

"...I understand, Your Majesty, my lord. If it really comes to that, I will know what to do..."

A sudden burst of rapid hoofbeats echoed from the street outside, and the horses pulling the carriages, drenched in sweat, came to a halt. One carriage after another pulled up outside the mansion. Various doctors and scholars dismounted and filed in under the watchful eyes of the guards.

"Alright, the people are here. Tell them not to waste any time and to get started immediately!"

Clautina seemed slightly relieved, especially after seeing the striking gray-haired woman in the crowd, which gave her a strange boost of confidence.

………………

After a brief discussion, the empire’s brightest minds quickly came up with a solution. Especially under the emperor’s watchful eye, they all put in their utmost effort, no longer engaging in the usual detailed discussions and lengthy reasoning.

The woman named Perilaya looked very mature, with a dignified and beautiful face like a noblewoman, but she always had a gentle smile on her face that made people feel like they were basking in a spring breeze, without any of the arrogance of a typical nobleman.

Even though she only learned the details of what happened after she got on the carriage, the woman did not panic or back down. Instead, a burning desire ignited in her eyes, and she couldn't wait to throw herself into this difficult task.