Chief Roman smiled, a look of profound realization washing over his weathered face as he leaned back in his leather chair. He took his pen and aggressively signed off on the transfer paperwork, redirecting the massive 18 million gold bounty entirely to my older brother's account.
"It is settled then, i suppose it makes perfect sense. Elias must have done the heavy lifting out there in the dunes. He is the legendary Shadow Walker, after all. A man who can channel dark magic directly through his revolver and crush a high-tier vampire's defense immediately. And yet, you are his sister. No wonder you would want to contribute to his family in secret… his loving wife and his little daughter desperately need that financial security." Roman said, nodding in absolute agreement with my tactical deflection.
I kept my deadpan mask firmly in place, letting out a quiet, imperceptible breath. Let the Bureau believe Elias was the grand hero of the oasis. It kept the spotlight off me, kept the hounds away from my compressed blood wings, and gave my brother the wealth he needed to protect his household.
But as Roman mentioned Elias's wife and daughter, my right hand instinctively drifted down to my lap, my fingers lightly resting over the soft white linen of my dress, right over my lower abdomen. Two months. A silent, developing life was resting inside me, entirely untouched by the volatile chaos humming in my marrow.
"Anyway, I will be taking my official maternity leave starting today." I muttered, my mismatched jade-green and crimson eyes locking back onto the commander.
Chief Roman raised an eyebrow, but given my newly minted Diamond rank and my flawless service record, he didn't question it. He simply pulled a fresh administrative form from his drawer and stamped it with approval.
"And, when you see him... tell my brother that I am alive and well." I added, my voice softening just a fraction as I thought of the broken, terrified look in my brother's eyes when he had pointed his gun at me in the desert,
Roman paused, letting out a heavy, sympathetic sigh as he rubbed his temples.
"I will pass along the message, Eirene, Though you should know, Elias is currently in no condition to receive visitors anyway. He and his squad are barely recovering from their encounter out there. His Paladin was completely knocked out, his Mage's mana core was dangerously drained, and Elias himself... well, he suffered a severe Lifeline Curse during the fallback."
My chest tightened slightly, but I kept my composure.
"But don't worry too much, He is the Shadow Walker. His constitution is legendary, and the medics say he should be fully recovered shortly. For now, focus on your leave, Diamond Rank Eirene. You've earned it." Chief Roman assured me, waving his hand dismissively as White Flower re-entered the office with the finalized paperwork.
The heavy mahogany doors of Chief Roman's inner sanctum clicked shut behind us, instantly cutting off the thick, copper stench of the burning vampire head and the suffocating administrative weight of the Luminous Knights Bureau. We walked back out into the grand hallway, our footsteps echoing against the towering marble pillars and the grand scarlet banners draped along the walls. The diamond-crested status card felt heavy in my pocket, its new magical typography humming with a faint, crystalline resonance against my thigh, but the true weight resting on my mind was the quiet, developing life beneath my white linen dress.
We had barely cleared the administrative wing, stepping into a wider, less crowded corridor lined with high stained-glass windows, when Elicia slowed her pace. She shifted her polished casting staff to her left hand, her commanding 5'8" frame radiating a sudden, profound warmth that completely melted her serious battle-mage demeanor. She turned her crimson eyes down toward my petite 5'5" frame, a soft, genuinely happy smile gracing her features.
"You're officially on maternity leave, little Ren," Elicia said, her voice dropping into a gentle, melodious register that was meant for my ears alone. She reached out, her soft fingers lightly brushing against my shoulder, ensuring her continuous-nullification loop remained perfectly stable across my pale skin.
"Well... look at us. Out of the three of us, you're the only one who is pregnant. Congratulations, my sweet sister. You're going to be a mother."
The word mother vibrated through my processing core like a foreign frequency. Me. A anomaly, a creature with massive, translucent crimson blood wings compressed tightly against her spine, carrying a fragile, innocent life. Yet, hearing her say it aloud made the cold, mathematical walls of my mind soften just a fraction.
Before I could formulate a deadpan reply, Evelyn stepped closer on my left. Her striking, slime-born 20-year-old physique shifted as she adjusted the straps of her custom breastplate, her F-cup chest rising with a deep, emotional breath. Despite her imposing physical stature, the pure, unadulterated devotion of a six-year-old sister shone brightly in her eyes.
"Yes, big sister Eirene! Congratulations! I promise I will be the best aunt in the entire world. I will use my status as a Luminous Knight to guard this baby, and my slime biology will let me morph into whatever the little one needs to stay safe and happy. No one will ever dare harm your child while I'm around." Evelyn cheered softly, her voice filled with a fierce, protective loyalty as she looked down at my stomach.
A rare, genuine warmth blossomed inside my chest, cutting through the lingering psychological horror of the newspaper report and the image of a bleeding Olive in an interrogation room. I looked at my two giant, protective sisters… one holding a god-tier healing staff, the other wrapped in the pristine white-and-scarlet uniform of the elite… and I felt a profound sense of gratitude.
"Thank you, Elicia... thank you, Evelyn," I replied softly, my mismatched jade-green and crimson eyes blinking back the faint glaze of tears. I instinctively placed my newly regenerated left hand over my lower abdomen, feeling the soft linen fabric.
"I will do everything in my power to keep this child safe from the darkness I carry. We have the money secured for Elias, the Bureau thinks the demon is dead, and now... we can focus on surviving."
"And we will survive together, now, let's get out of this place. The air in here is entirely too stiff for a pregnant Diamond-rank hunter." Elicia affirmed firmly, her eyes crinkling with relief as she gestured toward the grand exit arches of the building.
With our formation restored… me in the center, flanked by the formidable shields of my sisters… we marched through the final set of high-security checkpoints. The passing guards and paladins saluted Evelyn's uniform and bowed their heads out of respect for Elicia's high-tier aura, completely oblivious to the fact that the greatest anomaly in the district was walking right past them under a dark traveling cloak. We pushed through the heavy iron-reinforced outer doors of the Capital Knights Bureau Association, stepping back out onto the immaculate, sunlit porcelain tiles of the 8th district plaza, finally leaving the lion's den behind as a free, untamed family.