The princess was a symbolic figure of the Liberian Empire and held a crucial position as the successor to the royal lineage.
However, this news now implied that opportunity was completely lost.
The imperial camp also learned of the news.
Among the murmuring voices, some rejoiced.
“At last, the enemy kingdom is finished!”
“With the royal bloodline cut off, the Liberian Empire will face political turmoil.”
However, Adolf Kareha remained silent.
He merely paced in front of the field hospital, his face frozen in an expression of sheer shock.
In the novel he remembered from his previous life, Aisia was supposed to definitely give birth to the ‘Hero’.
That was the destined key to saving the world.
But now, the news that she had become barren meant that ‘the Hero will not be born’.
Realizing that the future foretold in the novel was fundamentally shaken, he was seized with intense fear and despair.
“How could this happen…”
He let out a low sigh.
“It’s me… I’ve messed up history.”
The surrounding soldiers and officers looked at him curiously.
“Why does the general look so disheartened? Shouldn’t the princess of the enemy kingdom being declared barren be an advantage for us?”
However, none of the words reached him.
He slowly walked out of the tent.
The night wind blew fiercely, and in the distance, the faint sound of agitated Liberian soldiers could be heard.
“Now what should I do…”
He gazed at the moon with an empty look.
Though it wasn’t a red moon, the moonlight on that night shone unusually pale.
Various thoughts swirled in his mind.
If the memories from his previous life represented the original history, then Aisia was supposed to be the one to continue the lineage that would bring forth the ‘Hero’.
But now that she was barren, the Hero would not be born.
Then, the existence to counter the Demon King’s eventual resurrection would be lost.
“This world might meet its end…”
A chill of fear ran down his spine.
No matter how excellent his command abilities were, he knew that without the power of the Hero, it would be impossible to stop the Demon King’s resurrection.
It seemed he had, with his own hands, disrupted one inevitable flow of history.
While he was gazing at the night sky, his adjutant approached.
“General, are you all right?”
He replied with a trembling voice.
“I’m not fine. This war itself… and what will happen next… everything fills me with grave anxiety.”
The adjutant, failing to grasp the meaning of his words, remained awkwardly silent.
Adolf Kareha didn’t return to the tent but wandered around the battlefield all night.
His face was pale, and his heart was seized with anxiety.
The next morning, the Liberian Empire’s delegation tried to return home with the princess, but her condition was so critical that immediate transfer was impossible.
It was decided that she should be moved to a safer field hospital near the front line and continue treatment as soon as possible.
However, Adolf Kareha took drastic action.
He strongly advised the imperial military authority and declared that he would take the princess as both a prisoner and a hostage.
“Since I’ve won the duel, we demand the princess from the Liberian Empire.”
The imperial officers and nobles, hearing this unexpected proposal, were initially shocked.
“A hostage? The princess, nonetheless?”
“What’s he planning? Does he intend to execute her?”
However, Adolf Kareha utilized his formidable influence and authority.
Thanks to his multiple military achievements and the emperor’s deep trust in him, the proposal was eventually approved.
The Liberian side, naturally shocked and protesting, had no choice but to accept, given their current disadvantage in the war and Aisia’s now valueless condition due to her infertility.
Thus, Aisia was transferred to Adolf Kareha’s base.
There, under the guise of being a ‘prisoner’, she was treated by the empire’s best medical personnel gathered according to Kareha’s intentions.
Liberian Empire soldiers naturally assumed that “Adolf Kareha will execute the princess” and were filled with extreme anger and fear, but they had no power to change the situation.
Aisia, brought as a prisoner, hadn’t fully regained consciousness.
Lying in the tent, she could only faintly groan.
“Treat the princess to the best of your abilities.”
However, Liberian nurses were allowed to stay by her side, and under Adolf Kareha’s orders, Urth Empire medical staff also tried their best to treat her.
“What do you intend to do now?”
A certain doctor from the Urth Empire cautiously asked Adolf Kareha.
“Is there no way to cure her infertility?”
“The princess’s wounds may improve to a degree that won’t affect her life, but her reproductive function is already damaged. We’ll certainly research if there’s any chance of recovery via magic, but… the prospects are slim.”
The words struck Adolf Kareha’s heart like a dagger.
There was no way to directly discuss the issues that would arise if she couldn’t have a child.
With a stiff expression, he replied.
“Find every possible method. I’ll allow you to gather the best magicians and doctors from the empire, regardless of cost.”
The doctor momentarily showed a surprised look.
“But… unless a miracle happens, this issue…”
The doctor shook his head.
Irritated by the continuous words of the doctor, Adolf Kareha said with determination.
“Just do as I say. I will never give up.”
The doctor couldn’t continue his words in face of his steadfast attitude.
The soldiers and subjects couldn’t comprehend why he was so adamant about treating the Liberian princess.
Some muttered that his intention was to mock and torment the enemy kingdom.
But Adolf Kareha’s true thoughts were different.
“If the Hero isn’t born, when the Demon King appears ten years from now, this world will face true destruction.”
He mumbled to himself with a horror-stricken gaze, realizing that even the slight possibility of stopping the Demon King had vanished.
A few days later, Aisia temporarily regained consciousness.
Looking up at the unfamiliar ceiling of the tent, unable to move her body, she soon realized her location along with the excruciating pain.
“Where am I…”
When she weakly opened her eyes and moaned, a nurse from Liberian hurried over, lowering her voice.
“Your Highness the Princess, you mustn’t move. This is the field hospital tent of the Urth Empire.”
Aisia’s eyes darted around anxiously.
“Urth Empire… so, I’m a prisoner?”
The nurse looked uncomfortable.
“But don’t worry. Your life has been saved. They are continuing the treatment…”
“Treatment?”
Aisia let out a dry, mocking laugh.
Just at that moment, Adolf Kareha entered by opening the tent’s entrance.
She immediately recognized his face and felt her heart sink.
The very man who had felled her in the battlefield duel.
A cruel-blooded person with no mercy, according to rumors in the Liberian Empire.
“You…”
As she managed to croak out, Adolf Kareha approached with a calm, expressionless face.
“You must rest. Your wounds haven’t healed.”
Aisia glared at him with a mixture of fear and anger.
She had already heard the stories from her soldiers.
General Adolf was known for torturing enemy prisoners slowly before a cruel execution.
“Are you going to torture and execute me eventually?”
Her lips trembled.
At the time of her mana explosion, she had faced d*ath with dignity, considering it an honorable demise.
But this man had, for some unknown cruelty, revived her to capture her as a prisoner, filling her with dread about what might come.
Adolf Kareha realized what she feared from his expression but chose not to clarify.
“I will protect you. Focus on your treatment.”
Though his words were meant to be calming, they sounded cold to Aisia, increasing her fear.
“Isn’t it better to just k*ll me?”
She managed a faint, bitter smile.
Instead of replying, Adolf Kareha instructed the nearby doctors to check her condition.
“Examine her condition again. We need to plan the next treatment based on the progress.”
The doctors approached Aisia and conducted both magical and physical examinations.
At one point, she had to slightly lift her clothes, a situation that filled her with extreme shame as unfamiliar male doctors examined her body.
She felt it would have been less humiliating to d*e bleeding on the battlefield.
‘Where am I? Why am I treated like this…’
She looked with a confused gaze at the faint light bulb hanging from the ceiling.
Despite such humiliation, Princess Aisia did not bow.
‘I am a princess, not an ordinary noble lady. Do you think I’ll shed tears?’
After the examination, a report was given to Adolf Kareha.
“Her infertility is indeed difficult to reverse. Her physical wounds will heal with time, but her severely damaged mana makes it hard to find any clues for recovery.”
Upon hearing the news, Aisia tried to get up but screamed in pain.
“Wha… Infertility?! This can’t be.”
She trembled with despair, having not fully understood her condition until now.
“How… How can I lose the ability to bear children?”
The medical staff and nurses around her bowed their heads.
Only Adolf Kareha stood there with an unmoving face.
