Guild Wars

Remembering this time made Walter's eyes moisten, especially when he remembered the happy days that followed after that initial meeting.

.........…..

"Walter! Stop making such a fuss!" Misery hissed as he grabbed his cousin by the scruff. The former then shook the latter fiercely, making the handsome young adult go dizzy slightly. However, this act seemed to pull him out of a mental quagmire as he groggily looked around.

"N-Nicholas…? What…?"

Hector, who was buff and muscled, slapped his forehead. "The fellow has become a fool just like that!"

Edwards, who was lazily seated on a counter, swung one leg off the edge as he snickered.

Walter gazed at them and realized that they were in a white hallway that stank of disinfectant. That's right, they were in a hospital, and not just any hospital, but the best in England!

Thinking like this, Walter slowly recovered his senses that were displaced by his stress. He was about to become a father!

His love with Juno had blossomed quickly from a cute little attraction to a blazing connection that could transcend time. Walter only knew that he would be nothing without her, and luckily for him, she felt the same way.

As such, they had all but gone to church for the lord's blessing. That matter didn't seem like a problem to any of them because Walter had never been romantically restricted since his childhood. He was aware that his bloodline purity was the highest the Lineage had seen in years, so his training had been harder than others.

Due to jealousy and various other problems, the cousins of his generation had despised him to the point they had refused to make an acquaintance except these three outcasts.

Hector, who was shunned because of his barbaric nature and decadent behavior.

Edward because of his lazy and reserved personality.

Nicholas because he was always with the legendary Scathach to the point where she handled all his training and various needs.

As such, these four misfits had connected and become a group strong enough to stand on their own legs. Now that they were mature, and those prejudices had been tempered with time and age, those who had pushed them away were trying to mend such relationships.

After all, these four were likely to become Councilors in the future given their heritages and talents. Apart from those in the race for the same position, everyone else wanted to befriend a likely future Councilor, as that cost nothing.

Unfortunately for those opportunists, while they themselves might have matured enough to see through prejudiced and account for benefits, Misery and co weren't the type to forgive old grudges.

Hmph, after causing me to suffer in my youth, you want to leech benefits off me? Laughable!

And so, today, the only three allowed to be with Walter were exactly his three cousins who had been there for him since youth. Eventually, the group saw a nurse push the door open as she glared at Walter as if he was useless.

Walter shrunk his neck from the glare, but still mustered up his courage since he needed to know how his lover was doing. Seeing this, the nurse's expression softened and she answered calmly.

"The birth was a success and both mother and child are safe. Congratulations, Prince Walter, you are now the proud father of a baby boy."

Misery and co. burst into cheers while Walter stood there dumbfounded. Seeing that he had reverted to 'fish mode', the trio simply pushed him into the private ward, where Juno lay weakly in the bed, holding a crying baby.

They closed the door behind them, allowing the new parents to have some private time with their child. However, once out, the smile on their faces disappeared, and Nicholas approached the nurse, the look on his face wholly different.

"Hey, hey, Mrs Nurse. Can you do us a favor and, like, NOT report this birth in the hospital's archives? At least, not for now. You can prep the stuff or whatever, but make sure to keep it on hold, alright? I'm sure that files are misplaced ALL the time in such a busy hospital, right?"

The nurse paused and then looked at the trio, a bead of sweat forming on her brow as she was aware who they were.

"O-of course, I know not to get involved in the matters of the Royal Family."

Misery laughed. "Don't worry, Mrs Nurse, we won't bully you. You know that saying about one hand washing the other? Well, if you ever feel that you're treated unfairly, if you wish to increase qualifications or should you simply get a better position, you can simply this number a call. Leave a message about what's bothering you, and everything else will fall in place."

The nurse's eyes lit up as Nicholas handed her a card with a number scribbled on top of it. With this kind of incentive, the woman happily agreed to take them up on their offer.

Meanwhile, in the room, Walter was carefully holding baby Kiran in his arms, his eyes softening as they were filled with love and warmth. Juno saw her two beloved hand in hand and felt like her life had sublimated to perfection.

Happiness could be quantified in this little ward.

......…..

"Fuck! How did they find us?" Nicholas cursed as he used a 4th Order spell to resist an attack from a Buddha Lineage member.

"I don't fucking know! This should not have happened!" Hector roared as he slammed the ground, using a 3rd Order spell to blast away another enemy before him.

He then clashed punch to punch with a foe glowing with brownish energy, but was sent flying back despite his burly form.

Before he could be dealt with, an arrow glowing with white energy pierced the fellow's head and sent his corpse flying. Edward stood atop a nearby tree and was firing arrows rapidly to control the battlefield while empowering them with his 3rd Order Knight Energy.

"We can worry about how they got here later! For now we need to focus on resisting this attack and make sure the couple and their kid are safe!" Edward highlighted critically.

"Hmph!" Misery generated a spear and round shield using his 2nd Order spell: Mana Armament, where the spear glowed in a red color while the shield glowed in a blue one.

He then rushed to the front lines and joined Walter, who was wielding a spear as well. Unlike Misery's ethereal spear, his was a material one, forged from the best materials, including a tiny bit from the real Gae Bolg.

The two then fought hand in hand, repelling the powerful fighters from the Buddha Lineage who came coated in their Noble Energy. This energy was troublesome to deal with as it greatly enhanced their martial prowess and healing ability, making them almost on par with Misery and co.

Luckily, bloodlines were decided by purity and total Bloodline Energy, and the purity of these four were far above average soldiers like these.

As such, the battle did not develop poorly. However, their location was currently a beachside area, with a huge manor behind them. It was one of the Merlin Lineage's properties and was used as a safe house for any member who wanted to be away from the noise.

"Where's Juno and the baby?" Misery asked.

"She's at the top of the manor, trying to reason with her Clan Head and Elders. From what I can tell, they're furious because she crossbred, which was against their plans." Edward answered as he focused his sharp senses above.

The three were dumbfounded, Misery, Walter and Hector.

"Just because of that? Just because of fucking that?!" Hector shrilled with disbelief.

Misery and Walter too could not understand how these old fellows used their brains. So what if she had a child outside the family? First of all, the Merlin Lineage and Buddha Lineage were allies in the same alliance.

Secondly, Walter was a genius of his own Lineage no bit inferior to Juno. It wasn't like he was some waste tramp who had captured the heart of the princess. This was an equal relationship between a king and queen of two different nations.

Thirdly, they adopted a war life disruption for this? This act could shatter the alliance if anything happened to Walter and result int an inter-Lineage war. Was it worth it for an act that had already been done and a child already born?

Jesus, it wasn't like they could fucking 'unbirth' the child or gather Juno's hymen and stuff it back in.

But that was the issue. Misery, Walter and even Juno were part of the modern generation, so their train of thought was vastly different from these old fellows who had lived 100+ years, some even 200.

Not only did those old guys prioritize bloodline, but they still had the mentality of controlling the marriages and future of their next generation, whether it was the Buddha or Merlin Lineage. They just didn't directly press down on their geniuses because it would cause trouble and they themselves had not yet been able to select a suitable partner.

Besides, those aged 21-25 were like toddlers in their eyes, so they had been under the assumption that those kids could not cause too much trouble. In their minds, they should rather focus on training to increase their powers and make the most of their high purity.

However, life had happened.

While Misery and co fought below, Juno was having a battle of her own as she held Kiran close to her chest while her body roared with so much Noble Energy that the Elders didn't dare get close.

If one were to compare their auras, Juno was like the sun in terms of energy potency, while they were just like bonfires at best.

"Clan Head, I told you when I left the Lineage that my life's matters will be decided by myself. If you do not leave right now and take back your army, I will treat you like enemies and slaughter you and everyone you've brought!" Juno stated coldly, her aura erupting further.

The Clan Head's face was red with anger, grief and sadness. "What Clan Head, Juno, I am your goddamn father! You have broken the rules of the clan and we are trying to call you back, so what is with this resistance?!"

"Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, I don't give a shit about the clan rules? And don't bring that nonsense up about the clan raising me with its resources, so I owe it my life. If it's a matter of a debt, then I can repay it with the same value." Juno answered with not a hint of warmth.

The Clan Head was left speechless by this, he knew it was his fault Juno was like this as he had brought her up too formally and coldly, trying to squeeze out her potential. The happy little minx that used to call him daddy had been eventually disheartened, refusing to call him father formally before resolving into Clan Head completely neutrally.

At this moment when he had a grandson, he should be welcomed by his daughter and given the baby to hold so he could tickle them, but she held the child as if he was a kidnapper and guarded herself as if he was a murderer.

Of course, the Elders by the side didn't have as much emotional baggage as the Clan Head.

"Impudent little girl, quickly cease this resistance and return with us this instant!" An Elder roared angrily.

Juno simply glanced at him. "If a fight breaks out, I'll personally kill you first."

The Elder's face paled at the threat, and the others who were about to clamor instantly shut up. There was a palpable silence in the air as both sides remained silent, watching each other sharply.

Juno smiled. "That's right, stand there impotently. When Walter's family Elders come over, we'll see if you dare to keep up this act."

Hearing that the Merlin Lineage were on their way, the faces of the Elders and the Clan Head changed greatly. The eyes of the Clan Head became bloodshot as he was filled with anger, unwillingness and regret.

He needed to find a way to vent all these emotions, but he couldn't bring himself to hit his daughter. As such, he turned to the battlefield below and saw Walter and Misery who were fighting against his clan members.

"Fine, since you are unwilling to be punished, then that foolish tramp will suffer in your stead!"

The Clan Head roared and emptied out all his bloodline energy as he rushed down and pushed out, creating a gigantic Buddha palm that hurtled towards the unsuspecting Walter.

When she saw this, Juno's face changed and she placed Kiran in the cot behind her quickly as she rushed towards Walter's position.