Afternoon had already arrived. Leo, Ray, Chris, and Felix were still in their beds. None of them had the strength to get up; they were utterly exhausted, staring blankly at the ceiling like living corpses.
Leo was the first to break the heavy silence. "How long are all of you going to stare upward like living corpses? Chris, you told us we had to do something. Or are we just going to stay glued to these beds?"
Hearing Leo's words, Chris abruptly sat up. The harsh rays of the afternoon sun streamed through the window, illuminating his hands. He glanced at the clock and said, "It's 12:00 PM. Come on, we need to move."
"But where are we even going?" Ray asked, still lying flat on his back.
Before Chris could answer, Leo cut in, "We need to go to Felix's mother. The baby is due in just two days, so we have to protect her at all costs."
Ray sighed lazily. "Why do we need to protect her right now? Those cultists will only show up when the Blessed Child is born. It's not like they're going to drop by earlier just to chat or have tea with us."
"But we don't even know their actual plan!" Leo argued, turning onto his side with a worried expression. "And ever since I saw that they can take on anyone's face, I can't bring myself to trust any doctor either."
Ray admitted, "You have a point there. But it's not like we can stop the child from being born."
"Hmm..." Chris muttered thoughtfully. "We can't stop the birth, but we don't even know for sure if the baby is actually being born tomorrow, or if those cultists just played us with their words to keep us distracted."
Leo looked up at Chris. The exhaustion had vanished from Chris's face, which seemed to catch the sunlight. Smiling faintly, Leo said, "Chris, you aren't certain if the child will be born tomorrow or not, and that's the only reason you're this calm. If it were confirmed, you wouldn't have even let us sleep."
Chris walked over to the table and began putting on his clothes. "It's not about being certain, Leo. My mind is divided into two halves right now. Half of my brain says the child will be born tomorrow, and the other half says there is still time. But my heart tells me the baby arrives tomorrow because that cultist said it with absolute seriousness. We've already wasted half the day, so whatever we do, we must do it fast."
Ray finally sat up on his bed. "Weren't you also supposed to go meet the Empress of Morveth, Chris?"
Chris looked back at Ray, his eyes carrying a heavy gravity. "I won't go to the Empress right now. Right now, the responsibility of the entire world rests on my shoulders... and my heart is burning because of the burden my shoulders are carrying."
Hearing this, Leo and Ray immediately got out of bed. "Let's go then." Felix stood up alongside them.
The four of them quickly left the restroom and headed out into the crowded town streets, making their way toward Felix's house. As they pushed through the crowd, Chris's eyes caught a stall where rows of newspapers were laid out on a large wooden bench.
Chris paused at the stall, picked up a newspaper, and began rapidly scanning the main headlines. Seeing him stop, Leo, Ray, and Felix halted as well.
Chris was holding the newspaper in his right hand when an old, strange-looking man suddenly grabbed his arm. The old man was balding at the front, wearing a tattered blue shirt with the top two buttons missing, and ripped trousers. Being much shorter than Chris, he glared up and yelled, "I didn't put these newspapers out here for just anyone to read for free! I put them here to sell!"
Apologetic, Chris replied, "I am sorry. As soon as my eyes caught the headline, I couldn't stop myself from reading it."
The old man scowled deeply. "If everyone just reads the main headlines, what's the point of me selling these newspapers?" He extended his open palm. "Hand over 4 gold coins!"
Chris gasped. "But a single newspaper costs only 50 silver coins! You can't charge 4 gold coins."
The old man tightened his grip on Chris's arm. "You read my newspaper without asking, that's why! Pay up, or I'll report you to the Knights right now."
Not wanting to cause a scene, Chris quietly reached into his back pocket, pulled out 4 gold coins, and placed them in the old man's hand. The old man immediately let go.
As they walked away, Felix spoke up angrily, "What was that about? He behaved so terribly and ripped you off!" "Let it go," Chris said calmly. "We don't have time to waste."
Felix's Home and The Captain's Entrance
A short while later, they arrived outside Felix's house. Passing through the entrance gates, they stepped into a massive, luxurious mansion. In the center of the main hall hung a grand chandelier illuminated by blue lanterns. Leo and Ray were staring at the sheer size of the house when Felix interrupted them, "Cut it out, we are here on business."
Chris turned to Felix. "Take me to your father and mother."
Following closely behind Felix, Chris, Leo, and Ray entered a large bedroom. Through its massive window, the entire garden outside was visible. In the center of the room, lying on a large bed, was Felix's mother. Her belly was heavily swollen, and she looked visibly weak. Sitting beside her was Felix's father, and two female maids stood nearby.
The moment she saw Felix, tears welled up in his mother's eyes. She spoke in a frail voice, "Where were you, Felix? I was so scared... If you hadn't come today, we..."
Felix rushed forward and tightly embraced his mother.
Stepping further into the room, Chris respectfully bowed before Felix's mother and father. With an authoritative yet disciplined tone, he introduced himself:
"I am 6th Division Captain Chris. And Felix Ward was with me."