Reborn as a Holy Knight (Remake) LN Extra Story 1 (LN Exclusive) + Afterword (Patreon)

Newly Written Short Story – Emmy’s Perseverance ※

(Emmy’s POV, the timeline is after her separation from Alfred in Volume 3).

It’s been a long time since I left Alfred and returned to the town of Lambda.

How many days have passed?

For a while, I spent most of my time in my room in a daze, but lately, I feel like I’ve been able to live a normal life.

Well, I guess it’s partly thanks to Karina’s persistent visits to my room that I’ve been able to do so.

“Emmy, awre you okay? I want to tawk to you.”

I honestly thought it was annoying when she said that and forced her way into my room about two days after I got back, making me yell at her to leave me alone, but…

“I’m the owner of this pwace, so my orders awre absowute!” and just like that, she stayed there and talked for hours about literally nothing.

It was really annoying, but later I realized that she had never mentioned anything about pregnancy or children.

Karina was very considerate of me.

“Emmy, I’ve got a lot of wowk to do, and I need youwr hewp.”

That was about two days ago. Eventually, when I was able to talk to Karina and not just listen to her, she told me that she needed my help as an innkeeper.

While I was helping her, one day she asked me to go shopping for her, and before I knew it, I was walking around town again.

On a certain day, while visiting the temple of the Goddess of Fertility, I unconsciously fell to my knees before the statue of the Goddess.

(Please, please… Please bestow upon me Alf’s child…)

Naturally, I prayed.

“Emmy, I know it’s still hard for you, but you don’t have to force yourself to come at this time when there are still many people around. Early in the morning or late at night is fine, just tell me, and I will always welcome you.”

When I went there, there were many people.

Most of them were pregnant women.

I think Alma probably said that out of concern for me, so that I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable and be reminded of my infertility.

From that day on, I prayed every morning to the Goddess of Fertility, Xaneela, or whatever she was called.

“But you know, I’m glad Katie and Joey are fine now.”

One day, while eating at a diner in town, I heard a voice at the table next to me.

“Oi, oi, what would you do if you couldn’t have children with your husband for life?”

“If that happens, I might as well give up altogether, even if it’s just him and me in the end. I have no intention of giving birth to anyone else’s baby but Joey’s. “

The woman’s words made me feel as if I had been hit on the head with a sledgehammer.

(The man… is the cause?)

I thought it was my fault that I couldn’t get pregnant.

I thought there was something wrong with me.

But what if… Alf is the cause?

(If it’s someone else’s child, then… maybe…?)

I lost my appetite as soon as I thought that, leaving more than half of my lunch on the table and getting up from my seat.

After leaving the dining hall, I made my way to the orphanage. 

When I am not helping at the inn, I tend to spend most of my time with the children.

I used to go hunting, but now I don’t have the energy to leave town for a while.

“I love you, Emmy! Marry me when I grow up!”

Ever since I came back and started visiting the orphanage, Barum has been saying this to me every time I see him.

I heard that he had fallen ill for quite a while when he found out that I had left the town with Alf.

I’m glad that you like me, but there are many other wonderful girls out there, you know?　

“Fufufu, when you grow up, Barum, when I’m alone, and you haven’t changed your mind…”

Normally I would have just listened to him, but at that moment, all I could do was smile awkwardly.

When I got back to my room and lay down on my bed, I suddenly remembered Barum.

His feelings were just a child’s longing for an older person of the opposite sex.

I had dismissed Barum’s words with this thought. But what if I think about it seriously?

I, who have slow-aging elven blood in my veins, will probably look almost as old as him in five years.

And Barum, who is a fast-growing beastfolk, will have at least reached adulthood in appearance by the same time.

If Barum were to approach me like that… I wonder what would happen?

“I’m sorry, Barum. I only have Alf in my heart now.”

The next day, when I told him this at the orphanage, Barum’s mouth was agape, and he collapsed, only the whites of his eyes showing.

Yes, I’m really sorry… but after a few days, he started to approach me more than before.

But from that day onwards, I decided to wait for Alf.

I didn’t just spend my time aimlessly. Instead, I tried my best to welcome him back one day.

“Yes, that’s it. Now hold that position and exhale… Yes, just like that”.

I didn’t know how it would help, but Alma started teaching me exercises to get pregnant.

It seems that the priestesses of the Goddess of Fertility are very knowledgeable about such things.

“I recommend eating lots of nuts, dark-colored vegetables, and fruits. You must also limit your intake of foods fried in vegetable oil.”

Karina, who had suffered from infertility for a long time, also told me about foods that she had researched and that had been passed down among the cat tribe that were effective in preventing infertility.

“Ah, by the way (although this is the most important thing), let’s leave the cooking to, you know, the professionals.”

“T-that’s wight! As long as you give us the ingwedients, I’ll tell them to cook it fow you! So don’t wowwy!”

One day, when I was about to eat a dish I had made with the recipe I had been taught, Alma and Karina said something like that to me. 

But it’s cheaper to make it yourself…

“I am doing this for your own good, Emmy! Think of it as my goodwill! I won’t even charge you for the double!”

I still think it’s too much of a favor, but since I’m not very good at cooking, I’ll take her word for it.

“Then I guess I’ll just eat this since I’m the one who made it.”

“Please wait!” “Wait a moment, nyaa!”

“Eh?”

“Even if you use ingredients that are good for you, they won’t be fully effective unless they are prepared by someone with the right skills…”

“Yes, Nyanya! In fact, amatewur cooking can make infertility wowse!”

“But I made it myself…”

“Ouw staff will be wesponsible fowr that! So no need!”

“You have extra ingredients, don’t you? Why don’t you leave them with Karina while you wait in the dining room?”

Well, I can’t help it if you put it that way…

After that, I learned a lot from a lot of people and spent a lot of fulfilling days. Eventually, I was able to leave the city, and there I began to hunt game in the forest.

“It’s getting late…”

One day, I was so focused on gathering and hunting that when I realized it, it was already dark, so I decided to spend the night in the resting place I had built in a cave.

This was the same place where I spent the night with Alf when I first met him.

I wrapped myself in the sleeping bag I had prepared and lay down on the ground.

“Alf…”

Whenever I gathered or hunted alone, I felt as if there was a gaping hole in my chest.

“I miss you… I miss you, Alf….”

Back then, the first night I spent here with Alf, I never thought I would feel this way.

Before I knew it, I found my sleeping bag wet with spilled tears.

*

“I shouldn’t have spent the night alone… ….”

I awoke to the light shining into the cave, and from there, I started packing up.

By the time I left the forest, the sun had risen, and soon, I found myself walking across the meadow in the blinding morning light.

As I marched toward the bright world, I felt the hole in my heart begin to fade.

I have everyone here. Even if I can’t see Alf, I have Alma, Karina, Vilma, the children at the orphanage, and everyone in town.

I thought about the faces of the people in the town.

And as I worked up the courage to say these words to myself, I felt a warmth in my chest - the same one that had been bothering me until a few minutes ago.

“Fufufu, I have a big catch today! So wait for me, everyone!”

My head was still a little fuzzy from lack of sleep, but my steps toward the town were light.

(End of Short Story)

Afterword

Thank you for buying this book.

My name is Hochi, and I am the author of this book.

Thanks to all of you, I was able to publish the second volume of this work, and it has come to a successful conclusion. So once again, thank you very much.

When I was asked to continue the second volume, there was almost no material of mine left in the web version, so I had to write almost the whole story as it is.

I would like to thank Takeshobo for their cooperation until the end and Miyasha-sensei for their illustrations after the first volume.

Especially Miyasha-sensei, who was on a tight schedule in the previous volume but still provided illustrations of a quality far beyond the author’s imagination.

It seems that many of the customers came just to see Miyasha, so we are grateful in many ways!

Finally, I would like to thank all the readers who have read this far.

Thank you very much.

Until we meet again.

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