Wizard: I Have a Cultivation System-Chapter 95 - 89: The Twentieth Year

Morning sunlight filtered through the heavy curtains, casting a hazy glow within the Baron’s bedroom.

Murphy opened his eyes, once again feeling the familiar yet strange weight and warmth in his arms.

This time, the look of helplessness was gone from his face, replaced by deep contemplation.

’If I were to consider this purely from the perspective of hatred, of completing Mission Two, then this course of action is actually viable.’

’But why am I hesitating?’

’A whole lifetime...’

Murphy wished he were truly a Cultivator who had severed all worldly passions, one who could ignore loneliness and solitude. He wished he could enter the mortal realm alone, his spirit unstained by its dust, and treat decades, even centuries, of arduous cultivation as nothing.

But while he called himself a Cultivator, he was ultimately just a mortal who had been fortunate enough to gain the ability to cultivate. He couldn’t possibly remain indifferent to all this.

Memories of his past life had long since faded, and even the memories of his parents and sister in this life were growing dim. Only Aurora remained a vivid, living presence in his world.

And in a few decades, if things followed their natural course, even Aurora would be gone.

’Is that the root of my hesitation?’

’Afraid of loneliness, so I choose to accept.’

’Afraid of being hurt, so I want to stay away.’

’Angry and resentful, so I feel the urge to kill.’

’Empathetic to their suffering, so I give aid to the poor.’

’Unable to part with it, unable to let it go, so I’m unwilling to release my grip.’

"Brother," Aurora said, waking up just then. Her voice carried the unique languor of early morning, along with a hint of joy.

Murphy thought for a moment. He felt he had to explain the matter with Sylvan. It was a crucial issue that could easily be mishandled. "Aurora, I..."

But Aurora seemed to know what he wanted to say. She gently pressed a finger to his lips, cutting him off. "I’m so happy. Incredibly, unbelievably happy. It’s like I’m dreaming." She pressed her cheek against his chest. "But my body can feel your warmth, Brother, so I know it isn’t a dream..."

She shifted her head, pressing her ear to his heart. "Besides, my brother is my brother," she whispered. "Your heartbeat can’t lie, and I will always believe in you."

Murphy fell silent.

He didn’t know what she meant by that, nor what she was truly thinking.

He wanted to press her for an answer but was suddenly struck by a sense of fear.

In the end, he didn’t ask a thing.

He could only laugh at himself in bitter amusement.

’In the end, I’m just a mortal.’

’A mortal with all the usual passions and desires.’

’So-called Cultivation... is nothing more than a pursuit of the power it grants.’

...

Aurora’s wedding ceremony was not held as scheduled, as she had suddenly come down with a bad cold. However, according to the customs of the nobility, she and Edgar were already considered officially married.

Some claimed to have seen the Lord Baron himself go to Edgar’s room to apologize. And though the golden-haired youth couldn’t hide his disappointment, he reportedly maintained a gracious smile and expressed his understanding.

From that day on, a hushed rumor began to circulate within the Baron’s Castle: Aurora never once set foot in Edgar’s room, and Edgar never once visited hers.

The Former Lady Baron’s sighs could occasionally be heard in the hallways. But a few months later, when news of Aurora’s pregnancy spread, a smile more radiant than ever before blossomed on the elderly woman’s face.

Fate, however, can be cruel. Three months later, on an early morning walk through the garden, the Former Lady Baron suddenly collapsed and passed away, never getting to see the birth of her grandchild.

Aurora was heartbroken, spending her days in tears. This, of course, was not Murphy’s doing. How could he possibly make a move against the Former Lady Baron at a time like this?

’This wasn’t like the situation with Leo back then.’

’At most, I just let the natural cycle of life and death in this era run its course.’

Alright, in truth, there was nothing Murphy could have done.

The root cause of the Former Lady Baron’s sudden passing was her long-term use of a popular pleasure-enhancing drug in her youth, one that was fashionable in noble circles. The accumulated side effects had finally erupted.

By the time Murphy noticed something was wrong, it was too late to intervene.

Otherwise, he would have at least tried to prolong her life so she could see Aurora’s child being born.

Murphy could only do his best to comfort the grieving Aurora and arrange a grand funeral for the Former Lady Baron, one befitting her status as a noble.

...

「Seven months later.」

The heavy snows of deep winter blanketed the entire Duval Territory, and crystalline frost patterns formed on the castle’s windowsills.

A fire roared in the bedroom hearth, chasing away the bitter cold. The air was filled with the faint scent of herbs.

Aurora was propped up against soft goose-down pillows, her face a little pale.

She had just given birth to a healthy baby boy and was now resting with her eyes closed, her forehead still beaded with sweat from the ordeal.

Suddenly, a sharp cry shattered the room’s tranquility.

The head Maid entered, holding a swaddled infant, with Murphy following close behind.

A young Maid who had been attending nearby glanced at the infant, and a strange look flashed in her eyes. She quickly lowered her head, not daring to make a sound.

The head Maid holding the baby, however, remained perfectly composed as she expertly placed the infant gently into Aurora’s arms.

Aurora gazed at the infant in her arms. His fine, downy hair was like a newborn raven’s feathers, shimmering with a faint, inky luster in the candlelight.

She reached out a slender finger and gently stroked the baby’s soft hair, a tender smile gracing her lips. "Brother, would you like to name him?"

Murphy looked at the infant’s black hair, a perfect match for his own, and a flicker of unease passed through him.

’According to the basic principles of genetics... and even the people of this era have a fundamental understanding of bloodlines. This will obviously cause talk.’

’It won’t threaten Aurora’s position, nor the child’s. After all, Edgar is merely a vassal, not even a true member of the Duval Clan. The child’s status is confirmed by Aurora. But still...’

But when Murphy saw the blissful smile on Aurora’s face, he pushed those concerns aside.

"Let’s call him Kaiden," he said softly. "In the old tongue, it means ’new beginning.’"

"Kaiden..." Aurora repeated softly, her eyes shimmering with tears of joy. "It’s a wonderful name."

She gently caressed the infant’s cheek and looked up at Murphy. "He will be the heir to the territory."

Murphy nodded silently, his gaze falling upon the infant’s delicate face, a trace of tenderness in his eyes.

’Perhaps being a mortal right now isn’t so bad after all.’

’How can one transcend the world without first entering it?’

’Perhaps a hundred years from now, I won’t care about these worldly affairs, but for now, at least, I cannot remain so detached.’

"I heard there’s been some trouble at the Black Wood Forest Outpost recently," Aurora said suddenly in a low, worried voice. "It’s been thirty-one years... the border war..."

"Just focus on your recovery," Murphy soothed her. "I’ve already sent Arthur and Luca to handle it. Everything will be fine."

This was no empty boast.

Although Murphy had never met a true Great Knight, he was confident that with his current strength, he was peerless among Knights.

His Cultivation in the Qi Refining Realm gave him more than enough power to handle any emergency within the territory. It wasn’t as if the past eight years had been without incident; he had simply used his power to quell any disturbances in secret.

’These were all things I did behind the scenes.’

’Before, I didn’t understand why I did it.’

’Now I understand. I just don’t want what’s mine to be destroyed.’

However...

Murphy couldn’t help but recall Ailendra’s words from eight years ago: "In ten years, there will be more of them."

’Now, eight years have passed. Could the ’people’ she mentioned have been the Wizards?’

’Is this anomaly at the border related to Wizards as well?’

This wasn’t mere paranoia on Murphy’s part.

Since arriving in this land twenty-six years ago, he had encountered far too many people and events connected to Wizards.

From the Mechanical Witch in the Twilight Mountain Range to the mysterious Wizard who died at the Black Wood Forest Outpost, and even Ailendra, who had infiltrated the castle.

This seemingly peaceful Northern Territory always seemed to be tangled up in a web of mysterious powers.

Perhaps it was precisely because the region was so remote, beyond the full reach of the Church Court’s influence, that these supernatural beings appeared here so often.

"I know you’ll handle it, Brother," Aurora said softly. She reached out and gently took his hand, the warmth from her fingertips spreading through his heart.

Outside the window, snow fell in thick flurries.

Murphy gazed toward the distant Black Wood Forest, secretly resolving to go to the border himself and investigate once Aurora had recovered a little more.

’After all, besides the ten years Ailendra spoke of...’

’...the time left for Option Two was less than a week.’