"Congratulations, Duke!"
"You're going to have your first child!"
Camille's lips curved into a faintly triumphant smile as her image flickered on the communicator. "And I'll be having my first grandchild!"
"Of course, it's not born yet, but there's no doubt anymore!"
"I… Sarah, she… this…"
"This child…"
Duke stared at the communicator, utterly at a loss for words. His mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out.
He set the communicator aside, taking deep, deliberate breaths, again and again, trying to calm the storm inside him.
But no matter what he did, the shock, the disbelief, refused to leave him.
Miss Fortune was pregnant.
He was going to be a father.
"I, damn it!"
With a sudden surge of energy, Duke clenched his fists tight, standing and crouching again and again, his heart overflowing with an ecstasy so fierce it was almost painful.
By his count, it had been more than four months since he'd left Bilgewater. Four months, long enough for the signs of pregnancy to show.
And back then, he and Miss Fortune had taken that potion said to increase the chance of conceiving.
They had even locked themselves in the Serpent's Fang tavern for two days and nights straight.
It was inevitable.
But with the joy came confusion, unease, and a creeping panic.
"What should I do now that there's a child?"
"Will Sarah be safe, alone in Bilgewater?"
"What if someone targets her?"
"I need to strengthen her protection!"
The thoughts rushed up, one after another, threatening to tear him apart.
But soon Duke forced himself back into calm. Thinking endlessly was useless, what mattered now was action.
Picking up the communicator again, he asked Camille, "What have you arranged for Sarah's protection?"
"A three-hundred-man guard, ten of our most advanced warships, and arms enough to equip three thousand soldiers."
Camille's tone was cool as ever. "I know exactly what's on your mind, your worries about Sarah's safety. But I've already made preparations."
"It's not enough. Not nearly enough!"
Pacing back and forth, Duke gripped the communicator tightly. "I'll send more reinforcements. I'll go myself!"
"Forgive me, dear," Camille cut him off. "But you can't leave Demacia. I understand your feelings, but Demacia's market is vital to us. You can't walk away from that. If you want to see Sarah, it will have to wait until everything here is settled."
"I've already spoken to Sarah. She told me your work there takes priority."
"But I don't feel at ease. Not at all!" Duke roared into the communicator.
Camille only shrugged. "You're letting your concern blind you. The forces I've dispatched could raze Bilgewater ten times over. You underestimate your own weight, and that of the Ferros family."
Her words jolted Duke back from the edge of madness. She was right. He had grown powerful, far more than he once was.
Still, the worry gnawed at him.
"No matter what, I'll send more of my own men," he muttered, then abruptly cut the call.
"We'll talk later."
Opening his inventory, Duke began sorting through what he could send.
Pride and Gluttony?
No, sending them would level Bilgewater. They only listened to him, and he couldn't afford to weaken his own side.
Better to send Wally, fully armed with all his upgraded weapon systems.
After the recent enhancements, even Soul-Eater Night could be suppressed by him.
Still, it wasn't enough. Illaoi's watchful eyes were fixed on Sarah, and the servants of Nagakabouros would never allow Miss Fortune to dominate Bilgewater uncontested.
There were too many tangled threads.
But Duke didn't care.
If anyone dared lay a finger on her, he would annihilate them, family, faith, and all.
He called Tam out of the icy winds of Freljord. The catfish demon appeared only to find Duke's eyes blazing red, his face twisted with fury.
"B-Boss…" Tam stammered, "give me a little more time, I'll track down the source of that mutt, I swear, "
"That doesn't matter anymore!"
Duke seized Tam by the collar, his voice low and dangerous. "You're going to Bilgewater. From now on, you don't leave Sarah's side for a single moment. You'll guard her life."
"Sarah?" Tam blinked, then remembered, Duke's lover.
"No problem, Boss. I'll do it."
But Duke shook him violently. "Not enough! You'll protect her day and night. Anyone who threatens her, hurts her, even insults her, you'll devour them whole!"
"You like to eat, don't you? This time I'm lifting your restrictions. Eat as much as you want. But hear me, "
Duke yanked him closer, his voice a snarl. "If Sarah suffers even a single scratch, I'll cast you into the Void of Icathia myself. Do you understand?"
Tam stared into Duke's bloodshot eyes, lips twitching. "I… I understand, Boss."
Today, Duke was terrifying.
"Now go. Immediately. Take everything with you, and don't let her come to harm. You know what will happen otherwise."
Duke let go, straightening Tam's collar almost tenderly.
"No problem, Boss. I'll look after the lady."
Tam's gaze fell on Wally and the mountain of machinery crammed into the room. His heart sank, but he had no choice.
Opening his enormous mouth, he swallowed everything whole, then leapt into the vortex and vanished toward Bilgewater.
If he lingered even a second, he knew he was finished.
When the arrangements were done, Duke collapsed onto the sofa, lit a cigar, and inhaled deeply.
His mind was a tangled mess, thoughts running wild, impossible to sort. Plans, strategies, all lost in the chaos.
It had come so suddenly. Too suddenly.
Two lifetimes, and this was the first time he would be a father.
He had no experience at all.
What had his own father felt, when he'd learned of him?
Perhaps every man, upon learning he was to have a child, felt the same, shock, joy, and complete bewilderment.
He didn't know how long he sat there, until the door opened and Lux peeked inside.
The moment she did, she wrinkled her nose against the smoke, rushing to throw the door wide for fresh air.
"Duke-nii, you've been smoking too much!"
"Sorry, Lux." Duke stubbed out the cigar, rubbing his face hard with his hands.
"Something's happened, and I… I don't know how to handle it."
Just the thought of his unborn child filled him with both elation and dread.
"Then… are you still going to see the Colossus of Justice?"
Lux studied his expression, hesitant. Duke caught her meaning and simply ruffled her hair.
"Come on. I could use the distraction."
"Alright!"
Her smile bloomed at once.
Duke changed out of his trench coat, slipping into a white lab coat, and followed Lux out of the Crownguard estate.
They climbed into Gluttony, the sleek black-and-red car, and sped away.
The engine roared down the Stonecarver's Way, until they reached the city's edge where forest met stone.
There, rising from its massive pedestal, stood the towering figure, Galio.
The colossus loomed like a mountain, crowned and winged, forever gazing into the distance as if guarding all Demacia.
His vast back could be seen from anywhere in Mithril City, a constant reminder of protection.
At the base of the statue, crowds gathered, seeking solace, fearful of the demons prowling the city.
When Duke's car rolled to a stop, its red-and-black finish and cobra pattern drew curious stares.
Yet the moment onlookers recognized Lux, they quickly dispersed.
The Crownguard family's second daughter was not someone to provoke.
Duke stepped out, raising his eyes to the statue towering above two stories high, recalling the tales behind Galio.
His legend reached back to the aftermath of the Rune Wars.
When the refugees of Valoran recoiled from the ruin wrought by magic, Demacia's forebears discovered the petricite forest, a way to resist sorcery.
At the king's behest, sculptor Durand shaped that stone into a guardian.
Two years later, the Winged Colossus was born. From the moment of his unveiling, Galio embodied Demacia's defiance, both shield and symbol.
At first, he was only a weapon against mages, a rallying point.
But centuries of absorbing magic slowly awakened him, first to life, then to thought.
Whenever he drank deep of sorcery, he stirred to fight.
And when the sorcery was gone, he slumbered once more.
Since settling in Mithril City, Galio had remained dormant, his perception of the world distorted, blurs of color and shifting lights.
But when Lux was born, everything changed.
Her unmatched magical talent gave the slumbering giant exactly what he longed for.
It was as if, in the dead of winter, a freezing man had been given a warm coat.
Galio had watched her grow, and he adored her.
"Every time I see him, I feel safe. Nothing can scare me," Lux said, her eyes shining as she gazed up at the colossus. Then she turned to Duke. "I don't know what's troubling you, but I hope Galio can give you courage too."
"Thank you," Duke murmured, ruffling her hair again, warmed by her concern.
He looked back at the towering figure. "Want to see him move?"
"Really? Can we?"
"As long as you're willing."
End of chapter....
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