[Bannerlord Awakening! Congratulations! You have awakened your banner lord system. As a reward for your awakening, you will be given 20 summoning points. Please choose wisely as to who your first summon will be!
Here is a list of summons within your price range:
-Summons-
Lv. 1 Swordsman: 20 points
Lv. 1 Archer: 15 points
Lv. 1 Wet Nurse: 10 points
Lv. 1 Stonemason: 20 points]
I blinked a few times, unable to believe what my newborn eyes were seeing. Of course, I knew what a system was. Every 20-year-old virgin worth their salt knew what a system was.
But I never thought that in a million years I would obtain one. I have read countless books where the MC reincarnates into another world and gains an OP system.
Am I really one of them?
I found it hard to believe, but everything around me was so real. The itchy fur wrapping my small body. The light from the fireplace, illuminating the small room and casting distorted shadows along the walls. Even the scent of blood was unmistakable.
"What should we do with the baby now that the mother is dead?" the young lady in the room asked.
The midwife merely shook her head and looked down at me with pity.
"The only thing we can do: we'll bring him to Lord Veylmont's castle," the midwife responded.
"Do you really think he'll accept a bastard as his own?"
"Frankly, I don't know what my lord will decide to do with this boy, but we have no other choice."
After a while, the women left the room we were in. The world around me descended into pitch black, so I couldn't see anything except for the screen that was still floating in front of me. The cold night air brushed against my face as the two women carried me off to who knows where.
I desperately wanted to see what the deal was with this system but soon, this weak body of mine couldn't keep up any longer. My eyelids felt heavy, and I eventually nodded off with the sound of the midwife's voice slowly fading away above me.
…
"My lord, I must insist! Without anyone to take care of him, your son will be placed in an orphanage."
Suddenly, the midwife's voice woke me from my slumber. I slowly opened my eyes, and the first thing I noticed was that we were no longer outdoors. We were now in a vast room with walls made of stone.
"How do I even know that this child is mine?" suddenly another voice spoke up. It was the voice of a man. I could tell by how hoarse the voice sounded.
When the man spoke, both the midwife and the girl squinted. The midwife's hands were trembling as she held me in her arms.
"My lord, he has the same white hair as everyone in the Veylmont house. This is an uncommon hair color, my lord. The Veylmont house is recognized for this certain hair color. The resemblance is uncanny, my lord."
The room fell silent. Nothing but the cackling of flames that must've come from the firepit. The midwife looked as if she wanted to fall to her knees at any moment and beg for forgiveness. While I was blissfully unaware of what was going on since I couldn't understand their strange language.
After a few minutes of dead silence, I could hear the sound of footsteps approaching. Hard boots beat against the cobblestone floor, and soon a man stood over me. But he wasn't looking at me; his sharp blood-colored eyes were piercing into the midwife's soul.
The man was dressed in a suit of armor. His white hair was combed back. He had a long beard, which contrasted with his neat and tidy hair appearance.
"I already have an eldest son and daughter. And my wife has just given birth to twins. I have no need for a bastard son." The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch.
The midwife gulped hard when she saw the pouch, and the girl standing beside her looked at it practically drooling.
"This pouch contains 5 silver and a single gold coin. Get rid of him."
The midwife stared at the pouch greedily before speaking up.
"Yes, my lord, I know just the perfect orphanage—"
"Get rid of him," before she could finish speaking, the man cut her off. His words were cold and emotionless as he stared into her eyes. I didn't know who this man was, but one thing I knew was he had power. "You're a smart woman; I'm sure I don't have to elaborate any further."
The midwife's face turned pale, and her breath hitched as she stammered out a response.
"I-I… I w-will, m-my lord!"
The man's thin lips curved up into a satisfied smile.
"Good," the man hummed as he tucked the pouch into the midwife's dress, fitting it right between her breasts. The midwife's face flushed slightly, but she didn't say a word.
"Go on then. Do your job," the man said before turning away and dismissing them.
The midwife and the girl that accompanied her didn't waste a second before leaving, and soon we were back outside in the cold.
"What are we going to do?" The midwife let out a shaky breath as soon as we were outside.
"What else can we do?" the other girl asked. "We can't disobey our lord; you know what will happen, don't you?"
"Yes, but still…"
"We should dump him in the river."
"Lily!" The midwife looked at the other girl in horror and began protectively shielding me.
"What? You know that my family is in debt, don't you? We need this money. That is why I decided to help that woman give birth in the first place. Otherwise, I would've never gotten involved with her. This child doesn't have a future anyway if the lord wants him dead. Why not profit from it?"
"Yes, I understand that, but still…"
"Wait, don't tell me you're willing to risk your life for this child," the girl asked, looking at the midwife threateningly.
The midwife looked down at me as she cradled me in her arms. Her eyes were filled with a subtle warmth. She then turned her attention back to the girl and sighed.
"No. I have a family who I can't jeopardize over something like this. It would be a mercy for us to end this child's life here and now. But I don't want to see him suffer; he's still a baby."
"But how else are we going to do this?"
The midwife paused and closed her eyes. She took long, deep breaths, which couldn't hide the shakiness in her voice. After a while, she finally spoke up.
"Let's just leave him in a dumpster. By morning, the cold would've gotten to him. I've seen this type of thing happen multiple times, people won't question it. This way, he won't have to suffer."
The girl let out a sigh of relief.
"Ok fine, let's go."
After the emotional conversation between the midwife and the woman was done, the two continued walking. But as we did, I noticed tears welling up in the corner of the midwife's eye and suddenly she leaned down close and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
"I'm sorry little one. You deserve better but this is all I can do for now." she whispered in a shaky voice before wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Let's dump him here."
"Okay, but what if he cries?"
"Just cover it up so no one hears."
[Summoning required! Host in mortal danger.]
[Choose! Now!]