Inside the large yurt Gorgon had prepared for us as a newlywed home.
Kara and I were enjoying a passionate newlywed life where sparks flew whenever our eyes met.
Last night, too, after loving each other fervently until dawn, I had been taking a brief rest beneath the languid afternoon sunlight.
Bang!
The tent flap was flung open roughly, and Old Baba came rushing in, out of breath.
In her hand, she was holding onto Kara, who looked completely bewildered.
“You brat! At last! At long last, I’m going to see a grandchild!”
The old woman’s booming shout shook the yurt.
“Uh...?”
I blinked blankly.
Kara, too, flushed red and fidgeted with her stomach, at a loss for what to do.
“Old Baba? What are you talking about...?”
“Oh, you dull-witted fools! Her pulse is this clear, and you didn’t know? I’m saying your cub is growing in her belly!”
Grandchild?
Pregnant?
Wait a second.
The instant the old woman’s cry pierced my ears, the massive dam blocking my mind collapsed.
The word “grandchild” became the final key, completely unlocking the memories of my previous life that had been sealed away.
Crash—!
As if a pane of glass had shattered, the sealed memories flooded into my mind.
In front of a training center in the Republic of Korea.
The novel I had read for the last time before enlistment, while rubbing my buzz-cut head.
.
And now.
The exact same age I had been in my previous life when I read this novel.
That eerie coincidence became the trigger, and the hazy ending of the novel came back to me with perfect clarity.
『I will protect my sun forever.』
The ending of the original work.
The proud wolf knight who became the bodyguard of the illegitimate imperial princess, the main heroine, stubbornly remained single until the end, and swore to protect “my sun.”
The forever-single sub-heroine, Kara Wintersword.
And yet.
‘She’s pregnant with my child right now?’
Before the original story even began?
Far from staying single.
She was carrying my child in her belly?
The complete opposite.
A massive destruction of the original plot.
The moment I realized that shocking truth, fragments of memory rushed in like a storm and formed a single sentence.
‘I... have smashed the novel to pieces.’
But in that realization of immense destruction, there was no fear.
Only overwhelming joy.
I looked at Kara.
She was still flustered, holding her stomach in both hands.
My favorite character, who in the original would have spent her entire life in solitude, sacrificing herself for others before making a lonely exit.
My main heroine.
And now, she stood before me with a reddened face, carrying a life inside her.
“Varg...?”
Kara called my name, tears welling in her eyes.
Since I hadn’t said anything, she seemed afraid I might hate it.
“Ha...!”
Unable to hold back the laughter bursting out of me, I pulled Kara into a tight embrace.
“Thank you, Kara. Thank you so much.”
“......Sob!”
Only then did Kara, held in my arms, let out a relieved cry.
She was probably crying simply because she was overwhelmed by the fact that she was pregnant.
But my tears were different.
I had stopped it.
Her unhappiness.
Her loneliness.
The reason I had come to this world.
And the reason I had to survive.
They were now complete.
“I love you. I’ll make you smile for the rest of your life.”
I kissed the damp corners of Kara’s eyes and whispered with all my heart.
Upon the wreckage of the original story I had shattered, our real story was beginning.
But...
The genre of that original story I had smashed was definitely...
Romance fantasy, wasn’t it?
And an annoyingly intense male-lead regret angst story at that.
But I’m a barbarian.
* * *
The contents of the romance fantasy novel I had read in my previous life were cruelly vivid.
Elysia, princess of the Holy Croatina Empire.
An unwanted child born from the emperor’s one-night fling, treated as less than even a concubine’s child.
A story of growth and love that unfolded after she enrolled in the academy.
And at her side, there was always “her.”
「Kara Wintersword.」
The Kara in the original was not the bright, smiling woman standing before me now.
『A northern barbarian.』
『A wench sold here as a hostage.』
Those were the derogatory names that followed Kara around.
After the death of Chief Gorgon, the tribe, having lost its center, suffered a fatal blow in the war against the Blood Fang Tribe.
Its influence within Norheim plummeted to rock bottom, and even the other tribes turned their backs on it.
In the end, Kara, forced to become the young head of her family, had to break the “equal agreement” her father Gorgon had made with the grand duke and bend her knee in order to preserve the tribe.
Into a horrifically one-sided hierarchy.
The Winterclaw Tribe lost its autonomy and was fully incorporated into the Northguard Grand Duchy, effectively reduced to a private military force of the grand duke.
And the true intentions of the ruler of the north, Grand Duke Northguard, lay elsewhere.
He knew.
When the first Gate opened, it had been our Winterclaw Tribe who stood on the front lines alongside Croatina I, the founder of the empire, shedding blood to hold back the monsters.
The grand duke coveted that powerful “bloodline of heroes.”
So that in the future division and civil war of the empire, he could use the barbarians as his own chess pieces.
That was why he had bestowed on Kara the hollowly respectable surname “Wintersword” and kept her as a hostage.
And 「Kyron von Northguard.」
The future Grand Duke of the North, a genius called the youngest Sword Master in imperial history.
But for now, he was nothing more than a haughty young lord.
In my memory, he was the typical male lead of a regret story.
Kyron liked Kara.
At the very least, when his father tried to treat Kara as nothing more than a “tool,” he was the one who enrolled her in the academy and slipped her out of his father’s grasp.
But the method was the problem.
A moron whose pride was disgustingly high and who couldn’t express even a single feeling properly.
He called Kara a “barbarian,” insulted her, despised her, and tormented her.
Whenever it seemed like his feelings might be exposed, he acted even more viciously.
It was as childish as an elementary school boy cutting the rubber band of the girl he liked and running away.
But because the target was Kara, who was living as a hostage with her life on the line, it was not a simple prank, but terrible abuse.
In particular, he constantly used her tribe as leverage, slowly breaking Kara down.
In the end, when Kara could no longer endure it and left after swearing loyalty to Princess Elysia, only then did he belatedly beat the ground in regret and cling to her like a pathetic loser.
But even that did not last long.
Eventually, he had his heart completely stolen by the main heroine who appeared later, Princess Elysia.
‘Rotten bastard.’
Using his new love as an excuse, he withdrew his obsession with Kara and acted cool, pretending to “take a step back.”
In that muddy story, Kara was utterly ruined.
She had no life of her own.
She endured for the sake of her tribe.
She swung her sword for the illegitimate princess.
She suffered under the obsession of a pathetic young lord...
And eventually ended as a “lonely knight” who grew old single for the rest of her life.
The reason she insisted on staying single was not because she did not know love.
It was karma.
Unable to contain the rage of losing her father, she had pushed ahead with a reckless war against the Blood Fang Tribe, and because of that, her tribe had declined.
Believing she had no right to become happy, Kara spent her entire life sacrificing herself for her tribe and the princess in a spirit of atonement.
“......”
My body trembled.
What if I had never come to this world?
What if I had failed to save Gorgon?
The woman in my arms now would have had to be dragged off to that cold imperial land, carrying despair instead of a child in her belly.
That dreadful “fate of the original” felt chillingly heavy.
But.
“......Thank goodness.”
The words that came out of my mouth were relief.
Destroying the original?
Who gives a damn.
My wife right now is not some sub-heroine from that miserable angst story.
She is “Varg’s wife,” who makes passionate love with me every night, eats delicious food, and smiles happily.
Our child is growing in her belly, and behind her stands her living father, Gorgon.
From that pathetic bastard Kyron.
From that shitty fate.
I had saved her.
“Varg?”
Perhaps anxious because I was standing there in a daze, Kara gripped the hem of my clothes tightly.
I smiled.
With tears in my eyes, more brightly than ever before.
Whoosh!
I pulled her into an embrace so tight it felt as though I might crush her.
Kara’s warm body heat.
The sweet scent of her skin.
And the sound of hearts beating for two.
This was my reality, and the victory I had won.
“You did well, Kara. You did so well.”
I buried my face in the nape of Kara’s neck and mumbled.
“We... won.”
“What? Who were we fighting?”
Kara’s voice was puzzled, as if she had no idea what I meant.
I lifted my head and gazed into her clear sky-blue eyes.
“That son of a bitch called fate.”
“......Pfft! What’s that supposed to mean?”
Kara burst out laughing and lightly thumped my chest.
“Idiot. If Dad hears that, he’ll tease you for trying to sound cool again.”
“Let him tease me. With how I feel right now, I could even dance with a troll.”
We looked at each other and giggled.
I was happy.
Utterly and completely.
However, gods are prone to jealousy when it comes to a barbarian’s happiness.
A signal from an uninvited guest tore through that sweet moment.
Boooo—!
A deep and imposing trumpet call.
It was not the rough horn call of our tribe.
It was the formal trumpet sound of the grand duke’s delegation.
And the sound of fate announcing the beginning of chapter one of the original story.
In an instant, the air inside the tent went cold.
The smile vanished from Kara’s face, and her expression hardened.
“......It’s the grand duke’s delegation.”
Old Baba’s rough voice came from outside the tent.
“Tch. Persistent bastards. What scheme have they crawled all the way here for this time?”
What was to come had come.
According to the original, that trumpet call would have been the summons of a grim reaper who had come to drag Kara away by force.
But.
‘This time is different.’
I wrapped an arm around Kara’s shoulders.
Her body was trembling faintly.
Was it the fear assigned to her by fate?
Or a premonition of the parting to come?
I kissed the back of her hand warmly and stood with a resolute expression.
“Don’t be afraid, Kara.”
My eyes were no longer confused.
They were eyes in which the arrogance of one who had torn the original apart coexisted with the wild instinct of a male protecting his family.
I smiled and held out my hand to my wife.
“Let’s go, dear. We have guests to receive.”
Even if a god comes, he won’t be taking my wife and my child.
* * *
A little while later, in the central square of the tribe.
Gorgon sat crookedly on a throne made of mammoth bones.
Before him stood the head of the delegation, dressed in splendid imperial formal attire, sweating profusely.
In the original, he had arrogantly looked down on Kara and insulted her.
But now, he was flustered, doing nothing but carefully gauge the mood.
Because behind him, we, the Varg couple, stood with our arms crossed, shooting him razor-sharp glares.
“Ahem. Chief Gorgon. As discussed in the last negotiations, our Northguard Grand Duchy desires true integration with your tribe.”
The head of the delegation cleared his throat and unfurled a parchment scroll.
“Therefore, His Highness the Grand Duke has proposed that Lady Kara, the chief’s daughter, enroll in the Imperial Academy Aeterna and build connections with the children of the nobility.”
“Proposed?”
Gorgon snorted.
“That’s a pretty word for it, but aren’t you just telling me to send her so you can use her as a hostage later?”
“N-No! Absolutely not! It is merely in the interest of harmony... and Lady Kara happens to be of a suitable age...”
The head of the delegation waved his hands and made excuses.
As expected, the broad outline had not changed.
In the end, the grand duke wanted to take Kara, and our tribe, into his grasp.
Only the method had changed from “coercion” to “persuasion.”
Kara glanced at me anxiously.
“Varg....”
Kara knew.
If she did not go, the grand duke would pressure the tribe under some other pretext.
I chuckled.
‘As expected, that bastard fate is persistent.’
But it didn’t matter.
If it was a fight we couldn’t avoid anyway, fighting in the enemy’s front yard was the Winterclaw Tribe’s style.
I gripped Kara’s hand tightly and whispered in her ear.
“Let’s go, Kara.”
“......Huh?”
“Let’s go and show them. How terrifying the Winterclaw Tribe is. How incredible the woman I love is.”
Most of all.
My eyes flashed.
‘I want to see that bastard Kyron’s face for myself.’
Of course, the current Kyron hadn’t really done anything wrong yet.
He hadn’t even met Kara yet.
Well, if he did meet her, he’d probably fall for her and act pathetic.
But in my mind, the bastard who wounded Kara most deeply was him.
That pathetic young lord who had tormented my wife in a future that no longer existed.
If he felt wronged, he should have behaved himself from the start.
I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep unless I planted my fist in that bastard’s face.
“Father… I will go.”
At Kara’s cry, filled with resolve, Gorgon and the head of the delegation both fixed their gazes on her at once.
And I boldly wrapped an arm around Kara’s shoulders and declared,
“However, I’m going with her.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by…”
“I would like to take this opportunity to learn the Empire’s advanced technology and knowledge.”
“We will both enroll.”
At my and Kara’s confident declaration, the head of the delegation blinked.
His bewildered gaze swept over me.
A barbarian more than two meters tall, draped in animal hides.
Yet my eyes alone shone with a fierce light.
“Um… Chief Gorgon. Forgive me, but this person is…?”
The head of the delegation carefully asked Gorgon.
A mischievous smile tugged at the corners of Gorgon’s mouth.
“He is my son.”
“Your… son?”
The head of the delegation tilted his head.
According to his sources, Gorgon had only one daughter.
After all, Gorgon’s wife had died giving birth to his daughter, Kara.
But he had also heard rumors that there was an outstanding young warrior in the Winterclaw tribe, one who could contend with the chief’s daughter on equal footing.
‘Could that rumored warrior be… his hidden son?’
The head of the delegation let his imagination run wild and convinced himself.
Gorgon did not bother correcting him by saying “adopted son” or “son-in-law.”
He merely grinned and drove the point home.
“What, do you have a problem with him being my son?”
“N-no, not at all! If he is your son, Chief… then he is more than qualified. Yes, well… it is possible.”
The head of the delegation nodded in a daze.
Gorgon stroked his beard and casually tossed out his second prank.
“That academy you call the Empire’s finest—its medical arts must be excellent, yes?”
“Pardon? Ah, of course! The Empire’s best healers reside there.”
“Then are they good at delivering babies too?”
“Childbirth is basic, of course… pardon?”
The head of the delegation blinked.
They had been talking about admission to the academy, and now childbirth had suddenly come up.
“Yes… well, naturally, since the finest medical staff are there, childbirth would also be… pardon? Childbirth?”
Only belatedly did the head of the delegation understand what he meant, and his face filled with shock.
Gorgon burst into hearty laughter and waved his hand.
“Ah, don’t be so surprised. We’re barbarians, so we marry a bit early. My grandchild is already growing in her belly.”
“......What?”
The head of the delegation’s gaze drifted blankly toward Kara’s stomach.
For a moment, silence fell.
The head of the delegation’s jaw dropped as if it might fall off.
“What???????????????”
A barbarian couple enrolling in the Empire’s greatest academy, and bringing along a pregnant wife at that.
It was the beginning of an unprecedented event in the history of the Empire.