Emperor Amn says "Ah. Yes, it is a strange place. Even now we still aren't sure if it is alive or not. What we do know is that the beasts are very dangerous. Whenever we lose ground against the beasts, the desert consumes the ground we lost. Whether the desert is alive or it is something to do with the beasts, we can't be sure."

"If the beasts get pushed back, does the desert retreat as well?"

Empress Atesh says "Honestly, we don't know. We have never been able to push the beasts back once they have taken the land. All of the beasts are stronger in the desert, we can only kill them when they leave it."

"Hm, interesting. What kinds of beasts have you encountered?"

Emperor Amn says "Mostly insect types, ants and scorpions, with a few lizard types. Exactly what you would expect to find in a desert."

"Alright, I will go take a look tomorrow. Will it cause any problems if I am messing around the borders of the desert?"

Emperor Amn says "Here, take this medallion. If any of my troops give you any trouble just show this to them. If you do kill some beasts and don't need the corpses, feel free to hand them to the soldiers. Our mages use them for research and to find their weaknesses."

"Sure, I can do that. Once I poke around a little I will return to the demon hunter city directly. So, if there is anything else you need, now is the time to ask."

Emperor Amn says "No. Thanks to you, our problems are already solved. The empire itself is stable and all that is left now is to build the new palace."

Empress Atesh says "Unfortunately, the only problem we have isn't something that you can solve."

"Oh, why don't you tell me anyway?"

Empress Atesh says "Well, it is a little embarrassing, but alright. Shiro is our daughter, as you know, but she is an only child. Despite enlisting every healer we could find, I have not been able to get pregnant again since she was born."

Emperor Amn says "As I am sure you know, it is hard for a woman to rule, especially alone. However, I refuse to take any other wives. Hence our problem."

"Oh. That must be why Shiro wanted me to take a look at your bodies. I have a way to optimize and revitalize someone's health. To be honest, I had forgotten about it, but we can do it right now."

Empress Atesh says "Eh, she did? She failed to mention that, the little brat."

Emperor Amn says "It is just because she cares about us and the future of the empire. So, shouldn't we wait until after dinner is finished?"

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"Actually, some of the energy needed will come from you. So, you will just end up feeling hungry again."

Emperor Amn says "Alright. I will go first."

"Sure. No problem."

Getting up, I walk around the table and put my hand on the emperor's shoulder. The guards' eyes are glued to me and they are ready to attack instantly if I do anything suspicious. I run my mana through the emperor's body, but all I find is some old scars.

Other than that, he is perfectly healthy, so I clean up the scars and move on to his wife. When I move on, the emperor gets up and stretches with a smile on his face. However, his smile disappears when he sees the look on my face after scanning the empress.

Emperor Amn says "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Empress, I am afraid that your womb is completely dead and it didn't happen due to natural causes. At some point in the past you were poisoned. From the damage it would have to have been over a decade ago at least."

Emperor Amn says "It doesn't matter how long ago it happened, I will find the one responsible! Can you heal her?"

"Not easily."

Empress Atesh says "What does that mean?"

"Well, to heal it normally I would do it bit by bit over the next couple of weeks. However, I don't have that kind of time. There is a more dangerous option though."

Emperor Amn says "What option and how dangerous?"

"Surgery. I would cut open your wife and remove the dead womb. Then I would use my magic to help her body grow a new one. The risk of death is fairly low, but there will be pain involved."

Emperor Amn says "No, I won't risk it. Tell me, what is the price for you to stay here and do it the slow and safe way?"

Empress Atesh says "Wait, what makes you think that this is your choice to make? It is my body, I will decide what we are going to do."

"Um, maybe I should step outside while you talk."

Emperor Amn says "No need. My wife is right, it is her choice."

"Alright. So, Empress, what do you want to do?"

Empress Atesh says "Is it possible for you to make an item that would be able to heal me slowly?"

"Unfortunately no. Each treatment would be different, an item wouldn't be able to adapt to any changes."

Empress Atesh says "Then we will do it the painful way."

Emperor Amn says "Are you sure?"

Empress Atesh says "Yes, I am. I want to give you a son."

"Alright. We can move somewhere private and do it right now. It will involve some pain, as I said, but you will be back on your feet right away."

Empress Atesh says "Fine. Let's do it."

I follow the empress into one of the bedrooms, where she removes most of her clothes. Of course, we are not alone, there are female guards and a female healer with us. I don't actually touch the empress, I am doing everything using my mana.

As I work, I do my best to numb the pain, but it is still quite painful for her. It isn't really surgery since I don't need to cut her open, my mana is working inside of her body. My mana is the only reason I can even attempt this, my knowledge of anatomy isn't that great.

Luckily, the human body knows how it is supposed to be, so once I remove the old womb I just need to provide energy. The empress' body takes care of the rest using the energy that I am providing to it. Of course, this doesn't exactly feel good, but it doesn't last for too long.

As soon as I step back, the healer takes over and runs a check on the empress. After a couple of minutes, the empress' breathing evens out and she manages to sit up. Seeing that, the guards finally relax and one of them rushes out to inform the emperor.

"How are you feeling?"

Empress Atesh says "I feel fine now. Did it work?"

"Yes. Your body is now perfectly healthy. There is nothing that will prevent you from getting pregnant. Of course, there is no guarantee that it will be a son and not another daughter."