Chapter 39

〈 Episode 39 〉Birth

The quest wasn’t completed while Asha was staying in the Orc Village. Noticing that she could only return after the Tentacles were completely gone, Asha worked with Georg or other Orc warriors to deal with the Tentacles from the next day.

She also learned simple Spells from Walter. Although they were of different races and ages, fortunately, Asha had no trouble learning his Spells.

Today, Asha came to Walter’s house to learn Spells. Walter took Asha to an open space in front of his house and started the lesson.

“Asha, do you remember what you learned last time?”

“You said that the results of Spells keep changing depending on the situation,”

“That’s right. That’s one of the biggest differences from Magic. Relatively, Magic produces somewhat uniform results if you put in the same Mana and go through the same process, but Spells can change drastically depending on the surrounding situation. In the worst case, it can even destroy the caster if used incorrectly. That’s why you should pay at least minimal attention when using Spells, even if you can’t fully predict the outcome.”

Asha, who was comparing Magic and Spells in her head, asked Walter.

“Then what are the advantages of Spells? It’s better to have predictable results.”

“To say that it changes depending on the context and situation is the same as saying that if you can grasp the appropriate situation, you can exert much more powerful power with less force. Also, Spells are much more flexible and free than Magic. Each has its pros and cons.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure if I can do well.”

‘It’s good that I can freeload, but honestly, my head is stiff…’

Like most students, Asha was more familiar with rote learning than creative education.

“Didn’t you say you’d try learning from me once? At your age, it’s not too late to regret it after trying. Who knows? Maybe you have more talent than you think?”

Asha, who was tempted by Walter’s sweet talk, felt better again.

“Is that so? I’ll try hard!”

That’s how Asha learned the basics of Spells from Walter.

Asha found out she was pregnant a week after having relations with Georg. Asha had had relations with him several times in the meantime, but she was fine without morning sickness until her belly suddenly swelled, and she realized she was carrying Georg’s child.

“Uncle, I think I’m pregnant.”

She told Walter the fact without thinking, and Asha’s pregnancy news spread throughout the Orc Village. Georg and Asha, who were angry, rushed to Walter’s house, but Walter had already run away long ago.

Pregnancy was a village-wide celebration for the Orcs, who rarely had children because it was more difficult for them to get pregnant than humans. Asha soon had to receive a barrage of gifts from people she had never seen before.

After the fact of her pregnancy became known, Asha had to stay at home. It was because of the Orcs who were horrified and blocked her whenever she tried to go on a subjugation. Since everyone in the village already knew that a human girl was pregnant, Asha couldn’t bring herself to shake off the Orcs and couldn’t go outside the village.

Today, she was at Eva’s house with Lucia. Due to the influence of the Seedbed Constitution, she didn’t experience the great discomfort that other human women did when they were pregnant, but Asha, who had little to do with her belly full, couldn’t help but get lazy. Asha, who woke up after the sun had risen high in the sky, ate a rice cake-like food for breakfast and lunch. Eva, who lived with her, had already left to do her work long ago.

Asha, wearing a maternity dress newly made by Lucia, was only two months pregnant, but her belly was completely swollen, and she could tell that childbirth was near. She couldn’t have sex because she was pregnant, but of course, intense sex was impossible, and Asha, who spent most of her day at home, felt restless.

“Ugh, I feel like I’m getting too lazy being at home…”

“Mom, are you bored?”

“A bit stuffy? But I can’t run around with this body…”

“Then let’s go for a walk together.”

“Shall we? Okay. Let’s go, Lucy.”

Asha, who was delighted by Lucia’s words, took Lucia’s hand and went out the gate. The weather was getting colder, close to winter, so Asha wore a leather coat and saw her daughter, who was only wearing a dress today.

“Lucy, aren’t you cold?”

“I don’t really care about the weather. My hands are warm, too.”

“That’s true. Lucy, if you’re okay, then it’s okay.”

As Lucia said, even though the cold wind was blowing, Lucia’s hands were warm, rather warming Asha’s hands. Feeling like she had a warm living heater next to her, Asha smiled and walked closer to Lucia. Although the temperature was cold, Orcs were working busily on the streets. One of the Orcs recognized her. It was someone Asha knew.

“Are you okay, Asha?”

“Yes, Otto. You were in the village. What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing. My house is a mess, so I have to clean it up today. Asha, you must feel like you’re growing mold on your body being at home after being outside all the time?”

Otto understood Asha’s difficulties because he had been to the Labyrinth subjugation with her after coming to this village.

“Exactly. If it weren’t for Lucy, I might have died of boredom.”

“Just bear with it. And it seems like it’s not far off. Don’t you think?”

“Well… maybe it will be born within a week?”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen a human pregnant, but it’s really fast… it takes us at least half a year.”

Asha shook her head at Otto’s misunderstanding.

“Humans usually need 10 months. Please think of this as me being a bit special.”

“Is that so? Anyway, I’m glad it’s being born soon. I hope it’s born safely.”

“It’ll be fine. What could go wrong?”

Asha, who had talked to Otto for a few more words, went to a restaurant to eat. Recently, the two mothers and daughters had become interested in gourmet food. Asha, who was often hungry due to her pregnancy, went without saying, and Lucia was also immersed in eating new things.

“Lucy, what should we eat?”

“Steak!”

“Shall we? Meat is really delicious.”

As was the case when she got dinner from Georg, Orcs were meticulous about cooking meat, so meat-related meals were especially delicious compared to other foods.

The mothers and daughters, who had decided on the meal menu, went to the restaurant and ate steak set meals each. Asha had been eating more recently, but Lucia ate as much as Asha. In fact, it was more accurate to say that Lucia, who could eat almost indefinitely, restrained herself.

Asha and Lucia, who had finished their meal, returned home. Asha lay on her side on the bed and stroked her belly.

‘It’s hard… it was wobbly when I was pregnant with the Tentacle. They said that when a child is born in the village, they raise it together…’

She heard that when a child was born, Orcs raised it with the parents for a month and then raised it together. This was to reduce the burden of childcare and to protect the child together.

‘Sorry. I can’t be with you all the time.’

Asha heard stories about the Labyrinth subjugation from Georg, who visited once or twice a day. According to him, it wouldn’t take long to deal with the remaining creatures.

Perhaps it was because she loved Lucia so much, but although there was a slightly tickling feeling, Asha didn’t feel as attached to the child in her belly as she did to Lucia. She was sorry that she was happy that she didn’t have to bear the burden of childcare. But she couldn’t create love that didn’t exist.

Two days later, Asha’s water broke early in the morning. When yellow water poured out with blood from between her legs without any particular labor pains, Asha was embarrassed, and Eva, who was eating breakfast, immediately hugged Asha and headed to Walter’s house. Lucia followed her, toddling along. Eva kicked down Walter’s front door.

“Walter! Are you there!”

Walter, who was drinking tea, burned his mouth at the sudden attack.

“Ouch! Damn it! What a fuss. Is it time to give birth?”

“Yes. Please check, Walter.”

“Ugh… I’m not an obstetrician, even if it’s me. Wait a minute. I’ll check the condition and call Selma.”

Walter took Asha to the laboratory and diagnosed Asha.

“You’re surprisingly fine. You’re really unique. I’ve called the midwife through the wind, so she’ll be here soon.”

“Is that so? My sister is too fussy, ugh!”

Asha frowned in the middle of her words. Walter was horrified when he saw her face turn red while holding her belly, realizing that childbirth had begun.

“No, why is it so fast? Eva, do you know Selma’s house? Take her here, quickly!”

“Yes!”

Eva ran out again, and Asha began to groan.

“Huk! Aaaagh…”

“Mom…”

“What should I do, I need to clean this place first.”

Lucia was worried as she watched Asha in pain. Walter quickly created water out of nowhere and swept through the entire laboratory. Meanwhile, Asha was lying down, sweating from the pain of her uterus pulling. Not long after Walter cleaned the laboratory, Eva and an old midwife entered the laboratory.

“Selma! I’m glad you came in time!”

“Your water already broke? The child is really impatient… Walter, it looks like she’ll give birth soon, so go out. Eva, you should be outside too.”

“Is there anything else you need?”

“I’ll call you if something happens. Where’s Georg?”

“He went to the Labyrinth today. I don’t think I can deliver the news there.”

“…Do I have to go out too?”

When Lucia asked, Selma pondered and said to her.

“It’s okay if you stay, but Asha might be stressed because she’s worried about you.”

“Then I’ll be outside.”

“Okay, you thought well.”

Eva, Walter, and Lucia left the laboratory. Selma approached Asha and touched her belly.

“The child seems big, so it won’t be easy.”

“It feels more painful than before, heuk!”

Asha bit her teeth at the pain ringing in her pelvis. The child hadn’t even shown any signs of coming out yet, but she continued to groan in pain.

[Pain Relief has been activated.]

Asha’s complexion became a little more comfortable only after a message appeared at some point. Selma took off Asha’s underwear and touched her vulva.

“The cervix is already quite open. It won’t take as long as I thought.”

“Oh, it won’t take long?”

“It’ll take 2 hours at most… it hurts more the bigger the baby’s head is, so pray that the head is small.”

Asha thought of Georg. He was big, but thinking of his big head, she didn’t think the child in her belly would be small…

For more than 30 minutes after that, Asha had to endure the process of her body preparing for childbirth. Soon, Asha began to feel the sensation of the child being pushed out of her belly. Soon, the top of the child’s head began to appear from Asha’s wide-open vulva.

“Ah, aheuk!”

The child’s head was blocked by the hole that wasn’t fully open and began to come out of the vagina that was gradually widening as if it would tear. As Asha had predicted, the size of the child’s head was unusual. Selma wiped Asha’s sweat and helped the head come out little by little so that the child wouldn’t get hurt.

“Come on, come on. It’s coming out. Again, push!”

“Aaaagh!”

She had to scream until her throat was hoarse while the child’s head was coming out. Asha was exhausted after the child’s head, which was the size of a bowling ball, came out. The baby’s soft head was slightly dented and became an oblique oval shape because it had passed through a narrow hole. The midwife turned the fully emerged child’s head to the side to raise the shoulders.

“Heuk… it hurts, it’s hard…”

“The head is out, so it’s all over. Push!”

“Ugh! Keueeut!”

Even though it was a newborn, the child, whose shoulder size was also unusual, made Asha suffer until the end. Her vulva, which had widened beyond its limit, was able to barely let the child out with its blood vessels reddened by stimulation. Selma removed the foreign substances in the child’s mouth and carefully patted the child’s buttocks to make it breathe.

Wee-ah!

Only after the child’s loud cry echoed could Selma breathe a sigh of relief. She took out a large pair of scissors next to her and cut the tough umbilical cord. The laboratory, which Walter had cleaned, was once again a mess due to childbirth. The midwife wiped the child with a clean cloth and handed it to Asha, who was exhausted. Asha was surprised by the weight of the child, which was at least twice as heavy as Lucia when she was born.

“Well done, Asha. Being this big from birth, you’ll be a great warrior in the future.”

“Heueu… I thought I was going to die giving birth… I thought it would be okay because I had experience…”

“The pain is different because the child is different. Anyway, well done. I’ll take out the placenta.”

“Ugh…”

She slowly pulled on the gray umbilical cord connected to Asha’s belly, and was able to take out the placenta along with the remaining blood clots through her vulva. Selma, who had put the taken umbilical cord and placenta in a container, wiped Asha’s lower abdomen, which was wet with blood and amniotic fluid.

Soon, there was a knock on the laboratory door.

“Selma! I heard the baby crying, is it all over!”

“Wait a minute!”

Selma, who answered Walter, covered Asha with a thin blanket. When Selma opened the door, Eva, Walter, and Lucia came in. Lucia was surprised by Asha, who was completely limp, and ran to her.

“Mom! Are you okay?!”

“Yeah… it didn’t hurt at all when I gave birth to Lucia…”

“Mom, are you lying? I remember everything from when I was born?”

“Ah, ahaha… it hurt less, less!”

While Asha was sweating because of Lucia, who had excessively good memory, the child who was in Asha’s arms opened its eyes and looked at her. When she made eye contact with the child, who looked endlessly gentle, it seemed like all the hardships she had gone through giving birth disappeared. She breastfed the child. The child, who had been just holding Asha’s nipple in its mouth for a while, soon began to suck breast milk vigorously.

“Hey, you’re too strong…”

“Haha… it’s good if the child is healthy, anyway, I’m really glad you were born safely, Asha!”

“Thank you, Eva. It would have been really hard if you weren’t home.”

Of course, Lucia would have helped even if Eva wasn’t there, but that didn’t diminish Eva’s contribution. Walter also congratulated Asha.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen a child born between a human and an Orc. I’m glad the child looks healthy. You’ve worked hard, Asha. Oh, it’s dirty again.”

Walter glanced around and waved his staff to clean the laboratory again. Asha, who was wet with sweat, also became fluffy. Asha smiled pleasantly at the slightly refreshed feeling. She stared at the child who was endlessly sucking on her breast.

“I feel strange…”

“By the way, are you going to keep raising that child? I won’t stop you if you want to.”

“No. I’ll have to raise it according to the Orcs’ tradition. Take it when the time comes.”

Walter was a little puzzled by Asha’s calm words, but soon agreed.

“That’s a relief. This child will grow up without any shortcomings. Do you have a name in mind?”

“Hmm… I have a few, but I don’t think I can decide on my own. I’ll talk to Georg later.”

“Ah, that guy was the father. Hehe… that’s why living in the world is fun.”

Selma interrupted him when it seemed like Walter would continue talking.

“Okay, okay, Asha is tired, so leave her alone, Walter. Asha, what do you want to do? Are you going home right away?”

“My belly is still throbbing a bit, but I think I’m okay. I’ll go home.”

“Okay, it’s good to do what you want.”

“Eva, can you hug me like before? I still can’t put strength in my legs…”

“It’s not difficult. Let’s go, Lucia.”

“Yes!”

Asha, Eva, and Lucia returned home with the newborn child.