148. Pregnancy Magic

148. Pregnancy Magic

Claire’s body is soft and squishy.

It’s a texture that matches her appearance. That’s why I can’t help but get lost in it when I’m kneading her cheeks like this.

Claire, who had been offering her cheeks to me for a while while held in my arms, turned towards me, unable to bear it any longer.

“Stooooop.”

“Pffft, okay.”

Her cute expression made me laugh involuntarily. I gently patted the top of Claire’s head, then hugged her tightly again. Claire was warm because her body temperature was high.

Priscilla went outside to find Freya. I don’t really know why she went, but it’s probably nothing significant. Freya and these two, while they seemed to have a bad relationship, were subtly close.

I rested my chin on the top of Claire’s head. As I said before, Claire’s body is really soft and warm, which feels good. If I gently raise my hand and stroke her golden hair, my tail involuntarily wags at the addictive rustling sound.

If I were to have children… would it feel like this? Seeing Claire, who has a child-like body, I suddenly had that thought.

Wolf beastkin… they would definitely be wolf beastkin. Because they would be born between Freya and me.

Since I and Freya were born between a human father and a beastkin mother, children born between beastkin would clearly be beastkin. I felt proud of my brilliant deduction and poked Claire’s chest.

“Heeek…”

“Cute.”

I said this while looking at Claire, who let out a moan, and while imagining our future children.

What would the babies look like? Since they’re twins, maybe they’ll be black and white wolf beastkin, just like Freya and me.

The image of two small wolf beastkin, resembling Freya and me, perking up their ears and wagging their tails flickered in my imagination. It brought a smile to my face.

Speaking of which, the appearance of the white child seems to resemble Ur somehow. As I tried to imagine a small, cute white wolf beastkin, Ur’s actual appearance naturally came to mind.

Then, maybe I should place Ur next to them. Two young wolf beastkin standing next to a wolf beastkin in a maid outfit of similar height…

Cute.

When I raise the children later, it would be a wonderful sight to see them entrusted to Ur. Of course, this would be limited to times when Freya and I couldn’t look after the children ourselves. A mother cannot abandon her children, can she?

… Wait a minute. Thinking of ‘mother’ suddenly brought up a problem.

I am a woman. In my past life, perhaps, but in this life, I am definitely a woman. But the problem is, Freya is also a woman. So, what should my children call us?

If one parent is a woman and the other is a man, they are called ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ respectively. But if both parents are women…? If they call us ‘Mom’, both of us might react, which could be problematic in many ways.

Furthermore, the problem doesn’t stop there. Although it hasn’t happened yet, I plan to marry Claire someday. That would mean having three mothers, which is… difficult.

As I was lost in thought, Claire, perhaps sensing that I had stopped touching her, turned her head and asked.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

“Huh? No… I have a slightly difficult problem.”

“What is it? Double-digit multiplication again?”

While double-digit multiplication is indeed a difficult problem, I was thinking about a much more difficult one right now. I was contemplating the efficiency of long-term education and childcare for my children.

“Claire, for children born to two female parents… what should they call their parents?”

“Ah… is that it?”

“Yeah.”

Claire glanced at my belly, then leaned her body against me with a pout. I accepted her weight and flopped onto the bed, and thus, we both ended up lying on our backs, looking at the ceiling.

“Why are you thinking so complicatedly? Just call them by their names. Claire, Skadi, like that.”

“But that feels… a bit too informal. They’re parents, calling them just by their names.”

“Then we can add ‘Mom’ to their names. Claire Mom, Skadi Mom.”

That’s a good idea. Come to think of it, Freya mentioned that kind of address in one of the novels she gave me. But…

“Can the children say such long words? Even ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’ is difficult for them when they’re young…”

This concern stems from my own experience. When I was first reincarnated and was a baby, it took me a long time to learn the two-syllable words ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’. But if we add ‘Mom’ after their names, the address becomes five syllables. And Freya’s would be six.

Even assuming the children are smarter than me, such long titles might not be ideal in the long run. How can they form a bond if they can’t even call out to their parents? The formation of bonds in early childhood is so important.

Claire replied.

“Then, when they’re young, they can call us by our names, and when they get a bit older, we can start adding ‘Mom’.”

“Should we do that…?”

I idly lifted Claire’s dress and slipped my hand inside to caress her belly. After a moment of stroking the soft, sunken area just below her navel, Claire grabbed my hand and said.

“What’s this ring?”

“Huh?”

“Who gave it to you?”

Claire was staring intently at the ring with a green gem on my left ring finger.

——

At that moment, Priscilla was strolling down the hallway with light steps.

“To think she was researching pregnancy magic behind our backs… How audacious! This definitely calls for judgment!”

Her destination was Freya’s room. She felt a bit jealous that her beloved’s first pregnancy was stolen, but at the same time, Priscilla couldn’t hide her pounding heart at the possibility that this might bring about a new change.

“Skadi probably doesn’t know… but the Empire has been quite turbulent lately. What will happen if same-sex marriage is legalized…”

As a member of a legal family, Priscilla had received extensive education. While she had forgotten much of it due to her recent peaceful life far from legal matters, she clearly remembered her mindset regarding the law.

There is a clear distinction between what is explicitly stated and what is not, so the ripple effects of legislation must be carefully considered.

… Or so she thought, but Freya’s actions of immediately trying to create a new law after sending a letter bothered her, so Priscilla deliberately ignored it. Instead, she opened the door wide and said.

“Alright! Freya, it’s time for judgment!”

“What?”

“Fire… Kyaaak?!”

As she extended her staff, gathering red light, a tree branch shot out and instantly grabbed her, dangling her in mid-air. Priscilla, who had dropped her staff, which was as vital as her life to a mage, shouted in surprise as she looked at Freya, who was unarmed.

“W-Wait a minute! How can you use magic without a staff?!”

“Do you think I’ve been doing nothing all this time? And why are you barging in so suddenly?”

Freya said, clenching and unclenching her fist. She wasn’t in a good mood about the uninvited intrusion.

“Ah, about that, I heard Skadi is pregnant, so I came to find out how you did it! I was planning to interrogate you… W-Wait a minute! I don’t mean torture like that! I was only planning to tie you up and tickle you!”

“Tsk…”

A mage is no different from an ordinary person once their staff is taken away. Priscilla had intended to exploit that weakness, but it seemed Freya had already surpassed that level. To appease the black wolf exuding a menacing aura, Priscilla brought out a negotiation offer she had been hiding.

“W-Would you like to make a deal with me? It’s quite a tempting offer. So, could you remove this branch…”

“Let’s hear it.”

“I’ll help you marry Skadi.”

Thump. Priscilla clutched her head, which had hit the floor. It felt like she had a bump. In return, freed from the branch, Priscilla continued.

“You know my family is the Louer family, right?”

“Yes. So you’re going to make that into law?”

“Yes! That’s exactly right. But there’s a condition.”

Freya gestured with her chin, as if to say, ‘Tell me.’

“Actually, my sister has proposed legalizing same-sex marriage several times in council meetings, but it always gets stuck at the very end. The problem was that same-sex couples couldn’t conceive children.”

“So you want me to tell you how I got my sister pregnant?”

“Exactly! Of course, it’s not enough to just tell me; it needs to be commercialized so anyone can get their partner pregnant. That way, the law has a higher chance of passing. One of the clauses was to allow marriage between sisters, so if the law passes, you can do as you wish, Freya!”

It was a deal with no reason to refuse. Priscilla looked at Freya with her red eyes sparkling, but Freya’s expression was displeased.

“… I find it hard to believe. I can understand same-sex marriage, but you’re saying you proposed marriage between sisters long ago? Why on earth?”

“You seem to know that it’s shameful for a younger sister to ravage her older sister all day and get her pregnant. I also don’t understand why my sister included such a clause- Kyaaak! W-Wait a minute! Time! Time!!”

“Tsk.”

Freya clicked her tongue and dropped Priscilla, who had been lifted by the tree branch, back onto the ground.

“It’s already been commercialized. It was just lacking one thing.”

“What? Really?”

“Yes. This magical artifact that looks like a ring… you might have seen it if you went to your sister’s place? Your sister was wearing a ring on her finger too.”

Freya said, picking up a ring with a green gem from the desk.

The ring was faintly pulsating and emitting light.