chapter_0065

Chapter 64 : You see, babies…

Chapter 64 : You see, babies…

Elia had never received proper sex education until now.

That was understandable, since on this medieval continent devoid of any form of media, the only way people could learn about intercourse between men and women was through word of mouth.

However, Elia had never particularly wondered about such things, and had believed the legend she read in fairy tales as a child—that if a married couple sincerely wished for a child, the goddess would grant them one.

Well, it was a story in the name of the goddess! So of course it had to be true, right?

But last night, at a party to unwind with Kael’s disciples, Elia had a conversation with Asili that made her question something she had never been curious about before.

“Wow, our little lady really is cute. I wouldn’t need anything else if I had a little sister like you.”

“Ah… Th-thank you.”

“Being an only child must be a bit lonely, huh? Don’t you ever wish you had a younger sibling?”

“Uh… a younger sibling? I guess it’d be nice to have one.”

And so began the conversation with Asili.

Zenre, who had been listening from the side, seemed to notice something odd and tried to stop Asili, but that small intervention wasn’t enough to shut Asili up.

“Then how about asking Master and Miss Ruina to make you a little sibling?”

“Ma-make one? I thought the goddess gives babies?”

“Huh? Pfft—Puhahahaha!! Oh wow, seriously? You really think that? Bahahaha!!”

“W-What? Why are you laughing all of a sudden?”

Elia, puzzled by Asili’s suggestion to “make” a sibling, was met with a hand ruffling her hair like she was adorable and laughter that felt more like mockery.

Wait a second, aren’t babies given by the goddess? Isn’t it more accurate to say they’re received rather than made?

Elia genuinely believed that, but the way she was being treated like a naive child made her realize that what she thought was common knowledge might have been wrong all along.

Of course, she didn’t know what the real truth was, so naturally, her curiosity was piqued.

So Elia spent all night pondering her questions and asked Zenre and Martin about it the next day as they were leaving—but got no clear answers.

“Uhm… it might still be a bit early for you to know these things, miss. I don’t think it’s my place to say. Maybe you should ask Miss Ruina instead?”

Zenre, dodging the question and passing the baton to Ruina.

“Aha… well, you see, it’s kind of a deep topic to explain myself. There’s a time for everything, and I don’t think learning it later will hurt anything…”

Martin, vaguely delaying the answer and quickly running off.

But their evasiveness only fueled Elia’s curiosity further, and after everyone had left, she was left with no choice but to ask Ruina directly.

But Ruina, just like the others, avoided her gaze and dodged the question.

“Hmm… I don’t think this is something you need to know so soon, sweetheart.”

“What the heck! What is it that everyone’s hiding from me?!”

Frustrated to the point of bursting, Elia shouted—but really, this was all just bad luck on her part.

In a time where basic education was scarce, the only way to learn about sex was through rough environments—like back alleys or mercenary circles.

But Elia had grown up in the countryside with Kael and Ruina, and had no delinquent friends to get into trouble with.

And when she joined the mercenary world before turning twenty, Martin and the proper mercenaries he surrounded her with protected her from any rough influence.

Even in the Shardena Knights, where crude jokes were commonly thrown around among men, people hushed up when Elia entered the room—thanks to Zenre’s watchful eye.

Because of that, Elia ended up living a life light-years away from any environment that would expose her to the truth about sex.

And the result is this.

Everyone wants Elia to stay pure, but at the same time, they can’t just leave her ignorant forever—so now they’re all tiptoeing around, wondering how to explain it.

Of course, from Elia’s perspective—unaware of all this—it just felt like everyone was hiding a shared secret from her.

So she headed outside the mansion to ask Kael, her last resort, for the truth.

And that brings us to the present.

I clutch my aching head as Elia stands before me, asking how babies are made.

‘How the hell am I supposed to explain this…?’

It’s a truth she would have learned eventually, but I really didn’t want to be the one to tell her.

Sex education. Of course, it’s important.

Rather than be embarrassed, it’s better to provide proper knowledge—it would be helpful for Elia too.

But the Confucian ideals buried deep in my DNA were reacting reflexively, and I couldn’t help it.

“Um, uhh…”

My lips moved several times, trying to form words—then shut again.

Although I had long since sorted out everything I could say in response to Elia’s question in my head, I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

So, trying to buy myself a little time to think, I steered the conversation toward the root of the question itself.

“Um… Elia, can I ask why you’re asking that kind of question?”

Who was the one who shattered Elia’s pure belief that babies were gifts from the goddess, given to couples who earnestly wished for them?

It was likely someone she had just met recently, since Elia had probably never even had such doubts before yesterday.

And, of course, the name that popped out of Elia’s mouth made the veins in my forehead bulge.

“Yesterday, Asili told me. That what I knew was wrong.”

“Aha… Asili, huh?”

First of all, since Asili should still be somewhere in the kingdom, I’ll hunt her down and kill her somehow.

Well, not completely. Just about halfway.

I’ll torment that annoying mouth of her until she can’t help but cry.

I swore it on my honor and, as I looked at Elia eagerly waiting for an answer, I had no choice but to gather my thoughts quickly.

“So then, how are babies made, exactly? Please tell me, Daddy.”

“Uh, well… that is…”

To be honest, once things had reached this point, there was no avoiding it.

Elia was definitely going to keep pestering me until she got an answer, and if I refused to tell her, she’d undoubtedly go around digging for answers elsewhere.

And I’d rather she get a proper, modern sex education from me than a distorted one from some shady weirdo.

In other words, all I had to do was overcome my shame.

“Ssshhh… Hooo…”

So I took a deep breath to calm myself and forced the shame out of my mind.

Then, slowly, I gave Elia the answer she was looking for.

“Elia, babies are made when…”

Elia, who had lived purely for 20 years.

Her untouched innocence that I had hoped to preserve for as long as possible.

But now, it was time for her to realize that life was not a fairy tale.

“Ah… Aah…”

Having shattered the illusion and come face to face with reality, Elia fell into silence, her face turning beet red, muttering incomprehensible things.

Ruina, too, seemed flustered just from hearing it, her face flushed as she tried to cool herself down.

Then, Elia finally turned around and, barely managing to form words, spoke to me.

“I-I think I’ll go in first…”

With that, Elia headed back toward the mansion.

Her back looked pitiful, and though it pained me, I kept telling myself this education was necessary.

Ruina, watching Elia’s retreating figure like I was, opened her mouth.

“It really feels like we just did something terrible to her… But thank you, Kael. Thanks to you, we managed to handle the situation.”

“Well… I figured it was better for me to handle Elia’s sex education than leave it to someone else. It was hard, but… I’m glad I could explain it properly.”

Elia’s reaction was something that only time could fix.

Eventually, no matter how intense the emotion, it would settle down, and peace would return.

We knew Elia better than anyone, so both Ruina and I were able to let go of our worries rather quickly.

Then, when I looked away from the mansion where Elia had disappeared, I noticed Ruina coming up and wrapping her arm around mine.

I looked at her, puzzled by her steady gaze, and asked:“What is it, Ruina? Is something wrong?”

“Hmm… No, it’s not that anything’s wrong… Um, Kael, if it’s okay with you, want to go on a date for the first time in a while?”

What Ruina was suggesting was none other than a date.

Looking off to the side, she added,

“We’ve both been busy lately, and it’s been a while since we’ve had a proper date, right?”

“Yeah, it’s been about a month since our last one, hasn’t it?”

“Right. So how about we just take a walk together and spend some time?”

It was true—we hadn’t really had quality time together recently.

We’d both just had too much going on.

So, agreeing wholeheartedly with her, I nodded without hesitation.

“I’d love to. Shall we go now?”

I’ll deal with Asili later…

A date after about a month.

Still feeling the fresh spark of love, I took Ruina’s hand and headed out for a walk.