Hope

Screams echoed through the house.

“Aargh!!”

Cecil stomped her feet, her face showing utter helplessness. Asha’s painful voice echoed, and she wanted to do something, but there was nothing she could do.

Cecil, who was stomping her feet with a face that looked like she was about to cry, asked Claudia, who stood beside her with a stiff expression.

“C-Claudia! W-will Asha-nim be okay?”

“…I don’t know either. I fed her everything that was supposedly good for her body.”

“Ugh…”

Claudia, too… it was her first time witnessing a childbirth, so her mind was equally troubled.

As the due date approached, there was nothing much they could do other than procure and feed her everything that was good for her body, so they believed they had done their best.

…The rest was up to Asha.

Only Claire was inside at the moment, so the others were also waiting with a strange and troubled heart.

A similar thought occupied the minds of all of them, except for Cecil.

…They never dreamed they would be the ones waiting for the birth, not the one giving birth.

“Ugh, aaargh!! F-fuck!”

Every time a painful voice echoed from inside, the companions had to find a way to calm their own hearts.

Asha, screaming incomprehensibly, looked just as distressed.

Veronica was unconsciously biting her nails, and Ariel paced back and forth in front of the door like a dog needing to relieve itself.

The two of them had some knowledge, so they tried to go inside with Claire, but.

…Selina’s chiding remark, asking if they had ever actually delivered a baby, forced them to shut their mouths.

It was Selina who had brought in skilled medical staff from the Capital, so they couldn’t say anything.

And that’s putting aside whether they could even be so bold with Her Highness the Princess of the Empire.

Thus, only Asha’s screams and the voices of those helping her reverberated through the house.

They might have grown tired of the endless waiting, but in their hearts, they only wished for Asha and the unborn child to be safe.

And at the end of the long wait, the door that seemed like it would never open finally did, and Claire appeared.

“…”

The companions’ expressions became strange upon seeing the exhausted Claire.

…Her hair was a mess, as if someone had torn at it.

Claire, opening the door with a tired face, spoke in a low voice.

“For now… one has come out safely.”

“Really?!”

“Whew…”

“Thank goodness…”

“…You worked hard.”

“That’s a relief…”

The companions, each uttering a word, waited for Claire to speak. It seemed she had more to say.

“Well…”

No sooner had Claire opened her mouth than painful screams began to echo once more.

The companions, startled and flustered, trembled.

“W-what’s happening all of a sudden?”

“…It seems it will take a little longer because there isn’t just one baby.”

“…”

Claire, leaving everyone dumbfounded, closed the door again and disappeared inside.

The companions were unsure whether to be happy or sad about the fact that there wasn’t just one child.

Certainly, two births were something to be blessed, but…

“H-huh.. Ugh huh… Uwaah…”

Thinking of Asha, who was now bursting into tears beyond just screaming… their hearts felt a little strange.

Nevertheless, the corners of the companions’ mouths… were slightly turned up.

…Because it was a happy occasion.

Time passed with a strange atmosphere.

After a long wait, the companions were finally able to enter the room where Asha had been wailing.

The people who had been helping Asha had already left, and on the large bed, Claire, whose hair was being clutched by Asha, and… a small bundle of cloth were visible.

The companions, calming their pounding hearts, first approached Asha.

…Asha’s face was a mess.

Her eyes were red from burst blood vessels, and her face was still flushed, likely from screaming.

Although she was clutching Claire’s hair, she seemed to have no strength left.

Asha, seeing the companions enter, spoke in a pathetic voice.

“…You… came?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Asha-nim, are you okay…?”

Asha frowned as if recalling the recent past, but seeing the worried expressions of her companions, she let out a sigh.

If she still felt pain, it would be one thing.

…Thinking there was no need to show her discomfort, she composed herself and continued speaking.

“Can you… show me the babies?”

“Ah, yeah.”

“I will.”

The babies, cradled in Veronica’s arms and Ariel’s arms respectively, came into Asha’s view.

‘…I really… gave birth.’

Asha felt a strange sensation as she confirmed… the babies she had given birth to.

…Only after seeing the real things, like clay figures… did the realization truly hit her that she had given birth to children.

And seeing them with her own eyes… the pain she had just endured seemed to fade away.

“Wow…”

I really gave birth.

To think that I, born a man, would actually give birth to children.

Asha, extending her trembling hand, gently touched the soft cheeks of the babies before withdrawing her hand.

When she turned her gaze, she saw her companions looking at her with satisfaction.

…Asha somehow felt her body stiffen.

Certainly, her companions were giving her warm gazes.

That… seemed undeniable. But… for some reason… Asha got goosebumps.

Ariel, looking at the baby in her arms, said.

“…It seems to be Cecil’s and Claire’s child.”

“…Indeed.”

“Hmm…”

“Ah-ha…”

It was still difficult to definitively say whose child it was, but judging by the sparse hair color… they could only guess it might be theirs.

However… since there was no similar hair color among them… it seemed almost certain.

“Ah, is it Asha-nim’s and my child?”

“…Probably.”

Cecil covered her mouth, looking surprised and at a loss.

Claire, still having her hair clutched by Asha, secretly clenched her fist.

‘…It’s strange for a coincidence.’

Asha thought that perhaps… a god had pulled some strings, but.

She didn’t have the courage to voice that thought in front of Claire, so Asha kept it as a suspicion.

And… there was a bigger problem than that.

Asha felt cold sweat trickling down her back as she observed the faces of the remaining companions.

Claudia.

…She was staring intently at Asha with a slightly resentful expression. It was a face that looked like she wanted to get Asha pregnant again right away, but she seemed to be holding back, considering Asha’s physical condition.

Ariel, Selina, and even Veronica. They all looked much the same as Claudia.

Asha shivered, recalling the pain she had felt just moments ago, and thought.

‘…Can I give birth again?’

Asha’s face showed a complex mix of emotions as she realized that even if she gave birth to twins like this time, she would have to give birth at least two more times.

It was true that she had agreed to bear it, but.

…Having to experience such pain again… was something she hadn’t heard about.

But even that story.

…Seeing the faces of her companions, Asha found it difficult to bring up.

Because she could understand their desire… to have children.

‘I’ll think about it later.’

They wouldn’t ask her to make them right away, would they?

‘From what I remember…’

A period of postpartum care was needed… so it wouldn’t be for a while.

Asha muttered to herself that she needed to find a solution and leaned back on the bed.

Then, when she turned her head slightly, she saw the babies she had given birth to.

‘…’

A heart that was both touched and complicated.

Asha gazed at the traces of herself and her companions before closing her eyes.

…In fact, it was a miracle that she had even kept her eyes open to greet her companions.

Asha quickly drifted off to sleep.

Only the companions, in their strange atmosphere, looked at Asha, each lost in their own thoughts.

*

*

*

*

“Congratulations. Two at once.”

“…Hmm, thank you.”

I scratched my head awkwardly, hearing words that I couldn’t tell if they were praise or something else.

The one who smiled faintly and spoke to me was… a girl named Ibris, who had come with Her Highness Selina.

…Though she seemed somehow older than a girl, given her innocent face and free-spirited demeanor… it didn’t feel awkward to call her a girl.

But then… a strange sound suddenly came out of the girl’s mouth.

“I know it’s very hard… I’ve given birth too, you see? From the looks of it… you still have to work harder.”

“…Huh?”

“You still… I mean, don’t you have to give birth to four more?”

“W-well, yes… B-but, have you been pregnant?”

In response to my reply, the girl, Ibris, nodded with a slightly bitter expression.

…I clamped my mouth shut at her eyes, which seemed to hold many stories. I was overcome with the feeling that I shouldn’t ask any more questions.

‘…That’s surprising.’

To think… she would be someone with childbirth experience.

In that case… the other party would be.

Iris, the woman who used to growl at me… could it be her?

‘How?’

Cecil’s existence hadn’t been born that long ago, so my interest was piqued.

I didn’t know what method she used, but it implied that one could have a child without growing a rod?

Then, Ibris, who was looking at my face, smiled faintly and said.

“Perhaps… are you curious how she had a child?”

“…W-well… yes. Honestly, I am.”

“Pffft… you did have that kind of look on your face.”

Ibris, chuckling, rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a small ring.

As I blinked at the sudden appearance of the ring, Ibris spoke softly.

“…If you wear this, women can get pregnant with each other.”

“S-something like that exists?”

“Hmm… yes, it’s an Artifact that a friend made for me a long time ago… It seems they didn’t leave it for future generations, though.”

…If that were true.

As if reading my thoughts, Ibris smiled faintly and said.

“Do you need it?”

“…Yes.”

“I like your honesty.”

Ibris rummaged through her pocket again, pulled out a box just large enough for the ring, and put the ring inside.

“…I can lend it to you, but there are a few conditions.”

“Ah, yes! Please tell me.”

…I had no intention of borrowing it for free.

If her words were true… it was clearly a very old Artifact.

If she had offered to lend it for free, I might have been suspicious instead.

“To me… it’s an item with its own meaning… so I’d like you to definitely return it.”

“Of course.”

“And… hmm.”

Ibris blushed slightly, then carefully opened her mouth.

“…I’d like to consistently receive Potions from Asha’s Workshop.”

“Let’s do that.”

I answered immediately. It was a matter that required no deliberation.

Then Ibris’s face brightened.

“Would that be alright?”

“Of course.”

…If it meant feeling less of that pain, what was a Potion?

For a moment, I discussed the ring’s usage and the upcoming Duke title conferment with Ibris.

After seeing her off… I headed to the room where the babies were sleeping.

…Incidentally, the Potions Ibris wanted were the Breast-enlargement Potion and.

…the growing Potion.