My Vision Flashes

Ah, damn it.

A pain like my body was being split by an axe surged up from below.

It was the second time I was experiencing it, but nothing had improved.

Perhaps all the stretched flesh had returned to normal, as the pain was even more severe than the first time I experienced it.

What drove me further into the pit of despair was the uncertainty of when this pain would end.

“Push!”

I screamed as I heard those words, but in my mind, only the thought that there were still two more left lingered.

Yeah, at least one’s done, right?

Whenever such positive thoughts tried to bloom, the axe would strike me down, as if asking, ‘What nonsense is that?’

When someone spoke to me from nearby, I would only nervously tense and relax my body; in fact, I couldn’t even properly hear what they were saying.

As I screamed in pain, the term ‘painless childbirth’ came to mind from my memories of a past life, but that was all.

I was already a fish on a cutting board, stabbed by a knife.

Soon, even that thought crumbled like a sandcastle swept away by waves, vanishing from my memory.

Pain. Pain.

The only comfort I had was the hope that this would truly be the last one.

I don’t even know that.

Tears welled up.

I was clearly born a man, so why am I suffering this pain here?

I got angry.

Even I, as mild-mannered as I am, couldn’t help but be enraged by this.

“H-hold on, Asha! Th-this time, it’s not me!”

I felt a familiar voice and a familiar touch. I instinctively knew that if I pulled this, I would feel a little better.

“Kyaak! A-Asha! H-Honey!”

My mood improved, if only by an ant’s eyelash. But that was only for a moment before someone else struck me down with an axe.

The sky was yellow. No, it was red. No… I’m too tired to even talk about it.

At that moment.

A loud cry reached my ears.

Hearing that cry, my heart swelled, and the tip of my nose tingled.

As I felt my chest swell enough to momentarily forget the pain, the pain began anew with a cry of ‘It’s a beautiful girl!’

They said there would be three.

“SHITTTTTT!”

“Ah, I told you it hurts…”

Upon hearing the news that they had come out safely, I finally fainted. Last time, I had the energy for it, but this time, it seemed I had no energy left.

Submerged in darkness, I opened my eyes in an illusion of warm light enveloping me.

“Ah, they’re awake.”

I couldn’t quite distinguish whose voice it was. My mind was still a bit hazy. 

I blinked a few times, closing and opening my eyes, and only then did the world come into view. Along with the gazes pouring down on me.

The room wasn’t narrow, but it wasn’t very wide either, and with my companions gathered there, I felt a bit stifled.

I suspected it wasn’t due to a lack of physical space, but rather the body scent emanating from their bodies.

‘Suffocating…’

It’s not that the scent was bad or anything. The problem was that it was so captivating it was suffocating. And there wasn’t just one of them, but how many were there?

My body was in no condition for it, so I suppose my suppressed desires were slowly starting to rear their heads.

…Considering what I’d done so far, it was almost admirable that I’d held back.

But they weren’t so enslaved by their desires as to demand such things from me right after childbirth.

‘Besides, hardly anyone is ‘carrying’ one right now anyway.’

However… they wouldn’t easily forget what they had experienced once.

They just hadn’t realized it yet, being focused on the newborn children.

…Otherwise, there’s no way to explain this suffocating body scent.

Anyway.

I looked at them and cautiously opened my mouth.

“Th-the children?”

Many thoughts swirled in my mind, but ultimately, that was the first thing that came out of my mouth.

As if they had planned it beforehand, Ariel-nim responded to my words.

“First, I want to tell you that you’ve worked hard.”

“…I certainly did.”

At Ariel-nim’s words, I felt the subsided pain resurface. As I trembled, Ariel-nim gently held my hand.

Her slender, long fingers intertwined with mine, conveying warm body heat.

At that, my body’s trembling subsided.

Ariel-nim, who had given me a benevolent smile, spoke.

“The children… well, you could say they are safe, in the end.”

“What do you mean?”

It sounded a little unsettling.

Ariel-nim reassured me, who was about to get agitated, and continued.

“Didn’t the children come out a bit earlier than our expected due date?”

“They did, didn’t they…?”

“Somehow, they came out safely, but since they came out a bit early… they’re a little less developed than Ria and Lea.”

The words that followed were thus.

The companions, thinking that children coming early was not a good sign, prepared for it while the children were being born.

‘…Indeed.’

Considering the people present here, it didn’t seem impossible.

What’s lacking? Money? Now there’s magic and spirits too.

“So the children are resting in a prepared space… and then….”

Ariel-nim trailed off as she said that. When I blinked, wondering what was happening, Ariel-nim wiped her eyes and was laughing through tears.

As I stared with a dumbfounded expression, Claudia, who had been watching from behind, approached and spoke.

“They were born well, each carrying a different seed, thanks to whoever helped.”

“…That’s a relief.”

I felt good thinking that I wouldn’t have to endure that terrible pain again.

And of course, that the children were safe.

As relief set in, curiosity arose.

What indeed would be the probability of triplets being conceived with different ‘seeds’?

What about the probability of conceiving twins… no, triplets, in the first place?

I felt as if I vaguely understood the true nature of the warmth I had felt before waking up.

It felt as if a voice from the heavens was telling me, ‘We helped this time, so please forget about what happened last time.’

Whether it was true or just my imagination, or perhaps everything happened by chance.

But they did help me.

Thinking that, I decided to coolly forget about it.

Anyway, what could I argue about with someone I couldn’t even speak to?

I was already overwhelmed just by dealing with my companions, who were unconsciously emitting pheromones.

Once I realized everything was normal, only one thought entered my mind.

‘…How long can I recuperate?’

From those beasts who don’t even know they’re enraged.

But if there was one problem among them….

It was that the fact that they would demand me didn’t feel so bad to me either.

‘Rather, I might even be disappointed if they didn’t.’

I shook my head inwardly.

Disappointed? What nonsense. It’s better if they don’t, really.

If I accepted everything straightforwardly, my body would wear out first.

‘…Because they even asked me when I was pregnant.’

How much more would they demand once I was fully recovered?

It would be best to conserve my stamina as much as possible.

To do that….

“Dia.”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

Claudia, who had been unconsciously wagging her tail like an enraged wolf, replied with a face like a docile lamb.

That docile voice sent shivers down my arm.

I scratched my arm, hidden beneath the blanket, and spoke.

“…I’m hungry. Could you make me something?”

“Of course. You need to recover your strength. I have just the thing, so wait a moment.”

“Okay…”

First, I felt like I needed to eat something. My stomach was empty from all the screaming I’d done anyway.

So Dia left to make food for me, and Ariel-nim left, saying she would go check on the children.

Cecil was playing with Ria and Lea, and Veronica sat beside me, asking with a slightly weary expression if it had hurt that much.

I merely gave an ambiguous smile.

Her Highness Selina returned to the Villa with a satisfied expression, saying she would be busy.

…Finally.

Claire approached me with a slightly sullen expression.

While fidgeting with her chestnut hair.

It seemed she had something to say to me.

Claire suddenly bowed her head and showed me the bald spot on her head.

“Huh? What happened to this?”

When I asked in a bewildered voice, Veronica, who was beside me, burst out laughing.

As I shrugged my shoulders with a puzzled expression, Claire spoke.

“…It’s the mark of you tearing at it while becoming the mother of three children.”

“Ah…”

Only then did I realize that the mark on Claire’s head was something I had held onto and felt good about.

“W-well, that could happen… yeah…”

As I rolled my eyes and avoided her gaze, Claire’s gaze followed mine.

“This time… it wasn’t my child… but my hair….”

“S-sorry?”

Claire fiddled with the remaining bald spot and looked at me.

“…Hair doesn’t even grow back with Divine power.”

Her muttering pricked my heart. Veronica, beside me, snickered as if enjoying the spectacle.

Turning my face away from her chestnut eyes, I eventually sighed and had no choice but to raise both hands.

“Alright. I just need to grant one wish, don’t I?”

“Hehe… there’s no need for that.”

As if she meant that.

Not long after, Ariel-nim returned with the news that the children were healthy.

Claudia returned carrying a tray that smelled delicious.

And Claire was smiling triumphantly.

…Still, putting something in my mouth made me feel alive again.