CH 295

Chapter 295 – The Daily Life Behind the Uneasy Negotiations

“I see. I see. As expected of an ambassador of the empire.”

I told Sylphy what I had talked about with Kirilovich during the day while we were having dinner, and Sylphy said this with a not-so-amused look on her face. Next to her, Melty had a similar look on her face.

“It makes me wonder if he was spying on the meeting by some means.”

“No, I don’t think so since we were talking just as the meeting was taking place.”

If, in fact, he was actually spying while talking to me and then telling me about it and looking smug, it would be too much fun. I would tell him to use that effort in a different direction.

“Aside from the details, the general drift of the story is exactly as Kosuke described it.”

“It’s an exchange of prisoners of war for elven slaves, a peace proposal, and a trade proposal, starting with food, with preferential tariffs for the next five years. If we agree to the food supply, they will consider returning the subhuman slaves to us.”

“I’m afraid Kirilovich was right. That’s how well-informed and well-analyzed he is, I guess.”

“You have to be vigilant when it comes to the major powers.”

Sylphy is grumbling as she sips the mead I’ve made in the brewing barrel. It seems that the reason she is in such a bad mood is because she was played for a fool by the diplomatic envoy of the Holy Kingdom during the daytime meeting. In other words, things have gone according to the other party’s wishes. And she is not happy that Kirilovich, who was not there and does not have the full knowledge of the situation in the Kingdom of Merinard, had foreseen this turn of events.

“Well, I guess we don’t have any other choice at the moment.”

“That’s certainly true, though.”

Sylphy said uninterestedly and leaned her back on the wicker couch with the cup in her hand.

The Merinard kingdom also does not want to continue to deal with the Holy Kingdom for a very long time. The current Merinard Kingdom does not have enough human resources to devote to domestic affairs while maintaining a wartime regime. The entire territory of the former Merinard Kingdom has been brought under its control, and the local rulers have shown reverence for the new Merinard Kingdom and its new queen, Sylphy, but are all of the territories under its effective control? To be honest, there are still some doubtful parts.

After all, it had been a vassal state of the Holy Kingdom for 20 years. There are many devout Adol believers who have moved from the Holy Kingdom, and disputes between freed former subhuman slaves and Adol believers are frequent here and there in the country. If the freed former subhuman slaves are treated too favorably, the Adol believers may erupt, and vice versa.

In addition, although it is good that subhuman slaves have been liberated, there are a certain number of them who do not have a place to work. If the current situation is prolonged, some of them may turn themselves into brigands. This would directly lead to a worsening of public security, which in turn would reflect badly on the reign of Sylphy and on the existence of subhumans themselves.

At the same time, the Adol believers, deprived of the labor power of subhuman slaves, are finding their businesses and livelihoods untenable and are experiencing a rapid decline in their fortunes. Even if they are Adol believers, they are still the people of the Merinard Kingdom. The country must also provide relief for them.

We also have to take measures against monsters, which until now have been handled by the stationed forces of the Holy Kingdom. In particular, it is an urgent task to deal with the monsters that bring damage to the merchants who are in charge of crops and trade. The Royal Merinard Army is equipped with powerful weapons, but they are few in number. Even with the overwhelming mobility of air boards, it is not a problem that can be managed with just that.

Well, I can think of as many problems as I can think of with my not-so-great mind. I am sure that Sylphy and Melty, who gather all kinds of information from all over the country, have many more problems to solve in their heads.

“The princess drove the bad guys out of the country, brought peace to the country, and became the queen. The reality is that it doesn’t end with ‘happily ever after.’ Really.”

“Reality is not a fairy tale for children.”

“There are no hopes and dreams.”

“Now that I’m in charge of the country, I’m reminded of how great my father is.”

“Good, good. I will help you in any way I can, so let’s work hard.”

I stroked Sylphy’s head as she let out a sigh of relief.

“…Then, can you help me immediately?”

“Yes, yes.”

I pat Sylphy’s head as she presses her head against me, asking me to pet her more. I would do anything to pamper Sylphy, who was in a bad mood. Before I knew it, Isla was snuggled up to me on my other side while Melty was looking at us enviously on the opposite side of Sylphy.

Yes, in order. Please, in order. Because I only have two hands.

☆★☆

“Well, that’s how it was last night.”

“Come to think of it, despite her appearance, Sylphiel is extremely young for an elf, isn’t she?”

“The figure of her being spoiled by Kosuke-sama… I can’t imagine much of that. It makes me smile a little when I imagine it!”

Amalie-san, who was spending her time basking in the warm early summer sun, smiles as she says so. Ellen, who was with her, also blinked her crimson eyes with interest.

The two of them were wearing loose-fitting one-piece dresses instead of the usual monastic attire. It is not very noticeable because of their loose-fitting clothes, but their bellies under those clothes are bulging solidly. How do I know this, you ask? Because she showed me. Don’t make me say it; it’s embarrassing.

“Do you want to touch it?”

“May I?”

“Of course. It’s your baby.”

Ellen guides my hand to her stomach. I am deeply moved by the thought of my and Ellen’s child inside. I am going to be a father. I still can’t really feel it, to be honest.

Ellen’s pregnancy was discovered at the beginning of this year when the weather was still cold.

Ellen and Amalie-san fell ill together while we were working on the aftermath of the war and employment measures for the freed subhuman slaves over there.

The mage’s recovery magic didn’t work, nor did my Life Potion, Cure Disease Potion, or Cure Poison Potion. What in the world is going on? While I was panicking, Ellen and Amalie-san looked happy for some reason, even though they were not feeling well.

Yes, they knew the cause of their poor health. That’s right, they are priests who can perform the miracle of recovery.

In this world, clergy who can perform miracles of recovery often have medical knowledge.

Miracles of recovery are effective even when exercised roughly, but if they have knowledge of illness and injury, they can heal the subject more effectively. Therefore, clergy who can exercise the miracle of recovery are also familiar with medical knowledge to a greater or lesser degree.

“Do you want to touch my belly too?”

“Well, if you’ll excuse me… Oh!”

When I tried to reach out to touch Amalie-san’s stomach, she pulled my hand away and held my head in her arms. I see; you want me to put my ear to it?

“Can you hear anything?”

Amalie-san asked, patting my head as I put my ear to her stomach.

“Um, nothing yet. Was it about four months pregnant now?”

“Yes, that should be about right. The morning sickness has subsided.”

“It was quite painful…”

Ellen sighed. The morning sickness was quite severe for Ellen, while Amalie-san’s was mild. Just the smell of food made her feel sick.

“Kosuke helped me a lot.”

“It was worth all the trial and error.”

I did a lot of work to help Ellen, who was suffering from severe morning sickness. I talked to women who had given birth and asked them what they ate when they had severe morning sickness, and I used my crafting abilities to make various foods based on the information I gathered. In the end, the food that suited Ellen’s palate was citrus jelly and French fries.

“Now I can finally eat a variety of foods.”

“I’m glad it didn’t last too long.”

I’m a guy who’s rather good at trivia, but to tell you the truth, I don’t know much about pregnancy and birth… No, I’m not familiar with pregnancy and birth in a survival situation. Even games don’t deal with pregnancy and childbirth in that much detail. In most cases, it’s just a simple matter of ‘getting pregnant’ or ‘having a baby.’

There are occasional subquests to help pregnant NPCs, but those are usually about getting a doctor or something like that, and there is almost no in-depth discussion about diet or what foods to watch out for.

“I don’t know what I can do, but if there’s anything I can do, just let me know. I’ll do everything I can.”

“Yes. But I’ll be fine. Amalie and Bertha are present, and High Priestess Caterina comes frequently to check on us. The people at the castle are also very kind. But well…”

“Hmm, what is it?”

“Come and check on me at least once a day like this. Even if it’s just when you’re in Merinesburg.”

“Sure.”

When Ellen heard my reply, she smiled. I feel that Ellen’s expression has become much softer recently. I guess women change when they become mothers. I have to be aware that I’m going to be a father too.

“Well, it’s probably not a good idea to be too busy with us. I hope you get along well with Sylphiel and the others.”

“That’s, hmm, well.”

Sylphy is concerned that Ellen beat her to it. Well, I think it can’t be helped because of the difference in the races. Basically, it is said that long-lived species are less likely to have children.

Eh? The harpies, you ask? I think that the ease of having children is not so different from Ellen’s because they are not a long-lived species. But I haven’t heard a single report of pregnancy.

Actually, it’s not like I haven’t heard about it, and there are already several children being born, are there? As expected, it’s that, isn’t it? No, I’m starting to get worried. These women’s views on marriage, or rather family, are obviously different from mine. Forming a harem is the basis, and it’s absolutely different from the way I feel in the first place. I think I should check it out.

“You look pale all of a sudden. Are you alright?”

“Is there something worrying you? If it’s alright with you, you can talk about it with us, though…?”

“No, why mmm――”

“You’re lying.”

“Nngh! The saint of truth!”

Ellen exposed the lie as fast as she could. Yes, her eyes were specially made to detect lies!

“Okay, okay, I’ll tell you. Harpies are short-lived species like Ellen and other humans, so it shouldn’t be surprising if they get pregnant as well, but I haven’t heard about any of them being pregnant until now.”

And since they seem to have a very different view of family and such, I came to the conclusion that they may have already had a child with me, just without me knowing about it.

“I see… we don’t know much about harpy ecology or culture either.”

“Wouldn’t it be best to ask them directly?”

“That is right. I’ll go and ask them…”

“Take care.”

I started walking in search of the harpies while being seen off by Ellen and Amalie-san. In any case, it’s outside. If I go outside, my escort, the harpy, should be there. I’m a little afraid to ask, but I’m going to ask her.