Chapter 190 – The Hopes and Fears of Parenthood

Chapter 190 – The Hopes and Fears of Parenthood

Sparing one last glance in the direction of Petros’ workshop, I head back. A single check through my connection with my girls confirms that my amazing duo of receptionists is currently busy talking to Lianne. Judging by their moods, they are actually speaking about business instead of business, which is nice. I bet Lyona’s presence influences that a little. Even that little nympho queen wouldn’t let her shamelessness out of its confines in front of a newcomer.

Right?

Anyway, with a light sigh and a shake of my head, I wave at my driver, who has been patiently awaiting my return, and jump back into the carriage. I don’t think there’s anything important for me to still take care of in the city so I direct him back to the mansion. Plenty of stuff requires my attention at home. We really can’t catch a moment of rest. Sea monsters, mercenary company, a new religion, and the grand task of escorting Vanessa’s family.

No rest for the wicked as they say.

My journey back passes uneventfully and we soon reach our destination. I thank the driver and tip handsomely. They are all paid decently well, of course, but there’s nothing wrong with a little kindness between the employee and employer.

Many of these men and women have their own families to support and they are even working multiple jobs to scrape by since being a carriage driver isn’t the most lucrative profession in the capital. There’s lots of competition. Therefore, we hire many different people who rotate constantly so as to allow everyone to earn some good coin once in a while. If I’m not mistaken, Ria pays them like three to five times more than their usual rates.

Naturally, we don’t pick up any random driver off the street and seat them on the front bench. Helping out people in need is good, but the safety of the clients and professionalism are very crucial in every field. There is lots of screening and other procedures to ensure that there are no accidents. Unfortunately, not all poor citizens are honest in heart.

But, there’s nothing to worry about with my lovely wives and companions, and other partners taking charge of these things. They love what we have managed to build together just as much as I do. And many of them are much more talented than me in multiple fields of expertise. I’m so glad I got to meet them.

After bidding farewell to the driver, I walk out of the mansion’s premises and step into the building which will soon function as our cosy temple. While I did just say that the ladies are talented and knowledgeable and I definitely trust them with my business and life, there are things I actually have little to no trust in with some of them involved in that particular aspect. Therefore, I’m going to make sure that Ailish doesn’t go overboard with decorations and design this time. Personally.

My arrival clearly surprises the sly Succubus but she tries to downplay it by acting her usual slutty self. Humouring the lascivious woman for a while, I join her and Elea in preparing our new sanctuary. The horny demon figures out why and does her best to behave in front of me, promised with either a good reward or a fitting punishment for her behaviour and actions.

When the abundance or lack of dick is on the table, Succubi tend to turn really, really obedient and meek.

What a shocker.

They take me on another tour to show what is already finished and what needs more attention. The entrance hall is more or less done, lacking only some sculptures we have been planning for, but that’s going to be solved in just a moment. Currently, the spacious chamber is decorated with lots of purple tapestries bearing my crest. At some point, the heart with horns and tail became our symbol and I didn’t argue. The new addition is a flat, vertical, monk-like handprint of a neat palm inside which the sigil is located.

Yep. Feels like a damn cult.

We only lack flyers adorned with ‘We Know’ on them.

Besides the hanging cloth and fabric, we currently have four big paintings on the side walls. My eyes tell me that half of them are Shino’s work while the other half belongs to Neira. They must have prepared them ahead of time because there’s no way they can paint this fast. Or maybe I’m just mistakenly putting my Earth Human standards on them. They are both something much more. Especially with my bonuses.

Either way, one side is dedicated to Lumina, while the other displays me. The first pair is a simple bust to focus on our faces. They are warm and inviting. It seems like Shino managed to secure the rights to do my depictions this time. I can imagine them competing over that privilege.

As for the second pair, it’s a full body of us covered only by a single, decently wide sash going across our bodies from shoulder to waist. Hers is heavenly white while mine is royal purple. Those pieces of fabric barely hide our privates, but somehow manage to create a somewhat adequate appearance without veering too hard into the too sexual side.

The hall ends with a raised stage for public speaking and other events. The room will be filled with benches at a later time so that people can sit down comfortably and listen in or wait for their turn to receive whatever service they came for. In terms of those services, the majority will take place here, but we will offer more private locations for anyone too anxious about being seen or recognised.

So, the three of us move to the corridors leading to the sides and visit a few simple rooms dedicated to just that. Not much is in them. A bed in case someone would be tired or experienced anything unusual during blessings or other things. A small corner with comfy chairs and sofas to talk casually. And what seems like a little altar to offer prayers in front of, most likely bearing tiny statuettes of me and Lumina soon.

Then, we head back to the entrance hall and move through the ornate door at the back of the stage. Each wing of the grand gate represents a person. It’s again me and Lumina, of course. We hold hands where the doors meet and extend our other arms towards the observers, welcoming them into our home.

Elea and Ailish explain that every temple needs its sacred chamber, accessible only by the highest priest and their direct subordinates, which would be me and her in this case. In theory, this would be the place where we go pray to our god, so where she would go to pray to me, perhaps with some help from my side if she fancied it. We all know what kind of prayers this would involve.

After some tough convincing, they let me in. Their reason for being hesitant is nothing else than it being unfinished and unworthy of my presence. I wave them off and don’t give up. No matter what, I’m going to inspect everything. As far as I’m concerned, they could have erected a giant statue of my dick there and I would learn about it on the day of our new beginning.

Turns out that I’m thankfully wrong and there’s nothing wrong with this chamber. It’s not as big as the entrance hall, but it’s clearly meant to be much more decorated. And yeah, I can spot the places where at least two statues are going to stand, judging by the elevated platforms. Something also exists in the very middle but that’s harder to guess. Maybe another statue, but of who?

Statues aren’t the only thing missing, though. The chamber lacks windows, it is for a good reason. From the metal frames I can see, it’s pretty obvious someone decided to put in stained glass mosaics instead. The framework is done, just waiting for the colourful filling. I honestly can’t wait to see them in action.

At the end of our tour, we visit some of the staff and service areas, which obviously aren’t as well-decorated, but are still kept in the same theme of white-gold-purple. One day, someone might live here, so such arrangements are being prepared ahead of time. Elea mentioned finding priestesses to work in here and it sounded like a serious idea. Only she will be able to grant blessings and such for a while, but some technical help is welcome. Even better if it comes from various races.

Hitting two birds with one stone.

Shortly after we return to the entrance hall, someone knocks on the door and I go check. As expected, it’s Petros. He is a bit more dressed this time, which is appreciated. I was kind of wondering if he would show up almost bare-chested everywhere or if he has some more decorum outside of his workshop.

Hey, don’t blame me, masters of art tend to be... quirky.

I bring him to Elea and Ailish to introduce everyone. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to put up an attitude after our earlier encounter and treats them professionally. I don’t spot any prejudice either, but maybe because of what he is, he just isn’t one to look down too much on his fellow oppressed races.

Keeping the fact that he doesn’t know that they know in mind. I don’t want to risk him turning on us after we reveal that we are aware of his true nature. His natural charm clearly doesn’t work on my lovely girls but they try to act kindly and without focusing too much on his vampiric features. After spending some time next to Lyona, I have a bit easier time spotting those hidden cues.

Will we tell him one day? Who knows. It would put Lyona under the bus too so this should be her decision first and foremost. I can’t risk Petros figuring out that she is the source of the leak. There’s no guarantee he will believe us when we say that we learned about his kind on our own. So, we’ll see how things go from this point and decide later.

The gorgeous duo launches into a detailed explanation of what we expect while whipping out a few sketchbooks full of, surprise, sketches portraying me and Lumina in various poses and states of dress and undress. They really came prepared, courtesy of our resident artists. I have a feeling that even our brothel will gain a few new decorations by the end of this cooperation and I might not have much say in that regard.

While talking, they lead him through the temple and point at various spots. Petros doesn’t only listen silently but chimes in with his own comments, suggestions, and ideas like a true pro. No one has any doubts that he is much more knowledgeable and experienced in this field than all of us combined. No offence to Shino and Neira, of course. Their artistic minds are as beautiful as their gorgeous figures.

Since everything is looking to be under control, and I don’t hear anything about massive dicks or vaginas in any chambers, I excuse myself politely and leave them to their own machinations. My anxiety has been eliminated and I can now fully trust them on this matter.

I hope.

Also, I’ve sensed Elise and Lyona returning so I stroll to catch them in the headquarters. They are both in the staff room behind the reception counter, with the white-haired Vampire girl taking down some notes. My kinky brothel madame turns to me with a pretty smile and I present her with a tender peck while squeezing her rump. We both wait for our friend to finish.

“Man, you never mentioned anything about a devout admirer when introducing me to your guy,” I say with a snicker as she finally looks up at us.

“A what?” She furrows her brows lightly.

“You had to know, right? Dude is so obvious the whole kingdom must be aware.” I raise one of my own brows at her. “He is crazy in love with you. Or at least desires you over anything else in this realm.”

“Did Petros cause you trouble?” Lyona asks with a twinge of anxiety in her beautiful eyes.

“No, not really.” I shake my head. “But it seems like he isn’t happy that we know each other. He feels like you became quite talkative after meeting me. It might have hit him where it shouldn’t, really.”

“What’s this about? Another secret you’ve been keeping from me?” Elise smirks at her best friend, clearly without any bad feelings behind her words.

Lyona sighs softly. “He did court me once in the past but I rejected his advances. I wasn’t interested in him romantically. I thought we parted on good terms but it looks like I was mistaken. I apologise for not thinking this through, Master.”

I rest a hand on her shoulder. “That’s not something you could have expected or predicted. He clearly pays much more attention to you than you do to him. He seems to be taking this professionally, though, so all is good. Do you think he might try to fuck us over out of spite?”

“He isn’t someone like that,” she denies confidently. “We’ve known each other for a good while. He’s always been a focused and respectful man. That’s why your words surprise me. I’ve never seen him act rash or emotional.”

“Maybe in front of you.” I grin at her. “Anyway, we just need to avoid appearing too close before him and it should be fine. I’m not sure what his limit is before he snaps.”

“There is a way for him to stop bothering you and accept his position but I don’t think we should take it at this moment,” Lyona ponders out loud.

“That’s curious. Go on.” I smirk at her.

“The grand opening of your new temple. Lumina will share the news with her priests, and they will share it with others, but this is all just word of mouth. People will learn that you can give blessings, but some will definitely need proof that they work. So, we could use the Blessing of Fertility on me as that proof. It’s a bit embarrassing, but I can pull some strings in my academic circles and spread rumours that I’m trying for a child and will make a serious attempt at it on that day,” she explains.

“Now, that would be a lie.” I snort at her.

“How?” Cornelia furrows her brows a tad.

“We are both aware that my abilities assure a hundred percent success rate of insemination when consciously triggered that way. Especially now that I’m Tier 6 and kind of ascended. I’m a damn demigod. I’m fairly sure I can knock up anything at this point, knowing the history of Primordials,” I reply with an amused smile.

“You are not wrong.” She wrinkles her cute nose. “Then maybe we can test that. The power of your seed, I mean. See if it can pierce the anti-conception magic if you put enough thought into it. I’m actually curious. We can use that along with the blessing, right? I still think it would be a good idea to do one publicly and then show the results right after with that verifying spell we figured out in the past. And I think Elea got access to something similar from your divine patronage too.”

“Hmmm... Lumina?” I glance up to the ceiling.

~The magic you are using in the brothel does not collide with the Blessing of Fertility. The former prevents conception by disabling semen and eggs, while the latter guarantees that the recipient gets pregnant as long as they are physically able to,~ the Goddess responds in my mind.

“So, it won’t help those who are infertile for any physical reason?” I rub my chin while thinking of a certain person.

~No, it won’t. Think of it as your own ability to ensure pregnancy, only as something you can share with others. It helps those with weak seed or reproductive organs and their surrounding aspects or with compatibility and other potential issues. The power to aid true infertility comes later. It’s too much for your current divinity at this moment,~ she expands further.

“Then I will be able to do it, just not now. That’s still great news.” I nod to myself with a smile. “Thanks for clarifying everything. It will be easier to explain to the people without misleading them.”

~I believe Cornelia’s idea of using the blessing on her as a trial run is worthy of consideration. You might be cheating a little, but the result would be the same even if you didn’t have your abilities. If there is even the tiniest chance of fertilisation, the blessing will make it happen,~ Lumina adds.

I thank her once more and repeat everything to my lovely wife.

“I guess she isn’t wrong. We just have to make it clear what the blessings do and it should be fine.” I scratch my head. “So, ignoring all that for a second, are you sure you are okay working a bit and staying behind with a baby? I kind of considered asking if you would like to join us with Sirgia when we go to her homeland.”

Cornelia smiles at me and boops my nose. “You know me. I’m not going to sit idly, at least for as long as my condition allows for it. And even if I wouldn’t get that round in the period of your trip, I believe it should be exclusively Sirgia’s turn. I accompanied you just recently and it was great. She deserves her time too. To be completely honest, I’m kind of excited about this. Staying behind with our child slowly growing inside my belly. I’ve been on numerous expeditions, but this is something I’ve never even dreamed of.”

I pull her closer and wrap her in a loving hug. “Very well. Let’s agree on this before either of us gets second thoughts and chickens out. Just don’t blame me if my super seed puts twins or triplets in you.”

She laughs openly and smacks me on the chest. “Do you want to kill me? Bastard. They would wreck me so hard on their way out I would lose feeling in my pussy for a year.”

“Good thing you enjoy the other exit much more.” I grin at her and she smacks me again, this time with a fierce blush surfacing on her cheeks.

Then, she takes a deep breath and grabs my wrist. “Alright. Let’s go.”

“What? Where to? Hey!” I chuckle in shock as she yanks me up and starts dragging me away.

We move through the mansion with a clear purpose, Cornelia’s hand locking my wrist firmly the entire way. After getting under the ground, we travel through the unfinished tunnel linking the brothel with the headquarters and arrive in front of Sirgia’s relocated workshop. Cornelia stops for a moment, takes another breath, and steps inside.

Our adorable Dwarf work addict is currently handling some minor elements necessary for the construction of the projects we have recently undertaken. The pieces seem to be connected to the headquarters, but it’s not like it matters right now. Cornelia brings us closer to Sirgia’s little frame and we wait for our friend to pause her work.

It doesn’t take long and we are greeted by her gorgeous brown eyes. “Yes?”

“Sirgia, do you want to have children with Alastair?” Cornelia asks.

I look at her with raised brows, quite unsure of where we are getting with this exactly.

“Yes,” Sirgia responds without a hint of hesitation in her quiet voice.

“Okay.” Cornelia nods to herself. “In technical terms, you are his first wife, so the privilege of giving birth to his first descendant belongs to you. Do you want to retain this right until the moment you conceive or are you willing to allow others to step forward before you?”

My cute cinnamon-haired shortie looks between the two of us before a spark of realisation flashes in her smart gaze. “You want to have a baby with Master?”

In turn, my usually composed magician takes another deep breath. “Yes. I want to try for a child with Alastair. No, that’s wrong. I want to have a child with Alastair. There is no trying with him.”

Sirgia takes off her blacksmithing gloves and struggles out of her heat-resistant apron, appearing in her usual shirt and shorts. “Did you really come here to ask for my permission?”

“As I said, you are his first wife by right. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings. Our communities might have their differences in terms of family matters, but I believe this part is more or less similar in both harems,” Cornelia explains.

“It is.” Sirgia nods adorably. “I do want to have a baby with Master, but... not yet. I can’t. Not until my family acknowledges me. I have been disgraced by my capture and disappearance. I need to regain my honour. And I need to prove to them my worth, which was the goal of my journey as a blacksmith. I want our children to have the support of my clan. Master’s children deserve it. So, until my creations get acknowledged enough to secure me a place amongst the most respected individuals in my family, I will be happy to see you give birth to Master’s children first, happy that you can give him something I can’t.”

Sirgia launches into a quite long and unusual for her speech, which makes Cornelia sniff more and more. By the end of it, my lovely magician yanks the short girl up and squeezes the Dwarf lady to her chest with a powerful hug.

“Thank you! Thank you, so much! I’m so sorry for ever being rude to you! I swear I’m going to do my best for him!” She keeps shaking them from side to side and I can’t help but chuckle a little.

As for Sirgia, she returns the affectionate embrace and I spot a hint of a warm smile curling her petite lips. These two have always been close but it seems like the matters of motherhood might bring them even closer. And I have another thing to think about. The matter of Sirgia’s family.

If I’m not wrong, she might be planning to shock them during our upcoming trip.

I better do whatever I can to help her out.

Having nothing better to do at this very moment, I join the two ladies with my own hug, enveloping them both in my embrace. We stay like that for a minute or two before Cornelia starts raining kisses on Sirgia’s cute cheeks and all over my face. That results in lots of chuckling and giggling. And one smouldering gaze after.

The following night becomes so intensive that I start wondering if Cornelia hasn’t given up on waiting until the big day, but I make sure I’m still shooting blanks for the entire session. Hearing the news, all my current mates and wives who are present in the capital join in and it turns into a massive orgy with Cornelia in the centre. It’s all so bizarre, especially with her chatting about parenting stuff with Ria and Lianne while I pound someone else right next to them, or even right when she is getting her backdoor blasted open, mid-moan.

In the next few days, things progress like clockwork. Petros handles his part of the contract amazingly well and brings us statue after statue of unbelievable quality at a rapid pace, almost impossible for a living being. The furnishing and decoration of the temple come along gorgeously well too. Things are all clicking into place bit by bit.

The mercenary girls get a few small commissions around the city to raise their fame a bit and not remain idle until our upcoming assignment. The brothel is developing fabulously too. We get more costumes, rooms, and roles from the gathered feedback, slowly inching towards the grand opening of that service too. Though, many already consider it open, I guess. But we haven’t advertised yet.

In the meanwhile, a revelation descends upon Lumina’s top believers, priests, and prophets. It’s kind of amazing that she includes all of us in it too, but maybe it shouldn’t be that surprising considering the fact that she most likely can choose anyone for that. The change in the capital’s mood is instant as people start discussing the news amongst themselves, attending the kingdom-hosted announcements, and in general pondering about the future.

Lumina gives them details such as my name, appearance, race before ascension, aspect of godhood, how we are in a good relationship, what it means for all her believers, and most importantly, where to find my first temple. Plenty of curious residents stop by even before it's open, even if only to gaze upon the new structure.

Although, her revelation made me realise one thing. Hopefully, having started in the Human Kingdom and as a Human won’t push other races away too much from us. That would be counterproductive to our current efforts. She did emphasise that we view all beings as equal, but who knows how various people receive this news. It’s too late to go back now and we need to do what we can to salvage the situation if the need arises.

So, the day of our first official introduction to the masses arrives. I should have foreseen the fact that the temple would not be enough to house all the interested in its relatively small confines. A massive crowd fills the nearby streets and our mansion’s front yard, which we opened for everyone to take their spots in too. Thankfully, Sirgia whipped out a few voice-transmitting artefacts so the message should reach most if not all of them.

As for me, I’m currently standing on the small stage in the entrance hall, which is filled to the brim, as mentioned. I decided to remain in my suit to appear a bit more relatable rather than super divine. I can spot plenty of familiar faces, starting from old friends like Barren, through various acquaintances like Lord Jericho, ending at the King and Queen and some other nobles in the very first row.

Talk about stage fright.

One small step for a man, one giant leap for Naharren.