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Frontier Lord Chapter 013: Pregnancy

Chapter 013: Pregnancy

Feeling the sun’s rays on my face, I tugged on the rope attached to a pulley, which was in turn attached to a wooden beam, drawing a fully-filled bucket from the bottom of the stone well. I emptied the water into a portable bucket.

Great, I thought. Didn’t spill a drop today.

Not having known how to use a well at first, I had found the learning curve to be quite steep. I had used too much strength and dislodged the rope from the pulley on one occasion. On another, I had destroyed the bucket altogether. There was one time I had tipped the bucket too much while transferring its contents, causing the water to spill all over the place. I had even dropped the portable bucket on my way back to the yurt.

A week had passed since my disastrous first attempt. Trying my best to overcome my weaknesses, I walked carefully as the water sloshed around in the bucket. The more careful I was, the better — I didn’t want to dirty the clothing that Aruna had sewn for me either. Decked out in a white shirt made of Meia wool, a vest made of a Black Ghee’s hide, along with trousers and boots made of the latter material, I felt dressed like one of the important people I had seen at the royal palace.

I continued walking with care, aiming for the water-jug placed outside the yurt. I emptied the bucket and returned to the well. While repeating this mundane task, I occasionally looked in the direction of the well — where nobody could be seen — and sighed deeply.

Construction of the well had begun the day after the marriage ceremony — not the actual marriage — with Aruna. It had taken a little over two weeks to finish. Add the week that followed, and it meant that about a month had passed since we had gotten engaged. I knew that a month wasn’t a long time, but still… nothing had changed for me as a lord.

In other words, I still had no people.

The toilet and the well had been constructed in anticipation of people living in my fiefdom. Yet, the only people using it were Aruna and I. The glut of supplies and yurts I had gotten in exchange for game were simply lying dormant in the storage yurt. I felt sad thinking about it — though I assembled and disassembled one of the yurts for practice everyday, I was aware that it was not the intended purpose.

Since Aruna and I lived under the same roof, there was nothing stopping me from considering my fiefdom to have a population of one. But deep down, I knew that she was family and not one of my serfs. How I wished to see a line of yurts, similar to that of the village, filled with people living under my wing!

I had no idea how to go about it, though. Have I thought about it? I certainly have. But for an uneducated person like me…

I sighed again. My shoulders drooped. If only people could fall from the sky…

My wishful thinking was interrupted by a beaming Aruna running headfirst in my direction.

「It’s a child, Dias! A child, at long last! We have a successful conception!」

I was initially taken by surprise, then broke into a smile. Though I spilled the bucket — all over the shirt I loved so much, no less — in elation, the joy took over and I raised both hands into the air in celebration.

—

「Good, good!」, I exclaimed, rubbing her all over.「Absolutely fantastic! I didn’t think it would happen so quickly!」

I petted her head, then her back, making sure to avoid her belly as I didn’t think that was a good idea.

The pregnant Meia closed her eyes happily, begging for me to pet her more. Living in a small stable of simple construction, she slept on a floor lined with hay and nothing else. Francis, her husband, started trotting agitatedly around us.

「Hahaha」, I laughed. 「You look like you’re jealous, Francis! Fine, I’ll pet you too –」

Sulking, the male Meia nodded and walked over, pressing his fluffy body against me. Meias, being highly intelligent creatures, understood every word I said. I could tell them what not to do, and they would obey. They also followed instructions to go, come or stay. According to Aruna, their intelligence was their greatest weapon — their ability to stay far away from danger and outsmart predators with their wits if necessary allowed them to survive in an unforgiving natural environment.

The monsterfolk had been able to domesticate them because they had themselves wished for it. The former offered greater protection than what they could manage on their own, not to mention the free accommodation — they had been all too happy to be domesticated. Astoundingly, it took less than a week for a wild Meia to begin understanding the human tongue after domestication.

As I recalled these facts, I continued to pet Francis and Francois. Aruna, who was standing next to me, looked concerned.

「Actually, Dias… there are downsides to a Meia pregnancy too」, she said. 「Meias are smart, so they can be easily frightened or stressed. This is amplified during pregnancy — some have even passed away due to fear. So, uh… the strongest person here is you, Dias. You need to protect them at all times to give them peace of mind, which includes accompanying them while they sleep…」

She seemed to be having a hard time articulating herself. Nevertheless, I understood what she meant.

I’ll have to sleep here for the time being, which means leaving you alone at night, right? No, it’s okay! I don’t mind. If it’s for Francis, Francois and their child, sleeping here isn’t a big deal!

Aruna shook her head, indicating that I had misunderstood her.

「That’s… not it. We have to let them into the yurt instead. Francis and Francois are a couple, so we can’t separate them. Conflicts also tend to arise during a Meia pregnancy. The yurt will get dirty and begin to stink. I know that some of the men from the village really hate that. Some of them become rattled because a Meia is watching them in their own home…」

「Haha, I see. I don’t mind them moving in with us — they’re part of our precious family after all! In fact, volunteer soldiers like me were stuffed into a stinky, filthy barracks during the war. This is like heaven in comparison!」

「R-Really? That’s great! Many of the masculine men out there are lacking in the compassion department… but not you! I knew you were a good husband!」

A smile appeared on Aruna’s face. The fluffy couple, who had been listening in silence, started bleating loudly. Though all Meia bleating sounded identical to the untrained ear, different pitch and intonation encoded a large variety of meanings…

…I think.

I was still unable to interpret Meia bleating, though Aruna could. I frequently saw her engaged with a conversation with Francois on the grassland or in the stable. This time, Aruna’s face went beet red upon hearing what our Meias had to say.

「What are you saying, Francois?」, she exclaimed, fidgeting on the spot. 「No, Dias and I have not — hey, cut it out, Francis! That’s obscene!」

Me-eh. Me-eh.

「We’ll take it one step at a time, okay? That’s what Dias says, too! Leave… leave us be!」

Me-eh. Me-eh.

Seeing that things were getting heated, I headed outside. I was obliged to stay by the Meias’ side, but I decided that I could leave them alone for a short while as they were engrossed in their conversation with Aruna. Since I had spilled the water earlier, I had to get some more — ensuring that we had enough water was of the utmost importance as my Meias needed their share as well.

It’s not like I backed out of the dubious conversation, right?

Yeah. We’ll be heaving breakfast soon. We need water, don’t we?

—

Once I returned with enough water, I dug a huge bucket out of my stockpile of supplies and filled it with hay. I used the hay to make a bed in the yurt, then guided Francis and Francois to it. After that, Aruna and I sat down for a later-than-usual breakfast.

I always enjoyed Aruna’s cooking, and today was no exception. She went to clean up after we were done, leaving me to go over what I had done today. I had been, as usual, unable to think of a way to amass people. The village still had their hands tied with the Black Ghees and the dragon, so Mohr had told me to stop hunting for the time being.

My options were limited by the fact that I had to protect Francis & Co. at all times. This meant I could help Aruna with the chores, or practice assembling a yurt…

Those were the two options, right?

I was about to head to the river to wash up when Aruna’s horn, which had been glowing blue, suddenly glowed green. Aruna stopped where she was and closed her eyes while I simply looked at her. I wondered what that colour meant.

「The magic we set up picked up something on the grassland… due east… they’re coming closer. There’s quite a few people… about ten of them.」

Hearing that, I immediately reached for the battleaxe lying close to my bed and gripped the handle tightly. So green means magic, I thought. That’s convenient…

But the fact that people were approaching was more pressing than finding out what exactly that magic was. Due east… that was the direction of the royal capital. If they were visitors from the capital, I knew nothing about them. Were they bandits, though… then we had a case on our hands.

「I’ll go have a look-see, Aruna. While I’m gone, hide Francis and Co. with your magic. Our yurt, well, and other stuff too, if possible. On the slim chance that they’re guests, hide everything except the yurt I put up for practice — I’ll talk to them there.」

I turned to the Meias.

「Francis, Francois… I’ll only be gone for a while. It’ll be okay. Ten men are nothing compared to a dragon.」

They nodded. Though Aruna looked confident that I would be fine, a sliver of uncertainty appeared on the Meias’ faces. Rather than a few comforting words, settling the problem would be more effective in alleviating their fear.

Fighting to protect the people on my territory, like a good lord would…

Could I do it?