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Vol 03 Chapter 90: Pregnancy

July began, and it became the season of harvest. This year, joyful news of a bountiful harvest reached my ears.

And then, another piece of joyful news came.

「「We’re pregnant. 」」

Both of them said it almost simultaneously.

The first emotion I felt was relief.

As a king, it is my duty to father children. The fact that both of them are pregnant means that Julia, Tetra, and I are all functioning normally in that regard.

It would have been quite problematic if Julia was not successful and Tetra was. If I had been infertile, I could simply adopt a child who carries the Rosais family bloodline.

「Is it true?」

「I haven’t had my period.」

「I checked with magic, and it’s confirmed for both.」

I see…

Well, for now…

「Well done!!!」

I embraced both of them.

「Hmm, but it doesn’t feel real.」

I looked at them again.

Nothing has changed. Their bellies aren’t swollen. It’s obvious, but still.

「Our belly will swell a bit later, I think. It’s July now, and we’re probably about five weeks pregnant, so the delivery may be around early to mid-March?」

There are still eight months until the birth…

It feels like a long wait.

「But the both of them got pregnant at the same time…」

What should I do about the nights from now on?

Sexual activity with pregnant women is not advisable, right? Looks like I’m going to be in the care of my right hand for a long time…

Perhaps my thoughts were showing on my face because Julia said with a laugh.

「It’s okay to have sex during pregnancy as long as it’s not too vigorous. The fetus is well protected by the amniotic sac and fluid. But of course, it’s a no-go if there’s bleeding.」

「Almus, you’re lucky. Having two pregnant women at the same time is not something common, right?」

…I don’t have such a peculiar fetish, though.

「But I’m glad. Now Dad can rest in peace.」

「He’s not dead yet. Don’t kill him off on your own.」

Please stop talking about him as if he is a ghost. Well, it’s true that it wouldn’t be surprising if he died at any time. But I still want for him to live longer.

「That person will probably come back to life saying he can’t die without seeing his great-grandchildren.」

「Stop treating the guy like a zombie, he hasn’t died yet.」

The word ‘great-grandchildren’ flashed through my mind, reminding me of Abraham. Now that I think about it, the child of Tetra and me would be his great-grandchild.

I want to live long enough to see my great-grandchildren, too. Really.

「You prefer the first one to be a boy, right?」

「Well… Yes. But the most important thing is that the baby is safely born.」

As a man, I don’t really mind either gender, but unfortunately, I’m a king. So at the very least, I need Julia to bear a son.

「We need at least three boys. More than that could pose a problem. On the other hand, having many girls is not a problem.」

Tetra said, looking down at her belly.

In this world, it’s not unusual for children to die young. So, while it’s necessary to have a number of them, having too many can raise issues with inheritance rights and diminish the lands available for distribution.

Balancing these considerations is essential.

「By the way, do you know when Ron and the others are getting married?」

Tetra changed the subject. I nodded quietly.

「Yes, it’s happening in a month. Three weddings in a row.」

The first day is Ron and Soyon, the second is Roswald and Lia, and the third is Gram and Lulu. It’s more efficient to have them consecutively, in terms of venue preparation and other logistics.

The reason these three couples haven’t married until now is that they’ve been busy. They had to govern their new territories, prepare their new estates, and acquire slaves to maintain all of it.

Moreover, I dragged them around as guards, and they were involved in establishing the Magic Institute.

…Basically, it’s my fault.

This month is the harvest season, so it’s incredibly busy. Hence, the weddings are planned for next month when things settle down.

「By the way, Almus, Julia and I can’t deal with paperwork this month. What will you do?」

「For now, I’ll mobilize the sons of the patrician families. They should be able to use the Kirisian language.」

Ultimately, foreigners can’t be placed at the core of the country.

「Well, for a while, I’ll have to rely on the patricians for important positions.」

I don’t want to bring the patricians into the center. However, running the country without making some compromises is impossible.

Alienating them blatantly would also accumulate dissatisfaction on their part.

Still, I don’t plan to rely on the patrician families forever. The reliance on the patricians is a temporary measure, for the next twenty years at most.

What I’m currently considering is the employment of slaves. More precisely, the employment of freed Kirisian slaves. This way, the likelihood of foreign influence is significantly reduced.

After that, I plan to prioritize employing Adernians. To put it concretely, if there are individuals with the same abilities who are pureblood Adernians, quarter or half Kirisian, or pureblood Kirisian, I would employ them in order of the concentration of Adernian blood.

By gradually incorporating this approach, I aim to create an organization focused on ability.

Well, I hope it’s established by the time I die.

◇

「Soyon… I will definitely make you happy.」

「Ron-kun… I’m already very happy.」

The couple kissed without a care for the onlookers, amid the applause and teasing from the guests.

It’s somewhat…

「We did something pretty embarrassing, didn’t we?」

I muttered, watching the couple who had just upgraded from being two lovebirds to a pair of married doves.

Julia and Tetra nodded vigorously in agreement with my murmur.

Is this what they call the folly of youth? But still, to think that those two are getting married… it’s completely expected.

I had to mediate their fights over and over again as part of my job taking care of them. The most troublesome incident was when Soyon caught Ron ‘sharpening his sword’.

That was a difficult time…

I think they were both fourteen at that time. The problem was that Soyon was one of those rare girls who insisted on not doing ‘that kind of thing’.

Persuading someone who lacks understanding is one of the most challenging tasks.

At that time, even I was treated as a pervert. Well, eventually, it was revealed that everyone over thirteen except Soyon was ‘a pervert,’ and she came to terms with it, resolving the issue.

That was when I realized the importance of sex education.

「Congratulations to both of you.」

「Congratulations.」

「Congrats.」

The three of us bathed Ron and Soyon with our blessings. They smiled bashfully.

「Thank you… Leader.」

「Almus-san… We owe our current happiness to you.」

They both bowed deeply.

Please stop, you’re making me blush.

「Here, this is my wedding gift to you. Sorry, I wasn’t sure what to give. I don’t know if it’s appropriate for a wedding gift…」

I handed a sword to Ron. It was made of Dragon Damascus, and its sharpness should be on par with mine.

「This is from us.」

「Please take it.」

Tetra and Julia handed a staff to Soyon. The size of the crystal attached to the tip indicated its high value.

「Thank you so much!!」

They received the gifts with joy.

Slaves, horses, dishware, artworks, and such were given by other patricians, so we thought we’d give something practical.

The choice of a sword and a staff might be unusual for wedding gifts.

But I also gave them some gold coins as a congratulatory gift, so hopefully, that makes up for it.

◇

「Roswald…」

「Lia…」

「Nee-san!! Captain!!」

The two of them gazed at each other intensely, while Vilgar was crying his eyes out.

Roswald is dressed in Adernian style, while Lia is in a Germanis style. Lia, a tall and exotic beauty, naturally draws the attention of the other patricians. However, some are frowning upon her ‘former slave’ status.

In the Adernian Peninsula, slaves are treated as humans with certain rights—although calling it ‘proper human rights’ might be anachronistic—and slaves being freed is not uncommon. Nevertheless, some cannot help but harbor ill feelings toward Lia, who is neither an Adernian nor part of the admired Kirisians, and does not belong to the educated class.

But it seems neither of them notice or care about the glances and murmurs, which is good.

「Still, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Lia.」

「Me too. I wonder why?」

「She’s been living in Roswald-kun’s house all this time. She waited for him alone during the war. Quite admirable.」

Lia… She was the slave Ainz gave me as a bonus.

Who would have thought it would come to this? I didn’t expect Roswald’s feelings to last this long.

I figured he was just infatuated with the idea of being in love with a ‘slave’ and a ‘foreigner.’ Maybe that was how it started?

Love might be an illness, but affection is real. Yeah, what am I even saying?

「Roswald, here’s my gift to you.」

I presented Roswald with a lance. It wasn’t a spear used by heavy infantry but a lance for cavalry, crafted from Dragon Damascus, of course.

「This is from us. It’s not much, but…」

Julia and Tetra handed Lia a box. When Lia opened it, a beautiful silk dress was revealed.

「Wow! Thank you so much!!」

Lia expressed her gratitude with joy.

It was hard to decide what present we would give to Lia. We got so into it, that we even considered everything from horses to horse gear, but thankfully, we settled on a dress.

「Oh, what’s this…?」

Lia’s face turned bright red. It seemed she noticed the mischief Julia and Tetra had included.

I told them not to include transparent underwear. I had nothing to do with that.

Well, it’s good if my loyal retainers increase. I hope they make many.

◇

「Lulu!!」

「Gram-san!!」

Gram lifted Lulu in an embrace and kissed her. It was quite a challenge for the very tall Gram to kiss the very petite Lulu.

Gram had to bend close to ninety degrees. The solution was for him to lift Lulu.

However, Lulu sure is small…

They’re quite an unbalanced couple.

If I recall correctly, there’s a two-year age difference between them. But their height difference is like the one between an elemental schoolgirl and an adult man in Japan.

There’s nothing to worry about with these two. They’re both quite capable in their own ways.

Ron and Roswald are a bit dumb sometimes, so they give me more cause for concern.

「It’s becoming a tradition, but here’s my gift.」

「What’s this?」

「It’s called a dragon bow. It’s a composite longbow made from dragon materials and can shoot several times farther than a regular bow. I think you can handle it.」

I ordered this from Ainz. It’s a bow used by the desert people. It requires tremendous strength to draw, but I believe Gram, with his significant muscle mass and the influence of my blessing, can manage it.

「From us, here’s this. A staff. Now you, Julia, Soyon, and me all have matching ones.」

「Thank you!!」

Lulu joyously embraced the staff. It’s made of multiple wooden discs stacked together, with a blade hidden inside, and a large crystal at the tip. It’s quite heavy, but Lulu, contrary to her appearance, is quite strong.

◇

Thus, the weddings of the six people concluded successfully. Their marriages signify that my foundation is solid.

In twenty years, their children will be adults and serve as my retainers. That’s a very pleasing thought.

Julia and Tetra are pregnant. I’m happy as a husband, a father-to-be, and a king.

The internal affairs are progressing smoothly.

Yes, internal affairs are…