Chapter 1050 – #250_Pregnancy(2) – DeepL
#1044
1.
A hut in a grove of oyster bark trees near Taro Town.
It had been a long time since Amelia had visited this cabin.
Even if it’s magically maintained, a house that’s never been inhabited can get old.
She stops by from time to time to tend to it and bake bread in the kitchen Xiu recently improved.
“…….”
But today’s purpose was a little different.
In the backyard of the cottage is the grave of a teacher who has since passed away.
A tombstone that shows its age amidst wildflowers in full bloom, its blades of mauve grass reflecting the sun.
“Master, how are you doing? I’ve come with news that I think will please you, but don’t be too surprised when you hear it.”
Amelia knelt down and quietly wrote on the tombstone, then held up a bouquet of dried flowers.
“I’m a new mom, Siu’s baby.”
Unsurprisingly, there is no audible response.
But as the summer breeze brushed her hair behind her ears, Amelia felt her Master’s touch.
“Were you this happy when you first brought me home, Master?”
She held the child of someone she trusted and loved more than anyone.
It was a gift she had never expected.
All I could hear was the heartbeat, and it was so lovely that it was hard to bear.
“It’s beeping, beeping, beeping, and it’s so cute. We haven’t decided on a name yet, but is it a girl? Or will it be a boy? Will he have a nose like Xiu’s? Will she have dimples like mine? I hope her eyes are like mine, because mine are the most similar to yours.”
Amelia continued to talk about her mystical experience, gesturing and tapping her feet in an uncharacteristic way.
After a while of excited rambling, Amelia was silent for a moment.
“…….”
In front of Xiu, Amelia could only look pleased, but she’s no fool.
That’s not to say she’s not happy, but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous.
For a witch to have a child is unprecedented in the history of witches.
She’s not sure how this child will affect her, what will happen to her after she gives birth, or even who she will be.
In the worst case scenario, if Amelia inherits the mark at birth, she will not be able to remain in this world.
Witches can’t live without the label.
“But I think that’s okay.”
I felt anxious, but not unexpectedly so.
How great is a mother’s heart?
If she had to give up one or the other, Amelia would gladly lay down her life for the child she loved.
“But if it were not so, if I could hold this child in my arms. Can I be as good a mother as you are?”
This is the only thing that scares Amelia.
Amelia knows her own inadequacies.
She is not as friendly as the twins or Leroy, as accepting as Sharon, or as gentle and kind as the Duke.
You are not as perceptive as Linnaeus or Dorothy, nor do you lead with the ease of an old friend.
Time alone.
She tries to fill in the gaps created by the long absence, but it’s not easy.
Amelia was still clumsy.
It’s just that she’s finally able to face it.
But can she be a good mother to her newborn?
Can I be the kind of protector who, when asked, “Who do you admire the most?” will answer, “My mom!”?
Can I be a lighthouse in a rough world where it’s hard to stay on the straight and narrow?
Nothing was certain.
A small part of me wanted to run for the hills.
“But I’ll do my best, Master, and I hope you’ll support me.”
Amelia bit her lip firmly.
2.
The news of Amelia’s appointment had reached Albireo’s ears.
A shocking turn of events that, if taken at face value, would have resulted in the impregnation of his former master’s wife.
Combined with other witchy common sense, it’s even more shocking that a virgin gave birth to a baby.
“My God, I’ve lived long enough to see the strangest things….”
Albireo was stunned for a moment, his mouth hanging open, but he quickly recovered.
In a world where male witches who popped out of nowhere could beat up even the great witches, why should he be surprised that a witch was pregnant?
“Haa….”
But aside from that, I couldn’t help but feel my face darken.
It was the twins.
There were many lovers around my son-in-law.
Not just lovers, no, there were a lot of flings.
But he hadn’t felt so impatient before.
Each of his lovers was attractive in their own way, but they seemed to be well-coordinated and not at odds with each other.
Perhaps the indecisive nature of his son-in-law was a counterweight.
He’s not playing favorites, and he’s sprinkling in his fair share of affection.
That’s why, even if he didn’t like everything, he decided not to get involved in the drama.
“Kids are different….”
But here’s the game changer.
Babies are different.
Albireo had never given birth herself, but she had raised twins as newborns.
Albireo and Deneb, who had been bickering up until that point, hadn’t argued much since the twins were taken in as apprentice witches.
It’s because of the camaraderie they’ve developed over the course of their upbringing, which has been compared to a war.
The bonds that had been forged then weren’t simply the result of years together.
No matter how much Xiu tries to share his love with her as an equal, how can one’s heart be like another’s?
My eyes were drawn to Amelia, the mother of my child.
I’ll look at the child I could put in my eyes and it wouldn’t hurt.
The conflicts that arise within them, and the catastrophe that may come.
“Haa….”
Albireo’s sigh deepened.
The triplets were also informed of the epic event by Sharon, who appeared like a messenger.
“Your assistant is pregnant?”
“No, by an associate professor.”
“Associate Professor Amelia?”
At the same time, the twins’ eyes filled with salty moisture.
“What am I going to do…. We’re in trouble….”
“It’s not fair…. It’s so cowardly….”
“What’s so wrong with it?”
But Leroux, sprawled out on the couch, is nonchalant.
Odile and Odette have grown accustomed to Leroy’s nonchalance.
But for once, the twins can’t help but criticize Leroy’s lack of sense of urgency.
“You idiot!”
“Don’t you realize what a big deal this is?”
“You’re having a baby, a cute baby!”
“What does it matter, it’s just a new dishwater. If you can’t recognize a green-haired slope, you’re shaking in your boots.”
Odile and Odette felt their backsides stiffen.
Who doesn’t know that?
Of course it’s something to celebrate, something to be blessed.
If it weren’t for their romantic relationship with the associate professor, the twins would have given their blessing with a pure heart.
Needless to say, they couldn’t, because they were following Albireo’s reasoning almost exactly.
“Eh, I’m screwed, I’m screwed.”
“I hate you, Associate Professor.”
The twins’ earnestness was something Leroux rarely saw.
Seeing the twins, who usually regained their composure quickly after anything happened, sobbing like old pickled spinach, made Leroux feel a little uneasy.
“…What’s the big deal?”
But as a witch society with no culture of marriage or pregnancy, Leroux’s imagination was limited.
Was pregnancy really that big of a deal?
Wouldn’t Odile or Odette have apprentice witches like Leroux one day anyway?
“Lerue, you don’t know the terror of a baby.”
“I’m not old enough.”
“Try to explain it to her so she can understand.”
“Once we went to Pecha’s house to play, and there we saw a newborn baby.”
“Do you know how hideously cute it was, and how much her father adored her?”
“What does it matter, it’s not like we’re competing with that baby.”
“Don’t you get it? We have content about raising such a cute child alone!”
“Isn’t that what happens when you decide you’re going to hang out with us today, and then you think about the baby and realize, ‘Oh, I’m just going to babysit with Amelia instead of Odile and Odette today!”
“They’ll get you something, and then they’ll be like, ‘Hmm, this would be more appropriate for our baby than for Leroy,’ and they’ll just take it.”
The twins didn’t fully understand, of course.
But they intuitively realize that the woman’s touch has given them a huge advantage.
The conversation drifted back and forth, but eventually came down to one question.
“By the way, why is Amelia the only one who’s pregnant?”
“Yeah.”
The twins put their heads together and grunted.
They are one and the same.
If only Associate Professor Amelia had gotten pregnant without a magic boost, there had to be some sort of cause and effect.
The twins searched through all their memories, from the first time they met her at Trinity Academy to now, and found only one variable.
The potion of Eros, the love potion that the twins had used to overwhelm Amelia, the same potion that had caused Xiu to fall.
“But that’s not what we’re talking about, we’re still in the midst of a power boost.”
“Well, there are other variables, so let’s figure it out one by one. Maybe we can do it too.”
At the time, I would have thrown the book into the fireplace when I saw the hollow paragraph, “The effects of the potion do not apply to subjects who are already in love with the test subject,” but fortunately, the only two forbidden potion recipes in the world are both in the library at Zemernai Manor.
With great effort, the twins manage to locate the potion recipe, buried beneath a stack of books.
The effectiveness of the potion varies dramatically from subject to subject, depending on the subject’s latent sexuality.
In addition, there are cases where the potion is less effective.
Subjects who have not gone through menarche, are pregnant, or have no aptitude for magic sensitivity.
Also, the potion will not work on subjects who are already in love with the subject.
So far, so familiar.
You’ve read it up to this point and used it as kindling.
But a sentence on the next page caught the twins’ attention.
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
However, in this last case, the effectiveness and duration of the effect has not been fully verified, so be careful when experimenting.
“In other words, if you drink the potion while you’re already in love, you can get pregnant, is that it?”
“Eureka!”
The twins cheered.
