Childbirth
–––The next day.
I went to the Adventurers’ Guild to take the promotion exam for Rank B. Only Belle came along to keep me company. My brothers were supposed to come too, but sure enough, every last one of them was down with a hangover. The examiner was Brian, who’d recently been promoted to Rank A.
As for the result… of course, I passed without a hitch. I’m now officially a Rank B adventurer.
“Joan, you reached B Rank in no time at all. Aren’t you pushing yourself a bit too hard?”
“Hehe, well, I’ll be in the Knights Course starting this spring. I don’t want people looking down on me just because I’m a girl, you know?”
“You’re really something, Joan… Oh! Ugh…”
“L–Lily!?”
“… Haah. I’m fine, just calm down. My water broke early this morning, and I’ve been having contractions since.”
“That means those are pre-labor contractions! What’s the interval right now?”
“Um… about twenty minutes, I think?”
“Then you can’t just stand around here! Belle, go get Nikki! Pearl, head to the Trading Company and bring either Kate, Michelle, or Grace!”
“Got it!”
“Woof!”
Since it was her first child, both Lily and the people around her were trying to stay relaxed. We literally had to drag Nikki out of bed, then left the shop in Greg’s hands while Kate, Michelle, and Grace rushed over. I barged into the Guildmaster’s office, startled Morgan half to death, and explained the situation, asking to borrow any empty room.
Once the midwife arrived, things progressed quickly. By that point, the contractions were ten minutes apart, so I hurriedly pulled blankets and cushions out of Storage to set up a makeshift bed, had the nurses cast Cleanse on everything, and let them handle the rest. I just boiled water, prepped the baby clothes, had those cleaned too—and when the Guildmaster started panicking in the way, I literally kicked him out of the room.
–––One hour after Lily entered the improvised delivery room.
“Waaah! Ongyaaah!”
The healthy cry of a newborn rang out, and everyone in the guild—who had been holding their breath—burst into smiles. Some were so overjoyed they nearly shouted, but the others hurried to cover their mouths so the baby wouldn’t get startled.
“Congratulations, new dad.”
I called out to Nikki, who’d plopped right down on the floor in relief. Because of the suddenness of it all, he wasn’t in his usual light makeup or neat unisex clothes—just the real Nicholas underneath, with his hair tied back messily.
“Joan… I–I’m really… a father now?”
“That’s right. Go see Lily. Tell her she did great.”
“Y–Yeah. T-Thanks… really, thank you.”
The baby was a girl.
We left the rest to the veteran mothers and decided to head home. On our way down, everyone offered us kind words. Some of the tavern folk invited us to celebrate with food, but we politely declined. Brian, the examiner from earlier, handed me a take-out cup of juice with a smile and a quiet “good work.”
Outside, the sun was already high in the sky.
“I’m so glad everything went well, Joan.”
“Yeah. I’m starving, though. I didn’t contact the mansion, so if lunch isn’t ready, I’ll whip something up.”
(I’ve already sent word.)
“Pearl?”
(While you were in the Guildmaster’s office, Meteor came by. Said your mom sent him to check in, so I explained the situation and told him to report back.)
“Thanks, Pearl.”
(Don’t mention it… I’d like steak for lunch.)
“Understood. Rare, right, ma’am?”
(Yes, and hold the garlic.)
“‘Pfft—haha! Alright, let’s head home.’”
＊＊＊＊＊
“Welcome back, dear. Congratulations on the promotion. And my, sounds like quite the ordeal.”
In the living room, Grandmother, Mother, and Aunt Juliette were having tea. Though Meteor had probably already told them, I explained what had happened with Lily.
“When she started having pains mid-conversation, I panicked a little.”
I admitted it, and Belle quickly added,
“But thanks to Joan, everyone moved right away. If it were me, I would’ve just flailed helplessly.”
‘Exactly. If Joan hadn’t given clear orders, no one would’ve known what to do.’
“Maybe… but thanks, both of you, for helping out.”
“‘You’re welcome.’”
“Oh right—Pearl, I asked you to fetch Kate and the others. How did you even explain the situation? You couldn’t exactly say it in front of everyone.”
(Ah, I only told Kate. She’s Nancy’s sister, so I figured it’d be fine. Still, I warned her to keep quiet. I guess we’ll have to explain properly later.)
“Thanks… Sorry, Mom.”
“Well, you were flustered, so I’ll overlook it. But remember—when you’re in a rush, that’s when you most need to stay calm. Still, it’s fine. I’ve already told Kate and Greg about your contract beasts.”
“‘What!?’”
Even Pearl hadn’t known that.
“If I’d told you, you’d both have gotten too relaxed around them, wouldn’t you?”
“‘Ah… yes.’”
Mother really did know us inside out.
“Hehehe. Joan, you never know who might harbor ill intentions. Don’t let your guard down with just anyone.”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
As we were about to leave for a late lunch, I remembered something.
“Umm… during afternoon tea, there’s something I’d like to talk about—with Grandfather, Father, Gil, my brothers, Eric, and Vee. Of course, Belle too.”
“Joan, does that mean it’s something related to your skills? Since you’re including Eric and Belle?”
“Yes, Aunt Julie. That’s right.”
“Understood. We’ll make sure everyone’s awake by then, personally.”
““Huh!?””
Belle and I both froze at Grandmother’s words.
“They’re still asleep?”
“Oh yes. So if you ask Ken, he should have lunch waiting. Sarah?”
Whoosh. “Yes, Madam.”
“Lunch for Joan and Belle. And a steak for Pearl, I believe?”
“Certainly. Please wait in the dining hall.”
“‘Yes…”
While we were eating our late lunch, we could hear angry shouts, screams, and hurried apologies echoing from somewhere deeper in the mansion.
“… This is delicious.”
“Y-Yeah… Pearl, how’s yours?”
(P-Perfect… beautifully rare, no garlic. Just the way I like it.)
“Drinking’s fine, but you can’t let the drink win, huh…”
“Yeah… guess we’ll have to be more careful.”
“Do you think it’s okay that Eric got treated the same as family, even though technically he’s not?”
“It’s fine. Aunt Isabella already approved it.”
“Oh, that’s good then…”
What do you think about this chapter?
