Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It had been several months since Shinji’s sudden disappearance and eventual return after pleting his duties as an Apostle.
On that particular day, Alvin could not keep still. Every muscle in his body felt drawn taut, as though waiting for a bowstring to snap.
Milis, now at full term and spending her days avoiding unnecessary strain, suddenly murmured,
”…Ah, I think it’s time.”
The moment she said it, Renka—who had been sitting beside her—went pale.
”Wait, really!? Ah, oh no, I think it’s happening to me too!”
The room erupted into chaos.
”No way, Renka too!? Someone get the doctor! And both of you, stay exactly where you are! Shuro, inform Father and Shinji-san! Enrica, fetch the doctor! Terentia, oversee the preparations!”
”Y-yes, sir!”
”Understood.”
”Leave it to us!”
It was not only Shuro who rushed off. Even Enrica and Terentia, both of whom normally carried themselves with impeccable grace and would never have dreamed of hurrying through the halls, dashed from the room at full speed.
Oddly enough, the two women at the center of the motion remained calm.
For first-time mothers, neither Milis nor Renka seemed particularly distressed. They settled into fortable positions and waited for the preparations to be pleted with surprising posure.
(Mom always said a first birth was unbelievably hard… but this doesn’t seem so bad.)
The ease of it left Milis puzzled.
What she could not know was that unseen hands softened burdens that should have been far heavier.
Renka, meanwhile, understood at least part of the reason.
(I barely had any morning sickness, either. Being loved by the spirits really is incredible… If only every mother could be spared that fear.)
Unless a family had the wealth to summon skilled healers, childbirth remained a gamble between life and death. Growing up, Renka had heard more than enough stories of mothers who never returned home. Remembering them now, she could not help wishing that every woman could receive the same protection.
Before long, the preparations were plete. The two women walked to the birthing room under their own power and settled into the freshly prepared space to await the onset of labor.
Meanwhile, word reached Alvin and Shinji, who had been outside the estate, and both men hurried back at once.
Unfortunately for them, local custom frowned upon men remaining in the birthing room.
The moment the attendants confirmed that both women appeared perfectly healthy, Alvin and Shinji were promptly ushered back into the hallway.
”Mil…”
”Alvin.” Milis smiled gently. “I’m fine. Just sit and wait.”
”I know, but… I can’t settle down.”
Unlike Shinji, who quietly took a seat in one of the chairs arranged along the wall, Alvin paced back and forth in front of the door. He had known this day would e for months, yet standing before it now was an entirely different matter.
A short while later, Akane approached carrying a tray with two steaming mugs of coffee.
Until she set the tray down, she wore the flawless posure expected of the head maid. Once she finished, however, she spoke not as a servant but as someone who had known them for years.
”Let’s trust them and wait, okay, Alvin?”
”Akane…”
”The doctor was personally arranged by Christina-san. She’s one of the most experienced midwives around. e on, sit.”
”…Right.”
Seeing Shinji remain so calm despite being in the exact same situation eased Alvin’s nerves, if only slightly.
He had faced monsters, dungeons, and noble politics without flinching, yet none of them frightened him as much as this.
Milis was simply too precious to him.
As Alvin drank his coffee with unsteady hands, Shinji spoke in a relaxed tone.
”Besides, if things somehow go wrong, we can always ask the Shrine Maiden for help. So sit back and relax. Think of it like riding a grand ship.”
The confidence in his smile swept away some of the gloom hanging over the hallway.
For the first time since returning, Alvin managed a faint smile of his own.
(I told myself I didn’t want to rely on him for everything.)
Back when Shinji vanished, Freri’s explanation that he had been taken away as a goddess’s Apostle reached them before official notice arrived from the port-town construction site. Thanks to that, nobody had fallen into plete panic.
Following Christina’s long-standing policy of never being overly dependent on any single person, they had managed the territory in Shinji’s absence.
That acplishment had given Alvin confidence.
Ever since Shinji joined the Running Wolves, he had always been there when they needed him. Alvin would never forget the countless times Shinji had supported him from behind and helped carry him forward.
Yet that gratitude had always been acpanied by a quiet concern.
Was he relying on him too much?
Without Shinji, he would never have reached where he was today.
That was precisely why he felt proud that they had protected both their territory and the people they loved while Shinji was away, then weled him home with their heads held high.
If something like that ever happened again, Alvin wanted to be able to send him off without hesitation.
Leave it to me. Go fulfill the Goddess’s will.
That was what he had hoped to say.
Yet now, faced with the possibility of losing the person most precious to him, Shinji remained the first person he looked toward for reassurance.
The realization drew a wry smile from him.
”If the worst happens, I’m counting on you. Though it’ll probably be fine.”
”Oh? Sounds like your usual self is finally ing back.”
The two men slipped into familiar conversation. Alvin spoke about the territory, while Shinji asked what had happened during his absence, and before either of them realized it, time had quietly passed.
Even so, both men kept glancing toward the door.
No baby’s cry had reached them yet.
”…Hey. Have you decided on a name?” Alvin asked.
”Renka and I have narrowed it down to a few candidates,” Shinji replied. “We’ll decide after we see the baby’s face.”
”Same here. The more names you e up with, the harder it gets. Every time you settle on one, you start wondering if there’s a better—”
A sharp cry suddenly echoed through the hallway.
Then came another.
Alvin shot to his feet.
”Shinji! Did you hear that!?”
”I heard it.” Shinji stood as well. “But we wait until they call us in.”
”—!”
Without Shinji’s hand on his shoulder, Alvin looked ready to burst through the door himself.
Only a few moments passed, yet they felt impossibly long.
Then the door finally opened.
”It’s safe to e in now.”
The instant those words left the maid’s lips, Alvin stepped into the room.
His eyes immediately found Milis.
She was holding their child in her arms.
Relief washed over him first, followed by a joy so overwhelming it nearly stole his breath.
”Al-kun.” Milis’s smile was gentle. “It’s a healthy baby girl.”
The child slept peacefully in her mother’s embrace.
Even at a glance, there were traces of Alvin in her tiny features. Anyone who knew him would have instinctively believed she was his daughter.
A quiet sense of relief spread through Milis as she looked down at the sleeping infant.
Everything she had said before had been true.
She had accepted the possibility of bearing Shinji’s child.
Even so, if she was honest with herself, the child she had wanted most was Alvin’s.
The reality was different.
The girl had inherited Shinji’s appearance and magical essence.
Neither parent had any way of knowing.
”You did well, Mil. Thank you.”
Tears gathered in Alvin’s eyes.
”Congratulations, Wolf-sama.”
”Congratulations!”
”Thank you. Thank you so much.”
As blessings poured in from every corner of the room, Alvin rested a hand on Milis’s shoulder and smiled.
(I’ll build a future worthy of them. And I’ll protect it with everything I have.)
The day he married Milis had filled him with happiness.
The joy filling his chest now eclipsed even that.
Looking at his wife and newborn daughter, Alvin silently renewed his resolve to protect the family entrusted to him.
—
Summary:
Alvin and Shinji await the birth of their respective children in a state of high tension. The labor progresses safely under the care of a midwife, leading to the birth of two healthy baby girls. Alvin realizes the growth of his household and his role as a father, marking the conclusion of the volume.
—
Trivia:
The mansion’s culture strictly separates men from the birthing process.
Alvin previously led his territory successfully in Shinji’s absence, boosting his self-confidence.
Milis feels conflicted but ultimately finds relief that the baby resembles Alvin physically, despite the truth.
Notes:
• Shinji – A stoic, calculating Apostle of Goddess Arian and son of a succubus, this white-clad, armored strategic mage balances Alvin’s anxiety. Recently returned from an alternate dimension task, he is highly reliable, has great stamina, refines spells, and restrains lewd magic. While he preys on women, he deeply cherishes his panions and vows to care for any child he fathers.
• Alvin – An honorary knight and Lord of the Wolf Territory, this noble leader transitioned from an adventurer to a fatherly figure. While managing administrative duties for a new port town, he remains deeply devoted to and anxious for his family. He balances these heavy responsibilities with a familiar, friendly attitude toward his subordinates in private settings.
• Milis – Alvin’s wife who is pregnant with Shinji’s child, maintaining a calm demeanor despite her plex emotional situation.
• Renka – Shinji’s pregnant wife, who is currently carrying his child, resides at the Wolf estate. Recognizable by her calm demeanor, even during childbirth, she shares a close bond with Milis, with whom she works on handicrafts. Her deep love for her husband is evident in the profound relief she experiences upon his safe return.
• Terentia – A household member tasked with coordinating the birth preparations.
• Enrica – A household member who strives to act as a proper lady and assists with domestic preparations.
• Shuro – A loyal subordinate who assists in the household and carries out orders from Alvin.
• Akane – The head maid who serves the household and shares a hometown connection with the others, showing a caring side.
• Christina – The wife of Lord Alvin who actively manages territory administration and manpower allocation. She is aware of Shinji’s status as an Apostle and shares a secret mental munication link with him, hiding her overflowing joy behind a posed facade.
• Freri – A panion who possesses remote observation capabilities and teleportation magic. She assists Shinji by monitoring the lord’s office and executing his spatial transfer back into the mansion safely.
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