Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Childbirth - 2
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"Greetings, Hero. We are the priests sent by Helen."
Three nymphs approached, each carrying their own offerings.
Gold, what looked like frankincense, and myrrh.
What were they, the three wise men from the East?
But that wasn't the important part, so with a faint hope, I asked them.
"If Helen sent you, is there anyone among you who can act as a midwife?"
"I can do it. I graduated from the academy not long ago, but I've delivered many babies."
The orange-haired nymph, who strikingly resembled Helen, answered confidently.
"Exactly how many have you delivered?"
"Around thirty. And I have a nymph midwife certification too."
Ah, so the Holy Kingdom has certifications.
The nymph who looked like Helen spoke to me as I stood there flustered.
"You can speak casually to us, Hero. You carry the blood of the gods."
"I don't really feel like I have divine blood, but if you say so, I'll relax."
And so, we chatted with the nymphs for a bit.
The orange-haired nymph, Helia, served Hestia, the goddess of love and family, just like Helen.
The green-haired nymph with flowers in her hair, Forest, served Flora, the goddess of nature and harmony.
Finally, the radiant golden-haired nymph, Ravi, served Sunna, the goddess of the sun and justice.
By the way, all three were men.
It was hard to believe they were male, given their extraordinarily beautiful appearances.
Was this like drawing a girl and then claiming it's a boy?
"Aren't nymphs supposed to be all female?"
"Pure-blooded nymphs were originally androgynous. But we're mixed-blood, so we have distinct genders."
"I see."
"To explain in detail, our creator, Goddess Hestia, was tasked with guiding humanity in the gods' stead. So from the beginning, we nymphs lack the blessing of fertility. The ones we love are humans, not ourselves..."
"Ooh, that's a nice explanation from you, Senior Forest, but we have work to do first!"
"Right! If you'll excuse us, Hero, may we check on the mother's condition?"
At the golden-haired nymph's reminder, the senior nymph, Forest, finally snapped out of it.
She must be the type who gets so focused on one thing that she forgets everything else.
"Senior Forest, I'll handle the mother's health."
"Yes, you're the right one for it, Junior Helia. Ravi and I will prepare separately."
"Yes."
"I'll show you the way."
After exchanging words among themselves, the nymphs set to their tasks.
For now, Forest and Ravi sorted out the luggage they'd brought in the yard, while Helia followed my guidance to the master bedroom where Chloe was.
"Darling, who's that?"
"Nymphs. Midwives from the Holy Kingdom."
"Greetings. I am Helia, who serves Hestia, the goddess of love and family."
Chloe bowed her head in return at Helia's polite bow.
Helia checked Chloe's condition for a moment, then lifted the disk above her head and began to pray.
"O Goddess of Love, protect the fruit of this love."
⟨ Divine Protection ⟩
Inscrutable letters floated above the disk.
It seemed like divine script, similar to Oronak's grace from before.
"Birth in one week."
Helia said, showing the disk.
Uh, even if you show it, I can't read it.
"One week?"
Chloe looked flustered at Helia's words.
Childbirth was my first time too, and it was hers as well. Perhaps seeing it so close brought her hidden worries bubbling up.
"No need to worry, mother. I'm only 200 years old, but I'm renowned as the top midwife from the Nymph Academy."
200 years old?
With that appearance?
"All twenty babies I've delivered have grown up healthy. So please, mother, trust me once."
"Miss..."
Despite her youthful looks, the aged Helia skillfully tended to Chloe's mentality. Honestly, that beautiful smile made even my anxiety vanish.
Helia suddenly looked up at me and asked something.
"Hero, do you plan to have the birth at home?"
"I'm building a separate birthing room."
Usually done in the master bedroom or living room, but I planned a separate building for hygiene.
"If needed, we can help."
"You can?"
"We can create a sterile room with divine miracles."
"I'd be grateful if you did."
But do you even know what germs are?
'The Holy Kingdom seems far more advanced in science than I thought.'
Living there might not be so bad.
"I'll stay here and have a close talk with the mother."
"Close talk?"
"There are decisions for the mother regarding the birth. If you're worried, you can have a woman from the house stay."
"Sure, I'll leave it to you."
I assigned Sylvia and Elsia to Helia, then went out to find the other nymphs. They were unpacking items wrapped in plastic-like material from large bags.
"Finished talking with the Hero?"
"Yeah. But what's that?"
"This? Medical tools for the birth. They're sterilized and separately packaged."
"That's impressive enough, but what material is that?"
"It's made from sap extracted from greenwood trees in the elves' forest to the east. Some scholars call it 'poly'."
"Is this common in the Holy Kingdom?"
"Not really. It costs a lot to make one. We only produce them for essential needs like this."
"Got it."
Forest's words left me speechless.
This place hadn't advanced beyond medieval countryside, but over there, it was practically modern.
'No worries about the birth, then.'
With nymphs boasting at least 200 years of experience and medical tech rivaling the modern era...
"With the Holy Kingdom's technology, we can make childbirth painless."
Childbirth comes with indescribable pain. Historically, great efforts were made to alleviate it.
Of course, they were all folk remedies with no real effect, or dangerous drugs harmful to mother and child.
Knowing this, Elsia asked cautiously.
"Are you referring to devil's saliva, by any chance?"
"No. It's Hestia's miracle to ease the pain."
True to a nation built by nymphs, the Holy Kingdom used various divine miracles in daily life, including pain relief for birth.
However, to avoid neglecting parental responsibility, they generally avoided it.
But since Chloe wasn't from the Holy Kingdom, Helia didn't judge by their standards.
"It's a divine miracle, so no harm to mother or child."
"Then do it, of course!"
Sylvia answered instead of Chloe.
Knowing the pain better than anyone, she didn't want her daughter to suffer.
"Chloe, that's great."
"No, I won't take it."
"Eh?"
Sylvia let out a shrill cry at Chloe's refusal.
"Why?!"
"Sylvia, calm down."
"I can't!"
As Sylvia fumed, Chloe carefully shared her thoughts.
"I want to proudly tell our child that Mommy gave birth to you."
"......"
"Mom and Elsia proudly endured the pain to give birth. I want to do the same."
"Chloe..."
Sylvia pondered her daughter's words before speaking carefully.
"Mom understands your feelings fully. But I think you don't need to go through that pain. Enduring more birth pain won't..."
"Sylvia's right. No need to take the hard path."
"I know. But..."
Facing the two mothers' words, Chloe wrestled inwardly. After a moment, she bit her lip and spoke with effort.
"Everyone prepared so much for me and the baby because of Sian. But I haven't done anything. If I leave even the birth to others, I'll have done nothing for the child."
Sylvia and Elsia fell silent at Chloe's confession. They understood her heart better than anyone.
"If that's what Chloe wants, Mom won't oppose it anymore."
"Mom, I'm sorry."
"No. I'm the one sorry for not understanding your heart."
Tears welling, Sylvia stroked Chloe's head for the first time in a while.
"Our daughter becoming a mom to her own child already... Time flies."
"I'm not as great a mom as you yet."
"You'll be a wonderful mom in no time."
Saying so, Sylvia gently hugged Chloe.
Watching the mother and daughter share their love, Helia spoke up with a smile.
"Then, instead of the miracle, I'll bestow a blessing."
"A blessing?"
"Yes. A blessing for a healthy, vigorous birth."
"Can you give that blessing so easily?"
"Normally, only Hestia's temples in the Holy Kingdom can do it. But here, the goddess's divinity overflows as much as in a temple, so it's possible."
It was thanks to Sian.
The house brimmed with Hestia's divinity from his nightly Vitality Reinforcement practice.
Of course, other priests would be shocked to the point of vomiting blood, but Helia accepted it knowing Sian was a Titan.