Birth of the Hybrid and New Arrivals
Two hundred fifteen days had passed. Under the watchful eyes of Dahgon and Isabel, I delivered an Ork child without complications. Because the child had been created by combining my genes with Dahgon’s according to the genetic map Isabel provided, it resembled a human infant just like Saranti. Thanks to the powerful maternal instinct forcibly granted by the mother-body system, I felt no revulsion toward the child despite its slightly alien appearance and green skin. I nursed and cared for it without hesitation.
While I was occupied with raising the child, news arrived that the humans who had applied for immigration had finally reached us.
“The humans have arrived?”
“Yes. They’re undergoing inspection at the city gates.”
Carrying the child Dahgon had named Sahadi, I walked alongside Isabel toward the audience chamber of the royal castle. Saranti, who had been trotting beside Isabel, looked at Sahadi in my arms and asked,
“Big Mother, when will little sister start walking?”
“She needs at least another month. Why do you ask?”
“I want to play with her soon. I’m the only child here, so it’s lonely.”
“I see.”
Indeed, aside from Isabel and me, no other women had given birth yet, so there were no other children in the Ork settlement. With the adults busy working, Saranti spent most of her time alone, so it was understandable she felt lonely.
“Little sister looks just like Big Mother. She’s very pretty.”
“You look just like Isabel, too. You’re adorable.”
“Hehe....”
Chatting quietly, we arrived at the audience chamber and took our seats in the corner. While I nursed Sahadi, who had begun to fuss from hunger, a commotion broke out at the entrance. Soon, Ork soldiers appeared, escorting a group of humans. The soldiers, clad in armor made primarily of chitin, took their positions, leaving the humans standing in the center of the chamber.
As planned, the immigrants consisted entirely of women. Looking them over, it was clear they came from many different nations.
“They really came from all over.”
“Their occupations are varied, too. There are girls who worked as servers in taverns and others who worked in textile factories.”
“Their eyes are all sparkling. Hmm?”
Among the women resting after setting down their belongings, there was one person who was unmistakably male. Strange. Hadn’t we rejected all male applicants?
“Isabel, didn’t we turn away all the men?”
“Ahaha... That man didn’t come here hoping for a male Ork.”
“Huh? Then don’t tell me he came for a female Ork?”
“Yes. He says female Orks are his type....”
“Wow....”
Male Orks were crude and unattractive, but their massive builds gave them a certain sturdy charm. A small number of human women found them appealing. Yet female Orks, despite being the same species, looked nothing like women no matter how generously one viewed them. Even I, who held relatively few prejudices about species, could understand why male Orks avoided and despised their female counterparts after seeing them in person. The idea that a human man could be attracted to such beings left me speechless.
“He’s not insane, is he?”
“No. Apparently he was a high-ranking official, the director of a central bank in Kensers.”
“Then why would someone like that....”
He looked like the very image of a gentleman—wearing a suit, sporting a stylish mustache, and an eyeglass over one eye. His tastes were truly peculiar. While the other women looked around the audience chamber with curiosity, he happened to glance in our direction. He stared intently at Saranti, who was playing with her hands and paying no attention to him. I turned to Isabel, half in disbelief.
“He’s staring at Saranti. Don’t tell me....”
“Saranti doesn’t match his preferences at all.”
“She’s still an Ork hybrid with green skin. You never know.”
He continued staring at Saranti for a while before abruptly turning his head away, as if he had lost interest.
“See? I told you his type is female Orks.”
“I really don’t understand.”
While I marveled at the incomprehensible world of personal tastes, Dahgon and his royal guard entered and took their seats. The audience began. In his blunt, straightforward manner, Dahgon welcomed the newcomers to the Ork settlement, urged them to understand and help one another, and live together in harmony. He then ordered that they be shown to their living quarters.
“I’ll go speak with them.”
“Help them settle in as best you can.”
“Of course.”
Isabel took Saranti’s hand and headed toward the area where the humans had gone. After that, more people seeking opportunities continued to arrive in the Ork settlement, and it developed at an even faster pace. Sahadi grew quickly and played with her older sister, while Isabel’s second child was also thriving. Watching Isabel nurse her second child despite already being pregnant with a third, I spoke up.
“How many are you planning to have? You’re already on your third.”
“I should have as many as I can while I’m able. What about you, Elisha? Why not have another?”
“I won’t be staying in the Ork settlement forever. Having more children would only make it harder to leave. Once Sahadi is older, I’ll return to Eden.”
“So you really are leaving? It would be nice if you stayed with us.”
“I’ve already fulfilled my promise to Dahgon, and there are many places that need me. Dahgon understands.”
The matter of my return to Eden had already been settled with Dahgon. Though reluctant, he had accepted it, satisfied that he had achieved his goal of having me bear his child.
“Still, I’ll visit as often as I can to see Sahadi.”
“Please do. Come whenever you’re able.”
Seeing that my resolve was firm, Isabel finally accepted it as well.
Time passed. A year after Sahadi’s birth, I entrusted the now seven-year-old child to Isabel and returned to Eden. Back in Eden, I resumed managing the Mare racetrack and spent my days helping wherever I was needed. In contrast to my peaceful daily life, the international situation remained turbulent. The already strained relationship between Tarykin and Ryuzan had deteriorated to the point of small-scale border skirmishes. Xenuma, which had grown rapidly stronger after securing new territory following its victory against the monsters, continued its tense standoff with Kensers, which viewed its neighbor with suspicion. Fortunately, Maria—now ruler of Eden and of noble blood from Kensers—had married Theo, head of a powerful family in Xenuma. Their position as a couple helped bridge the two nations and prevented the tensions from escalating further.
Meanwhile, Eden’s population continued to grow, surpassing 140,000, with the proportion of Blackmen increasing steadily. The population had more than doubled since the early days, partly due to births, but mostly because immigrants from other nations were becoming Eden citizens. The largest group came from Daviwana’s Blackmen, followed by those from Kensers, Tarykin, Ryuzan, and Xenuma. Over 50,000 Blackmen had immigrated, accounting for nearly one-third of Eden’s population.
To discuss the issues arising from this influx of Blackmen, relevant parties gathered in the central city hall conference room. Maria looked around at those seated around the large circular table and spoke first.
“Now that everyone’s here, let’s begin the meeting. Today’s topic is the housing and population ratio problems caused by the Blackmen’s immigration.”
Maria activated a holographic display and pointed out Eden’s current situation and the problems stemming from the Blackmen’s arrival.
“Eden is already facing a serious housing shortage due to overpopulation. You all know that high-rise buildings have been built one after another in the empty districts near the walls, right? On top of that, the influx of Blackmen keeps increasing, which is becoming a major issue.”
“Then why not create residential areas in the Underground City as well?”
Kyubey, smoking a cigarette, offered the suggestion, but Maria responded negatively.
“The Underground City must remain a pleasure district. That was the role Eden agreed upon with other nations—as a city of prostitution.”
“Then how about purchasing more land around Eden?”
This time, Jadin, seated beside me, raised his hand and spoke. There were several reasons why Jadin was attending a meeting that would normally be limited to Eden’s ruling class. The most important was that Havid had retired from leading Eden’s Blackmen and passed the position to Jadin. With over 50,000 Blackmen now forming a significant force in Eden, Jadin—captain of the Underground City guard and backed by Kyubey’s and my trust—had firmly established himself among Eden’s upper echelons.
Maria pointed at the area near Eden Castle on the hologram with a long pointer and replied,
“Two years ago, we purchased the Mare racetrack site from Xenuma. Last year, we bought agricultural land from Kensers and a second grassland for an outdoor racetrack from Xenuma. We also obtained land from Ryuzan for constructing a new city in exchange for allowing them to build a large Sun God temple. We’ve already acquired a great deal of land, but many people still want to live inside Eden Castle.”
“Well, people naturally prefer living within the walls.”
As Kyubey said, humans in this dimension, long threatened by monsters, instinctively preferred to live inside fortified walls.
“Then let’s just build another castle.”
“There isn’t enough land to build an entirely new castle. And building another castle right next to Eden Castle would be....”
Jadin had suggested building a castle, but as Maria pointed out, there were many complications.
“No, I’m not suggesting we build an additional castle. I’m proposing we leave the current Eden Castle as the inner citadel and construct an outer wall that encloses the newly acquired land. A long wall would surround the central Eden Castle.”
“Hmm... an outer wall.”
“That sounds good. While we’re at it, why not buy even more land and expand significantly?”
When Kyubey also voiced her support for Jadin’s idea, a thoughtful expression appeared on Maria’s face. Then she turned to me, who had been listening quietly.
“Elisha, stop sitting there daydreaming and give us your opinion. Any good ideas?”
“Ah, if we build the outer wall following the current land shape, it’ll look odd. We should also purchase land from Tarykin to make the shape more balanced.”
“What? What are you talking about, suddenly worrying about shapes?”
“The youngest finally said something useful. If we build it as is, it’ll look strange, so let’s try to get some land from Tarykin.”
“Acquiring territory from another country—and an enemy nation like Tarykin at that—isn’t so easy.... Haah.”
Maria covered her face with her hand, a habit she had developed, and let out a deep sigh. Meetings always seemed to go this way, and Maria had it rough.
“Kyubey, can’t we just stop the Blackmen from immigrating?”
“Oh my, how could we turn away young people who left their homeland and crossed the distant sea because they like Eden? Right?”
“Hahaha, they’re all fine, healthy young men with good hearts. They’ll be a great strength to Eden, so please don’t think too badly of them.”
“That’s also a problem. They’re all men, so there’s a shortage of women.”
In reality, all 50,000 of those immigrants were men. With the number of women—excluding the angels—severely lacking, the situation was turning into a social issue.
Jadin wore a troubled expression but spoke confidently.
“That’s why we’re running a campaign to entice tourists who aren’t Eden citizens to naturalize and take them as wives.”
“That’ll just increase the population even more!”
“W-well, yes, that’s true.”
Jadin stammered in response to Maria, who was pounding the table in frustration.
“Still, in the long run, it will help balance the male-to-female ratio.”
“The real problem is that only men are immigrating in the first place! Why aren’t any women coming?”
“Because all women in Daviwana are slaves, they can’t leave the country.”
That was the main reason people from Daviwana on the Eastern Continent were called Blackmen—because they were all men. It had been that way from the beginning, and even now, with active exchanges, there wasn’t a single black-skinned woman from the Eastern Continent in Daviwana. Even children born between Blackmen and Eastern Continent women followed a near-miraculous genetic pattern: sons had black skin, daughters had white skin. Black-skinned girls were virtually nonexistent.
“Hmm... Speaking of land near Eden in Tarykin....”
“If we ask Ed, maybe he could find a way to acquire land in the Tarykin region.”
“Ed from the Drecul Trading Company?”
“Yes. If it’s him—the head of that ancient ducal family that originally lived in northeastern Tarykin—then he might have a method.”
“Then Elisha will take responsibility for finding out how.”
“Wait, why me?”
“I know you’ve been lounging around with nothing to do lately. This is a good chance to do something for the country.”
“Eee....”
It felt unfair, but I couldn’t argue against Maria, who was always buried in work herself.
“Jadin, gather the Blackmen and prepare to establish a Blackmen autonomous district.”
“An autonomous district, you say?”
“Even though they’ve left their homeland to start a new life, the culture they were born and raised in isn’t easily forgotten. The increasing demand for Daviwana-style goods shows that clearly. It won’t be exactly the same, but to preserve and maintain Daviwana’s culture to some extent, we’ll create an autonomous district where the Blackmen can live together.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Jadin had probably already known how much the Blackmen were struggling to adapt to Eastern Continent culture. He had once complained in bed about how many suffered from severe homesickness. Though he tried to appear calm, his joy was obvious.
“I think creating an autonomous district that incorporates Daviwana-style architecture and culture will also enhance Eden’s image as a place where diverse cultures coexist.”
“Maria really is capable.”
“Kyubey, do something about those group orgies that are popular in the Underground City. We keep getting complaints because they’re happening all the time.”
“How can I stop people from doing what they enjoy with each other? At least we’re collecting a fee for the space.”
“It’s not about the fee. People don’t want to see orgies happening in the streets.”
The group orgy issue was being carried out by factions claiming it was a form of performance art and recreational culture popular in the Underground City. They performed randomly in the streets, empty lots, rooftops, and even inside fountains, which was practically an act of visual terrorism against ordinary tourists.
Watching the two bicker over the group orgy problem, I took Jadin’s hand and whispered in his ear.
“Jadin, isn’t the guard doing anything about it?”
“Since it hasn’t been classified as a criminal act, we can’t forcibly disperse or arrest them. If an execution order is given, it would be possible, but she doesn’t seem particularly opposed....”
“Kyubey is quite lenient about that sort of thing.”
As expected of a succubus, the embodiment of lust, she was extremely tolerant of most sexual activities.
“And stop calling her ‘big sister.’ She’s not your wife yet.”
“I need to get used to it in advance. We participate in national events together, so foreign countries already treat us as half a couple.”
“I don’t know why Kyubey insists on sticking together at every event.”
Now that Dahgon had left to become king of the Orks, Jadin was the only man I met, but even though I could go alone, she always made us match outfits and stay together.
“You two over there! Focus on the meeting.”
“Yes!”
At Maria’s words, Jadin immediately straightened his posture.