The Joyful News and Preparations for Departure
After the hostile forces vanished and the people from the harbor joined them, the survivor group finally settled into a stable position and began to develop in earnest. Farming and fishing improved their food situation considerably, and with the addition of the Zeka-5 as a defensive measure, the threat of plant monsters disappeared. Peaceful days continued without interruption.
During mountain patrols, they discovered a bird-like creature resembling a chicken, which they named nuru. They brought some back and began raising them in one corner of the farm, a heartening development that provided both eggs and meat. The new type of fruit Ruya had discovered became an incredibly popular nutritious snack that everyone loved. However, it had an unexpected side effect similar to caffeine—an awakening agent—which led to a minor uproar when daily intake limits had to be imposed.
Meanwhile, through the efforts of Horana, the women’s leader, and the Madam, the survivor group established a decision-making system centered around the women, along with a system of communal female ownership and shared child-rearing. It had essentially become a matriarchal society. The men reluctantly accepted this after acknowledging the absolute shortage of women and the difficulty of identifying a child’s father amid daily relations with multiple partners.
During these days, Horana and the other women—who had devoted themselves diligently to breeding activities—began conceiving new life one by one, preparing to bring forth the next generation’s sprouts.
And then, amid these routine days, joyful news that the family had been waiting for finally arrived.
At the Madam’s urgent radio call, the family gathered on the rooftop. They looked at the brightly blinking signal device and burst into celebration.
The long-awaited dimensional rescue signal has been confirmed.
“We’ve finally picked up the signal. It sure took long enough.”
“When I checked the message sent via the blinking code, it turns out the time flow difference between this dimension and Earth is a staggering five times greater. Plus, the signal was weak, so locating it took even longer.”
“When do they say they can open the gate, nya?”
“Hmm… About ten days from now? It’ll take time to stabilize.”
“Haa… That’s truly a relief.”
The Madam wrapped her hands around her near-full-term belly and let out a sigh of relief.
“Then let’s start preparing to leave. This place is already stable enough. We just need to pack our things.”
“I’ll go let Horana and the others know, nya.”
“Ah, before we leave, we should gather some of this world’s specialties.”
“I’ll double-check the valuables I’ve stored away. Hohoho.”
“I’ll handle the luggage organization.”
The gloomy atmosphere that had lingered among the family, whether they realized it or not, finally lifted, replaced by lively energy. It was a heartwarming sight. Having lived here for nearly a year, the family had accumulated quite a lot of belongings. The useful spatial storage pouches were already packed full of various precious items from the city, so they had no choice but to carefully organize everything into large bags one by one.
“Madam, should we take this?”
“Oh my. So that’s where it was. Pack it carefully.”
“Yes.”
The item I asked about was a luxurious baby stroller adorned with this world’s unique patterns. It had been stored, still wrapped, in perfect condition in the warehouse. The Madam had discovered it and decided to keep it because she liked it.
As the fetus grew steadily, a significant change had occurred in the Madam’s heart as well. Having gone from viewing the child merely as an heir to becoming the mother who carried and nurtured it in her own womb, her maternal instincts had grown strong. Recently, she had even come to me first for counseling, saying she felt complicated emotions.
The Madam, who didn’t want to show weakness to her older brother, had confided in me the anxiety and worries she had kept hidden. She said that while she believed she should leave the heir’s upbringing to the concubines for the sake of the family hierarchy, her desire as a mother to raise the child herself had grown overwhelmingly strong, deepening her dilemma.
Having experienced for myself what intense maternal love felt like—even if artificially induced—I advised her not to suppress it and to follow her heart. At the time, she didn’t seem to have made a firm decision, but lately she had been unusually absorbed in reading baby supplies catalogs and parenting books. It seemed she had decided deep down.
While listening to the classical music of this world that the Madam played for prenatal education, I finished organizing the luggage on the eighth floor and stood up.
“I’ve finished organizing the luggage on the eighth floor. Shall we head to the rooftop?”
“Oof~ Let’s go together.”
The Madam rose from her chair, one hand cradling her greatly swollen belly, and walked slowly toward the stairs leading up. Seeing this, I quickly moved to her side, took her hand, and supported her.
“Thank you.”
“You’re past thirty-nine weeks now. We need to be even more careful. There are multiple protective barriers, so I know it should be fine, but no one can predict what might happen to a mother and fetus.”
“Huu… Still, I’m relieved we’ll be returning to Earth before the birth.”
The yin crest of conception, vital energy, latex womb, and holy power could only assist with the health of the fetus and mother. Even the knowledge stored in my brain emphasized that pregnant women could experience sudden unexplained deaths, so extreme caution was necessary. Fortunately, so far everything had been very healthy.
Carefully selected clean genes, a sturdy latex womb, the yin crest of conception and vital energy that enhanced the mother’s health, and abundant holy power on top of that. We had raised an extremely healthy fetus without any symptoms resembling preeclampsia.
“…Though it grew a little too well and became an oversized baby.”
“Hohoho, it is a boy, after all.”
Entering its thirty-ninth week, the fetus had grown vigorously and was kicking powerfully, making things difficult for its mother. At one point, it had even kicked the area near her bladder so hard that she had wet herself. The expression the Madam had made then—happy yet embarrassed—remained vivid in my memory.
While supporting the Madam up to the rooftop, I took the opportunity now that we were alone.
“Madam, have you decided how you will raise the baby?”
“…I’ve decided to raise it myself after all. But I will still have the concubines serve as wet nurses.”
“Whatever you wish, Madam.”
“And… I will also let the concubines personally raise the daughters they bear for our lord.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Now that I understand a mother’s heart, forcing the concubines to give up even their role as mothers seems far too cruel.”
“That’s a wise decision. Everyone will be delighted.”
Deciding to entrust the concubines with raising the children they themselves gave birth to—clearly, the Madam had grown much gentler since becoming pregnant. Still, realistically, the help of the maids would be necessary.
“Even so, we will need the maids to assist with childcare. Everyone has duties they’ve been assigned for the family.”
“If it’s necessary, then of course. I have no intention of allowing even the slave maids to bear children, so we should have enough hands.”
Hehe, no matter how much gentler she has become, she still has no plans to show mercy to the slaves. As expected.
The Madam paused for a moment, laboriously lifting her feet as she climbed the stairs, then suddenly let out an exclamation.
“Ah, that’s right! After we return to Earth, do we have any plans in place for the pregnant women here?”
“Ah, yes~ There was a woman who used to be a nurse. Still, her knowledge of obstetrics and newborns is limited, and handling it alone would be difficult, so I selected a few intelligent individuals and trained them thoroughly in advance.”
“As expected of Elisha. Well done.”
Recently, with the Madam focusing on managing her own body, I had taken over the education and supervision of the women that she used to handle. Since the pregnant women’s due dates were approaching, I had prepared them with prenatal education in advance. Considering we would suddenly be returning to Earth, it was fortunate I had done so ahead of time.
“Normally, investigating a new dimension and receiving gate approval takes anywhere from one month at the shortest to half a year at the longest. If it were a dimension where civilization still exists and a ruling class representing humanity is present, the investigation and approval would be faster. But this is a ruined dimension where civilization has collapsed. Huu, even with survivors present, they will investigate for at least three months.”
“The time flow difference is about five times… Three months on Earth would be fifteen months here. If the investigation drags on, it will be even longer. When we come back next time, there might be a whole bunch of children.”
“Hehehe… That sight sounds delightful.”
Chatting with the Madam, we slowly climbed the tall staircase. When we opened the door to the rooftop, we were greeted by bright, warm sunlight bathing the area.
The camping car that had been sitting on the rooftop for the entire year since we fell here after encountering the random dimensional gate disaster looked quite dirty and pitiful.
“Madam, when we get back, let’s wash the camping car. It hasn’t even been started in a year, so it’ll need maintenance too.”
“Hohoho, do as you wish, Elisha.”
Having been left standing for a whole year, something was bound to be broken. Wait, thinking about it, a year here would mean roughly two and a half months have passed on Earth, right? The house should be fine since the maids are managing it, and the slaves should be living properly on their own… But my sex friend, Guardian, and my friends Eunhye and Jihye must be very worried.
“Ah.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“You know Han Jisu, right? Before we left on the trip, I engraved a yin brand on him. I’m worried because we’ve been away for so long.”
“Ah, the one who’s the successor of the Hunter Association… Does the yin brand have severe side effects on men?”
“Umm… Constant erections and difficulty reaching climax would make daily life quite inconvenient, wouldn’t it? For women, at worst it just causes constant arousal fluid, so it’s manageable.”
Sexual arousal itself is common to both, so that’s beside the point. Men show it outwardly, but women can handle it in daily life by wearing diapers or sanitary pads to absorb the fluid.
After hearing my answer, the Madam smiled subtly with an expression of understanding.
“That really… must be tough. Having experienced firsthand how much the yin brand raises sexual desire, I actually feel a bit sorry for him.”
“At least the yin crest of conception you received, Madam, only provides sexual elevation while you’re pregnant. In return, when you’re not pregnant, it increases the desire to conceive.”
“I’ve heard it before, but that still feels strangely unsettling.”
Since the Madam became pregnant not long after receiving the brand, she probably hasn’t felt the difference clearly. Still, the yin crest of conception is fundamentally a yin brand, so its side effects aren’t mild. She has adapted to the sexual elevation for now and is relatively fine, but after giving birth, the elevation will disappear and be replaced by anxiety. Given how strong and resilient her mind is, I expect she will endure and adapt well, but the pain from that difference won’t be small. After all, it is a brand designed to continuously induce pregnancy in its recipient, so this level of side effect is unavoidable. And since its advantages are so numerous, this much can be considered trivial…
“When we return, things are going to be busy in many ways.”
“We have to start new businesses… and handle all the piled-up matters. It will be hectic.”
“Running the hunter goods distribution business, various other enterprises, and even a hunter guild… Even with several bodies, it would be exhausting, wouldn’t it?”
“Hohoho, this is exactly when I need you, Elisha. We just need to fill the positions of those who directly operate and work with slaves.”
“…The more capable a human is, the harder it is to turn them into a slave.”
“That’s because you tend to treat slaves too ‘humanely,’ Elisha. You even try to avoid any damage that might occur during the process.”
“That can’t be helped.”
Since I myself am a slave and an angel doll created through brainwashing, I genuinely hope that those who become new slaves can become so without any problems.
“Well… Still, I trust you’ll handle it well, so I’m not worried. Let’s finish organizing up here quickly too.”
“Yes, Madam.”
While diligently cleaning the rooftop, the door opened and Ruya appeared, carrying a large bag on her back.
“I’ve packed pretty much everything. Here are the nurus too.”
In the wire cage she held up, several nurus were crouched, making their distinctive “nuru-nuru” cries and looking around curiously.
“Living creatures will get caught in quarantine, you know.”
“They look like livestock similar to chickens on the outside. Do you think it won’t work?”
“In principle, no, but they’re surprisingly lenient, so who knows.”
The dimensional administration office’s quarantine seemed strict but was actually quite flexible. Things like reproductive parasites, Las, and parasitic tentacle tails were clearly living organisms, yet after only a risk assessment, they were allowed through. I didn’t know exactly what their “risk” criteria were, but since even a parasite like the reproductive parasite had passed, I figured an animal similar to a chicken might get through without issue.
“Let’s just take them and see. The eggs they lay taste better than chicken eggs.”
“But the dimensional gate won’t open for another ten days. Are you going to keep them locked in that cage the whole time?”
“Ah, right. Then I should let them roam free on the rooftop.”
With a clank, Ruya set the cage on the floor and opened the door. The nurus, who had been darting their eyes around, came out one by one and began wandering across the rooftop. Although they were clearly wild creatures caught near the forest by the city, they were strangely friendly with humans and showed no sign of trying to leave the place where they had been brought.
“They were probably originally animals raised by humans, right?”
“Seeing how well they follow people, that makes sense.”
“Hohoho, they’re such cute creatures. Taking them with us would be nice.”
What set nurus apart from chickens wasn’t just their colorful feathers and adorable appearance, but also their high intelligence. From our observations so far, they seemed smarter than chickens but less so than dogs—somewhere in between. They could recognize people who fed them and beg for food, or approach those who showed them affection and display intimacy. Because of this, the person in charge of raising them said they couldn’t bear to eat the cute nurus.
Watching the males and females pair up and toddle around the rooftop, I asked Ruya, who was loading luggage into the camping car.
“By the way, where is Brother and what is he doing? I haven’t seen him at all since earlier.”
“Hm? I ran into him earlier and asked. He said he was going to the expectant fathers’ meeting.”
“Expectant fathers’ meeting? What on earth is…”
“Hohoho, communal child-rearing is something both men and women must do together. It’s a group created to provide necessary education to men who will become fathers of the children about to be born and to improve their mindset as fathers.”
“Heee…”
I had only been paying attention to the women’s side, but it turned out the Madam had been preparing education for the men as well in anticipation of the births. Taking care of not only the women who would become mothers but also the men who would become fathers—she truly left no gaps. As expected of the Madam.