Escape. (14)
Honestly, it was such an embarrassing memory that I didn't want to recall it, but my round, swollen belly seemed to be trying to prevent me from forgetting that fact.
"...Ugh."
I let out a small groan.
On this day, my belly felt particularly swollen.
The sensation of my abdomen being pressed down felt twice as intense as usual, perhaps.
Even though this was only the fifth time, I could definitely tell the difference after about five times.
"...Hero."
I called out to the Hero weakly.
It was quite amusing to see him looking at me with eyes full of worry.
It wasn't a mocking laugh, but a laugh stemming from the fact that the Hero was by my side.
This was a situation I couldn't have even imagined in the past.
As I chuckled, a sharp, throbbing pain made me wince.
"Hold my hand, please."
Perhaps because I instinctively tensed my body, I felt like I was going to cramp up.
When I called the Hero, wanting to grasp onto something, he readily offered his hand.
Clutching his hand, which was much larger than mine, I felt a little less pain.
"Are you okay?"
"...No."
Of course I'm not okay.
Perhaps because I was in so much pain, I reacted irritably.
Even so, his eyes were still full of worry, so I didn't get annoyed any further.
Even if it was just a game, was I receiving this pain for having killed so many people?
If I had to endure the pain of childbirth a million times, would I even survive?
All sorts of thoughts flashed through my mind.
"As expected, let's stop giving birth to one a day."
"..."
I uttered those words nonchalantly.
My voice was actually trembling, but anyway.
If I felt this kind of pain once a day, I would surely go into shock and die within a week.
To die while giving birth to a baby, that's too miserable.
As soon as I made that decision, the period to reach the goal instantly doubled at minimum.
I felt somehow even more unfortunate.
"You can give birth slowly, just please don't be in pain."
"...Okay."
Not wanting to be in pain wasn't something I could control, but I nodded for now.
I'm sick of being in pain now.
Of course, I had to be in pain when giving birth, but whether it was because of that or not, I didn't want to suffer from anything else.
It was a personal desire, though.
"Hmph, ah?!"
"Ariel?!"
With a thump, a small jolt was felt in my belly.
It didn't hurt, but I was startled, and a groan instinctively escaped my lips.
The fidgeting Hero was amusing, but that wasn't important right now.
"The baby kicked."
Come here, feel it properly.
I don't know what I was thinking when I pulled the Hero's head closer.
I let out a soft laugh at the sight of him pressing his ear tightly against my belly.
Was I really going crazy?
A moment later, when he felt the baby's kick, the Hero's eyes widened.
It seemed this was also his first experience of this kind.
"It's the baby you made."
The Hero, who had lifted his ear from my belly, nodded slightly after hearing my words.
He wore a dazed expression, as if his soul had left him.
It seemed he was replaying the baby's movement in his mind.
Is that enough, then?
It was even hard to roll my eyes, so I just lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling.
'The ceiling has no stains....'
Compared to the room, which had been a mess until recently, the ceiling alone was clean.
It seemed that was because one couldn't really dirty the ceiling.
As I was foolishly thinking such thoughts, the sensation in my lower body gradually began to disappear.
At the sign that something was about to begin, I hastily turned my head.
"H-Hero... Hwaak..."
The labor pains began abruptly.
A pain about twice as intense as any I had felt before twisted my pelvis.
It wasn't that the sensation had disappeared; it felt more like I was numb from the extreme pain.
"H-Hwaa, h-h...."
Even though I felt nothing, my body was instinctively pushing.
My hair was sticking to my face, making me frown in discomfort, and the Hero's hand reached out to brush it away.
I grunted and groaned for a moment, lacking the strength to even say thank you.
With a 'hook' sensation of my abdomen sinking in, I felt a weight between my legs.
'...This time, it's coming out a bit easier.'
The labor pains were more intense than usual, but the actual birth was smooth.
I instinctively felt revulsion towards the Hero holding the baby, but I decided to let it slide for today.
"Ah, the baby..."
"Here it is."
The baby cradled in the Hero's hands was so tiny that it felt like it would crumble if he applied even a little force.
Perhaps the Hero was aware of that fact, as he was sweating profusely during the brief moment he handed the baby to me.
"What a beautiful baby..."
"...Indeed."
Joy washed over me as if the pain from just a moment ago had been a lie.
A baby with pure white hair.
The baby's distinguishing features were ears on its head and a tail growing from its backside.
So, I ended up giving birth to a Beastkin.
Nevertheless, it was still my baby, so I couldn't hide my pride.
"Ugh?!"
I should have noticed.
I should have questioned why my belly was still swollen even after giving birth.
The moment I let my guard down, thinking everything was over, I felt a second labor pain.
It wasn't just one.
It was two?
"Ah, AAAAAH?!!!!"
"Ariel, are you okay?! Ariel!"
My wildly flailing hand struck the Hero's body.
But the labor pains, without any preparation, were more agonizing than I could have imagined, so I couldn't help it.
As I grunted, trying to regain my composure, the Hero pressed down firmly on my body.
Despite his forceful push, the kindness I felt made tears well up in my eyes.
'Why, why am I like this, really.'
Didn't they say people develop feelings for those who help them when they're at their weakest?
Even though the other person was the Hero, my heart pounded.
No, no.
This is just because I'm so exhausted.
So don't misunderstand.
There's no way I could have such feelings for the Hero.
"Just a little more push. It's almost out, okay?"
"I, I'm so tired..."
"There's really just a little left, so hang in there."
Trying to give birth to two at once, my strength drained away.
I felt the baby's head was stuck at the entrance, but it just wouldn't come out.
I was pushing hard, but it didn't seem to be enough for the baby to emerge.
'I wish someone would just pull it out for me.'
Perhaps because it was being forced open, my perineum hurt terribly.
When I lowered my legs, my pelvis throbbed, and when I raised them, the baby slowly pushed back inside.
What the hell am I supposed to do?
The baby in my arms was sucking on my breast, oblivious to the situation.
Smiling at such a baby, I must not be in my right mind either.
"It's coming, it's coming. Yes. It's out!"
My entire body went limp with a significant sense of exhaustion.
A hazy feeling, as if I were dreaming, colored my mind.
So, uh, yeah...
"...Twins."
"Indeed."
I took the newborn baby into my arms.
The baby on the left was a girl.
The baby on the right was a boy.
My chest swelled with the warmth that filled my arms.
"Hmph, Hwaaaah..."
It wasn't just the pain that remained unchanged.
The pounding of my heart and the emotion I felt after giving birth were also the same.
With no strength left in my body, I lay limp and cried for a long time.
I could feel the Hero fidgeting beside me, but my tears wouldn't stop.
***
A scene I had once dreamed of flickered before my eyes.
Ariel and I.
And even the children born between us.
When I was young, it wasn't difficult to envision such a future.
I never imagined that a wish I had forgotten for years would come true in this way.
Ariel, yet not Ariel.
A Majok, not a human.
And, the Demon King and the Hero.
"The children are quite quiet."
"Indeed."
If I rummaged through my now faded memories, babies were always noisy.
Crying, crying, whining, and crying every single day.
I also remembered struggling for a long time when the neighbor's auntie asked me to look after her children for a bit.
Memories of playing family with Ariel, taking care of them together, vividly came back to me.
Though I was young, I never doubted that it would turn out that way.
"You're thinking of your Childhood Friend."
"Sorry."
At the words casually thrown out, I instinctively apologized.
No matter how important the memory, thinking such thoughts in front of her would surely be rude.
After all, the one I chose wasn't Ariel, my Childhood Friend, but Ariel, the Demon King.
If time passed like this and the moment came for Ariel (the Demon King) to give birth to Ariel (the Hero's childhood friend), what would happen?
I don't know why, but it felt like a distant future.
"I still hate you... I can't say that, but please try harder."
I didn't ask what kind of effort she meant.
I simply stroked her hand without a word.
"I never knew it would turn out like this."
"...Indeed."
I nodded at her soft murmur.
After looking at each other for a moment, Ariel turned her gaze at the baby's whimper.
Even though her breasts were exposed, her appearance wasn't vulgar in the slightest.
Only the children's mother was there.
"Could you perhaps tell me your story?"
In truth, we hadn't even properly introduced ourselves.
We knew each other's names because we were bound by hatred, and no other reason existed.
That's why I wanted to know.
About her, and her life.
"...Later. Later, when the time comes, I will tell you."
Ariel subtly averted her gaze.
Her golden eyes fell with a poignant sadness.
She grieved for a long time, like someone who had realized something important.
Of course, it didn't show on her face, but the atmosphere was as if she were crying.