56. Family (2)
56. Family (2)
"Ha... ha..."
Gwen was suffering from thirst more than ever.
She drank water, and drank, and drank, until she threw up only water, but the thirst wasn't quenched.
Gwen realized that this thirst required the Saintess's saliva. No, the creature's saliva.
But she didn't want to drink that saliva. So she held out, biting her lips until they bled, but her body, having already consumed so much, screamed for it.
Cold sweat flowed, her vision blurred, and she felt pain as if needles were stabbing her whole body.
"H-have to hold on..."
If she gave in now because it was hard, she would never escape Lea's side for the rest of her life.
Of course, she knew it was hard to escape from here. No, she knew it was impossible. But now, there was a glimmer of hope.
Because Gwen knew just how strong Stacey, who was right in front of her, was.
Just looking at the mana flowing in Stacey's body, it was more than most A-rank Mage Adventurers. It was mana comparable to an S-rank adventurer, a top-tier mage of the Magic Tower, or a court mage.
She hadn't even been born for a day, yet she was born with that much mana. If Stacey grew, there was no telling how strong she would become.
The problem was that for Stacey to live, she had to eat humans.
Having been through so much since being kidnapped here, Gwen thought something she would never normally think while looking at Stacey.
If she fed Stacey unclaimed people and had Stacey contribute to the safety of Medherun City...
Gwen shook her head.
'If I do that, how am I any different from that man...!?'
But no matter what, Stacey was the daughter she had given birth to herself. Although there was the touch of a creature in the process of birthing Stacey, she was born harboring her own vitality, mana, and even memories.
'Can Stacey eat something other than humans?'
"Ugh-!"
Gwen felt pain in her chest due to the saliva thirst...
"Huh?"
It wasn't pain from thirst.
Gwen was wearing light clothing. The part of that light clothing where Gwen's chest was had become moist.
Gwen touched the wet part with her hand and brought it to her nose.
Although her senses were dulled by the saliva, and she hadn't given birth before, Gwen, who had spent a long time getting along very closely with people in the city, could tell.
This smell was clearly the smell of breast milk.
So, it meant breast milk had come out of her chest.
"T-this..."
Of course, it wasn't strange. She had given birth through a very strange route, but she had given birth nonetheless.
Although she had lost a lot of vitality, Lea, who could use power similar to the Saintess, had restored her body using Heal and saliva.
So it wasn't strange that breast milk was coming out.
Stacey looked at Gwen and approached her.
"Oh...? D-don't tell me you want to drink?"
Nod.
"Yes."
Stacey couldn't take her eyes off Gwen's chest.
Although her appearance was about 10 years old, if you counted it, she hadn't even been born for a day.
But Gwen knew that breastfeeding wasn't something you could just do because you wanted to.
Even if she was a creature, she was the daughter she had given birth to, so she wanted to breastfeed. But she worried, 'Is the breast milk coming out of my body right now really normal breast milk?'
A body addicted to the creature's saliva.
Stacey was a creature if you looked at it that way, but to Gwen's eyes, she didn't look like a monster.
She absolutely did not want to feed Stacey breast milk that came from a body addicted to the creature's saliva.
"Mom. It's okay."
Ignoring Gwen, who had a worried expression, Stacey climbed onto the bed.
"S-Stacey?"
Gwen exerted strength to shake off Stacey, who was forcefully grabbing and lifting Gwen's hand that was covering her chest.
But she didn't move.
'N-no way...! This much strength!?'
Gwen was shocked inwardly at Stacey's strength, which didn't budge.
It was powerful strength that she couldn't possibly think belonged to a 10-year-old.
It wasn't like she had used body enhancement with mana like herself. That overflowing mana was flowing calmly in her body. In short, her physical strength was simply overwhelming Gwen's strength.
And she was doing it with one hand, too.
Even if her current physical condition wasn't normal, the strength of her trained body hadn't disappeared, yet she couldn't beat Stacey's one hand.
"W-wait-"
Ignoring Gwen, who was trying to stop her urgently, Stacey just lifted Gwen's top with her remaining hand.
"Hieee-"
Narim covered her eyes with her hands at what was happening right in front of her.
==
"What is going on here?"
I was flustered as I looked at Gwen panting on the bed after returning from the human farm with Amber, Yui, and Erina for a moment.
Gwen was collapsed in a state that looked like it would be labeled 'not for minors' no matter who looked at it.
Stacey was there with a face that looked more satisfied than anyone else.
I immediately read Stacey's emotions through the Hive Mind.
'Desire, satisfaction, maternal love, love.'
It seemed Stacey, who had inherited even the memories of Gwen, who had grown up without parental love since she was young, had filled that void by receiving and drinking breast milk, which could clearly show maternal love.
'That aside, it's amazing that breast milk comes out even though it wasn't a normal pregnancy and it was an abnormal birth.'
Stacey drinking breast milk wasn't because she was hungry. She had solely filled the desire that was in the back of Gwen's memories, who wanted maternal love from her childhood memories.
Stacey.
Even to the Queen's memories, she is a creature full of questions.
At least she is in the Hive Mind, so I can read her emotions, but even so, I can't guess what she will do at all.
Half of Stacey is a creature called Raksha.
The Raksha creature doesn't seem to have very high intelligence, so it doesn't seem to be involved much in composing Stacey's mind.
Stacey's mind right now is mostly a mind created from Gwen's memories.
If it's Gwen's memories that built her mind, will there be a time when she refuses my orders later?
I'm quite curious.
I know Gwen well from watching her from the side.
How sincere, righteous, and human she is.
I think the human mind is made from memories.
I think if there are many good memories, there is a healthy mind, and if there are many bad memories, there is a sick mind.
There are people who have overcome such situations, but that is very rare.
Gwen's memories must have had many very healthy memories. Even if it was hard in the past, Gwen has lived for others and realized justice more than anyone else while living until now.
Even though she inherited such memories, the first thing Stacey asked me was whether she could eat Gwen.
'Gwen's mind? Raksha's mind? If it's not fused, is it a new mind that was created?'
I have many questions in many ways.
"Queen-nim."
Stacey, who confirmed that I had arrived, ran to me.
Little Stacey, who came up to my waist, hugged me.
I stroked Stacey's head. Just looking at her like this, she is no different from a 10-year-old child.
Only that she eats humans and is stronger than humans.
Ah, that her mind is a little mature? Excluding this, she is no different from the 10-year-old children in the orphanage.
"Queen-nim. Could I have Queen-nim's saliva?"
"Is it because of Gwen?"
"Yes. Mom is having a very hard time, so I want to feed it to Mom."
"Even if Gwen doesn't want it?"
"But I know Queen-nim's power, don't I?"
"How do you know?"
"I don't know well either. Just like I inherited Mom's memories, things about Queen-nim are also in my memories. That you are a being that must be served unconditionally. And every time I hear Queen-nim's voice, I just feel good."
As expected, the sample size is too small with just one.
I need several people.
First of all, it is confirmed that ordinary people cannot conceive creatures.
Gwen would have just died if it weren't for me. If it were an ordinary person, they would have become a mummy just like that, and the creature wouldn't even be able to grow and would die inside the womb.
Are you asking why I don't just save them like I did Gwen?
Forget it, it was really hard for me too.
It's not like I can just produce saliva and keep sending it out, and I can't keep using Holy Power either.
After saving Gwen, the thought I had was an impulse to just tear up and eat the Gwen in front of me.
That's how much of my energy it took.
Of course, Gwen wasn't in a normal state.
She must have been even more so because her mind and body were very exhausted.
That means.
I need a few more women who are sturdy, healthy, have a lot of mana, and are good for pregnancy like Gwen.
I don't know how many more such women there are in this world...
A good idea came to mind.
I was already thinking about raiding the Besares city of the Holy Kingdom on the Highmore Continent after attacking Medherun City.
Because I also have quite a lot of interest in Holy Power.
Holy Power is a power that I can use, but don't want to use.
The Holy Kingdom, which is said to be in quite a lot of chaos to select a Saintess right now.
'If it's a Saintess, wouldn't she have healing power similar to mine?'
Of course, it would be after stabilizing the Colony and Medherun City a bit more, but it's quite tempting.