Ep.8 - Across the Border (2)
Ep.8 - Across the Border (2)
***
L'Myune.
The city of the dwarves.
Their city was surrounded by a natural fortress gifted by nature: the 'mountains.'
There weren't many beings who could cross that rugged fortress.
The mountain range, composed of countless cliffs, itself protected the dwarves.
People called the dwarves this:
'Beings blessed by the Earth God.'
Beings so excessively blessed by the Earth God,
that they were quite short and stocky.
"You understand? That's why dwarves actually consider being short a good thing. They think the shorter you are, the more you've been blessed by the Earth God."
Listening to Chichi's explanation, Delin nodded. It was a culture that found God wondrous if ever there was one.
'They consider being short a good thing.'
He'd spent the last few decades of his life with a complex about his height, so he was probably feeling a rather peculiar emotion.
"'Think'... that phrasing sounds so sad. Are you perhaps doubting their faith in God?"
"It's not doubt, it's certainty. Who can prove the existence of a God that doesn't even show itself?"
Helen interjected on a point that didn't even seem particularly important, and Chichi and Helen began an in-depth discussion about the dwarves. Thanks to that, Chichi's lecture naturally ended, and Delin was able to finish his studying.
"W-well, I'll be going then..."
The small commotion that had been going on before departure naturally died down after about ten minutes had passed, and Delin's party immediately set out on their journey to evade the Queen's pursuit.
They headed toward L'Myune.
Just as the unpleasant Twin sisters they'd encountered in the Death Swamp had informed them, to cross Euratisha—the continent they stood upon—they had to go through L'Myune.
Let's go over the details Chichi had told him once more.
Euratisha, commonly known to be oval-shaped, was divided top-middle-bottom among humans-dwarves-elves,
so from Albator in the center of the Human Territory, they were passing through the long, wide swampland and continuing southward.
There was just one thing that posed a problem.
To properly enter the Dwarf Kingdom, they had to cross the mountains or go all the way around.
But having already broken straight through even the Death Swamp, Delin's party made a bold plan to save time by cutting straight across the Dwarf Kingdom too.
______________________
[Route]
Albator
ㅣ
ㅣ
ㅣ
ㅣ
Death Swamp
ㅣ
ㅣ
Khalid
ㅣ
ㅣ
L'Myune
ㅣ
Dwarf Kingdom
_______________________
L'Myune was,
among the many dwarven cities, situated in a gorge on the northernmost outskirts.
The Kushal Mountains and Jifril Mountains, which wrapped circularly around the dwarven cities, split into a narrow, long gorge near the Human Territory and Elf Territory.
The mountain range on the west was the Kushal Mountains, and the mountain range on the east was the Jifril Mountains.
__________________________
[Dwarf Kingdom Topographical Map (not a vagina)]
L'Myune
/ \
/ \
Kushal ㅣ Jifril
\ /
\ /
Nornil
__________________________
L'Myune, meaning the northern gorge,
and Nornil, meaning the southern gorge.
Delin's party planned to pass through L'Myune, proceed straight through the Dwarf Kingdom, and exit via Nornil.
***
"The existence of the Earth God is claimed only by the dwarves. It's a foolish belief with no evidence and no logic."
"Are you saying that just because blessings aren't granted, the being doesn't exist? If that's the case, then the worship of the Creator Gods..."
Having crammed quite a lot of information from Chichi, Delin left the two women's side and looked around for somewhere to sit and rest. His head was throbbing, so he felt like he needed to rest a bit.
"Ughh..."
Now that the carriage had been stopped for a while to take a break,
the women were scattered here and there, spending time on their own.
Inside the carriage,
"..."
"..."
Neva and Eva sat awkwardly, not exchanging a single word with each other,
and near the moderately lit campfire,
"Is no one eating more? I can't believe three meals a day is enough!"
Kaede, who had clearly stuffed an entire wild boar into her stomach just two hours ago, had caught five rabbits and was making barbecue.
Surprisingly, Riko was also sitting beside her.
She probably didn't want to be there together, but it seemed she was staying out of necessity to pass the time while staring at the campfire.
"Philmark, you should eat some too. As they say, a woman must fill her belly nice and round to properly use her strength!"
"...Sigh."
Delin decided to walk over to the two women—whose bellies were, in various senses, certainly full and round—and spend time with them.
Just as he approached, Kaede was overjoyed, wagging her tail furiously in welcome, and quickly grabbed a skewered rabbit to hand over to him.
"Seobang-nim! Would you like one? A man must also eat plenty to use his strength, so don't be shy and eat up!"
"Ah, yes..."
At that bright smile, Delin found himself accepting the skewer before he knew it.
Seeing the rabbit meat, cooked by someone who had clearly done it more than once or twice, with its appetizing aroma and juices dripping, his mouth watered even though he wasn't particularly hungry.
"It does look delicious."
"Of course! I, Kaede, no matter what meat you bring me, can turn it into a fine dish. Ah! Wait. I was thoughtless."
Kaede took the skewer back from Delin's hand, placed something like a plate underneath, and began dismantling the rabbit.
Watching her thrust her fingers without hesitation into the steaming rabbit to debone it was almost awe-inspiring. Apparently it wasn't even hot to her.
"Goodness... isn't that hot?"
"How could something like this be called hot? Even the far-off Lickpral Volcano is nothing but a warm bath to me! There, now try it."
This other world really is something else—.
Delin closed his gaping mouth, scratched his head, and accepted the rabbit meat.
"Thank you..."
Putting the thoroughly shredded meat into his mouth piece by careful piece, it was beyond comparison to even a steak served at a restaurant.
Not only was it tender, but the inner flesh that had kept its juices intact, and the strangely sweet fragrance...
"Whoa, whoa... seriously, this is fucking... seriously delicious!"
"Keheng! That's what a Flower Rabbit is! A rabbit that eats flower buds its entire life, so even the meat is fragrant like a flower."
If a rabbit like this had existed in his original world, wouldn't one easily cost 600,000 won?
Delin savored the deeply impressive taste and gobbled down the meat. However, even while eating like that, his gaze fell upon Riko sitting quietly and staring into the campfire, and he felt compelled to speak to her.
"Hey, Ri... I mean, Philmark-noona? Want to try some, noona? It's really delicious...!"
"..."
She sat silently staring at the campfire without a word, but when Delin called her, she soon came over to his side, snatched a skewer, and began eating together with him.
"Good thinking! Getting to taste meat grilled by me, Kaede, is no easy feat, so it's best to eat it when you have the chance!"
"But Kaede-ssi, I think you eat way too much yourself..."
"Keheng! Truth be told, I do find it a bit strange myself. Normally I don't eat this much, but lately I keep getting hungry, and my body feels hot..."
Even while eating the rabbit meat and chatting,
Delin was momentarily taken aback by what Kaede had said and stopped his chewing.
Something about those...
those symptoms seemed familiar...?
'W-wait... that person, don't tell me she doesn't know she's pregnant...?'
Delin grew deeply worried and unconsciously glanced at Riko, but Riko merely snorted and focused on tearing into the rabbit. Apparently she had no intention of helping Kaede or anything of the sort.
"Uh, hey... Kaede-ssi...?"
"No, and also! Why do you only attach '-ssi' to me! Call me noona, or just call me by my name!"
"Ah, okay... Kaede-noona, um... by any chance, is your body feeling... off or anything?"
Afraid the other women might hear, Delin asked Kaede very carefully, very discreetly.
Even if she were pregnant, not much time would have passed so there wouldn't be much change, but anyway, he was trying to ask and subtly inform her of the pregnancy...
"It is off! I feel like I've gotten a bit of belly fat too..."
"Oh, oh my God...!"
...only to be startled out of his wits.
Now that he looked, her belly was visibly swollen!
"Wait! Since when has it been like this!?"
"Huh? What's the matter?"
This was nothing short of a massive incident.
Kaede's belly was protruding just like a belly about four months into pregnancy.
"H-how... already? What!?"
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about..."
"You're pregnant! Your belly's gotten bigger because you're pregnant! Oh my God...! How can this be..."
Faced with the terrifying bodily changes that brought pregnancy to mind, Delin couldn't contain his shock and shot to his feet, clutching his head.
They say young soon-to-be fathers often experience confusion in the face of the monumental task of pregnancy, but the pressure and bewilderment felt by a small man dropped into another world was probably even greater than theirs.
"I-is it because she's a beastman that she's swelling up faster!?"
"Hey, what's wrong with you all of a sudden?"
"Th-this is frightening! Delin-gun, what's the matter! You say pregnancy?"
The confusion Delin experienced was enough to make both Riko and Kaede stop mid-bite on their skewers and panic.
Even so, Delin had thought that if they could reach God's Garden before the baby came out from the pregnancy, they could resolve it somehow.
But seeing Kaede's belly fill out far faster than expected, he'd been thrown into shock.
"Oh my. Delin-gun seems to enjoy these sorts of jokes, does he? Saying that one's belly swells just because of pregnancy. Hoho..."
What calmed Delin's agitation was Helen, who had at some point approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
She tapped him on the back as if telling him to quiet down.
Only then did Delin suddenly realize he'd made a mistake, and he smiled awkwardly, scratching his head.
"Ah, ahaha... no, that's not what I..."
"In some regions of the Holy Kingdom, since pregnant women eat more than usual and their bellies swell, people sometimes ask a woman who's overeaten whether she's pregnant."
Riko's suspicious gaze,
Kaede's embarrassed eyes,
and even the puzzled looks of the other women gathering one by one—Helen soothed them all with just a few words.
"R-right. That's how they did it where I used to live. Ahaha..."
"Seobang-nim, really! Making such a dirty joke..."
Kaede, apparently having taken Delin's words to mean their night together, wagged her tail gently and showed signs of delight,
but the other women, especially Riko, did not easily let go of their suspicion and alternately eyed Delin and Helen while roughly tearing into their rabbit.
"..."
'Is the method of pregnancy different in this other world too...?'
Fuck.
How the hell would I know that.
The sex is the same, so how could the pregnancy be different...
Having only earned Riko's suspicion for nothing,
Delin barely got past this hurdle with Helen's help.
...Near them,
Neva, who had been listening to the pregnancy talk and quietly caressing her own belly with a dark expression, went unnoticed by anyone...