Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: I've Become a Mom. (4)
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I wanted to lash out at the dwarf's tone, but the situation wouldn't allow it.
This perverted Saintess, gazing at me with a mix of worry and anticipation—she was the only person I could lean on right now.
"...S-Saintess."
"Shh, calm down. If Mom gets scared, the baby will get scared too."
"Mom? Who the hell is— Uugh...?!"
A heavy thud echoed through me, freezing my body in place.
Even though it was a sensation I'd never felt before, my body instinctively knew what was happening inside.
The organs in my belly were writhing and shifting.
The baby, nestled safely in my womb, was moving to come out into the world.
'I'm... giving birth to a baby?'
I stared blankly at the ceiling, letting out a hollow laugh in my mind.
Not just making a baby, but actually giving birth? Me?
I gripped the blanket tightly and turned my head, only for a brutal blade called pain to stab deep into my abdomen.
"Aaaarghhh?!?!"
"Just hold on a little longer! A little more! Push with your belly! Whatever you do, don't relax!"
I clutched the Saintess's hand and screamed wildly.
A savage pain like my lower body was being ripped apart surged through my tailbone, shaking my insides.
Is this going to kill me? My mind flashed white from the overwhelming sensation.
So, uh, what's happening now?
I panted and mumbled incoherently, but no proper words came out.
"I can see the head! Just a bit more!"
"Ah... Haaahhh..."
Something gathered in my lower body burst like a pop, and a chilling wetness spread everywhere—legs, hips, everything.
Thanks to that drenching moisture, I barely held onto my slipping consciousness.
I want it to be over. I don't want to hurt anymore. Haven't I tried hard enough?
I'm not even a woman—why do I have to go through all this?
"Snap out of it!!"
"..."
The Saintess's shout made me tense my abdomen again.
Not a gripping force, but a pushing one.
I exhaled in thin, long breaths on the edge of breaking, and the clear sensation of the baby sliding down the birth canal hit me.
I never imagined I'd experience childbirth this vividly.
...It's ridiculous, really.
"Waaah! Waaah! Waaaahhh!!!"
"...Congratulations. And... you did great."
The baby finally slipped completely out of my belly around the time I was covered in cold sweat, utterly exhausted and pathetic-looking.
The moment I felt my insides lighten up, I nearly passed out—but the baby's cry ringing in my ears snapped me awake.
I'd always hated the sound of kids crying, but right now, just hearing it made tears well up.
...What the hell is this?
"What a cute little princess."
"...Let me hold her. Just once."
"Not just once—you'll have to keep holding her until she's all grown up."
The Saintess carefully placed the baby in my arms.
The baby, who had been bawling loudly at first, soon whimpered with hiccups, and before long, fell amazingly quiet in my embrace.
This makes me feel like I'm really her mom.
"So cute."
"All babies are cute~"
"...And wrinkly."
Even with a little exaggeration, the newborn wasn't exactly pretty.
Soaked in amniotic fluid, eyes unclear if open or shut, skin a wrinkled mess—
"She's ugly."
"..."
—and yet, so lovable.
When I gently touched her with my index finger, the way she pursed her lips and sucked was unbearably adorable.
My mouth corners rose so high they hurt my ears, refusing to come down.
I feel like an idiot. A massive idiot.
As if the pain from moments ago was a lie, my heart pounded with overflowing happiness.
"To think something like this came from a wretch like me..."
"Demon King..."
The umbilical cord stretching from the baby's navel felt like a connection to me, making my mood all soft and fluffy for some reason.
Not bad at all.
I stroked the baby gently in my arms at the reflexive thought.
Whether it was pride from overcoming the pain or actual maternal instinct kicking in, it didn't feel bad.
"...You haven't forgotten our promise, have you?"
"I remember."
I replied coldly to the gruff dwarf.
Still talking about promises even after seeing the baby—typical heartless dwarf.
Kill all demons? How could you say that?
I inwardly cursed as I recalled the words from before birth.
You bastard. How dare you make a shitty promise betting on a baby's life?!
But words once spoken couldn't be taken back.
"..."
"Well, she's not a demon, at least."
If she were a demon, she'd have those distinctive horns on her head, but there weren't any.
...Relief for now, I guess.
The moment I sighed in relief, the dwarf's eyes sharpened, but it wasn't my problem.
Petty bastard. Serves you right.
He'd been so furious earlier, but now he was like a dog that chased a chicken, just staring at the baby—it was pretty funny.
"By the way, is she really the Hero's kid?"
"...I have no idea what you're talking about."
After a long silence, he spouted something weird, and my face hardened naturally.
The Hero's kid? Who else fucked me but him? Of course it's his!
I wondered how such a repulsive seed could produce something this cute, but I figured she took after mom's genes and thought positively.
If you're gonna say useless crap in front of the baby, get lost.
I turned away with that intent, but a verdict dropped in my ear.
"But that baby... she's neither human nor demon."
"...What?"
What the hell is a child born between human and demon if not human or demon?
What, did I give birth to some alien monster? This cute little alien?
I glared at the dwarf with that meaning, and he seemed troubled but slowly opened his mouth.
"She's a dwarf."
"...What."
"Smaller than a normal human baby, and reeking this strongly of earth and iron—only a dwarf baby would be like that."
The answer went beyond imagination, and I bit my lip hard.
What crazy bullshit is this? How the hell did I give birth to a dwarf?
The baby sleeping peacefully in my arms started to scare me.
If he said it was a joke right now, it'd be fine, but this damn dwarf showed no sign of retracting his nonsense.
"N-No one but the Hero... raped me..."
It was like a tiger and lion mating and out popping a chicken.
I can't believe it. Yeah, no way I'd buy such absurd crap easily.
But then I spotted the baby's faintly growing hair, and I shut my mouth.
The baby's hair wasn't my black or the Hero's gold—it was a clean brown like soil.
The exact same shade as that dwarf bastard's.
"...Demon King?"
"..."
"W-Wait a sec! Demon King! Just, wait?!"
A thud echoed, and my head throbbed.
No way... that guy raped me too?
When?
Where?
How?
Even as the Saintess grabbed me, I kept slamming my head against the wall, and the sleeping baby burst into loud cries like at birth.
"Waaah! Waaaahhh!!!"
"The baby's crying! You have to soothe her—"
"Leave me alone."
The flustered Saintess shouted urgently at the baby's wails, but to me, it all seemed like fussing.
...I disgust myself for ever thinking that thing was lovable, even for a moment.
Happiness? Satisfaction? Becoming a mom? Bullshit!
My vision turned red from the impacts, but my movements didn't stop.
'I just want to die...'
I dreamed of suicide, recalling the Demon King ending where she became a mindless flesh puppet after violation.
Just being raped by the Hero had pushed me to my limit.
And now this—forcing out this unwanted baby.
Why?
"No, you're wrong!"
"..."
"Gordol would never! It's not about trust—it's 'physically impossible'!"
I turned to the Saintess's shout.
The dwarf—Gordol—looked displeased as he slowly reached out toward the baby in my arms.
'I... have to protect the baby...'
Why me?
A sense of duty flashed in my mind, followed by a question, and my body, trying to shield her, was pierced effortlessly by his hand.
His rough hand brushed past my arm, grasping the tiny body and pulling her into his embrace.
"Waaaahhh!!!! Ungh, waaah, hmm, ngh..."
"..."
The baby in Gordol's arms went completely quiet in an instant, as if her earlier cries had been a lie.
...If she'd kept crying, my heart wouldn't be this messed up.