Chapter 33

Mother Tanya's delivery is approaching.

Molly, the maid, has started preparing for the birth, and the mansion feels a bit hectic.

The men, including my grandfather, continue their usual routines, but they seem to be caught up in the busyness, influenced by Molly.

Around that time, a traveling merchant from Kilnarek brought news that the army of the Lax Kingdom was heading towards the Caum Kingdom.

It was not that the Lax Kingdom was invading, but rather that the demons had breached the Caum Kingdom's fort, and the Lax Kingdom was sending reinforcements.

I had heard rumors about the demons, but hearing that reinforcements were actually being sent made me worry about whether this area would be safe.

When I told my grandfather about it, he said,

"There are hundreds of kilometers from the Toa fort to here. Besides, the Caum Kingdom's army is skilled in defensive battles. They won't be invaded this far. Even if they pass nearby, they'll go through the main road. It shouldn't affect us here."

He said this with a smile, but I felt he was forcing it, concerned about my mother's impending delivery and us children.

June 8th.

Since late last night, the weather in Rasmoar Village has been stormy, with strong winds and heavy rain pounding the roof of the mansion.

From early morning, my father and grandfather have been busy dealing with the storm, and the retainers have been running around the village.

Inside the house, the sounds of Molly and Tricia cooking can be heard, even over the noise of the storm.

My mother, who is in her final month of pregnancy, looks like even slight movements are difficult, but she is sitting in a comfortable chair in the dining room, knitting.

My brother, Ridi, and I are doing nothing and reading books next to her.

By afternoon, there is no sign of the storm letting up, and my father and the others are still dealing with reports of damage.

At that moment, my mother, looking in pain, asks to call Molly, saying she feels like she's about to give birth.

"Zack, please call Molly. I feel like the baby is coming."

I run to the kitchen without even taking the time to nod.

"Molly! Come! Mother is about to give birth!"

Molly, hearing my words, slowly wipes her hands on her apron and smiles at me, saying, "It's okay. It won't happen that quickly," before heading to my mother's room.

After checking on my mother, Molly calmly instructs her daughter Tricia, "Walt is outside, so please ask Dorothy to come," to call the healer, Dorothy.

Usually chatty and cheerful, Molly seems very calm and reliable today.

She helps my mother stand up slowly and accompanies her to the bedroom.

My brother, Rod, must have told my father, who hurriedly enters the dining room.

"I think it will be tonight. I've sent for Dorothy."

Hearing this from Molly, my father stands on the other side of my mother to support her.

When the three of them leave, my brother, Ridi, and I are left in the dining room with nothing to do, and an awkward atmosphere hangs in the air.

I try to start a conversation, asking my brother, "Do you remember when I was born?"

"I don't really remember... I think everyone was busy, but... I don't really remember."

The conversation trails off, and the awkward silence returns to the dining room.

With nothing to do, I start reading a book again, but I can't settle down.

(This is my first time being around a birth. When my brother's child was born, I only went to see them much later... I've really had no connection with children...)

Tricia returns, and soon after, Nicholas's wife Kate and her daughter Jean arrive at the mansion.

Normally, Mel's mother Polly and Sharon's mother Claire would also come to help, but they are both close to giving birth and are waiting at home.

Jean, who is seven months pregnant and quite large, must have been brought along by Kate for the experience.

Kate and the others start preparing, and once again, my brother, Ridi, and I are left out.

I say to Ridi a bit mischievously,

"You're not being called, Ridi."

"I'm being treated like a guest. Besides, I can't help until the baby is born... but I'll be useful when it is..."

Dorothy, the healer, is an old woman in her seventies and can no longer use healing magic effectively. Her daughter Camilla and her husband Elmar, who are also healers, are dealing with sudden injuries during the storm and can't come to our house.

This is where Ridi's healing magic comes in.

Though she has no experience with childbirth, Ridi is a top-notch healer, and we are counting on her skills.

"Well, I'll just follow what Dorothy says."

Ridi sticks out her tongue and smiles.

Even after dinner, there is no sign of the baby being born.

The storm outside continues, and the water levels of the Aern River to the north and the Fin River to the west have risen significantly. The water level of the pond to the east has also risen, and the men of the village are working together to deal with the situation.

So far, there has been no major damage, but they are still evacuating livestock and reinforcing houses, making the village very busy.

(The baby is being born on this stormy day... I have a bad feeling. It might be the work of the enemy of the gods... I can't help but think...)

Three hours after dinner, it's well past my bedtime, but I can't sleep in this situation. My father, who has left the storm response to my grandfather, has not come out of the bedroom.

About two hours later, the bedroom becomes busy.

"Tricia, prepare the hot water. Kate, bring a bucket and soap. Jean, get the clean sheets from there."

Molly's efficient instructions fly.

I remember that she emphasized cleanliness during my birth, which makes me feel a bit relieved.

(The health of the newborn and my mother's recovery after childbirth are both important. I hope everything goes well...)

For this delivery, we have prepared alcohol that has been distilled four times.

I think it's at least fifty percent, but we can't measure it accurately. It might be just for reassurance, but I have taught Molly and the others how to use it.

I think it's around midnight when Ridi is called by Molly and goes into the bedroom where my mother is.

At that time, I am half-asleep on my bed in my room.

My body wants to sleep, but my mind is refusing, making it very uncomfortable.

My father also seems to have been kicked out of his room and is wandering around my room, which is another reason I can't sleep well.

(In situations like this, men have nothing to do, no matter what world it is...)

I don't know how many hours have passed, but the corridor becomes busy, and the noise wakes me up.

Immediately after, the sound of a baby crying echoes through the mansion.

My father, hearing the cry, quickly leaves my room, and I follow, still half-asleep.

In the corridor, my brother and my grandfather, who has come out of his study, are also standing.

It's a scene of all the Rockhart men standing in the corridor, but no one is smiling.

We can hear the baby crying, but there is no sign that we can go in. When the four of us start to feel anxious, the baby's cry is heard again.

(If I'm not imagining things, it's two babies crying. Could it be... twins?)

Just as my father is about to say something, the bedroom door opens.

Molly, with a big smile, says,

"Healthy twins! A boy and a girl. The lady is fine!"

My father immediately rushes into the bedroom, followed by my grandfather.

My brother and I, unsure if we can go in, look at Molly, who nods and says with a smile, "Go see your cute little brother and sister."

I breathe a sigh of relief upon hearing that my mother and the babies are safe. However, the phrase "sent by the gods" pops into my head, and I feel anxious again.

(If one of them is the "Chosen One"... how will I feel...)

Suppressing my anxiety, I follow my brother into the room.

My father is comforting my mother, and he is also thanking Dorothy and Ridi.

(Father really loves Mother. He almost looks like he's about to cry. Well, the moment of destiny... )

Next to my mother, there are two small, wrinkled babies wrapped in cloth.

Honestly, I can't tell which is the boy and which is the girl, but that's probably normal for newborns.

(Huh? I don't feel anything special. I'm happy that Mother is safe and that they are twins, but I don't feel any divine revelation. The gods said I would know when I met the Chosen One, but I don't feel that... Are these two not the ones? I'm not sure...)

I notice my father and grandfather looking at me.

I shake my head to indicate that it's not them, and they both seem relieved.

(They were worried too. They probably want their children and grandchildren to have a normal, happy life. I'm enough to be the abnormal one...)

After congratulating my mother, I look closely at the babies.

They haven't opened their eyes yet, and I can't tell who they look like, but I feel a sense of happiness that my family has grown.

When my father picks up the babies, they start crying, and the mansion is filled with a happy commotion.

I realize that the storm outside has also calmed down.

The twins are named Theophilus and Seraphine, and they will be called Theo and Sera.

The Rockhart household becomes lively with the birth of the twins. Molly and Tricia are busy taking care of my mother and the twins, but they seem to be enjoying their work.

In July, Polly and Claire both give birth.

Polly has a boy, and Claire has a girl, and the three of them, including my mother, are often together.

I'm not sure if it's because it's difficult to breastfeed twins or for some other reason, but it feels like they are raising four babies together.

Incidentally, Polly's child is named Lyle, and Claire's child is named Unis.

As for whether they are the "Chosen One" sent by the gods, there has been no special revelation from either of them.

Only Jean's child, who will be born in September, is left, but since the Chosen One didn't come from the three closely related people, I am optimistic that it won't be born in this village.

The new brother and sister are both cute babies who will likely grow up to be beautiful, thanks to their parents' genes. I admit that I might be biased, but I think they are objectively cute too.

In mid-July, just before Polly and Claire gave birth, two pieces of information reached Rasmoar Village.

The information was brought by a traveling merchant from Kilnarek. The first piece of news was a follow-up on the large-scale demon invasion in the eastern part of the Caum Kingdom, south of the village. The second piece of news was about a large-scale monster hunt in the adventurer nation of Periclitus.

The details of the demon invasion are as follows:

On May 12th, thousands of demons attacked the Toa fort, the front line of the Caum Kingdom.

The Toa fort had nearly a thousand guards, but they struggled against the attacks of flying monsters. The Caum Kingdom requested support from other countries and sent two thousand soldiers to Toa.

On May 25th, the seven thousand demons launched an unstoppable offensive and finally captured the Toa fort.

The two thousand Caum Kingdom reinforcements, informed by retreating soldiers, realized they were too late. Considering the risk of being defeated piecemeal due to their numerical disadvantage, they decided to retreat and wait for support from other countries.

The Caum Kingdom army conducted a skillful retreat, minimizing damage and outmaneuvering the demon army.

After a month-long retreat, the Caum Kingdom army was pushed back to near the Ars Highway, setting up camp at the foot of the Acrechein Mountains, about twenty kilometers east of the inn town of Barbezi.

On June 23rd, with reinforcements from the mercenary nation of Fortis and the Lax Kingdom, the Caum Kingdom army shifted from a defensive to an offensive strategy.

The commander of the Caum Kingdom army planned a large-scale pincer attack with the reinforcements. He requested that the 1,500 mercenaries from Fortis and the 1,000 soldiers from the Lax Kingdom hide behind the Acrechein Mountains and attack the demons from behind. Meanwhile, he would act as a decoy, retreating to lure the demons out.

The six thousand demons pursued the retreating Caum Kingdom army, which took delaying actions while slowly retreating westward to the foot of the Acrechein Mountains.

Just before sunset, when the demons thought the Caum Kingdom army would continue to defend, the Caum Kingdom army suddenly turned and launched a counterattack. This was the signal for the reinforcements from Fortis and the Lax Kingdom to appear behind the demons, causing confusion among the demons.

The momentum of the Fortis mercenaries as they charged into the demon army was strong, but the numerically superior demons managed to hold their ground and planned to defeat them one by one.

The demons decided to defeat the reinforcements first and targeted the smaller Lax army. However, the Lax mercenaries' tenacious fighting stopped the demons' advance.

Seizing the opportunity, the Caum Kingdom army and the Fortis army launched an offensive, and the demons, attacked from three directions, fled. The Caum Kingdom army pursued them relentlessly and, on June 30th, finally recaptured the Toa fort.

The events in the adventurer nation of Periclitus also involved Rasmoar Village.

To explain the origin, it started with information about a group of orcs and ogres brought to Kilnarek at the end of February.

In other words, the information that the Rockhart family provided was the starting point.

The information was relayed from the Kilnarek adventurer guild branch to the headquarters in Periclitus.

At the headquarters, like the Kilnarek branch, the information's credibility was doubted, but as a precaution, it was sent to nearby branches as a warning.

Typically, adventurers become more active in mid-March when the snow melts. Similarly, adventurers in the southern part of Periclitus entered the forest to hunt the monsters that become active in spring.

In mid-April, the Kilnarek adventurer guild branch issued a request to investigate the orcs' whereabouts as a precaution. An adventurer party accepted the request and traveled north from Kilnarek. They discovered a large group of monsters in the forest ahead.

The group they discovered was a cluster of nearly two hundred orcs. The location was about thirty kilometers north of Kilnarek and about 150 kilometers southeast of Periclitus, where they had built a settlement.

Further reports came in.

In late April, another party accepted a request to hunt giant spiders and entered the forest from the village of Tisec in the southeast of Periclitus. They discovered giant footprints about twenty kilometers east of the village.

The footprints belonged to a giant, over three meters tall, known as an ogre.

The information was immediately relayed to the headquarters in Periclitus. Comparing it with the information received from Kilnarek two months earlier, they concluded that there had been a large-scale movement of monsters.

The headquarters ordered the adventurers in Periclitus to conduct a large-scale investigation.

The summoned adventurers followed the tracks of the orcs and ogres and investigated the forest at the foot of the Aquila Mountains.

On May 15th, the orc group was found to have moved north from the discovered settlement and was found again about twenty-five kilometers southeast of Tisec. The ogres had also moved northwest and were found about fifteen kilometers north of Tisec.

The headquarters issued an emergency call to hunt both groups of monsters.

On May 20th, a thousand adventurers were summoned and moved to Tisec.

On May 25th, they began their advance, divided into two groups of five hundred, to eliminate the ogres to the north and the orcs to the southeast.

With overwhelming numbers, they eliminated two hundred orcs and fourteen ogres in a single day. They continued to search the surrounding area for over a month but found no large groups of monsters. The quick action of the adventurer guild prevented any damage.

There was a continuation to this story.

The two events might be connected.

The theory was that the orcs and ogres were released behind the lines to coincide with the demon invasion.

Perhaps the Kilnarek branch obtained the information about the orcs by chance, and the headquarters responded quickly, causing a delay in the invasion plan. If the orcs and ogres had not been found in Periclitus by May, a village might have been attacked. This would have diverted resources to deal with the attack, potentially affecting the invasion plan.

The leaders found the movements of the orcs and ogres unnatural.

Why did the orcs and ogres, who should act on instinct, not attack the villages and towns along their path and move to Periclitus? Why