Chapter 41

Time passed.

Despite the oppressive heat, once the relatively cool rainy season passed, the western part of the southern continent would enter its harshest season.

If one were to force a comparison with Japan's four seasons, it would be the three months equivalent to summer. During the day, temperatures would routinely exceed forty degrees, and even at night, they would not drop below thirty-five degrees. This was the second time Zenshiro experienced this harsh season.

In other words, it meant that Zenshiro had been in this world for a full year, but the current Zenshiro had no time to indulge in such reflections.

"......"

To block out the intense sunlight and deadly heat as much as possible, Zenshiro, in his casual room attire, had been wandering around the living room of the harem, which had its wooden doors tightly shut, drenched in sweat like a bear before hibernation.

"Lord Zenshiro, your sweat..."

A black-haired maid, who had been standing by, took a cold, wrung-out towel from the refrigerator and offered it to Zenshiro, unable to bear it any longer.

"Ah... Yes. You're right."

Zenshiro, as if only then realizing he was sweating, took the towel from the maid and roughly wiped his face and neck.

His brusque and ungrateful attitude, which was quite unlike the usual Zenshiro, was due to the current situation, but the maid, who understood, instead looked at him with a sympathetic gaze.

"Lord Zenshiro, you should sit down and rest a bit..."

Even though she knew it was not a desirable action for her position, one of the young maids, out of concern, spoke up.

"Ah."

Just as Zenshiro was about to agree, a sound came from the adjacent bedroom.

"Groan..."

Zenshiro involuntarily shuddered and held his breath. Then, shaking his sweat-drenched face, he replied with a negative answer.

"No, I think it's better to stay like this. Even if I sit down, I won't feel at ease."

It was the day of Queen Aura's delivery.

Like most fathers, Zenshiro, who could do nothing but worry, continued to pace the room, oblivious to the temperature exceeding forty degrees.

"Excuse me, I've brought the hot water!"

"Here are additional cloths!"

Maids carrying steaming large pots and a large number of clean cloths hurriedly disappeared into the bedroom.

Zenshiro silently watched their frantic movements.

Cool air flowed into the living room from the open bedroom door.

This was the effect of the air conditioner running at full blast. Although they did not blow cold air directly on Aura, who was in the final stages of pregnancy, they placed ice in the sealed bedroom and continuously blew air on it with fans to lower the room temperature as much as possible.

It is often said that pregnant women should not be exposed to cold, but it would be better for their health than being left in a room with a temperature exceeding forty degrees.

Even with Aura's physical strength, a long labor in such heat would exhaust her both physically and mentally.

Moreover, even with the air conditioner and fans running at full blast, the room temperature did not drop much, perhaps to around thirty degrees.

The thirty-degree air felt cool only because the living room was so hot.

"Damn, I failed. I need to install an air conditioner in the bedroom before the next delivery."

While pacing the living room carpet, Zenshiro muttered to himself, unheard by anyone.

Considering the size of the bedroom, which was certainly over thirty tatami mats, and the numerous gaps in the windows and doors, which were far more than in modern Japanese houses, it might not be possible to achieve the desired temperature drop, but having an air conditioner would make a big difference.

"But, more importantly, I need to master the 'Instant Teleportation' magic. If I could use 'Instant Teleportation,' the people of the Gilbert Papal Family would be here by now."

Since then, Zenshiro had successfully cast the practice magic 'Simple Barrier' several times, but he had only just begun to grasp the feel of magic power output control. It would take a long time before he could use 'Instant Teleportation' as freely as Aura.

In any case, both were future matters, and there was little Zenshiro could do in the current situation.

If the lives of mother and child were at risk, Zenshiro's role would be to order Aura to use the 'Healing Orb,' but he did not want it to come to that.

"Ha..."

He let out a sigh, which he had done countless times.

"Lord Zenshiro, here's some water."

A maid, worried about Zenshiro, who was drenched in sweat, took a water jug with cooled water from the refrigerator, poured it into a glass, and offered it to him.

"Ah, thank you."

Zenshiro gulped down the cold water in one breath and felt sweat gushing from his body again. Wiping his face and neck with the towel he had received from one of the maids earlier, Zenshiro, who had regained some composure, thoughtfully addressed the maids.

"Everyone, take care of yourselves. Feel free to use the water and towels from the refrigerator."

"Yes, thank you."

"Thank you for your concern."

These were the first words of concern for the maids that Zenshiro had spoken that day. The maids' faces naturally brightened, but Zenshiro's composure had not fully returned.

He began to pace the room again, agitated.

He stopped and stared at the door leading to the bedroom.

He unconsciously scratched his head.

He sighed.

And then, he started walking again.

The composure he had regained from drinking the cold water quickly disappeared.

"Ah, damn. Is it still not over...?"

In the end, Zenshiro's emotionally unstable behavior continued until the moment a healthy cry echoed from the bedroom.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Queen Aura gave birth to her first child safely.

With Dr. Michelle's permission, Zenshiro entered the bedroom, and his beloved wife Aura was lying on the bed with a tired but radiant smile on her face.

The bed Aura was lying on was not the extra-large bed originally in the room but a smaller one added later for Aura and Zenshiro to sleep separately after her pregnancy.

The extra-large bed would make it difficult for Dr. Michelle and the maids to assist from outside the bed, so this one was chosen as the delivery bed.

"Aura!"

"Zenshiro..."

Zenshiro hurried to the bed, and Aura, raising her head slightly from the pillow, smiled at him. Her brown face and red hair were drenched in sweat, and she looked nothing like her usual vibrant self.

"You don't have to force yourself to look at me."

Zenshiro, who had rushed to the pillow, couldn't help but restrain her, as Aura looked extremely exhausted. However, the smile on her tired face was one of satisfaction.

"Yes, I understand. But it's fine. Look, both of us are safe."

Following Aura's gaze, Zenshiro turned to the maid standing on the opposite side of the bed.

A plump middle-aged maid was holding a baby wrapped in a red, high-quality cloth.

"Is that...?"

"Yes. Mine, ours."

"My child..."

Zenshiro cautiously peered at the face of the baby the plump maid was holding.

The maid, whom Zenshiro knew, had a round, friendly face and gently turned the baby in her arms to make it visible to Zenshiro.

"Please look, Lord Zenshiro. As you can see, it's a healthy baby boy."

"Is that so, a boy."

Zenshiro circled the bed and came to the side of the maid holding the baby. He looked at his child, held in the maid's arms.

"Do the eyes look like mine?"

"Yes, but the mouth looks more like Lord Zenshiro."

"The skin color is just between mine and his. For a child of the Carpa Kingdom, it's quite light."

Aura and the plump maid, who was holding the baby, spoke, but Zenshiro honestly couldn't agree.

Does this creature, which looks like a tired, hairless monkey, really resemble him or Aura? The skin color, as befitting a 'baby,' was bright red and didn't resemble either of them at all.

Moreover, what caught Zenshiro's attention more than the physical features was something else.

(Amazing. This magic power is even greater than Aura's. It might be close to 'twice mine' if I'm not careful.)

Zenshiro squinted, dazzled by the overwhelming magic power emanating from the baby in the maid's arms.

Magic power is determined at birth, so it's not unusual for a newborn to have more magic power than an adult royal. However, it felt strange to see such an incredible amount of magic power from a tiny, indistinguishable creature.

Zenshiro cautiously reached out to the baby in the maid's arms.

Just as he was about to gently touch the baby's red hand with his index finger, the newborn baby firmly grabbed Zenshiro's finger.

"!? Wow, it grabbed it!"

His finger was grabbed.

Perhaps it was because the small hand belonged to his own child, but he felt a sense of emotion from just that.

"Amazing. Even so small, it has all five fingers..."

"It would be a problem if it didn't. Fingers don't grow as one gets older."

The plump maid, holding the baby in a way that wouldn't strain its undeveloped neck, laughed and replied.

Seeing his newborn child for the first time, Zenshiro, who reacted like a child, made the queen, Aura, smile from her bed.

"Hehe, isn't it cute?"

"...Yeah, amazing. The cutest."

Forgetting the rude thoughts he had just had, Zenshiro nodded repeatedly, still looking at his child, who was holding his finger.

"Ah, Da, Ah!"

"Oh, there, there."

The plump maid, who had been soothing the baby, gently rocked it as it started to cry.

Just as Zenshiro was about to pull back his finger, Dr. Michelle, who had overseen the delivery, spoke from the side.

"Lord Zenshiro, first of all, congratulations. Congratulations. As you can see, both the queen and the prince are safe after the delivery."

Remembering that he had not yet thanked the old doctor who had saved the lives of his wife and child, Zenshiro turned around as if he had been shot.

"Ah, thank you, Dr. Michelle. It's all thanks to you. I can't thank you enough."

"No, your words are too kind."

The old doctor, as always, replied with a gentle smile.

"In any case, Queen Aura has expended a great deal of energy during the delivery. I recommend that she does not try to get out of bed today. When she needs to use the bathroom, she should always have the assistance of at least two maids."

"Ah, understood."

The queen, lying on the bed, briefly acknowledged the doctor's words.

"Then, we will take our leave. Lord Zenshiro, the queen is tired, so please do not prolong the conversation. If there is any sudden change in her condition, please call me immediately."

What Queen Aura needed now was a quiet space to rest both physically and mentally. Dr. Michelle quickly packed up his medical equipment and left the bedroom.

The maids, perhaps sensing the situation, also retreated to the living room.

"Your Majesty, I will take full responsibility for the prince."

"Lord Zenshiro, here's a towel. Please use it to wipe the queen's body."

Finally, the plump maid holding the baby and the young maid who handed Zenshiro a cold towel retreated, leaving the spacious bedroom with only Aura, lying on the bed, and Zenshiro standing beside her.

"Aura"

"Aah, sorry, Zenshiro."

Zenshiro, who immediately began to wipe the sweat from Aura's face and neck with the cold towel, made her close her eyes in contentment, as if she were a cat being stroked.

The cold, tightly wrung towel felt good on her overheated body from the intense heat and the strain of childbirth, and she let Zenshiro do as he pleased.

After wiping the sweat from his wife's face and neck, Zenshiro threw the now warm towel into the bucket of water beside him and sat down next to the bed where Aura was lying.

"...It's over."

The queen, who had been looking at her husband, answered in a low voice, only moving her eyes.

"Ah, for now. But..."

"Hmm? What?"

"But, although the pregnancy and childbirth were initially driven by a sense of duty as a queen, seeing and holding my own child with my own hands, such external reasoning flies out the window."

Aura said this and looked at the door leading to the living room with a distant gaze.

It seemed as if she was looking through the wooden door to see her child, who was being held by a maid in the living room. Zenshiro fully agreed with her.

"Yeah, it's cute."

"Yes, unbearably cute. I now understand from the bottom of my heart the necessity for royal children to be raised by wet nurses and foster siblings."

If she were to raise the child herself, she would spoil it and neglect the education required for a royal.

Zenshiro, meeting Aura's gaze, laughed.

"Indeed. If you asked me if I could raise a child with a strict but loving hand, I wouldn't have the confidence."

He had never imagined that his own child would be so precious.

"By the way, what should we name the child?"

"Hmm? Isn't it up to you, Aura? I'm not familiar with the names in this country."

Zenshiro, who had been sitting on the bed, tilted his head in response to Aura's sudden question.

"Yes, of course I will name the child, but in the case of parents from different countries, there is a custom for each parent to give the child a name from their own country. However, due to the issue of bloodline magic leaking, it is extremely rare for a royal to have two names."

Zenshiro nodded in agreement at Aura's words.

"Wow, that's interesting. Then I'll think about it too."

If he had known, he would have downloaded an electronic naming dictionary on his computer. Zenshiro felt a bit regretful. But, it's fine. He would come up with a suitable name for his child from his own mind.

Seeing her husband's determination, Aura chuckled on her pillow.

"Hehe, yes. Let's both use our wits to give the child a good name."

But, perhaps because she had been laughing, her voice was a bit hoarse, and her breathing was rough. Noticing this, Zenshiro placed his hand on her forehead and said:

"Sure. I'll think about it. But, Aura, you should rest now. Dr. Michelle said so, didn't he?"

The queen, whose hair was damp with sweat, nodded in agreement with her husband's words.

"Okay, I understand. You can go now, too."

Zenshiro shook his head.

"No, I'll stay a bit longer."

Saying this, he took Aura's hand, which was exposed from under the thin blanket, and gently held it.

"...I see."

Aura, as if resigned, entrusted her hand to her husband.

"......"

"......"

In the end, Zenshiro left the bedroom much later, after Aura had fallen into a deep sleep.

Thank you for reading. With this, the first part (first year) of this work, "The Ideal Parasite Life," concludes.

The second part (second year) is scheduled to be written once the plot is completed.