Chapter 31: A New Family

“What on earth? You’re all in such a frenzy over nothing! The baby won’t come right away! You, of all people—someone brazen enough to defy a nation—shouldn’t be panicking like this. Pull yourself together!”  

“Y-Yes! I’m sorry!!”  

I bowed my head deeply as Bennett-san scolded me.  

Normally, when I’d go to fetch Bennett, I would teleport outside the town, enter on foot, and visit her house to bring her back. But given the urgency, I teleported directly into her house this time.  

Unfortunately for Bennett, she had been enjoying her tea when I appeared, and she ended up spitting it out all over the place.  

Ignoring her surprise, I immediately brought her along, which resulted in her holding a teacup and saucer as I whisked her away.  

To be fair, it was definitely trespassing and practically kidnapping, but she’s a friend, and this was a dire situation with Meyleen. After I explained myself, though, she gave me an earful.  

“Wow… Kenta’s actually apologizing…”  

“Ultra-rare.”  

Behind me, Ivern and Yulia made snide comments as I was getting chewed out.  

You two were the ones panicking just a moment ago, damn it!  

“S-So, Lady Bennett! What should we do now?!”  

Even Mona, usually so calm and composed, was uncharacteristically flustered as she looked at the laboring Meyleen.  

Now that I think about it, Mona had mentioned before that she was unmarried and had no experience with childbirth, either personally or as a witness.  

She probably has no idea what to do in this situation.  

Of course, I’m clueless too.  

“For now, the baby’s not coming just yet. If you keep panicking like this, you’ll wear yourself out. Calm down first.”  

“Y-Yes.”  

After calming Mona, Bennett made her way to the bedroom.  

“Alright, excuse me.” 

She said as she entered.  

Inside, Meyleen was sitting up in bed.  

“How are the contractions?”  

Sitting on the chair by the bed, Bennett asked in a calm tone that somehow made everything seem fine.  

“They came once earlier… but they’ve stopped for now.”

Hearing this, Bennett nodded.  

“Like I said before, the contractions are still spaced out. That means the baby isn’t coming right away. Don’t push yourself too hard yet—just relax for now.”  

“O-Okay.”  

Now that I think about it, Bennett hadn’t just been monitoring the baby’s health but also giving us lectures on what to expect during labor.  

Maybe because of that, Meyleen wasn’t nearly as panicked as the rest of us.  

…Although, Mona had taken the same lectures.  

I guess seeing her beloved mistress in pain made it impossible for her to stay calm.  

…I feel the same way, honestly.  

And so, Meyleen’s labor began.  

At first, things moved at a relaxed pace. Yulia stayed by her side, offering words of encouragement. But as the contractions grew more frequent and it became clear the baby was coming soon, Bennett asked us to leave the room.  

Since Yulia was also pregnant, Bennett was concerned that watching the delivery might cause her stress. So, she and Ivern waited outside.  

And me?  

Since I could use healing magic and was Meyleen’s husband, I was told to stay.  

Which meant…  

“Keep going! You’re almost there!!”  

“Ugh… Aaahhh!!”  

“Nnngghh!!”  

“Yes! The baby’s here!!”  

I was able to witness the moment my child was born.  

“Hah… hah…”  

“Meyleen, Meyleen! Thank you! Thank you so much! You did amazing…”  

“Hah… Kenta…”  

As I held her hand, thanking and praising her, the utterly exhausted Meyleen managed a tired smile.  

Bennett was tending to the baby, giving them their first bath, so I hadn’t seen my child yet.  

The baby was important, of course, but Meyleen came first.  

As I was expressing my gratitude to her, Bennett called out in a loud voice.  

“Kenta! I’ve finished the post-delivery care! Start the healing magic right away!”  

“Y-Yes!!”  

Childbirth takes a heavy toll on the mother’s body.  

In some cases, it can even be fatal.  

It truly is a life-threatening event.  

To prevent any complications, I cast healing magic on Meyleen’s body after Bennett had finished the post-delivery care.  

Thanks to that, although Meyleen was still exhausted, her consciousness seemed to return more clearly.  

“Ah… Thank you, Kenta. I feel much better now.”  

“A-Are you sure you’re okay?”  

“Ahaha, I’m completely worn out, but the pain is gone.”  

“Really? That’s a relief.”  

As I felt a wave of relief seeing Meyleen truly okay, Bennett called out to us.  

“Well, I made you wait long enough. It’s a healthy baby boy.”  

She stepped forward, holding the baby wrapped snugly in a blanket.  

“Wow…”  

Meyleen took the baby from Bennett and, though a bit awkwardly, held him securely.  

“Ah…”  

The baby, who had cried so loudly when he was born, had now stopped crying and was staring quietly at Meyleen.  

His eyes shouldn’t be able to see yet, but it felt like he could already recognize his mother.  

“Oh… so cute… I’ve finally met you. Hello, sweetie. I’m your mom.”  

“Ah…”  

“Hehe.”  

…What is this?  

Can such a heartwarming sight even exist?  

As I watched this sacred moment, I felt like my soul was being cleansed.  

“Come on, Dad, say hello too.” 

Meyleen urged.  

“…Dad.”  

Hearing myself called “Dad” for the first time in my life, I was overcome with emotion. Almost purified on the spot again, I somehow held myself together and approached the baby.  

“…Hello there. I’m your dad.”  

“Ah?”  

Ugh… so cute…  

The overwhelming cuteness got the better of me, and I found myself gently poking at the baby’s cheeks.  

“Ahhh.”  

“Oh, so cute…”  

I kept poking and squishing his cheeks until, apparently fed up, the baby began to cry.  

“Ah! S-Sorry!”  

“Oh my, my. It’s okay, it’s okay.” 

Meyleen said, soothing the baby. He calmed down almost immediately.  

“Well, well, you’re shaping up to be the type of parent who dotes too much and ends up annoying their kid.”  

“What?! No way!”  

“Hehe. Oh, by the way, Kenta.” 

“What?”  

“Have you decided on a name for him?”  

“A name, huh…”  

I’d already had one picked out for a boy, so I told her.  

“…How about Leon?”  

I said it nervously, and Meyleen gazed at the baby intently.  

“Leon… Leon Maya… Yes. From today, your name is Leon.”  

“Ah.”  

It seemed like Meyleen liked the name too, as she immediately called the baby Leon.  

In response, as if understanding her words, Leon made a small sound, and everyone in the room couldn’t help but laugh.  

Just then, there was a knock at the bedroom door.  

“Hey, can we come in yet?”  

“Sounds like you’re having a blast in there! Is it okay if we join now?”  

Oh, right—I had completely forgotten that I left Ivern and Yulia outside the room.  

It seemed everyone else in the room had forgotten too, as we all suddenly had an “Oh!” moment.  

Mona hurriedly went to open the door, letting Ivern and Yulia into the room.  

When they saw Meyleen holding the baby, Yulia’s eyes lit up, and she rushed over excitedly.  

“Congratulations, Meyleen! Wow… so cute… Hey, hey, is it a boy or a girl?”  

“Thank you, Yulia. He’s a boy.”  

“Oh, I see. Have you decided on a name yet?”  

“Yes. From today, his name is Leon.”  

“Wow… Nice to meet you, Leon! I’m Auntie Yulia. Looking forward to spending time with you!”  

“Uu?”  

“Kyaa, so cute!”  

Yulia was completely smitten with the child her best friend Meyleen had given birth to.  

Meanwhile, watching from behind her, Ivern muttered:  

“He kinda looks like a little monkey.”  

That tactless remark earned him a solid punch from Yulia.  

Good grief, you’re lucky, Ivern. If Yulia hadn’t taken care of it, I would’ve sent you flying myself.  

Yep, he’s definitely going to stay a traveling merchant.  

And so, our home gained a new and precious member of the family.  

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