In the past, Lu spent her days in the form of a middle schooler and her nights as an adult. Since giving birth, however, she had remained in her adult form permanently. When I asked her why, her reason was simple: she wanted the children to recognize her face. It made sense; if her size changed every time they saw her, it would only confuse them. In her own way, Lu was always thinking of the children's well-being. Although I’d had my share of anxieties, she was proving to be a capable mother. According to her, though, she still had a long way to go and couldn't manage at all without help from Ann and the other High Ogre Maids.
I felt the same way. I lacked any real confidence that I was doing a good job as a father. I tried asking the veterans who already had children for advice, but their answers were less than helpful.
"I leave everything to my wife." "Just listen to whatever your wife says." "Never, ever defy your wife."
Those were the opinions of Draim, Beezel, and Galf. They offered no practical guidance whatsoever. As for Gatto, the Beastman who lived in the village with his wife, he had been living apart from them until recently and hadn't even known his child was born. He was likely struggling with the same worries I was. I decided I should invite him for a drink and a heart-to-heart sometime soon.
Before that, though, I needed to have a discussion with my wives. No, not about having a second child—about Alfred’s education. ...Yes, I’ll leave it to you. I suppose when she’s with her children, she’s a mother before she’s a woman. I wasn't giving up, though. I am the father. Tia, I have something to discuss... No, not about a second child, about Tiselle’s...
I was beginning to think the advice from the other fathers might actually be correct. My anxieties were fueled by watching Urza lately. I worried that even the well-behaved Alfred and Tiselle would eventually start running wild like her. The Beastman boys had been quiet when they first arrived at the village, but lately, they were constantly being scolded right alongside Urza. I suppose I should be glad they were smiling more, even if it meant they were getting into more trouble.
Currently, Urza was riding on top of Zabuton, with Gatto's daughter, Nart, joining her. It seemed they were trying to use her as a mount, just like they did with Kuro’s offspring. Zabuton was clever and never aggressive, but... Wait. She used her legs to skillfully lower Urza and Nart to the ground and made them stand before her. I thought she might be angry, but instead, her four front legs began moving with incredible speed.
In an instant, the girls' clothes vanished. For a split second, they were down to their underwear, and then suddenly they were wearing beautiful new dresses—the cute kind, overflowing with frills and ribbons. The two of them looked stunned by their transformation. Zabuton nodded, satisfied with her handiwork, gave a polite wave with one leg, and departed.
Urza and Nart remained standing there, motionless. A High Ogre Maid who had been looking for them approached, but the two girls stayed uncharacteristically quiet. I figured they were simply acting like proper ladies to match their new finery. Zabuton really was dependable.
Just as I was thinking that, the High Ogre Maid let out a muffled groan and collapsed face-down on the ground. I rushed over, panicked. She wasn't unconscious, but she seemed to be in agonizing pain. "Are you okay?" I asked.
"I-I'm... fine... but... I would like Lady Flora's healing magic, please."
I wondered what on earth had happened, but I soon figured it out. Nart was walking normally, but Urza was moving with slow, deliberate care. The maid must have tried to scoop Urza up without realizing she was incredibly heavy. Or rather, the dress was heavy. So that was why she was being so well-behaved. Of course; there was no way a mere change of clothes would have curbed Urza's spirit.
I was shocked by two things: first, that such a soft, fluffy-looking dress could weigh so much, and second, that Urza was walking in it as if it were nothing. It reminded me of a training scene from a certain manga. If she lived her daily life in those clothes, wouldn't something incredible happen the moment she took them off? Come to think of it, when Progenitor-san introduced Urza to me, he mentioned she had mastered various techniques... I decided it was best not to dwell on it.
Nart's clothes seemed to be of normal weight, which was a relief.
"You both have lovely clothes. You look like real beauties."
I knew "cute" was a forbidden word for these children. I picked up the High Ogre Maid, slung her over my back, and headed toward Flora.
A few days later, I was terrified to see Urza running normally while wearing those heavy clothes. I had to tell her: "Umm... please don't ride on Kuro or the others while wearing those. The horses are off-limits, too." I eventually asked Zabuton to change them into clothes of normal weight because the collateral damage to the surroundings was becoming too great.
Then, we had some wonderful news: Hakuren was pregnant. Since we had been doing what needed to be done, it was only natural, but we celebrated nonetheless. I did have one question, though: how exactly do dragons give birth? I’d always pictured them laying eggs.
Draim explained that if they conceive in their dragon form, they lay eggs, but if they conceive in human form, they give birth just like humans. However, he warned me that once a dragon becomes pregnant, their form is fixed until the baby is born. In fact, Hakuren had tried to transform into a dragon and failed, which had prompted her to consult Rusty. When Rusty couldn't figure out why, they called for Draim, and that’s how the pregnancy was discovered.
"Sister, once again, congratulations," Draim said. "Thank you. I can hardly believe it myself," Hakuren replied. "Hahaha. Well then, I'll inform Father at once—" "Don't you dare! If you do that, he'll turn this place into a non-stop banquet until the baby arrives." "...That does seem likely." "Please contact Mother first. Wait a few days before telling Father. And make sure not to tell anyone else." "Understood. What about my wife?" "That's fine. Just make sure to tell her not to spread it around." "Yes. Shall I send someone over as an escort?" "I won't be leaving the village, so I'll be fine. Rusty is here, too." "Understood. If anything happens, please let me know." "I will. I'm counting on you."
Over the next few days, there was a steady stream of visiting dragons: Raimeiren, Domaim, Kuon, Suiren, Marksbergark, Helzernark, Sekiren, and Kuorun.
"Dos isn't coming?" I asked. "Father was strictly forbidden from coming here by Mother," Sekiren informed me. "Is he... likely to run wild?" Apparently, he had caused quite a mess when Rusty and Helze were born. I see. Thank you, Raimeiren.
However, every dragon who arrived worried about whether an escort should be left behind. I initially thought there might be enemies who targeted pregnant dragons, but they explained that dragons become so temperamental during pregnancy that escorts are needed to protect the people around them.
I asked to see the escort list, just in case. Rusty agreed with me. The list had only two names: Raimeiren and Graffaloon—Dos's wife and Draim's wife. Only a dragon can restrain a dragon, it seems. Since Hakuren was refusing, I decided to wait until we saw actual signs of her becoming temperamental.
Amidst this lively atmosphere, Fouche’s gratitude arrived in the form of twenty migrants—ten couples. These were the new settlers for Village One. Fouche led the group, accompanied by eleven well-dressed people acting as escorts. I wanted the whole village to give them a grand welcome, but since the migrants were ordinary humans, Kuro’s pack and Zabuton’s group voluntarily stayed out of sight to avoid scaring them. I didn't think they needed to be so cautious, but it would have been sad if the newcomers were frightened right off the bat. Meanwhile, Raimeiren and the others stayed by Hakuren’s side... I told Hakuren she didn't need to push herself to meet them, either.
For some reason, half of the escorts fainted before we even finished our introductions. Perhaps they were just exhausted from the journey? They had looked utterly shocked to see the High Elf Ria and the Lizardman Daga. One person even passed out from surprise when a cat, fleeing from Urza, suddenly jumped out in front of him. We carried them to the inn to recover.
Fouche bowed on behalf of the group. "Thank you for accepting these migrants."
While the migration was officially a reward for the medicine I'd provided, it seemed there were more complicated circumstances behind it. The representative of the migrants stepped forward beside Fouche and bowed.
"P-please... we look forward to working with you."
He was an extremely ordinary-looking man. The woman who was likely his wife also looked like an ordinary person, no matter how I looked at her. I planned to ask about the specific reasons for their migration eventually, but for now...
"The pleasure is mine. I look forward to having you here."
Before guiding them to Village One, I decided to let them rest at the inn. The escorts seemed completely drained as well. Yes, things were certainly going to get lively around here.