Everyone likely had their own opinion on the matter, but there was really nothing a husband could do for a wife who had gone into labor. All I could do was pray for both mother and child to come through it safely.
I supposed I could have stayed in the same room to hold her hand or cheer her on, but...
"No men allowed."
With those words, I wasn't even permitted to get near the room where Frau was staying. It had been the same for all the previous births, so I didn't let it rattle me now. The midwives from the Devil Race, Holly, and the High Elves who had assisted with past deliveries were all doing their best. I just had to stay composed and wait.
I simply had to wait, and yet...
"Oh, ohh, wh-wh-what should I do... Ah, will she be okay? She'll be okay, she must be okay."
Seeing someone panicking so much right in front of me made me wonder if I was supposed to be panicking too. The one making a scene was Beezel. He must have sensed that Frau was in labor, because he had arrived and was standing by even before we could send word. He paced back and forth incessantly.
As a father worried about his daughter, perhaps his reaction was the correct one. As for me... perhaps I had become too accustomed to this.
In any world, childbirth was always a life-threatening ordeal. However, there had yet to be a single stillbirth in this village. Not just with my own children, but the Minotaurs of Village Two and the Centaurs of Village Three had all delivered safely. Even the Lizardman eggs had all hatched without issue. Because of that, I might have become a bit complacent.
If I considered the worst-case scenario... No. I wouldn't let myself think about bad things. Frau would be fine, and the child would be fine. The birth would go perfectly.
Alright. For now, I should try to distract Beezel.
Frau had warned me about this beforehand, though. She told me it was a bad idea to talk carelessly about the child's future. If Beezel lost his head, there was a chance he would try to arrange a marriage partner before the child was even born. I wondered if he would really ignore Frau and me—the parents—to decide on a fiancé, but apparently, it was a real possibility.
Talking about a child's future was considered a subtle way of seeking a consultation. In other words, if I said something as innocent as, "I have nothing more to say as long as the child grows up honest and upright," it would be translated into noble-speak as: "I am looking for an excellent teacher; do you know anyone?"
I thought that was ridiculous, but the Civil Official Girls had warned me that was exactly how it worked. It was a quirk of aristocratic language where nothing was said directly. Normally, Beezel wouldn't interpret my words that way, but since he was currently elated over his daughter's pregnancy, things were risky. If I said the wrong thing, it would lead to trouble later, with him insisting, "But didn't you tell me to find a fiancé?" (Even if I hadn't said it, I would have supposedly acted in a way that suggested it.)
So, topics regarding the child were strictly forbidden. Honestly, it made conversation difficult.
I wondered if religious topics would be safer? It was a bit late, but I thought I could pray for a safe delivery while carving a divine statue...
As it turned out, there were many gods in this world responsible for safe deliveries. This was due to the Korin Religion. Originally, the God of the Earth handled safe deliveries, but because the Korin Religion suppressed how other sects spread their faith, those sects made their own gods multi-talented to compete. To put it simply, they tried to attract followers by claiming their god granted whatever blessings were popular.
"Our god grants blessings for Agriculture. Safe delivery? Of course, he handles that too. Look, Agriculture is all about bearing fruit, right? So safe delivery is naturally included. We have all sorts of other blessings, too."
And so, most gods were said to grant blessings for safe delivery, victory in battle, academic success, health, and longevity. I wondered if that was actually okay in a world where gods truly existed, but apparently, it was fine. As for the gods themselves, were they... happy to gain more followers and be worshipped for having so many talents?
Regardless, because of those circumstances, the specific deity people prayed to for a safe delivery differed from person to person. I usually prayed to the Creator God. Frau had said she was fine with the same as me, but I wondered about Beezel.
When I asked him, he replied, "The God of Magic."
It surprised me for a second, but it made sense given he was a mage. I listened to Beezel describe the appearance of the God of Magic.
Divine appearances tended to change depending on the person. The race of the believer had a massive influence on the image. For instance, the God of Magic imagined by the Elves had long ears, while the one imagined by the Dwarves was short. Therefore, the one imagined by the Centaur Race would likely be a centaur. I had carved a god for the Minotaurs before, and the fact that they weren't picky about the visuals seemed to stem from that same logic. Faith was what mattered, not the god's appearance.
However, once a god became famous enough, they supposedly developed certain fixed characteristics—like being female, having ten arms, or having hair so long it swept the ground. The defining trait of the God of Magic was holding a staff.
I took a piece of wood about thirty centimeters long and began carving the God of Magic as Beezel imagined it, using the Universal Farming Tool. I solidified the image in my mind before starting, and once I began using the tool, I cleared my head entirely. That was the secret to carving divine statues.
Before I knew it, the work was finished.
...Why had I carved a Cat?
Had some stray thoughts slipped in? I set the cat aside and started over.
Eventually, the second attempt turned out quite well.
"Beezel, how is this?"
"This is... incredible. It perfectly embodies the God of Magic."
"Let's pray to this for Frau's safe delivery."
"Yes. However, um..."
"What is it?"
"I feel a greater sense of divinity from that Statue of a Cat next to it?"
"...It's just your imagination."
Beezel and I prayed to the Statue of the Demon God for a safe delivery. As for the Statue of a Cat... I wasn't sure what to do with it. While I was debating the matter, the Sake Slime came by and carried it off. It didn't seem like the type to use it as a mere toy, so I figured it was taking it to the Saint.
But hadn't the Saint been terrified of cats? Was the slime going to use the statue to help her get used to them? I suppose it was fine as long as it was being put to good use.
Later, the Saint came to me to ask for an Altar. Apparently, she wanted to enshrine that cat statue. I asked if I should just place it next to the Creator God of the Great Tree, but she said that was no good. I eventually agreed to make her a small, dedicated altar.
I called the Mountain Elves together. We designed a compact, portable altar that looked like a box but could unfold into a proper shrine whenever necessary. I thought it was a clever idea, but they told me such designs already existed. That was a bit of a letdown, but we worked hard on it anyway.
Working on the project distracted me from the stress of Frau's delivery, but as more time passed, I started to worry. Hadn't she gone into labor quite a while ago? Was she okay?
I tried to stay positive. She would be fine. If I didn't believe in her, who would?
Just as those thoughts crossed my mind, I heard a loud newborn cry. Beezel, who had been praying fervently before the Statue of the Demon God, rushed over and hovered right in front of the door to Frau's room. I tried to tell him that he was going to get hit when the door opened, but it was too late—the door swung out and smacked right into him.
"It's a girl," a midwife from the Devil Race announced as she stepped out to report the news to us.
So it was a girl. Since it was her first time, she had struggled a bit, but Frau was safe.
Her first birth. Right, now that I thought about it, that was true. Lu and Tia's previous deliveries had also been their first, but they hadn't seemed to struggle much, so I'd forgotten how difficult it could be.
Regardless, the delivery had ended safely. That was a huge relief.
The construction of the altar was suspended for the day as the village threw a banquet. Beezel drank even more than usual and eventually passed out; the exhaustion from worrying must have finally caught up with him.
Come to think of it, Beezel was now my father-in-law. Between Dos, Draim, and now him, my family tree was becoming something I never could have imagined when I first arrived here. Speaking of family, I still hadn't met Beezel's wife. She was apparently busy managing their territory, but it sounded like she was doing well. I thought it might be nice to go visit her with Frau sometime.
Progenitor-san joined the banquet halfway through. Along with the Saint, he bestowed a grand blessing upon the newborn.
Frau's daughter was named Fracia. Formally, her name was Fraciabel. She was undoubtedly going to grow up to be a beauty.
I looked over at Tiselle and told her she would be a beauty too. This little girl was her younger sister now, so I told her they had to get along.
I looked around for Alfred and found out he was preparing to perform music. He wanted to play a piece to celebrate the birth of his younger sister. I really did have a good son.
I decided to head over and listen. Fracia was currently resting in a quiet room, so I left her in Holly's care.
"Leave it to me, Husband," Holly said. "While I'm at it, I shall also look after the sleeping Young Master Beezel."
"I'm counting on you, but... will you be alright handling both?"
"Yes. Though in the event of an emergency, I intend to prioritize Lady Fracia."
She was as reliable as ever. I told her that was fine, but since I would feel bad for Beezel, she should just call for help if things got overwhelming.