Side: Yuki
Good things and bad things really do tend to happen all at once. Personally, the joy easily outweighs the bad, but when I factor in how my wives are feeling about it, the net emotion comes out to exactly zero.
What I mean by "exactly zero" is that while I'm thrilled my wives are pregnant, it also means the roster of members heading to the new continent has drastically shrunk. If it were up to me, I'd rather put the new continent on hold, halt our adventures entirely, and just stay here until Seraria and the others give birth and the kids are somewhat grown, but...
"Absolutely not. I refuse to let you halt our progress just because we happened to get pregnant."
"She is right, Onii-san. We will be perfectly fine, so please do not abandon your mission to save the world."
"Danna-sama, your consideration makes me very happy. However, that is no reason to bring our journey to a standstill."
"I completely agree. If we stop moving forward now, it will only result in that many more casualties on the other side."
"I would love nothing more than to come with you, of course... but I cannot recklessly expose the child in my womb to danger. Leave Weed to us, and go do what you must."
"Even though I am but a maid, you gently accepted me when I fell pregnant with your child, Yuki-sama. Because of that, I have absolutely no desire to hold you back any further. Please, fulfill your mission..." (Killue)
And just like that, every single one of the pregnant girls insists that I should go on the adventure anyway.
"Hey, now that I think about it, wouldn't it be perfectly fine if you guys just came along using your doppelgangers?"
Riel suddenly chimes in with the idea, but the others don't nod along.
"Huh? Why not?"
"Riel, even with a doppelganger, it's out of the question. Giving birth is an immense physical and emotional ordeal, so it's best not to subject them to any kind of mental strain."
"Is that true?"
"Remember the village chief's daughter who helped us back when we were active adventurers? I heard a story that she felt so much pressure and responsibility to give birth to a baby boy that she ended up miscarrying, even though she was safely pregnant. Well, it seems she managed to successfully have a baby later on, though."
"Eh? Did that really happen to her?"
Riel looks to Tori for confirmation, prompting Seraria to cut into the conversation.
"Tori is exactly right. When you carry too much mental burden, pressure, or stress in your heart, it can prevent you from conceiving entirely, or cause a miscarriage even if you do get pregnant. My mother and her circle didn't really have the type of personalities to sweat those kinds of things, but I've heard of other noble ladies who spent practically all their time praying at church just to ensure a safe delivery."
Ah, come to think of it, when it comes to high society in this world, the pressure regarding heirs is immense, meaning the burden placed on expectant mothers is incredibly heavy. The poor things...
"That's how it is, Riel. Even if a doppelganger's stomach gets struck, it won't cause any actual physical harm to the real body, but your instincts would still force you to try and shield your stomach, right?"
"Yeah."
"For a pregnant woman, the thought of getting hit in the stomach is the absolute last thing she wants to experience. It can cause an incredibly severe amount of mental trauma."
"Ah, I see. So that's why even doppelgangers are a no-go..."
As a result, the pregnant members are officially banned from active deployment. Even their administrative duties in Weed are to be handled strictly via doppelgangers, while their real bodies are ordered to rest peacefully at our inn.
Naturally, we've secured Lilishe-sama's assistance to act as their dedicated personal physician. The hospital will be perfectly fine; Rurua and Elju's apprentices can handle the daily operations. Well, we've agreed that in the absolute worst-case emergency, Rurua, Elju, and Lilishe-sama have permission to step in personally.
"Alright. Excluding the wives who are currently expecting, I'm going to head to the new continent. But we also need people to stay behind and look after everyone who's pregnant, so how should we split that up?"
"Oh, in that case, I'll volunteer to stay behind."
Just when I thought this dilemma was going to drag out into a long, complicated debate, Milly steps forward and volunteers.
"Are you sure about this, Milly?"
"Yes. To be honest, we had already decided on this layout among ourselves a while ago. We all talked it over and realized that once the pregnancies advanced, everyone would have their hands completely full, meaning we'd absolutely need someone on standby to help manage everything."
Oh... talk about flawless coordination.
But with this, I've officially lost any leverage to complain or insist on staying behind to spend a quiet, peaceful time with them.
"That being said, looking after six pregnant women entirely by myself would be a bit too much to handle, so I've already arranged to have Anna-san and Lily from Derieu's younger brother's place come over to assist me."
"Oh, really?"
"When I informed them about the pregnancies, they were absolutely thrilled and happily agreed on the spot. See, Derieu? It turns out you're being properly treasured as an older sister after all."
"Umu. He is a fine brother, indeed."
As a side note, Derieu's younger brother, Raie-kun, has officially moved out of his dungeon in Gartz and is currently living here in Weed.
We didn't actually dismantle or abandon the Gartz dungeon; it's still being maintained and operated as normal. Still, knowing they're here in Weed where it's much safer brings a huge sense of relief.
"Now that that's settled, we'd like to make a request from those of us staying behind."
Seeing that their own domestic arrangements have settled down, Seraria looks at me to deliver their demand.
"Wait, what kind of request? You're not coming along. That's non-negotiable."
"I know that. That's why, strictly for the sake of your own personal safety, we demand that you take 'every single one' of the remaining wives who isn't staying behind along with you."
"I feel like that's a massive case of excessive force, though..."
"It's the exact perfect amount of force. We haven't investigated the new continent yet, so there's no guarantee your doppelgangers will even function properly over there. And even if they do work, if we were to suddenly hear that you 'died'—even if it was just a doppelganger—the mental shock inflicted on us would be astronomical, you know?"
She has a point. Even if it's just a proxy body, hearing that I've been killed would undoubtedly inflict a massive emotional toll on my wives.
"Wait, hold on a minute. When you say 'everyone,' don't tell me you mean Aslin, Filia, Labyris, and Sheila as well?"
"Of course. You aren't about to use the excuse that they're 'just children' to leave them behind, are you?"
"I can understand your protective instincts, Onii-san, but Aslin and the others are fully capable, independent ladies in their own right. Please start treating them as your equals."
"Sheila-sama's knowledge and status will undoubtedly prove useful as well. Could you please bring them along?"
With the stay-behind group pushing hard for me to take the younger girls along...
"Onii-chan, this time I will definitely be useful!"
"Nii-sama!! I will do my absolute best too!"
"...I refuse to be left behind again this time."
"Yuki-san, my knowledge and etiquette as royalty will surely not go to waste over there!"
The younger girls looked up at me with teary eyes.
"Ah... Yuki-san, just give up. I couldn't leave them behind."
"They've been good girls all this time. Wouldn't it be fine to bring them?"
"...Besides, there aren't many people stronger than these girls. They'll definitely be valuable assets."
Even the beastfolk group agreed.
With the beastmen group throwing in their unanimous support as well, it's clear that even if I try to order them to stay, they'll probably just form a separate party and stealthily tail us anyway. Refusing them would honestly just invite a bigger headache down the line...
"Alright, fine. But you all have to strictly listen to what I say."
""""Okay~!""""
Man, they sure are quick to answer when they get their way.
Well, considering how much I've forced them to hold back up until now... I suppose it's fine?
Let's stop overthinking it. The decision is already made; I'll just have to submit a temporary leave of absence form to their school.
While I'm lost in thought mapping out the logistics, Derieu and Ria are off to the side, deeply engrossed in their own conversation.
"Ria, because you will be right by his side, I can rest easy and spend my time peacefully here in Weed. I am counting on you, Hero!!"
"Derieu-san!! Leave it to me. I will absolutely protect Yuki-san, no matter what! The Demon King's request has been officially accepted!!"
...Is something about this dynamic completely backward?
"Ah, come to think of it, Onii-san. I actually have a small suggestion."
"Hmm? What is it, Ratz?"
"Well, it's not actually my concept, but rather a proposal from Eris..."
Ratz turns her gaze to Eris, who is standing right beside her.
"Yes. I believe traveling exclusively with a group of women might invite various tedious complications, so how about bringing those three along with you?"
"Those three?"
"Yes. Those three are far more accustomed to the rough adventuring lifestyle than even Tori or Riel, and they are men. Wouldn't they prove quite useful in various situations on the new continent? Besides, they haven't had much to do lately and have mostly just been lounging around Weed anyway."
"What do you mean 'haven't had much to do'? Aren't they technically contracted exclusively to Weed's Adventurer Guild?"
"It's not as though they are tied down by exceptionally busy work. Furthermore, Tori and Riel's friends, Orvic-san and his party, have expressed a desire to become exclusive to Weed as well, so wouldn't this be the perfect transition timing?"
"Ah, come to think of it, I did receive a report mentioning that because Weed has so many active dungeons, we've been running short on exclusive, high-tier personnel."
"Exactly. Those three are reasonably strong in their own right, and it will serve as excellent training for Orvik and his party. More than anything, they will make for fantastic guardians to keep an eye on Aslin and the others."
"I see your point. Suggestion approved. Let's call those three in."
And with that, our expedition roster for the new continent was officially finalized.
Those three in particular didn't really get a chance to shine during the whole Hero crisis, so this should be the perfect opportunity for them.
