Side: Seraria

"...To be honest, just hearing about it is hard to believe."

"That's understandable. Even I'm only half convinced myself. But..."

"In other words, you find it even harder to believe that Yuki-sama and Luna-sama would lie, correct?"

"Exactly. That's why, Qual, I'm leaving things to you while I'm gone. Though I'll make sure we're in a situation where I can return quickly if needed."

"Please do not worry. I shall utilize the Call function to instantly consult you regarding any questions or issues that may arise."

"...You really wouldn't hesitate to reach out to me even when I'm enjoying private couple's time with my husband, would you?"

"That is my duty, and it is entirely for the sake of protecting Weed."

Qual and I are currently pushing through the necessary paperwork, cross-department notifications, and official handovers required for our upcoming departure to the new continent.

Good grief, life with Yuki certainly never gets boring.

Still, a whole new continent, huh?

According to the intelligence gathered, the depletion of magical energy is so advanced over there that individuals who can successfully manifest magic are extremely rare. Furthermore, as a consequence of that missing magical energy, monsters are exceptionally scarce, meaning the nations occupying the new continent are locked in near-perpetual warfare.

My husband glossed over the details, simply comparing it to how things used to be on our own continent, but if they are completely free from the natural disaster that is the monster race, then the fierce struggle to seize territory from one another must be far more intense than anything we've seen here.

My blood is practically pumping just thinking about it.

Up until now, I lived as a princess, meaning it was completely taken for granted that I would always have an escort attached to my hip. Since coming to Weed, I've grown astronomically stronger entirely thanks to my husband, which even made solo combat a viable option for me—but under his overarching policy, my role has still mostly been confined to working behind the scenes.

On the new continent, however, those royal statuses and titles mean absolutely nothing.

I will have to carve my own path forward using nothing but my own physical capabilities. Of course, my husband and the others will be right there with me, but given the delicate geopolitical situation, we won't openly be able to leverage the military might of Weed. This means I'll finally get to form a proper adventuring party with my husband, pick fights with hostile nations, and dive headfirst into true adventure.

My personal strength will truly be put to the test.

And while I'm busy running amok over there, I'd secretly love to establish a brand new nation with my husband sitting firmly on the throne—even though I know he absolutely detests the very idea.

I fully comprehend his current life philosophy. However, standing proudly as his wife, I absolutely refuse to let him remain entirely unsung, vanishing from the grand stage of history. At this rate, the historical archives will do nothing more than mention him in a single, passing line as 'Seraria's husband, Yuki'. His actual, monumental achievements will simply be recorded as though Rurua, Sheila, or I were the ones who brought them to fruition.

That is an outcome that every single one of his wives thoroughly despises.

We firmly believe our husband deserves to be showered with far greater praise.

That's why this new continent presents the ultimate opportunity. Due to various complicated circumstances on our current continent, Yuki was never truly able to let loose and flex his full potential. On the new continent, however, those countless restrictive shackles are practically nonexistent.

Managing it will undoubtedly be a massive headache, but we could easily secure a nation far grander than a tiny country like Weed. It's not like we could just go around annexing neighboring territories here anyway, considering we're constantly surrounded by my foolish father's kingdom of Roshure, as well as Gartz.

Besides, there's also the matter of researching magical depletion through the globalization plan Yuki mentioned.

"Magical depletion, huh... I see. Let's use this as our main angle to push forward."

Staring at the phrase "magical depletion" that I had idly jotted down on a piece of scrap paper, a sudden flash of inspiration hits me.

My husband will undoubtedly refuse to establish a kingdom on the new continent. However, the absolute reality is that he still has to conduct a thorough investigation into the depletion of magic. Even if that continent is smaller than ours, it is still an immense landmass that cannot possibly be surveyed by just one or two people.

Ultimately, that means we will inevitably require the resources and cooperation of a massive, influential local faction.

If that's the case, I should convince my husband that it's far better for us to simply possess our own sovereign nation from the very beginning—one that we can command completely freely.

...No, if I think about it even deeper, there is absolutely zero chance that the ruler of some random, massive foreign faction would willingly listen to our warnings about a magical depletion crisis. There is no way they would allow us to utilize their military assets for a cause like that.

Yep, no matter which way you slice it, building our own independent powerhouse on the new continent is an absolute necessity.

But then again, if a concept this basic occurred to me, there's no way my husband hasn't already thought of it himself. I wonder if he has a specific underlying reason for holding back?

Well, I can just ask him about it later.

Before I know it, the clock has already ticked past 14:00, prompting me to push back from my desk and stand up.

"Are you heading out? Ah, come to think of it, is today your scheduled health checkup day?"

"Yes, exactly. So far, I haven't suffered a single injury or illness, but I take it the program has been yielding excellent data overall?"

"Indeed. Ever since Yuki-sama implemented these mandatory health checkups for all citizens once every three months, the system has been incredibly successful. It allows us to catch minor ailments at an early stage and identify individuals who are recklessly pushing through illnesses just to work. Have you reviewed the latest data report? The total mortality rate for Weed's population of over ten thousand citizens over the past four months?"

"Of course I know it. Excluding active adventurers, the total number of deaths among Weed's general population consists of exactly five wretched criminals, and three newborns... neonatal deaths, was it?"

The criminal statistic refers specifically to the rapists whose heads I personally took off execution-style.

"Yes, that data is nothing short of miraculous. Granted, our elderly demographic is quite small, but we have recorded absolutely zero deaths within the working-age population. Yuki-sama's strict sanitation management, the implementation of free healthcare for all Weed citizens, and the early detection provided by these routine checkups—the concrete results of these policies are already manifesting beautifully."

"They really are. Furthermore, up until now, the vast majority of ongoing construction within Weed has been executed utilizing the Dungeon Master's administrative authority. Because of that, my husband mentioned that laborers rarely have to handle excessively heavy loads manually, which has completely prevented fatal industrial accidents. Though, he did warn that fatal accidents will inevitably start to rise moving forward."

"I see, that makes perfect sense. Even now, we receive a fair share of severe injuries resulting from the handling of heavy materials or sharp tools. The only reason those incidents haven't turned fatal is because Yuki-sama had pre-emptively established flawless medical countermeasures; under normal circumstances, some of those severely injured individuals would absolutely be dead by now. So you're saying the probability of our medical staff failing to make it in time will rise in the future?"

"Exactly. After all, if a massive structural timber meant for building a house slips and strikes a laborer directly underneath, it's going to be instant death long before any medical treatment can even be administered, right?"

"Very true. Ah—my deepest apologies! You're going to be late for your checkup, aren't you?"

"Ah! Qual, you kept rambling on and now I'm actually going to be late!! No afternoon sweets for you today!!"

"Eeehhh!?"

Leaving her gaping in despair, I spun on my heel and sprinted toward the medical facility

* * *

"Sorry to keep you all waiting."

"Not at all, we only just arrived ourselves."

"Handing over administrative duties is always a massive ordeal, after all..."

"As for me, I'm already quite used to working in a hospital environment."

"And I have absolutely no need for a successor to hand things off to in the first place, hoho."

"I left Yuki-san's escort duties entirely in Killue-san's capable hands today, so everything is perfectly fine on our end."

The lineup for today's health checkup consists of myself, Ratz, Eris, Rurua, Derieu, and Ria.

Naturally, if all of his wives were to abandon their respective workplaces at the exact same time for a medical exam, it would trigger administrative chaos throughout the city. Because of that, the checkups are scheduled to be split across two or three separate days.

"Ah, Chii-anesama, you're finally here! Lilishe-sama is already inside as well, so we can begin immediately whenever you're ready. What would you like to do?"

Elju pokes her head out from the examination room to greet us.

Presently, Elju holds the massive responsibility of serving as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Army. However, once the remnants of the Demon King's army are fully dealt with and she officially returns to Weed, we will definitely have to sit down and figure out her permanent career path.

Well, for the time being, she's simply playing the role of "Elju-sensei", a dedicated hospital employee.

She looks like an entirely different person compared to the imposing figure who stood at the podium to deliver that grand military speech. To the public, she is simply Dr. Elju, a heavily disguised individual widely recognized as one of the finest physicians in the entire hospital.

"I need to finalize some handover details later, so I'd like to get this sorted out quickly. Let's begin now."

"Understood. Then please step right this way, Chii-anesama. Everyone else, my apologies, but please wait out here as usual."

"""Okay."""

I was ushered into the examination room ahead of the rest. I felt a bit bad for cutting in front of the others who had arrived before me, so I resolved to buy everyone some nice pastries on my way back.

"Hello there, Seraria-san. Are you feeling well?"

"Yes, perfectly fine, thanks to you, Lilishe-esama."

With Elju standing by as an assistant, the doctor sitting directly across from me is none other than the very deity worshiped by the nation of Rithea.

Yes. Lilishe-sama herself.

Thanks to Yuki's arrangements, she has recently taken up residence as a priestess at the Lithia Church within Weed. Utilizing her peerless recovery magic, she actively handles the medical treatment of Weed's citizens, while also graciously assisting with these routine health checkups.

Given that our social standings are quite delicate, our examinations are always handled strictly by top-tier recovery magic practitioners within Weed, such as Lilishe-sama, Elju, or Rurua.

"Well then, let's go ahead and perform a scan right away~"

"Yes, please. I'm in your hands."

A "Scan" is a specialized branch of recovery magic used explicitly to detect bodily abnormalities, hidden injuries, or underlying illnesses. The precision and detail of what can be uncovered scale directly with the caster's proficiency level.

"Hmm, let's see. As expected, you haven't slacked on your physical training at all. Your muscles are displaying a slight amount of fatigue. Aside from that... ara?"

Lilishe-sama's words suddenly trail off, as if she has sensed a distinct anomaly.

"Um, is something wrong?"

Having Lilishe-sama abruptly fall completely silent is incredibly bad for my heart.

It's highly debatable whether a recovery magic practitioner superior to Lilishe-sama even exists on this entire continent. Luna technically exists, but she belongs to an entirely separate, divine tier, so she doesn't count.

"Congratulations. You have a little baby resting safely in your stomach. I'd say you're right around the three-month mark, perhaps slightly past it? Your stomach hasn't noticeably started to swell yet, which is likely why you hadn't realized it yourself."

"...Eh?"

My brain completely refuses to process Lilishe-sama's words.

A baby?

Pregnancy?

Me?

Come to think of it, there were a few brief moments recently where I felt a bit under the weather, wasn't there? I simply forced myself through it using sheer willpower alone.

A child with my husband... with Yuki?

"Chii-anesama, congratulations!! We have to call Yuki-san immediately!!"

Elju begins frantically operating her Call function to summon Yuki to the hospital.

"Yes, yes, make sure you take absolute care of that precious new life. For the time being, could you please wait right here inside the hospital? If Seraria-san is pregnant, there is a very high probability that some of the other girls might be as well. I'll explain everything regarding prenatal care to all of you together."

"Ah—y-yes, you're right!! We have to call everyone else immediately! If any of them are overexerting themselves right now, it would be catastrophic!!"

I bolt up from my chair in a state of absolute panic.

I have to get outside right this second, inform the girls about my pregnancy, and warn them that they might be expecting as well!! I also need to use the Call function to summon every single wife who wasn't scheduled for a checkup today so we can verify their condition right away—

"You mustn't do that, Chii-anesama!! You have a baby inside you now, so sudden, reckless movements are strictly forbidden!!"

Revolted by Elju's stern scolding, I meekly sit back down in my chair.

"I-I'm so sorry. I was just so incredibly happy, and then I started worrying about everyone else..."

"I shall handle the external communications myself, so please go ahead and call the next person into the examination room, Chii-anesama."

"Understood..."

Taking a deep, centering breath to calm my racing heart, I step out of the examination room.

"It sounded quite lively in there. Did something happen?"

Ratz immediately approaches me with a curious look.

Right, I should definitely explain the situation to the girls who are currently waiting out here first.

"Everyone, please stay calm and listen to me. It turns out... I'm pregnant."

"""!?"""

"Furthermore, there is a distinct possibility that some of you might be pregnant as well. Elju is currently summoning the rest of the wives to the hospital with the utmost urgency. You don't need to worry about anything else right now; just focus entirely on getting your examinations done to verify your own bodies. And even if you find out you're pregnant, absolutely no jumping for joy, okay? We don't want to cause any undue stress to the babies."

The moment the words leave my mouth, every single girl in the waiting area instinctively places her hands gently over her stomach, nodding with absolute, fierce intensity.

* * *

Subsequently, Ratz's examination confirmed that she was pregnant as well. It was right around the moment Rurua was stepping into the room for her turn that my husband arrived, panting heavily.

"S-Seraria!! Is it true!? You're having a baby!?"

My husband fixes his eyes on me, his face a perfect, frantic mix of utter shock and sheer, unadulterated joy.

"Yes, it's absolutely true. And Ratz is pregnant as well."

"Ratz too!? YES!! Thank you so much!! Are both of your bodies feeling okay!?"

"I am perfectly fine, Onii-san. However, if you keep shouting like that..."

Ratz attempts to gently caution my husband, who is practically vibrating with excitement, but—

"Yuki-san! I fully comprehend your excitement, but you are inside a hospital facility, so please keep your voice down!!"

Elju marches straight out of the examination room to deliver a sharp reprimand to my husband.

"...M-My deepest apologies."

Once all the medical examinations were fully wrapped up, the final tally revealed that myself, Ratz, Rurua, Eris, Derieu, and Killue were all pregnant.

As it turns out, the remaining wives had been strictly practicing contraception on their end. Apparently, they felt that raising children would require an immense amount of time and effort, so they wanted to stagger the timing to ensure they were fully prepared to support us.

Sigh, I truly am blessed with the most wonderful sister-wives...

...Wait a minute.

If things have turned out this way... doesn't this mean I won't be able to go to the new continent after all?

As much as I love a good fight, I have absolutely zero intention of going on an active adventure while carrying a child in my womb.

Ugh, I have to admit, it's a little frustrating...!