Magic City Sharia hadn't changed at all.
It was the same as two months ago.
Well, the most you could say was that houses under construction and walls being repaired had been finished by now.
Of course.
How could anything have happened?
Orsted had promised the safety of his family.
If Sharia had been reduced to ashes after that, Rudeus would have started a labor union.
He'd wrap a headband on together with Ariel and march straight to the top for a face-to-face confrontation.
Well, the fact that he could joke like that meant he was relieved that nothing had apparently happened.
Passing through the plaza, they moved to his house.
The house was completely unchanged too.
No signs of it having been burned, frozen, or overgrown with thorns.
The only thing was that Beet, who seemed to have been photosynthesizing in the garden, swayed a bit.
In the doghouse, Armadillo Jiro was also there, taking an afternoon nap.
Peaceful.
"I'm home!"
"Welcome back!"
When Rudeus opened the front door, he heard the patter of footsteps from deep inside the house, and Aisha immediately came rushing out.
She threw herself into his chest with boundless energy.
She's as energetic as ever.
It's good that nothing's changed.
"Souvenirs! Did you bring back souvenirs?"
"Yes, here."
Eris promptly pulled a box from among the luggage.
Aisha detached herself from Rudeus and took it.
"Wow, thanks, sis Eris!"
Aisha immediately opened the box and pulled out what was inside.
A ceramic piece shaped like a rice paddle.
The handle had delicate relief carved into it.
Aisha's eyes lit up when she saw it.
"This is a mirror! I've seen one before in Shirone!"
"That's right!"
The Asura Kingdom had a lot of glasswork for sale, probably because of their exchanges with the Begaritt Continent.
This time, since the travel time was short, they had mainly bought mirrors and glasswork.
"Wow, amazing... this must be really expensive! Wow...!"
"Heh heh, I'm glad you like it!"
Seeing Aisha's delight, Eris looked proud, but the one who had actually picked it out was Sylphie.
Eris didn't have bad taste, but what she chose was always too simple.
"Looking at it like this, I really am kind of cute...!"
Aisha spun around in circles while praising herself.
It wasn't until Lilia came out a little later and smacked her on the head that the spinning stopped.
Seeing Aisha brimming with energy was reassuring.
It was great that she was happy.
"...Lilia, nothing's changed since then, has it?"
Just asking to be safe.
Lilia nodded lightly with her usual expressionless face.
"No, everyone has been healthy."
"Good."
That was good.
Truly good.
Just as Rudeus heaved a sigh of relief, Aisha's expression suddenly darkened.
"Oh, but, big brother... Roxy-nee is..."
Roxy!?
What happened to Roxy!?
Could it be a miscarriage...!
No, if that were the case, Lilia would have said so.
Maybe she'd been hospitalized because she'd been feeling a bit off?
"Roxy-nee's deli—"
Aisha stopped mid-sentence there.
Her gaze was directed toward the door leading to the living room.
From there, Roxy was peeking her face out.
In a pose like "The housekeeper has been spotted."
"Roxy, I'm home."
At least, she didn't look unhealthy.
She didn't appear injured either.
She looked perfectly healthy.
"Rudeus, welcome back."
When Rudeus spoke, Roxy replied without leaving her pose.
"I thought it would take a little longer, but you've returned right on schedule. It seems everything went smoothly."
"Yes. Lady Ariel successfully won the political battle."
Well, strictly speaking, she hadn't actually won yet, and some time later a news bulletin about "Princess Ariel killed!" might arrive, but...
Well, saying things like that would be never-ending.
The return was on the boss's orders, after all.
"Is that so? That is the best news."
Roxy didn't fully show herself.
She was only showing her face.
Her face, Rudeus noticed, seemed somewhat rounder.
Could it be that Roxy had gotten fat...!
It's okay, Roxy! There's even a popular saying that a body preparing to bear a child is better off being a little plumper!
Don't worry about gaining weight!
Eris probably weighs about twice as much as Roxy!
"Oh, um, big brother. Roxy-nee has been a little sensitive lately, so be nice to her, okay?"
Aisha's words.
Sensitive.
If a woman's weight skyrocketed during pregnancy, she'd naturally become anxious.
And when she was anxious, it was his duty to reassure her.
"I wouldn't call it that bad."
"Then why has she been hiding her body this whole time?"
At Sylphie's remark, Roxy reluctantly revealed herself.
Rudeus had been away for about two months.
In that time, Roxy's belly had grown considerably.
Come to think of it, gaining weight during pregnancy was only natural.
The baby was getting bigger, after all.
But her chest also looked a bit bigger.
Would she already be producing breast milk?
Maybe a little taste test... no, let's set that aside.
Still, even though she was of the demon race, the Migurd tribe really wasn't that different from humans...
"Lately, it feels like my body isn't my own.
My belly's gotten bigger, and I can feel movement inside...
Everyone keeps telling me not to worry, but..."
"Oh, I know. I went through the same thing. But that's exactly when Rudeus isn't around, huh."
At Sylphie's agreement, a pang shot through Rudeus's chest.
Sorry.
Back then it was truly unavoidable, but still — sorry.
"Ugh, I'm sorry, Sylphie... Roxy..."
"Hm? Oh, yeah. I'm not blaming Rudeus for that or anything."
Sylphie said airily, her gaze drifting away.
"So anyway, today you should spend time with Roxy. Right, Eris?"
"Eh? Oh, y-yes."
Eris had been alternating glances between Roxy's belly and her own.
She was probably thinking about her own experience.
"So with that said, Rudeus, stay with Roxy,
and I'll handle the luggage... um, where's Lucy?"
"Lucy is playing upstairs with Lady Zenith."
"I see, thanks, Lilia... Come on, Eris."
"Fine."
The two didn't even wait for Rudeus's reply before carrying the luggage upstairs.
---
Rudeus did as he was told and moved to the living room with Roxy.
In the living room, the holy beast Leo was curled up in front of the fireplace.
Leo looked at Rudeus, let out a soft "wafu," and wagged his tail as he came over.
When Rudeus scratched his head, the beast licked his hand.
Oh, what a lovable creature.
"..."
Roxy sat on the sofa beside him.
She seemed reluctant to show him her body,
so she stayed hunched inside loose-fitting clothes.
Was she self-conscious about how her figure had changed?
Rudeus thought she was perfectly attractive as she was.
"Roxy?"
"Wh-what about work? You returned right on schedule, so I assume everything went smoothly?"
"You already said that earlier?"
For once, Roxy was flustered.
What was going on? A flustered Roxy was cute, so that was fine, but
he wished she wouldn't show such adorable moments to tempt him.
He hadn't exactly lacked for such activities in the royal capital, but perhaps because of the relief of having finished a job, the ratio of base desires in his head had shot up.
Anyway, if she was feeling sensitive, he should probably keep things on the non-erotic side.
A man who can read the room doesn't just unleash his desires.
He'd start with words of concern.
Okay.
"Um... your belly has gotten pretty big. May I touch it?"
"N-no, you can't!"
An immediate answer.
Not allowed, huh.
Well, it was a delicate time.
"Also, no touching the chest either!"
She preempted him.
As if he was always thinking about breasts.
He wouldn't deny it.
"Lately, this yellowish stuff has been seeping out."
"I see."
Just like with Sylphie, it was probably a sign that breast milk was about to come in.
He'd love to give her a massage, but she probably wouldn't let him.
"How about your head then?"
At that, Roxy tilted the top of her head toward him.
He petted it.
Silky hair felt pleasant against his fingers.
Chest and belly were off-limits.
But head was okay.
He had to find the line.
He was probing the outermost boundary of what was permissible.
"What about your backside?"
"W-well, that's fine."
Roxy blushed but consented.
That was allowed, apparently.
He petted without holding back.
Soft and squishy.
Wait, no — wrong.
Not like this. Think about the baby.
"Um... while I'm home, I'd like to spend as much time with Roxy as possible."
"Th-that's okay, but
you really don't have to force yourself.
Aisha is here, and Rudeus, you must have plenty to do?"
"I do, but I understand how tough it can be for a pregnant woman.
From going up and down stairs to helping in the bath — I'll do whatever you need."
"A-a bath!?"
Roxy reacted excessively to the word "bath."
What the...
Chest and belly were no, head and backside were fine, but bath was off the table.
Hmph.
"That's right... Rudeus did like to wash my body, after all..."
Oh, he loved it.
He loved the hands-on washing without a cloth.
Usually he'd lose his composure partway through and end up "supplying fuel," so to speak.
"Rudeus... since you'll find out eventually, I'll go ahead and tell you."
"Sure."
Roxy seemed to have steeled herself as she turned to face him.
A serious expression.
Huh?
Could it be that something more serious than he'd imagined had happened?
Like the baby inside her belly having some terrible illness.
Or a voice coming from within: "They call me! The Demon! World! Great! Emperor!"...
No, if that were the case, Lilia would have told him.
It was clearly not an abnormal situation.
Then what was it?
Wait — could it be that the baby wasn't Rudeus's?
That when it was born, it would have ears and a tail or something?
Come on, give me a break with that...
"..."
Roxy, with a solemn expression, unbuttoned her clothes.
Then, pulling the fabric up, she showed him her belly.
Her white belly was swollen round, with her navel poking out just a little.
Cute.
Yes, cute.
That was all he could think of.
No strange spots on her skin or anything...
"What's... the problem?"
"You can tell just by looking?"
He was literally asking because he couldn't tell from looking...
"Um... my navel is sticking out, isn't it?"
Hmm.
Indeed, it had become an outie.
And what about that?
Wasn't that normal for a pregnant woman?
"...Yes."
"Ugh, it really is weird, isn't it...?"
Roxy apparently found this outie navel terribly bothersome.
I see — she really was being sensitive.
From an outsider's perspective, it was nothing.
But for her, it mattered.
That was how things could be.
"...No, it's very cute."
"You can't fool me. There was a slight pause just now."
"I'm not lying. I really don't mind."
"You are lying. Because Rudeus, didn't you say before —
while licking my navel, you said, 'Roxy's belly really is the best'?"
That couldn't be right.
Surely even he wouldn't say something that gross...
Ah, no, actually, in bed he might say whatever popped into his head based on the mood.
"Since that day, I haven't skipped cleaning my navel even once.
The navel-loving Rudeus must have been disappointed to see this, right?"
"I wasn't."
This time he answered immediately.
He wasn't a navel enthusiast or anything.
With Roxy's body, even if a missile launched from her navel, he'd still worship it.
Ah, now he remembered.
Come to think of it — yes, during one of their nighttime adult sumo matches, he'd licked her navel and Roxy had been extremely embarrassed.
So he'd gotten carried away and heaped on the praise.
"You can't fool me. Rudeus is all talk."
But Roxy didn't believe him.
Hmph.
"If you want me to believe you, prove it with actions."
"Actions... what am I supposed to do?"
The only thing Rudeus could think of was to formally establish the Church of Roxy and deliver a sermon and ritual before over a hundred thousand followers.
That would take some time, so he couldn't do it right this moment.
While he was mulling this over, Roxy pushed her belly out slightly.
"Lick it."
"Are you sure?"
Roxy, you're saying something outrageous.
But was that really all it took?
Actually, it was more of a reward, wasn't it?
Shouldn't he be the one requesting it?
No, no need to overthink this.
This was what they called "the will of God."
Okay.
Clasp your hands together!
I·TA·DA·KI·MA·SU.
"..."
He licked it.
Leo, who'd come over looking like something interesting was happening, nudged his nose in — so Rudeus pushed the beast's snout aside and licked Roxy's navel.
At that moment, something moved inside her belly.
Not quite a thud or a plop, but with a force he could feel clearly — perhaps because his tongue was making contact.
Roxy must have felt it too.
Her body went rigid, and she raised her face to meet Rudeus's eyes.
"It moved."
"...Wasn't it saying 'welcome home' to its father?"
Rudeus straightened up.
He stroked Roxy's belly.
Despite saying no, she didn't actually refuse.
It was warm.
He shouldn't let it get cold.
"..."
Roxy was no longer embarrassed.
With a tender expression, she placed her own hand over his.
"Thank you, Rudeus. Sylphie was right, wasn't she? I feel at ease now."
Something about Roxy's words put Rudeus at ease too.
"Rudeus, once again — welcome home."
"I'm home."
Rudeus had come home.
---
The next day, Rudeus went to pay his respects at the various places he needed to.
Zanoba, Cliff, Elinalise.
He'd already seen Nanahoshi when he'd stopped by the floating castle, so he'd catch up with her another time.
Come to think of it, the number of people Rudeus knew in Magic City Sharia had shrunk considerably.
Everyone was leaving this town.
Cliff and Zanoba would be gone someday too.
Thinking that, he headed to his final destination.
The hour was already dusk.
Amid the orange-hued world, the place Rudeus went was the cemetery.
A quiet place with round tombstones lined up in rows.
Normally you wouldn't come here at twilight, but he'd been paying his respects and the time had slipped away.
Rudeus exchanged a brief greeting with the grave keeper, entered, and stood before one of the graves.
Paul Greyrat.
That was the name engraved on the round tombstone.
Rudeus clasped his hands before the gravestone that still looked quite fresh.
"Father, this time nobody died."
He offered the sake he'd bought in the royal capital and the flowers from a nearby shop, and reported on everything.
About Orsted. About the Hitogami.
And about the battle in the Asura Kingdom.
"I also met Father's brother. My uncle.
He resembled Father — seemed like a weak-hearted man."
Rudeus recalled Philemon's face.
He did bear some resemblance to Paul.
Their builds and personalities were completely different, but they were brothers after all.
"That man didn't die either.
Father's nephew risked his life to protect him.
Honestly... I was a little envious."
Luke had shielded his father from execution.
Rudeus hadn't heard the full story, but that's how it had appeared to him.
Philemon was by no means a praiseworthy person,
and according to the original plan, they'd intended to kill him, but...
For some reason, Rudeus had found himself wanting to root for Luke, and had ended up backing him up.
"Also, I killed someone.
I didn't do it with my own hands directly,
but I approached with intent to kill, attacked, and the other person died.
I don't regret it, but the aftertaste was bad."
It wasn't as though it was his first kill or anything.
There had been times like that before.
This time wasn't supposed to be anything special.
And yet, for some reason, this time it lingered in his heart.
It was probably because he'd heard the Water God Reida's story.
"..."
Rudeus reflected on everything that had happened.
This time, things had worked out.
None of the people he didn't want to die had died, and his objectives were achieved.
But it had been by the narrowest of margins.
By the narrowest of margins.
If even one thing had gone slightly differently, someone might have died.
His objectives would still have been met, but the aftermath might have left a lasting scar.
This incident was, without question, a success.
An impeccable, complete victory.
But there were many points he should reflect on.
For instance, during the planning stage, if he had contacted Ariel earlier.
Or if the Hitogami hadn't made Luke his apostle, there wouldn't have been any conflict along the way.
Well, putting that aside since it ultimately served to connect Ariel and Orsted...
If he had defeated Ouberu with the Red Dragon's whisker.
If Orsted hadn't shown up during the Water God's Sword-Dissolution Realm.
If there had been no antidote for Ouberu's poison.
Of course, going down the "if" road could go on forever.
But there was one thing he could say.
The Hitogami was not dead.
One incident was over, but the fight was not.
The fight would continue.
That fight... from here on out, was he going to cut it this close every time?
This time he'd been lucky.
But... what about before?
Hadn't Rudeus been failing, over and over, all this time?
And yet, he felt as though he hadn't thought of those as failures.
For instance, when Paul died.
He'd told himself it was unavoidable because he'd given it his all.
True, at each moment, he had given everything he had.
There had been judgment errors, and perhaps wrong choices along the way.
But he should have done everything possible in that situation.
And at the end of it all, an undesirable outcome had come to pass.
That was unavoidable.
He'd been unlucky.
There was nothing to be done.
But was that really true?
If he'd been lucky, would Paul have survived?
Yes, of course he would have survived.
In the very end, it was the Hydra's dying gasp that killed Paul.
If he'd been luckier, Paul would be alive.
If something, anything, had gone differently.
On the other hand, what if he'd been unlucky and someone had been injured partway through, forcing them to retreat?
If the situation had been even slightly different from that time — if there had been even one more combatant...
It was all "if" and "but," but luck was exactly that kind of thing.
From now on...
Would Rudeus continue to entrust his family's lives to luck?
This time, many people had nearly died.
Eris especially — she'd suffered a serious wound to her shoulder and even been hit by a poison kunai.
She had stood on the brink of death and, through sheer luck, made it back.
Next time, the narrow margin might fall on the other side.
Could he leave that to luck?
No, of course — there were times when luck was all you could talk about.
Human ability had limits. There were things you simply couldn't do.
But take this instance, for example.
If Rudeus had been able to do just a little more.
If he'd been just a little stronger.
Would it have been so close?
If just one more thing had been different.
If he'd had just a little more margin to work with.
That little something extra.
He needed to pull it in with his own hands.
Rudeus needed to become stronger.
He needed to train.
If he was going to fight the Hitogami as Orsted's subordinate from here on out.
He needed to go from barely surviving to surviving with room to spare.
He needed to make sure he could properly protect his family — not fail them through his own powerlessness.
He had to become that.
Yes — he would swear to this once more.
"Father, I'll keep pushing forward from here on out. Please keep watching over me."
With those final words, Rudeus left the cemetery.
Volume 18 — Youth Period: The Asura Kingdom Arc — End
Next Chapter
Volume 19 — Youth Period: The Subordinate Arc