Chapter 812 - Chapter 4: Countermeasures in the North ⑨
The next day was the search for Abyss's partner.
Abyss's partner had to be female and strong enough to possess a wolf. Apparently, there was only one candidate. I thought that such a strong demon might say something like she won't accept anyone who can't beat her, like a certain someone, and start a scuffle, but she decided immediately upon seeing him already contracted with humans, wearing leather armor, equipped with a one-handed sword and knife, and even holding a bow and arrow... thanks to Gwyn-sama's arrangements. Even for humans, well-dressed wealthy people are popular. It's the same for every race. The demons who contract with Eowyn-sama later will also have the same appearance once the contract is formed, but I kept quiet about that. Abyss also couldn't beat the boar swarm, but he had apparently been taught various things by Scarface and seems to have a certain level of combat ability.
The contract was formed smoothly, and the two became a pair. She's an older wife. And apparently, she has experience raising children twice in the past. That said, demons have an abnormally long lifespan until they die in an accident or combat, and they don't age that much. So, both of them look like they're in their twenties.
I've seen three couples in the series of events that started with the search for Poppy's groom, but several questions have arisen. Especially in the case of Finis, they are basically couples living apart, so knowledge for the future is necessary. Therefore, we split into a men's group and a women's group. While the men were drinking and making a fuss, the women had a so-called girls' party and asked various things while eating sweets. The counterpart for the women's group was, of course, Abyss's partner, Chaos... I still have doubts about whether such a thematic name is okay.
Chaos had eaten the Highway Cookies that Difodor gave to the Dullahan as souvenirs when she returned home.
"This is it, this! This is what I wanted to eat!"
When she picked up one from the plate, she took a bite with a "pakun."
"Mmm! It's sweeter and more delicious than any fruit in the forest!"
She closed her eyes and was savoring it while chewing slowly. She's a woman, after all. She has a sweet tooth.
After that, she sniffed the wine in the cup with a "kun kun," then took a sip.
"This, could it be a really high-quality one?"
Perhaps surprised, she was staring at the liquid in the bowl she held in her left hand, while holding the half-eaten Highway Cookie in her right hand. It's a sight I've seen somewhere before.
After Chaos had enjoyed the Highway Cookies and the extra-fine wine from the continent for a while, we entered the crucial question time.
"Do you become unable to move if you get pregnant?"
This was the first question. The men must be talking about completely unrelated things. It was good that Chaos was an experienced mother. In fact, the low-level demon girls I've met so far had no experience raising children, so I didn't know at all. The story of someone with two experiences in child-rearing is extremely valuable for future coexistence and co-prosperity.
"That's right. It's the same as humans. The first half of the pregnancy period is fine, but in the latter half, your belly gets big, so your movement is quite restricted."
As I thought. Every race is the same.
"Could it be that you can't get rewards if you can't move?"
Chaos's job, like Abyss's, is the rat extermination on ships coming from the continent. She could do it even if she's pregnant, but I want her to spend her time as leisurely as possible.
"There's no such content in the contract. The compensation should be guaranteed. Besides, the husband just needs to work hard for two... no, three people, including the baby in the belly."
"That's true too."
She was smirking. Fathers in the world have it tough.
"How long is the period?"
Among humans, Dragonewts, and demons, Dragonewts said that humans have an overwhelmingly short childhood. If the pregnancy period for low-level demons is also long, the period the father has to work hard will be longer accordingly.
"In human time, it's about a hundred and twenty days. So, the time you can't move is about half, sixty days. In the first sixty days, it's not noticeable, so you can wear this leather armor."
She said while pointing at the leather armor she was wearing.
"Is it that short? Humans take... let's see, ten months, so about two hundred and eighty days... it takes nearly five times as long."
It's not long at all. The father doesn't have to worry about anything. No, wait, there's child-rearing.
"Humans seem to take a long time. We're different."
"By the way, until they become adults?"
"Adults? Is it okay to mean when the body becomes an adult? Until they can have children?"
"Yes. That's fine."
"I wonder how many years? By the time the child I'm going to have becomes an adult, I think most humans born in the same year will have died."
Then, how many years is that? Exceptions like Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama aside, most people are village elders once they pass seventy.
"Then, is it child-rearing the whole time that human is alive?"
"Hmm. I wonder. While the parents are away, the child stays still in the dwelling. In a forest with many enemies, it might be different, but since the contract says humans will guarantee safety, I can move as long as I'm given time to breastfeed."
I believe human babies were about eight times a day... If it's the same, you practically can't move.
"For about ten days after birth, it's... let's see, seven or eight times a day. Then from the twentieth day, it's four times a day. Right after waking up, twice during the night... ah, since I'll be working during the day under a contract with humans, it's twice during the day. Then, once before sleeping. Then until the thirtieth day, it's breast milk and fruits, meat, and fish. After that, it's fine to be the same as an adult. By that time, I can leave the child behind and go to work."
So the actual child-rearing required is one month. Combined with the pregnancy period, it's three months. Hmm. It's quite short compared to humans. The infancy is short, the boyhood is long, and after becoming an adult, it's basically forever.
"We low-level demons are weak, after all. It's better if the helpless time is short."
"But, you can possess wolves, right? Aren't you stronger than humans?"
"I've given birth twice, you know. Look, it's that 'mother is strong' thing?"
She laughed with a "kerakera."
I never thought they'd get stronger every time they gave birth, but with this, we've obtained good information for Poppy, who will be having her first birth. It will eventually concern Keira too. They'll probably raise them by instinct, but if the surroundings can cooperate, they should do so.
According to Gwyn-sama, when Abyss takes maternity leave, the Priestess of the capital area will look after him. Obaba-sama of the Water Dragon's temple is naturally connected with the Priestess. Of course, the Finis Royal Family knows this. What I heard today will be conveyed to Gwyn-sama, who is drinking alcohol with the men including Abyss, and then to the Finis Royal Family, the Water Dragon's temple, and eventually to the Priestess and apprentice priestesses who will look after Chaos.
The next day, we took Gwyn-sama, Abyss, and Chaos possessing the two wolves back to Finis on the ultra-high-speed bowl operated by Eleanor-sama and Wilson-san. This was to avoid competition with the demons Eowyn-sama would contract with next. We left first thing in the morning, but the three of them returned in the middle of the night. Gwyn-sama has it tough too.
The day after that, we went to the Dullahan's forest to find two males for Eowyn-sama to contract with.
Eowyn-sama doesn't seem to intend to have them possess wolves, and seems to be taking them back in human form. The problem is that Eowyn-sama doesn't want a pair. On the contrary, he wants two males. The problem is how to handle the territorial dispute.
"For my part, I hope for a relationship as friends, like the one between me and the Black Knight-dono, even though there is a contract and we were enemies..."
The Dullahan, hearing Eowyn-sama's words, looked at Eowyn-sama as if startled.
"I-I see."
The voice answering felt like it was trembling. A human, and a Crown Prince of a nation at that, called him a friend. He must be happy.
The ghosts of Finis said that a northern warrior sometimes fights as an enemy and sometimes drinks as a friend. Northern Gram is also sometimes considered northern. Eowyn-sama might have that kind of temperament. No, wait, there were those rude old men who were chatting while drinking alcohol with King Seldic. It might not be just the North.
Even if it wasn't intentional, Eowyn-sama's words made the Dullahan enthusiastic. Until then, his attitude was like he'd introduce them but we should decide, but he started proposing various things. Especially if he's going to get along with Eowyn-sama as a friend, he even gave advice on compatibility.
"Eowyn-dono is always calm and makes cool-headed judgments. He has a realistic way of thinking and can seem cold at first glance, but I perceive him as an emotionally rich person who pursues romantic ideals. In that case, I think someone with a strong curiosity and a romantic personality, like Gwyn-dono, would be better. What do you think?"
It's almost a personality diagnosis now. Eowyn-sama, having been analyzed, exchanged a glance with Gwyn-sama for a moment, and then both of them started laughing.
"He's hit the mark. What do you think, Eowyn?"
"Yeah, as expected of the Knight of the Forest who predicts death. I'm often told in other countries that I'm always calm and realistic, but he's seen right through me."
I've heard that story. It's said he has a somewhat enlightened air. It's probably the influence of the Karmic Disease he developed as a child. From his boyhood until he became an adult, he lived on the premise of dying young. It's not that he has a shadow. Because of my job as a priest, I've seen many people's deaths. So I can tell somehow, but he's not afraid of death. He has accepted it.
"However, Black Knight-dono. Isn't a demon who thinks of forming a contract with a human and living together romantic just by that? Just like me."
He smirks.
"That's certainly true."
"No, no, the Black Knight-dono is also a romantic person. That's why we're drinking together like this."
"I-I am? Romantic?"
"Yes. I think so. What do you think, Jeanne-sama?"
I don't know why he's asking me, but the answer is simple.
"I think that's exactly right."
No matter how you think about it, it must be so. He's a demon but likes humans and drinks alcohol together with them. He's truly worried about the humans whose deaths he has predicted.
"Look, you see?"
"I-I say, I'm beaten. I see, so I am romantic."
He's scratching his head, but it's surprising he wasn't aware of it.
The one who objected to this series of conversations was Saxburg.
"Brother. Brother, you are mistaken."
"Mistaken? What on earth am I mistaken about, Saxburg?"
"Brother, if you think you are the only romantic one, you are greatly mistaken. If you ask me, our bloodline, since the First King who founded the royal family, should be nothing but romantic people. Don't say 'just like me,' say 'just like our family.'"
I wondered what she was going to say, but she certainly asserts it strongly. However, judging from various testimonies, I think it's correct that the First King was a romantic person.
In the end, Eowyn-sama, who laughed loudly with Gwyn-sama, apologized.
Setting aside the quarrel between the romantic siblings, the selection of candidates returned to the starting point. This was because they reached the conclusion that since both are curious and romantic, they would surely get along well. Even the fact that such an optimistic or easygoing answer came out doesn't make him seem like a realistic personality.
In the end, everyone gave their opinions. One of them was a proposal from Will, to combine the strongest one and the weakest one. I had selfishly thought he'd want excellent demons, but she went for the opposite. But if so, the difference between strong and weak will be most apparent. At the same time Will spoke, for a moment everyone had a refreshed expression as if a spell cast by a wicked wizard had been broken. I don't know why. And it gained everyone's approval.
To make use of the idea, we transported the Dullahan on the bowl, and two demons were brought to the hut.
Of the two introduced, one is the strongest. He's a male who looks like a veteran warrior, with a good build and thick arms. He's not intimidated even in front of humans. And yet, he's carefully keeping an eye on his surroundings.
"This is Eowyn-dono, who is making the offer for a contract. He is the Crown Prince of Northern Gram. You know about Difodor. He is the older brother of Saxburg-dono, who has formed a contract with Difodor. He's an old acquaintance of mine."
"Hello."
He responds bluntly to the Dullahan's introduction.
"Can you live together with humans?"
In contrast, Eowyn-sama's question is straightforward.
"I think I can. Was it Difodor? From what I heard from the Dullahan and the orcs, she's doing well without much difficulty. I heard there are various small things, but as long as I get used to them, I'll manage somehow."
That should be enough. If he has the determination to try to get used to it, it'll be fine.
There was a simple explanation about the work from Eowyn-sama. In short, it's the rat extermination by boarding ships. Eowyn-sama has already heard the specific method from Gwyn-sama. He looked dubious when he heard about playing the flute, but he was laughing when he heard it was essentially a bluff. I haven't heard if he'll play the lute. I'm worried the rude old men might feed him some strange ideas.
The other one has a very novice feel and is youthful. No, to put it bluntly, he's weak-looking. It feels like the difference between Scarface and Abyss or more. No matter how you think about it, the strong and weak are clearly distinguished.
"I honestly didn't intend to recommend this young one to Eowyn-dono. He finally matured recently, but he's been frail since he was born. He's only just grown up. The beasts he can possess are at most mountain dogs or foxes; wolves or boars like the other males are quite impossible for him."
"Apparently he was abandoned by his parents and left with the Dullahan. It would have been bad if the Dullahan hadn't taken him in."
"Yes. I've kept him by my side since he was small."
"Thank you."
He seems to have been raised by the Dullahan. Low-level demons can use several convenient spells like Fire Ball. There are Ogres in normal orc swarms. The Dullahan dislikes the Ogres' nature of bullying the weak, so he doesn't put them in the swarm. For that reason, he was apparently useful in the swarm.
"The target is rats. If you can properly manipulate several dozen rats at once, there's no problem."
"If it's rats, I'm fine even if there are many. Although swinging weapons around in combat is impossible for me."
His tone in answering Eowyn-sama's question is also childish. I can't say it out loud, but he's like Duke Hexham.
"I'll show you I can adapt to human life too. As I am now, I'm just a burden on the Dullahan. But if I can get a job manipulating rats by contracting with a human, I'll work hard."
"Very well."
This one was also decided easily.