Chapter 145 – Preparations for Leaving (1/2)
Standing near the door to my room, I took a glance towards Orphne lying in her little impromptu nest she built high up in the corner of the room.
”Big baby...big baby...bwaaa...”
I had no idea what sort of dream she was having, but she was grinning widely through it. And drooling.
I unwrapped the end of the blanket I was using to cover myself while I held Alicia and Fate against my chest with both arms and wiped the drool off with the corner of it.
Satisfied with my work, I wrapped myself up again using telekinesis before exiting the room with Claret in tow.
Following the sound of people talking down the short hallway, I arrived in the main central room of the healing house. There were several people there having a small meal while talking. Principally Elli, the head midwife, as well as a younger midwife and the head apothecary of this healing house.
As I showed myself, Elli, the first to see me, spat out her porridge. For some reason it was always porridge for her. She really enjoyed eating it for breakfast despite how bland it seemed. Or rather, she didn't seem to actually enjoy it, but had it for breakfast every day despite that.
”S, Scarlet!”
Everyone turned their heads towards me as one and time froze for a moment. The only movement was my two babies as they looked towards the sound of Elli's voice in curiosity.
After a few moments, as if time had suddenly started to move again, both Elli and the head midwife fell over themselves as they rushed over to me.
”W, w, w, w, what are you doing Scarlet?!”
”How could you be standing Elder Scarlet?!”
”Umm...with my legs?”
Despite being fully aware how stupid my answer was, I didn't know what else to say.
””Uuu...uuu...waaaah!””
On the other hand, Alicia and Fate burst out crying from the suddenly loud voices.
”Ahh, it's okay. It's okay. Don't cry.”
I hugged the two of them against my chest while gently bouncing them up and down like I saw in various shows. Whether it was helping or not, I couldn't tell in the slightest. My twins weren't showing any signs of calming down.
”Uuu...am I do thing this wrong? What am I doing wrong?”
Tears started to gather in the corner of my eyes as frustration and helplessness built up.
”Scarlet dear, you are doing everything right. Babies need time to calm down.”
”That's right, Elder Scarlet. Just continue what you are doing.”
I glanced at each of their faces, but they were both oozing with confidence, so I tried to keep it up.
”It's okay. It's okay. There's nothing to be scared of.”
Continuing to bounce the two of them, I did my best to comfort them while cooing.
And just as the two of them said, Alicia and Fate calmed down after a little while. Though their faces were covered in tears, which I quickly wiped away using a clean part of the blanket I was wearing.
Once all traces of the crying, even the sniffling that came after, were going, was I able to let out a sigh of relief. Thanks to the advice of the two supporting me, I had successfully overcome this hurdle of mother-ship.
”Now come. Let us sit you down.”
While I didn't want to go back and rest right after getting up, I did as Elli said and let myself be brought back to the room I had given birth in a few hours before.
”Now, lie down so you can be properly examined.”
”Yes granny.”
Sitting down on the bed, I moved to lay back down while careful with Alicia and Fate.
But the look Elli was giving me made me pause.
(Shit. Did she not like that joke?)
Considering her age, Elli shouldn't be the sort to take such a thing badly, but at the same time, people could be sensitive regarding the most absurd things.
Her face still stern. She put her hand around my head as I froze. Her grip wasn't hard, but I still couldn't move due to it.
”Did you just call me granny?”
”Umm...maybe?”
I tried to look away, but the way Elli stared into me made even my feeble attempt at escape fruitless.
”Call me granny again.”
”Huh?”
”Say it.”
”Umm...granny?”
Suddenly, that firm mask of Elli's shattered like glass and a bright smile erupted in its place.
”Yes! That is right! Granny! Ah, how wonderful! Not only I got such a wonderful granddaughter this day, but it is also the day she gave birth to my great granddaughters!”
”Wha, wha, wha, wha, wha?!”
My voice caught in my throat as I became so completely confused that I wasn't even sure what I was trying to say. Elli had moved in from holding my head to a full blown hug ass he bounced up and down like some little girl.
”Elder Elli, maybe it's better if you calm down a little first? You're confusing Elder Scarlet.”
”Oh, I suppose that might be true.”
Finally, Elli let me go. But that bright sparkle in her expression didn't fade in the slightest.
”Umm Elli...”
”Granny.”
While she was smiling, there was some sort of invisible pressure exuding out from her, making me flinch.
”Granny...”
That pressure instantly disappeared as if it hadn't existed in the first place.
”No, I mean, E...granny...I understand you want to adopt me, and it makes me happy...”
”Then let us announce it to everyone! You already live in my home. 'Tis but a formality now!”
(Was this what she was aiming for since the beginning?!)
If it was, it was incredibly sneaky and shrewd. As expected by the elder that got her way no matter what.
”No, but...wouldn't that be bad? Two elders from different factions being under one family?”
”Who cares about that. Nobody will complain.”
Or rather, she would make sure nobody would complain?
It wasn't something I would put past Elli.
”But...I mean...isn't this too fast?”
”Nonsense. You already live with me, so things will hardly change.”
And we came back to the trap!
”Umm...but...it's all just a lot to think about, you know.”
”...”
”In that case, can I start the examination now?”
”!”
I immediately turned to the new voice. The head midwife was glaring at us, holding some sort of instrument that vaguely resembled a pair of scissors but with the blades which were all angled ninety degrees and a screw running down part of its length.
”She just gave birth, so she should be able to handle full extension...”
She mumbled those words as she worked the screw, spreading out two of the flat blades away from the third. After a moment, she passed her fist through the opening experimentally without even touching any of the blades before further enlarging the tool.
I couldn't help but feel a desperate urge to cover my lower body. I didn't even want to know that such a tool existed at all.
Silently and obediently, I shifted my body and lay back down on the bed.
Fortunately, the strange instrument disappeared from the head midwife's hands as she opened up the blanket I had wrapped around me and examined my lower body.
”How surprising. Is this the power of a vampire?”
”How is she?”
”Elder Scarlet is in very good condition. Despite such a difficult delivery, all traces of that burden from last night is already gone. If I didn't know better, I would have thought it has been over a week since she gave birth. What did you even do? Cast healing magic on yourself?”
”I just had a meal. Though for me, that's enough to refill my HP and MP.”
”How envious.”
The frustration on the midwife's face was palpable, but personally it was a hard thing to agree with entirely. Just the night before that same midwife had said that she hadn't seen such a difficult delivery in her life.
Not just the delivery, but the entire pregnancy was quite harsh. All the predictions about the various symptoms and how long they would last were off. Every single symptom I got was worse than normal, and lasted far longer than normal.
That last year was one I wouldn't want to relive ever again.
I almost considered the quick and easy recovery as a way to make up for it, but it was a lie. The strengths of a vampire was proportionate to the weaknesses of a vampire. Specifically the weakness to [light magic], which was everywhere.
Though I did manage to cheat those weaknesses, so the main ones weren't so bad anymore.
If only I had a way to deal with cold iron.
But as for that, I didn't even have a way to start coming up with any real counters, so aside from making an adamantium weapon to protect myself, it would have to be left aside until I could find some clues.
Pretty soon, the examination finished and I was allowed to cover myself up again.
Thankfully, that scary looking medical instrument didn't get involved.
”A week worth of recovery is it?”
”Yes, she has already reached that stage, Elder Elli.”
”In that case...”
Elli put an arm around my shoulder and helped me sit up.
”How about we go outside then?”
That sounded good. If I didn't need to be cooped up, it would be nice to go out. I was also eager to see how Alicia and Fate would react to the outdoors.
”In that case, we should hurry and put these on.”
”Oh yes, that is right. Here, Scarlet.”
”Huh? What's that?”
I got up onto my feet, my eyes ran across the two pieces of cloth the head midwife was holding. My head tilted to the side a bit as I had trouble figuring out what the purpose of those things were.
(She's not thinking of wrapping my babies in that, is she? I still want to feel their bare skin against me.)
”They're diapers. If we don't hurry, your babies will make a mess.”
”Dai...pers?”