Chapter 8
The Mother Impregnated with Love
(Part 2)
“Maria-san? Can you hear me?”
Plume shook the pregnant woman’s shoulders.
The pregnant woman had been untied and placed on an emergency mattress prepared by Chronoa. It seemed to have been brought from the exorcists’ carriage.
It appeared she had lost consciousness due to intense pain right after Ozma’s soul was dragged out. Thanks to Ozma’s disappearance and Riza’s healing, her life seemed to have been spared. However, part of her soul had been eaten by Ozma. She probably wouldn’t live very long.
Shaken by the shoulders, the pregnant woman groaned painfully and opened her eyes.
Although healing magic had been cast on her, it seemed intense pain still lingered in her body.
“Even though the situation has stabilized for now, the baby’s body is still in her womb. It will be a stillbirth, but she might need to give birth immediately in the carriage.”
At the word “stillbirth,” the pregnant woman gasped, and her face clouded over. She slowly stroked her own stomach, her lips trembling as she spoke.
“Lord Ozma…?”
“He’s gone. Ozma’s soul has been completely destroyed.”
When Plume stated this clearly, the pregnant woman’s face contorted, and she began shedding tears again, one after another. She seemed to be trying to suppress her sobs, but they wouldn’t stop, and her shoulders shook.
Unable to comfort her, the exorcists exchanged troubled looks.
“Maria-san, I… I’m sorry.”
The Master was the first to speak.
The pregnant woman slowly raised her head and glared at the Master with tear-filled eyes.
The Master flinched for a moment under her gaze but looked squarely at her face and spoke.
“I couldn’t accept or forgive… you carrying a child destined to die, not for love, but for a purpose.
But I also have a demon I love. So I don’t deny your feelings of love themselves. Honestly, if that were truly all there was to it, I might have even supported you. Precisely because I can understand the feeling of loving someone, even if they are a demon, I couldn’t just stand by and watch you be deceived and nearly killed.”
“Deceived!? Lord Ozma was trying to help me! There must be some mistake!!”
“No, I believe you were deceived from the very beginning.”
This time, the pregnant woman glared at me.
I was already angry, having been dragged into unnecessary trouble because of this woman. I had no desire to further indulge her blind faith.
That’s exactly why I declared, in strong terms, that she had been deceived.
After seeing Ozma’s soul dragged out by the Master, I realized a few things.
Ozma’s soul certainly possessed great power among the demons in this town. However, it was far from that of a demon who had lived for a thousand years.
Furthermore, if the exorcists’ story was true, he had been mimicking someone while on the verge of death for several weeks. His magical power recovery seemed too fast for that.
“Seeing Ozma devour your soul earlier confirmed it for me. Ozma has the ability to absorb the souls and magical power of others weaker than himself.
I think him ‘saving’ you was likely a coincidence. Since demons are generally stronger than humans, he was probably targeting other demons.”
Demons possess special abilities separate from regular magic; some powerful demons have unique powers.
For instance, Kizuna, a member of the Human Fan Club, has a hypnotic power in her bodily fluids. This is Kizuna’s inherent ability, one even I cannot replicate.
“And since he just happened to encounter a woman who just happened to develop feelings for him, any ordinary demon would take advantage of that. Bringing you here was partly because it’s a suitable hiding place, but more than that, he wanted to devour the mimicked demon to recover faster.
To Ozma, you were merely a means to transport his immobile body, a cradle to hide him, a convenient woman he could devour whenever you became a nuisance.”
“Shut up!! Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!!”
The pregnant woman screamed while clawing at her head. Even with healing magic applied, given her critical condition, where was such volume coming from?
I’ve heard too many of these shrill screams lately, and my head is starting to hurt.
“P-please, Maria-san, calm down…”
As the Master reached out to soothe her, the pregnant woman, with bloodshot eyes, violently slapped the Master’s hand away. A loud smack echoed; she must have hit with considerable force, as the Master gritted her teeth and rubbed the slapped hand.
This is extremely unpleasant. I barely managed to suppress the urge to lash out emotionally with rationality.
“Shut up, shut up!! It’s your fault!! If you had just taken Lord Ozma and me outside sooner!! You tried to trap us, toyed with my heart… It’s your fault this happened!! It’s all, all your fault!!”
“Eh… I didn’t mean to…”
“Hey Maria, I won’t permit any further remarks like that!”
Even though Scarlett yelled, the pregnant woman paid no heed.
Plume tried to gag her, but she shook her head and thrashed about, making it impossible.
“Shut up!! You people are no better than murderers… I wish you had all died instead!! All of you, you killers…!! …!!”
Mid-sentence, I activated my magic, trapping the pregnant woman in a barrier spell. It was a small barrier, just enough for one person, but powerful enough to block even air… and sound.
Startled by the sudden barrier, the pregnant woman’s face turned even redder. She screamed something, repeatedly pounding the inside of the barrier with her fists.
Nothing could be heard, and it wasn’t a barrier that could be broken by a human fist.
I had been avoiding using magic in front of the exorcists, but I couldn’t tolerate the series of insults hurled at the Master.
I considered using control magic to force her mouth shut and restrain her, but given her enraged state, she might exert too much force and snap her own body in half, so I reluctantly held back.
Honestly, if the exorcists and the Master weren’t here, I would have kicked her in the stomach and crushed her throat to silence her.
Glaring at the pregnant woman through the barrier, she began trembling as if frightened. She was still muttering something, but had quieted down considerably.
“You’re Akatsuki-san, Lady Dia’s companion, correct? Are you alright?”
Plume was speaking to the Master, who was hanging her head. The Master looked down, her face terribly dejected. Her reply, “I’m okay,” was very weak and frail, which only made my murderous intent towards the pregnant woman surge.
“Master, I’m sorry. It’s because I angered that woman that…”
“No, it’s not Dia’s fault. Even if Dia hadn’t said anything, I probably would have been told similar things eventually.”
She forced a smile in my direction, and I couldn’t say anything more in response.
The Master turned towards the exorcists and bowed deeply.
“I’m very sorry for all the trouble we’ve caused. Um… Please take care of Maria-san.”
“Not at all, it is we who should thank you. Thanks to you both, we were able to complete our mission. We offer our heartfelt gratitude.”
All the exorcists also bowed deeply to the Master.
I looked towards the pregnant woman; she was now crouched down, silent, so I released the barrier.
―――――――――
After that, the pregnant woman was bound with ropes again and carried away by the exorcists.
It seemed her labor pains had started. They would likely be busy from here on out.
Only Plume remained behind at the end, offering repeated thanks and apologies once more.
He then advised us to leave this town quickly before also returning to their carriage.
We were left alone, isolated in the town that had become quiet as if the earlier commotion had been a lie.
Despite such an uproar, none of the townspeople came out. Partly because this area was away from the residential district, but I think, given the problems this town faces, they deliberately stayed away to avoid getting involved.
Right now, I found it a relief, as I had no desire to interact with anyone else.
“…By the way, Akatsuki, did you find what you were looking for?”
“Yeah, probably.”
“That’s good. Then let’s leave this place quickly. If you’re tired, shall I fly us to the carriage?”
“Haha, that sounds romantic. But no, let’s walk together. …But, for just now, can you hold my hand?”
“Of course. If that is your wish.”
I gently grasped the hesitantly outstretched hand of the Master and smiled.
Seeing my smile, the Master also gave a small smile in return.
