When a child is born, no man can be present. A woman is in charge of all matters related to the birth of a child.


    Therefore, I was doing my government work, praying for good news soon. In a way, it was good that I had political work to do. I don''t have to be anxious any longer than I have to be.


    In fact, I was more concerned about whether the mother was healthy than whether the child would be born safely.


    It was late in the evening. Serafina''s handmaiden came running into the government office.


    She said, "The baby is born!　It''s a boy!"


    "Well!　Is the mother''s body all right?


    "Yes,...... you look tired, ma''am, but it is within the normal range of what is expected during childbirth. You are able to carry the child by yourself.


    "Then all is well!"


    I got up from my desk.


    "Well, ...... your wife is tired right now, and I was wondering if you could wait a little longer ......?　When a child has just been born, his or her health can change suddenly. ......"


    "Mh...... I see. ....... Okay. You make the best of it."


    It seems I got a little overexcited and the maid of honor flinched a little. I guess she thought it would be a big problem if an unfamiliar man dropped the baby.


    "It''s true that I have a lot of work to do. I''ll check on you later. Let me know when Serafina is ready."


    Then I met Serafina again.


    She was asleep in bed, but she was certainly not pale.


    "Master, I did my best.


    "Ah, now you don''t have to worry about your successor."


    I shook Serafina''s hand.


    "I don''t know if I can be your successor yet.


    Serafina is a realist there.


    "The master will become even greater. I don''t know if she will be good enough to succeed him. Maybe, for example, Raviara''s children will be smarter than hers.


    "I thought mothers wanted their children to be heirs."


    I want to be the wife of a hero first. I don''t want the country to fall into the wrong hands with the wrong successor.


    "I''m happy to have a wife as smart as you."


    I''ve held a child in my arms.


    "It''s hard to tell if you''re a man or a woman, isn''t it?"


    "That''s the way it is."


    They laughed at me.


    For a while, the mood in the territory was one of celebration.


    People from all walks of life came to greet me, and as usual, it was a lot of work to deal with them.


    However, I still had one more thing on my mind.


    Two months after Serafina, Laviara''s baby was about to be born. I had heard that half-elves spend more time in the mother''s body than normal humans, so it was not surprising that the schedule was not as tight as it should have been...


    "Apparently, you have a breech baby and are having a little trouble ......."


    I couldn''t stand still when the maid of honor said such a thing to me.


    "Is Raviara all right?　How are you doing?"


    "We will surely help you, even if it''s just you, Raviara. ......"


    Out of the blue I went to the temple under the castle of Maust and prayed to God.


    Please let everything go smoothly.


    A man can only pray at a time like this.


    --You have this pious side too.


    Shut up! Your profession!


    --The High King had times when he wanted to pray to God and Buddha. But in the end, God and Buddha are nothing more than objects to which we turn. In the end, we human beings have to make our own way. However, we can only pray for the health of mother and child. Pray to your heart''s content. I, the High King, will pray for you too.


    I never thought I would be encouraged by my profession.


    I wonder how the priests will react when I tell them this.


    The priest by my side is Ernata who once gave me the vocation of Odanobunaga. He came to the land of Maust with me as a result of my promotion. From his point of view, it was the god who gave me my vocation, not himself, but I like to be auspicious in such matters.


    While I was praying in front of the statue, someone lined up next to it.


    I thought it was very impolite of him to stand next to the Count, but I soon realized that I was mistaken.


    "Serafina, I wasn''t told you were coming. ......"


    "No, I didn''t. But I am a saint by profession. Don''t you think I should be here?"


    Serafina knelt down and began to pray earnestly.


    The words to God were spun from an ancient language. It shows the professional education and high culture of Serafina.


    Once again, I was struck by the integrity of Serafina.


    Serafina was a proud person, but she had always put in a lot of effort to match her pride.


    Eventually, Serafina''s words came to an end. Finally, she bowed her head to the statue.


    "I want to be a goddess, a guardian goddess close to my master.


    I''m really glad you''re my wife. If this weren''t a temple, I''d want to hug you right now.


    It seems that the saint''s prayers were heard.


    Returning to the castle of Maust, the birth report of Laviala was delivered by the maid of honor.


    A baby girl has been born!


    "Is Raviara all right?"


    Raviara was my only living relative, having lost her parents when she was very young.


    The maid of honor said with a broken face.


    "Yes, you have been very patient, Raviara-sama!


    I was so relieved.


    "Maybe I was more worried than the battle.


    I announced that I would be lowering taxes in the territory next year. I wanted to keep the people of Nagouri in line, and the timing was right.


    When I met Laviala later, we hugged each other in tears.


    "Thank you for giving birth to my child," she said.


    "Raviara is really happy to have a child by Master Arsrod too. ......"


    ●


    And about the time I became the father of two children, there was a major political upheaval.


    The royal Hasse was identified and came to my castle in Maust.