The Garden

"Ah~ so peaceful~"

Ria was drinking some tea under a gazebo built in a garden.

Out of her usual character, she wore a dress. Because she liked her beautiful self, she didn't particularly hate dresses. The problem was just that men approached her when she wore dresses.

As something else unusual, Carla was wearing also wearing a dress—a white one—and was joining her in the tea party.

The dress suited her, too. It complemented her dignified nature, but her womanly points were emphasized when she wore dresses. It could be called a beauty that was befitting for a saintess.

In addition to those two, Shizuna, Fio, and Guinevere were also wearing dresses. It was a noble's tea party.

Although Guinevere was the only one there who wasn't Ria's bride, her relation to her would probably be as a sister through marriage soon enough.

Guinevere's son was also Ria's adopted son.

Immediately after Shizuna returned from Jaeburg, she participated in this tea party.

It appeared as though she told her parents a great many things, but Vargas gave his consent.

After that, Ria finished Cornada's processing with Carla, returning to Manesh in a carriage.

Although Ria was worried about Carla's mental state, since Matsukaze was sulking from her using a carriage and not him, she was the only one to return on horseback.

Carla was fully energized by the time they had returned to the capital… and so began document hell.

During her absence of just half a month, things that should have been dealt with had somehow piled up to about a full month's amount.

Because of that, it was only a month later that she had some free time.

When she thought about talking about her conversation with the demon king Guinevere, unusually, Carla proposed that they have a tea party.

"Doing this every so often is good. Right here, relaxing under the sun."

Everyone agreed with Ria's leisurely remark. Basically, everyone other than Shizuna had a mountain of work to deal with.

By the way, in terms of interpersonal relationships, Guinevere was the one to laugh while being feared. Carla was the one to be liked by anyone. Ria was the husband, while there would be some discord between Fio and Shizuna.

However, today, those two didn't have any problems.

"How is the taste?"

Carla had served some scones, but hadn't had any herself. It's not as though she'd poisoned them, though.

"They're delicious. Did you make them, Carla-sama?"

Her mouth stuffed full, Shizuna asked. It was a bit shameless, but it wasn't something that needed to pay too much attention to as Guinevere was doing the same thing.

"No, I asked for a cook from the palace to make them. It would have been somewhat inconvenient."

It wasn't that Carla was particularly unskilled in cooking. Ria had seen her cooking for herself in the dead of night before. It was just that she simply didn't have the time.

"So, everyone, are your stomachs filled?"

Everyone nodded. Then, with an serious expression that matched her beauty—

"Let's all have a chat."

She was sitting straight up, looking each and every one of them in the eye.

Ria and the others instinctively straightened their backs as well.

"Originally, this is probably something that should be told to Ria alone first, but we are something like sisters, so…"

(Huh? This preface—)

"Therefore, I'll say it here."

For some reason, this felt like a breakup from a girl in Ria's previous life.

Resolutely, Carla opened her mouth to speak.

"I am carrying a child."

"Heh?"

"Huh?"

"Eh?"

"Who is?"

That last person to speak was Guinevere. However, like the others, her understanding hadn't quite caught up.

"U—… umm… Who is?"

"I am. I am pregnant."

At that moment, Shizuna bolted onto her feet at a tremendous speed, knocking her cup over.

"I-I misjudged you!"

No one realized that it was a misunderstanding.

"C-Carla-sama and Ria… I thought that no one would get between you!"

She turned around and dashed away, her dress fluttering from the wind. They tried to stop her, but no one's head was functioning at that point in time.

"… I'll talk with her later."

"Alright… So, who's child is it? Rather, wasn't your body incapable of having a child?"

Right. Carla had told Guinevere that doctors and mages all said that she wouldn't be able to have one.

"W-well, about that…"

Ria raised her hand slowly and in a jerking manner, like a rusted machine.

"I think I can explain."

Fio and Guinevere looking at her, Ria began explaining.

That she also had a body that couldn't bear children—

That she heard from Dark Dragon Valis that it both sides wished for it strongly enough, they would be able to have a child—

"After Carla went through such a terrible experience, my feelings swole to an amazing degree… then, um, a man's thing came out? Then, after that…"

Fio realized what she meant and flushed a deep crimson, but the mother that had already given birth reacted differently.

"Heeh? So are you still like that now?"

Guinevere, far from being surprised, was very interested in the details.

"No, I'm back to having a woman's body now. Without considerably elevated emotions, it's probably no good."

"U-umm!"

Fio called out in a desperate voice.

"So… in other words… the father of Carla-san's child… is Ria-sama?"

"Yeah."

Ria let out a long sigh.

She never thought that she'd become a father with a woman's body.

However, she was happy.

"Shouldn't she rest for a while? Vigorous exercise is forbidden."

"Umm… can I give it birth?"

Carla's question was unexpected for Ria.

"Of course, naturally, I want you to give birth. She's mine and Carla's daughter. She'd definitely be a stunning beauty."

"It's decided to be a daughter…"

"Yeah, if she inherits my Dragon's Bloodline, she'll naturally be a girl."

When she explained that all dragons are fundamentally female, they were once again surprised.

"Even so, Carla is a mother now, huh…"

Guinevere grinned with a smirk, but her eyes were somewhat gentle.

"From now own, it's not just your body. Don't overwork yourself."

"… It's not just mine…"

It was a saying that she had heard often enough before, but when she thought that it was happening to her body, she felt strange.

"Certainly, I can't overwork myself."

Carla spoke, feeling her abdomen as though to caress it.

"Umm… is it alright?"

Fio, who had kept relatively silent so far, looked at Ria with eyes filled with a sense of purpose.

"W-what?"

Ria felt overawed; was this gaze from Fio some sort of Gift?

"I will be Ria-sama's third wife, right?"

It was a promise. Fio herself told Ria that she didn't mind even if she was a woman.

However, now that this had happened, the story was different.

"Fio, if you've changed your mind—"

"No! That's not it!"

Instead, Fio, clenching her hands together at her chest, wore an intensely hopeful expression.

"If it was possible with Carla-sama, maybe I could bear Ria-sama's child as well!?"

That was… maybe?

Founder Leyte Anaia did give birth to Valis' child. Speaking about casual relationships, it should be possible with Fio as well.

However, Ria still didn't know how she changed that one part into a man's. It wouldn't have been strange if it happened when she slept with Shizuna.

"I don't know how, but it's worth a shot."

"Ah… umm… before trying, give me a while to prepare my mind…"

Fio once again blushed up to her ears, enough that even Carla patted her head, not to mention Ria. She certainly was among Ria's three wives, but she was the youngest.

"I'll be going to Shizuna, then."

"Are you sure? Right now, that child might just reject you…"

Although it was a simple misunderstanding, Shizuna was considerably angry. Perhaps Ria would be better for this? Or maybe the relatively unrelated Guinevere?

"No, I'm going to be her older sister, so I'll do it myself. It would most likely complicate things if Ria was there as well."

Even at times like this, Carla was Carla.

Even wearing a dress, Carla's back was both dashing and beautiful.

Such a beautiful woman was something that was just Ria's. She had to cherish it.

"Your face is loose."

(Oops.)

"Guinevere, there is something that I wanted to talk to you about, but…"

Receiving everyone's stares, Fio left temporarily excused herself. She took the empty plates and teapot as well.

"Well, I think it's something that you probably noticed though…"

And so Ria talked about what she had been thinking about herself.

The most important thing among it all was that the Demon King was probably Shinji's father.

Even though she said that, according to what Valis said, the Demon King should have originally been a hero.

"I never thought he was a normal person, but the Demon King…"

After hearing everything Ria had to say, Guinevere could only let out a long sigh.

"He was the boss of that 'thing' that made Carla suffer, but I don't think that he was much of a bad person."

It was due to Rei and Asuka's attitudes, as well as when Ria fought Ordo.

Thinking about it, that person could very likely have killed every human in the area other than Ria.

Despite the fact that the Millennium was something where humans fought against the demon tribe, he was trying to nurture humanity.

"If Serge were here, he might have come up with something else."

Serge wasn't there anymore.

It wasn't like he died or anything.

In order to enter the magic academy, he departed from Manesh.

"Well, what he can do it raise humanity's fighting potential. Could you help with the golem corps plan?"

"Yeah, I have no problem with that."

However, Ria's intention would be betrayed.

Because a few days later, a notice of the furnace's completion would arrive from the dwarf village.