Chapter 200: Back Home

Nia was pregnant.

Standing on the green plains, those words echoed through Lily's mind once again.

When she became pregnant with Rose, Lily had felt immense joy. A little child was growing and developing inside her womb, simply waiting for the right moment to come into the world.

The warmth of that happiness was still etched into her mind, along with all the apprehension that had sent shivers down her spine. Because of that, Lily had imagined that if something like this ever happened again, she would be ready. However, watching her wife rub a hand against her belly, Lily couldn't have been more wrong.

She was terrified. There was no point in trying to deny it. A mixture of emotions, similar yet completely different from what she had felt when she herself was pregnant, began to surface in her mind.

What should she do? How should she act?

For a moment, she wondered if this was what Nia had felt back then. Her beloved wife had been just as afraid as she was now, yet she had done her best to support Lily throughout the entire process.

Clenching her fist, Lily once again pushed down her unease, deciding to stay strong so she could support her beloved.

“To have succeeded on the very first try, that intense lovemaking session certainly paid off. You're truly amazing, Rival.” Standing beside Lily, Selene commented with a teasing smile.

“That's the third time you've said that.” Lily furrowed her brows. “Say it again and I'll kick your ass.”

Sighing as she looked at the rabbit girl, Lily noticed the large bag she was carrying on her back.

It seemed Selene had managed to obtain a communication artifact that would allow her to contact Mioculca directly. Even if it was broken, the image-capturing artifact would certainly be revolutionary. If Selene offered her assistance while the project was still in its early stages, she would undoubtedly make a considerable profit in the future.

“Nia, are you okay? Do you need anything?” Turning her attention back to her beloved wife, Lily watched Nia shake her head while rubbing her cheek against her arm.

“Hehe~ I'm fine.” Hidden beneath her black cloak, Nia wore a wide smile.

She had imagined that, although difficult, becoming pregnant wouldn't be impossible. However, having it happen on the very first try filled the metamorph with joy.

Beside Nia, also tucked beneath her cloak, Rose rubbed her head against her mother's stomach. Somehow, their daughter had been the first to notice. Lily had heard that older siblings could tell when their mothers were pregnant, but she hadn't imagined it was actually true.

“We're ready to go.”

The voice belonged to a beautiful elf with golden hair and emerald eyes.

Walking gracefully with her daughter in her arms, Thelira instructed the members of the Fang Clan accompanying her to place their backpacks onto Nia's purple tentacles.

Even though they had tried to extend the council for a few more days, Tiamat's rest period had finally become unavoidable. With Nia's portals, Tiamat's older brother's remains had been safely recovered, and a proper burial needed to be arranged. Furthermore, with Bahamut having returned to her clan's base without informing anyone, there was no one left who could actively represent the dragons. Thus, the council was concluded earlier this time.

“I can understand the souvenirs, but Thelira... why are we bringing so much alcohol?”

Unlike their journey there, the return trip would be made through Nia's portals. As such, the amount of luggage wasn't a problem. However, seeing the numerous liquor barrels, each as tall as she was, being handed over to the tentacles, Lily couldn't help but feel shocked.

“Lady Tiamat found out how much I enjoyed this liquor, so she decided to give us some as a gift.”

The golden-haired elf had a cheerful expression on her flushed face. Her emerald eyes, with crescent-shaped pupils, sparkled with excitement.

“Please don't ask any questions.” Placing one hand on Lily's shoulder, Selene shook her head.

The silver-haired girl had no idea what had happened, but seeing the vacant expression on Selene's face, she decided it was better not to ask.

The rabbit girl went to help the dragons sort out the luggage, leaving Lily to turn her attention to another conversation.

“Annona.”

A short distance from the group, Thelira turned toward the woman waiting nervously behind one of the barrels.

“Ah!? Y-Yes!?”

Between a confused stammer and a shrill squeal, a beautiful woman in a golden dress looked as though she had turned pale. The dark circles beneath her honey-colored eyes and her disheveled dark orange hair showed that she was in a state of anxiety she wasn't accustomed to. Her bee antennae and translucent wings trembled visibly as she emerged from behind the liquor barrel and stepped into the open.

Watching the Princess of the Golden Hive in such a frightened state, even Thelira, composed as she was, couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh.

Still holding her daughter in her arms, Thelira reached into a small pouch at her waist and took out an object.

“Here is your share, in recognition of your contribution.”

The golden, elaborately decorated fan would have looked like nothing more than an expensive trinket to anyone else. However, without the slightest hesitation, the princess grabbed it with both hands and fervently rubbed it against her cheek.

“My fan!”

If she could, tears would already be streaming down Annona's face. However, she seemed so mentally exhausted that even that was beyond her at the moment.

“Keep your voice down. We wouldn't want anyone finding out, would we?” Thelira spoke in a gentle whisper, but the smile on her face never reached her eyes.

Understanding what the high elf meant, Annona felt her stomach turn cold. Her eyes didn't want to look at the two girls in front of her. And yet, as if drawn toward them, two pairs of crescent-shaped pupils seemed to stare straight into the depths of her soul.

“My wife prepared an exact replica of the one that was destroyed during your little rampage. The same spells you usually use have been engraved on it. That way, even when you return to the Golden Hive, no one will suspect that anything happened during your trip.”

Her mind told her that this couldn't be real, but the coldness in the gazes of the mother and daughter was so intense that her legs began to tremble.

“Remember our agreement. If you say anything, no matter how insignificant, that could reveal Rhei's connection to the elves, then every conflict, every act of destruction, and every death that results from it will be your fault.”

“I understand! I won't say anything! I swear!” Bending forward as she spoke with energy and determination, Annona made her promise as though her life depended on it.

“I'm glad you understand.”

Not wishing to spend another second with that woman, Thelira turned around and began walking away cheerfully.

“Is that woman really going to make it through the forest and back home?” Lily murmured, watching Annona stagger away so unsteadily that even a gentle breeze might knock her over.

“Young lady, could I speak with you for a moment?”

The voice came from someone Lily knew. Standing at roughly half her height, an old dwarf was cheerfully stroking his beard.

“Elder Ipomoea, isn't it? Is there something I can help you with?”

“Although I don't know your position regarding the current events in the human kingdom and its government, I'd like to share some confidential information that my country's intelligence service has gathered over the past few years.”

“You really want to share that kind of classified information with me?” Lily tilted her head, confused.

Seeing the girl's reaction, Ipomoea shook his head.

“Hoho! Actually, this isn't a free exchange. Your elven companion made a deal with me in exchange for this information.” Glancing at Thelira as she inspected the drinks she had received from Tiamat, the dwarf chuckled softly. “I was going to tell her directly, but she asked me to speak with you personally first.”

“Thelira did that?”

Although Lily wanted to say it wasn't necessary, she could understand what the elf had in mind.

If Thelira simply passed along the information she had heard afterward, Lily might suspect that she had withheld any details that wouldn't be advantageous for the elven royal family to share with her.

Although they were helping her, Lily wasn't loyal to the elves. Considering her own power and Nia's, it wouldn't be unreasonable for them to do everything in their power to ensure that Lily had no desire to form an unconditional alliance with the human kingdom. By giving her the information first, Thelira could ensure that Lily knew nothing had been omitted or distorted, demonstrating her goodwill. Imagining this, Lily couldn't help but chuckle softly.

In the end, there was no downside to listening to the dwarf, so Lily nodded for him to continue.

“According to my information, the small-scale uprisings against the current government taking place in rural villages are still being suppressed by the royal army, the Order of Knights, which serves the King of Anthus. Even so, it shouldn't take more than a few years for these preventive measures to reach their limit and for a full-scale civil war to break out.”

Lily swallowed nervously.

A civil war.

Although she could imagine how things might unfold, not even Lily could say for certain what would happen across the continent if a large-scale conflict involving both the population and the army were to erupt.

“This kind of widespread unrest hasn't occurred since the unification carried out by the first king. Due to the circumstances surrounding the distribution of power in Anthus, it seems unlikely that any noble family would attempt a coup. As a result, everyone's attention, both the nobility's and the commoners', is focused on the war of succession.”

When he mentioned unification, Lily remembered something Abelia had told her in the past. Before Anthus came under a single ruler, the various families with considerable military power had been enemies of one another. However, after killing the Demon King alongside the other heroes, the human hero had declared himself the supreme ruler and forced all the other families to obey him.

“The First Prince tried to secretly purchase various weapons from my blacksmiths, but I flatly refused.” Ipomoea crossed his arms. “I'm not entirely sure, but it wasn't a request for a mere division of soldiers under his command. It was enough to arm a large army.”

“Why didn't you sell them? Wouldn't helping him put the dwarves in his debt?” Lily asked.

“I don't like him,” Ipomoea replied bluntly. “I have a feeling trouble will come if he wins, but I won't support the other princes either. Honestly, we're distancing ourselves from this whole mess. Something about all of this doesn't sit right with me.”

Shrugging, Ipomoea smiled and turned around.

“Do whatever you want with this information, young lady.”

Waving his hand as though his job were done, the old dwarf began walking away.

“Traveling through portals was such an interesting experience that I got carried away and relaxed quite a bit. Now I'm just venting to myself because I'll have to get back to work and deal with our orders.”

However, as he walked away, his voice grew louder. He was speaking to no one in particular.

“That human noble family, Stevia... why on earth do they want so much coal? That's something worth keeping an eye on.”

Coal?

That was the last thing Lily heard Ipomoea say before he walked away and headed toward Thelira.

He certainly wanted to give her a hint about something, but Lily didn't have enough information to understand what it was about. Deciding to keep it in mind for later, she turned her attention to the last two people who had come to bid them farewell.

“Please come visit us again soon. All three of you, all right?”

“My Suzerain, I will contact you with a report whenever necessary, as you instructed.”

With completely different attitudes and expressions, Ignis and Tiamat waved goodbye.

They had only spent a short time in Athamas, but the relationships they had managed to build couldn't have been more incredible.

Waving her hand in farewell, Lily asked Nia to create a portal.

On the green plains, a majestic portal resembling a starry sky appeared, and everyone stepped through it. In an instant, the interior of a luxurious palace came into view.

“Welcome back.”

Standing there cordially, a beautiful woman in a fine suit was waiting for them.

“I'm home, my love.” Tilting her head and smiling, Thelira spoke to the woman standing before her.

“Mom...” The little girl in the golden dress murmured softly as she looked up at the tall woman.

“Come here, Cherry.” Smiling and opening her arms, the woman in the fine suit gently took her daughter into her embrace.

Thelira likewise walked over to her wife and hugged her.

“Hello, Rhei.” Watching the mother and daughter with bee antennae embrace affectionately while Thelira gave them both a gentle kiss, Lily couldn't help but smile.

Traveling to the dragon kingdom had certainly been complicated. So much had happened, and so much blood and sweat had been shed. Even so, turning toward her own family, Lily couldn't have felt more relieved to finally be home.

“Hehe~”

Feeling her wife's gaze, Nia entwined herself more tightly around her arm, rubbing her cheek against it. Seeing her metamorph mother do this, Rose expertly imitated the gesture.

“You two are so adorable.” Caressing her wife's purple hair and then her daughter's silver hair, Lily was preparing for another round of hugs when she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder.

“Sorry to ask this as soon as we've returned, but can I go home now?”

The one who spoke in an exhausted tone was a girl with twin tails and rabbit ears.

Called in at the last minute for an extremely complex mission, Selene had performed her role as a bodyguard impeccably.

Even though Nia and Akasha had been on guard the entire time, there was always the possibility of some unknown element infiltrating their group. Because of that, Selene had stayed by Thelira and Cherry's side day and night to ensure their safety, and hadn't had a proper night's sleep in days.

Besides, although she had also done her best to remain calm, Selene was anxious about her pregnant wives waiting for her at home.

“Thank you very much for your help, Lady Selene.” Thelira approached the rabbit girl and bowed respectfully. “I'll send a generous payment in gold to your academy soon in recognition of your assistance.”

Beneath the soft light of the palace chandeliers, another woman approached the rabbit girl.

“I would also like to thank you, Lady Selene.” Standing beside her wife, Rhei spoke in an amused tone, although her expression remained unchanged. “As promised, I'm preparing a tool with engraved spells for you. Since your style of magic is unique, it will take me a little longer, but I promise it will be worth the wait.”

“T-Thank you.” Unable to suppress her stammer due to exhaustion, Selene spoke with slight embarrassment. “I was only doing my job. I'm just glad everything worked out.”

Chuckling softly at the sight of the embarrassed rabbit girl, Lily turned toward her wife.

“Nia, could you open a portal to Selene's home?”

“Of course.”

In the very next instant, a portal resembling a starry sky took shape. Nia carefully separated Selene's luggage from the bags carried by her tentacles and sent it through to her. Then, after saying goodbye to everyone, Selene stepped through the portal while yawning.

Making a mental note to thank Selene for her help in some other way later, Lily turned toward Rhei, finally remembering something.

“By the way, where is Elarielle?”

Silence followed.

Noticing the change in atmosphere caused by the bee woman's lack of response, the silver-haired girl couldn't help but feel uneasy.

The thought that something might have happened began to surface in Lily's mind, but before she could ask, Rhei pointed her palm toward one of the private offices.

“My king... she's just a little overwhelmed. So I ask that you be lenient with her.”

“…Alright.”

Nodding, though still uncertain, Lily walked alongside Nia and Rose toward the room Rhei had indicated.

Because of everything that had happened to the elven royal family and the High Elves during the war, even after providing rooms for numerous guards and staff members, there were still an astonishing number of rooms available. As a result, the top floor of the elven royal palace was essentially reserved for the queen's private quarters.

In the past, due to her enormous workload, Elarielle barely had any time to actually spend in the palace. However, after Thelira and Rhei took over a large portion of those responsibilities, she suddenly had so much free time that she began using these rooms more often.

One of the consequences of that was what Lily felt under her foot.

Research papers and empty glass vials were scattered throughout the hallway. From window sills to the tops of flowerpots, there was visible evidence that Elarielle had been leaving pieces of her research behind wherever she went.

Since it was impossible to distinguish valuable items from trash, none of the maids dared to clean the floor, resulting in a massive accumulation of clutter.

“Elarielle? Are you in there?” After knocking several times without receiving an answer, Lily decided to enter. “It's us. We're coming in.”

If it weren't for her ability to see in the dark thanks to Nia, Lily would barely have been able to make out anything inside the room.

As expected of a royal castle, the office was large enough to accommodate dozens of people at once. However, it was dark enough to be mistaken for a cave.

Various alchemical equipment, papers, and empty food plates were piled up and scattered across the floor.

And finally, at the center of that messy room, sitting in a chair, was a woman who stood out in any environment.

Without her dress or armor, the beautiful elf wore a sleeveless green sweater beneath a white lab coat. With her elbows resting on the desk, the woman buried her forehead in her hands.

“I can't say I expected this outcome.”

Looking over the report Thelira had sent beforehand, Elarielle spoke as her eyelid twitched.

“How do you go on a political mission as an escort and end up becoming part of the government of the country you visited!? This is strange! Completely strange!”

Pounding her fist against the desk several times, the woman spoke with such energy that the golden crown on her head shook.

“Some dragons have already started contacting us through the artifacts to discuss the trade materials we'll be selling and buying. So I can no longer keep the information about the meeting under wraps.”

Elarielle held both sides of her head with her hands.

“How am I supposed to explain this to the elders and noble families? They're already demanding reports about what happened, especially since the discounts and concessions Thelira obtained at the meeting were astronomical. I managed to come up with an explanation for why we killed General Fafnir, but everything has gotten out of control!”

The High Elf seemed on the verge of madness as she spoke, but before she could continue shouting, a powerful beam of light flooded the room.

“Sis, first of all, open the windows! Is this any way for a queen to live!?” Pulling the curtains aside mercilessly to brighten the room, Thelira declared irritably.

Feeling the sunlight hit her retinas for the first time in several days, Elarielle growled like a startled cat.

“Don't open those curtains, Thelira! It's already past noon! It's the middle of the night!” the queen huffed.

“You've turned day and night upside down!?” Thelira huffed, approaching her sister. “Look at those dark circles! When was the last time you got a proper night's sleep?”

“It's not my fault, Thelira! I worked for three days without sleeping to finish Tiamat's medicine, and then, when I finally get the chance to rest, I find out about all this!”

Before Elarielle could say anything else, Thelira grabbed her face. Using her fingers like pincers, she pulled her sister's cheeks in opposite directions.

“Go to sleep, and when you wake up, clean up the mess you've made in the rooms on this floor.”

Playfully tugging and squeezing her sister's cheeks, Thelira kept teasing her until Elarielle finally nodded in agreement.

Watching the two sisters behave this way, Lily shifted her gaze to the pile of documents the elven queen was still working through. Having to deal with both the positive and negative consequences of the council, it was hardly surprising that Elarielle was so stressed.

“I'm really not interested in getting involved in politics, so don't worry. I won't do anything that makes things difficult for you.” Taking a step forward, Lily spoke.

That wasn't a lie.

Although she intended to use her position to benefit her family, she wouldn't do anything that would cause trouble for either the dragons or the elves.

“Don't worry, Sis. We can always make up a cover story and go along with it.” Nodding toward Lily, Thelira spoke. “Besides, no one other than a few trusted individuals and us knows that Lady Lily and Lady Gardenia live in the forest. Even if they find out and protest, I'll make sure they don't do anything about it.”

The frightening smile that formed on Thelira's face was terrifying enough that neither Elarielle nor Lily dared to ask for further details.

“Alright, I'll leave it to you...” Elarielle murmured, gently rubbing her cheeks before giving a light cough. “Well, first of all, I'm sorry. I should have congratulated you and thanked you for the outcome of the council meeting.”

“Don't worry about that. Actually, seeing your irritated side after everything that's happened helps bring things back to normal.”

Shaking her head as though it didn't bother her, Lily watched Elarielle slump over her desk with a heavy sigh.

“I feel like I don't need to say this, but I'll say it anyway. By becoming one of the dragon clan leaders, your life and wishes have become precious to the members of your clan. They probably won't do anything to interfere with your battles, business dealings, or whatever else you decide to do. However, if they feel your life is threatened by something they don't consider worthy of such a response, like a kidnapping, they won't hesitate to lay waste to an entire kingdom to save you.”

What Elarielle was trying to tell her was to be careful with her choices and plans.

In the past, Lily had already agreed to be imprisoned in order to enter the elven kingdom. Although she had everything under control, if she were to carry out such a plan today and Ignis and the other members of the Wing Clan found out, they would launch an attack on the forest to rescue her.

“I'll never let anything happen to Lily!” Puffing out her cheeks, Nia hugged her wife even tighter. At the same time, several tentacles, both those hidden beneath the girl's black dress and those extending from her back, began to wrap around her body.

“Please, make sure you don't. The last thing we need is an army of furious dragons invading another country to avenge their leader.”

Narrowing her eyes at Nia, Elarielle's expression became extremely irritated.

“By the way, don't think I've forgotten that you and Bahamut started fighting on top of the World Tree. The collision between your mana caused shockwaves so powerful that they damaged several houses throughout the city. Do you have any idea how much panic that caused?”

“It wasn't my fault.” Nia narrowed her crimson eyes. “And I got her out of the city as quickly as I could.”

If left to their own devices, the two girls would have continued arguing. However, before they could say anything else, a little girl climbed onto Elarielle's lap.

“Rose's mother helped us, so don't be mean to her, Auntie...” Protesting, a little girl with bee antennae delivered several tiny punches to Elarielle's chest.

“C-Cherry, why are you taking her side?”

The impacts were as soft as cotton and wouldn't have hurt even if Elarielle had drained every bit of mana from her body. Even so, each blow from her niece made her body tremble.

“Rose's mother protected all of us... Besides, she's pregnant.”

“P-Pregnant!?”

Shouting, the queen turned her gaze toward Nia, who was gently caressing her lower belly with a smile on her face.

“Is that really true?” Elarielle considered it a miracle that she hadn't stuttered again.

“It is.” Cherry spoke with determination, despite her flushed face. “So Auntie has to make an effort to ensure the delivery goes well, right?”

Seeing her adorable niece looking at her with such bright eyes, Elarielle couldn't help but hug her.

“Cherry, do you want to start learning the family's healing magic?”

“Not a chance.” Forming her hand into the shape of a sword, Thelira smacked her sister on the head. “Sis, we agreed that she'd learn more about defensive barriers from Rhei first. She's very good at those.”

“But healing magic is also extremely important for defending yourself!” Elarielle protested, still holding Cherry tightly against her chest. “Cherry already has much more mana than we did at her age! She's definitely a genius! With proper training, she could surpass me in the family's magic.”

“You're just excited to teach her decomposition magic right away now that you've realized she'll be able to learn it.” Pouting, Thelira leaned closer to her sister's pointed ears. “Take her violent tendencies into account.”

Hearing her sister's words, Elarielle couldn't help but grimace.

Letting out a sigh as though admitting defeat, she turned her gaze toward Lily.

“Well, congratulations to both of you on the pregnancy.” Nodding respectfully to the two women, Elarielle cleared her throat, and her expression turned serious. “Since the Paper Eater revealed herself at the meeting, despite my telling you to keep her hidden, I need to ask. How many people know she's a metamorph now?”

“From what we've been able to determine, only Bahamut and her child know for certain.” Lily spoke, bringing a hand to her chin. “Tiamat suspects she's something similar to a monster, but made it clear that she won't investigate any further.”

Hearing Lily's words, Elarielle straightened in her chair. As she stroked Cherry's golden hair, she seemed to be thinking deeply.

“Based on what I know of Tiamat's personality, she probably doesn't care what or who the Paper Eater is. As long as she isn't acting against her as an enemy, I don't think she'll do anything. So we don't need to worry about her.”

At the end of her words, the elven queen furrowed her brow.

“On the other hand, that brute is the problem. Since Bahamut almost never leaves the Scales Clan's headquarters, I was absolutely certain she wouldn't attend the meeting. Giving Fafnir that book to read and doing nothing when we were accused of poisoning... She's nothing but trouble.”

“Sis, do you think Lady Bahamut intends to do something about Lady Gardenia being a metamorph?” Seeing her sister's irritated state, Thelira asked worriedly.

“I can't say for certain.” Elarielle replied. “Although Bahamut seems like an idiot who does everything recklessly and without thinking, I've never seen her go to the trouble of doing anything without a reason. There must be some motive behind her decision to train that girl instead of killing her.”

“Perhaps not everyone is as hot-headed as you, Elarielle.” Lily teased.

“I already apologized for what happened back then!” Elarielle shouted, her face turning a deep shade of red.

Letting out a soft laugh as she watched her sister and Lily talking, Thelira tucked a strand of her golden hair behind her ear before speaking again.

“Regardless, it wasn't the outcome we expected, but I think we achieved our goals. We obtained several political concessions and financial compensations from the dragons for what happened, and everyone made it back alive and safe.”

“Yes, we got the volume of the Book of Truth for Nia. Besides, none of our existing agreements were broken, right?” Lily agreed, embracing the purple-haired girl who had begun rubbing herself against her.

Many battles had been fought, and many problems had been overcome. Even so, there was no denying that the outcome was a victory.

“Still, I can hardly believe that this girl actually managed to deal a fatal blow to Bahamut, even if only once.” Resting a hand on her chin, Elarielle remarked.

“Unlike a useless hero who can't even hurt her, I think I did quite well.” Nia spoke, the sarcasm evident in her voice.

“What did you say, Paper Eater? I don't think I heard you correctly.” Elarielle said, her emerald eyelid twitching.

“Useless hero.”

Placing Cherry in her sister's arms and kicking a huge pile of papers on the floor, Elarielle sent a massive wooden axe flying out from beneath the carpet, and it landed perfectly in her hands.

“Let's go outside and settle this.”

“Hehehe~ With my new magic, I'll finish you off in five seconds.”

“Five? I'll finish you in four!”

Watching her wife and friend happily bickering, Lily couldn't help but smile as she realized they really were home again.