"What the heck?" Hiro yelped as a foot kicked near his most precious ball—the core. He rustled, trying to wrap his core with his tentacles as a defensive measure.
He was confused. How was there a baby here? Hiro had forgotten that a womb was indeed used for babies. No, that was beside the point. The real question was how a baby got into Elizabeth's womb in the first place. Elizabeth had only done it with him, and as far as he knew, his tentacles couldn't make anyone pregnant.
"Hiro? What's the matter?" Rebecca turned toward where Hiro's tentacles were pointing—Elizabeth's stomach.
"Is something wrong?" Cecile asked.
"I have been feeling nauseous lately. I thought it was because of what Hiro did to me, but I think it's different," Elizabeth admitted as Hiro busily transferred nutrients from another girl to Elizabeth. The blood she drank had exhausted his nutrient supply.
Hiro figured out that using blood was less efficient for transferring nutrients. It was more like play than anything else. His autophagy could share nutrients more directly and efficiently than blood, but Elizabeth often nibbled at him during the night.
"Nauseous? Maybe you aren't compatible with Hiro after all," Sara pondered.
"That can't be. Hiro is supposed to be compatible with any female," Cecile said.
"Even liches are not an exception," Rebecca added.
"Isn't her stomach a bit swollen?" Cecile asked. Elizabeth wore a loose dress, but Cecile, thanks to her appetite, was acutely aware if a woman had gained weight.
"I am not fat!" Elizabeth pouted when Cecile mentioned her stomach. "Batkins can't get fat. It is supposed to be impossible!"
"No, I mean the swelling looks different from normal. It's as if you were pregnant," Cecile said.
"Huh? How could I… wait a minute…" Elizabeth went silent. "No. Sara is a girl. I couldn't get pregnant from drinking a female's essence."
"So you can get pregnant without sex?" Rebecca was astonished.
"No. Batkins are supposed to get pregnant like any other beastkin," Sara interrupted.
"No. Um… We can get pregnant by absorbing essence from the opposite sex. The best way would be through sex, of course. But blood could if we were given a sufficient amount," Elizabeth said as she recalled how much blood she had drunk from Hiro and paled.
"Eh? Then whose child is it?"
"It's probably Hiro's or maybe Sara's. I am not sure. Sara is a girl, but Hiro isn't humanoid. But those two are the only ones whose blood I have drunk directly."
"Eh!!" Rebecca was flabbergasted. "What will the child be like then? Hiro is a symbiote!"
"The child will be a batkin, of course. The father is of no consequence. It won't be a mixed race no matter what. The race of the child completely depends on the mother," Elizabeth sighed.
"I see." The girls were stunned.
"When will you go into labor?" Rebecca asked. "Your stomach has swollen a bit even though you only did it less than a week ago. I thought it wasn't supposed to show until well over three or four months."
"…I don't know. I think it depends on the amount of blood provided. The girl who was pregnant before gave birth early because the traitors gave her live sacrifices," Elizabeth sighed.
"I see." Rebecca pondered. They both knew that Elizabeth often snacked on Hiro's blood during their play. It wasn't really snacking by any standard. Hiro lost gallons whenever Elizabeth drank his blood.
"I think it will be fast. You were snacking on Hiro's blood so much that he had to rely on us for nutrients…" Cecile said as she saw Hiro linking his core with the ones inside her and Nana.
"…I am sorry. I couldn't control myself." Elizabeth's face turned red to her ears when she realized she had gotten so carried away during their play.
She felt Hiro had done so much for her—providing blood, saving her, and even preventing her from killing her best friend. She wondered what she could do to repay him. She had asked Cecile and Rebecca this exact question, but they replied that she and Hiro were now symbiotically bound to each other. She was allowed to rely on him just as much as he relied on her.
"Am I really pregnant?" Elizabeth whispered. "It sounds unbelievable. I mean, pregnancy is usually accompanied by uncontrollable thirst…"
Hiro recalled the ritual the batkins performed in the village.
"We will see. You do have cravings. Maybe because Hiro has supplied you with so much blood, you can control yourself despite expecting," Sara said.
"If this is true, the revival of the batkins might not be a dream. We just need to imbue Hiro into every female batkin!" Elizabeth said. "That way, we can live together with others without fear!"
"Well… I guess you could…" Sara frowned.
"Ah. Hiro still needs to eat too, you know. You can't suck him dry." Rebecca twitched when she saw Elizabeth looking at Hiro as if he were prey. Like a hungry beast—both sexually and literally.
"Ah… I am sorry. I… I guess it would be better if batkins went extinct. We are dangerous…" Elizabeth turned away. Ashamed of her rude thoughts.
"No. Hiro would die if you die. So… I think this is better, as long as you pay attention to Hiro's needs." Rebecca turned away. She understood that Hiro behaved differently with different hosts. She noticed Hiro treated her differently from Nana and Cecile.
"Ah. I have talked to my officers. We have prepared a horse for you. Can you ride a horse? If not, I shall prepare a carriage," Marissa said when they returned to the mansion in the evening.
"Eh? So soon?" Elizabeth widened her eyes. "I thought you said you needed weeks."
"No. This is just a preliminary inspection, not a full migration. I need you, Sara, Cecile, Nana, and Rebecca to inspect my village. It has been quite some time since we left there. And considering it was used as a stepping stone by Latvin soldiers during our war a year ago, I expect it to be in a state of disrepair."
"I see." Elizabeth sighed in relief, thinking she was about to be cast out into some random village without support.
Well, even if she was cast out into some random village, she was certain she and her people could make it. The village was close to the forest, so even if the dovekins couldn't farm, they could still forage while the batkins hunted.
"Alright." Elizabeth nodded.
"I thought it would be okay since this inspection would only last a few days. But isn't the progression of your belly a bit too fast?" Rebecca said. There was a noticeable bulge on Elizabeth's belly now. Instead of looking pregnant for a week, she looked as if she had conceived at least five months ago.
"Yes. I wonder if we can make it… Can you move, Elizabeth?"
"Ugh… no. I am feeling dizzy. And I crave more blood too." Elizabeth admitted to snacking on Hiro's blood again during the night. She was supposed to only drink blood once or twice each week. But the amount she had drunk this week could have lasted her for months.
"Should we cancel the inspection?" Cecile asked worriedly.
"No. If we cancel the inspection, we won't know what to expect. The caravan carrying the batkins is due to arrive in a week or two. There is not much time," Elizabeth said. "We just need to go there and back, right? I will manage."
"…I see. You are right." Sara nodded. She then turned to the others. Cecile and the girls nodded. If it was monsters, they could handle it. They have been with Hiro the longest. Monsters were nothing to them thanks to Hiro's growth correction.
"Don't worry. Leave the monsters to us. Sara can handle the inspection," Rebecca said. She then turned to Sara. "Um… did you feel nauseous? You aren't pregnant with Hiro's child, right?"
"No! We need sex before laying eggs! This is vital. We don't just get randomly pregnant by absorbing fluids like Elizabeth!" Sara said. "I am sure! Unless Hiro has skills that can impregnate women, we can't get pregnant. Have you guys ever gotten pregnant with Hiro's child?"
"We haven't. Good! Let's begin the inspection." Cecile said as they rode toward their destination.
The path to Marissa's village was clear, with no monsters in sight. However, just before they arrived at the ruined village, smoke rose on the horizon.
"Is that…" Sara feared the worst. If the village had been occupied by others, they had to settle the village from scratch.
"No, it's not humans. It's either goblins, kobolds, or orcs," Rebecca said. "Humans know better than to stay on a lord's land without permission. If they had no such permit, we could safely assume they were robbers or bandits. In that case, we can safely dispatch them."
"I see." Sara breathed a sigh of relief.
"Nana will guard you and Elizabeth. I will be the middle guard, while Cecile will be the vanguard. We will charge right through the village," Rebecca said.
Hiro followed her enthusiasm by blooming a flower behind her back. Mana soon gathered, and with a small flower on her shoulder, Hiro could direct that ambient mana toward their enemies whenever Rebecca felt her magic was lacking.
Rebecca had been proven right. When they rode closer, a bunch of goblins and trolls had made camp in the ruined village. With that as a cue, Rebecca rallied her friends.
"Are you ready, Cecile? Let's kill them all, but try to keep the damage to the village to a minimum. Sara and Elizabeth will need it later."
"Yes! Ready? Charge!" She spurred her horse forward, and both of them charged toward the orc camp.