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Chapter 94 – The Birth (Last part)
Tanya’s arm, which had become completely powerless, felt awfully heavy—-
Eiji wanted to drop her hand unintentionally. (1)
– Tanya-san……? W, Wait a moment?
Eiji called out to Tanya timidly, but she wouldn’t react.
Her eyelids were closed, and they wouldn’t twitch.
……C, Could it be? No, that’s impossible.
Hasn’t she been holding to my hand firmly all this time?
Still, that very same hand was now completely out of strength, placing more of a load on his.
A bad feeling rose inside Eiji.
He had heard that there were lots of cases in which a mother would run into problems despite her child being delivered healthy.
Imagining the worst-case scenario, Eiji’s face turned pale.
Thinking back, he understood that Tanya felt anxious when she last spoke.
Most likely, she anticipated something would happen.
Had he known this would happen, Eiji wouldn’t have agreed with Tanya about making children, no matter how much she begged him…….
Without realizing it, tears began to gather in the corners of his eyes.
Eiji couldn’t see clearly, as his field of vision turned blurry.
Not even 2 years had passed since they met each other, but, his rich memories of their daily life started to gush out from inside him.
Eiji was filled with anger and regret.
No matter which memory it was, Tanya would always face him straightforwardly and express all her emotions.
For Eiji, they were precious and indispensable days.
Tanya-san…. Please forgive me.
If only I had been more decisive…………..
– Hey, Tanya-san is sleeping from exhaustion, so don’t just cry out of joy over there. Go back home.
– ………..Yes? Sleeping?! So she’s sleeping?!
– That’s right. She had been enduring her delivery for many hours, so she’s probably sleeping from exhaustion.
– That may be true, but…….*Sigh*……
Good grief……
He felt as if his body was sinking and dragging on from the loss of strength.
Tanya’s heavy hand, which was still keeping its warmth was just motionless due to her sleeping.
Eiji made a mistake by jumping to conclusions.
No, rather, he was truly glad it just ended with him jumping to conclusions.
Checking his slightly irregular heart rate, Eiji sighed at once.
Indeed, she was one worrisome person.
Ehehe – Did she notice his sight? Tanya moved her lips as if smiling clumsily.
Seeing her somehow carefree expression, Eiji wanted to get angry at her as he continually poked at Tanya’s cheeks.
Her face was warping and making a strange look. She seemed to be somewhat irritated.
Eiji felt a bit refreshed.
Honestly, thank you for your hard work. – He thought.
– Thank you for everything you have done today. Please continue to take care of Tanya and Liberto for the time being.
– Leave it to me. I’ve performed deliveries of many children who live here in this village, so I’ll make sure they both become healthy, okay?
– Yes.
Eiji expressed his kind gratitude not just to Tanya, but also to the doctor who moved around during the birth. After that, he left the place.
The doctor’s words, filled with self-confidence, felt reliable to him.
————–
Eiji headed toward Bona’s house immediately after Liberto had been born.
It was already nighttime.
The surroundings were completely dark and the blowing wind was chilly, but, Eiji deemed it was probably better to relay the information about Tanya’s delivery ending safely.
Bona wasn’t present during the childbirth, however, she too must have been worried deep inside about her first great grandchild being born.
The house of the tribal chief was lit.
Apparently, being unable to sleep, she was waiting for the news.
The door opened soon after Eiji knocked on it.
– Oh, I’ve been waiting for you. You must be getting cold, so come in.
– Sorry for intruding.
– ………Then, how did it go?
– The delivery ended safely. Both for its mother and child.
– Is that so….?
Bona bent over as if collapsing right after listening to the news nervously.
Placing her hands on her laps, Bona somehow managed to remain on her feet while feeling relieved.
For Eiji, this experience was a first, however, for Bona, it was first birth after her granddaughter’s 2nd marriage.
She probably held lots of expectation and concern for the delivery alone.
Being guided to his seat, Eiji received hot water and warmed himself.
His body was slowly warmed to its core, however, Eiji trembled without realizing it.
– Is it a boy? A girl?
– A boy. We’ve named him Liberto.
– As in ‘freedom’…..?
– Yes. I want let children do what they like and live freely.
– For that to happen, we first need to create a world where it’s possible.
– I guess you’re right. Do you think it’s difficult right now?
– Generally, everything is difficult. We are currently placed in a situation in which we can’t be picky about what to eat for tomorrow.
– That’s true.
Starting from eggs, Eiji had continued to improve foodstuff while incorporating various parts of his knowledge.
But it didn’t just stop with that. With the 4 crop rotation system, which had been implemented using a part of existing fields, the amount of crops would certainly rise.
Perhaps, the number of livestock spared would too.
– Eiji, thank you for your hard work in Nazioni.
– In the end, it was decided I would become Nazioni’s son-in-law.
– It probably went just as you had intended at first. You did well in making him swallow the bait. Then, what’s your opinion on Nazioni?
– I’m not sure myself.
– What do you mean?
Seeing Bona’s curious expression, Eiji began to explain.
– You could say that the reviews, which I had heard from everyone, and the impression given by Nazioni during our conversation don’t hold water…….? Has anyone ever talked with Nazioni in person?
– I do. However, it doesn’t look like anyone besides me has had the same chance. Everyone here, will mostly only come into contact with Franko.
– That’s why, I was wondering if there isn’t a misunderstanding in their opinions.
Umu – As soon as Bona groaned, she slowly began to ponder.
Eiji waited silently for her next words.
– I think I’ve got your point. You mean to say that everyone’s reaction toward Nazioni are actually meant for Franko, right?
– Yes.
– Still, it doesn’t change the fact that Franko is merely Nazioni’s servant who carries out his policy and gathers taxes.
– That’s…….. I guess you’re right.
– Apart from being one’s superior, that person should also be held responsible for his people’s actions.
This time, it was Eiji’s turn to groan.
Certainly, those standing above others should be prepared to suffer the consequences as well.
If that’s the case, was Nazioni being misunderstood the result of his own mistake and misjudgment as a bureaucrat?
Nevertheless, Eiji believed that making an effort to understand oneself was of the same importance too.
If it was just a common villager, his officials couldn’t care less about that person’s interests, even if he begged.
However, Eiji was one of the executives in this village, and Bona was the tribal chief.
If they acted carelessly, they could most likely start a dispute without realizing it, as a result of one’s misunderstanding.
– Although, collecting taxes seem to be a form of countermeasure against disasters and famine. If we plan to rebel without knowing things ahead of time, won’t we suffer damage because of a small misunderstanding?
– Fumu, I think your concern is justified. We aren’t making any rash decisions, but it’s just as you say, it’s better to put a more thorough consideration into how to deal with Nazioni, I guess….. However, we still need to be prepared to make our move at any time.
– In other words, we should continue to store up a food supply, arm ourselves, and build defense facilities?
– Yes. So as not to have Franko poke his nose into them, I think it’s better to tell him they’re intended for warding off wild animals as an argument.
– And there’s still the wedding reception once we go through the winter, right?
– Back then, I was unable to hold a proper reception for you, so it’s fine for you to enjoy this one to the fullest.
Bona stated that calmly.
She was most likely thinking so from the bottom of her heart.
– Some time has passed since my and Tanya’s first ceremony, so it feels strange to me to have another one, you see.
– What? Being able to receive congratulations from everyone, shouldn’t you be happy about that? Well then, go back to your home quickly. Tomorrow, I too shall check on Tanya and Liberto.
– I think you will be glad to see them.
Holding a lamp in her hand, Bona saw off Eiji to the entrance.
The light coming from her lamp dimly shone on the path at night.
With Tanya being absent, Eiji felt their house was spacious, calm, and a bit lonesome.