CHAPTER 86: BEFORE LABOR

At that moment, Rea slipped into the room.

When Madha laid Gara down on the fresh sheets, the little creature pressed its head affectionately against Gara’s cheek. Its soft fur brought him a fleeting comfort amid the waves of pain.

For a while, the room was chaotic.

Fian, who couldn’t read, returned with every jar Gara had ever mentioned he might need for childbirth.

Madha wiped the sweat from Gara’s face.

Rea chirped insistently, trying to calm him down.

And Wina busied herself, laying out thread, needles, water, and everything else they might need.

But Gara didn’t care about the chaos. All he wanted was the painkiller he had made himself. The medicine shouldn’t harm the baby, he had crafted it from herbs and diluted it with his water.

Besides, since he would deliver the babies through an abdominal incision, he had no use for the contractions of a normal birth.

His head throbbed when he saw the pile of jars Fian brought. If he had known earlier that Fian couldn’t read, he would have taught him long ago.

Unfortunately, Fian’s memory was so sharp that no one noticed. He had always followed by observation alone. Like when Gara told him to water certain experimental plants—Fian had already memorized their appearance just by watching once.

"That one..." Gara struggled to lift a finger.

Amid Fian’s confusion, Madha stepped forward, scanning the jars on the table. He picked up the porcelain container marked PK-III and poured a glass of water as well, in case Gara was too weak to summon it himself.

Only after the pill slid down his throat did the pain finally begin to fade. Gara swore he never wanted to feel anything like that again.

Next time, he promised himself, he’d always keep a painkiller in his pocket during pregnancy.

Just then, Wina’s ring glowed faintly. She pressed the purple crystal set in it.

Captain Tristan’s voice burst through, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear:

"I’ve already dispatched guards to prioritize extinguishing the flames along the road to Suruta Village. The fire should be out within an hour. I’ll personally escort Sir Idris there. I only need four hours."

By then, Gara’s mind had cleared. He heard Tristan’s words perfectly and slowly shook his head.

"They’ll arrive within four hours, but the delivery may take longer than that. Not all of your babies might be born before the four-hour limit is over."

Goddess Freya’s words echoed in Gara’s mind. Cutting open his belly might take far more time than they had expected. Time he no longer had.

But Gara said nothing.

It was Wina who responded to Captain Tristan. "Understood, Captain." Then, she pressed down on the crystal’s head, and the voices from the other side faded away.

Though Wina had never given birth herself, she had assisted during labor more than once. Relief swept through her when Gara’s pain subsided, and knowing Idris could arrive within four hours—as planned—calmed her a little.

But, that relief shattered when Gara spoke. "Mom, there won’t be enough time. You need to open my belly now."

"Gara, I can’t—" Wina stopped, didn’t finish her word after seeing the unflinching resolve in his eyes.

For months now, Wina had realized Gara never made decisions lightly. And yet... she wasn’t the right person for this.

During her practice in town, she had only ever seen one male delivery with her own eyes. A young werewolf slave, an omega.

Without anesthetics, they had cut straight into his stomach. The boy had nearly fainted from the pain.Until his body released an essence that dulled it, enough for him to endure.

Druids, however, had no such essence. Luckily, Gara had already prepared anesthetics.

Even so, all Wina had done that day was hand over tools. She had never touched the boy’s body, not once.

"Mom, I don’t have much time." Gara’s voice pulled her from the memory. "I’m carrying twins. We can’t afford to wait."

He wasn’t sure exactly how long a twin birth would take, but if the goddess had spoken, then waiting for Idris wasn’t an option.

Doubt flickered across Wina’s face. If she had the experience, she would have done it in a heartbeat. But childbirth was a walk along the edge of life and death.

Seeing her hesitation, Gara turned his gaze to the elf by the table.

"Fian, bring me an empty basin—" his eyes hardened, "—you’ll be the one cutting me open."

"Absolutely not!" Wina shouted before the words fully sank in.

"Mom, we can’t delay anymore." Gara could feel the continued flow of his amniotic fluid, a sensation that felt like a ticking timer.

Fian, who never questioned Gara’s words, had already slipped out of the room. Wina stood frozen in torment before finally moving toward her son. She would do it.

The preparations went quickly with Madha, Fian, and Wina working together.

Meanwhile, Gara lay back, his heartbeat pounding in his chest. Rea, the little white squirrel, scurried up to him, squeaking softly, eyes filled with both worry and encouragement.

"Thank you, Rea," Gara whispered, stroking the fluffy cheek with gentle fingers.

Soon everything was ready. Fian and Madha waited outside, prepared to rush in if needed. Rea left as well to prevent contamination from her fur.

Gara’s clothes were removed. A blanket covered the lower half of his body. Though he tried to look confident, the pallor of his face betrayed the fear gnawing inside him.

If Gara was pale, then Wina was even paler. Before her was her son’s stomach—smooth, white, and swollen.

She picked up a porcelain jar labeled AN-II. The cork popped with a soft plop as she pulled it free, pouring a pale green liquid over Gara’s belly.

Using a wooden spatula—crafted by Fian under Gara’s orders—she spread the liquid evenly across his skin.

Within minutes, it dried. Wina pressed her fingers against his stomach. Gara shook his head. Even a sharp pinch brought no reaction.

"The anesthetic worked. Cut now, Mom."

Her hands trembled as she lifted a sharpened knife, its edge gleaming. Slowly, carefully, she lowered it to Gara’s abdomen and began to slice down vertically.

KRAA-BOOM!

A sudden clap of thunder roared through the sky.

...