She was about to give birth?

  She was about to give birth!

  She was actually pregnant!

  Pregnant!

  So her big belly wasn't from getting fat!

  I'd lived hundreds of years. What hadn't I seen? But I'd never delivered a baby before!

  Why did I have to deliver a baby? I didn't know how!

  I was shocked, couldn't help shouting, "Wait a minute! Hold on! Don't give birth right now!"

  The girl's chest had also been clawed. Fortunately, her clothes were thick. The wound should be shallow.

  I pressed all the hemostatic herbs on me onto her chest, then quickly picked her up. "I'm taking you down the mountain now. Grit your teeth and don't talk!"

  The girl looked like she wanted to say something, but seeing my extreme panic, she drew a sharp breath and said nothing.

  Fortunately, appearing this night was me, who ran very fast. Carrying her in a mad dash down the mountain only took an hour.

  Then I kicked open the town clinic's door. While being cursed out by the doctor until dawn, I watched them call a midwife to help deliver the girl's baby.

  After bustling about for a day and night, that lucky child was finally born.

  A wrinkly baby girl. Because her mother had been frightened and the delivery was difficult, her body was very weak.

  The town doctor said mother and daughter were safe, but they must eat nutritious things and properly rest during the postpartum month.

  I thought of that wooden house with the hole I'd rammed in it. From the furnishings inside, clearly not wealthy.

  Anyway, I'd already saved them. I wasn't short on money. I'd care for them until they recovered.

  The girl fell unconscious right after giving birth. I paid for the clinic door, then called someone to run errands—go to the city and fetch workers I employed to pick them up.

  While busy, I felt like I'd forgotten something... But scratching my head, I still couldn't remember what I should've done.

  Mm, must be my imagination.

  I cast the doubt aside.

  When this unlucky girl woke up, three days had passed. I'd brought her to my own residence to recuperate.

  The mother was still sleeping. Fortunately, nearby was a woman who'd recently given birth. I hired her to nurse the baby.

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  When the girl woke, I was studying her daughter's appearance... intensely debating with the hired wet nurse whether this child counted as ugly.

  Because I couldn't understand how the wet nurse had the nerve to praise her looks when she was a wrinkly baby like a monkey.

  The wet nurse curled her lip disdainfully. "Aiyah! What does a young miss like you who's never given birth understand? Children are all wrinkly when first born. After some more days, she'll fill out. Definitely become a lovely girl!"

  Half-believing, I wanted to poke the kid's face. Suddenly felt someone watching me.

  Turning my head, I discovered the girl had woken.

  Slandering her daughter's ugliness right in front of the mother—even I felt a tiny bit guilty. Quickly withdrew my hand.

  "You... saved me and my child, didn't you?" She struggled to sit up. At a glance, she saw the small baby held by the wet nurse. Tears welled in her eyes.

  The wet nurse was clever. She handed the child over, thoughtfully going to the kitchen to prepare a nutritious meal for the girl who'd just given birth.

  I vaguely acknowledged, eyes wandering everywhere, not knowing what to say to her.

  Usually after saving people, I'd just turn and leave. But now she lived at my place. That was a bit awkward.

  I feared her asking questions. What if she asked something I couldn't answer well? Might even think I was a fraud.

  But she was considerate. Didn't ask extra questions. Just sincerely thanked me for saving her, taking her to find a doctor and midwife, and caring for them so attentively.

  "I'll never forget your kindness. When my husband comes..."

  Her words suddenly stopped. My scalp suddenly tingled.

  The girl's gaze drifted toward me. "Have you... seen my husband? Where is this? Does he... know I'm here?"

  I finally remembered what I'd forgotten.

  Right. A child definitely couldn't be born by one person alone. Since she was pregnant, she definitely, definitely had a husband!

  I didn't dare make a sound. Didn't know how to tell her I'd completely forgotten about this, directly pulling her to the city.

  The girl didn't blame me—she was quite nice—just sighed and said, "Discovering I'm not there, he must be very worried. Could I trouble you to pass him a message?"

  The girl had a nice name—Uta. Her husband was called Yoriichi.

  The young couple had been living secluded in the mountains, passing peaceful and stable days.

  The reason she was home alone was because her due date was approaching. Since the mountain path was difficult, her husband had gone down the mountain early to find a midwife.

  Originally, Yoriichi had promised her he'd return by nightfall. Don't know what happened on the road—he wasn't seen until midnight.

  Fortunately, she worried about her husband and didn't sleep soundly. So when the demon broke in, she still had strength to struggle, not immediately killed.

  Hopefully that Yoriichi didn't encounter a demon halfway. But if nothing happened to him, returning home to not see his wife, the scene so chaotic—

  Mm... I felt a bit guilty. Felt like I'd somehow become the culprit obstructing the couple's reunion.

  To express apology, as soon as night fell, I personally set out, rushing to Uta's home to find her husband.

  No one was at the wooden house in the mountains. But Yoriichi should have returned.

  Evidence—someone had cleaned the house very thoroughly. Even the big hole I'd rammed in the wall had been repaired.

  I crouched before that hole observing for a long time, thinking Yoriichi's wall-repairing skills were quite good.

  But he didn't find Uta and wasn't staying home. Where had he gone?

  I knocked on the clinic door again at midnight. Under the doctor's murderous gaze, thick-skinned, I inquired about the situation.

  With money's support, the doctor reluctantly opened his mouth... asking his little apprentices if they'd heard the town's aunties discussing anything.

  Sure enough, one apprentice said a few days ago, strangers came to town. Someone very much like Yoriichi stayed half a day, then left together.

  As for what that stranger looked like, the apprentice said that person also left a deep impression. Very recognizable.

  He had golden hair shining like the sun. His manner was polite yet passionate as fire. Plus a pair of bright, spirited eyes...

  Oh crap. Wasn't this Rengoku?

  This description—besides the Rengoku family's children, couldn't find a second match!

  So Yoriichi was abducted to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters?

  But speaking of which, over a hundred years had passed. How were his family's children still so distinctive?

  Just how stable and unified was their bloodline?!

  ~~~~??~~~~~~~~??~~~~

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