Erza Is Born

"It's okay, Aileen. No one would ever attack our bakery. Even if someone did, I could easily defeat them!"

Ywen felt like he was about to suffocate. He gently pushed Aileen away and spoke.

Ywen had never called Aileen Mom. Ever since he had learned to speak, he had always addressed her by name, and Aileen had never said anything about it.

"Ywen, you mustn't let your guard down! People in this world are unpredictable. Some people know they can't defeat us head-on, so they resort to despicable tricks. You have to protect yourself!"

Aileen rubbed Ywen's little cheeks as she spoke softly.

Aileen gazed at Ywen lovingly while sharing some of her experiences from living in human society. People's hearts were unfathomable...

"Got it."

Ywen knew Aileen meant well. He nodded, looking like he was listening earnestly.

"Good!"

As Aileen spoke, she lightly snapped her fingers, and all kinds of fruit and flour appeared throughout the room.

These were the ingredients used to make the bakery's bread. Aileen had grown them herself. Whatever amount of bread they made each day, she would collect that much material from the mountain behind the shop.

Then Aileen would use Attach Magic to process the ingredients before bringing them back to the bakery.

Because the ingredients were fresh every day, customers always streamed endlessly into Aileen's bakery. That was one of the secrets behind the little shop's enduring popularity.

As for whether the ingredients Aileen grew on the mountain might be damaged, there was no need to worry about that at all. Aileen had attached magic to that stretch of mountains, making it impossible for either wild beasts or human mages to interfere easily.

"Aileen's back..."

Once Aileen had prepared the ingredients, the customers inside the bakery greeted her one after another.

"I have something to do today, so I'll be closing early. Starting now, all unsold bread in the shop is half price! First come, first served. There's only this much, and once it's gone, it's gone!"

Aileen seemed to have something she needed to discuss with Ywen, but there were too many people in the shop. After thinking it over briefly, she addressed everyone inside.

"Half price?!"

"Great!"

"I'll take five!"

"I'll take all of these!"

"Jack, save one for me! My kid absolutely loves Aileen's bread! Ever since having it once, he won't even eat the bread I make anymore!"

"Get lost! Everyone in town loves Aileen's bread! If you've got the ability, fight for it. If not, go hungry!"

In no time at all, every loaf in the bakery had been snatched clean.

Aileen smiled as she watched the customers grab their bread, pay, and leave the bakery, continuously waving goodbye to them.

Only after the last customer had left did Aileen walk outside, take down the sign reading Open from the door, replace it with the Closed sign, and return to the bakery.

"Why are you having a sale so early today?"

Ywen sat on the counter and asked Aileen.

Normally, they only discounted the bread that had not sold around five in the afternoon, when the shop was about to close. Sometimes it was half price, sometimes ten percent of the price, and sometimes they simply gave it away. Usually, though, there was not much left, because Aileen adjusted the next day's production according to daily sales. Today was a special case.

"There's something I need to talk to you about."

Aileen looked at Ywen with a complicated expression.

"?!"

Ywen was confused, but before he could think further, Aileen had already picked him up and headed for the stairs at the back of the bakery.

The two went upstairs to the bakery's second floor, which was also where Ywen and Aileen rested.

"Actually..."

"Ywen, you're about to become a big brother!"

Aileen stroked Ywen's little head and smiled gently.

"Oh!"

Ywen nodded, indicating that he understood.

"Hm?"

Aileen looked at Ywen's calm expression, a trace of confusion in her eyes.

Ywen's reaction was simply too flat, and she was unsure whether he could accept having a little sister.

"I mean, that's really wonderful!"

Ywen also knew his reaction had been too indifferent, so he did his best to put on the reaction of a child and, matching his innocent appearance, spoke.

"Really? That's wonderful! I was worried you wouldn't want it, Ywen!"

"If you really didn't want it, Ywen, I had planned to wait until you did before giving birth to this child..."

Aileen gently stroked Ywen's face, looking relieved.

In truth, Aileen had also been hesitant about the child in her belly. She would never be able to forgive the child's father.

But she knew the child in her belly was innocent. Her conflicted feelings had made her hesitate for a long time, but in the end, Aileen had decided to give birth to the child.

"Oh, right, Ywen!" Aileen suddenly thought of something and looked at him. "What kind of name do you think we should give this child?"

"..." Ywen fell silent for a moment. Aileen's child—that meant Erza! Of course Erza had to be called Erza! If she had a different name, it would just feel strange. Thinking this, Ywen answered, "If it's a girl, how about Erza?"

"Erza?" Aileen's face lit up. "That really is a good name. Erza Belserion—nice, it sounds wonderful! Then it's decided. The child will be called Erza!"

Erza Belserion. Although her surname changed, Belserion was Erza's original surname anyway, so it probably didn't matter.

"Erza~" Aileen was still murmuring Erza's name. Then her gaze turned resolute as she looked at Ywen and said, "Ywen, I'm giving birth!"

"Oh, you're giving birth." Ywen nodded blandly. Then his eyes widened as he finally realized what Aileen had said, and he immediately asked, "You're giving birth? Here?"

"I'll go find a doctor..."

As Ywen spoke, he gently floated up from the table. This was the weightless state he could achieve using the Gravity-Gravity Fruit's power.

"Separation!"

Before Ywen could float out through the window, a flash of light appeared, and an adorable baby was already in Aileen's arms.

"Ywen, look. This child is so cute..."

Aileen looked at the child in her arms, as though her heart had been healed.

"She gave birth? Just like that? Just like that, she gave birth?"

Ywen's mind was still frozen. The common sense from his previous life had become a burden in this other world.

"She really is cute..."

Ywen floated over to Aileen and Erza. Looking at baby Erza, the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably.

Ywen did not know why, but as he looked at the pure and innocent Erza, his desire for power and his restless anxiety over possibly facing the Black Dragon in the future vanished completely in that instant. It was as though everything had been healed.

"Waaah..."

Just as Ywen and Aileen were grinning foolishly at baby Erza, as though everything had been healed, Erza suddenly began to cry.

"She's probably hungry! I'll go find some formula..."

"Looks like we've run out of formula at home. I'll go buy some outside."

Ywen looked at crying Erza and immediately floated up, preparing to go out and buy formula.

"Nutrient Attach!"

Just as Ywen was about to leave to buy formula, Aileen waved her hand and cast a Nutrient Attach spell on Erza. Erza immediately stopped crying and quietly went back to sleep.

"This Attach Magic is really useful."

Ywen looked enviously at Aileen's all-purpose Attach Magic.

Erza was born~ Please recommend, bookmark, and invest~