Chapter 77: Birthing Another Child

Chapter 77: Birthing Another Child

Once everything was over, Airael leaned against Arthur, her cheeks still flushed with a rosy hue.

She felt completely satisfied, both in body and spirit, her heart bubbling with joy.

A smile, tinged with happiness, danced at the corners of her mouth.

Arthur, on whom she rested, shared the same blissful expression.

One hand cradled Airael, while the other, almost unconsciously, found its way to her lower abdomen, gently caressing it.

At the sensation of his touch, Airael trembled slightly.

Lifting her gaze, she locked eyes with Arthur.

He smiled and asked, “Ailia, do you think there’s a chance we might be nurturing our second child already?”

As he spoke, he deliberately increased the pressure of his caress.

Airael’s face twitched with an array of dark lines.

Did she think Arthur was asking for more?

In reality, he was merely contemplating this very question.

Without needing much thought, Airael replied tersely, “You’re overthinking it. The birth rate of the Elven Race is quite low, and it’s already a miracle that we managed to conceive Anna in such a short time.”

Despite her words, Arthur didn’t really grasp the intricacies of the low birth rate among Elves.

Looking at Airael, he said, “The birth of life is a miracle in itself. Maybe we’ve already set the stage for our second miracle.”

Seeing Arthur’s stubborn expression, Airael sighed inwardly before speaking, “If you really want another child, then you need to put in some effort. Instead of dwelling on the past, which cannot be changed, it’s better to think about the future.”

She vaguely understood Arthur’s wishes.

He likely wanted a boy.

Unlike Elven society, human society placed a higher value on male heirs.

Though strong women were respected, most of the time, it was still the men who held the reins.

Furthermore, he possibly wanted to experience the entire journey.

From discovering a pregnancy to the child’s birth, and finally, watching them grow up.

With Anna, Arthur had missed out on so much.

This left him quite regretful.

Airael, on the other hand, wasn’t wholly opposed to the idea.

Though childbirth was painful, judging by Anna’s case, their offspring seemed to lean towards being more Elven.

Therefore, she felt she was contributing to the population of the Elven Race.

In this way, she was setting an example as the Elven Queen in boosting their numbers.

This would greatly benefit the future development of the Elven Race.

“Ailia, I will do my best. I believe our second child will be conceived soon,” Arthur said seriously.

“Mm!”

Airael nodded gently and curled up against Arthur’s chest to rest.

After just a moment of rest, Airael felt something was off.

This time, it wasn’t Arthur’s hand touching her, but rather something else of his that seemed to have awakened.

Airael knew that she and Arthur were about to embark on another sacred act of creation.

She didn’t voice any objections, silently accepting Arthur’s advances.

As she just mentioned, if possible, she wouldn’t mind having another child.

Since Arthur was so determined, she didn’t mind indulging him for a while.

After all, she was the tilled ground, and she wouldn’t tire easily.

At most, she would feel utterly exhausted, sore, and unable to move after too much exercise, with aches in her back.

Without a care in the world, Airael quickly found herself lost in the moment with Arthur again.

…

Fast forward to the day after tomorrow.

Even though he had gone all out with Airael the day before, for the energetic Arthur, it was just a drop in the bucket.

No matter the loss of stamina, it was worth it compared to his current cheerful mood.

After Airael had left the previous day, Arthur didn’t become withdrawn like before. Instead, he appeared full of vigor again.

That demeanor clearly showcased his hopeful expectations for the future.

Today was the day the matches were set to begin, and after a day of recuperation, Arthur rose early and made his way to the competition venue—the Grand Arena of the Elven Royal City.

Everything was already prepared at the Grand Arena.

Seven human kingdoms had sent representatives to participate in this selection tournament.

Aside from the Nick Kingdom, Machia Republic, and Georgia Kingdom, the other four nations were the Poshia Kingdom, the Agia Kingdom, the Maruk Kingdom located in the Eastern Desert, and the Musler Kingdom.

For these seven contestants, who might become the future consorts of the Elven Queen, the Grand Arena provided each with a lavishly equipped room for their rest.

Before the battle officially began, there was an opening ceremony.

Arthur and the representatives from the other six kingdoms entered the arena one by one and took their positions.

During this time, a host introduced them to the audience.

Though the audience was not particularly large, there were still enough attendees.

Once the opening ceremony was over, the deadly brawl commenced.

The selection tournament was structured as one-on-one matchups, with winners advancing and losers being eliminated.

Arthur was not the first to fight.

The first matchup featured Crown, the Prince of Nick Kingdom, against Kofs, the Prince of Poshia Kingdom.

Kofs appeared to be like a bear—muscular and imposing.

While he looked a bit dull, Kofs was no fool.

He had received elite education.

However, as Poshia was a kingdom rooted in the grasslands, there were times they exhibited a certain brutishness.

But that was merely superficial; if Poshia were truly lacking in wisdom, they wouldn’t have thrived as one of the seven human kingdoms until now.

As Crown faced off against Kofs, his expression was serious.

He knew very well what he was up against.

Kofs was clearly a powerhouse.

While Crown wasn’t weak either, he surely couldn’t compare to Kofs’s raw strength.

That extremely robust physique gave Kofs an inherent advantage in that department.

Kofs was also sizing up Crown.

Crown caught his attention as well.

“Gentlemen, please start!” the host called out, noticing the two were hesitating.

“Alright!” Crown and Kofs replied in unison.

Then, the two drew their swords and locked their determined gazes onto each other.

The clash was about to ignite.

In a flash, Crown launched the first attack on Kofs.

He gripped his sword tightly and struck down at Kofs with full force.

Kofs raised his sword to parry and soon the two were locked in a furious struggle.

Since he couldn’t win purely through strength, Crown opted for a different tactic.

He focused on speed.

Delivering a flurry of rapid attacks against his opponent.

If one hit didn’t work, he would try two; if two didn’t succeed, then three…

In the face of prolonged defense, there was bound to be a breakthrough.