A Former Police Officer Who Died And Get A Second Life!

Chapter 398: Waiting for Birth

"My blood as a human, and your blood as a beastman. If this child inherits both and is born as a beastman while also being human and possessing magic, there wouldn’t be anything strange about that, would there?"

"..."

Leander could no longer keep up.

A beastman, a human, and a magic user all at once?

It made no sense to him.

Seeing the confusion on his face, Qiong Xing gently patted his arm as if telling him to calm down.

"I asked Albe to check as well, just to be safe. He said he could sense a faint amount of magic coming from the baby. It’s so weak that you wouldn’t notice it unless you were specifically looking for it, but he said he could definitely feel it."

If both Qiong Xing and Albe said so, then it was probably true.

But still...

Really?

His child, who should have been a beastman?

Everything he had believed until now, the common understanding that beastmen could not possess magic, made it difficult to fully accept even if he could understand the explanation.

"If this child inherited a stronger portion of my human traits despite being a beastman, then perhaps their growth and even the pregnancy period are being influenced by their human side."

So that was the reason their child had not been born yet?

Really?

After all, Lian existed, so Leander could not outright deny the possibility.

Even so, accepting it immediately was difficult.

"Because of that, it’s possible this child may not become very strong as a beastman... Even so, will you still love them?"

The trembling uncertainty in Qiong Xing’s voice made Leander immediately raise his head.

"Of course I will!"

He had been so lost in thought that he had fallen silent.

Qiong Xing must have mistaken that silence as rejection.

Leander quickly pulled him into his arms.

"It’s fine. I don’t care what kind of child they are. I already told you, didn’t I? As long as they’re born healthy, that’s all that matters."

The possibility had caught him completely off guard.

It had shaken him.

But the important thing was that this child was theirs.

Because the child belonged to Qiong Xing, the mate he loved more than anyone else, that alone made them precious.

That was why he had wanted a child in the first place.

Whether their child was a beastman or a human, Leander knew he would love them all the same.

"It doesn’t matter if they don’t have the strength of a beastman. It doesn’t matter if they have magic. If they’re our child, that’s enough."

"Thank you, Leander."

Qiong Xing knew how hard Leander was trying, just as he knew how hard he himself was trying for both Leander and their child.

Despite the severe morning sickness and the toll it took on his body, he rarely complained.

Even so, he knew that enduring alone was not enough.

He forced himself to move in order to maintain his strength, even when his body felt exhausted.

He continued caring for the children.

He forced himself to eat despite having little appetite.

Every time Leander saw how much Qiong Xing was suffering, he almost found himself saying, "That’s enough."

The only reason he never did was because he knew exactly why Qiong Xing was enduring all of it.

He was doing it for their child.

For his child.

Qiong Xing wanted this child just as much as he did.

Knowing that, there was no way Leander could tell him to stop.

Whether their child was a beastman who possessed magic was insignificant compared to that.

"It just means this child inherited plenty of your blood too. Sounds like they’re already being stubborn before they’re even born, insisting they want to stay with Mama."

"Albe did say the amount of magic is extremely faint, so we don’t know if they’ll actually be able to use magic. Still, wanting both Papa’s strength and Mama’s magic makes them quite a greedy child, doesn’t it?"

"Yeah. Makes me feel relieved they take after me."

Leander laughed.

If it was his child, then they ought to be greedier than anyone.

Qiong Xing laughed with him

...

Based on his previous experiences, Qiong Xing had always assumed labor would begin sometime between midnight and dawn.

He learned he was wrong shortly after reaching eight months of pregnancy.

Crash.

A plate slipped from his hands and shattered at his feet.

Just as he bent down to pick it up, an odd sensation spread through his lower body, as though something had leaked.

No way.

The thought flashed through his mind.

Then he realized what had happened.

His water had broken.

The pain arrived almost immediately afterward, growing stronger by the moment.

There was no way he would be able to walk back to the room on his own.

Without hesitation, he contacted Albe and asked him to bring the others.

"Qiong Xing!"

"Qiong Xing!"

"Qiong Xing!"

Leander and the others arrived almost immediately.

Qiong Xing apologized before telling them his water had broken and they quickly carried him back to the room.

His heart pounded so hard it felt as though it might burst out of his chest.

He had thought the same thing when Lian and the twins were born.

Childbirth truly was a matter of risking one’s life every single time.

"I’m here. I’m right here. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I can’t take your place."

Leander’s voice trembled as if he might burst into tears at any moment.

This was their third child, yet it was still the same.

Elias and Joa were no different.

Their usual composed expressions had vanished, replaced by anxious, strained faces.

"Joa... the children..."

"I know. Don’t worry."

"Elias, please stay with Lian and the others..."

"...Alright."

Though he looked confused, Elias nodded.

What worried Qiong Xing most of all were the children, who could do nothing but wait.

He left Rui and Yue in Joa’s care, while Lian remained outside the room with Elias.

The pain was so intense that Qiong Xing found himself gripping Leander’s hand with all his strength.

Yet Leander never complained.

Instead, he quietly reassured him and gently rubbed his back and lower waist as he lay there.