Side: Mako
Three days have passed since Prim gave birth to Tsubaki and Flam to Mizuki.
Even though Prim’s condition isn’t great, the birth of heirs to both the Fleidranthia Heavenly Noble House and Prada’s deputy needed to be announced. So, we announced it at Feel and Prada the day before yesterday, and at Float yesterday. The celebrations were incredible.
Prada, Flam’s hometown especially, was truly in a state of festival.
Today, I’m visiting the Healers’ Guild Headquarters in Float.
The reasons are to report on Prim’s childbirth and to lecture on how to use the new Supplication Magic I successfully composed yesterday.
I’ve already given a brief report, but I had to look after Prim the past two days, so I couldn’t find the time.
Especially the day before yesterday, Prim developed a fever.
I believe it was puerperal fever, a fever caused by childbirth. It’s also an infectious disease.
Ancient Classes don’t get sick, but Prim, having exhausted her strength from childbirth, would have had lowered resistance and immunity. That’s my theory as to why.
Simultaneously, it was proven that even an Ancient Class can fall ill if their physical strength significantly drops.
I’m not sure about magic power, but I believe it’s the same.
Fortunately, her fever had subsided by yesterday afternoon, and I’ve used Knight Magic’s Refreshing and Hunter Magic’s Regenerating, so she should be fine with a little rest.
“I received a brief report, but I didn’t realize it was such a difficult childbirth…”
“I was panicked too.”
“I’m sure you were.”
In the Grand Healers Master’s Master Room, I am reporting the details of Prim’s childbirth to the mature elven woman, Clara Orchidea, who serves as the Grand Healers Master.
It seems that a breech birth with a Winged Tribe member is the first since the Healers’ Guild was founded. However, breech births among winged races like Dragonewts and Fairies occur rarely, and I heard that Ayla has handled three such cases.
Ayla was truly reliable at those times.
“The water broke and immediately the child came out, from the left leg no less. While we may not know if it’s breech until the birth, the time from the water breaking until birth is too short. It’s not unheard of, but it is extremely rare.”
“And for it to be a Winged Tribe, and for wings to form during childbirth. Honestly, I’m amazed that both mother and child made it through safely.”
Associate Healers Master Aldily Hertz Rober and Sayuri-sama are also frowning.
I was flustered and desperate then, but looking back now, I can’t believe we managed to get through it.
Especially when the wings started to form, I was on the verge of panicking.
If Ayla hadn’t come, who knows what would have happened…
“There aren’t many Maternity Healers. While high-ranking Healers can deliver a baby, childbirth is unpredictable, so it tends to be a specialized field. It was the same on Earth, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Maternity Healers are, in a sense, obstetricians. Of course, most injuries and illnesses can be treated with healing magic, but there are also Healers who specialize in potions. They are called Medic Healers, and they are like pharmacists.
However, both Maternity Healers and Medic Healers are specialized individuals within the Healers’ Guild, and therefore, their numbers are not particularly large. In Feel, there are only about five Maternity Healers and three Medic Healers. That’s also why I’m studying to be a Maternity Healer, and it certainly paid off with Prim’s childbirth.
Incidentally, the reason Maternity Healers are called midwives is that childbirth is an emergency and unexpected situations are prone to occur. At such times, calling them Maternity Healers is cumbersome and difficult to say, so the terms “midwife” and “obstetrician” have spread as easier-to-use terms. Sayuri-sama, of course, was the one who popularized them.
“It would be a great help to the Healers’ Guild if Mako, an Element Healer, became a Maternity Healer.”
“Indeed. Recently, two wives of Grand Order’s Masters became pregnant, and while it may not be as difficult as Mrs. Primrose’s case, a difficult childbirth cannot be ruled out.”
One of the reasons I started studying to be a Maternity Healer was the scarcity of Maternity Healers in Feel and the fact that many of them are elderly. For me, it adds the value of being an Element Healer. Furthermore, as Prim’s childbirth revealed, even an Element Class can be met with resistance from physical strength that they cannot handle alone. This is a major issue for the Healers’ Guild.
“I will begin studying that in earnest from now on, but before that, please allow me to explain the outline of the new magic I composed.”
“I received a report from Feel’s Healers Master, and it was successful, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. With that magic, while not absolute, I believe difficult childbirths can be reduced to some extent.”
“That’s important information. I will listen with utmost attention.”
The three of them straightened their collars and waited for me to begin.
“Yes. There are two spells I composed. Their names are Echoing and Bleaching, and both have been classified as healing magic.”
“Echoing? Could it be ultrasound?”
As expected, Sayuri-sama seemed to grasp the outline of Echoing. That’s exactly right. Echoing is a magic that uses ultrasound to observe the inside of the body. It allows us to check the condition of the fetus, as well as internal organs, so if mastered, the accuracy of healing magic will surely improve.
“With Echoing, we can determine if the fetus is breech, and even if there are twins beforehand. However, it relies on the reflection of sound waves, so some practice is needed.”
“A magic like that…”
“While practice is needed, if we can know the condition of the fetus beforehand, accidents and stillbirths will be greatly reduced. This is a wonderful magic!”
Even though I composed it myself, I agree. However, the problem is that Echoing can only be used from G-rank. It requires experience to decipher, and G-rank Healers can use Noble Healing, so it’s not an unreasonable requirement from a practical standpoint. Honestly, I wish it had been available from S-rank, one level below.
“From what you’ve said, it sounds exactly like an ultrasound examination. But didn’t that require a special gel or something? What about that?”
The gel Sayuri-sama mentioned is a jelly-like substance applied to the area during an ultrasound examination. I’m not an expert as I’m still studying, but I believe it’s necessary to transmit ultrasound waves into the body. However, Echoing does not use any such gel.
“That, and more, is incorporated into the magic called Echoing.”
“Magic is usually quite outlandish, so Echoing is no exception. Well, I am grateful, of course.”
Sayuri-sama is bewildered, but I understand her feelings completely. We have magic for physical enhancement, spatial storage, teleportation, quick-change magic, and even spatial expansion. It really feels like anything is possible, and it’s quite outlandish. Fortunately, it allows us to live comfortably, so I have no complaints.
“I understand the wonder of Echoing. Now, what is the effect of the other magic, Bleaching?”
“That’s also primarily for the fetus, but it can be used for some internal organ diseases.”
The other healing magic I composed, Bleaching, which the Grand Healers Master mentioned, is a magic that allows for the movement of the fetus within the uterus. Occasionally, the umbilical cord can get tangled around the neck or arm, leading to stillbirth. Bleaching can prevent such situations and also widen the birth canal. It can even return a breech baby to the correct position. The output doesn’t change regardless of who uses it, which is helpful as it means an Element Class like me can use it without issue. It does put a slight strain on the mother, but it’s not as much as Telekinetic Magic, so they’ll have to endure it. It can also be used for conditions like hernia or other internal issues that need to be treated within the body, significantly reducing the magic power required for healing. However, it cannot be used without knowing the condition inside the body, so it’s used in conjunction with Echoing.
“You’ve composed some truly incredible magic. Though the application for hernias is secondary, both spells, in essence, are for pregnant women, aren’t they?”
“That’s what I intended when I composed them. I don’t expect to encounter such difficult childbirths frequently, but if they can be avoided, it’s certainly for the best.”
“Indeed.”
The reason I composed Echoing and Bleaching was to prevent difficult childbirths and stillbirths like Prim’s. Perhaps because the Helios Orb world makes conception difficult, pregnant women receive an excessive amount of protection. Once a pregnancy is registered, they are exempt from punishment and taxes for several months after childbirth, and even receive subsidies. Furthermore, Healers’ Guilds prioritize pregnant women in their final months of pregnancy over any urgent cases other than emergencies. Maternity Healers who provide childbirth support are at least G-rank Healers, so they use healing magic effectively. For pregnant women, the childbirth costs are only about 40% of the total, with the remainder covered by the lord, which is an exceptional level of treatment.
However, even with such support, difficult childbirths cannot be prevented, and the probability of either the mother or child dying is still around 20%. In Prim’s case, even a High Class individual likely wouldn’t have had the physical strength to endure it. It’s estimated that for a Normal Class, both mother and child would have died, and for a High Class, either the mother or child would have perished. I felt that myself at the time.
“We were swayed by the power of an Ancient Class, but it was precisely because of their Ancient Class physique that they could endure it.”
“It’s a truly difficult problem. If the power of an uncontrolled Ancient Class is involved, it’s questionable whether even another Ancient Class could counter it, so ordinary Healers would be helpless.”
“However, it’s undeniable that the Ancient Class’s physique allowed them to withstand the difficult labor. It’s a case of ‘you can’t have it both ways’.”
“That is precisely why I attempted to compose Echoing and Bleaching.”
Although the three of them are troubled, having experienced it firsthand, I felt that composing new magic was absolutely necessary. I wondered why Sayuri-sama hadn’t composed them herself, but until now, even pregnant High Class individuals were rare. With a considerable number of High Hunters and High Ritters registered with the Healers’ Guild, it was a manageable problem. However, now that Ancient Hunters and Ancient Ritters are increasing, there are only a few Ancient Healers besides Carol. Although I have become an Element Healer, even I wasn’t confident I could control Prim. Therefore, it’s not impossible that others might face similar situations during childbirth. That’s why Echoing and Bleaching are essential magic, and magic that absolutely must be mastered. I intend to attend as many Ancient Class childbirths as possible, but even then, one can never be too sure of what might happen. Since Rosemary is four months pregnant and Saya is three months pregnant, we must first prepare for their births.
“If you are able to attend the births of those two, the possibility of preventing the worst-case scenario will become much higher.”
“Yes. There are many other Ancient Class individuals who will likely get pregnant, so it’s a great relief to the Healers’ Guild.”
Of course, I will strive to make that happen, but I hope they won’t place too much expectation on me. My experience is meager compared to a professional Maternity Healer. However, it is necessary, and since the Wing Crest has many Ancient Classes, I must do my best for everyone’s sake. From now on, I plan to visit not only Feel but also Float, Memoria, and Sincero to look for requests for childbirth assistance.
