Oh Damn

Though it felt as if she’d just crawled out of a fiery gauntlet, her body aching as if it had been torn apart, the torturous ordeal of accelerated pregnancy and the peak agony of childbirth were finally over.

Giving birth was like passing through the gates of death—Vivian had now personally experienced the weight of that saying.

Even for a Demon Lord, childbirth was a harrowing, life-or-death struggle.

Gazing at little Luna, now full and back in a peaceful slumber, Vivian let out a soft sigh of relief.

She watched her daughter’s serene sleeping face, her tiny chest rising and falling with each breath.

For a moment, her heart swelled with complex emotions.

“Um… Lord Demon Lord?”

A timid, probing voice came from beyond the warehouse door.

Luna, the young succubus, cautiously poked half her head inside, her blood-red eyes filled with worry and a touch of lingering fear.

“Are you… done with the delivery? The commotion earlier… it was terrifying!”

Luna’s voice trembled slightly, clearly shaken by the energy storm and tremors caused by Vivian’s uncontrolled mana during labor.

“It’s over.”

Vivian nodded weakly, barely able to lift her eyelids.

She adjusted her position slightly to let Luna sleep more comfortably in her arms.

Luna scurried forward, her steps light as a startled rabbit’s.

After receiving confirmation, she slipped inside, her movements careful.

She patted her chest, still rattled, before her gaze was irresistibly drawn to the tiny bundle in Vivian’s arms.

“Lord Demon Lord, I thought it was an earthquake earlier! Dust was falling everywhere!”

Luna kept her voice low, gesturing exaggeratedly, then leaned closer, her eyes fixed on the sleeping infant’s face with curiosity.

“Is this… the little princess?”

She blinked, staring at the sleeping child, and asked softly, almost reverently.

“Yes.”

Vivian nodded, her lowered eyes brimming with tenderness and affection.

“Her name is Luna.”

“Luna? What a beautiful name!”

Luna smiled, but then, as if remembering something, she looked back at Vivian.

“But, Lord Demon Lord, how should we explain the little princess’s existence to others?”

She tilted her head.

“After all, we’ve kept this hidden from everyone for so long.”

“It’s simple—just say I found her outside.”

Vivian snorted dismissively, responding with casual indifference.

Luna froze at her words.

“Uh… forgive my bluntness, Lord Demon Lord, but isn’t that explanation a bit… far-fetched?”

Her expression turned peculiar, practically screaming, “You really think anyone will buy that?”

“They’ll believe it if I say so. If they don’t, they’ll have to.”

Vivian shot her a sidelong glance, her tone sharp and unyielding.

She was a Demon Lord—since when did she need to justify herself?

A Demon Lord’s word was law; that was her prerogative and authority.

“Enough. I’m exhausted… I need to rest a bit more.”

Vivian exhaled heavily, speaking to Luna with weary fatigue.

“Go check on the recent situation and report back to me. I’ll stay here for another day or two until I’ve recovered enough to appear before everyone again.”

“Yes, Lord Demon Lord.”

Luna immediately composed herself, offering a respectful bow without further questions.

She tiptoed out, gently closing the heavy warehouse door behind her.

In an instant, the underground makeshift delivery room was left with only the exhausted Vivian and the soundly sleeping Luna.

“You really put me through the wringer.”

Vivian lowered her head, looking at the peacefully sleeping Luna, shaking her head with a wry smile.

Before resting, she used what little mana she’d regained to swiftly clean the blood and grime from her body, creating a more comfortable environment.

Then, cradling little Luna, she lay down on the nearby bed.

But she hadn’t slept long before Luna’s cries rang out again.

“…Hungry again?”

Feeling Luna’s squirming and soft whimpers, Vivian opened her eyes, sighing inwardly.

She saw Luna wriggling restlessly in her arms, her little face scrunched up, voicing her discontent.

She knew the end of pregnancy and childbirth was just the beginning.

The real challenge—raising and nursing—lay ahead, a relentless process.

With a resigned sigh, Vivian tugged open her shirt again.

“Still, demon children grow quickly from infancy. In just a year or two, they can become somewhat independent toddlers… Sigh, I’ll just have to endure…”

As she began Luna’s second feeding, a sudden warm, oddly scented flow seeped onto her wrist where Luna lay.

“…Oh, damn it.”

Vivian froze, instantly realizing what it was.

“Wuu?”

Luna, sensing the pause, unhappily let go, letting out a confused whimper, her little head turning restlessly.

While Luna fussed over her interrupted “meal,” Vivian hurriedly set about changing her daughter’s cloth.

“You really know how to pick your moments…”

Meconium—dark green, sticky, composed of amniotic fluid and intestinal cells—typically appeared later.

Yet, just hours after birth, during the second feeding, it had already come.

Demon physiology varied, so this wasn’t entirely unexpected.

After that, Vivian barely got any proper rest.

Every two or three hours, Luna would wake, whimpering and whining, clearly hungry again.

Vivian, feeling helpless, tugged open her shirt each time.

Eventually, she stopped bothering to fasten it—after all, the underground delivery room held only her and Luna, and no one else knew she was here.

As the feedings grew frequent, Vivian gradually resigned herself to her daughter’s rhythm.

While nursing Luna, she seized the moments to recover, adjusting her condition.

She’d been sequestered here for a full month, and who knew what had happened outside.

Sending Luna to check on things was partly to get a head start on understanding the reconstruction efforts and to plan ahead while things were relatively quiet.