Manga World: Bringing Steam Technology to the World of Sanctuary

"So, is that how babies are born?"

No one could answer Lala's question, but for different reasons.

Momo, Nana, Mikan Mami and Sachie's friends and classmates, as well as Yami, Saki, and her follower Aya, and Haruna's friend Mio Sawada, had no idea where babies came from. They only knew what their parents had told them years ago during their childhood.

So, when they saw a baby emerge from a fruit on a large tree after a flash of white light, they believed—or rather, confirmed—that this was how babies were born.

On the other hand, Mikan, Mio, Maria, Haruna, and her other friend Risa, Mea (Saki's other follower), Rin, Yui, Reina, and Chiaki said nothing, as they actually knew how babies were made and born. When they heard Lala's statement about babies, their faces turned red.

But at the same time, their thoughts were in chaos because the way this baby appeared made no sense in their understanding of human procreation.

All the girls gathered around Christel to get a closer look at the baby.

"She's so beautiful."

"Is her green hair because she was born from a plant?"

"Maybe, but her skin is so soft and white."

"Won't she be cold without being wrapped in a cloth diaper?"

"That's true, it's better to wrap the baby!"

Then they all turned and looked around for something that could work.

"Momo, take one of the fallen petals and bring the softest one," Christel told Momo quietly.

As the one who was most concerned about Celine and who felt a sense of guilt, Christel gave her a task that seemed useful and would give her a sense of hard work and belonging.

When Momo heard Christel's request, she looked at the now-fallen tree that was once Celine. Of the nine petals, five seemed to have withered, and of the remaining four, only one had a stronger, more vibrant color.

She ran to that petal, picked it up with her hands, and felt its tenderness and softness. Then she lifted it and, trotting back, offered it to Christel.

With Momo's help, Christel carefully wrapped baby Celine. Then, to Momo's surprise, Christel handed Celine to her to hold.

"Help me hold her. I need to secure the remains of Celine's previous body."

"Huh? But, I… Chrisss~"

Momo didn't know what to do. She just stood there holding the baby, not wanting to speak too loudly so as not to disturb the baby, who seemed to be asleep.

Even so, holding the baby in her arms, Momo could sense the baby's spirit and knew it was Celine, as she felt the resemblance and connection.

While everyone now gathered around Momo to continue admiring baby Celine, Christel took out some pre-prepared boxes made of white and green jade in various sizes.

Thanks to her perception and knowledge of druidic magic, Christel could differentiate the parts that still contained vitality and could be useful for research. She thought the remaining parts could be used to test whether they would increase the fertility of the soil.

She didn't feel that using these remains of Celine's former body was wrong. If it were the shed skin of a snake companion, she would also use the remains after the molt.

There was much to learn about the material and its medicinal resources. Additionally, the other three petals that still contained a lot of vitality could help Christel make clothes and armor. She felt that with this material, she would have even more affinity with plants than she already did and could safely approach a mutated, demonic plant like the Red Rose in the Dark Forest of the Sanctuary World.

Yami and Mea felt strange emotions. Seeing the birth of a baby made them reflect on their own state. Although they were still young, their arrival on this planet had made them feel things they had never experienced before in their many assassination jobs across the Deviluke galaxy.

Mio and Maria looked at the baby with excited eyes. A maternal feeling arose when the baby was born, and they wanted to care for and protect it from all harm. Their desire to become stronger to protect their family deepened.

Momo felt happy and calm. Although she didn't know how, she knew Christel had been aware of this all along. Christel had been giving Celine special potions, fertile soil, and nutrients. Celine absorbed everything Christel gave her, which, as Christel said, allowed her to evolve peacefully.

Now Momo held Celine in her arms and felt satisfied.

Nana was also impressed. It seemed Christel had everything planned and expected this outcome. Her admiration for her Sister-in-Law grew even more. For a moment, a strange thought crossed her mind: 'If Christel and I took care of a puppy, would it also evolve into a baby?'

Although Nana wanted to dismiss those thoughts, the seed had already been planted, and her face turned pink.

All the girls excitedly chatted about the baby and finished their food and drinks.

Each of them held the baby for a moment. Momo and Nana didn't leave Lala's side when she held Celine, but nothing unusual happened.

On the other hand, no one handed the baby to Rito. Everyone knew this guy could trip at any moment, and they didn't know where the baby might end up. So, by unanimous vote—even from Mikan—Rito could only touch the baby briefly but not hold her.

Time passed, but what Christel didn't know was that the report of a baby being born from a tree had reached Rias and Sona with the help of some demon bats who were always in charge of monitoring the house.

Peke also knew about these special bats, so she didn't alert or register them.

Of all the girls present, Yuuma was the most puzzled. But not because of the birth of a humanoid baby from the fruit of an alien tree.

Rather, it was the fact of the baby's birth and its connection to Christel. She wondered what would have happened if, on that first night, she had knocked Christel up. Would she now be pregnant and waiting for a child of her own?

A desire to start a family arose in her heart, but reason held her back. She knew very well that she couldn't do that now, but she was starting to think about the future. 'Someday, Christel will hold a baby like this in her arms, but it will be mine…'

In the neighboring house, a mature woman stood at the window of a darkened room. She felt the burst of vital energy, like when a woman gives birth to a child. She knew nothing about an alien tree, but witnessing everything, she was impressed by the creatures beyond this sky.

'We, the Kamis and Megamis, always believed we were the creator gods of this world. How funny to see ourselves as superior while being ignorant of the wonders beyond our sky…'

Afureia, or Chisato Hasegawa, thought about what lay beyond the stars as she watched the girls in the backyard of her neighbors' house. She also noticed a middle-aged woman on the roof of another house but sensed no malice from her, so she did nothing.

Mikado Ryouko observed from the roof of a nearby house with binoculars.

"Interesting. I knew about the news of Princess Lala in this world, but Yami being in contact with her—or rather, with who seems to be the daughter of the owner of this house—is strange.

Getting along with a human was already impressive, but it seems her home on this planet is here. Mea was also welcomed to live in the house as Yami's sister, and this girl named Christel knows about them as assassins and isn't worried… A young carnivorous plant turning into a baby, and the strange, immense vitality of the blonde girl named Christel are things worth investigating.

Should I move to this city? But there are very strong signatures here, especially the woman in the house next door. Her energy signature is very strong, and it seems she's noticed my presence.

No wonder this city is marked as highly dangerous…"

Mikado whispered as she observed and analyzed everything with her high-tech binoculars. Thanks to these binoculars, she could also hide from the house's security system. But she couldn't hide from the perception of a goddess.

As the sun began to set on the horizon, the girls from Sainan City had to return home.

Mea offered to take the girls back. After saying goodbye to everyone, Mea and the others left. Shortly after, Christel received messages from all the girls who had visited that day, promising to visit them soon and let them show her their city.

Christel's phone contacts grew by at least 20 new numbers.

Mikan and the others didn't leave empty-handed. Mio gave them snacks to take home and share with their parents.

Moments later, almost at the same time, the demon girls from the Gremory and Sitri families arrived, along with Ravel Phenex, who had apparently asked for permission to stay with Rias. As the fiancée of the Gremory house with her Phenex house, her mother had no problem granting permission.

Rias and her peerage, as well as Sona and hers, were impressed. They knew about the Celine tree, a carnivorous alien plant. But now, seeing this baby with soft green hair and tender white skin, they didn't know what to think.

Lala kept saying that Celine was her and Christel's daughter, and now Momo argued with her, saying it was she and Christel who had raised Celine, and it was Christel who helped her be reborn as a baby.

But Lala insisted that she was the one who brought Celine and gave her to Christel. If she hadn't done that, Celine wouldn't be here. Momo was left without arguments to counter.

Of course, Momo lacked experience, or she would have found hundreds of arguments, like in the world after 2020, where women claim they don't need men to have children.

Before Rias and Sona could ask, Christel handed each of them a jade box containing the remains of the petals and parts with high vitality and medicinal resources from the Celine tree.

"Hey, that's unfair, Christel," Ravel said, putting her hands on her hips and looking at Christel angrily. Christel had no choice but to give her a jade box as well.

She did this to maintain a good relationship with the Gremory and Sitri families, who knew of this girl's existence and that she got along well with their daughters. Although they hadn't officially met, Rias and Sona's parents already loved this human girl as if she were their own daughter.

Although they had also received reports from Serafall and Grayfia, Christel turned a blind eye to that.

What Christel didn't know was that the Noble Phenex Demon Family already knew of her existence.

In truth, from the moment Rias asked Christel to be her partner and her move to the Ourada Velky family's house, spies had sent all her data to Ravel's parents. So, all the heads of the Phenex family already knew about Christel's immense vitality.

This led to Ravel's parents meeting with Rias and Sona's parents, who had no choice but to share Christel's research files with the promise not to reveal her existence.

So now, Christel was under the surveillance of three noble families from the Biblical Demon Dimension, the Fallen Angels, a goddess from the Divine Kamis, and a galaxy-wide empire.

But the one who was most surprised was Lluvia, Christel's mother.

"What do I do?! What do I do?! I wanted my baby to have a baby, but in 20 years!"

"Mom, do you want me to have a child at 30?"

"You're right, you should have a child at 30 at the earliest!"

"Puaa!" Christel pretended to be hit hard.

"But what do we do with this baby? She can't be registered as my daughter's child; she's still a child herself!"

Mio and Yuuma looked at Lluvia with embarrassment and lowered their gaze. But no one noticed.

The other girls also blushed slightly, especially Rias and Sona, who, in their quest to increase their demonic power, had kissed Christel a lot.

"Don't worry, I already called Mom on Deviluke, and she has registered Celine as Christel and Lala's daughter…"

"Oneechan!! When did you do that?!" Momo asked hurriedly.

"Just now. Mom said it's all fine, and she's been added to the family tree."

Everyone, including Christel, was amazed by Lala's efficiency and that of the Deviluke Queen.