The cloth was loosely wrapped around the lower half of the body. Although the bath water had washed it away, the smell of blood had faded only slightly. Ethan remembered the speed of If’s recovery. Since the wound was internal and had caused bleeding, the blood would stop soon enough. Probably within a day.

It was still a long way to the nearest village. They would be camping out in the open for the next few days anyway, so there was no need to leave early. It was a good thing he had paid extra when he bought the cloth.

“This is uncomfortable.”

“Just bear with it for a while.”

Sitting on the bed with If in his arms, Ethan laid his cloak over the blanket, trying to gather as much warmth as possible.

“Why doesn’t the bleeding stop?”

It had never lasted this long before. Was something wrong? The last time he’d checked, there hadn’t been any noticeable problems.

If’s body, unable to hide its discomfort at the unfamiliar pain, squirmed restlessly. She didn’t even know about s*x, and now she didn’t know about menstruation. How much s*x education did she need?

As Ethan continued his train of thought, a new question formed in his mind and made him tilt his head slightly.

“If you’ve never had a period, how can you have children?”

As a large hand covered If’s lower abdomen, the warmth made If relax, her body going limp. She rested her head on Ethan’s forearm and murmured sleepily.

“Ah, a period…”

With a clouded mind as she digs through her knowledge.

Menstruation. Also known as period, menstruation or menstrual cycle. A physiological process in which the lining of the *terus thickens in preparation for pregnancy, and if fertilisation does not occur, the lining is shed along with bleeding.

“Mm.”

So that was it. That explained the sudden bleeding. Normally they either didn’t eat at all or only ate essential nutrients as needed, but now they were eating real food, hormonal changes were likely. The pain was also coming from that area.

“Pregnancy… Hmm, is that possible?”

Considering she had her period, it was possible.

“What?”

“We haven’t conceived naturally in a long time.”

“With such a ridiculously long lifespan? Still, babies have to be born somehow. How else does your species survive?”

At Ethan’s question, If nudged the hand resting on her stomach.

“There’s an artificial womb.”

“Huh?”

“An artificial womb. We made it ourselves. It’s about this big…”

Or was it a little bigger? When If spread her hands to indicate the approximate size, the gap widened even more, forming a round shape about the width of her chest.

“We put extracted eggs and sperm inside to fertilise them. The child then grows inside, just like in a natural womb”.

Since ancient times, women’s eggs have been cryopreserved. As for men’s sperm, large quantities can be extracted at once, so only a few with superior genetic characteristics are preserved by freezing.

All genetic information is recorded in a computer and children are created by fertilising eggs and sperm with the most distant blood relatives.

The process will take place when the population begins to decline.

At this horrifying explanation, Ethan’s face turned pale.

So basically… they’re creating people? Cutting into human flesh to extract children’s sperm?

“Why did you start doing something so horrible?”

“Horrible? No, it’s efficient.”

If refuted his words with a matter-of-fact expression.

“The pregnancy lasts ten months.”

About 305 days. Even if the lifespan of ancient humans had increased significantly, it was still not a short period of time.

“Many variables can occur during this time. Implantation can fail because of the mother’s diet or other factors. If the fetus has genetic defects, the mother could experience abnormal bleeding and even die. Even if the baby grows, there is a high risk of miscarriage due to internal or external factors. And in such cases, the mother’s body is also damaged, isn’t it?”

There was nothing wrong with what she said. Ethan furrowed his brow.

Even if he didn’t understand every word, he could deduce its meaning from the context and grasp an undeniable fact.

As far as he knew, about half of all pregnant commoners died during pregnancy or childbirth.

With no doctors or healers, this was inevitable. The commoners could only rely on skilled midwives.

“But if we use artificial wombs, there’s no chance of failure.”

Because implantation is artificial, there is no chance of failure. As the fetus grows, it receives a steady supply of nutrients, ensuring that there are no physical complications.

Furthermore, as the genetic material begins to take shape, any harmful genes are eliminated, and if an inherited disease is detected, it is removed in advance, allowing the child to develop without problems.

Throughout the process, no harm has been done to the person.

“With such an efficient method available, why would anyone want to carry a child in their womb?”

Variables, failure, probability, efficiency – these were all words used to describe the process of pregnancy and birth.

“……”

He momentarily lost his words, his mouth slightly open.

“There has been a complication. The Randall male we were going to breed this time was sent on a beast hunt, wasn’t it? Tsk, bad luck – he died. Damn, now we have to find another one.”

“Maybe it’s because she’s given birth too many times. Another failure.”

“It can’t be helped. This one will be discarded.”

Although they were raised differently, they were treated the same.

Like cattle.

Even in front of their own children, they were whipped and forced to mate. And the children born in this way received the same treatment.

“If they’re born like that, what then? Who will take care of the child? That robot or whatever it is?”

“No. Once they’ve grown to a certain point, they’re taken somewhere else. The period in which they receive nutrients through the umbilical cord ends. When they were fetuses, their brains, eyes and other parts of their bodies weren’t fully developed, so it would have been difficult for them to remember. But after that, they retain memories and can explain it clearly.”

She spreads her arms, this time forming a much larger cylindrical shape than before.

“An incubator this big – basically a chamber designed for the child’s growth. They’re put inside and then their nose and mouth are connected like this. When the time comes, nutrients are delivered through this tube.”

If pressed the edges of her hands together to form a hollow shape and covered her nose and mouth with it. This muffled the last part of her words, but Ethan could still hear her clearly.

“Hah…”

So… they remember being newborns and growing up in a chamber?

What terrible thing was he hearing now?

Not feeling sad even when someone they were close enough to exchange names with died, leaving only bones.

Clinging to others, drawn to warmth as if it were a necessity.

An insatiable curiosity, always on the move, eager to explore.

It all made sense now.

It didn’t matter if they had lived for decades or a hundred years.

How could a child become normal after being imprisoned in a small chamber and then released?

Their emotions must have been sterile, unable to be revived by ordinary stimulation. Of course, they wouldn’t have had any interest in the world around them.

That world must have been filled with nothing but humans like that and mechanical dolls.

What kind of utopia was that?

Ethan retracted the thoughts he had once entertained.

Apart from the fact that they bled, they were no different from mechanical dolls.

“When we’re young, our bodies aren’t fully developed, so it’s difficult to modify them. That’s why we need nutrients while we’re growing.”

Only for about fifteen years or so.

By then the body would have stabilised enough to begin the gradual process of change. Once the process was complete, it would no longer require sleep, rest or food – becoming a body of pure convenience.

“Hah…”

Ethan ran a hand through his hair. His head was throbbing from the sheer amount of information he had just absorbed.

What the hell had they done?

The fact that she could say such horrible things so casually, the world that saw it as something natural for humans – everything about it was insane.

“Ethan?”

Whenever she showed human-like physiological reactions, Ethan smiled with deep satisfaction.

It was as if he was witnessing a once exalted being, one that had pretended to be noble in the heavens, slowly descend into humanity before his very eyes.

And the one who had dragged her down to that level was none other than himself. Someone from the very bottom.

Ethan curled up into a ball and bowed his head. As he buried his face in his rounded shoulders, he let out a soft laugh.

The wretched jealousy that had been gnawing at him melted away like snow.

“Does it hurt?”

A hand reached out and stroked his hair. Fine fingers tangled in his dishevelled locks, stroking gently.

“…You’re the one in pain.”

“It’s fine if you touch me, Ethan.”

“Even if I’m the reason you’re hurting?”

“Why would it be because of you, Ethan?”

“You said you never had this before.”

“Yeah.”

“Then it’s me. I’m the reason it happened.”

He was the cause of her change.

If she continued to learn everything like this, what would she think of the body that had already changed?

Satisfied? What a joke.

His past had been horrible. So much so that he had wanted to exterminate everyone in the world.

Horribly.

Everything – including himself. The whole world.

“The things you gave me were delicious. The things you showed me were fun. I hate being in pain, but I hate not feeling you even more. When you touch me, it doesn’t hurt as much, so that’s better.”

When she turned her head, her cheek brushed against him.

Softer than a child’s skin.

A body so fragile that even the slightest touch could leave a mark.

No muscles, no magic.

And yet, he had pulled this out into the world. Into this wretched world.

This woman.

“Ethan?”

He knew exactly why he was crumbling in the hands of someone so unbearably delicate.

Because she knew nothing about the world he had been dragged out of.

Because she saw only him.

“Ethan.”

“Why do you keep calling me that?”

“Are you hurt?”

The hand that had been stroking his hair gently cupped Ethan’s cheek.

Because she called only his name.
Because she acted as if he were her entire world.
Because she saw this world as beautiful simply because he existed in it—despite how wretched he was.

“There’s no way I’m hurt.”

“But you look like you are.”

He couldn’t bring himself to hate her.

This woman who had lived her life without knowing anything terrible.

“I’m not hurt.”

Ethan put his hand over hers, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.