"The breakfast is ready," I said.
Before I even finished speaking, the three of them were standing in front of me.
I served two plates of boar meat, one for Kurama and another for Rin, while Usagi had her usual meal of bread, greens, and fruits. I decided to stick with just bread and meat, avoiding the little purple fruits that still made me suspicious.
After abstaining from eating them for five days, nothing strange had occurred, which only reinforced my suspicions about them. Furthermore, although Rin still wanted to sleep by my side, her nighttime advances had ceased, leading me to suspect that she might be pregnant.
However, she was now constantly by my side, following my every step. Even when I needed to relieve myself, she was watching me. According to the glossary, although female goblins are not monogamous creatures, they stay by the males' side during gestation for safety reasons and to facilitate obtaining food and protection.
Despite understanding this, it was still uncomfortable to have Rin so clingy. But since it was too late to change things, and my guilty conscience prevented me from forcefully pushing her away, I simply accepted it and moved on. Ultimately, even though she had gained some intelligence, she was still irrational and acted on instinct, whereas I did not.
Regarding the shelter, during the five days that had passed, I continued to cut wood blocks relentlessly, and over time, I became more skilled and faster thanks to Handicraft skill. Even though the work was repetitive, I didn't mind as it provided a distraction from the current situation.
Each day, I was able to produce a much larger quantity of blocks with better quality. Using my sword to cut the wood, I could feel my cuts becoming cleaner and more precise.
Although my Sword Mastery skill didn't have an experience bar to show my progress, I knew I was improving. I could feel my sword handling getting better when it came to swift and precise cuts.
To enhance Body Reinforcement: Physical Strength, I always kept it activated until my magic ran out. Its mastery was slowly increasing and currently stood at 4%.
I'm very curious to know what will happen when the mastery reaches its maximum. If it follows the pattern of some stories I've read, it's possible that I'll get another skill or it will evolve.
Well, nothing happening is also an option.
But one thing is certain, even though I spent most of my time building the new shelter, my overall strength was increasing.
That being said, I also advised Usagi to do the same with her skill, Body Reinforcement: Speed, but she had very little magic, so her progress was not as significant. The rate at which her mastery increased was much lower compared to mine.
Although it's just a guess, I believe this must be some effect of Self-Evolution. It seems to have more benefits than I expected.
As for my magic training, well, it wasn't progressing as I had hoped.
Despite practicing daily, I still hadn't been able to cast the most basic spell. The problem wasn't the spell itself, although it was complex, it wasn't too difficult to remember. The problem was the way to circulate the magic.
Even when I completed the incantation, I found that any mistake, no matter how small, would prevent the spell from being cast.
It seems this won't be as easy as I imagined.
***
I looked at the enormous pile of blocks I had made after another 8 days of hard and continuous work. Finally, I had made enough blocks to start building our shelter.
"I think this is enough," I murmured to myself, feeling proud of my hard work.
Turning to the forest, I shouted, "You two, that's enough for today!"
Although it seemed like Kurama and Usagi were playing tag, that's exactly what they were doing, but it also served as training to increase their agility and responsiveness.
Within seconds, I spotted the two of them running among the trees.
With their speed, it didn't take long for them to reach where Rin and I were. Due to her superior agility, Usagi was the first to arrive and immediately jumped into my arms.
"What's that smell?" I asked, holding Usagi in my hands and instinctively moving her away from my nose.
Meanwhile, Kurama arrived and rubbed against my legs. His odor was no less than Usagi's.
"Where have you two been?"
I looked at them covered in rotten leaves and mud.
"Well, never mind, it doesn't matter, let's take a bath."
With Usagi in my arms and Kurama following me, we headed to the river. As for Rin, even though she didn't need it, she followed us, and I ended up having to wash her as well.
***
After bathing, I prepared our dinner before the sun set. Since Usagi had already adjusted to level 15, I decided to raise all of us to level 16 using the accumulated essence. Unfortunately, the remaining amount of essence wasn't enough to level up again.
Even with Kurama constantly hunting rabbits, the amount of essence they provided was negligible, like a drop in the ocean. That's why I was eager to finish our shelter soon so that we could go back to hunting goblins.
During these eight days, even though we hadn't gone out to explore, I still made sure everyone trained diligently, except for Rin, of course. Although she wanted to join the training, I thought it best for her to stay out of it. While her belly hadn't changed an inch, there's still a possibility that she might be pregnant, so I wanted to wait until the last moment to be sure.
Rin spent most of her time clinging to me, but I had already gotten used to it. Initially, I had conflicting feelings about the possibility of having a child with a goblin, but after a few days, I ended up getting used to the idea.
Probably because of that, I started paying more attention to Rin and noticed the fact that she was always barefoot.
I tried to have her wear one of my boots that were included in the sets of clothes I received from Shadow-san, but they were all too big for her. Since all the clothes I received when I transmigrated were identical, none of them fit her.
To solve this problem, I dried some rabbit fur and the thick bear hide in the sun and made a kind of shoe for her. Although it wasn't pretty, it provided decent protection for her feet.
At first, Rin didn't like the shoes, but when I told her she couldn't sleep with me anymore if she didn't wear them, she reluctantly agreed.
Although I think I'm more concerned than I should be, I also changed the rags she was wearing to a dress made of rabbit fur. But she didn't like it and always took the clothes off when I dressed her.
Without another option, I had to use my secret weapon and whisper in her ear what she wanted to hear. Unfortunately, even though the dress had seemed good in my mind, in practice it didn't work so well. It hindered her movements quite a bit, so we decided to go back to the design of her old clothes.
Using the rabbit fur I had prepared, I made a loincloth just like the one she used before but with a more skirt-like design and a more comfortable top. I also tried to make some shorts, but I didn't achieve the expected result. Since I didn't have sewing thread, I tried to sew with thin leather strips, but because I didn't know how to sew, it ended up being a failure.
During this time, I tried to change her diet to include a little more fruit instead of just meat, but she didn't seem very receptive to the idea.
***
"Guhi~~"
With a full belly, Rin lay on my lap and closed her eyes as she stretched.
"Hey, don't fall asleep here, let's go back to the cave."
Ignoring me, she didn't move a muscle.
"It seems I spoiled you too much these past few days," I complained.
The possibility of Rin giving birth to my child has changed the way I see her, or rather, it has made me ignore how I see her. Even though I didn't want it at first, it seems like I'm quickly getting used to it.
The other day, I even put my ear to her belly in an attempt to listen for something, but all I heard was her stomach rumbling.
While I was lost in thought, Rin started drooling on my thigh.
"That was quick as always," I chuckled to myself.
Her sleeping expression was clear thanks to the campfire, and well, she still looked like a complete goblin.
"I guess it's okay to take her this time," I decided.
Picking her up in my arms, I stood up.
"I seem like an overly protective husband... damn it," I sighed. "This is nothing like the married life I imagined for myself."
"Let's go inside," I called Kurama and Usagi, and then we went to sleep.