At the end of July, Mira had just reached two months of pregnancy.
Rhode noticed that his wife's tastes were shifting quite quickly; today she wanted to eat beef braised with vinegar, tomorrow spicy fish soup, the day after she might complain that the fish soup was too fishy...
To make sure she ate well, Rhode and Elfman were kept very busy.
Whenever she made a request, Rhode immediately flew off to buy ingredients and used Flying Gate to transport them home.
Elfman would urgently study recipes, and as soon as he got the ingredients, he would get cooking.
Though Mira said she was just speaking off the cuff, suddenly remembered, and that it wasn't necessary to go to such trouble, the two men relished the task.
As for Lisana, she could only be responsible for taste-testing for toxins and accompanying her sister for meals.
It is worth mentioning that Elfman's recent dedication to studying recipes and caring for his sister led to him not going out on dates as frequently.
So, Ibarglin visited their home twice.
She insisted she was there on behalf of the Thunder God Tribe to visit the pregnant lady, but the time spent accompanying Mira was far less than the time she spent in the kitchen with Elfman.
The family members were delighted by this.
Rhode would occasionally take Mira to Granny Porlyusica's place for a check-up and to consult about any adverse symptoms.
The result was that everything was normal, and next month those adverse symptoms should decrease a lot, and by then she could even do some mild exercise.
As for nutritional aspects, it should be supplemented but not overdone, otherwise, it might lead to a fetus that's too large, causing difficulty in childbirth.
Rhode noted everything down and wanted to pester Porlyusica for recipes.
The result was the tree house's door slammed shut with a bang, and a book flew out of the window, hitting Rhode's forehead.
Rhode rubbed his forehead while still saying thank you.
Days pass by, plain and uneventful.
Until one morning, Mira confided to Rhode with a frown that she couldn't fit into her two favorite dresses.
"The red one and the black one?" Rhode wasn't surprised; those dresses were already quite tight around the waist, so this day was bound to come.
"Yes." Mira gestured while speaking, "If these two don't work, there are many clothes I can't wear."
Rhode could only comfort her: "No worries, with a face this beautiful, you'll look stunning in anything else too."
Mira sighed, she understood the reasoning, and had even prepared 'maternity wear' beforehand, but when the day arrived, she still cared a little.
Rhode hugged his wife for comfort, then helped her pack away clothes she couldn't wear, and also assisted in selecting outfits that didn't differ much from her previous style.
After changing, Rhode casually rubbed her belly: "You can't really see any changes."
Mira said: "I wish the changes were bigger now."
"Why?"
"The sooner it's born, the sooner I can recover."
"... That's reasonable, but wanting to give birth at just over two months is quite a risky thought."
Maybe thinking of something, Mira put her hands on her hips, stuck out her belly, walked a few steps in the room, and laughed: "Should I walk like this in the future?"
Rhode amusedly replied: "Great idea, like this everyone will have to make way for us when we're out."
Mira rolled her eyes at him: "Aren't people giving way now?"
Rhode laughed: "That eye-roll should go to our dear brother."
Thanks to Elfman, less people indeed fail to make way when he escorts us.
Mira puffed her cheeks, angrily said: "I'm going to give him a beating."
...
Today was still a regular workday, the guild had turned into a gathering place for idle folks again.
Because this month, everyone had worked vigorously, they all saved up some money, so even at the end of the month no one wanted to go out.
With such hot weather, the guild was the perfect place to beat the heat.
A previously overwhelmed Makarov suddenly remembered something he'd forgotten: "Rhode, it's been almost a month since the Great Demon Fighting Martial Arts, I wanted to..."
Catching wind that things might take a bad turn, Rhode quickly moved aside to hug Mira, concernedly asking: "Is there anything you'd like to eat today? Even if it's far, I'll surely have it bought back before noon."
Mira blinked, looking at Rhode and then to the President, quickly understanding, she gleefully replied: "I remember the territory of our dear Count, near Kerland Town, has someone who raises cattle and sheep, how about getting some sheep's milk?"
Rhode immediately agreed: "No problem, I'll watch them milk it in person, guaranteed fresh!"
"Hey..." Makarov was left speechless, when did this child become so impertinent?
"Oh, President, you heard me; I need to go to Gioa Kingdom, we'll talk when I'm back!" Rhode vanished in a flash of blue light, flying straight to the Earl's Mansion.
Makarov instinctively reached out a hand; at the moment, he was very reminiscent of Er Kang.
Mira covered her mouth laughing.
Makarov helplessly said: "You should try to persuade him too."
"That's not possible, President." Mira replied 'weakly' and 'awkwardly', "How can a wife arbitrarily interfere with her husband's decisions? What if the Count gets angry and dismisses me?"
Makarov was silent for a few seconds: "Leaving aside the possibility, would he dare risk such a thing?"
"Perhaps." Mira held her belly as she pitifully looked at him, "Also, even without reaching the worst-case scenario, if we argue over this, it'll be all your fault."
"I..." Makarov took a deep breath and then turned away. Damn it, he wouldn't argue with a pregnant woman!
When Rhode returned with a bucket, Mira was speaking to Bisca about her minor concerns.
Bisca told Mira as someone who had been through it: "Don't worry about these minor issues right now, because as your belly grows day by day, more concerns will arise."
Rhode had a fleeting moment wanting to dump the sheep's milk on Alzack's head, come listen to your wife, is she speaking human words?!
"You really bought it back?" Bisca clearly heard from Mira about Rhode's whereabouts, a bit surprised at his ability to act.
Rhode replied: "Of course, Granny Porlyusica mentioned it's good to supplement with some dairy products."
After sniffing it, Mira pinched her nose: "It smells quite gamey."
"Boiling it will fix that." Rhode grabbed the bucket and headed straight for the kitchen, "The farm said adding some almonds while boiling gives it a great flavor."
Half a bucket of sheep milk was naturally not for Mira to drink all by herself, after boiling, Rhode shared some with Asuka, Carla, Wendy, and Romeo.
The children were in their growing years.
Wendy held a large cup, having received Brother Rhode's care, sipping it happily and pensively: "It's hot, and fragrant!"
Hapi didn't get any because he was out working with Natsu Gray and hadn't returned.
Rhode suddenly remembered that small team: "Weird, the giant wild boar monster is tough to deal with, but it's not something that should delay them for a week, right? Even if Natsu insisted on returning on foot, the time should be about right by now."