After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World

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Regardless of the mysterious emotions involved, there was really no reason for Sahara to refuse the invite.

And so, that was settled. They only had to wait until Helios recovered, which would take another day or two even with the healer visiting. Sahara also sent a Post to her family, asking them to prepare the black fluid, and they’d find a way to transfer the goods soon.

Anyway, Helios then entered a wonderful few days with the woman of his dreams taking care of him.

Perhaps she was nice for the sake of her mission, but he didn’t really mind.

He started asking questions about her, and after a day she even started to tell him stories about her place.

She would tell him how they would use sand dunes as slides as children. Then some would fall and get hurt because of the heat, but they’d laugh so much after.

Rather, it was a necessary tribulation they had to go through. The adults called it ’hardening their skins’, and some children would purposely roll around the sand when they fell off their sleds.

The best times in her memory though was when it rained. Everyone would celebrate. They would all go out with not just containers but with their own bodies. They would feel the drop of the rain on their skins, opening their mouths to drink as much as they could.

If one had managed to fill their stomachs with the rain water, then they had managed to maximize it and it was a point of pride. Some even refuse to eat right after to prove that they had, indeed, drunk enough blessed water to get them through the night.

She would tell him how the noble children would play with the commoners, too. Though there was a gap, it wasn’t anything like what she had seen after traveling.

In places like this, if a commoner blocked a noble’s way, then they were likely to get hurt. It was in stark contrast to how it was in her home, where some noble kids would even visit commoner kids in their homes and ask them to play.

She longed for that simplicity again.

Although life in the desert was harsh, it felt more peaceful.

”You must miss your family a lot,” Helios’ said, his eyes never leaving her face. His heart felt full seeing her so… at peace with him.

They were now sitting together at the Gold’s verandah, with Helios close to getting healed and could now walk on his own.

They could roam around as guests in this massive villa, which was a great honor, though Otto and Obi had not lacked the reminder of whatever would come out of the Alterra-Dune deals, they wanted to be in on it.

They already planned their departure early the next day, and now they were maximizing the quiet time they had together—though neither of them worded it out.

”Yes, I do… miss my family a lot,” she said, answering his question. She pushed down the blush that never failed to appear wherever Helios stared at her. She cleared her throat and looked at him.

”Tell me more about Alterra,” she said. And although she asked to shift the topic away from her, she did feel a bit of wonder at the thought of the mysterious village.

Her facial expression was stoic, but her eyes sparkled with curiosity, and—in Helios’ eyes—it was such a beautiful sight.

”It is a beautiful place filled with plants and themed houses. We don’t lack food or drinks and our facilities are plenty and top notch. You would find our conveniences unlike what you’ve seen before.

”People could eat, dress, and live well there regardless of whether they’re nobles or not.

”Children also played around a lot, and whatever place they were would be filled with laughter. We also have schools there, you know, where every child would have the chance to learn more about the world, to prepare themselves for what was to come.”

This made her sparkle and awed. He smiled, continuing to speak, very much intending on completely ’converting’ her to staying. ”They have playgrounds, toys, and the like. They can live freely and happily, while at the same time growing up ready for adulthood.

”Too bad we don’t have many children,” he said, looking regretful. ”They’re lovely.”

This made her pause, unconsciously touching her stomach. She looked at him with a complicated expression.

Helios had always watched her closely, and he noticed this change. ”What’s wrong? Are you hungry?”

He asked and sat up. His eyes twitched a bit as the flash of pain passed, but he had recovered enough that an abrupt movement wouldn’t kill him.

”You shouldn’t have done that,” she said, taking another healing potion from her space.

He couldn’t drink it like water, but he was recommended to drink one every few hours.

Like a good patient, he drank it without question, but he couldn’t help but look at her in worry. ”Tell me if there’s anything wrong…”

”It’s… not that,” she mumbled and stared at him. She was not sure how to tell him this. By her usual behavior, she would tell him facts without emotion. Or… maybe she would not care to tell him at all.

But now… she cared for how he’d react—and she cared for it a lot more than she dared to admit. This fact was both uncomfortable and nerve-wracking.

She gripped her coat before standing up. Helios blinked and watched as the cloak was taken off revealing a simple dress underneath.

”Do you see my stomach?”

”It’s sexy.”

”...”

She didn’t know how to react to that and decided to just ignore it. She pushed down her nervousness as she touched her stomach.

She felt the bump there and she couldn’t help but look at it with gentleness. She then grabbed his less-injured arm, holding his calloused hand, and guiding it to touch the bump, too.

At this point, Helios already had an idea of what she wanted to say, but his brain had already turned to mush before he could fully absorb it.

She took a deep breath and stared into his eyes. ”I’m pregnant.”