Became Pregnant With the Demon King’s Child

For three days, intense fighting raged around the Duchy of Dussell. At first, the castle seemed on the verge of falling easily under Felix’s surprise attack, but the resistance from Duke Dussell’s forces—being the largest faction—was not to be underestimated. The tide only turned when the Duke, using the last of his strength, attempted to call in reinforcements from outside and fortify the rear.

Felix, having predicted the arrival of new enemies, slipped away alone through the back gate. As soon as the enemy signaled their advance, he tightened the encirclement from within. He had been aiming for the opening that would come when their defenses weakened due to their offensive push.
Of course, this was a plan that could never have worked if Felix hadn’t possessed the power to take on a hundred alone. The Dussell family, unable to imagine such a feat, collapsed. And with Felix having already cut off all escape routes in advance, the entire household was captured in one fell swoop.
“You really think you’ll get away with this, even if you are a Grand Duke?”

Felix ignored the bound Duke Dussell, who screamed with rage, his eyes bloodshot.
“Any word?”
“The nobles near the capital are resisting fiercely, but those who win each battle are immediately moving to provide support. They say it’ll likely be wrapped up by tomorrow.”

“All right. As soon as the sweep is finished, we head for the Imperial Palace.”
The sweep went more smoothly than expected. Even while handling remnants who either rampaged or fled into civilian homes after their leader was captured, the whole process took less than half a day. Ironically, the preparations the Duke had made to smuggle out incriminating evidence ended up helping Felix. Once he traced the trail of mana used during the escape and discovered a hidden passage, the rest resolved itself.
Without delay, Felix took both the evidence and the Duke and headed for the capital. There, at the imposing gates of the Imperial Palace, the Crown Prince was already waiting.

“As expected, it was the right call to leave it to you. I thought the Dussell family would take at least another day.”
The Crown Prince, visibly pleased, narrowed his eyes at the sight of the battered Duke Dussell.
“Everything outside is under control. Shall we go report to His Majesty now?”

He laced the word “His Majesty” with mocking derision.
“Please wait a moment.”
With large and small battles erupting continuously, Lowell—or his escort knights—had been out of contact since the first day. The enemy forces were still active, but if he didn’t act now, he wouldn’t be able to reach out until it was all over.

“What is it?”
“I’ll move after I confirm Lowell’s safety.”
“You’re wasting time when victory is within reach? It takes at least an hour to deploy and activate a magical sphere, doesn’t it?”

The Crown Prince’s logic was sound, but a creeping unease was crawling up the back of Felix’s neck. He felt like he had to act now.
“If Lowell isn’t safe, this entire mission is meaningless to me.”
For once, Felix’s eyes—always indifferent whether looking at enemy or ally—sparked with fire.
“I see. So there’s something even you won’t compromise on. Then at least wait until after we meet the Emperor. We’re nearly there, aren’t we? And if we cut off their access to reinforcements completely, we’ll end this faster.”

The Emperor was currently trapped inside the palace, but he still had a few knights by his side, and communication channels remained intact. Once that was handled, the major players involved in this conspiracy would be dealt with. All that remained was to repel the final enemy forces storming the palace under the pretense of defending the Emperor—and to destroy the chamber where the ritual had been prepared.
Felix knew this rationally. But whenever Lowell was involved, reason didn’t work properly. The anxiety slithered up his spine like a snake.
“Then I’ll leave behind two mages to install the sphere.”

“Fine.”
While it would have been a problem for Felix himself to be missing, the Crown Prince decided losing a couple of surplus personnel was no big deal. Felix immediately gave orders to the two mages and stepped forward alongside the Crown Prince, heading toward the heart of the palace.
***

“So lax.”
“Thanks to the cleanup outside.”
Securing the interior of the Imperial Palace was even easier than sweeping through the Dussell estate. The only capable people left here were those still at the Emperor’s side.

“Let’s go in.”
Reaching the Emperor’s audience chamber, the Crown Prince did not hesitate to open the door. He had waited too long for this day to waste even a second.
“You insolent brat!”

The Emperor, seated upon the throne, rose in fury the moment he saw the Crown Prince’s face. But beneath the rage was an unmistakable layer of fear—so thick it clung to his features. No one present felt any intimidation from the man.
“Your Majesty, the nobles plotting treachery through black magic have been captured.”
The Crown Prince gave a formal bow and report, feigning decorum. But doing so, knowing full well the Emperor’s intentions, was nothing short of mockery. Clenching his fists in humiliation, the Emperor stared at the Crown Prince and Felix with bloodshot eyes.

“Do you not realize this is treason?”
“Surely not. Perhaps Your Majesty was deceived easily—but these people intended to use even your mind as a sacrifice. After that, they would’ve turned you into nothing more than a puppet. Isn’t it only proper that your loyal son prevented it?”
“You little—!”

The Emperor roared, but the Crown Prince merely looked bored. Felix, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to eliminate the knights standing beside the Emperor and end this immediately.
“I’ll finish this.”
Felix didn’t wait. He swung his blood-stained sword through the air. The few remaining guards flinched.

“You dare raise a blade to me?”
“Oh no,” the Crown Prince answered smoothly, “Grand Duke Felix is merely punishing the guards who failed to protect Your Majesty. There might still be noble faction spies among them, after all.”
No matter what the Emperor said, Felix silently cut down the guards. It was always the Crown Prince who replied.

In the past, whenever Felix saw the Emperor—who seemed to relish tormenting him—he would be overwhelmed with emotion. But now, he was calm to the point of surprise. Because Lowell had become the mast that anchored Felix’s core. As long as that mast did not shake, Felix would never fall.
Perhaps sensing this, the Emperor twisted his face and suddenly burst out laughing. Cornered, he had finally snapped.
“You don’t even know why I started all this, and yet you still try to kill your own mother.”

“I do know.”
Felix replied plainly.
“You were trying to perform the most forbidden black magic of all: resurrection. And who else would Your Majesty be so obsessed with reviving, if not my mother?”

Felix spoke the truth Lowell had tried ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) so hard to hide, not with feigned indifference, but with genuine composure. For the first time since entering the chamber, the Crown Prince reacted with surprise.
“You knew, and yet…!”
“A person resurrected by black magic is no different from a monster that merely looks human. Please, don’t defile my mother any further.”

With that, Felix struck down the last remaining knight. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been shocked when he first learned the truth. But seeing how Lowell had tried to protect him—even if it meant hiding the truth—had calmed the storm inside him.
I miss Lowell.
Even if he could have truly resurrected his mother through dark magic, Felix would have made the same choice. He remembered Lowell’s face as they parted, close to tears.

"Please just promise me you'll return safely. You said you wouldn't let the one you love be lost to war, remember?"
Lowell was the center of Felix’s life. And to keep that promise, he would do anything.
“I met someone who succeeded in resurrection. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“It’s over now.”
Felix answered without emotion.
“There are plenty of people involved. And many are more than willing to confess. So you needn’t worry about that.”

The Emperor’s head dropped. His shoulders shook. Thinking the man had finally given up, the Crown Prince strode forward to the throne.
But when he got close, he realized—the Emperor wasn’t crying. He was laughing.
What...?

The madman’s laughter filled the audience chamber.
“You thought I’d go quietly?”
Cackling so hard it seemed like he would stop breathing, he rasped, scratching at his throat with a raspy whisper.

“At the very least… I have to take what you love most.”
The snake that had been crawling over Felix’s body now reached his throat. A dreadful foreboding clamped around his windpipe like a vice.