Became Pregnant With the Demon King’s Child

Calling the priest had been, truly, an accident. It had all started when Lowell, in his desperation to strengthen this weak body, had decided to try exercising.

Back in his original world, he had dabbled in just about every kind of physical activity—including kendo. So swinging around a wooden sword felt like a mere warm-up to him. Despite the concerned looks from the knights training nearby, Lowell had boldly begun swinging the sword. And then…
“Ah—!”
He didn’t even manage ten swings before the sword slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground. That wasn’t all—his arm, which had done practically nothing, was somehow already swollen and aching.

“Young Master Lowell!”
“Ah dear, we did warn you it was dangerous.”
As if waiting for the moment, the knights rushed over, bombarding him with scolding. They didn’t even bother to hide the look in their eyes—one that clearly found their weak and clueless young master utterly pitiful. But Lowell paid them no mind. He was too shocked by how poorly this body held up.

How does anyone live in a body like this?
He’d thought he’d set the bar plenty low for himself, but even that had been too optimistic. His body was in worse shape than he’d anticipated.
“I’ll send for a priest.”

One of the knights observing the situation let out a heavy sigh and spoke up. Lowell, still reeling from the shock, simply nodded.
Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of the surprises.
The priest who examined Lowell’s wrist declared it a mild case of muscle strain and said it would heal quickly with some basic healing magic.

“I will now begin treatment.”
Light poured from the priest’s hand. It was Lowell’s first time seeing magic, and he watched in fascination, briefly entranced—until something strange happened.
“Hm… I’ve healed your wrist, but something seems off. Would you mind if I took a closer look?”

Lowell’s stomach twisted. For a moment, he wondered if he’d been found out—that he wasn’t the “real” Lowell. Still, he nodded in agreement. It wasn’t out of blind optimism; he had already accepted that if he was caught, he would deal with the consequences himself. But what the priest said next was something he hadn’t even begun to prepare for.
Pregnant?
At first, Lowell asked if the priest hadn’t somehow made a mistake. Then he tried to claim that maybe he was just gaining weight. He even muttered, Now that I think about it, I did eat a big lunch, which made the priest stare at him for a long moment before shaking his head firmly.

“There’s no mistake. If you’re not pregnant, I’ll resign from the priesthood myself.”
The priest left no room for doubt.
“C-could you keep this a secret, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ please?”
Lowell asked carefully. The priest hesitated briefly but then nodded.

“The Temple will need to be informed. But since it’s still early, we can delay any public announcement.”
Only then did Lowell exhale in relief. That would at least buy him some time to think.
“I will return in ten days for a follow-up.”

After the priest left as calmly as he had arrived, Lowell immediately called Tanya over—who stood frozen with her eyes wide as lanterns—and gave her repeated warnings to keep quiet.
“Of course, Young Master. You can count on me!”
He didn’t entirely trust that, but for now, Lowell decided to deal with the more urgent matters first.

“Could you bring me some water? Cold, if possible.”
“Yes!”
Lowell sent her out, wanting some time alone to think.

I knew this world allowed male pregnancy, but I didn’t expect to get pregnant on the first try.
First, he had to come to terms with reality.
I should probably get rid of it as soon as possible.

But that wasn’t so simple. In the Halo Empire, pregnancy was considered sacred. Terminating one through legal means was simply not an option. Unless he miscarried naturally, Lowell would have no choice but to give birth.
I remember hearing there's a way to get rid of it illegally—with medicine.
But the medicine was practically poison, dangerous even to healthy bodies.

That kind of stuff was meant for palace intrigue or when nobles needed to get rid of a pregnancy being used against them. You gave it to people whose deaths didn’t matter.
Lowell wasn’t about to further ruin this already ruined body.
So… I really have no way out of this, huh?

The situation still didn’t feel real. Honestly, instantly developing some magical sense of fatherhood would have been far more bizarre. As things stood, the unexpected pregnancy was nothing but an unwelcome guest. Still, Lowell decided to try and plan ahead, assuming he would carry the baby to term.
If I give birth, then someone has to take responsibility.
But how that responsibility would be shared was the real issue. He could always flee to a warm country under the pretense of needing rest. But then the child would be a bastard, fatherless.

But is it really any better for the kid to have a father who might become the Demon King someday? Felix would probably just accuse me of scheming, say I approached him on purpose because I was already pregnant or something.
Lowell’s reasoning was fairly sound. From an outside perspective, it made more sense to suspect that he had gotten pregnant beforehand and seduced Felix on purpose than to believe he’d conceived from one desperate night together.
After turning it over in his mind a few more times, Lowell abruptly stood.

Sitting here alone thinking won’t get me anywhere.
Indecision had never suited him. Regardless of what Felix thought, they were both responsible for this. It made sense to face it together, to talk it through.
And if that really doesn’t work out, then I’ll raise the child on my own.

As things stood now, Lowell had somehow ended up responsible for stopping Felix from turning into the Demon King, for carrying and possibly raising a child, and for keeping himself alive all at once.
***
Felix was staying at the Imperial Palace during his time in the capital. Since his quarters were off-limits without explicit permission, there was no way Lowell could just barge in to see him.

Thank goodness the timing worked out.
Lowell was genuinely thankful that today happened to be a holiday. Felix, who usually either remained locked away in his room or trained with the knights during weekdays, tended to slip away from his guards and go out on holidays. And nine times out of ten, his destination was Swain Hill. Lowell didn’t know why Felix kept going there. In the novel, Swain Hill was only mentioned briefly—in a scene where Robin, the protagonist and future empress, was hiding there before being discovered by Felix.
I’ll find out once I get there. I’m terrified of how he’ll react when I tell him the truth, though.

After stepping out of the carriage, he told the driver he would go the rest of the way on foot and confirmed again that this was indeed Swain Hill.
“So Felix is over there.”
Lowell still believed that Felix wasn’t the kind of man who would harm someone who was pregnant. At least, that’s what he thought when he was still sitting in the carriage. That conviction didn’t last long.

Even if he suspects I approached him on purpose, he wouldn’t actually get violent... right?
The closer he got to the hill, the more his confidence waned.
One punch is probably survivable. This body is absurdly weak, but surely one hit won’t kill me.

By the time he was hiking up the hill, Lowell had more or less accepted the idea that he might get punched.
“Maybe over there?”
His legs trembled even after walking for just a short while, and he had to steady himself as he scanned the area, looking for where Felix might be. But no matter how much he searched through the brush, there was no sign of him. Just when he started doubting his memory, he spotted him—a tall, striking figure cloaked in shadowy light.

“Fel—”
Lowell had started to call out his name, but quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. In front of Felix was what looked like a small memorial—a space arranged for someone to be mourned.
Oh...

There was only one person Felix would mourn.
His mother, who had grown weak and eventually passed away before Felix turned six—after giving birth to him. Because of the Emperor’s tyranny, she had not been allowed to be buried in the royal family’s tomb.
If I’d known it was this kind of moment, I wouldn’t have come here.

Lowell kept his distance and watched quietly from afar. And then, he was struck by another shock.
Is he... crying?
Felix’s eyes were moist. No tears had fallen, but they glistened unmistakably. His mother had been the only person who had ever shown him warmth. His father—the former Grand Duke—had blamed Felix for her death and had shunned him ever since. Everyone else had only ever feared or despised him.

Family...
Lowell, too, had lost his family early. A bitter taste rose in his mouth. Suddenly, a painful thought flashed through his mind.
If Felix had even one real family member by his side, maybe he could’ve lived a normal life.

As Lowell stood lost in his own thoughts, he was startled by a squirrel darting by and lost his balance.
“Who’s there?”
Felix, eyes still reddened, immediately snapped to attention at the sound. It didn’t take long for their eyes to meet.

“H-haha… Hello, Your Grace.”
Lowell gave an awkward laugh and bowed his head. Felix’s brows furrowed instantly.
“You again?”

It wasn’t until after the words left his mouth that Felix seemed to realize what state he’d been in—on the verge of tears. His ears turned red. Lowell could easily read the emotion behind it.
Embarrassed. He’s still just a kid at heart.
Feeling a twinge of guilt for ever suspecting Felix might strike him, Lowell spoke gently.

“I’m so glad I happened to run into you, Your Grace.”
He deliberately emphasized the word happened.
“What trick are you playing this time? Lowell, I have no intention of speaking with you. Go back.”

Felix turned his back in haste, as if trying to hide his face. But Lowell had no intention of letting him walk away.
“I have something I must tell you.”
Felix flinched but didn’t turn around. Still, he didn’t take a step either. Lowell had a strong feeling he wouldn’t get many more chances to speak with Felix. It might not have been the perfect moment—but it was now or never.

“Grand Duke Felix… I’m carrying your child.”
Felix, who had planned to ignore Lowell no matter what, whipped around at once.
“What did you say?”

“I’ve decided to keep it.”
Lowell flashed a bright, wide smile. A truly affectionate one.