Became Pregnant With the Demon King’s Child

With his face flushed red, Lowell scanned the reactions of those nearby. The knights, as if this were routine, simply continued with their tasks. The mages deliberately averted their eyes.
Even if they’re used to it… to be unaffected by a body that’s practically an idealized form…

Lowell decided that if no one else was going to appreciate it, he would. He fixed his eyes on Felix, observing his every movement as he changed clothes. The way the muscles in his body shifted with even the slightest stretch of his arm was utterly captivating. When he pulled on a lighter garment than what he’d worn before, his physique stood out even more clearly.
When he wears thick clothes, it hides some of the definition…
Lowell leaned against the windowsill, unsure whether his thoughts were tinged with disappointment or concern. Noticing his gaze, Felix paused halfway through buttoning his shirt and met his eyes. With the forest surrounding him, he looked as though he were safely nestled within it.

Finally feeling all his tension release, Lowell lifted his hand and waved as if to say hello. Though they hadn’t even been apart long, Felix lifted his own hand and waved back. Between those exchanged gestures, sunlight streamed in, and glittering fragments of emotion he couldn’t hide flickered in the air.
“They say everything ahead has been cleared.”
“I see.”

At the knight’s report, Felix gave his outfit one last check, wiped the blood from his sword, ran his fingers once through his hair, and only then stepped into the carriage. For someone who normally didn’t care whether he was covered in blood or dirt, this attempt to make himself presentable in front of Lowell was jarring to Tia—but not so much that she would say anything.
“You really did take care of it quickly.”
“It was nothing. But letting a monster of that level slip away… it makes me question Cania’s public safety.”

Maybe for Felix it was nothing, but it was still true that the local knights had handled the situation terribly—there was no excuse for that.
“Still, they say the Cania barrier hasn’t been breached once in the past ten years.”
Lowell offered up something he’d studied from books, and Felix’s expression relaxed a little.

“The schedule’s been delayed quite a bit.”
But even so, the string of incidents had clearly worn on his nerves. It wasn’t just the delay—encountering a monster on what was supposed to be a safe route had put a damper on Felix’s previously buoyant mood.
Lowell, for his part, was satisfied just to be out in the open air. But for Felix, who’d wanted to give him the perfect trip, this only stirred more unease. He worried Lowell might be thinking it would’ve been better not to come at all.

“It’s alright. We’re almost there, aren’t we? And the sun’s still high in the sky.”
Knowing how he felt, Lowell lightly tapped Felix’s hand, teasing. He didn’t understand why Felix was the one getting worked up over a schedule he himself hadn’t even made.
“Let’s hurry a bit.”

At Felix’s words, the coachman sped up the horses, and they managed to arrive in town around 3 PM. Since they had sent word ahead, the entry process was quick. The moment the carriage entered the village, Felix looked up at the sky.
“It’s a little overcast.”
As he said, clouds blanketed the sky. While the air was pleasantly cool, the weather left something to be desired for flower viewing.
“Well, at least we got here before the rain started, right?”

Lowell immediately pointed out the bright side. Felix, realizing that pointing out the negative would cost him points, kept his mouth shut.
“Let’s drop off our things and head out.”
“Oh, we’ll take care of that.”

The mages—who needed to stay at the same inn to recover their mana—offered to handle the luggage. Two knights stayed to escort them, while Lowell and Felix headed toward the river.
“Ah… this isn’t good…”
Lowell had felt uneasy from the moment he noticed that none of the famous boats were floating in the river. The boatman looked at them with an apologetic expression and muttered regretfully.

“What’s the issue?”
Felix’s tone turned hard, and the boatman flinched under the pressure. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he began gesturing and stammering in explanation.
“Today’s the monthly maintenance day, you see. The boats are being inspected, and the river’s being cleaned. They’ll be back in operation starting tomorrow.”

“You’re saying there won’t be any boat rides all day today?”
Felix’s brow furrowed deeply as he asked in a low voice. To Lowell, he sounded disappointed. But to the boatman, it probably sounded like ‘If you don’t launch a boat right now, I’ll cut your throat.’ His face went pale as he weighed the risks of breaking the rules versus protecting his life.
“Then how about we start with some food? I heard there are street vendors nearby that only sell food. One of them apparently has a spicy noodle dish—I’ve been curious to try it.”

Lowell, showing no sign of disappointment, quickly shifted to the next plan. But Felix’s shoulders visibly drooped. Since he normally carried himself with excellent posture, the contrast was even more noticeable. He looked like a dog that had just been told it wasn’t getting a walk.
If I try to comfort him now, it’ll probably just make it worse, huh?
Lowell felt a pang of guilt. Even if Felix had agreed, it had been Lowell who’d planned most of the trip. The two of them blamed themselves for the trip’s downturn and tried their best to lift the mood.

“Right. I did feel like the castle’s spicy dishes were lacking lately, so this works out.”
Felix had tried cooking a few dishes himself—his skills had definitely improved, but they still hadn’t quite hit the spot. Learning that the local street food was quite bold in flavor had piqued Lowell’s interest. One of the most famous dishes was a spicy noodle bowl, and he’d been quietly looking forward to it.
Felix, fully aware of this, picked up the pace. Even if everything else went wrong, maybe delicious food could salvage the day.

He’s walking like he’s learned some kind of teleportation technique.
Practically tucked under Felix’s arm, Lowell was being half-carried along, moving far faster than he could have on his own. But the indifferent sky seemed determined not to take their side. From the heavy clouds, the rain finally began to fall—first in droplets, then more steadily.
“Damn.”

Felix removed his outer garment and draped it over Lowell’s head before taking an umbrella handed to him by a knight and opening it.
“Let’s hurry and eat, then head back. You’ll catch cold like this.”
Felix behaved as if even a single raindrop landing on Lowell would be catastrophic. While he focused intently on shielding him from the rain, Lowell’s thoughts drifted elsewhere.

“Do you think the stalls will still be open with this rain?”
“We’ll find out when we get there.”
If it were just a drizzle, the stalls might still be operating. But by the time they reached the alley known for its food, the rain had grown so heavy that visibility itself became a problem. At this point, whether the stalls were open or not was irrelevant—they really should just return to the inn.

“……”
Felix finally went completely silent. Even for a mage as skilled as he was, stopping the rain was impossible. Maybe he could summon rain on a clear day—but not halt it. He floundered in rare helplessness, like a man sinking in quicksand—the more he struggled to improve things, the deeper he sank.
To others, it might have seemed like just a trip. But to him, it had been a major goal. And from the first step to the middle of the plan, it had been nothing short of a disaster.

“Let’s just go back to the inn. We can enjoy the trip starting tomorrow. I guess I was just being greedy.”
Lowell, feeling equally disappointed, spoke with a trace of guilt in his voice. Hearing such words come from Lowell made Felix twitch with guilt.
“Still… don’t you think walking through the rain like this is a little romantic? It reminds me of the day I learned to dance from Rix.”

Trying to lighten the somber mood, Lowell offered a cheerful smile. The sky was gloomy from the rain, but that smile alone lit Felix up.
“You’re right. This isn’t so bad. But… I really wanted to give you a good trip. I’m sorry.”
In the end, he finally let out a difficult apology. Saying it aloud felt far better than keeping it bottled inside.

“Then let’s both agree not to feel sorry today, alright?”
“Alright.”
When they returned to the inn—without following a single plan—they no longer felt like the trip had been ruined. As the evening approached, the steady rain slowly eased and finally stopped altogether. Watching it from the window for once, Felix seemed to reach a decision. He walked over and poked Lowell in the cheek as he was eating snacks.

“Would you come out with me for a moment?”
His voice trembled faintly. His hands couldn’t stay still. It was clear how anxious he was. Lowell, unable to guess what could’ve brought back Felix’s nerves after he’d just calmed down, blinked in surprise and nodded.