Chapter 119

Encore The Final Boss Becomes a Father Aileen thinks a husband’s reaction on hearing of his wife’s pregnancy is something to look forward to. She issues a strict gag order until everything’s certain. Once the doctor tells her it’s a sure thing, she lays the groundwork, making time for the two of them to have a leisurely chat on their own. At that point, her preparations are complete. It’s a time she’s eagerly anticipating. One afternoon, when the demanding work of cleaning up after the floating palace’s attack has finally settled down and they’re able to take breaks again. When her husband appears at teatime as promised, Aileen tells him the news briefly. “There is a child on the way.” “Whose?” Apparently, she’s been too brief. He doesn’t understand. Maintaining her composure, Aileen continues, “I am carrying our child, Master Claude.” In the act of seating himself in the armchair across from her, Claude freezes. For a little while, he doesn’t move or speak. Unusually, the weather carries on unchanged as well. As Rachel looks on, holding her breath, Keith offers tea from the side in a natural gesture. “Congratulations, Lady Aileen.” “…You aren’t startled, Sir Keith?” “I’d vaguely suspected from the way everyone else has been acting. All right, milord, don’t freeze up. Sit down.” His adviser puts his hands on his shoulders and pushes, and Claude falls into the armchair with a soft thump. She’s never seen him like this before. She assumed he’d be surprised, but she also thought he’d promptly start rejoicing, shower her with ten times as many endearments as usual, and show her the sort of smile she almost never got to see. And yet no lightning has struck, no flowers have burst into bloom, and there’s no rainbow in the sky. “L-Lady Aileen. Please don’t get the wrong idea about this. He’s just failing to process the news,” Keith reassures her, before she can grow uneasy. “Milord. Milord, are you alive? Come on, breathe. Blink, too. Now, do you remember what she’s told you?” “…A child…is on the…way. Mine and Aileen’s…” “Yes, that’s correct. Congratulations.” Once Keith has gotten Claude going again, he smiles and steps back. Then Claude whips around toward her. He looks at Aileen’s startled face, then down—probably at her stomach—then back to her face again, and then he screams out of nowhere, “Is—is it okay for you to be out of bed?!” “Pardon?” “Isn’t it dangerous for you to be up?! Shouldn’t we wrap you in something soft?” What would be the point of that? she wonders, but Claude is more frantic than he’s ever been before. “This is my child. Unless we throw a grand celebration and show our intent to welcome it starting now, maybe it won’t be born!” That’s an oddly persuasive theory, and Aileen doesn’t know how to respond to it. Keith, the only one who’s kept his cool, does. “It’s Lady Aileen’s child, so there’s no need to worry.” “Oh, I… I see… No, but it is my child…” “But it’s also Lady Aileen’s child, so there’s no need to worry.” On hearing that response twice, Claude finally falls silent. Then abruptly, he rises from his chair. “M-Master Claude?” “I’ll go ask them,” he says and winks out of sight before Aileen can stop him. This is completely different from anything she anticipated. As she’s sitting there blinking, Keith turns back. “Please don’t take offense. He’s so startled that his mind’s gone completely blank, that’s all.” “Y-yes… I’m startled, too. I’ve never seen Master Claude so shaken…” “No doubt he thought of his mother. I’m told childbirth wasn’t the direct cause, but her recovery was poor. Between that and her worry over the rumors that Master Claude might be the demon king, she weakened and died. Logically, he understands that this is different, but now that it’s happening, I think the unease won out.” Oh. Finally, the tension drains out of Aileen, and she exhales slowly. “…He does still have some problematic aspects, doesn’t he?” “If you’re able to see it that way, I can rest easy and let you handle this. If you wait a little, he’ll come back feeling awkward. Even if he doesn’t—” “Aileen! Are we going to have a prince?! A princess would be good, too!” “Aileen! Aileen! Show me! I can babysit!” Beelzebuth and Almond barge in through the open terrace doors. If Claude weren’t happy, the demons’ eyes wouldn’t be shining like this. Smiling wryly, Aileen tells the frolicking demons to settle down and gently strokes her belly, which isn’t showing yet. Luciel is with his wife in the old castle, enjoying a cup of tea, when he receives the news that a child is on the way. His eyes light up. “Congratulations, Grace, we’re having a grandchild!” “I’m not the one to congratulate, Luciel. Tell it to Claude and Aileen first.” “All of you come first. I see, a grandchild…! I can’t wait. When will it be born?” Claude freezes up. “I—I haven’t…heard…” “……Are you all right, Claude?” “……” Claude is silent, and Luciel and Grace exchange looks. Then for the first time, the question occurs to him: Why has he come here? He doesn’t even know that. It’s no good; he’s confused. “Claude, sit here.” Luciel points to a chair, sounding uncharacteristically serious. Claude doesn’t feel like defying him; he sits down. Luciel pats his head. “It’s all right. Your child will be born properly. I didn’t really know whether I was a god or the demon king, but Grace managed to give birth. Besides, you’re fully human. There’s no need to worry.” “……” “My children were born and grew up safely. That’s why you, their descendants, are here. Pull yourself together. Aileen’s the one who’s going to have the roughest time, so you mustn’t wear that pathetic face.” “Luciel… Listen, when you heard I was pregnant, you were more shaken than Claude is. I remember you getting so worried and anxious that you wailed, until I finally sent you flying with a good kick.” Grace’s explanation shocks Claude, and he feels some of his tension drain away. Luciel sulks awkwardly. “I worked hard after that, though. You’d only eat boar meat, so all I did every day was hunt boars!” “That’s right, you did bring me lots of meat. Even though you were the emperor.” Grace giggles, and Luciel pouts. They share a bond that Claude and Aileen don’t have yet. Claude finds himself feeling oddly resentful of that. “You can say that, but you both died and left two small children behind. Even if Mother didn’t have a choice, Father rampaged and nearly destroyed the world, neglecting his family…” Luciel freezes up, making Grace sigh. Claude’s shoulders slump. “If these are the examples I have to work from, why wouldn’t I be uneasy?” “I can’t argue with that, but stop, okay?! Our oldest was about four at the time!” “Well, you’ve got a point, Claude. Frankly, though, I bet Amelia raised them to be a better prince and princess than I would have, so it all worked out!” “Grace…!” “In other words, don’t worry too much!” As a matter of fact, Imperial Ellmeyer has lasted all the way to Claude’s generation, so there’s the proof. Ignoring Luciel, who’s dropped his head into his hands in grief, Grace gallantly wrapped up the conversation. It was a truly pointless argument. However, he does feel as if the weight on his shoulders has grown a little lighter. He starts to get to his feet, but just then— “Claude! We heard you’ve sired a child; is it true?! Don’t tell us it’s that— Huh, we’ve forgotten his name already. Anyway, it’s not that blasted impudent brat, is it?!” Baal shouts as he appears out of nowhere, hauling Claude up by the shirtfront and shaking him wildly. “Well, Claude?! Answer us!” “W-we—couldn’t—possibly—know the gender—at this point… E-even yours—hasn’t been—born yet.” When he manages to get a well-shaken answer out, Baal looks miffed and stops. “Well, now that you mention it, that’s true… We suppose there’s no point in beginning to worry this early. If he’s not born properly, we won’t be able to kill him.” “Don’t kill off my son before he’s even born.” After he’s said it, he feels a little startled. He’d only known the boy for a few days, and he’s already having a hard time recalling his face, but apparently, he’d been unexpectedly precious to him. “You’ll understand once you have a daughter. We’re already looking forward to it tremendously, and we’re already worried!” Baal has become a doting parent before his child is even born, and it couldn’t possibly be more aggravating than it already is. “Aren’t you looking forward to it a little too much? What would you do if it was a son?” “If we had a son, we’d teach him naughty ways to have fun without telling Roxane, obviously. You’d do the same, wouldn’t you?” The question makes him blink. It’s the first time he’s thought about what he’ll do if the child is a girl or a boy. “That’s…a good question. I’ve only just found out, and it doesn’t feel real yet.” “Ah… True, we were giddy as well, but it’s hard to claim it felt real at first.” “Is that right?” Baal blinks at him. “Of course. It’s not as if our bellies get round. Imagining is all we can do. It’s probably different for women, but… When they tell us that Roxane’s not feeling well, merely hearing the report makes our blood run cold…” Still, Baal has the Daughter of God. The idea makes Claude just a little jealous. Would he loan her to them? Granted, he suspects Luc and Quartz would enthusiastically care for Aileen. If it’s a magic-based problem, Elefas will probably look after her… Perhaps we don’t have it all that bad here. He glances up at Baal. As fathers go, he technically has seniority. He’s heard that Baal’s child could be born any day now. “Is there anything you try to keep in mind?” “Let’s see. We try hard not to cause our wife any extra worry… Setting aside that attack from the floating palace the other day.” Baal coughs awkwardly, then claps his hands in realization. “We’ve also been thinking of names. That’s a good way to pass the time; it’s fun. We came up with various candidates with Roxane, and we’ve finally narrowed them down.” “Names… Names, hmm? That’s true. We’ll need one of those.” “Oh, I thought of names, too. The ones Grace came up with were awful— Ow!” Luciel sulks; Grace has poked him under the table. I see. Gender, names… What should I choose? I wonder what else I’ll need. He feels as if his blank, frozen mind has finally begun to move again. “Hey, I hear the demon king ran away. Don’t tell me he’s in here.” The door opens. At that point, finally, he realizes where he is. It’s the conference room in the old castle, the one the Oberon Trading Firm calls their demon branch office. Isaac walks in, sees the group, and grimaces. “Why is the holy king here, even? Listen, we rent this conference room. Geez, the nonhuman contingent is here, too.” “Almond appointed Grace and me honorary chairmen of the Oberon Trading Firm’s demon branch office the other day.” “I didn’t sign off on that. Anyway, we’re gonna have a meeting, so scram. Also, Holy King. Somebody just contacted us on the sacred stone and said your wife’s water broke.” “Huh?!” Baal turns pale. From behind Isaac, Luc pokes his head in and gives a significant smile. “It’s her first birth, so she’s bound to have a rough time. You should probably hurry back— Oh.” Baal has vanished without so much as a goodbye. Quartz sighs. “…Don’t threaten him. Although…it probably will be rough.” “It will. All of which is to say, Demon King, pull yourself together and don’t run.” Claude, who involuntarily froze at hearing the phrase “water broke,” feels Luc’s eyes on him. Timidly, he raises his head. Denis runs up and gives him a smile. “I just heard the news; congratulations. I’ll be making a cradle with the demons!” “Congrats. It does freak you out, doesn’t it? I get it.” “Well, well. So there’s something that scares even Isaac, the one who used me to power a weapon.” Elefas has entered the conference room, wearing a splendid smile. He’s probably been summoned to a meeting regarding the battle the other day. The same must go for Auguste and James, who follow him in. “Aww, why? Kids are cute. I want to have my own soon. But Serena and I aren’t living together, and she has her job… I bet it won’t happen for at least three years.” “It’s better that way. The idea of you having children makes me shudder. Can you raise them?” “Huh? I’m really good at playing with kids.” “Playing with them and raising them aren’t the same thing.” “Then you help out, James. Both Serena and I will work.” “Why?! I’m a noble!!” James gets mad, but he does seem as if he’d be very good at raising children. Grimacing, Isaac turns back. “Making them and raising them is fine. But what am I supposed to do if they take after me?” “Isaac.” Claude sets his hands on his shoulders, gazing straight into Isaac’s suspicious eyes. “I get it. Just now, for the first time, I felt glad I let you live.” “So you’re not going to quit pointing out whether you’re letting me live or killing me first thing. Okay, fine.” “I see. I guess I was worried. I wasn’t sure whether Aileen would be all right, whether the child would be born safely, or whether I’d be able to raise it properly.” Those aren’t the sort of things Claude can take sole responsibility for or do anything about. As the others exchange looks, Elefas speaks up. “I don’t think you need to hold it all in like that. If it were me, I think I’d just do as my wife said. After all, she’s practical. Of course, if I did anything else, I suspect I’d get yelled at…” “Aileen is practical, too.” “Then don’t just stand there competing—get back to her already.” His wife’s right-hand man is always unerringly correct. Hastily, Claude vanishes. Aileen lifted the gag order as soon as she told Claude, and news of her pregnancy quickly spread through the palace in the blink of an eye. An official announcement will be made to the citizens tomorrow. The thought that this commotion will last for a few days makes Aileen feel a bit limp and tired, and she’s lain down on a couch. The floor is already covered with presents. Her brother, Cyril, says that this is part of an empress’s duty. She mustn’t get discouraged. The hardest part hasn’t even begun. Give birth to the child, then raise it—but it does feel as if a shadow has fallen over her feelings. “Aileen.” However, a husband never lets the fact that his wife is feeling uneasy escape him. He calls it part of his masculine wiles. Smiling wryly, Aileen sits up from the couch. “Are you all right now?” “Yes. —Er, I lost my head earlier. I’m sorry.” Claude’s gaze wanders awkwardly, and his cheeks are a little flushed. It’s sweet, and the complaints and sarcasm she considered pelting him with on his return evaporate. In any case, they are about to undertake the monumental task of having and raising a child together. This is no time for sarcasm. “We have to think of a name. I’d assumed children were something far in our future, so I hadn’t given it any thought.” “Oh, really? But we won’t know whether they’re a boy or a girl until they’re born. Did that child say he was the youngest?” “That’s right. I’ve been curious about which it will be for a little while now, and it’s making me restless.” “Goodness, you won’t be able to laugh at Master Baal any longer. Has the reality begun to set in?” He nods soberly, and the gesture charms her. “I didn’t think I would be this—happy. I’m so fortunate.” Those bashful words are praise enough for her. “I wonder what sort of child they’ll be. What do you think they’ll be like? There are lots of books I want to read to them.” “I’d like to teach them swordsmanship. That way, they’ll be able to live with strength, whether they’re a girl or a boy.” “That sounds like you. Do you think they’ll be able to get along well with the demons? I’m a little worried.” “Let’s raise them to be so energetic that they keep the demons on their toes. This is going to be very difficult, Master Claude.” “Yes, it will… Do you think they’ll call me Father?” “Have confidence. I’m sure you’ll be the most splendid father in the world. I’ll need to give it my best as well.” “It’s going to be fine. You’ll be the world’s most splendid mother.” Leaning in so that their foreheads touch, they smile. Beyond the present they’re currently building, there lies a happy future.