Even Though I Defeated the Demon Lord, My Wife and Daughter Treat Me Like Trash ~ I Found Out My Wife's Child Isn't Mine, and When I Confronted Her, She Got Mad and I Was Exiled. The Country's in Trouble Because the Demon Lord Came Back? Sorry, I'm Getting Remarried to a Princess, So I Can't Help. - Chapter 37: Family

Chapter 37: Family

A messenger from the kingdom arrived once again.

The royal castle had fallen, and it seemed that the king and some of the nobles had been captured and taken as hostages.

There were even rumors that Emilia was among them.

I wanted to believe that, as hostages, they wouldn’t immediately be put in harm’s way… but still.

The Emperor had repeatedly told me, “Don’t be hasty.”

Knowing my origins had tied me down in an unusual way.

Before, even when I was called the “Hero of the Nation,” I never let it bind me… but now…

For the moment, I left the castle and went to visit Karnak’s place.

As soon as he saw me, he motioned for me to sit and asked,

“You seem troubled, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Go ahead and talk about it. You might feel better after.”

I told Karnak how I felt.

How frustrated I was that I couldn’t move freely.

How I was worried about Emilia.

And how I was unsure of what I should do.

After listening to everything, Karnak started speaking with a preface: “I’m not sure if this will help, but…”

“You see, both I and old man Barnes think of ourselves as your parents… in other words, your family.”

“Yeah, I feel the same.”

“Do you know what Barnes said was the happiest moment he had while spending time with you?”

“Well… wasn’t it when we sealed the Demon Lord?”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Then, what was it?”

“He boasted to me, saying, ‘Van called me Father!’ You should’ve seen the smug look on his face! Even now, it still annoys me!”

“…What?”

At that time?

Old man Barnes had told me not to call him that ever again, without even changing his expression…

“It’s just that he struggled with being called that because of Liberka and your origins. But he also didn’t like the idea of you calling me ‘Father’ instead, so he told you, ‘You can’t call Karnak Dad either!’ That old gee… ahem, well, that’s just the kind of playful guy he was.”

“I see…”

I had thought he was rejecting me back then, but that wasn’t the case.

“In short, Van, even when you’re family… what people show on the outside isn’t always everything. Sometimes they act cold to hide their embarrassment.”

“Yeah…”

When I think about it, I had just blindly accepted what Albert said about Emilia’s feelings.

I never confirmed it directly.

I simply assumed that was the case because of how she acted over the past year.

“I’ll take some time to think… about a lot of things.”

“Alright.”

“Thank you, Karnak… Father.”

Karnak’s eyes widened for a moment, but then he smiled softly.

“Hahaha, now I understand how that Barnes felt. I’m happy, but let’s keep that name just for this time.”

“Was it a problem?”

“Well, now that your origins are clear, and most of all…”

“Most of all?”

“Barnes might come back as a ghost and say, ‘That’s not fair!'”

With that, my shy father chuckled playfully.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

I left Karnak’s house and headed to the magical ornament shop.

I was there to pick out a birthday present for Mariabelle, whose birthday was coming up soon.

As I browsed the items, the shopkeeper glanced at me a few times before finally speaking up.

“Excuse me… are you by any chance Lord Van?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Oh, I knew it! It’s been a long time! I used to run my business in the royal capital! My daughter is friends with Emilia!”

“Oh, oh, yes! I remember now! It’s been a while!”

“Rena! Emilia’s dad is here to visit us!”

At the shopkeeper’s call, a young girl came out from the back of the shop.

“Long time no see!”

“Hey there, Rena! You’ve grown so much.”

“Yes! Oh, wait just a moment!”

The girl quickly went back inside and returned with a flower in her hands.

“I’ve still been cherishing this, the one Emilia helped me make!”

It was a magical artificial flower.

Old man Barnes had invented it for magic control training. By channeling magic into the seed, it would transform into a flower.

Since it was an artificial flower, it never wilted, making it a popular keepsake for those who successfully used magic for the first time.

When Rena was about to move to the imperial capital, Emilia wanted to give her a gift, so I suggested this.

At the time, Rena couldn’t control magic, so Emilia spent time teaching her how to make the flower bloom before her moving day.

But it didn’t go smoothly at first, and Emilia even came to me for advice.

Ah, those were good times.

“Since this flower bloomed thanks to Emilia, I’ve always wanted to treasure it. I wouldn’t have been able to make it bloom on my own by that day.”

“Yeah.”

“When it bloomed, Emilia was so happy… She said, ‘How is it? I learned this method from my Dad, isn’t it amazing?’ and she was so proud.”

“…”

“When I told her, ‘Emilia, your Dad is incredible,’ she said, ‘Yes, my Dad is the best in the world!’ Emilia always talked about you, Uncle Van.”

“…I see.”

I gently placed a hand on Rena’s shoulder and thanked her.

“Thank you for taking such good care of that flower. Emilia would be happy too.”

After that, I bought a gift for Mariabelle and one more item before heading back to the castle.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

When I returned to the castle, there was an unusual commotion.

I asked the guards what was happening, and it seemed they had been looking for me.

“Lord Van, the Demon Lord has sent a messenger!”

I was led to a room where the Emperor, Mariabelle, the knights on guard, and a man who seemed to be a demon were waiting.

A large mirror had been placed there, presumably brought by the demon.

The demon bowed respectfully and began to speak.

“Ah, you must be Lord Van. The Demon Lord has a message for you.”

“What is it?”

“It would be best if you heard it directly.”

As the man chanted a spell, the room tensed up.

However, I recognized from the incantation that it wasn’t an offensive spell, so I gestured for everyone to remain calm.

When the spell was completed, an image appeared in the mirror.

It was the Demon Lord.

“Ahh, it’s been a while, Van Ismir.”

“Yeah. You should’ve just stayed asleep.”

“Hahaha! I didn’t expect to be awakened so soon either, but I’m not in the mood to go back to sleep.”

“Hm, just get to the point.”

“Don’t you want to avoid unnecessary losses on both sides?”

“If you’d behave yourself, this wouldn’t be an issue.”

“Unfortunately, that’s not an option, but I have a proposal. Van Ismir, come to me alone. I promise I won’t let my subordinates harm you.”

“And you expect me to trust you?”

“I’ll use this.”

The Demon Lord smugly held up a contract for me to see.

“If you promise to come to me alone, I will guarantee the safety of your subordinates… and of course, this girl.”

With a gesture, the Demon Lord revealed Emilia’s image.

She looked a bit frightened, but quickly glared in my direction and shouted.

“Don’t come! You’re not even my real Dad!”

She was trying to act strong, but her body was trembling slightly.

“Emilia.”

“W-What?”

“Did you finish your homework?”

That day.

Emilia had gone out of her way to stop me and said,

“I’ll… finish my homework, I promise.”

That promise was without a doubt—between a father and daughter.

“I finished it, okay?”

“Good. Then I’ve got a reward for you—a staff. I just bought it earlier. I’m coming to deliver it, so don’t worry. Leave it to Daddy.”