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 42: The Curse

Chapter 42: The Curse

“Who is this girl? Could she be a demon?”

“No, she’s human. Her magic doesn’t have the sharp, distinct quality that demons possess.”

I answered the Emperor’s question while pondering the girl’s true identity.

“Come to think of it, the Demon Lord mentioned wanting Camilla to bear his child.”

“The Demon Lord did?”

With the King’s hint, I formed a hypothesis about the girl before us.

“I believe this is indeed Camilla. There are many mysteries surrounding demon reproduction, and it’s likely that the process is somewhat different from that of humans.”

“Hmm. There are half-demons, children of both humans and demons, after all.”

“If the demon is weak, they might not differ much from humans. But if powerful demons could reproduce easily, humans would no longer be the dominant species on this continent.”

“I see… So, the stronger the demon, the more difficult it is for them to reproduce.”

“That’s my theory. And this mass of flesh might have been created by the Demon Lord for the purpose of reproduction. It likely places an extreme burden on the body, something that would normally kill an ordinary person… which is why Camilla, with her talent for Balance Ward, was chosen. She was used as a vessel to bear the Demon Lord’s child.”

“Strong vitality… selected to bear the next Demon Lord as the mother.”

“Most likely.”

As I gazed at the unconscious girl, I recalled Camilla’s words.

“When I proposed to Camilla, she told me something. She said she probably wouldn’t be able to have children and asked if I was still okay with that.”

It was a truth I had never shared with anyone before. 

Emilia looked at me with surprise.

“She explained that her Balance Ward ability was, in a way, a powerful curse. Because of it, she thought it was unlikely she would ever be able to reach a state where she’d lose that stability, like in pregnancy.”

Camilla, who had deceived me along with Albert, also had a strange sense of honesty. 

Even when she told me she hadn’t loved me for the past ten years, she could have kept quiet.

Perhaps lying never came easily to her.

“A curse, huh.”

“Yes. While most people envy her ability, I think Camilla believed that if she didn’t have this power, she might not have been abandoned by her parents. But…”

I stroked Emilia’s head as I recalled the events from back then.

“During her pregnancy with Emilia, Camilla’s Balance Ward ability disappeared. It returned after Emilia was born.”

“While I was… inside her?”

“Yes. There was a time when your mom cut her finger while cooking. It was a small cut, but it didn’t heal. Still… she seemed a little happy about it. She said it made her feel like she was really carrying a child.”

As I reminisced, the Emperor joined the conversation.

“Van… could it be that Emilia is your biological daughter after all?”

“Ah!?”

“You are immune to curses, are you not?”

“How do you know that?”

“It is an ability granted to the direct line of the royal family. Long ago, there was an enemy who used a powerful curse to ensure that the royal family could not bear descendants. To counter this, the emperor at the time made a vow, praying for a power that could cleanse such curses from his body and his descendants… and it was granted.”

A curse to prevent descendants…

It made me think. Perhaps the contraceptive magic used today is a weaker version of that old curse.

If that’s the case, it wouldn’t have affected me.

And the fact that the Cursed Death Sphere didn’t work on Emilia… maybe that’s related, too.

I looked at Emilia, and she looked back at me.

I never felt the need to focus on our blood connection, but if it’s true… I couldn’t help but feel happy.

“We can’t say for sure, but luckily, we have the Holy Grail. We can confirm it when we return.”

“Yes. As for Camilla… I suspect her powerful Balance Ward resisted the Demon Lord’s attempt to make her pregnant, possibly even reverting her body to a younger state, one incapable of bearing children.”

“I see… but if Camilla’s Balance Ward really is a curse, as she said, it’s rather ironic. To bear a child, her fate would have forced her to choose between the Demon Lord or the Hero.”

As the Emperor spoke solemnly, Camilla let out a faint moan, “Mmm…”

Seeing this, I turned to Emilia and spoke to her.

“It’s time to put an end to this mystery. Emilia, you can go outside for a bit if you’d like.”

“Why?”

“…No, actually, you can stay if you want. The choice is yours.”

Sensing the seriousness in my voice, Emilia swallowed nervously.

“What am I choosing?”

“Your mom… has done something unforgivable. As a Hero, I must give her a punishment that fits her actions. You have to decide—do you want to stay here for her final moments, or wait outside?”

“B-But, Mom… she’s still my mom, and—”

“Does the thought of her dying make you sad?”

“Yes… I think she’s done a lot of terrible things, but…”

“Yes, and just as you feel sad, many people were hurt because of her actions. That can never be forgiven. That’s why you must learn something from her, in her final moments.”

“Learn… from Mom?”

“Yes. You see, when someone has a person they never want to hurt, a person they cherish, it often stops them from doing terrible things.”

“…”

“Your mom probably never found such a person after losing her parents. Just like how you’re important to me, having someone precious can stop you from causing harm. And if you’ve taken someone’s precious person… you must face the consequences.”

“…I understand.”

“So, what will you do? Wait outside?”

“No… I’ve been through a lot with her, but…”

With tears streaming down her face, Emilia still answered clearly.

“I… I can’t hate Mom… so, I don’t want her to feel lonely in the end. I’m her daughter after all.”

“…I understand. Your Majesties, please step back for a moment.”

“Van…”

The Emperor seemed like he wanted to say something but held back. 

The King also remained silent.

—And then.

“Mmm…”

Camilla’s eyes slowly fluttered open. 

She looked at me and Emilia and spoke.

“Dad… Mom, what’s going on? And… why is Mom crying?”

This… her memories seemed confused.

“I-I had a scary dream. In the dream, Dad and Mom disappeared.”

“I see.”

“And then I asked someone to help me, help me. Wait, wasn’t that you, Dad? That’s strange…”

It seemed that her memories of her family were jumbled.

Seeing this, Emilia tightly gripped my sleeve.

“Camilla.”

“Hmm? What is it, Dad?”

“Close your eyes for a moment.”

“Okay.”

Camilla closed her eyes again.

I drew the sword from my waist—and brought it down upon her.