“Princess Field, could you wait a moment? I have something to say to you.”
Just as Liyakade and the others were about to leave the Church, the Sister suddenly called out to Field from behind.
“Me?”
Field was a little puzzled.
It was clearly Liyakade who had just undergone the examination, so why was she suddenly being called over for a talk?
Could it be they had even determined whose child it was?
But didn’t they just say Liyakade wasn’t pregnant this time?
“You two wait here for me for a bit.”
Though she felt uneasy, Field still followed the Sister into the side room of the Church.
“Sister, is there something you need to tell me?”
Once inside, Field couldn’t wait to ask the Sister.
“Princess Field.”
The Sister’s tone had lost its previous casualness and became somewhat serious.
“That person… is Miss Liyakade, correct? Just what is Miss Liyakade’s background?”
“What about her?”
Seeing the Sister’s serious expression, Field’s heart tightened.
She wondered if there was some hidden meaning in the Sister’s words.
Could it be that Liyakade’s Demon Bloodline had been discovered?
No, that’s not right.
During the previous examinations, nothing had been found—so why now?
Even though Field’s heart trembled slightly, as royalty, her mental fortitude was strong.
She did not waver just because of a question from the Sister; her expression remained calm as she inquired about Liyakade.
“Has Miss Liyakade come into contact with any strange magic creatures or forbidden items recently?”
The Sister continued to question Field, then began to explain.
“During the examination just now, Miss Liyakade was indeed not pregnant, but I sensed a Demonic Aura from her.”
So it really was this?
Hearing the Sister’s words, Field’s heart tightened.
As she thought, it was as she feared.
But then Field reconsidered and caught a hint of uncertainty in the Sister’s words.
The Sister only said she sensed a Demonic Aura, not that she had confirmed a Demon Bloodline.
Did that mean Liyakade hadn’t been exposed?
“A Demonic Aura?”
Field repeated, then spoke about the last examination.
“I remember Liyakade came to the Church for a checkup some days ago. At that time, everything seemed normal, so why can you suddenly sense a Demonic Aura now?”
“Yes.”
The Sister nodded, continuing to explain.
“That’s exactly what confuses me. Has Miss Liyakade encountered anything recently? In some cases, this could be a result of demonic influence after contact with a demon.”
At this point, Field finally relaxed.
It seemed the Sister only thought Liyakade had been affected by a demon, leading to a sign of possession, but hadn’t suspected that Liyakade was a demon herself.
“It’s probably related to the Academy’s final exams a few days ago. We encountered a High Demon at the Academy’s test site. Liyakade was likely affected by that demon.”
“I see.”
Hearing Field’s explanation, the Sister also seemed relieved, losing the previous seriousness and tension.
“So it was a battle with a High Demon. That explains it. But, Princess Field, are there still High Demons within the Kingdom?”
Though the Sister had let go of suspicion regarding Liyakade’s Demonic Aura, she seemed curious about the existence of High Demons in the Kingdom.
It should be known, High Demons aren’t simply high level, but possess superior bloodlines. Generally, those called High Demons are intelligent and dangerous beings, usually active in the Magic Domain.
High Demons within the Kingdom should have been eradicated long ago.
“Yes, who knows why a High Demon appeared there? Maybe it was overlooked during a previous purge.”
“I see.”
The Sister nodded, then smiled as she made a suggestion to Field.
“In that case, why not take this opportunity to perform an Exorcism Ritual on Miss Liyakade to remove the Demonic Aura from her?”
“Uh… There’s no need.”
Field declined the Sister’s good intentions.
Though Liyakade’s Demon Bloodline hadn’t been detected before, this was an Exorcism Ritual. If something went wrong during the process, it would be impossible to explain.
“Alice is a Light Element Magic User. If exorcism is needed, just let her do it directly.”
“Understood, Princess Field.”
Of course, the Sister knew Alice was a Light Element Magic User. Hearing Field’s refusal, she didn’t insist. After the conversation, she accompanied Field out of the Church.
***
“What did you talk about just now? Why did they suddenly call you over?”
After walking some distance, Liyakade glanced back at the Church, then looked at Field and asked.
“Didn’t they say you weren’t pregnant…? They can’t just be comforting Liyakade, right?”
Alice swallowed nervously, looking a bit tense.
“Is it possible you’re actually pregnant but didn’t want to worry Liyakade, so you didn’t tell her?”
“Was she called over alone because… they found out the child in my belly belongs to you, Field? Is… Is that it?”
Alice and Liyakade started going back and forth nervously, Liyakade worried she was pregnant and the Sister didn’t tell her, Alice concerned that Liyakade had already conceived Field’s child.
“I mean… you two…”
Field was about to deny it, and complain about their wild imaginations, but halfway through, she suddenly felt mischievous.
“How are you two so clever? You guessed it all at once.”
“Uwah! Liyakade! How could this happen!”
“W-What!? R-Really! I-I wasn’t ready! Why didn’t that Sister tell me directly! She lied, didn’t she!?”
Liyakade looked shocked, staring down in disbelief, lightly touching her still-flat stomach, while Alice beside her began to wail.
“H-How did it happen so quickly…?”
After a brief moment of lament, Alice regained her composure.
She looked solemnly at Field, moved to stand before her, and grabbed her wrist.
“Field, congratulations! It’s the first child among the three of us!”
With that, Alice moved to Liyakade’s side and supported her.
“Liyakade, if you’re pregnant, you need to rest well. Let me help you walk.”
“Uwah… I heard childbirth is painful. I’m not really prepared…”
“It’s fine, there are still a few months left, plenty of time for you to get ready, Liyakade.”
Watching the two of them fussing over each other, Field’s mouth twitched.
Even when Liyakade lost her arm before, she hadn’t shown this level of fear.
But… Compared to childbirth, which one hurts more, losing an arm or giving birth?
Probably childbirth.
After all, when she lost her arm, it was severed instantly, and with the Demon Bloodline and adrenaline dulling the pain, it wasn’t as bad—after that, Kerim substituted, so overall it wasn’t that painful.
But childbirth is probably different.
That kind of pain isn’t something that ends in an instant.
“Sigh, you two… Actually, I was just teasing you. Liyakade isn’t pregnant. Watching the two of you imagine things was so amusing, I wanted to mess with you.”
“Eh?”