Book 1 Chapter 985
985.
Thanks to Elena’s actions, the prestigious family meeting was literally thrown into an uproar after the social party ended.
The disgraced families jumped up, vowing to protest to Jeron.
“I thought she had calmed down, but she’s still the same.”
“Where would that personality go?”
As Liss said with a wry smile, Torua, sitting by the baby crib, shrugged.
“I’m worried that Elena-nim might get into trouble with so many complaints.”
Emira, who was in the same room, said, and Celia replied,
“Don’t worry. Elena-senpai won’t even bat an eye.”
“Right. She’ll probably think, ‘Who’s barking?’”
Torua chimed in with Celia’s words.
“Doesn’t she get scolded by the family elders?”
“It seems they gave up on her a long time ago, too?”
As Leo said with a wry smile, Emira exclaimed,
“Wow, I’m jealous.”
“Don’t be jealous of your family giving up on you.”
Celia said with a deep sigh.
Liss, who had been listening to the conversation, said,
“Still, Elena has changed a lot. She got angry not because she herself was unhappy, but because a junior was insulted.”
“It might not be entirely because of Karl, though.”
Torua smiled faintly.
“It’s probably because she fulfilled her responsibility as the acting chairman of Lumern and a fifth-year student. If a student representing the school is being ignored, you wouldn’t just stand by, would you? She probably judged it was better to handle it herself.”
“Elena-senpai……”
Celia’s expression showed a hint of emotion.
“Well. The biggest reason is probably that they are hostile towards Leo-gun.”
It was already well known that there was a movement at the prestigious family meeting to condemn and check Arch.
Torua, who was talking about Elena, took out a picture book.
Then, she approached the baby crib and began to read.
“Once upon a time. A long, long time ago. Specifically, 5000 years ago……”
Leo, watching her, said,
“Torua-senpai.”
“Why are you calling me?”
“Where did you get that picture book?”
“I received it from Reina-nim. She said she used to read it a lot to you when you were young because you liked it?”
“I don’t remember.”
Of course, he remembered clearly.
The story of the great heroes who saved the world from Erebus.
The story of Kyle was omitted, making it a picture book Leo truly disliked.
Every time he read it, Leo would react strongly, and Reina mistakenly thought he liked it and only read that picture book to him.
Eventually, after giving up and no longer reacting, Leo was freed from that story.
Seeing the picture book, which held some memories, Leo said,
“Now that it’s known that Lord Kyle also existed, shouldn’t we instill an accurate view of history from a young age?”
“It’s okay, it’s just a picture book.”
Meanwhile, Celia and Emira’s eyes sparkled next to Torua.
“Really cute.”
“Right! I want to bite them.”
At their reactions, Torua’s expression became a little proud.
“Since they are my daughters, they will surely become great beauties like me?”
“Can I hold them?”
“Of course.”
Torua handed her twin daughters to Celia and Emira respectively.
“Uaaaaaang!”
As soon as she was held by Celia, the elder of the twins, Rirua, who had been whimpering, burst into tears.
Then, the younger twin, Lisia, who was held by Emira, also burst into tears.
As the babies cried, Celia and Emira became flustered.
“Oh dear. I guess they cry when held by strangers.”
Torua said with a wry smile and took her daughters into her arms.
Then the twins stopped crying.
Seeing that, Celia’s shoulders slumped.
Torua, comforting her daughters, tilted her head and approached Leo.
Then she handed him her daughters.
“Leo-gun, you hold them too.”
Seeing Torua thrusting her daughters at him, Leo held the twins in his arms.
“Kyareureureuk!”
“Abbu! Aah!”
Unlike when they were with Celia and Emira, the twins smiled brightly and seemed happy.
“Why only Leo…!”
Celia said with a resentful expression, and Torua stroked her chin.
“Hooh! Hooh! As expected of my daughters. They know how to recognize their future benefactors!”
Torua said with a beaming smile.
“Rirua, Lisia. This is Uncle Leo. You must remember him, okay? He’s the king of a country, so if you need money for your magic experiments later, find him and act cute to get research funds. Got it?”
Leo shook his head, watching Torua attempt early education.
“Leo. Can I hold you one more time!”
At Celia’s words, Leo tried to hand over Rirua, whom he held in his left arm.
However, remembering that Rirua had cried in his arms just a moment ago, Celia held Lisia in her right arm.
But Lisia also burst into tears.
Meanwhile, Rirua, held in Leo’s arms despite her sister crying, was calm.
Torua took her daughter back from Celia, who was looking crestfallen, and said,
“Yes. As expected, they draw the line at an unnutritious aunt. My daughters are smart.”
“Hmph! Why am I not nutritious?!”
“Are you going to contribute money if our daughters say they want to do magic experiments in the future?”
“Rirua and Lisia will learn the sword as people of Zerdinger, so why would they do magic experiments!”
“Look, look. They say the exact same thing as their father.”
Torua clicked her tongue.
“So, will you be able to marry into a magic family? Will you say, ‘Even if your future child born between you and Abad does magic experiments, you inherited Zerdinger’s blood, so you must learn the sword!’?”
“Ugh. Th-that’s……”
“Torua. It’s not even confirmed that Celia will marry Abad yet?”
Liss, who had been listening, said with his usual smile.
Of course, his eyes weren’t smiling.
“And we don’t know if Rwalyn will permit it either.”
At that, Torua said,
“Celia. Forgiveness is easier than permission. So try doing what I do.”
“That is absolutely not allowed.”
Liss said with a serious expression, and Torua stared intently at Liss.
“Wow. This guy is really shameless? He says forgiveness is easier than permission… Ugh?!”
“Ahem.”
Liss, quickly covering Torua’s mouth, cleared his throat.
Then he said,
“Well. It’s getting late, so you should all go home.”
“Celia! Your brother, this person…”
“I know. I’m sorry! So please stop!”
Liss was flustered by Torua.
Leo, smirking, gently placed Rirua, whom he held in his arms, into the baby crib.
“Abbu! Ababa!”
Rirua clenched and unclenched her small hands towards Leo and waved.
Leo whispered so only Rirua could hear,
“You shouldn’t take after your father and mother, okay?”
“Abbu ah?”
Leo, waving goodbye to Rirua, left the room with Celia and Emira.
“Liss-onni. You surprisingly have a sly side.”
“Usually, top students are the ones who spill secrets.”
Leo replied with a smirk to Emira’s words.
Celia, who would normally have retorted, remained silent this time.
“Then Celia-unnie too?”
“Absolutely not!”
Celia shouted with a bright red face.
‘If they tease me too, I’ll really get angry,’
Leo, muttering to himself, suddenly stopped as he passed by the window.
And he looked out the window without a word.
“……”
“Leo, is something wrong?”
Celia asked with a puzzled expression, and Leo shook his head.
“It’s nothing.”
Leo continued walking.
‘There seems to be some unrest.’
A strange sensation tickled his nerves.
A feeling like an itch in his brain.
This is not a super-sense.
It’s a sense that only Leo, who is completely different, possesses.
While Aron’s super-sense is about collecting evidence to accurately grasp the situation, Leo’s sense of detecting danger is closer to inferring by reading the atmosphere.
Unlike super-sense, which accurately grasps the situation, this sense is vague and often wrong.
However, Leo, through his experience of crossing countless death lines, could determine the truth of the threat.
After sending Celia and Emira back to their room, Leo returned to his own room.
Melina was in the room.
“Leo-nim.”
“Is something moving?”
“Yes. It seems there are people who have ill intentions towards Karl-student. We can’t be sure yet, but……”
“Tartarus is probably involved.”
Leo said, pulling at his tie to loosen it.
Watching Leo, Melina said,
“Take immediate action…”
“No. Let it be.”
“What?”
Melina’s eyes widened.
“Let’s see how they react. And how Karl reacts.”
Thud-
Leo sat on the sofa and continued,
“Karl will solve the problem without much difficulty. He’s grown too much to be taken care of like this.”
It might be a bit cold, but Leo believed in Karl’s capabilities.
Besides, he couldn’t always look after him.
It was time for him to move forward alone based on his past experiences.
‘It’s not just Karl.’
Leo thought of the seeds of heroes he had chosen.
‘They are still amateurs, but…’
Even so, they had all sprouted.
Now it was time to wait for them to bloom.
“It’s a bit harsh. They’re still young, though.”
Melina said with a wry smile.
“But it can’t be helped. If they want to be adults, we have to treat them as adults.”
“Heh heh.”
“Even if it’s a bit harsh… perhaps it’s the destiny of those who will bear the era.”
Leo looked out the window.
The cold moonlight caught his eye.
‘It’s getting hard to wait. So hurry up and come. Amateurs.’
The day when he could entrust his back was not far off.
Leo had such thoughts.
***
Eliza yawned widely.
Today was quite tiring.
She had to endure punishing those who had spoken insolently, which was mentally draining.
‘They’re not children anymore.’
The price of hasty remarks could be handled politically.
Eliza’s usual thinking was that there was no need to get excited and create a tiring situation.
The problem was that it changed when the target was Karl.
‘I lost my temper too easily.’
Eliza sighed, recalling Karl, who had been trying to cheer her up throughout the party.
At that time.
Knock knock-
There was a knock on the door.
‘Father?’
“Eliza. It’s me. Are you asleep?”
‘Karl?’
Karl’s visit to her room late at night made Eliza slightly flustered.
But she pretended to be calm and replied,
“I’m not asleep. Why?”
“Can I come into your room?”
Eliza checked her attire.
She was in a normal nightgown.
It wasn’t a state she couldn’t show, but could she show such a disheveled private appearance?
‘No, more importantly, he’s trying to enter the room I’m staying in right now?’
Eliza’s eyes twitched.
‘Huh? Right. He’s a man, right? But even if we’re acknowledged, isn’t this too casual?’
Despite wrinkling her brow, Eliza crossed her legs and folded her arms while sitting on the sofa.
Then, returning to her usual haughty expression, she said,
“Come in.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Karl entered the room.
He was still in the party attire he wore earlier.
“Ah, you’re all ready for bed. Sorry.”
Karl gave a slight apologetic smile.
“Why are you here in the middle of the night?”
“There’s something I need to do with you.”
“Something to do?”
“Yes. It’s important.”
“Karl. Even though you and I…”
“Sorry, I’ll take some of this off.”
“What? What?!”
Eliza, about to admonish Karl, turned bright red and jumped up.
“Don’t act so eager! We’re still students and…”
“Huh? What are you talking about? I just meant I’m going to take off my outer coat.”
Karl looked at Eliza with wide, blank eyes.
And he said,
“I just came to tell you my thoughts on how the Hergin family will move in this prestigious family meeting and to get your permission.”
“……It’s something Father delegated to you.”
“Even so, I need to get final approval.”
“Not from Father?”
“Yes. Because it’s my job to help you in the future, right? Well, you might be my father-in-law, but you’re still my superior.”
Karl shrugged.
Then he started to grin.
“By the way, what was our Eliza Yang thinking? Did you think I was going to do something perverted? You have a great imagination!”
Karl teased Eliza, chuckling.
In fact, he was teasing, prepared to be hit.
It was Karl’s way of showing consideration, by provoking her to get her embarrassing thoughts out.
Normally, Eliza would have lashed out with spirit.
However, Eliza, with her ears also red, just lowered her head and trembled her shoulders.
Seeing her reaction, Karl flinched.
‘Wow, what is this? Why is her reaction so cute?’
Karl composed himself, thinking that it might be a big problem if he didn’t.
‘By the way… it’s probably best not to mention the story that some families might target me at the prestigious family meeting, right?’
Karl sighed deeply, recalling the incidents caught by his information network.
If he mentioned it unnecessarily, Eliza might explode.
‘It’s better if I handle it quietly.’