Chapter 117
The situation that unfolded afterward was completely unexpected.
Caron, who had been extremely confident in pressuring the elf girl, now found himself in a rather pitiful situation.
"She's obviously a hatchling of the Accursed Dragon," Caron grumbled, raising his voice as if to convince himself. "We're all just falling for her cuteness—"
"Shut up and keep your arms up," Leon interrupted sharply. "Stop lowering your arms and keep them up properly."
"...Sniff!" The elf girl clung tightly to her wooden figurine, tears streaming down her face, while Caron kneeled on the floor with his arms raised in the air, utterly defeated. The hostage drama had ended abruptly thanks to Leon's intervention.
Leon crouched down and gently patted the sobbing elf girl on the head, saying soothingly, "You must've been so scared."
"I... I was just hiding because I was scared... And then he tried to b-break my treasure..." the elf girl said.
It took what felt like an eternity to calm the girl down.
While Caron remained in his awkward punishment pose, Leo snuck up behind him and clapped mockingly, then said, "Bravo, Caron Leston! You've outdone yourself once again. A hostage situation over a child's toy? Truly, I'm in awe of your ever-growing creativity. Honestly, are you even human?"
"Hatchlings are definitely dangerous—" Caron began.
"Does she look dangerous to you?" Leo cut him off.
The elf girl's large, teary eyes glistened as she sniffled, occasionally wiping her nose with the back of her hand. But even in her distressed state, she held her figurine tightly with her small, delicate hands.
"Guillotine said she was a hatchling," Caron insisted.
The sentient sword scoffed in disbelief, then said, "I said it was a hatchling of Etyron, not that you should stage some deranged stunt like this! You despicable owner—using a child's toy as leverage? Even demons would shake their heads at your behavior!"
"It's always me, isn't it? I'm always the villain," Caron muttered bitterly.
"Caron Leston, you may be a great warrior, but as a human being, you're the worst. How could you do something so cruel to a child? That was anything but honorable! I am very disappointed in you," Utula added. "A warrior's duty is to protect the weak. How does she not look like someone in need of protection to you?"
Caron turned back toward the elf girl—or rather, the hatchling—and studied her again.
"She does seem harmless..." he admitted reluctantly before continuing, "...but I know what she really is. There's no doubt she's hiding some sinister—"
Whack!
Leon smacked Caron on the back, hard enough to make him flinch. She argued, "If she had any bad intentions, she would've acted on them already."
"She could be acting," Caron retorted. "She could be hiding her strength—"
"If she had strength to hide," Leon interrupted again, "she'd have snapped your neck already. Honestly, if I were her, I'd have done it just for your nonsense."
Caron tried to come up with a logical counterargument but couldn't. There wasn't one. He admitted begrudgingly, "Fine."
For now, he had to accept that the hatchling was harmless—or so it seemed at the moment.
After the storm of chaos had passed, the hatchling finally stopped crying and spoke in a small voice.
"...I'm going to tell my uncle about this," she said, clutching her figurine more tightly.
"So there is a co-conspirator," Caron muttered, narrowing his eyes. "I knew it. Stalling for time until backup arrives—"
Smack!
Leon's palm struck his back again as she said, "Enough. Kerra Acht is clearly the one taking care of her, isn't he?"
"I know that! I was just joking, trying to lighten the mood—" Caron protested.
"Don't even think about having kids when you're married, Caron," Leon advised.
"Why not?" Caron asked.
"I'm truly worried that your kids will be exactly like you," Leon said, her tone dripping with sincerity.
At that, the hatchling wriggled out of Leon's arms and looked up at her. She said firmly, "Don't hit my dad."
"I'm not hitting him, I'm just giving him a sharp scold—Huh? What did you just say?" Leon asked.
"Don't hit my dad," the girl repeated.
"Dad...? What do you mean by dad? Who's your dad?" Leon asked.
In response to that question, the hatchling pointed straight at Caron.
At that moment, Leon's expression froze like ice. But it wasn't just Leon. Everyone, including Caron, who had been pointed out as the dad, stared at the hatchling in stunned silence that continued for a while.
It was Leo who finally broke the tension, his expression serious as he turned to the hatchling and asked, "Okay, then... Who's the mom?"
The absurdity of the question earned him scornful glares from Leon and Utula.
"Are you serious? You call that a question?" Leon snapped.
"How disgraceful," Utula muttered. "I'm disappointed in you too, Leo."
"What? Am I the only one curious?" Leo protested, looking to Caron for support. "For all we know, Caron could've had some secret fling—"
"Do you realize that Caron is only seventeen this year?" Leon asked.
"Then maybe... Four years ago, during the trip to the capital—" Leo answered.
"Back then, Caron was thirteen years old, you lunatic. Try saying something that makes sense for once. Besides, this kid is a dragon's hatchling," Leon replied.
"...Then perhaps before he came to Azureocean Castle—" Leo said.
Smack!
Caron smacked Leo on the back of the head with his sword hilt.
Leo collapsed to the floor, groaning in pain, as Leon shook her head in exasperation.
"Leo wasn't like this when he was younger. You've corrupted him, Caron," Leon muttered.
"Don't worry," Caron replied, glaring at Leo. "I'm going to straighten him out properly later. He's been getting too bold lately."
But beneath the banter, Caron's mind was in turmoil. The idea of Kerra raising a hatchling was strange enough, but this hatchling calling him "dad" was outright ridiculous.
"Why would I be your dad? I'm not your dad," he said flatly.
"I can tell when I see you," the hatchling replied confidently, hugging her figurine more tightly.
"I'm not your dad," Caron insisted.
"You are my dad!" the girl countered. Her tone was unwavering, as was her pout. Caron sighed, staring at her puffed-up cheeks in resignation.
Then Guillotine interjected with a hesitant question.
"Owner, I don't mean to jump to conclusions, but... Is it possible that in your previous life, you and a dragon...?"
"The forge," Caron said. It only took one word to have Guillotine change its attitude.
"No! Never mind! There's absolutely no way, haha. Forget I said anything! Etyron was the Accursed Dragon from three hundred years ago. That's absurd!"
Across all forty-six years of his life, including his previous one, not a single woman had crossed Caron's path. But now, suddenly, he had a daughter—a dragon hatchling daughter, no less. It was beyond bewildering; he was utterly confused.
Facing a situation he couldn't solve with sheer force seemed to be a first in this lifetime.
As Caron was racking his brains, the hatchling approached him with a bright smile and said, "You're so mean. You even tried to break my precious figurine... But I'll let it slide this once! Just seeing you makes me happy, Dad!"
Her smile alone seemed to light up the surroundings. Seeing her like that, Caron couldn't help but break into a fond smile himself.
Just as he was hesitating, his hand twitching with the desire to pat the hatchling on the head, Leon muttered under her breath, "A dad who threatens to break his daughter's toys? That's a total scumbag."
"I agree," another voice chimed in. "Caron, as a father, you're undeniably trash."
Caron realized that there was no one left on his side.
***
The hatchling introduced herself as Aquarius, but the name felt awkward, so Caron decided to come up with a nickname for her.
"How about something simple and easy, like Draggy?" he suggested.
"I don't like Draggy..." Aquarius replied.
Caron truly had the worst naming sense imaginable.
As it was almost despair-inducing, Leon, unable to bear it any longer, sighed and helped choose the nickname. She suggested, "How about Aqua or Ari?"
The hatchling's expression lit up with delight, and she nodded enthusiastically. She exclaimed, "Aqua! Uncle calls me Aqua too!"
"Then why didn't you just say so from the start?" Caron asked dryly.
Blushing, Aqua glanced away before mumbling, "I wanted Dad to come up with the nickname..." She giggled shyly after saying those words, her innocence radiating like sunlight through a forest canopy.
Caron found himself nodding slowly and thought, She is... adorable.
After a moment of reflection, he thought that it wasn't such a bad situation. The girl, who was calling him "Dad," was the hatchling of Etyron. That meant one day she'd become a dragon.Caron figured she could be helpful someday, so there wasn't really a reason or need to stop her from calling him "Dad."
"Owner, you're worse than I thought. Looking at this adorable creature as a potential asset? How about giving lectures on opportunism to the demons?" Guillotine chimed in.
Caron decided to ignore the comment because he had a better retort. He thought, And who bragged about slaying this adorable creature's mother, hmm?
From Aqua's perspective, Guillotine was nothing less than the sworn enemy who had killed her parents.
But Guillotine's response upon hearing the retort was truly priceless. It protested, "That's because Etyron deserved it! It was self-defense, totally justified."
As Caron and Guillotine exchanged words mentally, Aqua cautiously reached for Caron's hand.
"Dad, that black cat earlier... Was that a spirit you made a contract with?" Aqua asked.
"Yeah, why?" Caron replied, curious.
"I was too scared to come out before. Can I say 'hi' to the kitty?" Aqua asked.
"For sure. That's not a difficult thing to do," Caron said. He didn't see any harm in it, so with practiced ease, he summoned Pluto.
Meow.
Pluto appeared, and Aqua's face lit up with unrestrained joy. Pluto immediately warmed up to her, rubbing its face against her legs before hopping onto her head.
The sight of the tiny girl holding her wooden figurine with Pluto perched atop her head was almost too much. The sheer cuteness was overwhelming.
"What's its name?" Aqua asked, her curiosity endless.
"Pluto," Caron answered, suppressing a small smile.
"Pluto! That's such a pretty name!" Aqua exclaimed, petting the spirit affectionately.
Caron watched her quietly, arms crossed. Finally, he asked, "Aqua, can I ask you a question too?"
"Sure! Dad can ask me anything," Aqua replied cheerfully.
"I'm just curious... Why do you call me Dad? We only just met today," Caron asked in a soft tone. Leon, glaring daggers from behind, had made it clear that Caron needed to ask questions carefully.
"Hmm..." Aqua tilted her head, contemplating how to explain. Finally, she gave up with a little shake of her head. "You're not a dragon, so it's hard to explain... It's like... instinct? Anyway, you're definitely my dad."
It was impossible to press her further, so Caron decided to change the subject. He asked, "How old are you, Aqua?"
"I'm seven years old! The World Tree told me," Aqua answered proudly.
"The World Tree?" Caron repeated.
"Yes!" Aqua replied.
Seven years ago... That would have been around the time I first entered Azureocean Castle, Caron thought, looking back to those years.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't piece together any connection. His life since his reincarnation had been singularly focused on gaining strength.
I'll have to stop by Galad and ask the regent about this, Caron thought.
The Accursed Dragon and the World Tree seemed likely to be connected, but there was no way to uncover the link between those two entities at the moment.
And above all...
She feels familiar to me, too, Caron thought.
It was something like an unusually strong sense of kinship. Strangely enough, Aqua calling him "Dad" didn't feel particularly uncomfortable.
"Aqua, you're incredibly clever for someone your age," Leon said.
"You're a prodigy!" Leo added.
"If you want a ride on my shoulders, just say the word," Utula chimed in.
The mood was light and warm until Guillotine's voice abruptly interrupted Caron's thoughts. "Owner..."
I know, Caron answered internally.
For just a moment, Caron had sensed an overwhelming aura of mana approaching from outside the house. It was chillingly powerful, on par with Revelio's guardian knight Sir Mason.
There was only one person in the vicinity capable of such power, and that was Kerra. The aura seemed to radiate quiet menace, which confirmed that Kerra had returned.
Caron turned toward the door, bracing himself and thinking about what he would even say when they met face-to-face.
But the door remained closed. Seconds stretched into minutes.
"...Why isn't he coming in?" Caron muttered.
He couldn't have misread that presence of mana. Then, a chilling thought struck him. An uninvited guest attacking a house with only a child inside... If it were me, what would I assume?
The realization made cold sweat drip down Caron's temple. "Come on... Surely he wouldn't attack with Aqua here—"
Before he could finish speaking, a deafening screech echoed through the air. A massive blade of energy slashed through the house, splitting it cleanly in half.