I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 74
Lia was so shocked by the sudden appearance of the demons that she momentarily forgot how to breathe.
She never imagined she would encounter demons without even a moment to mentally prepare herself.
Of course, she should have expected it the moment she set foot in this place, but even if she had, it wouldn’t have lessened the shock.
There’s a world of difference between imagining something and actually experiencing it.
And the demons she encountered were far more grotesque and horrifying than she had imagined.
No matter how terrible a nightmare might be, it wouldn’t be as terrifying as this.
Unconsciously, Lia tightened her grip on Cassian’s cloak.
“Shh, it’s okay,”
Cassian said gently, recognizing how frightened Lia was.
For him, this was a familiar scene, something he was used to, but it wasn’t the same for Lia.
The whiteness of her knuckles revealed just how scared she was.
“…I guess you really don’t know until you experience it yourself.”
Everyone had been worried, but she thought she would be fine. After all, she was just a companion, not someone who had to deal with the demons directly.
She thought simply tagging along on the demon hunt wouldn’t be that difficult, apart from the physical strain of the journey itself.
But… she had been completely wrong.
Now she understood what Cassian had been concerned about, and why everyone else had been so worried about her.
Yes, Cassian had warned her.
Even if she didn’t have to directly fight the demons, just witnessing the scene would be a heavy burden.
Just encountering demons repeatedly would be exhausting for her.
She had only taken the first step, yet the shock she felt was overwhelming.
Her heart was pounding like crazy, and she was terrified just from the fact that she had met a demon.
“Don’t look.”
Even though she was trembling with fear, Lia didn’t think to turn her head away. Cassian told her.
“But still…”
“You don’t need to take in and remember everything. Just… handle what you can manage.”
Just coming to this place was already fulfilling her duty.
Not running away and making it here was already a significant achievement.
So, he didn’t want her to see things she didn’t need to see.
Especially since she was trembling with fear; there was no need to push herself.
“…Then, just for a moment, I’ll close my eyes.”
Lia didn’t know how much determination it would take to open her eyes again, but for now, she wanted to listen to Cassian.
“Do that.”
Cassian gently covered Lia’s eyes with one hand. With the other, he quietly patted her.
Lia calmed her racing heart by leaning on Cassian’s warmth.
Even with her eyes closed, the image of the demon she first encountered was still floating in her mind.
‘…Everyone is amazing.’
The knights who cut down the demons without fear, while she trembled just by looking at them.
The knights who had faced countless demon, to the point where they had become accustomed to it.
They probably weren’t like that from the beginning.
They just tried to fulfill their duty as abilities, and eventually became accustomed to it.
Thinking about how much hardship they must have gone through made her feel heavy-hearted.
Their efforts touched her deeply.
“You can lean on me completely,”
Cassian said in a soft voice, noticing that Lia’s body was still trembling, even with her eyes closed.
“…Just for a moment.”
But as long as she could feel Cassian’s warmth, she thought she might be okay.
With that thought, Lia leaned completely into Cassian, burying her face in his shoulder.
But just because she couldn’t see didn’t mean all her senses were shut off.
She could still hear the situation around her clearly.
The demons’ horrific screams. The sound of their flesh being torn and ruptured.
Lia wanted to raise her hands to cover her ears. She wanted to escape this situation.
But she didn’t.
This was something she had to endure.
Through this, she would truly understand and appreciate the effort of the abilities.
Meanwhile, Cassian clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction at the sight.
She was already small compared to others her age, making him feel sorry for her.
Seeing her delicate body trembling as if she might break with just a light touch, didn’t sit well with him.
However, there wasn’t much Cassian could do for Lia right now.
They were already deep in the forest, and it was too late to turn back. He couldn’t even completely block her senses using unstable energy.
Instead, Cassian chose another method. He quietly gathered his energy.
The meaning behind that energy was simple. It was a silent pressure to wrap this up as quickly as possible.
Shion, who noticed this, sighed lightly and ordered the knights.
“Let’s pick up the pace a bit.”
Shion could fully understand Cassian’s feelings. Shion, too, was worried about Lia, who was more affected by the sudden start of the battle than expected.
A quick glance at Lia’s condition showed that she didn’t look good.
Thanks to the efforts of Shion and the knights, the battle finally came to an end.
It was a quicker conclusion than usual.
“It’s all over now, angel baby.”
“Really?”
Lia sighed in relief at Cassian’s words and tried to lift her face. But Cassian gently stopped her.
“It’s better not to lift your head yet, as they’re still cleaning up.”
Even though the battle was over, the remnants hadn’t been cleared away.
Around the area where the knights stood, the corpses of demons were strewn everywhere.
Even in life, these demons were terrifying, and in death, their remains were far from intact.
Their flesh and entrails were crushed beyond recognition, scattered across the ground.
How could anyone show this sight to Lia? It would only leave her with trauma.
“…Is there anything I can do to help?”
Lia asked softly, feeling guilty for just standing by.
“Your presence here is already a big help, angel baby.”
“…It feels like I’m more of a burden than a help.”
Even while trembling with fear, Lia spoke her mind.
“No, you’re helping more than enough. Honestly, I’m debating whether I should march into the capital and take the emperor’s head, but I can hold back thanks to you, angel baby.”
Moreover, the immense, unfocused rage he felt was something he could suppress because of Lia’s presence.
If Lia hadn’t been there, he would have lost control long ago, creating chaos that would have caused trouble for Shion and the knights.
“Oh, then I guess I am helping.”
“Exactly. Thanks to you, I’m able to stay calm, so the knights are grateful to you too, angel baby.”
Cassian spoke with confidence, as he knew he wasn’t wrong. He then shot a pressing look at the knights.
“It seems it’s going to take some time to clean up this area. We should get going first,”
Shion suggested as he approached, unable to ignore the increasingly tense atmosphere around Cassian.
They couldn’t just leave the bodies lying around, as the scent of blood could attract other demons in a rush.
So, they had to clean up, but doing it thoroughly would take more time.
However, since this was Lia’s first demon hunt, they couldn’t keep her in this place for too long. Shion decided to leave a small group behind to handle the cleanup while the rest moved on ahead.
“That’s a good idea,”
Cassian nodded in approval.
With Lia in his arms, Cassian started moving with a portion of the group.
***
Late at night.
It was their first night camping in the Refaar Forest.
Lia sat beside Cassian, warming herself by the small fire the knights had made.
A blanket that one of the knights had given her was draped over her shoulders.
“You must be tired, so you should get some sleep.”
“…I feel bad going to sleep first,” Lia hesitated.
The other knights were still busy preparing for the night. How could she go to sleep before them?
Especially since she had done nothing compared to the knights who had been working hard all this time.
All she had done was stay in Cassian’s arms and come this far.
“For a growing child, sleep is more important than anything else. No one will think badly of you, angel baby.”
No one would dare express dissatisfaction in front of him, and besides, no one would have any complaints in the first place.
Cassian’s thoughts were spot on.
The knights hadn’t approached Lia simply because she was with Cassian, but they were all impressed by her.
Facing demons was terrifying even for grown adults.
In fact, the knights themselves had been startled by the grotesque and horrific appearance of the demons during their first hunt, and some couldn’t even use their abilities properly.
Yet here was a child, enduring it all relatively calmly.
Without any complaints or whining.
Despite trembling with fear, Lia hadn’t once asked to go back.
On the contrary, she wanted to help them.
She was more concerned about being a burden.
According to what the others had said, Lia was the only non-ability noble who had ever shown such an attitude during a demon hunt.
And she was the youngest of them all.
How could they not be impressed?
Because of this, they were even more concerned for her and wanted to take care of her, even if she wasn’t someone the Grand Duke cherished.
So, even if Lia went to sleep early, the knights would understand and feel sorry for her, not harbor any complaints.
Seeing Lia, who didn’t seem to be able to sleep, Cassian decided to make her sleep by force.
Cassian gently laid Lia’s head on his lap.
There was already a cloak spread out where Lia was supposed to sleep, so lying down here wouldn’t be a problem.
“Khal?”
“Sleep.”
Cassian gently patted Lia, firmly holding her so she couldn’t get up, urging her to sleep.
With his soft touch, Lia soon fell asleep despite her initial resistance.
However, her sleep wouldn’t last long.
