I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 75
As expected, Cassian was the first to notice the presence of the uninvited guests.
Though his ability to use energy was limited, his sharp and keen senses remained unchanged.
Cassian, who had been gazing lovingly at Lia, who had fallen into a deep sleep, frowned as he sensed the approaching figures.
Lia had just fallen into a deep sleep, and instead of aiding her rest, they were intruding rudely.
Moreover, there was a significant number of them.
“It was foolish from the start to expect manners from demons.”
Cassian had hoped that Lia could sleep peacefully, at least for this moment.
But the continuous attacks from demons, which had been relentless since the beginning of this demon hunt, continued late into the night.
“Finish this as quietly and quickly as possible.”
Cassian, worried that Lia might wake up, gave a small but clear order to the knights.
The knights responded with a nod instead of a loud answer, as they, too, didn’t want to disturb Lia’s sleep.
Cassian gently patted Lia, who was sleeping on his lap, while sharply observing the surroundings.
Although there were quite a few demons, with their skills, it should be manageable.
However, there was no guarantee that the situation would be resolved before Lia woke up.
‘…Tch.’
Cassian clicked his tongue again, displeased with the situation.
No matter how monstrous they were, didn’t these demons have eyes?
Seeing such a lovely person beside him, they should have known to be cautious, yet they couldn’t wait even a day before attacking.
If they had any conscience, they should have known their appearance would be harmful to others’ eyes and hidden themselves.
But just as he began to harbor such complaints, Cassian’s expression hardened.
Amidst the sounds around her, Lia, who had been asleep, finally opened her eyes.
Still not fully awake, Lia blinked, unable to immediately grasp the situation. Then, at the moment she realized the presence of demons—
Slash.
There was the sound of something being sliced by something sharp.
At the same time, blood poured out from the body of the demon that had been cut, right in front of Lia.
“……….”
Lia couldn’t utter a word.
Her entire body froze, and she couldn’t even move a finger.
The shock was greater than expected, leaving her unable to think, as if her mind had stopped working.
She couldn’t comprehend the situation or what she had just witnessed.
However, her body was reacting precisely to the situation unfolding before her eyes.
Her face turned pale, her eyes lost focus, and her body froze as if she had forgotten how to breathe.
All her senses seemed to stop functioning.
Lia couldn’t even feel the sensation of the blood that had splashed onto her.
She just… simply blinked in a daze, trying to understand the situation.
“…Lia.”
As the demon targeted Lia, Cassian quickly used his energy to block the attack and eliminate the threat. He called out to her in a worried voice.
Even Cassian wasn’t pleased with the situation. To think such a scene would unfold right in front of Lia.
But there was no other way.
Protecting Lia from the demon’s attack was the most important thing. Ensuring that she could return to the duke’s estate without a scratch was his priority.
To achieve that, Cassian had no choice but to attack the monster.
“Lia, breathe.”
Cassian spoke gently to Lia, who remained frozen like a statue, not responding to his call.
She still wasn’t breathing.
She was so shocked that everything had stopped.
“…Hah, hah.”
Fortunately, Cassian’s voice seemed to reach Lia’s ears, and she began to breathe heavily.
Her breathing seemed to reflect her emotional state, as if tears were about to fall.
Tears welled up in Lia’s eyes.
She was so scared.
It was so terrifying.
She felt like she was about to burst into tears.
Lia was overwhelmed by an intense fear and terror she had never experienced before.
But she held back her tears.
She couldn’t show such weakness in this place, like a crying child.
The battle wasn’t over yet, and she couldn’t show such a fragile side in front of the knights who were still fighting hard.
However, she couldn’t completely hide her fear, which manifested as tears in her eyes.
“It’s okay, angel baby. Nothing happened. No, nothing is going to happen.”
Knowing that such words wouldn’t ease Lia’s feelings, Cassian could only say that.
“…Khal… Khal…”
In a voice soaked with tears, Lia called out to Cassian desperately.
Her hand had already grabbed onto Cassian’s clothes as if it were her last lifeline, holding on tightly.
Her grip was so strong that her hand had turned pale.
Cassian frowned and held her close, covering her eyes so she wouldn’t see anything.
‘Damn demons.’
They didn’t know their place and dared to disturb someone so precious.
If he were in better condition, he would have torn apart every demon in sight.
He could have eliminated them in an instant without leaving a trace, had it not been necessary to drag out the time like this.
However, the fact that he couldn’t do so was a bitter regret.
Using his powers recklessly might lead to unforeseen consequences, which was why he had to hold back.
“…I want to pretend that I’m okay, I want to be okay… but, I’m scared.”
The scene she had witnessed just moments ago still vividly replayed in her mind.
The grotesque and horrifying figure of the demon charging at her. Then, in an instant, its limbs were severed, leaving its body to roll helplessly on the ground.
And the black blood that spurted out like a fountain from the demon’s body.
She wanted to forget it all.
She wanted to erase it from her memory.
And… she wanted to go home.
Despite all the work, she longed to return to the comfort and safety of her home.
To the place where her loved ones were.
“You don’t have to pretend to be okay. It’s not wrong to be scared. It’s only natural to be afraid when you’ve seen something frightening.”
“…But I’m the duke…”
“Who is perfect from the start? Not being afraid means you’re not human; you’re a doll without emotions. And Lia, you’re human.”
At Cassian’s soft words, Lia said nothing and buried her face in his chest.
She liked his kindness.
At that moment, Cassian was the only one she could rely on.
This situation was overwhelming for Lia.
Under normal circumstances, she would have sarcastically remarked, “So now I’m a human and not an angel?” But she couldn’t even process that thought properly.
“Everyone has a first time. And the first time is hard for everyone. Even they weren’t indifferent to facing demons at first. Everyone feels that way.”
Only Cassian was an exception.
His dullness to emotions meant he wasn’t moved by anything else.
So the emotions Lia was feeling now were perfectly natural.
There was no need for Lia to feel embarrassed or try to hide them.
In fact, Lia’s reaction was quite calm.
Usually, people would faint from sheer terror, vomit, or even wet themselves.
In the worst cases, some would even flee in panic.
“…I think it was a mistake to come here. I don’t want to think like this, but I feel like it.”
“That’s understandable.”
Cassian just comforted Lia with a gentle voice.
Part of him wished she would say she wanted to go back.
If she did, he would have considered taking her back to the duke’s estate immediately.
But Cassian knew Lia wouldn’t do that. Even though she was trembling with fear, Lia was trying her best to overcome it.
Someone like her wouldn’t just give up and go back now.
So how could he not feel sorry for her?
How could he not feel worried?
She was trying so hard to endure everything with that small body of hers.
“Get some sleep, angel baby.”
“…I don’t think I can sleep.”
“No, sleep. It will be good for you, angel baby.”
The battle was far from over. There was no telling how long this situation would continue.
That’s why Cassian wanted Lia to sleep, at least for now.
He knew it wasn’t the best time to sleep, but that was exactly why he wanted her to rest.
He hoped that by sleeping, Lia could escape from this situation, even if just for a moment.
“But…”
“It’s okay. You can sleep. When you wake up, everything will be over.”
With kind words, Cassian gently rocked her.
He also released his energy to relax Lia’s tension and dull her senses. He couldn’t completely block out her senses, but he did his best.
His efforts seemed to have an effect, as Lia, who had been trembling with fear and tossing restlessly, finally began to breathe steadily.
She had fallen asleep.
“Goodnight, Lia. I hope you have sweet dreams.”
Cassian silently prayed that Lia would find peace, at least in her dreams.
But his thoughts quickly shifted, and his expression darkened.
It was something he had felt from the moment they set foot here.
The fact unsettled Cassian.
