I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 78
The demons’ attention was drawn to none other than Lia.
Thanks to the knights’ quick response to the demons’ attacks, they didn’t initially realize what the demons were targeting.
The monsters didn’t have a chance to aim at Lia before they were killed by the knights.
However, as the frequency of the attacks increased, Shion noticed something strange.
The direction from which the demon attacks always came was where Lia was located.
The first place their bodies tried to go, and the spot where their gaze lingered the longest, was always where Lia was.
This became more evident as they collected the demons’ corpses.
For some reason, the dying demons’ gazes were all directed at Lia.
Furthermore, as the attacks increased, the knights’ burden grew, leading to occasional lapses where some demon attacks slipped through.
Each time, the demon’s attack was directed not at the knights who had attacked it, but at Lia.
That was why Cassian had to step in and block the demons’ attacks several times.
As a result, Lia had to witness the demons being killed right in front of her several times.
Although she seemed less shocked than when she first saw it, she couldn’t remain completely unaffected, and each time she was startled and froze in place.
That’s probably why she fell into such a deep sleep from exhaustion.
Cassian watched Lia, who was asleep in his arms, with a somber expression.
Then he slowly opened his mouth.
“If you noticed it too, then it’s not just an illusion.”
Cassian had already suspected it, but without clear evidence, he couldn’t be sure.
However, since Shion felt the same way, it couldn’t be dismissed as a mere illusion.
Moreover, after the repeated attacks today, Cassian realized that his concerns were not just unfounded.
How many demons had targeted Lia just today?
It could have been that they attacked because she appeared to be the weakest.
But Lia was not alone. She was with him.
Usually, the demons would be scared off with just a slight release of his aura.
But today, and even yesterday, despite Lia being with him, they still attacked her.
It was as if their desire to attack her outweighed their fear of him.
This couldn’t simply be because she appeared weak.
There had to be another reason.
“So, what should we do?”
If the demons were really targeting Lia, it would be dangerous to continue the demon subjugation with her.
There hadn’t been any major issues so far, but there was no guarantee that this would continue until the subjugation was complete.
Moreover, as time passed, the knights were becoming more fatigued.
There were already a few mistakes, and it would only get worse going forward.
Fortunately, Cassian was keeping her safe, but he wasn’t in his normal state.
Normally, there wouldn’t be much to worry about with Cassian, but now, that wasn’t the case.
Furthermore… if Lia were to get hurt, the situation could become much worse.
Even though he wasn’t in his normal state, Cassian was still the Empire’s greatest ability user.
There was concern that if he couldn’t control his emotions and overused his power, it could lead to a rampage.
“…Let’s conclude the subjugation here.”
After a brief hesitation, Cassian spoke with a serious expression.
Cassian was also worried about what Shion was concerned about.
It was about Lia’s safety, after all.
No matter how important the subjugation was, it wasn’t more important than Lia.
For Cassian, Lia was his top priority.
So if there was even a slight risk to her, he had no choice but to pull back.
“…We haven’t even cleared half of them yet. The subjugation won’t be effective if we stop now.”
The purpose of the demon subjugation was to prevent the demons from increasing in number and spreading beyond their habitat.
They had cleared a considerable number of demons through the repeated attacks, but it wasn’t enough.
There was no telling how many demons were in the heart of the Refaar Forest.
If they left now, they would fail to properly complete the subjugation.
Even as a Grand Duke, he couldn’t avoid responsibility for that.
“Yes, so we must carry out the subjugation properly.”
“You mean…”
“Lia wouldn’t want to go back if we suggested it now.”
They could explain the situation to Lia. If they did, Lia would have no choice but to listen.
But Cassian was reluctant to tell her what he was worrying about.
She was already struggling with the subjugation.
Even though she pretended to be composed, the constant encounters with the demons were a heavy burden for her.
In such a situation, how could he tell her?
That the demons seemed to be targeting her.
That for her safety, they should head back now.
It would only instill more fear in Lia, who was already terrified.
Without a proper reason, it would be difficult to convince Lia to leave.
So what choice did he have?
He had to come up with a suitable excuse to end the subjugation and leave.
Then, after he and Lia left, the knights could continue the subjugation.
No, even if that wasn’t the case, it would be too risky for the two of them to leave this place alone.
As long as Lia was there, the demons would target her and Cassian, rather than the knights.
“Let’s say that there are more demons than expected and we need reinforcements. So, we’ll wrap up the subjugation here and resume it once the reinforcements arrive. After that, Lia and I will leave the Refaar Forest.”
“Then I’ll inform the knights of that.”
“Yes. And… we will indeed need reinforcements.”
Cassian spoke with a frown, clearly displeased with the situation that forced him to make this decision.
“The current group is practically an elite force. Do we really need reinforcements?”
Shion asked, looks puzzled.
“They are quite skilled, so they won’t fail the subjugation. But… many will be injured. After all, they are knights of the Grand Duchy, my people. So, their safety is also my responsibility. We need to complete the subjugation with as few injuries as possible, don’t we?”
For that, reinforcements were necessary.
With him out of the picture, he couldn’t leave everything to them.
“So, wait in the village for reinforcements to arrive, and then resume the subjugation.”
“…Understood.”
Shion obediently accepted Cassian’s order.
“Finally… my command is that everyone returns safely without any injuries.”
“I will make sure of that as well.”
“You should. I’m not very lenient with those who disobey my orders.”
Shion recognized the subtle affection in Cassian’s threatening tone towards his subordinates and simply nodded.
Shion then informed the knights of the decision that had just been made with Cassian.
The knights expressed no dissatisfaction at the news.
They too had been worried about Lia, who had been accompanying them on this subjugation. They sincerely hoped she would return safely and not be overexerted.
Although the schedule might be delayed a bit, that was a small price to pay.
After all, they were willing to endure that much for the girl who was working harder than anyone else for them.
With everyone in agreement, the subjugation schedule was adjusted. Now, only Lia’s opinion remained.
Cassian didn’t wake Lia, choosing instead to wait until she woke up on her own.
He didn’t want to disturb her sleep for any reason.
How much time had passed?
Finally, Lia awoke from her sleep.
She seemed relatively alert, having slept soundly.
“Huh, Khal?”
Lia looked puzzled at seeing Cassian stationary, expecting that they would be on the move.
“Did you sleep well?”
“…Yes, a little.”
At first, it seemed like she was having a nightmare, but the comforting touch she felt allowed her to sleep deeply.
“That’s good. But, I have something to tell you, angel baby.”
“Huh? What is it?”
Seeing Cassian’s serious expression, Lia tensed, thinking something might be wrong.
“We’ve decided to end the subjugation here and return.”
“…Is it because of me?”
She recalled being told that the subjugation would take over two weeks, but it hadn’t even been a week yet. So she couldn’t think of any other reason but herself.
“Not at all.”
“Then why?”
“There were more demons in the forest than we anticipated, so it was deemed unwise to continue with this group. Therefore, we’ll end this subjugation here, rest for a few days to recover, and then resume the subjugation once reinforcements arrive.”
“Then, will we be part of the second subjugation…?”
“No, we’ll be returning to the duchy. The subjugation we planned to accompany was this one, not the next.”
