I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 79
Despite Cassian’s plausible explanation, Lia didn’t seem fully convinced and briefly furrowed her brows.
Cassian continued his explanation calmly.
He would have already lost his temper with anyone else, but Lia was always an exception.
“Let’s be clear about one thing. There are certain conditions for hunts where the family head participates, one of which is that it must not be too dangerous.”
Having a non-ability accompany a demon hunt added a significant burden on those with abilities. It introduced an unpredictable variable.
As a result, a non-ability family head couldn’t just accompany any hunt. The hunt had to meet specific conditions to ensure that it didn’t hinder the hunt’s progress.
For this reason, Lia should not have been able to join this particular hunt. However, she was allowed because Cassian was with her and he wanted her to accompany him.
However… the danger level increased as the hunt progressed.
This alone was a sufficient reason to stop her participation in the hunt, even if she wished to continue. It was a reason that could not be ignored.
“This hunt is the most dangerous one we’ve encountered so far. We might even need to call for backup.”
“…I understand.”
Reluctantly, Lia accepted Cassian’s reasoning.
If what he said was true, then continuing the hunt would be a burden on the knights, and she would only hold them back. Considering that, withdrawing at this point was the right decision.
“Alright, it’s time to go home now.”
Cassian spoke in the gentlest voice as Lia surprisingly stepped back without resistance.
***
Even as Lia and Cassian were leaving the Refaar Forest, the demon attacks continued.
It was hard to even count how many times they had been attacked.
Lia could fully understand Cassian’s decision.
If the demon attacks continued like this throughout the hunt, her presence would definitely be a hindrance to the knights.
Moreover, there was a high possibility that she could be injured or suffer a serious wound.
“…Is every hunt usually this difficult?”
Although Cassian had mentioned that this hunt was particularly tough, Lia couldn’t fully grasp the situation, as it was her first time participating in a demon hunt.
“If it were always like this, even the strongest would have perished.”
Even Cassian was finding it hard to handle.
It wasn’t easy.
After all, it was nearly impossible to get proper rest.
No matter how powerful the abilities were, fighting demons for several days without adequate rest was inevitably taxing.
“That’s a relief. If every hunt were this difficult, I’d feel uneasy.”
This hunt made Lia realize something she hadn’t fully understood before. How terrifying and dreadful demons were, and how frightening it was to face them.
If she felt this way, the fear and shock must be overwhelming for ordinary people encountering demons.
This realization made Lia appreciate the people with ability even more. Without them, the Empire would have been overrun by demons long ago, and no one would be safe from their attacks.
She also came to understand her grandfather’s decision more clearly.
She now knew why he worked so hard to protect the rights of the people with ability. The Empire’s survival depended on them, and they deserved to be treated well.
But in the past, things were different. Non-abilites nobles oppressed and disregarded the people with ability.
The root cause of this was fear.
The people with ability possessed physical and combat abilities so exceptional that it was hard to believe they were human.
This led to their fear and rejection. But that wasn’t the right approach.
“My angel baby, you’re so kind-hearted.”
Since the law was passed requiring non-abilites family heads to accompany hunts, the treatment of the people with ability had improved.
Experiencing a hunt firsthand made the non-ability nobles understand the hardships the people with ability has endured.
However, very few, like Lia, genuinely worried about and cared for the people with ability.
Most nobles merely recognized the necessity of the people with ability and treated them better out of necessity.
But Lia was truly grateful for their efforts and sincerely cared about them. She deeply understood and accepted their struggles.
“Of course. They are working harder than anyone to ensure the safety of the Empire’s citizens.”
“If only there were more people like my angel baby, the world would be a better place.”
Cassian meant every word. Lia spoke and acted as if her thoughts were completely natural, but few people thought and acted like her. That was Lia’s charm and what made her special.
“But now, it’s finally over.”
With those words, Cassian gently stroked Lia’s hair. She had endured the difficult journey up until now.
Thinking that the hardships were finally coming to an end, Cassian’s heart felt lighter.
Once they get out of this place, they would no longer have to worry about being attacked by demons.
All that was left was to return home safely.
However, just as they were nearing the end, Cassian encountered an unexpected trial.
It was as if the demons didn’t want Lia to leave, and suddenly, a large number of them charged towards her and her companions.
This attack was unlike anything they had faced before—it was on a whole different level.
“Lia, hold on tight.”
Cassian spoke with a serious tone as he assessed the overwhelming number of demons surrounding them.
In this situation, it seemed inevitable that he would have to get directly involved.
Although he intended to avoid direct combat as much as possible for Lia’s sake, the outcome was uncertain.
After all, the demons were clearly targeting Lia.
As Cassian had anticipated, the demons focused solely on Lia. The knights were doing their best to protect her, but they couldn’t hold them off completely. The sheer number of demons was too great.
Seeing this, Shion broke away from the group of knights and headed towards Lia, realizing it was better to deal with the demons targeting her directly for her safety.
“….…This isn’t good.”
“Yes, it’s very concerning.”
The demons were swarming towards Lia like moths to a flame.
It was as if killing Lia was more important to them than their own lives.
In fact, the demons ignored the knights’ attacks and kept their focus solely on Lia, trying to get to her.
“Lia, close your eyes.”
At Cassian’s grave tone, Lia immediately squeezed her eyes shut.
Although she had already seen several demons being cut down right before her eyes, she still wasn’t used to it. The scenes were too shocking and horrifying.
As soon as Lia closed her eyes, Cassian sprang into action.
He realized it would be better to actively engage rather than just standing by, especially for Lia’s sake.
“Shion, I’ll need your help a lot.”
Despite having to use his powers, Cassian was not in the best condition.
He had Lia in his arms, and due to the poison in his system, he couldn’t perform at his usual level.
“Don’t worry.”
“I trust you.”
Shion was Cassian’s right-hand man, his most reliable support.
Cassian knew he could trust Shion.
However, dealing with the demons was more challenging than he had anticipated.
The restrictions on him were more severe than he had thought.
Moreover, the demons didn’t give up trying to attack Lia until they were completely dead.
This was a far cry from earlier attacks, where only a few demons managed to slip past the knights.
With Shion’s assistance, Cassian was managing to handle the demons fairly well, but as time passed, his movements became slower.
“……Tsk.”
Cassian clicked his tongue in frustration at his body’s uncooperative state.
He had never experienced anything like this before.
Even taking a single step felt heavy.
To make matters worse, if he lost focus for even a moment, his energy threatened to spiral out of control.
But how could he let that happen while holding Lia in his arms?
If he lost control, Lia would be in the most danger.
She was, after all, right at the center of his impending outburst.
However, at that moment, as the demons’ relentless attacks caused Cassian to lose focus, his energy began to spiral out of control.
He tried desperately to regain control, but it was difficult.
Fighting the demons and stabilizing his energy simultaneously was too much.
‘I have to get Lia out of here…’
Fearing that he might lose control and hurt Lia, Cassian decided to hand her over to Shion.
But just as he was about to do so, Lia tightened her grip around Cassian’s neck.
Whether it was an instinctual reaction or if she had sensed something, he didn’t know.
But with that, the rampaging energy calmed down.
It became as docile as a lamb, following Cassian’s will.
