I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 86
The book that Cassian found, which could hold a clue, was titled ‘The Relationship Between Supernatural Powers and Demons, and Their Origins.’
As expected, the book seemed boring, dull, and difficult just from the title.
The book contained countless hypotheses and speculations about who the first person with supernatural powers was, how they came into existence, and what kind of relationship existed between them and demons.
Since supernatural beings have existed for a very long time, there have been many theories and guesses regarding their existence.
Trying to include everything in one book naturally led to incomplete explanations and many omissions.
Yet, the book was very thick—so thick that reading it all in one day seemed impossible.
What caught Cassian’s attention the most was the word ‘Saint.’
It was a term Cassian had never heard before.
The word felt very unfamiliar and strange, but at the same time, there was an odd sense of familiarity and closeness to it.
However, the book did not explain the ‘Saint’ in detail.
It was only briefly mentioned in passing.
‘I need to find out what this ‘Saint’ is.’
Somehow, he felt that if he did, he might discover why demons were targeting Lia.
And also, what made Lia so special.
Cassian, unsure if he had missed anything, reread the sections he had already gone through.
He also continued to read the remaining pages, focusing on each word.
Before he realized it, quite a bit of time had passed.
When he glanced outside, the sky had already darkened.
“I didn’t intend to stay this late.”
Cassian, who had stayed in the library longer than expected, stretched his stiff body and turned to look at Lia, who was sitting beside him.
At some point, Lia had started dozing off.
“She must be really tired.”
Well, it’s not surprising. She had been working non-stop since returning to the duke’s estate, with little rest.
While Cassian had been so absorbed in reading that he lost track of time, Lia had likely been busy approving documents without a break.
Considering that the average child’s attention span lasts about an hour, it was no wonder she was sleepy.
Cassian looked at Lia, who was fast asleep.
She looked so peaceful that he couldn’t bear to wake her easily.
But it would be better for her to rest comfortably in her room than to sleep uncomfortably here.
After watching her sleep a little longer, Cassian carefully reached out and gently woke her.
“Angel baby, it’s time to go back.”
His voice was as sweet and soft as could be.
At the sound of his voice, Lia slowly opened her eyes.
Even the drowsiness lingering at the corners of her eyes was endearing to Cassian, and he let out a small chuckle.
“Lia, my angel baby.”
Though she had opened her eyes, she hadn’t fully shaken off the sleep yet; her gaze remained foggy and unfocused.
Cassian reached out and gently stroked the area around her eyes.
As if he were trying to brush away the remaining traces of sleep.
Lia nuzzled into his touch, as if seeking comfort, before slowly coming to her senses.
“Did you sleep well, my angel baby?”
“…I only meant to take a short nap, but it seems I slept longer than I thought.”
Indeed, the sky had been bright when she fell asleep, but it was now dark.
“Shall we go to your room now?”
“We should go. I just finished my work as well.”
Lia had only taken a short nap because Cassian was deeply engrossed in his reading, and she didn’t want to disturb him.
“Alright, my angel baby, let’s go.”
With these words, Cassian naturally reached out to Lia, intending to lift her into his arms.
But Lia reacted faster.
As if expecting him to do that, she quickly moved back with a stern expression on her face.
“I told you no carrying! Why do you keep trying to pick me up when you’re still a patient?”
“…I should at least be allowed to carry my angel baby.”
“No, you can’t.”
Lia sternly refused once again and quickly got up to avoid being caught by Cassian.
“Let’s go, Khal.”
Lia, now three steps ahead, turned to look back at Cassian and called to him.
“So quick,” he muttered.
Cassian, who had failed in his only pleasure of holding Lia, reluctantly stood up, disappointment evident on his face.
He still held the book he hadn’t finished reading.
***
The next day.
Cassian and Lia headed to the library again. There were still things they needed to search for.
He hadn’t been able to gather enough information from the book where the word ‘Saint’ first appeared.
So today, he planned to focus not on demons, but on something called ‘Saint.’
However, since the term was unfamiliar even to Cassian, there were likely few books that dealt with ‘Saint.’
Still, just in case, Cassian asked Lia.
“Do you know of any books related to ‘Saint’?”
“Saint?”
Lia tilted her head, as if the term was unfamiliar to her as well. Then, as if she remembered something, her eyes lit up.
“I don’t know exactly what it is, but I’ve seen a book with ‘Saint’ in the title.”
“Really?”
Cassian’s eyes also lit up at her response.
He hadn’t expected to find a book related to it so easily.
“Stay here, I’ll go find it.”
“It might be heavy. I’ll come with you.”
“You should listen to me, you’re still a patient. It’s not that much to carry.”
With that, Lia quickly left her seat. She soon returned with the books.
She held three books in total, but only one of them had the word ‘Saint’ in the title.
“What about the other two?”
“These three come as a set.”
“I see.”
Cassian nodded and took the books from her. He immediately dived back into reading.
Lia, too, naturally sat beside him and resumed her own work.
Cassian’s expression as he read was more serious than ever.
Indeed, this new book contained much more information about Saints.
Most of the content was new to Cassian.
In fact, much of it would be unknown to almost everyone.
Saints were shrouded in mystery, and information about them was scarce.
Finding this in the duke’s library was practically a miracle.
Saints were the origin of supernatural powers and the reason why supernatural beings existed.
Moreover, they were a threat to the very existence of demons.
“That makes sense now,” Cassian thought.
It explained why the demons were targeting Lia.
Her very existence posed a significant threat to the demons.
It wasn’t just a matter of threatening their lives—it was a threat to their entire existence.
That was why.
That was why the demons were after her.
They were willing to risk their own lives to attack her.
Of course, it still wasn’t a certainty.
At the moment, the theory that the demons were targeting Lia because she was a Saint seemed the most plausible, but it was still just a theory.
He needed evidence to confirm that Lia was indeed a Saint.
Cassian began to search for a way to verify if Lia was truly a Saint.
If she really was a Saint, there would surely be something unique about her, beyond just being targeted by demons.
And after poring over the books for some time, Cassian finally found a way to determine if Lia was a Saint.
His eyes brightened.
“Lia.”
“Huh?”
Lia, who had been focused on her work, turned her gaze toward Cassian at his quiet call.
“…My angel baby, my arm feels a little sore.”
Cassian said this casually, without showing any sign of pain. But hearing those words made Lia’s expression turn serious in an instant.
“Should I call the doctor? Could the wound be getting worse…?”
She was already worried that the wound hadn’t healed, and if it had worsened, that would be a serious problem.
“I think it’ll feel better if my angel baby blows on it.”
“That won’t make it better.”
Lia snapped back.
“No, I’m sure it will make it better.”
Cassian spoke confidently.
Whether or not it would actually help didn’t matter much to him; what mattered was that his heart would feel better. Just the thought of her blowing on the wound with that adorable mouth of hers made his heart swell with pride.
Lia looked at him skeptically.
She couldn’t tell if he was saying this just to get her attention or if he was being serious.
“…My arm hurts so much I can’t even turn the pages of the book.”
Seeing Lia’s doubtful expression, Cassian furrowed his brow in an exaggerated show of pain. But no matter how hard she looked, he didn’t seem to be in real pain.
Despite her suspicions, Lia decided to humor him.
Even if his earlier words were just a light joke, she couldn’t ignore the fact that his injury still weighed on her mind.
“Hoo, hoooo.”
Lia carefully blew on Cassian’s wound, genuinely hoping it would help heal. Looking at the bandage that completely covered his arm, her heart ached again.
Regardless of her earlier doubts, Lia responded sincerely to Cassian’s request, pouring her feelings into wishing for his recovery.
“And don’t forget to pat it as well.”
“Huh?”
“Won’t you do it?”
Cassian looked at Lia with sparkling eyes and a pitiful expression.
Though it didn’t look pitiful at all, Lia couldn’t ignore the look in his eyes.
But when it came time to actually do as he asked, she hesitated.
“They say it’s not good to touch the injured area.”
It was a wound that looked painful just to see. Even though it was bandaged, she was sure touching it would hurt.
“It’s part of the treatment.”
Cassian said this as if urging her to hurry up and do it.
Unable to refuse, Lia gently patted the area over the bandage, being careful not to press too hard and cause him any pain.
She made sure her touch wouldn’t aggravate the wound or hurt him.
