Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Come Back Stronger...
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Raido finally showed up at Klauzen's villa well after evening had fallen.
He had visited the palace that morning, so this was far later than even late, but Sion didn't scold him or give him any grief about the delay.
'The old saying is right—best not to poke a mad dog.'
Even though his skills were top-notch, his temperament was so volatile that the palace folks figured it was better to let him cool off outside rather than hold him back.
On top of that, this was a powerhouse who, despite being wounded in battle against the celestials, unleashed such a ferocious onslaught that they were forced into a desperate suicide attack just to shake him off.
Even Kim Yu-hyun called him master and treated him with respect—a level of free-spiritedness that had to be acknowledged.
'And besides... he's a criminal, first and foremost.
A criminal, plain and simple.'
Unlike the original novel's flow, they'd reached a mutual agreement for a perfectly wholesome and beautiful relationship.
That said, no father with a daughter could look kindly on the guy who stole her away.
That was just parental instinct, the natural reaction.
Gers the Great King being the exception, of course.
"Somehow ended up being quite late.
Sorry about that.
The junior kept whining nonstop.
Can you believe she couldn't manifest a spell because she couldn't solve that simple equation?"
"What kind of spell was it?"
"From what I heard, it makes a massive explosion.
Enough to roast a whole castle?
But the equation didn't look reliable, so I'm not sure about the exact power."
"..."
Isn't that just a napalm bomb?
Sion listened attentively to Raido's words while pondering this very reasonable dilemma.
"I can't fathom why anyone's researching a spell that's useless in war.
If you're just gonna burn everything, who's gonna bother fighting?
Wars need stakes and spoils to make them worthwhile.
Would've been better if she'd gotten into healing magic like me.
Tch."
That healing magic of yours—isn't it just because you love beating people more?
You're mixing up cause and effect, you know?
The retort rose to the tip of his tongue, itching at his lips.
Sion forced out a "Haha, I see," and Raido let out a mocking chuckle before speaking.
"Don't give me that fake agreement.
War hero, righteous noble of the kingdom—you're still just a brat in my eyes."
"I'm a brat, sure, but you're missing one key detail, Raido-nim."
"And what's that?"
"A brat who's gotten involved with Lucia.
Doesn't that mean you can't call me a brat anymore?"
As Sion casually stepped back, Raido noticed Lucia standing there, glaring with wide eyes.
He shot Sion a look that said, This punk? Using my daughter as a shield?
But what could he do? A daughter's the biggest weakness for any father with one.
Time to exploit it.
"I specifically told you not to use harsh words with Sion."
"My bad, my bad.
Got too excited and it slipped out.
Lucia."
"You always said repeated mistakes are what?"
"Something you heard me say to you now and then."
"...Intentional ones."
"You're admitting it?"
"I-I'm telling you, that's not—how many times do I have to say it!"
"Wow.
Now you're yelling?"
"Urk."
Raido turned speechless under Lucia's gentle counterattack.
The man who bashed demons and celestials to death with his staff and fists was meek as a lamb before his daughter.
Raido was a father, after all.
"Ah, no.
Lucia.
Why are you defending this... ahem, Sion so much?
Even if you like him, this is too much for me, your father..."
"We did it."
"...What?"
"We did it!
Like Mom used to tell me sometimes when she was alive!
About men and women... Eep!"
Worried the mad battle mage might actually snap, Sion hurriedly clamped a hand over Lucia's mouth.
He'd planned to break it to him slowly over time—why drop a bombshell like this!
"...Haha.
Huhahaha!
Ahahaha!"
The problem was, Raido wasn't the type to miss the signs.
Picking up on how Lucia kept fussing over Sion and that phrase "that sort of relationship," he clenched and unclenched his fist before speaking.
"Sounds like I just heard something pretty scary."
Crack, crunch—
Craaack!
Was that the sound coming from a man on the verge of becoming an old geezer?
You're the scary one!
Sion barely held back from shouting that, forcing himself to speak rationally to defuse the situation.
"I only followed your instructions to the letter, Raido-nim!"
"What?"
"That bit about 'how's my daughter?'!
Wasn't that telling me to get along with Lucia!"
"You punk!
That meant take it slow, build up gradually!
Not rush into it after less than half a year, let alone a full one!"
"Isn't that about right?
It's not like we're upholding premarital chastity or anything!
Besides, Lucia and I already talked it over!"
Raido looked flabbergasted, frowning as he strode toward Sion.
"This lunatic, dragging my daughter into his bullshit..."
"Sion's right.
And it wasn't him reaching out first—I approached him.
I asked him to hold me.
I said I wanted to be loved, that I wanted to be by your side."
"No, this crazy..."
Raido spat a curse, making Sion wonder if it was really that big a deal.
But his next words left both Sion and Lucia speechless.
"Me too?
You bastard!
How many women are we talking?!
You weren't just with my daughter?!"
"...Ah."
"Ah, my ass, you little shit!
Hey!"
Afraid Raido might drop dead from a stroke rather than his old celestial battles, Sion quickly fleshed out the story.
Lilit was due to the contract issue, and the others all had tragic circumstances he couldn't just turn away from.
'The key here is to stress that Lucia—your daughter—is the top priority, no question.'
The table was already overturned, but he had to salvage what he could and set it right.
That way, he wouldn't get smashed over the head with it.
"Damn it..."
Raido wanted to grab him and throttle him, but with Lucia glaring daggers and planted firmly by Sion's side, he was helpless.
Even without her, he couldn't touch Sion now.
If all that was true, any harm to Sion would just torment Lucia's heart.
"Did you call me here just to tell me this?
To give me a rage-induced heart attack?"
"Rage? With a son-in-law this outstanding, where else are you gonna find one?"
Shield acquired, Sion's confidence surged.
He tossed out the line with a sly grin, but instead of cursing back, Raido stared at him with surprising seriousness.
"..."
"Raido-nim?"
"Well.
If some other idiot had snatched my daughter, I'd have snapped his neck on the spot.
With you, though... I can kinda get it."
"...Suddenly?"
"Sudden? The kingdom's nobles were buzzing about you just recently.
War hero, liberator of other races, righteous noble—gave me the chills."
I get it.
I'm getting chills right now too.
Sion nodded knowingly.
"But then I thought, a guy like that linked with Lucia? Not so bad.
At the same time, the fact that it even crossed my mind pissed me off more."
"...Pick one.
Good or bad?"
"If I said bad, you'd break up with her?"
"No."
Any idiot saying yes here would've been dead long ago.
Sion gripped Lucia's hand firmly, signaling absolutely not.
He'd debated hugging her but held off, figuring it'd turn Raido feral.
"Ah, is mana exhaustion hitting me or what?
Why do I feel so drained?"
Even the mighty Raido was reeling from his daughter's confession.
He wobbled for real, and Lucia started toward him in alarm.
But his gesture stopped her in place.
"It's fine, Lucia.
Just hold tight to that guy's hand.
Acts tough but he's weak—might bolt the second you let go.
Grip it hard while you can.
Keep him from running."
A faint smile tugged at his lips, though—quietly proud his daughter was happy.
Sion caught the shift and seized the moment.
"Raido-nim.
Truth is, I called you for another reason."
"Yeah.
Wasn't just for some confession.
So, what does the great son-in-law want with me?"
Right, this was the normal reaction.
Gers the Great King was the weirdo!
Sion glanced at Lucia before cautiously broaching it.
"What do you think of Lucia's talents?"
"Hm?"
Catching the sudden serious shift, Raido narrowed his eyes, studying Sion before responding in kind.
"Isn't it obvious?
She's got my genes—exceptional magic talent.
Her mana reserves already surpass average mages, and she handles plenty of spells."
"But her output control isn't smooth."
"..."
Lucia bowed her head at Sion's point.
Just as he said, her control slip nearly turned Sion from well-done to ash in the last Nudia war.
"I'll admit that."
Raido acknowledged it sharply too.
Lucky it was a basic Fire Bolt; anything stronger could've massacred their own troops.
"But thanks to it, the enemy stopped chasing the Klauzen Margrave Territory forces and retreated."
Of course, Raido subtly defended his daughter.
Sion nodded as if it were natural.
He had no intention of dredging up her mistakes.
"Raido-nim.
Have you ever taught Lucia any martial arts?"
"Hm?"
"Sion?"
Raido and Lucia both turned to him.
Sion met Raido's gaze, waiting for an answer to the abrupt question.
"...I taught her the basics."
"And after that?"
"Couldn't.
My late wife nagged nonstop about teaching our girl such crude stuff—had to back down like a whipped pup."
"I still remember the basics, though.
But why ask out of the blue, Sion?"
Sion turned, taking Lucia's other hand too, clasping both as he spoke slowly.
"I'm starting to think magic might not be her true talent—just a supplement.
Her real weapon's hidden elsewhere."
In the novel, aside from a few early magic displays, Lucia mostly played the caring, comforting role for Kim Yu-hyun's mental state.
Those spells weren't even standout talent like Raido's.
She just had mana equivalent to two average mages combined.
'What if, like Captain with two hearts, her real gift is in something far more dynamic than magic?'
Not baseless nonsense—there was evidence.
Like when novel-Sion kidnapped her and faced unexpected resistance that gave him trouble, or how she repelled an assault when Kim Yu-hyun was away.
'Too urgent for magic in those spots.
Yet she troubled him or held them off?
Only one answer.
Something so ingrained, her body reacted before any spell in a pinch.'
And one more thing.
If—just maybe—the author changed early plans?
She became Kim Yu-hyun's emotional crutch out of necessity, but originally meant to support him with fists?
'Worth a shot.
If it flops, fine—but if it works, push till it does.'
Sion once got hooked on that classic arcade beat-'em-up, IronX or whatever.
Everyone's played or heard of it—hallway staple.
His go-to: Paul Phoenix, the "Oa!" kid's fave.
That's where the hint hit him.
'Not Raido-level flashy, heavy, or light martial arts.
But solid basics? Magic fills the power gap.
Like our Oa!
Basics rock-solid, brute force the rest.'
Stroking Lucia's clasped hands, Sion spoke.
"Sometimes people cling to the wrong path thinking it's right till the end.
Not that it's wrong—just regret over the road already traveled.
But hitting a dead end at the last minute? That'd be too unfair, right, Lucia?"
"That's..."
"Give it a try, Lucia.
I love your magic, but I'd love to see you master something else too.
That serene flow like water, fierce as a typhoon—like Raido-nim.
Don't worry I won't see you less as a woman for learning martial arts."
Sneaking in praise for Raido too.
Raido's 'Oh ho?' reaction softened into a light smile—guys love recognition.
"Give it a try, Lucia.
No harm in one challenge, right?"
"...F-Fine, but promise me one thing, Sion."
"Promise?"
"Like with Lia.
Same for me.
If I improve, grant one wish."
Sion nodded without a second's hesitation.
Top trash priority: summon Oa!
Pure profit!
―――――――Author's Note―――――――
Went to the hospital and got meds for about 3 weeks.
Gonna get healthy quick and unleash ultimates again...
No clue when, though.
This reflux esophagitis is some sneaky torture.
―Recommendations always welcome!
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