Chapter 24: A Perverted Father and a Precarious Encounter

After that, while Nina was distracted, I quickly tossed her panties back onto the bed. Nina immediately noticed her bare state and hastily put them on.

She didn’t seem to suspect me, perhaps thinking she’d forgotten to wear them or that they’d slipped off during sleep.

In any case, I had safely passed the test.

Honestly, it had scared the soul right out of me. I certainly didn’t want Nina to think of me as a perverted father; I was a perfectly respectable man.

***

After breakfast, I gathered some dry rations and a flask of water, preparing to head out.

“Papa, can’t Nina come with you?” Nina asked, pulling on my sleeve as she stood by the door.

“No, dear. It’s a very dangerous place.”

“But Papa, you don’t use magic or fight. Isn’t it dangerous for you to go alone, too?”

“It’s alright. Papa will find someone to go with him. Perhaps someone will be willing to take Papa along. Nina should just stay here obediently.”

“Mm… come back quickly, okay?”

“I will.”

Nina held out her pinky finger, and I raised my hand to hook it, pulling gently. A small promise was thus sealed.

“Hehe~”

Nearby, Emma watched us with a mischievous grin, or rather, she was looking specifically at me. I had no idea what she was plotting.

Since breakfast, her gaze had been unsettling, as if she were appraising a comical clown, making me feel thoroughly uncomfortable.

“What is it?” Growing a little impatient, I casually asked her.

“Oh, nothing, just~” Emma suddenly leaned close to my ear, whispering in a voice Nina couldn’t hear, “Instead of your daughter’s pinky, isn’t that what you really wanted to hook?”

“That?”

“Your daughter’s private garden, you know~”

“………?!?!?!?!”

In an instant… I was stunned. And in another instant… I understood completely.

‘”Miss Emma was just here a moment ago, why is she gone?” I remembered Clara mumbling that to herself when she opened the door for me.’

‘Why was she gone? She must have hidden somewhere. And the only place she could have gone was my and Nina’s room, but she wasn’t in my room!’

‘So, how could Nina’s sleeping posture be so poor? How could her panties possibly come off by themselves? And when I held them, they were still warm. That could only mean…’

“Em—ma—”

“It’s adventure education! Nina and I will be waiting for your return!”

“Eh?! Miss Emma!”

*Smack!*

Giving me no time to catch her, Emma pulled Nina and Clara back inside the house and immediately locked the door.

That precocious brat! From beginning to end, she was just toying with me. No, I didn’t understand why she would do such a thing.

Was she trying to entice me to make a move on Nina to further grasp a handle over me? I was a respectable man! How could I possibly do such a thing!

‘Perhaps she had been peeking from some corner of the room just now? Even if she didn’t catch me red-handed, seeing my panicked expression must have secretly delighted her. The thought of her snickering… it infuriated me!’

Were rich kids these days all so capricious? Where were her parents? Who was going to rein in this precocious brat?

Speaking of which, I seemed to have forgotten something very important—I had never once seen Emma’s family.

Inside the manor, I had only met Emma, Clara, and the butler, Sheen. I had never seen Emma’s parents, nor did I know Emma’s true identity.

‘Perhaps they were some wealthy merchants? A couple working away, leaving their daughter to be cared for by attendants.’

‘Could it be that she was just bored and sought amusement by teasing me? That seemed quite normal, after all, she was just a child. If that were the case, I felt… I couldn’t really blame her.’

But I was still very angry.

“Sigh…”

I walked down the street, sighing inwardly.

‘Why? I was only going out to help someone find herbs. Why had I encountered so many troubles? Since meeting Beatrice, it felt like nothing good had happened… No, something good just… No, no! Don’t let your mind wander!’

“Let go!”

Just as I was conducting my self-reflection, I happened to pass by a small alley and heard the voice of a mature, charming woman, sounding quite agitated.

Turning my head, I saw three men and one woman. The men were dressed in simple shirts and trousers, and one of them had grabbed the woman’s wrist. The woman wore a slightly yellowed, fitted white gown with a hood that obscured the upper half of her face.

“Don’t be so agitated, miss. Just have a little fun with us, brother.”

“Judging by your appearance, you probably don’t go out much, do you? How about we introduce you to some good places?”

“No need! This one has no time to play with you! Let go quickly!”

It seemed to be the classic scenario of ruffians bullying a respectable woman. It was understandable, as the woman’s figure alone was quite striking.

The long dress clung to her body, outlining graceful curves, especially her perfectly rounded bosom. Visually, it appeared to be a soft expanse that a single hand could not fully grasp.

It was no wonder the ruffians were drawn to her; they were, after all, men who thought with their lower halves.

‘For some reason, I kept encountering such incidents lately. First, Emma was attacked by thieves, then Nina was abducted by thieves, and now I met these ruffians.

Was Heaven asking me to reclaim my hero identity and punish evil? I had no such intention; I still had Nina.’

‘Never mind. Getting involved in such matters was just asking for trouble, much like with Emma. Now, I even wanted to move out of that mansion.’

So, I decided to act as if nothing had happened. I lifted my foot, took a step…

And then turned into the alley.

Ultimately, I still decided to help the lady. This was absolutely not because I was soft-hearted or inherently kind, but simply… I couldn’t shake off my identity as a hero.

This wasn’t some beautiful, ethereal explanation like “a hero’s pride” or “helping people needs no reason.” Rather, my very existence, the meaning of my birth, my initial purpose in this world, was to be a hero.

It had become an instinct. Unfortunately, I possessed no magic and couldn’t fulfill this great responsibility. It was already incredibly fortunate that I was adopted by Queen Katina.

However, even more unfortunately, I ultimately defeated the Demon King, having acquired the unique and proud ability known as “Prism.” One could say that this small box gained its value precisely because of my existence, and I, in turn, fulfilled my initial mission because of its existence.

Therefore, it wasn’t a matter of virtue; it was merely being compelled to fulfill certain “missions” imposed upon me, nothing more. Couldn’t they see the myriad expressions of helplessness on my face?

“Hey!”

Stepping closer, I called out, drawing the attention of the ruffians.

“Hmm? Hey, kid, what are you doing here? Can’t you see we’re busy?”

“If you know what’s good for you, just—pffft!”

Before he could finish speaking, I delivered a swift palm strike to the neck of the nearest man, controlling the force to knock him unconscious without causing fatal injury.

“Sorry, I don’t have time for your nonsense. Be quick about it.”

“You… you bastard!”

The other two men were startled and retreated a step, glaring at me. The woman seized the opportunity to break free and hid behind me.

‘Why couldn’t you just escape then? Why hide behind me?’ I grumbled inwardly, but she was probably holding a grudge and wanted me to deal with those guys, right?

“You punk, you’re tired of living—”

“I told you to stop with the nonsense and don’t repeat the same lines to me, I still want to live well and I’m tired of hearing it!”

I blurted out the sentence impatiently, clenching my fist and pressing my fingers, making my knuckles crack loudly, trying to appear skilled in combat—and indeed, I possessed unarmed combat abilities.

“You’re arrogant, aren’t you!”

One of the ruffians stepped forward, muttering a few words before raising his right hand. As his palm abruptly splayed open, a fireball materialized.

It was an intermediate-level magic, Fireball Core, where a core was formed by gathering fire elements. This core could then release fireballs, much like a projectile launcher.

Since not everyone could master magic, possessing an intermediate-level spell must have been something this fellow was proud to flaunt.

He conjured a fireball but didn’t attack, coupled with his arrogant expression, it was clearly meant to show off and intimidate me. However, I wasn’t in the mood to praise him, nor was I afraid. Although I couldn’t use magic, I had seen plenty of it in the royal palace; there were many far more powerful than him.

“See that, you old—Puwahhh!*”

Before he could finish boasting, I raised my leg and kicked his right hand.

His forearm flew upwards, directly smacking the fireball into his own face. The scorching pain sent him tumbling to the ground, clutching his face and rolling.

“How about less chatter during a fight?” I said, shaking my head.

‘Actually, the moment he stepped forward, I had already decided to kick him. That last move proved he couldn’t dodge it either, so I shifted my gaze to the person behind him, giving him a little time to show off, even if he launched a fierce attack, I was confident I could block it.’

‘After all, I was a hero. I had basic martial arts skills.’

“And you?”

“Uh…!”

“…Please.”

I turned sideways, extending a hand in an inviting gesture. The remaining ruffian glanced at his two companions on the ground, decided not to fight me, and fled down the path I had cleared.

“Waaah!”

Then I tripped him. As he fell, I raised my right hand and aimed a punch at his carotid artery, knocking him unconscious as well.

“Remember to stay vigilant even when running away. Sigh…”

So-called ruffians were nothing more than this—causing trouble, yet possessing little actual combat prowess.

In any case, they were dealt with.

“Are you alright?”

I softened my voice as I spoke to the woman behind me.

“…”

However, she didn’t respond. Facing me, her hood obscured the upper half of her face, so I couldn’t tell if she was staring at me.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing. Thank you for your help, sir.”

She smiled, and her lips alone were so captivating that it made one anticipate the extent of her beauty.

However, it was impolite to pry into someone’s appearance, and I had no time to waste here. Since she was fine, I simply turned and left.

“Please wait.”

“What is it?”

Suddenly, she called out to me. I turned back to look.

“May I ask, your name is…”

“I don’t intend to tell you. We won’t meet again… And, find someone to teach you self-defense. Protect yourself.”

Bluntly stating my unwillingness to get involved with her, I casually waved my hand and left the alley.

Once I was far away, I didn’t hear any footsteps following me, which put my mind at ease. Fortunately, she wasn’t as troublesome as Emma.

In any case, I should hurry to Blue Lake. The sooner I completed the task, the sooner I could go back and rest.

***

“That person… his scent… No, it must be a delusion, just a psychological effect… But… Hohoho~ It seems he’ll be quite a man~”

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