Chapter 80 What is the True Father? The Potion Maintains the Righteousness...
Mainkuhn quickly recovered from his shock, his vertical pupils fixed on the mass of black water.
Fear flowed through the water, emanating a familiar bittersweet scent towards the half-demon.
"..."
Mainkuen cautiously reached out, wanting to touch it.
Salvation, hope?
Is this it?
"Gurgle~"
The black ball twisted and made an adorable watery sound, and as if summoned, it flew into the half-demon's hand—snap! Then, following the half-demon's instincts, it freely transformed into a black dagger, a bow and arrow, a long sword, and everything else he was very familiar with.
"..."
Run your fingertip across the blade, and it's surprisingly sharp.
"!"
Mainkun was overjoyed to see the blood on his fingertip—
Those negative emotions, those things I hate, those innate flaws—
It's not entirely useless after all!
You can't be wrong.
Mainkun's gaze toward Blackwater became intense.
If I can make good use of this characteristic, I will definitely be able to—
"Judging by the color, I thought it was some kind of wound-healing liquid that had spilled out of the warehouse."
Clementine interrupted Mainkuen's frenzied thoughts.
[! ...What is that?]
The cat was startled, and its shoulders subtly hunched over.
He then realized that he had forgotten there were two humans standing next to him.
"It's a concentrated liquid of fear, and sometimes it's used to torture people."
Clementine explained to him:
"Uh, well, the former headmaster here would use a hollow needle to draw a little bit of wound-healing water into the children's brains when they made a big mistake, and they would be plunged into nights of terror, never daring to make another mistake... Speaking of which, what's with your new water-controlling ability? Is it a monster ability? It looks pretty cool..."
"Cravlie, shut up."
Arecino sensed something was off.
"..."
As the fervor subsided, Mainkun's gaze toward Blackwater gradually turned cold.
Tsk.
So this is what disgusting stuff is.
What a waste of this pure water.
With a snap, the small dagger lost its color and shattered into countless water droplets between his fingers, which trickled down to the ground.
"Huh? It's turned into ordinary water?"
Amid Clementine's questioning voice, Mainkun absorbed the fear in the air, and suddenly felt uncertain.
Must my plan to save the world really be built on such an evil entity?
Can I pollute all the seawater in Fontainebleau with my hatred and resentment?
...
Once that's done, where should we divert the water? Liyue? Sumeru? No, no, their land is precious too.
The ever-rising sea level, the sea level that will engulf Fontaine, can I suppress it, hold it down, and dry it out all by myself?
*
Mainkuhn took the medicine away.
He didn't want to take it at first.
I'm sorry, it seems I've caused you a lot of trouble...
Looking guiltily at the wood shavings scattered on the floor and the mangled chair legs, Mainkun silently shoved himself into a corner: [The potion... this development failed, didn't it...?]
"Failure? I really don't know how you came to that conclusion."
But Arecino coldly examined his cat ears, which had drooped again, a hint of displeasure on her face.
"Weren't you very relaxed just now? You've completely revealed your true nature."
Although it's not normal, it's still better than her current timid and submissive state.
[Relaxation is good, but—]
To be honest, in all his years of life, this was the first time Mainkun had ever indulged his desires so freely and without restraint while in human form.
But the sensation of the black and white hair slipping through his fingers was so vivid that the half-demon's face turned pale, and he almost vomited.
[That level of relaxation is terrifying. What if someone accidentally crushes your head? I'd rather be tense my whole life...]
Again, these unnecessary worries.
Arecino was already fed up.
"Ha, sometimes you're so arrogant it's annoying."
Forcibly pulling the boy's stiff arm, Arecino stared intently into Mainkun's trembling vertical pupils and placed the potion in his palm:
"Crush my head? You? You stupid cat, you can only scratch the chair at best."
"But the rich can still afford to pay for a few chairs."
[But--]
Mainkuhn.
She advised the half-demon that the way she looked at him was as if he were a patient contemplating suicide.
"You should relax."
[...]
Shouldn't it be the cunning serpent that lures people into the abyss? Why is it an honest friend in my life? However, the allure of Arecino is indeed a million times greater than that of a serpent. Mainkuen struggled for a few moments but couldn't resist the desire for relaxation. He took out a vial and injected himself with it.
"!"
His ears stood erect again, and although his face still lacked expression, his bright, vertical pupils began to scan the room nimbly.
"I'm leaving."
The half-demon simply raised its claw and slammed the kettle on the table onto the ground.
*Snap*
"Fimini and the others should still be asleep at this hour. If we go back now, we can still jump around on their beds."
"..."
Arecino paused for a moment:
"Don't step on anyone."
That was all she could say.
"Meow."
Without even putting on an act, Mainkun yanked the door open.
"Big brother with cat ears!"
The children of the fireplace house had been waiting outside for a long time, each reaching out their little hands to grab his hem, afraid that he would run away without them noticing, as he had done before.
"I've never properly thanked you before—wow!"
Before the child at the front could finish speaking, his vision was immediately reversed, and he was lifted up headfirst.
“Pepe, Clementine, there are too many children, you can’t manage them all.”
In his confusion, the child heard the boy speak for the first time.
"I'll take some back with me."
Clementine didn't react immediately: "Huh?"
Wow, big brother's voice is so nice, so gentle and soft. Why didn't he say anything before...? Wait, what did you say you wanted to get?
Mainkun had already begun to challenge, his gaze unwavering and fearless, meeting the children's eyes like a wild beast:
"Let's get another girl to keep Lynette company."
...?
"Father! This doesn't seem to be the rescue of our taciturn older brother!"
Amid the children's terrified screams, Arecino could no longer restrain herself; she snatched the child from the half-demon's arms.
"Get out of here."
"This is my child with Clementine!"
"My father protected me, sob sob sob—I'm so touched—"
“.
Amidst the cries of loving fathers and filial sons, the half-demon, kicked out of the fireplace house, nonchalantly stretched and yawned, his vertical pupils colliding with a stray cat on the street.
The stray cat, sensing something, bristled: "Ha—"
"hiss!"
Mainkun immediately bent over, propped his ears up, and barked back even louder:
"Mimi." I'm the boss.
"Meow..." The cat bowed its head in submission.
"Those who are fifteen are outstanding."
Amidst the bewildered gazes of passersby, Mainkun resisted the urge to lick his subordinate's cat head and instead gave him earnest instructions:
"Mmm..."
I will still allow you to hunt here, but remember, you must not scratch or harm the children of this family, otherwise...
His eyes were cold, like those of a wicked godfather, as he gently stroked the cat's fur with his sharp claws.
"Meow." Then I'll cut off your balls.
"Meow!"
The cat understood, was shocked, and immediately took flight, crashing headfirst into the onlookers.
"Hmm!"
"Tsk."
Although the potion relaxed the half-demon, by nature, Mainkun was still reluctant to communicate with strangers and could only open his mouth very unwillingly:
"Feel sorry."
The passerby, wearing a pirate eyepatch over his right eye and sporting blond hair and a golden beard, was looking at him with a strange expression.
"What are you looking at?" Mainkun asked in a friendly manner.
"nothing."
Looking down again at the half-demon's peculiar gray-white hair and erect animal ears, the passerby hesitated before handing him the stray cat.
"Excuse me, do you...?"
"Dad!"
Before he could finish speaking, a clear, loud complaint came from afar:
"You've abandoned me and Miles again and run off!"
The golden-haired girl, Navia, ran and leaped in the winter sun, holding an umbrella, rushing straight towards the half-demon and passersby:
"I'm getting angry! Don't even think about trying to appease me with sweet words! ...Oh, it's you, you're that...that...that brother—"
"Good morning, Navia. Upon closer inspection, I realize you're a beautiful human too."
The fluffy animal ears fluttered, and the cat's eyes lit up with joy:
“I am En.”
What an unfamiliar name! Oh right, he stuttered when he spoke last time, and his voice trembled when asked his name, so he never introduced himself!
"Good morning, Mr. En...? Wait! Something's not right!?"
Even before her own father could look over, Navia rushed forward and stared at Mainkuen in disbelief:
"It looks—perfectly normal!?"
Although she was still covering the lower half of her face with a scarf, her posture and expression had completely changed! Her back was straight, showing no signs of bending or shrinking, her arms hung naturally, her nails were casually spread out, and, and she no longer deliberately avoided my gaze!?
Are you the person I know?
She couldn't help but ask.
Are you the timid, fearful, and wary boy I know, yet so gentle that he wouldn't use a knife to rob an old man?
"certainly."
Thanks to the effects of the drug, Mainkuhn was able to freely point to his head.
"Have you ever seen another person with such unusual fur color?"
"...Ah, upon closer inspection, even the ears aren't drooping anymore..."
Although it looks really good now, the changes are too big and too fast... It's only been a few months!
Navia wanted to openly celebrate with the boy, but reason and intuition kept reminding her that this was completely illogical and something was fishy!
"At first I thought I had mistaken him for someone else, after all, Mr. En's demeanor was very different from your description."
A passerby, holding a cat, watched for a while as his daughter and the boy interacted, and finally made up his mind:
"But the unique tiger stripes on his head are probably unique to him; you probably won't find another person in the whole world with them."
"..."
Mainkun finally looked up and took another look at the passersby.
"Navia often... mentions me to you?"
"Yes, young sir, please allow me to introduce myself."
The man had a serious and upright face, and rarely smiled, but his eyes always inadvertently revealed love when he looked at the child.
“I am Kares Casapa, Navia’s father.”
……Father?
This is something so unfamiliar.
Aside from Arecino, Mainkun, who grew up in harsh conditions, didn't really have much contact with human fathers... his initial adoptive father doesn't count.
So the boy turned his head and looked with curiosity at Kares, who was gently patting little Navia's head:
"Ah, so this is what a father should be like."
"I've learned something new."
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