The Little Demon King is Too Bothered by Her Brave Dads - Chapter 102

***

I walked aimlessly.

How long had I been walking?

Pale pink petals fluttered across my vision.

“……”

I slowly raised my head.

Walking wherever my feet took me, I found myself in the garden.

While my mind was in complete chaos, the spring breeze touching my cheeks was incredibly gentle.

“Haah……”

I leaned against a tree with a long sigh.

‘I’m not a child anymore, what is this.’

In fact, I was able to attend that meeting thanks to Lakius’s kindness, who was worried about me.

And I ruined that urgent meeting… with just my emotions.

‘Everyone must have been very surprised.’

I wonder how the meeting is progressing now.

Is Dad really planning to cast the divine barrier?

I clenched my molars tightly.

‘Really, why does he have to make people worry so much!’

Self-loathing and anger mixed chaotically, my mind tangled like a knotted thread.

But then.

“Miss Tati.”

Someone called out to me carefully.

I turned around.

“…Dad.”

It was Cesar.

Cesar spoke to me in an unusually subdued voice.

“Were you very shocked?”

“……”

I kept my mouth shut.

Then Cesar continued, fidgeting nervously.

“I’m sorry if I worried you. But this is the best way to minimize everyone’s suffering……”

“I know that too.”

I cut off Cesar’s words with a sharp voice.

“I know that the method Dad suggested is the most effective.”

“……”

Cesar gazed at me silently.

I tried to calm my emotions, deliberately steadying my breath.

The sacred artifacts have stopped functioning, and magical beasts have started invading Caro.

The current troops are holding off the magical beasts, but that’s only buying a very short amount of time.

Which means.

To protect the people of the territory, the barrier needs to be restored immediately.

While Cesar buys time, they’ll receive support from priests in other territories to restore the sacred artifacts first.

Then dispatch the knights to eliminate the remaining magical beasts in Caro.

Yes, I understand.

I understand it all in my head, but…

“I don’t like it.”

I wanted to speak as clearly and maturely as possible.

But the voice that came out was like a child’s whining.

“I… don’t like it.”

I bit my lip until it bled.

‘I really hate that Cesar is trying to sacrifice himself so casually.’

I’ve already grown too fond of my three dads.

I can’t even imagine a world without them.

I can’t stand it anymore when they try to take even the slightest risk…

“You can call me selfish if you want.”

I thought I was angry to the tips of my hair, but what burst out were tears.

“Oh my, Miss Tati. Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?”

A flustered Cesar tried to comfort me somehow.

“…Ugh, hic.”

Thick tears poured down.

I didn’t want to act like such a child.

But once the tears started, they showed no signs of stopping.

“I care more about… after all……”

I muttered in a tear-filled voice, rubbing my eyes roughly with my sleeve.

“Dad is much more important to me than the people of Caro.”

“……”

At that, Cesar paused.

He looked down at me for a while, his lips moving as if carefully choosing his words.

And then.

“I feel the same way.”

Huh?

Surprised by the unexpected answer, I looked up at Cesar with wet eyes.

Cesar smiled gently.

“You’re the most important to me too, Miss Tati.”

“…Dad.”

“That’s why I was planning to cast the divine barrier this time.”

Cesar lowered his head to meet my gaze.

Gentle gray eyes looked into mine.

“Because I want to protect not just the people of the territory, but you too, Miss Tati.”

“……”

While carefully wiping the tears from my eyes, Cesar whispered softly.

“That’s why I’m doing this.”

“Well, and I don’t want to go to my grave at such a young age either.”

“What?”

“You know. If by any chance something were to happen to Miss Tati because of this, I think Kirios and Siegfried would probably bury me somewhere.”

“No, how can you joke about such things?”

I was dumbfounded even in the midst of crying.

Cesar shrugged with an infuriatingly nonchalant face.

“I swear before God, I’m being serious.”

“……”

To me, unable to hide my incredulous expression, Cesar casually added.

“Of course, before that, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”

……Really, I tried to hold back.

But the tears started flowing again.

As I roughly wiped away my tears with my sleeve, Cesar gently cupped my cheeks with both hands.

“Don’t rub your eyes like that. They’ll be swollen tomorrow.”

“…Is that really important right now?”

“Of course. Miss Tati is the most important person to me.”

Cesar’s smile deepened a little more.

I finally exploded.

“Dad, do you talk like this to everyone important to you?!”

“T-Tati?”

A flustered Cesar opened his eyes wide.

“Even just a while ago!”

I grabbed Cesar’s collar tightly and raised my voice.

“Knowing full well how much strain the divine barrier puts on your body!”

“C-calm down for a moment……”

“How could you so readily say you’d do such a dangerous thing in front of me, your daughter?!”

“Um, that was entirely my fault……”

“Do you want to see me collapse from worry? Huh?!”

I glared fiercely at Cesar.

“Alright, alright, just stop crying first. Okay?”

Cesar awkwardly patted my back.

“This isn’t something Miss Tati should cry so much about. So please calm down……”

“Not something to cry about?!”

I raised my voice again, incredulous.

“That’s right.”

Cesar quickly nodded.

“If a mere divine barrier would put such a strain on my body, wouldn’t I have died already when I was subjugating the five Demon Kings?”

Cesar desperately tried to soothe me.

‘No, is he seriously saying this now?!’

I glared at Cesar resentfully with tear-filled eyes, then suddenly asked.

“Then Dad, would it be okay if I did the same thing as you?”

For a moment, Cesar froze.

His face turned pale as he raised his voice.

“No, how can you compare yourself to me?!”

“See?”

“……”

I retorted smugly.

Cesar, rarely at a loss for words, fumbled for a while before heaving a deep sigh.

“…This is why the ancient sages said you only understand when you put yourself in someone else’s shoes.”

“……”

Then, after carefully gauging my reaction, he quickly put on a full smile.

“But please don’t worry too much. I’ll be as careful as possible so Miss Tati won’t have to worry. Okay?”

“……”

I pressed my lips together.

Because that kindness was too precious.

And because it reminded me of my secret that I had barely managed to forget.

That I am a Demon King, and they are heroes who should rightfully destroy me.

And the fact that I might lose these kind people someday pierced my heart…

“You’re really mean……”

Once again, tears poured down.

I clung to Cesar and cried for a long, long time.

***

Much later.

As I finally managed to stop crying, Cesar playfully spoke to me.

“Are you still angry?”

“Don’t talk to me.”

“……”

At my fierce response, Cesar became a little dejected.

But why should I care?

‘Hmph.’

I turned my head away primly and looked at the garden scenery, all dyed in pale pink.

Unlike that peaceful scenery.

My chest felt heavy as if a rock had been placed on it.

‘I really am of no help at all.’

As I kept sighing deeply, I glanced sideways at Cesar.

As soon as our eyes met, Cesar smiled reassuringly.

……Really, he doesn’t understand people’s feelings at all.

‘Isn’t there some way for Dad to cast the divine barrier even one day less?’

I stared intently at the falling flower petals, deep in thought.

‘If we could just drive out the magical beasts… Wait.’

Suddenly, I widened my eyes.

A memory flashed through my mind.

‘Drive out… the magical beasts?’