Perhaps it's because my capacity has grown compared to the past. Even though several days have passed, the divine energy that had been depleted showed no signs of recovering.
From my perspective, this was an extremely frustrating situation as I needed to clear a quest as soon as possible.
Even when I was outside the monitor, the dungeons scattered around that island always seemed terrifying! Would I be able to go to that island in this condition, even if I were fully prepared? I have no idea what will happen!
<Then just take a proper rest. There’s nothing urgent going on, after all.>
‘There is! There’s an urgent matter! A human life is at stake!’
<Even if one person disappears, so what? It’s just bad luck.>
‘That’s not something you can just brush off!’
The day I learned that the First Queen had ordered the First Prince to seduce me, I had to stop chaos from spreading around me, my body gasping for breath just from walking.
Not only people from the Soladin Kingdom but also a perverted knight who talked about slandering the First Prince across national borders.
A dumb fox who suggested it wouldn’t be so bad to subtly break my mind.
Fabie, who said she would even make a statement from the church herself.
The Fairy Queen, who suggested she could make me disappear in a dazed state.
There was not a single non-threatening word, and the fact that it didn’t sound like a joke made it even scarier.
If I nodded without saying anything, they’d have definitely gone ahead and done something, right?
But that was only a minor concern. Anyway, these guys could somehow be controlled.
‘Lucy. Did you meet the First Prince today?’
The day I left the Fairy Forest, thinking I wanted to lie down on my bed, I was greeted by Benedict.
He wore a smile, just like usual, but his eyes showed no sign of amusement.
‘W-why are you asking that, Father? Are you silly?’
‘Did he do something?’
‘Ha. Do you think that sinister prince, who’s like mold and a fairy tale villain, could come near me?’
‘I’m glad to hear that. But if, just if, he tries something, you should tell me. I’ll even turn the gods into my enemies if it’s for you, Lucy.’
When Benedict said that, it felt like he was desperately holding onto the fragile thread of his sanity.
I had been worried about having a revolution, but now I’m more worried about becoming part of the revolution. It’s a strange feeling, but a real revolution would be a disaster.
I’m not some tragic heroine! Why would I have to shout “Don’t fight because of me!” in the middle of a battlefield!?
No, I won’t say anything so noble. It would probably be more along the lines of “Pffft! You’re so disgusting, throwing a tantrum just to get a girl! Ugh, gross.”
Anyway! I absolutely cannot stand seeing people die because of me!
So, to stop this, I need to recover quickly, but why won’t my strength come back!?
<Does rushing help? The best option for injuries like these is to wait.>
‘Isn’t there anything I can do?’
<If it takes time to solve something, what should be done? The heat has to be let out of the bomb.>
The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.
Since the battle in the Fairy Forest, Benedict hadn’t been able to sleep peacefully.
It wasn’t the first time he had trouble sleeping, but recently, he had been sleeping more soundly, the time spent in deep sleep growing longer.
It was thanks to his daughter’s bright smile, slowly erasing the regret that had settled on his shoulders.
However, after facing the Dark God in the Fairy Forest, it felt like the despair that had once taken residence on his shoulders had returned to its original state.
No, in some ways, it might have even worsened.
What had been grief over his lost wife was now fear that he might lose his daughter as well.
Even now, Benedict could still see Lucy’s bloodied figure, cold and lifeless, before his eyes.
That day, when Benedict met Lucy in the Fairy Forest, he did his best to suppress his emotions.
Even though the pain engraved in his heart was immense, he knew that Lucy’s suffering was far worse. He exaggerated his actions to hide his pain, knowing that if he didn’t, he might collapse even before facing the Dark God.
After the battle with the Dark God, when he brought a sleeping Lucy back, Benedict believed everything would be fine once it was over. But reality was different.
The anxiety that clung to his heart only grew stronger as time passed.
It wasn’t due to the Dark God’s powers, as he would later be assured when he met Erginus, who ascended to the rank of god.
This anxiety was his own. It was the fear that he might lose the person he loved the most again.
“Haah...”
Benedict’s excessive reaction to the unofficial marriage proposal was also due to this fear.
How could he remain calm when he had just been consumed by the fear of losing his daughter and then heard such a proposal?
It was lucky that Porsell had caught me back then. Without him, I would have barged into the First Queen’s room and exploded in anger.
“Haah...”
How did Lucy become such a remarkable person?
Just recently, she was a little girl who only knew how to whine and complain. Why is she now someone who smiles to comfort others, even while bearing her own pain?
I’m sure this is the right kind of growth. If you were to ask anyone whether Lucy from the past or the present is better, they would surely say the present Lucy. I certainly think that way myself.
But still, when I think of Lucy, covered in blood and cold, I find myself wishing the old Lucy was back.
If I’m going to lose someone I love again, I would rather keep her close forever.
I know I shouldn’t feel that way.
“Foolish Papa~”
Startled by the sound of Lucy’s voice, Benedict quickly rose, causing the chair back to break.
Losing his support, Benedict fell to the floor, and the papers on the desk were scattered. The distant relatives of the Arlen family, who had just started working with Benedict, looked on suspiciously at the fluttering papers.
“What? What was the perverted Papa doing to get so startled? Is it something strange? Is cute Lucy not supposed to see it?”
“Ah. Ah. No! That’s not it! Lucy! If you come in, you’ll understand! Papa was just working hard!”
“Really? Should I come in and see?”
With her red hair flying, Lucy entered the room, easily ignoring the gazes of others and arrived in front of Benedict.
Looking at the awkward smile of Benedict, who had fallen, Lucy raised the corners of her mouth.
“So, what’s this? A woman?”
“Of course not! My love is only for one person!”
“Hm, really? So you don’t love me? I’m disappointed.”
“Th-that’s not it.”
“Choose. Mama or me?”
“How could I choose? Both are equally precious to me!”
Where did the sigh go from earlier? Benedict, who had been struggling with his daughter, was now relieved when Lucy let him off with this.
“So, what brings you here?”
“What? Foolish Papa. I...”
“I don’t mind if you come even without a reason, but this time it’s different, right?”
“...Tch. This is boring.”
“Haha, sorry about that.”
“Well, whatever. I don’t want to waste time in this dull place anyway.”
“Thanks for being considerate. So, what is it?”
“Papa, who’s always sulking because of his possessiveness, is so pitiful that I can hardly bear to watch. So I’m giving you a special chance to escort me.”
Escort? No way.
“What? You don’t want to? Well, if you’re too busy with work to care about your cute daughter, then I can’t help it.”
“What are you talking about!? Of course, I’ll go! How can I not go when our Lucy wants me to escort her!?”
If this were before, I might have hesitated. Benedict’s presence was essential for handling the work piling up in the Arlen family.
But now, things were a bit different. Having reconciled with the Arlen family’s distant relatives and being able to bring their children back, Benedict had some breathing room.
After dealing with the work after returning from the Fairy Forest, he had done quite well.
Karia had personally chosen them.
So, leaving the work to them for a while would likely cause no problems.
In fact, the results might even turn out better than when I handled things myself.
“Well then, I’ll go out for a while, so please take care of things!”
“Yes, take care, Head of the Family.”
“Enjoy yourself.”
“No! Head of the Family! If you leave...! You’ve already left!?”
Excited to be with Lucy, Benedict disappeared at a speed that ordinary people couldn’t keep up with.
With only the staff remaining in the room, the butler began to organize the papers Benedict had left in disarray and smiled as he looked at the one who had just raised their voice.
“Alright, everyone. Time to enjoy working.”
And thus, the intense work resumed, now that Benedict had left the room.
Benedict, now ready for the date, put even more effort into his appearance than when he attended the Partlan family’s party.
It had been so long since he’d paid this much attention to himself. The last time had probably been when his wife was still alive.
He hummed a tune absentmindedly as he stepped outside. His eyes widened when he saw Lucy, who was wearing an armor with quite a bit of exposure.
"Ha... Foolish Papa. You’re so excited, huh? Is it that fun, having your cute daughter spend time with you?"
"Lucy... Lucy, where are you going dressed like that?"
"Of course, I’m going to fight. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t drag a fool like you along."
"Th... that’s right, I guess."
Disappointment was evident on Benedict’s face as he slumped, but Lucy, who had been smiling mischievously, now quietly slipped under Benedict’s arm and pressed his nostrils with her fingers.
"If you work hard this time, I might be able to tolerate your big, silly self."
"...Fine! Whatever it takes! I’ll wield my sword and risk my life for our Lucy!"