Primordial Awakening: They Targeted My Daughter, I Became The Butcher!

Chapter 113: Convincing Parents

For a long moment...

No one spoke.

Only the faint ticking of the old clock hanging on the wall echoed through the room.

The peaceful warmth from earlier had vanished completely.

In its place...

A quiet tension lingered between the family, one that neither side seemed willing to break.

Kirby stood motionless for a long while.

The room had fallen so quiet that even the ticking of the wall clock sounded unusually loud.

Collete never looked away from him.

Neither did he.

Father and daughter quietly stared at one another.

Finally, Kirby let out a long sigh.

"...Come with me."

He wasn’t looking at Collete.

His eyes rested on his wife.

She understood immediately.

Without another word, the two walked into the kitchen, leaving the sitting room behind.

The faint sound of the sliding door closing echoed through the apartment.

...

Neither of them spoke at first.

Kirby leaned against the counter, rubbing both hands across his face.

"I don’t understand."

His wife quietly stood beside him.

"I know."

"No... I really don’t."

He laughed bitterly.

"She has never been like this."

"Not once."

"If I told her not to do something..."

"She’d always listen."

He looked toward the doorway.

"But today..."

"It was like she had already made peace with whatever decision she reached."

His wife remained silent.

After a while, she softly asked,

"Did you notice her eyes?"

Kirby paused.

"...Her eyes?"

"They’re different."

Kirby frowned.

He replayed the earlier conversation inside his mind.

Only now did he realize...

The confusion.

The hesitation.

The uncertainty that Collete always carried...

Were gone.

Instead...

There was only calm.

Not the calm of someone who had given up.

The calm of someone who had found an answer.

"...I noticed."

His wife lowered her gaze.

"I don’t know what happened while we were away."

"But..."

"I think something changed."

Kirby slowly clenched his fists.

"I don’t care what changed."

"She’s still our daughter."

His voice became rough.

"She can’t even walk."

"How am I supposed to let her leave?"

"What if something happens?"

"What if she gets sick?"

"What if..."

His words stopped there.

He couldn’t continue.

The thoughts alone were enough.

His wife stepped closer before gently holding his hand.

"I know."

"I know exactly what you’re thinking."

"I am too."

She smiled weakly.

"I’m terrified."

"So am I."

"But..."

She hesitated.

"...When was the last time you saw Collete ask for something?"

Kirby fell silent.

"..."

"I mean truly ask."

"Not because someone else wanted it."

"But because she wanted it."

His expression slowly stiffened.

He searched through years of memories.

Birthdays.

School.

Hospitals.

Countless ordinary days.

He couldn’t remember.

Not one.

Whenever they asked what she wanted...

Her answer was always the same.

"Anything is fine."

"I don’t mind."

"You decide."

She had spent her entire childhood trying not to trouble them.

Trying not to become another burden.

Trying not to ask for anything.

Yet today...

For the very first time...

She had asked for something.

And refused to back down.

Kirby lowered his head.

"...Damn it."

His wife smiled sadly.

"I know."

"I hate this."

"So do I."

Another long silence settled between them.

Eventually, Kirby spoke again.

"What about Amon?"

His wife looked toward the sitting room.

"I don’t think he’s a bad child."

"I know."

"He saved Collete."

"He helped us."

"He even..."

Kirby shook his head.

"I trust him."

"But trusting someone..."

"And handing your daughter over to them..."

"Those are two completely different things."

His wife nodded.

"They are."

She gently squeezed his hand.

"But..."

"I don’t think Amon would abandon her."

Kirby let out a helpless laugh.

"You’re giving him a lot of credit."

"He hasn’t given me a reason not to."

Neither spoke again.

Outside the kitchen, the apartment remained completely quiet.

...

In the sitting room...

Collete quietly sat opposite Amon.

Neither of them said anything.

The silence between them wasn’t awkward.

It simply existed.

After a while...

Collete softly spoke.

"...I’m sorry."

Amon looked at her.

"You don’t have to apologize."

"I caused trouble."

"You didn’t."

"They’re worried."

"They should be."

Collete lowered her eyes.

"I know."

She lightly brushed her fingers against the wheel of her chair.

"I don’t blame them."

Amon quietly nodded.

He understood.

If their positions were reversed...

He would likely react the same way.

No parent would willingly watch their crippled daughter leave with another child.

The apartment once again became silent.

Several minutes later...

The kitchen door slid open.

Kirby walked back first.

His expression had become noticeably calmer.

His wife followed closely behind.

Both stopped before Collete.

Kirby looked at his daughter for a very long time.

"...Are you really certain?"

"Yes."

"If I tell you to stay..."

"I’ll still go."

Kirby closed his eyes.

A bitter smile slowly appeared.

"...You’re really making this hard for your old man."

A faint trace of guilt appeared on Collete’s face.

"I’m sorry."

Kirby gently shook his head.

"No."

"You’ve apologized enough."

He slowly crouched before her.

"When did my little girl become this stubborn?"

A tiny smile appeared on Collete’s face.

"I don’t know."

Kirby let out a quiet chuckle.

Neither did he.

He reached out and gently brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"You’ve grown up."

Those simple words carried far more emotion than he intended.

His daughter really had grown.

Somewhere along the way...

Without him realizing it.

He had always wanted her to become stronger.

To smile more.

To live for herself.

Yet now that she was finally trying to...

Why did it hurt so much?

Kirby slowly stood.

He turned toward Amon.

"I have one condition."

Amon quietly met his gaze.

"Protect her."

His voice was steady.

"I know I don’t have the right to ask."

"I know you’re just a kid too."

"But..."

He bowed his head.

"...Please."

The room fell silent.

Collete’s eyes widened.

Her mother looked away.

A father...

Was bowing to a child.

Not because of pride.

But because there was nothing else he could do.

Amon looked at Kirby for a long moment.

Then...

He gave a small nod.

"I will."

There was no grand promise.

No dramatic declaration.

Only three simple words.

Yet somehow...

Kirby believed them.

He slowly straightened himself.

"...Then."

He forced out a smile.

"I guess there’s nothing left for me to say."

Collete’s mother walked over before embracing her daughter.

The hug lasted much longer than usual.

She gently stroked Collete’s hair.

"You have to eat properly."

"I will."

"And don’t skip sleeping."

"I won’t."

"If you’re hurt..."

"I’ll tell him."

A faint laugh escaped her mother despite the tears gathering in her eyes.

"You little liar."

Collete smiled sheepishly.

"I’ll try."

Her mother finally stepped back.

She wiped her eyes before forcing herself to smile.

"If you’re going..."

"Then don’t spend the whole trip worrying about us."

"We’ll be fine."

Collete quietly nodded.

"...Thank you."

Kirby clapped his hands together once.

"Enough."

"If we keep talking..."

"I’m going to change my mind."

The atmosphere became much lighter.

Even Collete couldn’t help but smile.

Kirby walked toward the window before looking outside.

"So..."

He asked without turning around.

"Where are the two of you planning to go first?"

Before Amon could answer...

Collete quietly spoke.

"The Royal capital."

"The Royal capital?" Kirby asked to confirm.

Collete nodded.

Amon was also surprised by her answer. But after giving it some thought, he realized that she’d likely figured out which place had the highest concentration of night crawlers.

Outside the apartment, the evening sun slowly dipped below the horizon, staining the sky a deep crimson.

Tomorrow morning...

Their journey would begin.

Amon could feel the time for his departure from this world drawing nearer...