Chapter 74: Decision
"Together."
The word lingered in the air.
For a few moments, neither of them spoke.
The tension Marcus had left behind gradually settled, replaced by the familiar warmth of their home.
Kayla eventually exhaled and sat down on the couch.
"So what are we going to do?"
Amon sat beside her.
"We’ll attend the banquet."
Kayla wasn’t surprised by his answer.
The moment Marcus mentioned that everyone would be informed of their arrival, their options had become extremely limited.
Refusing would only create unnecessary trouble.
"What if they try to take her?"
Amon’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"They won’t."
His answer came too quickly, filled with confidence.
Kayla turned toward him.
"Amon."
"Hm?"
"What aren’t you telling me?"
Instantly, silence descended upon the couple.
For the first time in a while, Amon hesitated.
Not because he didn’t trust Kayla.
Rather, because he wasn’t sure how much he should reveal.
The apocalypse.
The future.
His abilities.
The countless things hidden beneath the surface.
Any one of them would sound absurd.
Before he could answer, the sound of a child’s cry pierced through the room, interrupting their discussion.
Kayla’s head snapped in the direction of the bedroom and, without hesitation, rushed toward her daughter.
Amon watched her disappear down the hallway before leaning back on the couch.
The conversation would have to wait.
A few moments later, the crying continued from inside the room.
Kayla quickly picked up the infant and began soothing her.
The crying gradually softened.
Meanwhile, silence settled over the sitting room as Amon sat calmly on the couch.
Across from him, Mira remained unusually quiet.
As she sat there, lost in thought, her gaze eventually landed on Amon.
For some reason, she suddenly remembered the expression he had shown when Marcus threatened his wife and daughter.
The look in his eyes had been terrifying.
It wasn’t anger, nor was it rage. Instead, it was something colder, something final and unusual.
"Uncle," she hesitantly called out with a weary expression on her face.
Amon glanced toward her, waiting for her to speak.
"What are you going to do now?"
Mira watched him carefully as she finally asked.
Amon remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he reached out and gently ruffled her hair.
"What needs to be done."
Mira immediately felt a chill run down her spine.
Her face stiffened.
Perhaps Kayla wouldn’t understand.
Perhaps Marcus wouldn’t understand.
But she did.
After spending enough time studying Amon, she knew exactly what those words meant.
The butcher was planning to kill people again.
A lot of people.
"Why do you love killing so much?" she blurted out.
Amon raised an eyebrow.
"Love?"
"You know what I mean."
Mira crossed her arms.
"Normal people don’t immediately think about murdering everyone whenever a problem appears."
Amon looked at her for a moment.
Then he calmly replied,
"Only after ensuring that your enemy is completely dead can you be at ease."
Mira shivered.
The answer came so naturally that it sounded less like an opinion and more like a universal truth in his mind.
"That’s not..."
She stopped halfway.
Footsteps echoed from the hallway, and both of them immediately turned.
Kayla emerged from the bedroom carrying the infant in her arms.
The little girl had already stopped crying.
Her tiny face looked content as she rested peacefully against her mother’s chest.
Whatever Mira had intended to say immediately vanished.
Kayla glanced between the two of them.
"What were you talking about?"
Mira’s expression changed instantly.
"Nothing."
Amon nodded.
"Nothing important."
Kayla narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
For some reason, she didn’t believe either of them.
Not even slightly.
Still, she chose not to pursue the matter.
Instead, she carefully sat down on the couch.
The infant remained asleep in her arms.
Mira’s attention quickly shifted toward the baby, and her expression softened.
"She’s getting bigger."
Kayla smiled.
"A little, I guess."
Mira leaned forward and poked the infant’s tiny cheek.
The sleeping baby frowned slightly before grabbing Mira’s finger.
Mira froze, and a second later, her eyes widened as she exclaimed,
"She grabbed me!"
Kayla laughed, easing the atmosphere.
"Congratulations."
Mira stared at the tiny hand wrapped around her own similarly small finger.
For some reason, she suddenly looked absurdly proud.
Amon watched the scene quietly.
The murderous atmosphere from moments ago gradually dissipated.
The conversation naturally drifted elsewhere.
Soon, laughter occasionally echoed through the house.
For a brief period of time, the looming banquet, the Miraclad Family, and the threats hanging over their heads seemed distant.
Like problems belonging to another world entirely.
And for now, Amon was content to let it remain that way.
...
The rest of the afternoon passed peacefully.
At some point, Kayla carefully laid the sleeping infant back in her crib before returning to the sitting room.
Mira had somehow managed to convince herself that the baby grabbing her finger earlier meant she was the child’s favorite person.
Naturally, Kayla disagreed. After all, that was her own daughter.
That quickly turned into an argument.
A completely one-sided argument.
"She literally chose me."
Mira crossed her arms, refusing to relent, a cute pout appearing on her face.
"Do you understand how important that is?"
Kayla stared at her and muttered faintly, loud enough for all to hear,
"She’s a baby."
"Exactly."
Mira nodded with a serious expression on her face.
"Babies are honest."
Kayla looked toward Amon with a wry expression.
"Can you please explain to her why that logic makes no sense?"
Amon glanced at Mira, then surprisingly nodded, agreeing with the little girl.
"It makes perfect sense."
Kayla blinked, taken aback.
Mira immediately looked victorious.
"I knew it."
Kayla rubbed her forehead.
"You’re encouraging her."
"I am."
"Why?"
Amon shrugged and replied with a casual expression.
"Because it’s entertaining."
He enjoyed seeing the dumbfounded expression on Kayla’s face.
Mira instantly burst into laughter, while Kayla simply stared at the two of them.
For a brief moment, she genuinely felt like she was dealing with two children instead of one.
The atmosphere inside the house grew increasingly relaxed.
The television was switched on.
A random variety show happened to be playing and, strangely enough, Mira laughed at nearly every joke.
Kayla occasionally joined in while Amon simply watched quietly.
But his gaze was not on the television.
Rather, it was on his family.
The sound of laughter... their casual conversations.
The small arguments that ultimately meant nothing.
It was peaceful.
Strangely peaceful.
The sort of peace he had once believed impossible.
In his previous life, he never imagined having a family, not to talk of being this powerful.
He understood, internally, that sitting here now felt far more valuable than any treasure he had ever obtained.
For a brief moment, he found himself wondering whether this was the reason ordinary people fought so desperately to protect their homes.
Because once you had something worth protecting...
Losing it became unthinkable.
The thought lingered in his mind for some time as Amon quietly paid attention to the arguing duo.
...
Author’s Note: I feel things have been quite slow for some time now. Do you need me to speed up the pacing? And if there are any other complaints, please indicate them. Thank you.
