Chapter 161: Results
Holon’s eyes followed the direction where Lucian was pointing—straight at Aria’s cleavage.
He narrowed his eyes. "Nah nah, boss, this is disrespect—aaaaa!"
Before he could finish complaining, Lucian grabbed him and tossed him straight in.
Jiggle wobble.
The tiny demon’s body went half inside in one swift motion, only his wiggling legs visible from the outside.
Inside the soft darkness, Holon spotted a faint glow. Pushing his hands to steady himself, he got a clear look at the seed nestled there.
"Oh, so this is what Master wanted..." He grabbed it with one hand. "Alright, piece of cake."
Pop.
He wriggled back out easily, landing with the seed in hand. Aria remained in deep sleep, completely unaware.
Holon scurried over and placed the seed into Lucian’s palm. "Master, this seed wasn’t glowing this much before. Why is it so bright now?"
Lucian didn’t answer immediately.
Kneeling in the lake water, sweat was already dripping down his face again. The mana pressure was building back up—suffocating, relentless.
"Damn it... I thought I could control it." He stared at the glowing seed. "I need to channel this mana into the seed. Focus..."
He forced his body to relax, letting the crushing weight of mana flow naturally into the seed instead of fighting it.
Mana: 189,000 → 188,000 → 187,000...
The seed lifted from his palm, hovering in the air. Its glow intensified as it began to expand—cricket ball, then football-sized.
Holon’s eyes stayed fixed on it, watching the transformation in silence.
Minutes passed. Lucian had already transferred nearly half his mana when the seed’s frantic light finally began to dim, its shape smoothing into a perfect sphere.
With a soft pulse, it settled down beside Aria—no longer a seed, but a gym ball-sized egg with a pearlescent glow.
Lucian exhaled slowly. The crushing pressure was gone. His core felt normal again—light, even.
Holon stared at the egg, then at his master. "Master... what did you just make?"
Lucian glanced over at Holon, giving him a deadpan look that said don’t ask stupid questions.
Crack.
The sound was sharp, clear—like glass fracturing.
Both of them froze, eyes snapping to the egg.
A thin line split across its pearlescent surface. Then another. And another. The cracks multiplied rapidly, spreading like a spiderweb across the entire shell.
"Oh my god, oh my god!" Holon shot upward, hovering frantically. "Master, it’s hatching! It’s actually hatching!" He paused, then added with genuine panic, "Who’s gonna be the mama—you or me?!"
Before Lucian could respond—
Fhooomp.
The egg burst open.
Something small launched straight at him with surprising force. Lucian barely had time to register the weight before it crashed into his chest, knocking him clean off balance.
Splash.
He fell backward into the lake, water flooding over him as his back hit the shallow bottom.
"Master!" Holon yelled, diving closer. But the moment he got a clear look, his jaw went slack. "Master... what is that...?"
Lucian sat up slowly, water dripping from his hair. In his hands, held up by the armpits, was a tiny figure staring at him with wide, curious eyes.
"Dada?"
A child.
A small child, looking about five years old, with golden blonde hair still damp from the egg and silver eyes that mirrored Lucian’s own almost perfectly.
Lucian stared.
The child blinked.
"...What the hell."
The words came out flat, empty of emotion.
At this point, he wasn’t even surprised anymore. This was just how his life worked now. Every stroke of fortune came with a perfectly timed disaster attached. Of course the mana-draining solution would hatch into a child. Of course it would look like him. Why wouldn’t it?
From across the room, a long, lazy yawn drifted through the air.
His head snapped toward Aria.
She was sitting up, stretching her arms above her head, her eyes still half-closed with sleep. The morning sun was streaming, painting everything in soft gold.
Shit.
Lucian moved on pure instinct. He yanked the naked child against his chest, open the portal under him and felt the ground disappear beneath them.
One blink later, he was lying flat on his bed, soaking wet, still clutching the kid.
"Giggyy giggyy, Dad... so cool..." The child giggled, squirming happily in his arms.
Lucian closed his eyes.
Sigh.
What kind of mess have you brought upon yourself now, Lucian? How can you become a father when you’re still a virgin?
Another sigh.
He just lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, trying to process the absurdity of his situation.
Meanwhile, the kid had already wriggled free and hopped off the bed. Completely naked, completely unbothered, began running around the room — stumbling occasionally, testing out new legs with pure, unfiltered joy.
Still lying down, Lucian turned his head and raised one finger, gesturing for the child to come closer.
The kid stopped. Stared at the finger for a full five seconds without blinking.
Then, with a burst of energy, spun around and started running again, screaming happily.
"Catch me, catch me!"
In one fluid motion, Lucian sat up, then stood.
"You brat, stop fooling around and come here."
His voice came out sharper than he intended.
The child froze mid-step.
The bright energy drained from his face instantly. He stood there, stiff and small as his silver eyes gone wide and glassy. His bottom lip trembled.
Lucian stopped.
That expression... why does it look so familiar?
Then it clicked. Sera. The kid had the exact same puppy-dog eyes like her — right before the waterworks started.
He let out a tired sigh, rubbing his face with one hand.
"Come here, kid." His tone softened. "I won’t scold you, I promise."
The child hesitated, taking one small step forward. Then another. Slowly, cautiously, he approached until he was standing right in front of Lucian.
"Alright, let’s start with something simple." Lucian crouched down to eye level. "What are you going to call me?"
The kid’s eyes lit up immediately, all trace of tears forgotten.
"Dada!"
Lucian shook his head. "No. No ’Dada.’"
If anyone heard that, it would create a headache he certainly didn’t need.
"Then... Papa?" the kid tried, tilting his head.
"No ’Papa’ either."
"Why not?"
"Because if anyone hears it, it’ll become a big problem for me."
The kid smiled brightly, as if he’d just won something.
"Why, Papa?"
Lucian’s eye twitched. "How about... big bro? Or just Lucian?"
"No, Papa."
Lucian grimaced. This kid...
"I think some education is required—"
Knock, knock.
He froze.
"Lucian, are you inside? Open up, it’s me, Sera!"
Her cheerful voice rang through the door, followed immediately by Elira’s dry tone. "Why don’t you just break it?"
"Haha, as if I’d fall for your tricks."
Lucian’s mind went blank for half a second.
No.
He’d barely escaped Aria. And now Sera and Elira were at his door—while he was soaking wet, standing in front of a naked child who wouldn’t stop calling him Papa.
He couldn’t catch a break today.
Panic surged. In one swift motion, he clamped his hand over the kid’s mouth and spun around, eyes darting frantically across the room.
Where do I hide him? Under the bed? In the closet? The window?
Outside, the knocking continued.
Knock, knock.
"Lucian, are you inside? What’s taking so long?"
"Move aside." Elira’s voice was flat, unimpressed. "You’re not going to break it then Let me do it."
"Hey! I know how to do it, okay? I’ll do it myself!"
Lucian stood frozen in the middle of the room, the struggling naked kid in his arms, water still dripping from his clothes.
He couldn’t think of a single place to hide him. None of his skills would help in a situation like this.
Whatever happens now... happens.
WRECKKK.
The door lock snapped clean off, clattering to the floor. A piece of it ended up in Sera’s hand.
She blinked at it, surprised. "Oh."
Creaaaaak.
The door swung open slowly.
Sera and Elira stepped inside, their footsteps quiet against the wooden floor.
