Chapter 175 Volume IV - Chapter 20: World Shaking Punch
I narrowed my eyes, tilted my head slightly to the side, and spoke coldly.
"It seems you underestimate me."
As for Leonard... he looked like he was angry.
"You couldn't even react."
"Just because I'm not physically strong doesn't mean I'm not 'strong', Leonard. There are many kinds of strength, and mine is one of the ones you should be most afraid of. It's also one of the ones you need most."
His brow furrowed, he clenched his fist and squinted slightly.
"You're going to need physical strength at this very moment-"
"The Alius-type dungeon you have entered contains a whole new world in which humanity can gather resources. Unfortunately, it contains no intelligent life, at least that's the case with what you've discovered."
Leonard stopped abruptly. His whole posture was suddenly disrupted. Of course, he hadn't expected something like this, a truth, to come out of my mouth.
"Your mission to clear the dungeon was to exterminate a dangerous species with individuals ranging from A- to A+ degrees. That's why you were so late. Also, you lost not two but three people in the meantime, because one of the dead was pregnant."
His eyes, which until now had remained calm, even seeing me as an ant that could crush me, suddenly changed. First his posture, which felt unshakable, changed completely, and then his eyes widened.
"Apart from that, you are currently on the edge of surpassing the S+ grade, and with your achievements there you have acquired a new mastery and a new passive skill. The mastery is S- grade and the passive skill is B grade. There is also a gift you intend to give your daughter, an artifact. Its grade is B+ and its effect is to make the wearer grow stronger faster."
Leonard's eyes widened again and again with each word I said, his expression becoming more twisted. He started to tremble. He genuinely didn't expect this.
"You were supposed to have another child before Lucia was born, but Melany miscarried and the child was never born. No one knows this except you and a few senior nobles. At the same time, the relationship between the Republic of Elhair and the Kingdom of Cevilian has been escalating, and even though you've just returned from the dungeon, you've been called to duty, but you've been putting it off because you're afraid to be separated from your daughter again."
"S- stop-"
"Oh, I can go into your personal habits if you want. For example... you hate aubergine, the sight of bell peppers makes you want to vomit. You get seasick pretty easily, and you learned to swim when you were twenty-nine. Of course, I also know a few things you don't want the public to hear. For ex-"
"SHUT UP!"
Leonard roared, jumping to his feet. His hand, balled into a fist, suddenly appeared in front of my face, but I didn't even flinch. My vision was greatly reduced by the size of the fist and its proximity to me. It was like a mountain, a mountain that literally fell on me. It was so majestic and powerful that even though it had not yet reached me, it had already shaken my entire being.
It was as if the whole world trembled with fear at this punch.
Yet... the fist had not reached me. Before I could even realize what had happened, it had stopped right under my nose, and the immense pressure it was carrying had hit me in the face. My hair was flying, and the pressure of the punch itself was so strong that if I hadn't kept myself on the ground at the last moment I would have been thrown backward.
Nevertheless, I continued to stare at his fist, then I tilted my head to the side with a sigh and looked past it at Leonard.
He was literally shaking, there was fear and shock on his face at the same time.
He had restrained himself. I was still alive and I had managed not to move a muscle because he was scared, he was afraid. Afraid that with all that I knew... that I could be someone really important, afraid of what might happen to him if he hurt me.
That's what I call risk...
Damn, I almost died, didn't I? I should value my life a little more...
"Who... Who are you?"
I pushed my inner thoughts aside, put a smile on my face as if nothing had happened, and leaned back in my armchair.
"Someone who offers help in exchange for help, someone who knows more than enough and is not afraid to use that knowledge in a way that is necessary to help. Likewise, someone who will be useful in the future for a lot of things with what I know. You probably won't fully trust me no matter what I do now, but the mana contract I signed with Melany is still active, as you know, and if I go back on my word, I will become Melany's literal slave."
Leonard finally realized that I would never tell him the full 'truth' about me, and at the same time that I was right. He withdrew his fist, took a deep breath in the face of my unwavering stance, and sat back in his seat.
"What do you want..."
He seemed much calmer. Yet I could see in his eyes that he was a little afraid of me, that I, as a being who knew things he shouldn't know, was frightening.
That was the power of knowledge, a man in one of the highest positions in the kingdom was afraid of me right now just because of it.
I was someone important, someone who, with my 'knowledge', would be very useful in the future, so I was also a trump card that could not be let go.
Leonard was smart enough to understand that. He was also smart enough to realize that someone like me would not be 'normal'.
Partnering with me was a gamble, a sweet and tempting gamble. And... he decided to take it.
"It's not much. I just need a little supportive force behind me in this world, and of course, there will be things I will ask of you in the future, but they won't be things that will hurt you. In return, I will help you with your problems, and I plan to start with Lucia's problem."
Leonard paused for a moment at the mention of his daughter's name again.
"Lucia... did you mean what you said about her?"
The smile on my face widened slightly, but I restrained myself.
That's it, I thought to myself.
He had entered my palm of his own accord, just like his wife. Lucia was just too precious to them after what happened to their unborn baby.
"I didn't say anything you can't confirm. I mean, maybe you can't confirm it exactly, but you can easily see enough to make it stick in your mind... Nevertheless!"
I quickly raised my voice and drew his attention back to me.
"You can confirm what I said, but don't say anything to Lucia about it, now is not the time. As I said, her fate has already been decided and she must not know the truth for a while before we can change it. So don't tell her anything, don't ever do that. Otherwise, you may never see your daughter again, and I will not be responsible or to blame for that, and believe me, you will regret it."
Leonard could not say a word. He was like a child being scolded for misbehaving. The only difference was that he was a giant human being, a literal bear, two meters tall.
Whatever...
"I will solve Lucia's problem before the competitions as I said I would, and you will do what I ask you to do. Of course, I don't want anything to put you in a difficult situation. Well, maybe a few times, but nothing that 'threatens' you and your family. So, don't worry."
"My daughter... I don't care what you do as long as you solve her problem."
I was actually planning to mention a few more things, but with what I heard... I paused. A smile involuntarily appeared on my face.
It was fun. Being the one pulling the strings, being the one in control. It felt good. As always, it was satisfying.
"Since I stated in the mana contract that I would do this, we don't have a problem."
I stood up and headed for the door without looking at Leonard again. He didn't say a word, just continued to stare at me with his head bowed.
"Then... let's get along well from now on."
I stepped outside, and the door closed. The whole corridor was full of security, they seemed prepared for anything and they were all looking at me.
I didn't compromise my stance. I didn't change my expression at all. I ignored all of them and started walking toward the stairs. I could feel each one of them literally piercing me with their gaze as I passed them, but I couldn't stop yet.
The main hall of the building, outside, and even the hallway of the dormitory building. I could never shake the feeling of being watched, so I kept pretending I was fine, and when the door to my room finally closed, leaving me truly alone, that's when the flow of mana in my body stopped.
My body began to sweat as if I had spent the whole day exercising in the sun and with the thoughts flooding my mind. Along with exhaustion, I collapsed. I didn't care about the hardness of the floor, I just closed my eyes and slowly surrendered myself to sleep.
That was what I needed most right now.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel