Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]
Chapter 76: A Father’s Resolve

Chapter 76: A Father’s Resolve

By the way, Laxus still had that exasperated look on his face.

Well, he probably could get down.

But still, his hands and feet weren’t moving!

Could he explain that?

Could he convey what he meant?

He was trying hard, but his hands and feet simply weren’t cooperating.

"Hmmm, I see. I understand now..."

As the ultra-cool Rocco, he maintained his calm and nodded sagely.

He turned his head and flashing a tearful smile at Laxus, who was still giving him that disapproving look.

"I’m sorry, Laxus. I’ve decided... I’m going to become a cicada. I don’t think there’s going to be a Rocco Final... If I run out of strength, I’ll die immediately, so just come back and collect my bones when you can..."

Having accepted his fate, he no longer had the energy to panic. H

e was certain this would be his life now—spending the rest of his days as an out-of-season cicada and eventually dying from exhaustion.

That seemed to be the inevitable conclusion.

He felt bad for Laxus, but it was time for him to tough it out alone.

After all, Laxus was a quick little dog, and sharper than most humans.

He’d manage somehow.

"As for my life... I have no regrets."

Rocco Di Malvento, cause of death... Becoming a cicada.

At that moment, as he reflected on how much cooler it would have been to be gunned down by Sylas like a mafia boss, tears started to fall.

Then, suddenly, a voice came from behind, full of exasperation and a heavy sigh.

"—What in the world are you saying...?"

Before Rocco could react, his waist was grabbed firmly, and he was peeled off the tree like a sticker.

Still stiff as a board, lying flat on his back, Rocco was gently lifted by the person behind him.

The person looked down at him with amethyst eyes filled with confusion and disbelief.

"I heard a gunshot and rushed over to see what was happening... And once again, it turns out it’s because of you."

"O-Oh, Father..."

As the overwhelming sense of impending doom pressed in, Rocco couldn’t help but let his consciousness fade, as if his life had just flickered out.

...

Marcus was sitting at his desk as usual and engrossed in his work, when Strasbourg suddenly entered the room with a troubled expression and quietly delivered an odd report.

"—Wait... Rocco has wandered onto the main estate grounds?"

"Wandered, you say? It’s more likely he got lost..."

According to the account of a subordinate assigned to watch over Rocco, it seemed his dog had run off, and when he chased after it, Rocco had inadvertently strayed onto the main estate grounds.

...What an incompetent subordinates.

If they had witnessed the entire event, they should have simply caught the dog and discreetly returned it to Rocco.

Unlike the heavily guarded and safe annex, the main estate was very dangerous.

To thinking that his delicate and precious child wandered into such a perilous area, unguarded... Who could predict what unforeseen dangers might arise?

"...Understood."

However, when he rose from his seat, he muttered the words firmly: Where is Rocco now? I’ll need to find him to make sure his safety.

Strasbourg who knew his Master very well just bowed his head shallowly while wearing an irritatingly smug grin.

When Marcus noticed Strasbourg’s smug grin, he chose to ignore his provocation and began walking.

Honestly, everyone around him had the most foolish reactions.

It wasn’t as though he was acting on personal feelings.

Still, the thought of Rocco wandering into the dangerous main estate grounds by mistake—if something dangerous were to happen to him, it would be... concerning.

No, it would be a nuisance.

As much as Marcus was already overwhelmed with work, he had no time to involve himself in such troublesome matters.

Marcus convinced himself that he was heading out solely to prevent further complications.

That was all—just a practical decision, nothing more.

While briskly moving through the corridors and stepping past the threshold of the main estate, a sudden sound shattered the quiet surroundings.

—Bang!

A sharp, resonant gunshot echoed through the air, both powerful and piercing.

Marcus came to an abrupt halt, frozen in place as a tense silence enveloped the scene for several seconds.

From behind him, Strasbourg leaned forward and gripped his shoulder with unusual urgency as he shouted.

It was rare for the usually composed and almost irritatingly calm Strasbourg to lose his composure, but Marcus, distracted by idle thoughts, missed the first part of his exclamation.

"Master ...! That gunshot—it came from the forest near the annex! Could it be...?"

Could it be...

Marcus didn’t wait to hear the rest.

Marcus’s thoughts raced.

His child had accidentally wandered onto the grounds of the main estate.

The gunshot rang out from the forest near the annex.

Even though he had already pieced together the implications, he refused to hear them aloud.

"Master!"

Ignoring Strasbourg’s voice that was calling after him, Marcus immediately rushed forward.

He couldn’t recall the last time he had run so desperately while casting aside all dignity and composure.

Perhaps it was that day—the day when he heard that his beloved woman was gone.

The day he sprinted to confirm the safety of her and their son.

—Was he about to lose another precious treasure?

An overwhelming sense of urgency and despair gripped him as he ran.

Marcus sprinted toward the direction of the gunshot, his usual composed demeanor as the head of the Di Malvento family completely abandoned.

There was no trace of his carefully crafted authority—only desperation.

When he arrived at the scene and saw the child foolishly climbing a tree in what could only be described as an absurd act, a wave of relief surged through him, so intense it caught him off guard.

"O-Oh, Father..."

The child who is visibly trembling with fear and exhaustion, called out to him in a shaky voice.

But as if the effort was too much, the boy suddenly collapsed and unconscious.