Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]
Chapter 78: Fractured Bonds

Chapter 78: Fractured Bonds

"...Falling for such an obvious trap. How childish," Sylas murmured, his tone dripping with mockery.

"Wha—! Grr... You’re so annoying!"

Sylas’s taunt was the pinnacle of provocation, and Rocco’s face turned beet red as he sputtered in indignation.

While pouting, he began to furiously hit Sylas’s chest with his tiny, frustrated fists.

Sylas, however, remained completely unbothered, ignoring the flurry of blows as though they were nothing.

Keeping his fuming little brother securely in his arms, Sylas sat himself cross-legged on the bed, unhurried and composed.

Perched on Sylas’s lap, Rocco sat, his cheeks puffed out in a clear display of displeasure, much like an irritated chipmunk.

His expression spoke volumes—he wasn’t about to let that earlier jab slide without protest.

"...If you keep puffing out your cheeks like that, your facial muscles will cramp. Stop it."

To make matters worse, Sylas, ever composed and unbothered, reached out and effortlessly squished Rocco’s puffed cheeks with one hand.

Trapped as his brother kneaded his squished cheeks with an infuriatingly casual demeanor, Rocco squirmed in protest.

However, any attempt to escape was futile—Sylas’s other arm was firmly secured around Rocco’s waist and holding him in place.

"...Hmmph... Brother, why are you here?"

"You should work on not wearing all your emotions on your face. ...Although, in your case, it’s cute, so maybe it doesn’t matter."

"Huh? Hey, I know I need to—wait, what?"

Rocco, well aware of his habit of broadcasting every emotion and thought across his face, started to respond defensively.

But then, Sylass’s unexpected words threw him off balance.

Rocco’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked up at his brother.

Sylas’s expression, as always, was stoic and unreadable.

Was he imagining things?

He quickly convinced himself that he must have misheard, and Rocco dropped his gaze.

Of course, it was impossible.

Sylas, who clearly disliked him, would never call him "cute."

Rocco concluded that he was simply starved for affection, so he was hearing what he wanted to hear.

After all, he had Ragar, Georgio, and his absolutely adorable dog Laxus.

He didn’t need Sylas’s love!

As he silently fumed with indignation, a sudden thought struck him, freezing him in place.

Wait.

Speaking of Laxus...

"Brother, Brother! My Laxus—my dog—do you know where he is?"

Rocco tilted his head up to look at Sylas, his tone urgent despite being tightly restrained in his brother’s grasp.

As Rocco asked the question, a memory flashed through his mind like a vivid replay of events, causing him to freeze in realization.

"N-No, wait! Brother! What did you do to my dog, Laxus? Did you take him? Give him back to me!"

That’s right—Laxus had narrowly escaped being shot.

It was this devil of a man, Sylas, who had done it.

The gunshot rang out—bang!—but, by sheer luck, the bullet had missed Laxus.

Even so, Rocco was certain the poor dog had suffered immense trauma and shock from the ordeal.

Rocco remembered collapsing in exhaustion while trying to escape from Sylas.

Now that Sylas was here, it could only mean one thing—Laxus must have fallen victim to this terrifying brother somehow.

There was only one thing to do: rescue Laxus from Sylas’s clutches.

Fueled by a surge of anger, Rocco began flailing against Sylas’s chest and shoulders, pounding him with his small fists.

"Let me go!" he shouted, thrashing wildly.

Sylas, who had remained passive throughout Rocco’s outburst, finally moved with startling speed.

"...It seems the brainwashing hasn’t completely worn off."

At those words, Rocco froze mid-struggle.

"Brainwashing? What are you even talking about?" Rocco asked, his confusion evident as he tilted his head.

Sylas’s expression softened—or perhaps it was a look of pain—as he gazed down at Rocco.

Without warning, Sylas pulled him into a tight embrace and muttered softly,

"...Don’t worry. I will protect you. I’ll break the brainwashing he does to you."

"What are you even saying?" Rocco’s anger evaporated entirely, replaced by bewilderment.

Sylas’s cryptic words left Rocco in a daze.

His earlier fury dissolved completely, leaving him frozen in confusion.

Still holding Rocco close, Sylas reached into his pocket and drew something out.

Without warning, he raised it in front of Rocco’s face.

"...So trust me. Leave everything to me."

The object Sylas held was a crystal with an odd and distorted shape in a deep pink hue.

For a moment, Rocco stared at it in a daze, thinking absently how strange the color and shape were.

But within seconds, his vision blurred, and his thoughts began to fade.

His consciousness slipped away, melting into a strange, hazy fog.

After Sylas confirmed that Rocco’s eyes had turned blank and lifeless, he then tightened his embrace.

He gently placed Rocco on his lap and made him face him.

He then cupped Rocco’s round cheeks with one hand, bringing their gazes together.

Although Sylas disliked using such crude means on Rocco, given that he had been brainwashed by that bastard, he could justify using forceful methods as a last resort.

Raising the distorted, dark-colored crystal before Rocco, he asked, as if coaxing an answer out of him.

"...Rocco, what is the true identity of your dog?"

The image of the heir of the Del Fiore family flashed through Sylas’s mind, the one time he had seen him before.

It seemed that even those people who were close to him had failed to recognize the man’s true identity.

If they knew that the man was a Beastman who is despised by most humans, what would those people who had flattered him endlessly say?

Sylas alone had realized it at first glance.

He was fairly certain that the man didn’t know Sylas had figured it out.

If he had known, he would never have taken the risky step of trying to get close to Rocco.

But the problem wasn’t that.

The issue now was why Rocco had named that dog "Laxus."

What was the intention behind that?

It didn’t seem like a mere coincidence.

However, Sylas couldn’t believe that Rocco would betray the Di Malvento family.

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