Chapter 412: Between Father and Son II
The Incubus System Chapter 410. Between Father and Son II
I put the glass on the table.
"Is it that hard?" I asked in a much calmer voice. There was a bit of guilt in that since I asked him to tell me something he didn't want to say.
"For me? Yes. Because I hate to admit it." His arrogant expression disappeared from his face. I could only see traces of guilt, sadness and disappointment from there. It somehow made my guilt grow stronger.
I realized the main reason was because of something serious and bad...
"Can you tell me what it is?" I asked in a softer tone. Even though I didn't want to ask him anymore, I wanted to find out since this had something to do with me.
He took another deep breath before he started his story.
"Has Tania told you about Lilieth and my condition?"
"Yeah, she did."
He nodded his head repeatedly.
"Although I look fine, what she said is true. I've weakened over the past few years, especially after we lost you the first time."
His gaze shifted to his palm. The trace of frustration was evident in his gaze. It was so different from his previous stares and expressions.
"I used all my strength in that battle to defeat those traitors and protect your remains. But that battle didn't end there. Shortly after, the dark dimension turned into chaos. Those bastards' subordinates were angry and revolted. They attacked cities and started messing up even though I've announced what the cause is."
A bitter smile appeared on his lips.
"So I took the responsibility to fix it. To atone for my crime, I wiped them all and placed myself as a cruel king. Since Lilieth and the others were seriously injured so I handled everything myself. I worked all day and barely took a rest. It took a toll on my condition and body."
I could clearly see his sadness and frustration.
"Then... What's your plan for that armor? Why did you make it?" I was ready to hear the worst from him.
He lowered his hand and his head.
"I made it for you or whoever my child will be. I was thinking ... Although I don't know whether you will regenerate or not. Or whether I can have another child or not. If I manage to get an offspring, I want to protect him. Even in my death."
His gaze returned to me. Somehow, he reminded me of my human father even though Lord Damon's appearance was completely different from him.
"So I thought, if I can't keep on my position anymore, I'll give my child this armor and throw him into the human world. Even if he can't be the ruler of this world. I want him to stay alive," he added.
I was shocked by what he said. I thought he only saw me as his successor, the dark dimension's next ruler, but I was wrong. What he thought was my safety. He wanted me to stay alive. He cared for me...
My heart trembled with overwhelming emotion. I was so grateful that... My sudden change brought me to my new family. A family who cherished me.
"Is your condition that bad?"
A long breath escaped his mouth before he returned his gaze to the wine rack again.
"Yes, that bad. I can barely deal with 2 demon lords now. If Letos joins the fight, I can only handle one of them. That's not good news for a king like me." He waved his finger, pouring the drink into the glass again before flicking it. The glass moved into his hand.
Again, he finished it in one gulp. I could understand his frustration. He was a prideful demon king so it would be hard for him to accept that he was not as strong as before. To make it worse, he also didn't have a child who could take his place and had to endure this alone. I never thought he kept a lot of sadness behind his arrogant face.
I gave him a couple of pats on his shoulder to show my support.
"Look at the bright side. You have prepared everything I need for my training," I tried to comfort him.
But he replied to me with a flat stare.
"That doesn't take away the fact that I'm weakened."
I was silent upon his flat response. But I couldn't deny what he said was true. I took my hand away from him.
"But you're not going to die, are you?" I made sure. My concern was clear from the tone of my voice.
"I mean... That's not a terminal illness like cancer or something, right?" I clarified my point.
"A demon lord will die if his time has come or if another demon kills him. We can't get sick like weak humans," he explained with a scornful tone.
Even though his tone sounded annoying, at least I knew he would be fine as long as he didn't have to fight with other demon lords.
"I heard you and Lilieth have amazing regeneration. Maybe you can take a longer break once I have enough power to help you manage this place. So you can recoup more easily." Well, I knew it wouldn't be easy since my knowledge of this was nearly zero! Moreover, I didn't even know what the king or crown Prince's responsibilities were. And I had zero experience in politics.
"That's not going to happen anytime soon," he said in a condescending tone before he turned to me. His annoying smile was back on his face.
"I mean look at you. You're still a weak Incubus." At the same time, the bottle floated to refill his glass.
I exhaled in exasperation once I realized his arrogant attitude had come back.
'Here we go again...' Before he could take it, I grabbed the glass, again.
"Compared to you, I may be weak now. But I will grow stronger and prove I am worthy of the throne. So stop putting me down." My threat was clear. After that, I ended it by finishing the drink in one go and holding back the alcohol taste that pierced my tongue.
Unexpectedly, he replied to me with a gentle smile.