My eyes locked with Nora’s, who faced me straight, a certain tension building up in the room as I muttered:
“You will never lose me, Nora. I don’t plan to die. I plan to live a long life with the people I love and have a happy family with them too.”
My words carried a deeper meaning, but the conviction in them—about not dying in the hero’s journey—was clear as I laid my head back on my mother’s lap, still speaking:
“I don’t plan to die a hero’s death. I don’t desire it. I wish to live my life to the fullest, to keep this world safe for all of you so that all those I love will be safe and happy. But I don’t plan to die for it—not now and not even in the future.”
The words I spoke had their strength, the desire in them strong as I felt the mana around shift and change. The words of my little sister filled the room:
“I and all of us just don’t want to see you get hurt, that’s all.”
Her words held the major emotions of everyone in the room, which made me smile. I responded:
“To get stronger, I will get hurt in the process. For the safety I want for all of you, the absolute power I dream of is needed. Even if I achieve my goal, I wish to have supreme power in my hands, so that nobody will dare to even dream of trying to touch our family.”
A fervent, dark emotion mixed into my words, and the three of them no doubt picked up on it. With my senses focused on them, I felt the change in the room, the mana around them carrying a certain singular focus. I was sure that the words I spoke now had affected them, the higher and darker intention above saving the world becoming clear for them to feel.
The hands of my mother, patting my hair, stopped for a moment before she spoke:
“The power of having absolute position … what is the end to it all?”
A keen interest in her voice as she asked this, making me inwardly chuckle. My mother, being the inborn princess she is, has an inborn desire for conquest and power. It was not without reason she earned her powers within the military—her desire to conquer everything she wants being something that grants this mother of mine a very high level of satisfaction.
‘A trait shared with Nora too,’
I mused at that thought as Nora chimed in at that time:
“That’s right. The concept of absolute power can vary in many ways, and in some ways, it means declaring war on the world.”
‘At least hide the fascination you have with that idea in your voice,’
I retorted in my mind as I spoke:
“My dream is to have absolute power in my hand—a power so immense that even empires would bend their knees with fear, even if they’re unwilling. The connections I have now place me close to that pedestal, while the status of being Eleanor’s student grants me a very high level of backing too—not to mention the family name of Lionheart itself.”
I paused here, letting the words sink in before continuing:
“But even above that, I want absolute strength, power enough to make people tremble in fear. So much strength at the end of my road as a hero that with my power, they wouldn’t even dream of touching the people I love—not even the crazy ones.”
My will burst forth at those words, making the room tremble for a moment. The tip of the iceberg of the power I held made everyone in the room freeze. I even felt the body of my mother tense for a different reason, the same applies to my two sisters as well.
“You have quite the grand ambition, my son,”
My mother spoke as she went back to running her fingers through my hair. A smirk lit up my face at her words as I replied:
“You do know at which origin realm I stand, right?”
My words once again reminded the people in the room of the monstrous power I held at my age—a situation enough to send the world into a crazed spiral. One that hasn’t happened since my aunt, but one that will definitely make the whole world go crazy. I stand at the peak, just a step away from the realm where I will be able to shed my mortal shell into a much more powerful one.
“Sometimes I forget what kind of monster I gave birth to,”
My mother spoke with a light, prideful tone, to which I directly replied:
“Well, I got the best from my mother.”
“Now aren’t you a mommy-pleaser~”
My mother teased as she placed a light kiss on my forehead, the room turning into a lively atmosphere. The fact that they were all worried for me seemed a little silly now, when they truly thought about how powerful I am, and the strength I’m hiding.
“Just how strong will you be if you go all out?”
Nora suddenly asked. The answer to that question was no doubt desired by the other two women as well. I thought for a moment before replying:
“If I casually use my full power, then I might be able to meet up with a half-step Imperial. But if I were to use my full powers, risk my life, and fight, I might be able to take down a newly formed Imperial with me.”
A stifling silence filled the room after my words, the statement shocking the minds of the three members of my family. The whole situation itself would seem like a fantasy to others, but the three of them knew I wasn’t joking—the words I spoke held the truth.
“Big brother, you have that much power?”
Elda’s incredulous tone made me chuckle, while I felt my mother’s body stiffen at my reply. Once again, the worry they felt for me seemed a bit humorous as my mother suddenly asked in a somber tone:
“Just how much are you hiding?”
To this, with a smile still on my face, I replied:
“Other than the powerful body the world thinks I inherited, there are special eyes I’ve inherited, a powerful mana I’ve inherited, a powerful treasure I have yet to show, wings of blood that I’ve inherited, a powerful battle art I have yet to show. I have yet to show that I’ve touched upon the use of wills. I have yet to take out and use the powerful armaments I have inherited, powerful source fires of fire and ice I have yet to show, magical talent and skill I’ve learned that is yet to be seen, and there are a bit more too.”
Once again, that stunning silence descended, as my mother’s body stiffened more. Using my senses, I could feel the open mouths of my sisters, wide from sheer surprise. No doubt they were struggling with their minds to understand the kind of monster I truly am.
“You truly did turn into a monster…”
Nora muttered, to which I replied with that same light smile:
“Our father died in front of me, saving my life. The duty of being an heir was placed on my shoulders as a boy. I have traveled far and wide with the visions and information of legacies gifted to me as a hero. With all this, I would be a fool not to try and turn into a monster. Sometimes, to defeat a monster, you have to turn into one.”
I felt that my mother didn’t like those words, as frowns filled their beautiful faces after the surprises slowly settled down. When they thought about it, such strength wouldn’t come without cost. No power comes without significant blood, sweat, tears, and effort. It didn’t take them long to understand that while I sat here on their lap with a smile, there was a lot of pain and hard work behind it.
“It must have been hard…”
My mother spoke, her hand firmly on my head. I responded:
“Thinking about all of you and living for your happiness made it easier for me…”
The effects of my words were heard in a different manner:
+5000 affection!
+15,000 affection!
+10,000 affection!
+25,000 affection!
The constant ringing of affection in my mind made me smile.
‘At this rate, I might make back all the affection I used.’
I mused as it took some time for the three of them to get a grip on their emotions. Any words now would be useless from their side, and the only thing they would be able to do is promise themselves that they would live to make sure I am happy from now on, no matter what. It was at this moment that my mother asked, her expression had turned serious:
“How many know about your true strength?”
To which I replied:
“Just you three. I only trust you three with my full heart. I also want to speak of this truth to my master, too, for I do trust her a lot.”
My words made them happy at first and then a bit jealous, but they didn’t show much of it as my mother replied:
“Good. The world is a very dangerous place. This kind of truth must be hidden to the best of our capabilities.”
