Chapter 75: You Won’t Even Call Me Dad

Every time Aurora talked about how Dad loved Mom, she spoke with a very proud tone.
This showed that she truly didn’t mind being mixed-blood.
And when they learned their father was human, Noia was actually the first to stand up and propose the concept of “accepting oneself” –
Of course, it’s possible that Muen was too young to understand at the time, and Little Light chose to stay silent and be an amused observer.
But regardless, the fact that there was no racial barrier between the daughters and their father was the best outcome.
Leon quietly breathed a sigh of relief internally.
The reason he suddenly brought this up was because he had noticed something very subtle:
From one day ago when he reunited with the adult Noia until now, she hadn’t called Leon “Dad” even once.
Not a single time, he was absolutely certain.
Muen still called him “Dad” like before, Little Light was more casual, calling him “old man.”
Only Noia consistently used “you” or “he” to refer to him.
Leon understood that Noia might be angry at him for disappearing for twenty years.
But he was also worried that his human identity had created a rift with Noia, or if there were other reasons.
Just like when Noia was little, for a long time after Leon woke up from his two-year coma, she wouldn’t call him Dad.
Noia’s first “Dad” was at the family sports meet held at Saint Hiss Academy, when she saw Leon giving his all for the family’s honor, she excitedly called out “Dad, go for it!”
Afterwards, Leon held her in his arms and made her say it several more times.
Though somewhat tsundere, Noia obediently complied.
Little Noia’s thoughts were easy to guess, and Leon had gradually won his eldest daughter’s heart through his actions.
But now the adult Noia exuded an aura of “Sister is cool, don’t mess with her” from inside out, showing no emotions on her face, and Leon couldn’t guess what she was thinking at all.
Do you know how important an affectionate “Dad” is to a daughter-con? –
Rosvitha’s “darling” ranked second, while his daughters’ “Dad” ranked first!
(Since the donkey can’t speak human language, it’s temporarily excluded from this ranking)
Although now through Aurora’s retelling, Leon was certain that Noia wasn’t hung up on her mixed-blood identity.
But he still wanted to understand what his daughter was thinking.
After chatting with Aurora for a while longer, when dinner time came, father and daughter returned to the underground space to eat.
Dinner was rather simple: wild fruits, grilled meat, mushroom soup.
All ingredients that could be obtained in the wild.
Leon understood this.
Times were different now. Before, there were dedicated maids preparing three meals for the royal family.
But now, the Queen was suspended in crystal, the daughters were busy every day with research and advancing their magic, and their father had been missing for twenty years, so the fact that they hadn’t starved themselves was already quite impressive.
At the dinner table, the seating arrangement of the father and three daughters was also quite telling.
Muen and Aurora naturally sat next to their dad.
But Noia sat alone at the other end of the table, taking small sips of her soup.
“Dad, try this, it’s made from the prime meat of a dangerous species I caught myself!” Muen said proudly.
“Alright, let me try.”
Leon cut off a piece and put it in his mouth. The meat quality was good, but it seemed a bit overcooked, with some charring that affected the taste.
“Is it good, Dad?” Muen’s eyes were full of “please praise me.”
“It’s good, of course it’s good.”
Leon ate the grilled meat in one bite, “Later Dad will teach you some other ways to cook meat, how about that?”
“Um… Dad, I caught the ingredients, but Sister did the cooking.” Muen said.
Leon was startled, looking up at Noia across the table, but his eldest daughter didn’t seem inclined to say anything.
“Oh, is that so…”
“Mm-hmm. Try this too, Dad, Sister’s cooking is really good~”
This cooking-challenged eldest sister was very fortunate to have a sister-con younger sibling and a daughter-con father.
Noia continued eating quietly with her head down.
After the simple dinner ended, Muen and Aurora were responsible for washing the dishes.
Noia went outside alone.
After hesitating for a moment, Leon followed her.
Leaving the underground space, Leon couldn’t see Noia anywhere.
He looked around, but unfortunately it was already dark, and the surrounding giant trees with their dense foliage greatly limited visibility.
After looking for a while, he still couldn’t see Noia.
Leon quietly sighed, hanging his head as he turned to go back.
Just as he took a step, he heard Noia’s voice from above,
“Do you have something you want to say to me?”
Leon stopped, looking up toward the sound.
Noia was sitting on a huge rock at the cave entrance, dangling one long leg, hugging her knee.
“Ah… just wanted to chat with you casually.” Leon said, “Do you have time now?”
“Yes.”
“Then should I… come up?”
“Mm.”
Leon nodded, looked left and right, then found a not-too-steep slope and slowly climbed up that way.
Reaching Noia’s side, he bent down to sit next to his daughter.
Noia didn’t move away.
Of course, she didn’t show any sign of wanting to be closer either.
She maintained her previous posture, eyes half-lowered, gazing into the deep night.
Leon looked at her profile.
Elegant and delicate, her brow especially resembled her mother’s.
Neither father nor daughter spoke up to start a conversation, just continuing in silence.
Until a cold wind blew past and Noia shrank her neck, “If you don’t say anything, I’m going back inside. It’s cold.”
“Ah… oh…”
“Don’t just say ‘oh’, say something. Didn’t you want to chat with me? So chat.”
Leon scratched his head, suddenly not knowing how to begin.
His daughters were grown up now, with their own thoughts and beliefs, so Leon couldn’t communicate with them the same way as when they were little.
After thinking it over, Leon decided to be direct,
“Noia, are you… somewhat dissatisfied with me right now?”
Hearing this, Noia slowly turned to look at him, “Why would you think that?”
“Because… because… from yesterday until now, you haven’t called me Dad even once…”
Noia raised an eyebrow, her tone somewhat dismissive, “Just because of that?”
“Yes…”
Leon said, “When you were little, there was also a long time when you didn’t call me Dad, wasn’t there? Back then it was because you felt I didn’t love you, so that’s why. But what about now? What’s the reason? Do you still feel that I don’t love you?”
He was getting a bit anxious.
In normal conversations and discussions, Leon would never be this agitated.
But right now he was too eager to know what Noia was thinking.
Noia knew what Leon was usually like, but facing his somewhat unusual behavior now, she wasn’t surprised.
She let out a soft humming sound through her nose, then lowered her head and said seriously, “I just feel… afraid.”
Hearing this, Leon was slightly taken aback.
It was an unexpected answer.
“Afraid… of what?”
“We once had a very happy family, didn’t we?”
Noia spoke softly, “I also used to respond passionately to your love. You know, as Leon Casmode’s daughter, I’ve always been proud.”
“I knew my father was strong, the kind of strength that was unparalleled in this world.”
“I was proud to have you as my father.”
“It was the same with mother – being your daughter was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me.”
“But… all of this turned to nothing with that disaster.”
“Everything I cared about, cherished, was nurtured by, loved by… along with my passionate love, was all buried twenty years ago.”
“I thought that once you came back, all troubles would be solved.”
Noia buried her mouth and nose in the crook of her arm, fingers tightly gripping her own arms,
“But that’s not how things are.”
“Instead, I’m more afraid of the day when all this comes to an end.”
“What if we fail, and you leave me again – leave Muen and Little Light? What should we do? What about mother?”
“I do love you, love you deeply, but I dare not love you recklessly like I did as a child.”
She slowly raised her small head from her arm, looking at her father with tears in her eyes.
At that moment, Noia’s face with its faint scars seemed to overlap with her childhood self in Leon’s eyes.
Her voice was choked, but each word was clear,
“Because I’m afraid of losing you – twice.”
The strongest girl had the most fragile heart.
What Noia considered was always deeper than what Leon thought.
Looking back at his daughter, Leon slowly extended his hand, gently placing it on Noia’s shoulder.
After confirming she had no intention of shrugging him off, Leon slowly pulled her close, letting her lean on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Noia. It was my departure that caused all this, making you all and your mother suffer so much.”
“I don’t want to make any grandiose promises in front of you, because indeed, no one can predict how this will end.”
“But, Noia, please believe me, for you sisters and your mother… I can do anything.”
Noia leaned against her father’s shoulder, wiped her tears, and said softly, “People who make big talk… are supposed to have their tails rot.”
Leon blinked, glancing at his empty back, “That’s a bit difficult for dad, even if I wanted my tail to rot, I don’t have one…”
Noia broke into laughter through her tears, sat up, sniffed twice, then made a fist and held it out to Leon,
“Then, like this.”
Seeing Noia’s slightly raised fist, Leon immediately understood.
When she was little, this was how Leon would make promises to her.
“Alright.”
Leon nodded and extended his hand.
Their fists gently bumped together, just like they used to years ago.
“But before you save the world, I still won’t call you old man.”
Noia’s stubbornness came out, which was very much like her stubborn parents.
“Ah… why?”
“What do you mean why? This is our Melkvi family’s hereditary stubbornness, got a problem with that?”
Leon chuckled, “No, of course not.”
Besides stubbornness, the Melkvi family’s dragon ladies, from old to young, were all quite skilled at handling General Leon.