Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 159: The Pawn’s Potential

When they returned to the grand hall, which had been the venue for the evening’s gala, only Marcus, Makarov, and the servants and members of the Del Fiore family remained.

It seemed the commotion had caused the event to be canceled.

Did all the guests leave already?

Rocco blinked his eyes in surprise.

Just then, his father, noticing their presence, running toward them with a look of palpable relief and concern.

"Rocco...!!"

Where had his father’s usual calm and stoic expression gone?

Rushing over with disheveled hair, Marcus immediately snatched him right out of Sylas’s arms.

Sylas’s disgruntled expression drew a quiet chuckle from Rocco.

"Oh, Rocco...! Are you hurt? What happened? Who dared to harm you? Tell me everything, and I’ll kill them all myself!"

"F-Father, please, calm down...!"

"Sylas! Did you eliminate those who laid a hand on Rocco? Or did you capture them? If so, I’ll deal with them personally!"

This isn’t working; he’s not listening at all.

Rocco wanted to soothe his father’s panic, but it seemed that his father was too far gone, lost in his frenzy to even hear him.

Helpless, Rocco sighed and gave a pleading look to Sylas, who, with a faintly frustrated expression, finally spoke up.

"...My apologies, Father. The enemy had escaped. Worse, because of this damned fool here, Rocco may now become a target for them in the future."

"What...? What does that mean?"

Sylas’s grim report caused Marcus’s face to twist sharply with anger.

Scary... Rocco shivered, trembling as he clung to his father.

Being held like this made escape impossible, leaving him no choice but to shrink into himself.

Just then, Makarov approached them calmly while tilting his head in curiosity.

"What’s going on? Laxus... did you stir up trouble again?"

With a resigned smile, Makarov tousled Laxus’s hair.

Laxus, wearing a sheepish grin, nodded faintly in response.

"Uh, yes... a bit. While I was teasing Rocco, some enemies saw us and, apparently, misunderstood the situation..."

"Misunderstood?"

"Yes... They seem to believe that Rocco and I are lovers."

Laxus spoke apologetically, but a faint blush that was tinted his cheeks, revealing a mix of embarrassment and amusement.

At that moment, the arms holding Rocco trembled ever so slightly.

It was a small movement, but it was enough for Rocco to realize that his father’s emotions had just erupted into a fury.

"I tried to clear up the misunderstanding, but the enemy fled before I could. So, I fear they’ll target Rocco, thinking he’s my lover."

"Oh, what a disaster this is... Laxus, don’t be too hard on yourself. It was an unforeseen situation, and you must’ve been just as shocked..."

"N-No...! It’s all my fault! If I had been more vigilant, Rocco wouldn’t have been dragged into this...!"

"Oh, Laxus... As the head of the Del Fiore family, I will personally ensure your sins are atoned for..."

With tears streaming down their faces, the Del Fiore father and son embraced their grief together.

To an outsider, it might have looked like an emotional and touching moment.

However, from Rocco’s perspective, it was more of a What the hell are these two doing...?

The whole scene felt insincerely over-the-top.

As the stunned Di Malvento family looked at them in silence, the two Del Fiores finally ended their little drama.

Makarov straightened up his body while grinning brightly, and gave a decisive thumbs-up.

"And so, Del Fiore will take full responsibility for this situation. To begin with, Laxus will take responsibility by marrying Rocco. That sounds good, doesn’t it?"

"Yes! Absolutely, Father! I’ll take full responsibility!"

The father and son duo, now radiating a dazzling brilliance, seemed utterly transformed from the tearful pair they had been moments earlier.

As the Di Malvento family stood frozen in shock, Laxus and Makarov cheerfully began discussing the details of a wedding.

And not just any wedding—it was Rocco and Laxus’s wedding they were planning.

Why me? Rocco thought, utterly bewildered.

...

"The Del Fiore and Di Malvento families joining forces... This is not small matters."

With his bow slung across his back, the man returned to the estate to report the events that had transpired at the Del Fiore residence.

Having fled in disgrace, he fully expected to be executed as punishment.

However, his master—ever magnanimous—chose mercy.

Rising from his kneeling position, he stood to the side of the room, blending into the shadows with his breath held.

The Master swirled the wine in his glass, exhaling an irritated sigh.

"And it seems that the Del Fiores are sheltering that second son. The pawn born of her sacrifice... If we play this correctly, we could use him to bring the Del Fiores to their knees."

Across from the Master, a middle-aged man with fox-like eyes narrowed them even further, clasping his hands together with a sly grin.

"Indeed, indeed. Judging by appearances, the boy likely inherited his mother’s loose nature. He must be quite the charmer to have ensnared even the cunning Del Fiore family. I’d wager he performs very good in bed as well."

The Master raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Aren’t you concerned? He is, after all, your daughter’s child. I hear your daughter herself has been locked away in some dungeon for causing trouble..."

"No concern at all," the older man replied with a placid smile. "My daughter was useless, but the grandson shows promise. Rumors say he’s quite the natural at seducing men."

The man’s thin smile, paired with the casual way he sipped his wine, exuded anything but refinement.

Although it was appalling that such a coarse man could even sit in the Master’s presence, his position was of sufficient rank to justify keeping him around.

Disposing of a functional pawn before it’s fully worn out would be wasteful.

Still, it was pitiful to see their Master forced to rely on such a vile creature.

This man had been the one who orchestrated his daughter’s seduction of the Di Malvento family head—entirely for the purpose of producing a grandchild with Di Malvento blood.