Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 165: The Game of Parental Rights

Looking toward the source of the sound, he saw Laxus standing there, as calm and composed as ever.

Now that he thought about it, Laxus had been with them since they left the Del Fiore estate.

He must have been keeping his distance out of consideration for the Di Malventos’ situation earlier.

"Hey, Sylas, everyone," Laxus said with an easy smile. "Let’s calm down, alright? We need to focus on figuring out the next steps. Are we really going to give up on your father’s safe return?"

"Of course we’re not giving up, you damn fool. Outsiders should just stay out of this," Sylas snapped back.

Laxus grinned. "Ah, good to see you’re back to your usual self."

Sylas swiftly swatted away Laxus’s hand from his shoulder, walking away with a cold, stiff demeanor.

Laxus, looking startled, called out to him in a hurry. freewebnøvel.com

"Wait! This time, this isn’t something the Di Malventos can handle on their own."

"..."

Rocco peeked out cautiously from Sylas’s arms.

He glanced at Sylas, who had a faint expression of distress on his face.

It wasn’t surprising; this was a response anyone would have in this situation.

Sylas had always been adamant about refusing cooperation with the Del Fiores.

He likely believed that forming any kind of debt with the cunning Del Fiore family, who were as devious as they were powerful, was far too risky.

But now, that kind of thinking couldn’t afford to continue.

With the guard being suspicious of the Di Malventos, they could no longer move openly.

If they were caught making any suspicious moves, there was a real possibility they would be framed for a crime.

They couldn’t afford to make unnecessary moves.

That was why they needed the power of another family, one that wasn’t the Di Malventos.

"Now is the time for the two great families to join forces. Let’s make a public statement of our strong alliance to show the mastermind and the public our resolve," Rocco said, though even he found himself slightly smiling at how his mind was still focused on strategy, even in the midst of this crisis.

It was just like Laxus.

Despite the situation, Laxus’s detachment was almost refreshing, and Rocco couldn’t help but admire the sheer decisiveness in Laxus’s approach.

They needed to do something, and overthinking things wasn’t going to solve anything.

It was then that a familiar voice startled him from above.

"—Young Master."

Rocco quickly looked up, startled to see Ragar crouched atop the wall, blending into the shadows.

"Ragar...!? You were here all along?"

"Yes, I’ve been here the whole time."

The tall wall surrounding the Di Malventos’ estate came into view.

Rocco wondered how Ragar had climbed it, but immediately pushed the thought aside.

Ragar was a beastman, after all, and scaling such heights was probably as easy as breathing for him.

Rocco was perplexed, wondering why Ragar would be in such a place.

Ragar swiftly jumped down in front of him and immediately knelt down, lowering his head in a gesture of respect.

No matter the situation, Ragar always maintained his unwavering loyalty.

"I’m relieved to see you’re back safely. I took the liberty of sending Georgio to protect the head of the family... Was that acceptable?"

"What! Well, of course, that’s great, but... Wait, was Georgio there earlier?"

"He’s been there the whole time. He was hiding on top of the carriage, didn’t you notice? From our position, it was completely visible, so I was a bit worried..."

"Not at all!? I didn’t notice him at all!"

The overwhelming revelation left Rocco in a state of confusion.

Ragar was just too competent.

He’d sent Georgio to guard his father?

That thought alone brought a sense of relief.

At least, if the worst were to happen, Georgio would be there to rescue his father and help him escape.

He could now feel confident in his father’s safety.

With this, perhaps they could finally have a calm discussion.

"Ragar... you’re the best... the best subordinate ever..."

Rocco hugged Ragar tightly and playfully nibbled at his beast ears.

However, after a few seconds, Rocco snapped back to reality, quickly pulling his mouth away from the ears.

That was a close call—he had promised not to nibble anymore.

As he moved away, he swore he saw Ragar make a wistful expression, but he quickly dismissed it.

Probably just his imagination.

After all, only Georgio or Laxus would enjoy having their ears nibbled.

"Now that you mention it, I did sense something strange earlier. So, it was your subordinate, right?"

Rocco was taken aback when he saw Laxus and Sylas nodding as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Wait, what? Did everyone else notice?

That’s a bit embarrassing.

He had just been so surprised earlier that he had raised both hands in shock, and now he felt a little embarrassed about it.

"Well, that’s good, Sylas. Now we can calmly discuss things, right?"

"...I’m always calm."

Sylas frowned at Laxus’s cheerful remark.

Rocco knew that everyone had likely noticed Sylas’s earlier dismay, but he wisely kept quiet, not mentioning it aloud.

...

Given the risks of being watched or eavesdropped on, they decided it was best to head inside the mansion for now.

Laxus had almost been turned away at the gates due to Sylas’s cold reception, but Rocco had managed to persuade Sylas by sweet-talking him.

Well, Rocco had simply begged with a cute "Please" and a pouty look.

Pride?

He couldn’t care less about that right now.

"Laxus, you shouldn’t tease my older brother too much. You need to read the room now, okay? Sensitivity is important," Rocco said.

"Sorry, Rocco. I just wanted to lighten the mood since it felt so tense," Laxus apologized.

As Rocco sat in a chair in the guest room, he gave Laxus a small scolding.

Meanwhile, Sylas was off talking to the mansion’s staff to gather more information.

He needed to figure out exactly what happened when his father was taken, and there were still a lot of uncertainties surrounding his step mother death as well.