Phil shifts his eyes to Leon.
"Young master... may we have a conversation?"
Baffled by Phil's solemn demeanor, Leon thought,
'What's going on? I have a bad feeling about this.'
Taking a deep breath to compose himself, he closes and opens his eyes before addressing Phil with a calm inquiry,
"So, a private chat between us?"
Phil nods.
Leon sits up from his reclined position, nodding his head.
"Sorry, Father... Can you and Luis please leave us alone for a moment?" he pleads, casting a slight smile into his father's eyes.
Duke Carl ponders for a moment before responding, "Haaa... fine. Just don't talk too long. We need to proceed with the investigation after this."
Flinching at the mention of the investigation, Leon's mind races. 'Hmm... they shouldn't investigate this. What should I do?'
His heart thumps as he tries to formulate a solution. "Father, about that... I have a request," Leon utters, biting his lips slightly.
His father frowns, thinking, 'I have a feeling he'll ask me to stop this matter,' as he looks at his son, who appears nervous for some reason.
With a serious expression, Duke Carl asks, "What is it, Leo? You're not trying to ask me to stop this investigation or something, right?"
Leon takes a nervous gulp.
'Wow, he nailed it... hmm, what should I do?'
"Big bro... Are you seriously considering something like that? But your life—"
"Isn't it fine?" Leon interjects.
Luis falls silent, his face displaying concern.
"How can that be okay? You almost died!" Duke Carl responds sternly.
Leon's left eyebrow arches.
"I'm not dead," he asserts.
"You!!! Really—!! Why—"
"Father, this is not a request. This is what I want, and at that, please honor my request as a victim," Leon sternly cuts off Duke Carl's words.
His face reflects determination.
"Haa!!" Duke Carl growls in disbelief.
'Look at him!!! Bleeding all over his body but still!!!!' Duke Carl stares daggers at Leon.
Yet, Leon remains unfazed, resolute in his decision. This prompts Duke Carl to shout in anger,
"You're so stubborn! You almost die and still act like this!!!"
His face crumples, revealing his struggle to comprehend his son's thoughts.
'Someone caused him to be like this, yet he won't catch them?'
Duke Carl shakes his head, refusing to accept any of Leon's persuasions.
As a father, he loves his son Leon deeply and cannot tolerate anyone daring to harm him. That's why he is determined to apprehend the culprit. However, Leon is reluctant to cooperate.
"Do you wish to die?" Duke Carl asks coldly, causing Leon to frown.
His eyes stare at his father express disbelief at this absurd question.
'What kind of stupid question are you asking?'
"Of course, I want to live!" he answers as if it's obvious, shaking his head while crossing his arms.
"Haa..." Leon sighs. He feels like he should just ignore his father.
'Life is not a game after all... Although this is a novel, my life is still my life...tch*'
He clicks his tongue in his head, aware that he can't act this way in reality out of respect for his father.
"Then... isn't it contradicting with your answer just now? You wish to live, but you don't want to catch those guys who hurt you—"
"Father... there's no one hurting me!!!" Leon gazes at Duke Carl sternly.
Duke Carl frowns. 'Then why?'
"Then why are you hurting right now, brother?" Luis takes a step closer to Phil as he poses the question that his father was contemplating.
"This kind of pain that you had to go through... it's not an ordinary one. If it's not someone's doing, then what is it?" Luis asks with greater determination.
Leon stares into his little brother's eyes.
'ugh... What a pain...'
"Haaa..." Leon sighs, feeling the weight of everyone's attention on him.
'Now... what will you say, young master?' Phil thought anxiously.
'Should I say it—the thing that I want to keep? Is it better to tell them?'
Leon's head gazed down, his eyes tired, and his expression gloomy.
'Should I not ask that?' Luis thought as he stared at Leon. Somehow, he felt bad seeing Leon looking like that.
"It's my fault... I..." Leon closed his eyes, swallowing his saliva. He paused for a moment, and silence filled the room. No one spoke as they waited for Leon to continue.
'Haa... I hate this... Should I confess or tell a lie?' he wondered before deciding to continue, "I awakened a power."
"...," a short silence enveloped the room before they simultaneously shouted,
"'Ehh!!!?'"
They looked so shocked, and only after some time did they finally making a fuss near him.
"Oh my god, congratulations, young master!" "Leo!" "Big bro! Amazing!"
Leon ignored their reactions.
'Fuhhh... It's a relief that Leon never told them that he already awakened...'
A wicked smile appeared in Leon's mind. However, his facial expression didn't change in the slightest.
"Yo-you are awakened!???" his father shouted in excitement.
Luis held his mouth with both hands, seemingly suppressing a scream of excitement that threatened to come out. Phil's eyes twinkled with admiration towards Leon.
Leon stared at them with an awkward smile.
"Isn't this a cause for celebration?" Duke Carl suggested with sparkling eyes. Leon looked at him with a wrinkled expression.
"Father, please... Haa..." Leon sighed with a somewhat uncomfortable expression.
Duke Carl's expression shifts to a gloomier one.
"What is it now, Leo? You don't want to celebrate it?" Duke Carl asks with sad eyes. Leon sighs again, observing his father's face. He can somehow see his father's puppy-like expression but inwardly ignores it with guilt.
"I understand, Father, but I don't plan to reveal my power to everyone except our family. After all, I will be leaving this household soon," Leon explained with a complicated expression.
He was aware of what his father was thinking, but he didn't want to add any obstacles that could arise in his life if someone knew about his awakening.
Awakening is a phenomenon typically reserved for selected noble individuals, but that doesn't completely rule out the possibility for common people to experience it. Throughout history, a few common individuals have awakened, with many becoming prominent figures and vital characters for their respective Kingdoms.
The experience of awakening often involves pain, and the process can vary widely among individuals. Each person may undergo a unique awakening or share similarities, contingent on their individual circumstances.
In noble households, when the head of the house awakens, their heir usually inherits the newfound power through a specific ceremony. Failing to pass on the power may decrease the chances of awakening in the family's future generations.
The Fronti household, while lacking any recorded history of awakening, is already formidable even without this phenomenon.
In the novel's narrative, it is Luis who undergoes awakening in this household.
"That's why Luis is able to go on adventures with the MC of this novel... his strength doubles because of the awakening," Leon reflects as he glances toward Luis.
******************************************
To be continued.