YM778.TV Chapter 222: Wake up to reality, Boy
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
\'What... is happening?\' Eli thought as he observed Aadya, Alysia, and Rock.....the newcomer.
Both Aadya and Alysia shot glares at Rock as if engaging in a silent conversation through their eyes.
After a moment of awkward silence, the waiter, a young man with a polite smile, arrived and asked,
"Excuse me, Sir. May I take your order?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Rock glanced at the waiter and said,
"Just a soft drink, please"
His gravelly voice resonated with an air of nonchalance that seemed out of place in the refined setting.
"Okay, Sir" The waiter replied before gracefully retreating and...ran away.
After the waiter left, Rock turned his attention toward Eli.
His weathered face bore the wrinkles of a life well-lived, With a casual yet piercing gaze, he asked,
"Date?"
"....No" Eli replied, taking a moment to respond. He knew he was just playfully teasing them, nothing serious. Moreover, one was the professor of his classroom, and the other was the Queen of the Flora continent....Rumours never had an endpoint, so he simply said the truth.
"No? But I heard you screaming something like, \'I never thought I would go on a date with two girls, and even more so, one girl is a homeroom teacher... hehehe\'" Rock closed the distance, glaring at Eli.
"....sigh, what do you want?" Eli pinched his nose bridge, the subtle gesture revealing a touch of exasperation.
"What do I want? It\'s been a few days since I saw my future son-in-law..." Rock glanced at the two, who flinched for a second before calming down.
Rock continued,
"And I heard some spicy news about you" his tone teasing, adding a touch of mystery to the conversation.
\'Seriously, old man, now of all times...\' Eli thought and was about to reply when,
"I-I am sorry, Asher Eli. I think you guys have a lot to catch up on. I will be leaving then" Aadya said as she stood up.
"Y-Yes, we will talk later" Alysia concurred and also stood up.
Eli was baffled for a second. He didn\'t care if Aadya left now, but with Alysia, he needed to finish today\'s plan by today itself.
Just about to stop Alysia when,
"Oh, Young Lads, no need to be shy...As a gentle fa--"
"We are not leaving"
"Yes" Both of them suddenly said and sat down, glaring at Rock. The cafe\'s atmosphere shifted a subtle tension threading through the air.
"???" Eli blinked.
Rock smiled brightly as he thought, \'Damn, my daughter is so cute\'.
Rock then turned his head and asked for details about the Dungeon incident.
....
...
After the great and lengthy tale,
"....I see, a lot has happened....ah" Rock leaned back as he drank his soft drink, which had arrived in the middle of the story.
Eli glanced at the other two, who were showing some uncomfortable faces, and decided to either throw out the old man or talk with them about what he wanted later.
"So, my son-in-law is the owner of Mythical Beast, which was supposed to be extinct in the dark age... I can boost my ego now" Rock smiled wickedly.
Eli noticed the word \'Future\' was removed now.
\'Well, what can you expect from the daughter of a father? No one wants their little princess to marry a run-down and talentless idiot...\' Eli thought as he shook his head, thinking he would definitely like Rock when he had his own children.
However,
The other two faces turned bright red as if they didn\'t want to hear any more from Rock\'s mouth. The blush added a touch of vulnerability.
Alysia and Aadya exchanged a few glances before Aadya said,
"M-Mr. Rock, if you are done with your investigation, could you please leave us alone?" She added inwardly, \'as soon as possible\'.
"Hmm," Rock stared at Aadya for a second before grinning, "Mister? Ah... Okay, well, I don\'t want to interrupt the \'date\' but can you tell me why you guys are going out with a guy like him?"
"AA!" Eli felt a little offended, \'Like him?\' What?\'.
"...W-We are not goin--"
"Oh, I am not against you loving him, but I already planned to marry him to my daughter...." Rock\'s grin widened, and Alysia and Aadya turned bright red.
Rock continued,
"Well, what can I say? My daughter is the most beautiful woman in this world....even her mother comes second to me.....that\'s the extent of her beauty. This brat must indeed be fortunate to have captured her affections" Like a general father, Rock conveyed his sentiment with a proud face.
".....rrrr" Aadya\'s face turned crimson as her composure wavered. Alysia, while less visibly affected, subtly cast a glance in Aadya\'s direction.
"Yeah, yeah..." Eli dismissed Rock\'s commentary with a nonchalant wave, prompting a disapproving frown from Rock.
"What? You don\'t trust me?" Rock inquired, abruptly altering the atmosphere.
"....Well, What can I say about Stalker?" Eli responded, recollecting Rock\'s mention of his daughter scrutinizing and watching him closely.
"Thud"
Aadya abruptly pounded the table, her visage adorned with both tears and a flush.
While Alysia expressed surprise, it was exclusively due to the term \'Stalker\'.
"..." Eli found himself momentarily taken aback by Aadya\'s impassioned outburst, just as he was about to inquire when,
"Oh, I have another proposition...." Ignoring Aadya as though she were air, Rock proceeded,
"I have this...Sister-in-law" Casting a gaze toward Alysia, who showed a deadpan expression, Rock continued, "If possible I like you to consider her as a potential life partner.
She possesses a pretty face, is very good at managing the territory and is a little older than you but a wise person and a little arrogant....Who knows she might have already fallen for your charm" Rock winked at Eli.
Eli looks at him with a weird face.
"..." Alysia\'s face blushed, her ears exhibiting a subtle twitch, while Aadya regarded Alysia with a discernible frown.
"Why do you look like a salesperson now?" Eli asked with a straight face which triggered spontaneous laughter from Alysia and Aadya.
"Ppfftt---"
"Haha--"
Both Alysia and Aadya endeavoured to stifle their laughter.
"W-What you mean, Eli?" Rock was visibly taken aback by Eli\'s retort.
"What do I mean? You idiot, this is about two people; you cannot come and add it like an adding book in a large row just because that row is empty, and built with high-quality diamonds and golds... it\'s about understanding the person\'s mind and their taste" Eli admonished Rock, emphasizing that his approach was flawed and could undoubtedly inflict harm on someone in the process.
Alysia and Aadya were visibly taken aback by Eli\'s poignant words.
Rock sighed and countered, "Even if she holds a position of ruler or belongs to a high-class noble lineage?"
"..." Eli locked eyes with Rock and replied with solemnity, "Even if she were the Emperor of the entire world, if she doesn\'t love me then I don\'t need that kind of woman".
Rock returned a stern glare, adopting a serious tone, "Even if she possesses the ability to shape the world with a mere word from you, simplifying your life and ensuring comfort... you still wouldn\'t want her?"
"Even if she handed the entire world to me, without her heart being mine, I see...no value in such a woman" Eli asserted resolutely, without a trace of hesitation.
Aadya and Alysia were astonished by Eli\'s unwavering conviction.
Rock frowned....he genuinely disapproved of Eli\'s response.
While it might paint Eli as a considerate and gentle man to some women, Rock couldn\'t dismiss the reality that everyone had to confront,
"Wake up to reality, Boy.
That is not how a man should act. Even if love is absent, so what?....Opportunity knocks on your door only once.
You can find love at any time, anywhere, even with some lowly woman like a Maid/Slave, but a Queen/Emperor...that is not something you should lose. It\'s a godsend opportunity, and..." Rock leaned towards Eli and added,
"Don\'t squander your opportunity, even if it feels wrong, because there are millions of people eager to seize that opportunity even if it\'s wrong....they don\'t care".
"...." Eli locked eyes with Rock, whose gaze mirrored the gravity of his words and yet,
"Love is also an opportunity" Eli said as he rubbed his obsidian ring on his left hand.
"..." Rock frowned.
Both Alysia and Aadya observed the tense atmosphere between Eli and Rock, anticipating a potential confrontation.
"That\'s what she said, \'Love is also an opportunity; not everyone finds their Loyal love\' My wife, with a radiant smile that illuminates my dark life" Eli then glanced at Rock and added,
"Yes, what you said is not incorrect at all, but... I choose to believe what I want, and you choose yours" Eli tapped Rock\'s chest, indicating Rock\'s heart.
With a dangerous smile, Eli declared, "I can make my love anything she wishes to be...freelancer, employee, entrepreneur, noble... even a queen, if that she wants to be"
Rock scrutinized Eli\'s eyes, searching for any sign of deceit or fear, but they only reflected genuine conviction...He was dead serious.
\'Well, I was a little disappointed at the beginning, but hearing those words..\'I can make my love anything she wishes to be\'...I guess I didn\'t choose the wrong one this time\' Rock thought, slowly backing down, remembering his other sons-in-law who were often too virtuous for their own good, avoiding conflicts or facing mindless adversaries.
Yet, one common trait remained: they would do anything for opportunities...just like him.
"Not bad, not bad at all, my son" Rock nodded, glancing at the two women covering their red faces. \'Please marry him faster, My daughter, and as for the other one... well, she is already in the pocket\'.
Eli regained his composure and looked at the two blushing women, thinking, \'Well, I know those words could make any woman blush, but--\'.
"Excuse me, Sir?"
Eli\'s train of thought was interrupted by the waiter.
"Yes?"
"I am sorry to inform you, but there are media and people calling for you from the outside" The waiter pointed towards the window.
"..." Eli turned his gaze in that direction, raising his eyebrows.
"Tsk, you became popular, brat" Rock clicked his tongue in annoyance after seeing hundreds of people waiting outside.
"We should leave" Alysia and Aadya had already regained their composure.