Justin knew Dante was right. The royal palace had appraisers and investigators—people capable of uncovering the truth and intentions of others through their skills. They could have waited, could have used those means, yet he had chosen this method instead. In hindsight, it was unnecessary. He should have considered how his child would feel, witnessing his father hurt his friend for his sake.
Dante had always been a kind child. He never harmed his siblings or the maids, and it was clear he had bonded deeply with Vexion. Justin was about to speak when the girl stirred and let out a soft moan.
Dante immediately turned his attention to her. "Vexion, are you okay? Does it hurt?"
Vexion blinked, momentarily dazed by her master's worry.
She knew Dante was an enigma—merciless in battle, killing in grotesque ways, yet always kind to her. Though part of her wanted to doubt his concern, she understood that, in his own strange way, he truly did care for her. Sitting up, she gave a small nod. "Greetings, Master. I have a slight headache, but it's nothing serious. I am aware His Majesty meant no harm."
Dante nodded, standing up, but Justin remained silent.
He had no words to defend himself.
How could he claim he meant no harm when he had deliberately chosen a path that inflicted it? Especially when there had been other ways to achieve the same goal without causing pain? All he could do was bow his head slightly and say, "I apologize for hurting you. Our child has never had real friends. The children of the nobles only sought him out to gain favor with my other children. I neglected the fact that he lacked true companionship. Please continue to be his friend." With that, he turned to leave.
Dante, who had exhausted every means of making his parents feel guilt, resisted the urge to smirk. Instead, he maintained the heartbroken expression of a child who had been deeply wounded on behalf of his friend.
Aurora, on the other hand, was appalled and confused. She had no idea how things had escalated so dramatically, but one thing was clear—she had hurt her son. The shame of it made her unable to even attempt an apology.
Seeing this, Dante stepped forward. "Mother," he said softly, "I don't know if the staff will treat her unkindly because she is a half-elf. I know I'm just a child, and there's a lot I don't understand, but… could she stay with you tonight? Tomorrow, we can make proper arrangements for her."
Aurora, hearing his request, nodded without hesitation. She had failed to protect this girl from her husband's actions, and this was the least she could do. Dante thanked her before excusing himself to his room.
...…..
Lying on his bed, Dante let out a long sigh. 'I deserve a Oscar' he mused. 'Though I was kind of pissed. Seeing her like that, wasn't a fun experience. I don't want to lose a friend again.
Not like I did with Mike. Especially not in this world, where I actually have the power to do something about it.'
His thoughts drifted back to his father's skill—the sheer overwhelming force of it. 'Father… he might actually be the final boss of this world.'
"System," Dante murmured, "how long do you think it would take for us to defeat him? Let me guess—one to like five thousand years, right?"
[…I cannot give you any answer or even estimation, Master. But I believe it is likely.]
Dante groaned. 'Tch. How is it even possible to live that long in this world?'
"System, show me the lifespan data all the races again"
[Pure Elves: 5000 – 10,000 years Dark Elves: 4,500 – 7,500 years Dragonkin:
4,000 – 7,200 years Half-Elves: 4,000 – 7,000 years Demons: 3,000 – 6,000 years
Beastkind: 2,500 – 5,800 years Fairies: 2,000 – 5,500 years Dwarves: 1,600 – 4,000 years Warrior Tribes: 1,000 – 3,500 years High Humans: 500 – 2,000 years Humans: 80 – 150 years
Master, these are the lifespans you previously requested to be hidden. I have confirmed this information through various books. However, lifespans may vary significantly due to factors too complex to provide a definitive answer, for example skills, magical elements , artifacts , hidden bloodlines etc.]
Dante nodded, studying the interface. A grin crept onto his face as his mind began running through various theories about why the lifespans differed so drastically. That being said, he knew these figures didn't take into account things like enchanted fruits, special pills, or other classical means of increasing longevity.
'Still,' he thought, 'if it takes hundreds to thousands of years just to level my mythical skills from 0 to 10…' He sighed, rolling onto his side. 'Nah, nope no thinking Im going to sleep.'