Leon Greyrat: The Second Son - Mushoku Tensei OC

Chapter 66 - Facing the Guardian

— Leon Greyrat —

"Leon... are you okay?" Roxy said, gently patting my back.

"Yeah, thanks, Roxy," I said, leaning lightly into her side. "But... I'm more than okay."

Mama was there.

Mama was there!

Mama was right there!

We were so close!

"Hey, Leon!" my father said, pulling my collar, making me look up at him. "The hell are you grinnin' for!?"

Oh, was I?

Reaching up to my face, I quickly found the answer.

Ah... I was.

But that made sense.

I was happy, after all.

"Because she's there!" I said, standing up and grabbing his shoulders. "Mama's right there! And she's alive! Mama's alive!"

Seeing my ecstatic expression, my father calmed down slightly.

"What do you mean? They're both trapped in that crystal," he said, eyes narrowing. "We need to go get them right now!"

"Yes, but doesn't this explain it?" I said. "They must have been teleported in there, and since Kishirika could see them, they're alive! Rather than being suffocated, they must be locked in some sort of stasis!"

It explained so much.

Why my mothers didn't move, why they didn't leave the labyrinth, and how they survived for so long.

They were safe, trapped in that crystal since the day of the disaster.

"Mama and Lilia are alive, Father," I said, calming him down. "They're trapped, but they're also safe. We... we found them!"

My father looked into my eyes, and releasing a breath, I could see his anger, agitation, and tension diminish.

"Right... you're right, Leon," he said, shaking his head. "I was getting too antsy... sorry."

I patted his back reassuringly.

It's good to see he's grown.

"I get it... I want to save Mama more than anything, but we can't take too many risks, especially if they're unnecessary," I said calmly.

Though, considering the actions I took as soon as I saw Mama and Lilia, I couldn't really talk.

But at least we got some useful information out of Paul and I's little fight.

"Unnecessary risks?" he said, unsure, with a hint of anger in his tone.

Well, I could understand him.

My smile paired with those words must be pretty infuriating right now, since he didn't understand.

He was an idiot like that, after all.

"Yeah, unnecessary. How do you think she would feel if we saved Mama, only for her to wake up to Rudy, me, or even you dead, just because we pushed ourselves when there was no need?" I said. "We know they're alive and safe, so there's no need to rush. Let's do this properly, Father."

"...Right," he nodded, turning back to the group and bowing his head slightly. "Sorry, for rushing ahead like that... I was being an idiot, even though I'm the leader."

Lina simply shook her head fondly, though, she did give me a look.

It seemed almost... apologetic.

Why was that?