Although it was an impromptu plan, he did not foresee that blackmailing through Lydon would have such an outcome.

He used the fact that he was a multi-attribute magician to create a sense of urgency, and offered to negotiate in exchange for Lydon’s safety. Even if the negotiations failed, the fairies would not be able to attack him now that he had their heir. Or so he thought.

However.

“Are you sure you’re the only heir? Are you hiding a twin somewhere?”

“Ahaha! If there were two kids like me, there wouldn’t be any forest left? I’m the perfect only son.”

Cadel unleashed the fire barrier while keeping the [Fire Arrow] he had laid down as a threat. It was a heavy burden to maintain two magic spells, but it was necessary. If he wanted to maintain his bluff against the ice spears and blizzards flying at him from all directions, he would have to squeeze every ounce of mana he could out of his body.

After all, he was a 7-star magician. He couldn’t show his true colors already.

“Why don’t you make a shield too? Don’t stand there idly by.”

“Hmm, wouldn’t it be cooler if Cadel handled everything alone here?”

“I don’t want to die trying to look cool? I don’t want to waste my newly acquired mana on something like this, so help me.”

Cadel glared fiercely, and Lydon sighed as if he had no choice. Cold air ran down his outstretched arms.

When Cadel, who was watching him, just removed the barrier that was defending the front. An unlucky warrior rushed in, looking for a gap.

Unsurprisingly, he didn’t manage to break through the barrier, as Lydon’s ice shield immediately sprang up. The warrior who couldn’t turn around made a loud noise and collapsed. Along with his screams, he heard Melphis’ angry shouts.

“How much of the forest must be ruined before you realize the weight of your actions, Lydon!”

“If anyone hears you, they’ll think I’ve done something, Mr. Melphis. You’re the one who’s tearing up the garden. Are your eyes blurry because you’re old?”

“You!”

There was no place that wasn’t being attacked. Part of him wanted to spray them with [Fire Arrow] coolly. However.

‘Don’t forget what you came here for. Don’t be impatient, aim for the right moment.’

What they want was a face-to-face conversation with Lydon’s father, the Fairy King Hyron. If they couldn’t make it through the garden on their own, they’d have to drag the opponent out of the tower.

Hold on. Until the Fairy King himself arrived, having fed up with the uproar.

Cadel steadied his rapidly deteriorating breathing and faked a voice to pretend he wasn’t exhausted at all.

“There’s no point in holding hostage if it comes out like this, right? I’m afraid I’ll kill him off.”

“The soon-to-be-dead guy is talking nonsense!”

The tip of Cadel’s nose, cheeks, and earlobes were stained red from the fierce cold wave. Had it not been for the barrier of fire surrounding him, he would have been frostbitten right away.

‘How many minutes? How many hours? How long do I have to endure for the Fairy King to come out? The longer it drags, the more disadvantageous it is. I can’t attack hastily, and I can’t defend forever.’

Maybe retreating was the answer, and even with that hypothetical in mind, Cadel didn’t back down.

‘I don’t want to waste any more time. Lumen must have woken up by now. Van, too. They’ll all be waiting for me.’

He didn’t want to make them feel guilty. Pushing Lumen out of the barrier, trying to recruit Lydon as a knight. They were all choices he made to keep himself alive. He wanted to live and be with them.

In a world that he had transmigrated at will, there were no more important comrades than them. So even more. No more time was to be wasted.

Determined, Cadel turned his gaze to the sky.

‘There is no room for negotiation already. If only I could pull out the Fairy King with a little more certainty in my time of lingering feelings.’

He would use the [Fire Arrow] he had been suppressing. He would try to control it so that there would be no casualties.

If that didn’t work, he would have to set Lydon on fire to create a bigger ruckus.

The very moment when Cadel, who had made a vicious plan, loosened the power that held the Fire Arrow], and the flaming arrows loaded into the sky vibrated as if they were about to rain down at any moment.

“Is it fair to say that by making such a fuss under my nose, you’re determined to get me out somehow? Melphis.”

The deafeningly loud attack stopped at once. Sensing something in the surrounding’s sudden silence, Cadel hastily recalled his mana.

Thanks to this, the attack that was prepared at best went to nothing.

“I haven’t seen you in a while, Lydon. I assume the child next to you is…… your friend?”

As it turns out, it was an excellent choice.

* * *

While climbing to the top of the tower, Cadel was almost stunned. It wasn’t that he was overwhelmed by the spirit of the Fairy King Hyron, or overwhelmed by his invincible might.

The thing was…….

“This forest is all under my control, from Cadel’s arrival, to my son’s first meeting with him, to the playtime you spent with his antics, to Cadel’s awesome 3-attribute magic. I was watching everything. I couldn’t hear it, but it was very interesting. Actually, I wanted to meet Cadel and my son right away when you came to the tower. I refrained because there is such a thing as a king’s face. In that sense, how was it? The timing of my appearance. Wasn’t it appropriate?”

“Haha……. yes, well…… It was appropriate.”

He was so chatty! Contrary to the friendly tone, the pace of the conversation was too fast, and he had to listen to an endless stream of stories with interruptions for agreement.

‘Is he really the Fairy King? Where’s the dignity?’

The face looking back at him from the top of the stairs was beautiful. The man, who was probably Lydon’s father, was relatively young compared to his son, but he was certainly handsome.

The same light golden hair as Lydon’s, slightly drooping at the corners, and eyes a shade darker than his son’s. His long, silky hair, tied back loosely, bounced gently as he moved.

‘I guess I should be glad he has this personality. I’m more likely to be able to talk to him than Melphis, anyway.’

It was this Fairy King who interrupted Melphis, who was rampaging by ordering an advance without hesitation. His arrival halted all attacks aimed at Cadel. The mere appearance of Hyron brought the whole situation to an end.

“Is it hard because the tower is high? It’s normal soon, so please cheer up. We can fly and go, but I heard that normal humans walk and chat together like this? It’s easier to match one’s stride than to match one’s flight speed. Alas, it’s certainly been a while since I’ve walked, and while my son is a big, strong guy like his dad, and he’ll be able to keep up, but as you can see, I’m getting old. However, I feel energized right away when I think of welcoming a new friend my son has brought home. Is this the power of love?”

This incessant chatterbox was obviously quite fond of Lydon. You’d think that would be expected of a father, but not many parents do.

Cadel glanced at Lydon, who was standing next to him, roughly tuning in to Hyron’s rhythm.

He had spoken very little since entering the tower. He wore a faint smile, but that could be because Lydon himself was a smiling statue.

The guy who kept laughing loudly ‘Ahaha!’ or ‘Haha!’ suddenly became silent. It was almost awkward.

‘Is he not close with his father?’

Indeed, if they were close, Lydon would have persuaded his father on his own. Moreover, when he first appeared, Hyron said.

‘I haven’t seen you in a while, Lydon. I assume the child next to you is…… your friend?’

I haven’t seen you in a while. If it was a friendly father-son relationship, there was no way people would talk about seeing each other for the first time in a while when they lived in the same area.

Cadel cleared his throat, his breathing a little ragged from the constant climbing of the stairs.

‘Never mind, I wasn’t expecting any help from Lydon in the first place. Just being able to meet privately, without the distraction of the others, is a big win.’

Thankfully, Hyron pointed out only Cadel and Lydon in the mess. He told everyone to leave because he wanted to spend time alone with them. There was resistance from Melphis in the process, but it was all sorted out with a word from Hyron.

‘I’ll get mad if you interrupt me.’

Hyron smiled and said with a good face, but everyone was discouraged and stepped back. Even though he was gentle on the outside, the king was the king.