Free Web NovelChapter 158: Canceled Agreement
Ren jumped over the table that was between him and Mika.
Midair, he attempted to land a swift kick on Mika but in Mika’s point of view, the kick was slow.
"..."
Mika ducked and simultaneously pushed Louis’ head down, evading Ren’s kick.
Then, he immediately held his sword tight and aimed to thrust it at Ren.
[2 minutes and 49 seconds left.]
For everyone else, not more than 4 seconds have passed, however, for Mika, it was 10 seconds due to his latest ability, which enabled him to slow down everyone’s time except his own. freewebnovёl.ƈom
In his 10 seconds, he managed to subdue Louis and now, his sword was pointed at Ren, who could not react to that.
"That’s enough..." Louis stated weakly.
"M-Mr. Hayth!"
"..."
Mika quickly undid his transformation.
"So we’re done with this matter, I assume?" Mika asked.
"..."
Louis gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Sorry, I will announce it tomorrow... For now, I need some time to digest this event..."
Mika sighed.
"Fine."
Then, Mika left the room.
"I-I wasn’t beaten yet!" Ren protested desperately.
"Ren, that’s enough."
"Dad!"
"Let me talk with him alone." Zhen stated.
"..."
Like a sullen child, Ren averted his gaze and also exited the room.
Now, only Zhen and Louis remained.
"I’m deeply sorry, Zhen..." Louis apologized, sounding like he had a headache.
"It’s fine. You did nothing wrong."
Zhen narrowed his gaze.
"Furthermore, that Mika boy is strong. Stronger than Ren. I could tell from a glance."
Zhen’s intuition never failed him in his life. He could always tell if someone was strong or not just by looking at a person briefly.
But that was why he was also slightly irritated by himself as he marked Mika as someone weak when they first met each other.
"But be that as it may. There’s another urgent topic we have to address, am I correct?"
"..."
Louis remained silent for a second.
"I’m sure that the king didn’t summon you just to retell you what has happened in Loogam."
"Nothing escapes you, huh?" Louis huffed lightly.
Following those words, Louis talked about the king’s main concern.
The next day.
"Come, Lily. Say, Ahh!"
"I-I can do it myself!"
Mika was currently eating breakfast with Lily, Sylvia, Lena and Ren.
Sitting next to Lily, he carefully led his spoon to Lily’s mouth.
While he smiled, he closed his eyes.
"Believe me, I want to die from embarrassment, too. But I’ve no choice!" he whispered without breaking his smile.
"..."
Blushing from one ear to another, Lily was still hesitating.
Meanwhile, Lena and Sylvia carried on eating as if nothing happened. freeweɓnovel.cøm
However, Ren was fuming as he sat right across from them.
"A-ah..."
Lily opened her mouth, letting herself be fed by Mika.
"W-what are you doing?!" Ren shouted, being red on his face as well.
"Huh? Isn’t this normal for a couple?" Mika bluntly replied.
"C-couple...?! I-I still haven’t acknowledged you, you know!"
"Why do we need your agreement? Am I right, Lily?"
Mika grabbed Lily’s shoulder and pulled her slightly to her.
"Sorry!" he whispered again.
"Y-y-yes...!" she responded nervously.
"How long do we have to act as a couple?!" she whispered back to him.
"Most likely until we leave your residence."
"..."
"What are you two whispering about!?"
"H-huh? J-just some sweet words, you know?" Mika laughed it off awkwardly.
Ren clenched his fists.
His anger was justified as he internally declared his love for Lily when he was young.
And now he had to watch her being all lovely with another guy.
Unbeknownst to him, Mika wanted to do this the least. But he had no other choice as he had to convince everyone that he was her lover or else, the deal between their fathers would not get canceled.
And said men entered the dining room.
"Good morning everyone. I hope you have all slept well." Louis greeted everyone with a stern expression.
Zhen stood silently beside him.
Before he continued, Louis took a quick glance at Mika.
"Let me get straight to the point. Zhen and I have canceled our agreement, which would have led to the marriage between Lily and Ren."
"What?!"
Naturally, Lily was the first one to react.
She shot up from her seat and slammed the table with both hands.
Mika, in return, noticed Sylvia’s gaze.
He guessed that she was connecting the dots and the reason why he acted as Lily’s boyfriend.
"..."
But surprisingly, Ren was silent.
Only his jaw dropped from the shock.
"What’s this about, Dad?! And why am I hearing about that just now?!"
"Let’s talk later, Lily." Louis responded calmly.
Reluctantly, Lily sat down again.
"The other topic is about the Great Jungle."
It was the place, where Mika and the others absolved their first mission and where they confronted Zantar, a B-rank demon.
"The king notified me that people noticed the activities of the jungle’s king."
Mika was confused.
"There was a king?" he muttered.
"Yes. For a certain amount of time, he hid himself inside the jungle but since two months ago, the king resurfaced again." Louis explained, catching Mika’s words.
"..."
Mika was in thoughts.
’Must have been connected to Zantar, then.’
[Yes.]
"What is the problem with the king resurfacing again? It’s not like it would escape the jungle, right?" Ren said.
"..."
Louis stared at Ren.
"Unfortunately, there’s a possibility of the king escaping."
"!"
Ren’s eyes widened.
"According to the reports, large numbers of monsters have started to gather at certain spots in the jungle. If the king is leading that pack, then we can assume that they are preparing to escape." Louis explained.
Now, Zhen stepped forward.
"The king is assembling a small elite troupe to eliminate the threat. Of course, he asked every one of us if we wanted to join, too." Zhen said.
"Because most members of the king’s personal troupe are currently busy with other affairs, we have no choice but to seek out help from others."
Again, Louis’ gaze wandered to Mika.
"Knowing that you’re all visiting us, the king especially asked for your cooperation as you all managed to deal with the invasion in Loogam."
He heaved a sigh.
"To be honest, it doesn’t sit well with me, sending my daughter and her friends to the battlefield but I also can’t refuse the king..." he complained silently.
"Count me in!" Ren said vigorously as he stood up straight.
Ren pointed his finger at Mika.
"And I want to challenge you! The winner gets Lily!" he declared.
Mika heard multiple sighs, including his own.
"Wha-"
Lily gasped.
"She’s not a trophy, you know?" Mika stated.
But Ren was unfazed by his words.
"Mika Elbar. Please come with us to the Great Jungle." Zhen said, bowing slightly.
That statement was even more shocking than Ren’s.
"You can ignore my son’s words. This is just my own selfish request. Will you accept?"
Everyone’s attention, including the butlers and maids’, was on Mika.
And due to the pressure, Mika could only say yes.
"I... I accept..." he said reluctantly.
"Then, I will tag along as well." Sylvia said, raising her hand.
"I-I will come, too! And I won’t let my fate get decided by that ridiculous match between you two!" Lily shouted, shifting her gaze between Ren and Mika.
Now, everyone aside from Lena agreed to take on the mission.
"Good. We will leave tomorrow. Prepare yourselves until then." Louis said before leaving the room again.
"If you want to train, then I will instruct you in the garden." Zhen offered as he, too, left.
After they left, Sylvia headed to the garden and Lily to Louis’ office.
"And? What will you two do today?" Lena asked with a smile.
"Nothing, I guess." Mika replied calmly.
"I will prepare my equipment." Ren answered politely.
Ren stood up and exited the dining room.
"Aren’t you worried as a mother? This mission sounds pretty tough, in my opinion."
Her own daughter was about to enter a place filled with wild monsters led by a king, whose strength Mika could not measure yet.
"Why should I be? Her father is there to keep an eye on her. And if he isn’t enough for that job, you would surely be there, right?"
Lena still smiled kindly.
In response, Mika could only sigh.
"Now, I feel the pressure..." he muttered as he left.
She was unable to see Mika’s slight smile.
"..."
Mika went upstairs and eventually arrived in front of Louis’ office.
However, he was not the only person.
"Tch. Why are you here?"
"I could ask you the same."
It was the annoyed Ren, who was leaning against the wall beside the door.
"Just be quiet for now." he said, signaling to the door.
"?"
Mika, too, leaned against the wall with his back.
And with the floor being completely silent, voices started to be heard from the room.
"..."
Taken aback, Mika looked at Ren, who was intensely pressing his ear against the wall.
The two people, who were inside Louis’ office, were Louis and Lily.
