69 One Punch
A punch that shouts “Dad’s love, daughter’s respect!” (Two in one)
As expected, just as Leon imagined, Aurora slowly flew him into the mountain gorge, finally coming to a stop in front of the familiar waterfall.
Aurora flapped her wings and pushed aside the waterfall’s flow—her movements were identical to those when Roswiser brought him here in the past. It was hard not to suspect that the Mother Dragon personally taught her daughter this little trick.
This also further confirmed Leon’s suspicion that the daughters actually knew about their dad’s human identity.
But why hadn’t Aurora just come out and said it?
Leon couldn’t figure it out.
After entering the cave, Aurora transformed into her human form and called out to the depths of the cave, “Sister.”
Her tone, still coldly scientific, nonetheless conveyed some familial warmth.
It was this simple call of “sister” that made Leon feel a bit nervous.
As a father, he’d often imagined what his daughters would look like when they grew up.
Little Light was not far off from the future he had envisioned.
If he had to nitpick, it was that at twenty years old, she still hadn’t forgotten to give her old man an uppercut whenever they met.
Truly a case of fatherly love and daughterly respect etched in genes.
He couldn’t help but wonder how Noia had transformed from that little girl who was always trying hard to act like an adult into what she had become now.
Leon felt both excited and anxious.
He fixed his gaze into the depths of the cave, and soon, a tall figure emerged from the darkness.
With low-heeled boots lightly tapping against the cold stone, her rhythm echoed through the cave.
The girl stepping out of the shadows was dressed in a fitted black outfit, her tight pants perfectly outlining her legs. Although her waist was slender, it exuded a sense of strength.
Her hair wasn’t particularly long, dark with streaks of silver shining through.
Her face, delicate like a piece of art, bore no expression—just like the women of the Melkway family were proficient at maintaining a straight face.
She had grown taller, her steps heavier and steadier. Her sharp eyes resembled that of a seasoned female general, exuding an air of elegance.
“Noia…”
Leon felt an indescribable sensation.
Although in his visions for the future, Noia was indeed supposed to be this cool and icy, after all, she was a born warrior destined for an extraordinary life;
But seeing her grow up from being the little girl he once held in his arms to a battle-hardened warrior made him feel a whirlwind of emotions.
When Leon snapped back to reality, Noia was already standing in front of him.
His daughter had grown up and was stunning—just like her mother.
But on that beautiful face, there was a faint scar.
Though it was already quite faded and unlikely to be noticed from afar, any mark on his daughters was like a dagger to him; no matter how small, Leon would certainly take it to heart.
Just as he had thought, Noia must have faced a lot of hardships over the years.
And knowing her personality, she was probably the one who had suffered the most among the three sisters.
Leon gazed into his daughter’s eyes, and she returned his stare.
Her brows and eyes resembled her mother’s; at a glance, she seemed indifferent and distant, exuding a sense of coldness.
But once you break through that icy exterior, you could feel the intense emotions bubbling underneath.
Noia’s pupils trembled slightly, and her expression began to show a hint of warmth.
She couldn’t suppress her feelings with absolute calm like Aurora; she was mature, but she was also more reliant on her father.
For Noia, she hadn’t seen her father for a full twenty years.
Now, the family member she had missed so much was standing right in front of her, and a flood of memories rushed into her mind, washing over her tears.
Seeing his daughter’s emotions fluctuate, Leon slowly raised his hand and moved to wipe away her nearly-falling tears.
However—
Slap!
Noia suddenly seized Leon’s wrist.
The old man was taken aback, blinking, “What’s wrong, Noia— Mmph!!”
Before he could finish, a punch landed squarely in Leon’s abdomen.
The old man instantly collapsed to his knees, his head spinning.
But he still used the last moments of clarity to poke Noia’s nose, “You Melkway girls’ mother not only excels at changing faces but also at… patricide…”
With that, General Leon’s vision went dark, and he passed out.
Aurora’s face flashed with a hint of panic but quickly vanished.
She walked slowly to her sister’s side, looking at their passed-out father.
“Dad just came back from the rift; his body hasn’t recovered yet. That punch of yours was a tad heavy.”
Aurora had just used an uppercut to knock out their father a few hours earlier.
Noia wiped the tears from her eyes, adjusting her mood. “This was just the first punch; there are three more to go.”
Aurora raised an eyebrow, counted mentally, and said, “Actually, it’s two punches—Mom’s and the second sister’s.”
“And yours?”
“I knocked him out a long time ago.”
“Oh.”
Noia glanced at the old man sprawled on the ground, a flash of regret crossing her cold face. “Then I… did hit too hard.”
…
Leon slowly opened his eyes, now staring at a worn wooden table.
He was sitting on a chair.
On the table stood an oil lamp, its flickering flame precarious, as if it could extinguish at any moment.
Across from him were two Great Filial Daughters.
“Dad, you’re awake.” Aurora’s pink eyes sparkled.
Leon forced a smile, enduring the pain in his abdomen as he glanced at Little Light, then turned to Noia, “Are you mad at me, Noia?”
He could roughly guess why Noia had punched him as soon as they met.
Because he had once promised her that they would never be separated, yet due to the incident with the rift, he had vanished from their world for a whole twenty years.
In theory, Leon walked into the rift to save the family, so it wasn’t like he just disappeared for no reason;
But the pain of “losing a father” could never be covered by “reason.”
It could only be analyzed from the “emotional” aspect.
That punch from Noia wasn’t her bearing a grudge, but a simple way to tell her dad:
How they had managed to get through the years without him.
Her grievances, her longing, and all her feelings for Leon, whether calm or extreme, were captured within that punch.
Noia thought of hugging him, but hugs couldn’t express complex emotions effectively.
She truly would embrace Leon, but not at this moment of reunion.
“I don’t know.” Noia replied.
Leon was slightly taken aback, then lowered his gaze. “Alright… regardless of whether you’re mad at me or not, I apologize.”
“Fine, I accept your apology. Although I don’t even know if I’m mad at you or not.”
Feelings are always muddled and chaotic; Noia genuinely didn’t know if she should be angry with Leon.
But receiving an apology from Dad for free? Why not?
Mom had said that the number of people who could make their hardheaded dad apologize was no more than five in the whole world.
“Oh… that was a quick acceptance; I thought it would take longer.” Leon remarked.
“Longer? How longer?”
Noia leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, crossing her long legs—her sitting posture was strikingly similar to her mother’s.
“Like how you and Mom used to have those drawn-out discussions, to the point where you didn’t even manage to confess your feelings?”
Leon pursed his lips. “Did your mom tell you everything about us…”
“Yep.” Noia nodded.
“Not just that; she gave every detail, every little tidbit, making a youth angst romance novel out of it wouldn’t be an issue.” Aurora chimed in.
Leon: …
So, I’m just the male lead in a youth angst romance with the Mother Dragon?
What the heck! Who falls in love and has a kid in a romance novel? Isn’t that flipping everything upside down?
“Of course, aside from your love story—let’s just temporarily call that awkward feeling ‘love,’ shall we, Little Light?” Noia glanced at her sister.
Aurora nodded.
Clearly, the sisters viewed both of their parents in a fair light—Dad awkward, Mom awkward.
You can’t have two different types of people sharing the same bed.
“Besides your love story, Mom also talked about how you two got together.”
Noia expressed her words quite subtly.
But anyone with half a brain could tell what she meant.
Leon’s heart shuddered—so they really did know everything.
He kept his eyes lowered and chose to remain silent.
“So, our once happy family is actually a lie, right? A deception woven together by you and Mom.”
Upon learning the truth, she didn’t immediately get hung up on her bloodline but cared more about the family.
“You keep proclaiming your love for Mom, for us, but that’s all—”
“It’s all true, Noia.”
Leon finally spoke.
He focused on the table, speaking clearly and with conviction,
“It’s true that my coming together with your mother was purely accidental, and your birth was also unintentional.”
“Possibly, as you said, this home was a lie spun by your mother and me, and everything was fake.”
“But.”
“Noia, Little Light, my love for you both is real.”
“I love you, love Moon; you are my daughters and the most important people in my life.”
He pressed his parched lips together, rubbing his cold palms, continuing on,
“It’s you who made me a father, and I truly… appreciate you.”
“Because of your birth, I found those worth fighting for with my life.”
“Noia, you can criticize your mom and me for hiding the truth from you to preserve the family, but don’t ever say my love for you is false.”
“I genuinely… love you both… so much…”
Sitting before them was the man who once was the strongest, but now he lowered his head, softening his voice, repeatedly saying how much he loved them.
Constantine might have been right; the ones we love are also our weaknesses.
But Leon willingly allowed himself to be bound by that weakness.
They were his family, his most vital connection in this world.
Noia and Aurora exchanged glances, then turned back to face the man seated across from them.
“You missed the point, Dad.”
“Ah, huh?” Leon looked up, utterly confused.
“Just teasing you, Dad; who doesn’t know you’re a softie for your daughters?” Aurora couldn’t hide her amusement.
Leon suddenly turned serious, “You learned to mess with your old man’s feelings after growing up, huh?”
“Who’s messing with your feelings? It’s been twenty years! I just wanted to confirm if you still love us!”
Aurora declared boldly, then promptly diverted the conversation. “Ahem, my big sister is right; you didn’t get to the point.”
“What point?” Leon asked.
Noia straightened her legs and leaned over the table to look at Leon. “You love me, love Moon, love Little Light, but have you forgotten the last family member?”
Leon blinked, then it hit him. “Oh~~~ I get it!”
“Hmm, let’s hear it.”
“I love donkeys.”
Noia & Little Light: ?
“Sis, I take back what I just said; your punch was too light.”
Slap!
Noia slammed her hand on the table, “Be serious, old b*stard! Do you love her or not!”
“Must I say this…?”
The sisters nodded in unison.
Seeing the situation, Leon knew he could no longer evade.
He took a deep breath to gather his emotions and then nodded sincerely.
“I love her, Roswiser Melkway, your mother… I love her.”
It seems that the confession he made before stepping into the rift wasn’t clearly heard by that silly dragon…
So now his daughters were cornering him.
But Leon couldn’t help but wonder why he had to say this “love” right now?
Couldn’t it wait until they saw the leading lady of his romantic story in person later?
