Day after day, Lü Erlu’s peaceful life slipped away.
But the countdown to the crisis was drawing closer in silence.
*Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.*
The crisp sound of knocking broke the tranquility of the garden.
“Hmm? Who is it this time? It couldn’t be another parchment scroll, could it?”
Lü Erlu, who was pruning roses, straightened his back and shuffled slowly toward the door.
The door creaked open.
An official in a magnificent robe stood at the entrance.
His features looked familiar, yet they carried a hint of distant coldness.
Lü Erlu blinked his round eyes and played dumb with an innocent face.
“Hello… May I ask who you are?”
“I am the Minister of Internal Affairs, Sok.”
The man spoke with a stiff face.
“I have come this time to ask if you have any intention of returning to the Hero Party.”
‘Good grief.’
‘So it’s Sok.’
‘The classmate who was always against me in school.’
“No.”
As soon as that single word left his lips—
*Slam!*
Lü Erlu slammed the door shut decisively, nearly hitting Sok’s nose.
He ranted inwardly, ‘Is there something wrong with these ministers’ brains?
I was too lazy to even reply to the letters.
Wasn’t that attitude clear enough?
They just have to come to my door and hit a wall.
They definitely aren’t up to any good!’
“Wait! I’m not finished yet!”
Sok had not expected to be rejected so bluntly.
He hurriedly pounded on the door and shouted, his voice cracking.
Lü Erlu rolled his eyes and opened the door again with a sigh, his face a picture of “do not bother me” impatience.
“Is there anything else? I’m in a hurry to go back and water my precious flowers.”
“Oh? Lord Lü Erlu.”
Sok’s voice rose an octave, carrying a bit of ridiculous disbelief.
“Is watering flowers more important than meeting the Minister of Internal Affairs?”
*Slam!*
A loud bang was his only answer as the door shut again.
“?”
Sok was completely stunned.
He stood there dazed, the parchment scroll in his hand nearly falling to the ground.
“Wait, hey! Fine, fine! The flowers are important! The flowers are the most important! Can’t I just keep it short?”
The usually steady Minister of Internal Affairs rarely raised his voice to a shout, causing passing neighbors to peek over their fences.
Lü Erlu finally opened the door a crack, showing only half his face, and said crossly, “Gosh, Sok, I already said I’m not returning to the Hero Party. Let’s end this here. Can you stop disturbing my leisure life?”
The mockery in his tone almost overflowed from the gap in the door.
“So now you recognize me?”
Sok grumbled.
“I wanted to exchange some pleasantries with you, but forget it! I can’t be bothered with nonsense! Take this!”
Before he finished speaking, a crumpled parchment scroll was tossed into Lü Erlu’s arms with a *thwack*.
“If I don’t see you in 3 months, bear the consequences yourself!”
After dropping those harsh words, Sok turned and left.
His back looked elegant, but his steps were incredibly fast.
He probably cursed Lü Erlu 800 times in his head.
“…What kind of trouble is it this time?”
Lü Erlu closed the door and muttered to himself while unfolding the crumpled parchment scroll, reading it line by line.
With every line he read, cold sweat broke out more on his forehead.
By the time he finished the last word, a familiar sense of powerlessness surged up.
He slumped into a chair in the entryway with a *thud*, as if fate had played a cruel joke on him again.
The first line of the letter was so shocking it almost made his heart stop…
The Hero has been assassinated.
And the content that followed made Lü Erlu’s whole body go cold, making him want to die right then and there.
The previous parchment scrolls were at least from the King asking him, and he still had the right to refuse.
But this time, it was a blatant coercion from the Senate.
Lü Erlu was directly appointed as the new Hero by the Senate.
Now, it was done.
There was no room for refusal.
‘Sigh… Is what’s meant to come unavoidable? But… where is my cheat? Where did my Hero’s Power go?’
So this was just a self-serving appointment by the Senate?
It wasn’t an appointment recognized by the heavens at all?
‘Wasn’t this just forcing me into a dead end?’
Without the Hero’s Power, how could he deal with those Other Races that had just restored their nations?
Refusal was disobedience, which meant a heavy penalty.
Acceptance meant going to his death, with no return in sight.
He had only enjoyed a peaceful life for 10 years.
How did it return to those miserable days overnight?
The most critical thing was that he could no longer do whatever he wanted like before.
Because now, he had three monster girl daughters waiting for him to come home…
‘Sigh… What on earth should I do?’
Sitting in his chair, Lü Erlu let out a deep sigh.
That sigh was long and heavy, lingering for a long time.
—
Night fell, and a warm yellow light filled the living room.
“I’m home, Father.”
A crisp voice came from the doorway.
Longjiu had been handling government affairs all day, and her dragon tail was still swaying slightly behind her.
“You’re back? Have some soup.”
Lü Erlu’s voice was soft and lacked its usual rhythm.
“?”
A large question mark appeared in Longjiu’s heart.
This cold tone didn’t seem like Father’s usual style.
Normally at this time, he would have greeted her with a smile and pinched her dragon horns.
“Baining and Xiao Ziya have already eaten dinner and are resting in their rooms. Drink it while it’s hot.”
Lü Erlu flicked a bit of warm magic from his fingertip, casually heating the venison soup on the table before placing it in front of his daughter.
“Okay, Father.”
Longjiu replied obediently.
She carefully smoothed the hem of her formal dress, took off her leather shoes to reveal her fair little feet, and sat at the dining table to enjoy her father’s cooking in small sips.
The room was quiet, save for the light clinking of the spoon against the bowl.
…
Longjiu’s movement of scooping soup paused.
She finally couldn’t help but look up at the man across from her, who had been staring at her in a daze.
“Father, is there something you want to say?”
Lü Erlu snapped out of it, pulled out a chair in silence, and sat down opposite her.
He stared at his daughter’s bright red hair for a long time before he finally squeezed out a sentence.
“Longjiu, have you met anyone you like at work?”
*Pfft!*
Longjiu nearly sprayed out a mouthful of hot soup.
She coughed violently, her small face turning bright red.
“Cough, cough! Father? What are you talking about?”
Her eyes were full of shock and confusion.
Why would he suddenly ask that?
“It’s nothing,” Lü Erlu rubbed his nose, his gaze drifting toward the moon outside the window.
“I’ve been thinking about it all day. I feel like you three are at the age to fall in love. I’m also looking forward to holding a grandchild of my own.”
Longjiu’s hand holding the spoon froze in mid-air.
She remained silent for a long while.
She put down the spoon and looked at Lü Erlu seriously.
“Father, do you have something on your mind?”
“Hmm? No.”
Lü Erlu waved his hand quickly, trying to act relaxed.
“I just thought that you’re all grown up, and it’s about time to start your own little families. When I think back to 10 years ago, my classmates were all married by then.”
After all, in this Other World, it was common for young girls and youths to marry early.
“Father, it’s not like you don’t know we are members of the Demon Race.”
Longjiu drank a sip of soup helplessly, her tail drooping listlessly over the back of the chair.
“We are currently using magic to hide our features while working. If I really find a boyfriend and he finds out our true identity, he’ll definitely be scared to death.”
“Uh, then how about you try going back to the Dragon Empire to look?”
Lü Erlu rubbed his chin and made the suggestion with a straight face.
Longjiu was completely speechless.
Looking at her father’s serious expression, she couldn’t help but facepalm.
‘What is wrong with Father today?’
‘Why did he suddenly become so traditional and overprotective?’
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