บท 37: The Perfect House Husband [Part 1]
Three days had passed since Gerald narrowly escaped from the Assassins of Death Wish.
The Patriarch had sent his most trusted subordinates to protect Thirteen's home and kept the incident under wraps.
No one from the Leventis family was aware of what happened to Gerald. But even if they knew, they would probably not care, and some might even rejoice.
Alessia was very worried about her husband, but since he had already drank an Elixir, she knew that he'd wake up sooner or later.
During this time, Thirteen urged Hans to put all his focus on purchasing the ingredients needed to brew the potion that would stabilize his Grandma's condition.
With the current development, his plans had to be adjusted. He no longer had the leeway to take his sweet time when it came to strengthening and protecting his family.
He understood that his father wouldn't be able to return to Solterra anytime soon, so he devised a plan that would allow him to support their family for a few years even if Gerald didn't go to Solterra to do quests and gather Jinn Cores and Monster parts.
Later that afternoon, Gerald finally woke up, to the relief of his family.
Even Lady Callista couldn't help but tear up when she saw that her son was finally awake.
Of course, Gerald was dumbfounded to see his mother in their home, and when he heard that she had given him her one and only Elixir, he felt very guilty.
But he didn't let this show up on his face because doing so would only waste the sacrifice that his mother had made for him.
Instead, he told everyone about what happened down to the last detail.
According to him, he was just about to return to the City of Lancaster in order to deposit his spoils before going out on another expedition.
But on the way back, he was ambushed by Six Grandmasters.
Even though he was also a Grandmaster, Gerald was at a great disadvantage because his six opponents were Elite Assassins.
Fortunately, his senses, which had been enhanced due to his years of experience, as well as his newly modified Martial Technique, allowed him to barely evade the sneak attack that was launched from behind him.
After the Assassins failed to kill him with the first blow, a skirmish happened, with Gerald being attacked by the Assassins from every direction.
While the fact remained that he was at a great disadvantage, Gerald's strength had increased by leaps and bounds after learning Heaven's Blade.
Even though he had six opponents who were of the same rank, he was still able to gain the upper hand and push them back.
When the Assassins realized that they couldn't kill him using normal means, they took berserk potions in order to increase their strength and kill him as fast as they could.
This was what pushed Gerald to use his last resort, which was Overdrive.
After raising his strength and speed, he managed to kill two of the Assassins and severely wound two more.
However, he knew that he couldn't keep up his advantage because his enhanced capabilities had a time limit.
Desperate to escape, Gerald ran as fast as he could and was fortunate enough to come across a group of friends and acquaintances, who were also on their way to the city.
When they saw Gerald's bloody form, they didn't hesitate to help him, forcing the Assassins to withdraw.
Gerald was not only strong, but he was also a very friendly and kind person. Since his home base was Lancaster, many people had seen and heard of him. Some had even accompanied him on his expeditions and profited greatly from their journey.
Because of this, they immediately brought him back to the city and even insisted that he go to the nearest hospital to be healed.
However, knowing that the Assassins might have agents in Lancaster, Gerald begged his friends to take him to the Teleportation Gate instead.
He insisted that he would get medical help once he got home, so his friends relented and helped him enter the Teleportation Gateway.
After stepping back to their residence, Gerald's tenacity finally faded, and he collapsed on the ground, bleeding all over.
"Thank you, Mother," Gerald said. "I'll compensate you someday. I promise."
"Enough with the nonsense," Lady Callista snapped at her son. "What compensation are you talking about? Do you think I need to be compensated by you? You should just focus on your recovery. Do not forget that you are now a father with four kids. What do you think will happen to them if you die?
"Before you think of compensating me, shouldn't you think about how you will be able to support your family instead? Since you are being targeted by Death Wish, they won't stop until you are dead.
"For the time being, it is best that you do not return to Solterra. Don't worry, I have enough savings to support your family for a few years."
Gerald wanted to say that he didn't need his mother's support, but her glare shut him up. He was a prideful person, and the mere thought of being supported by someone else made him feel bitter.
But, he was willing to swallow his pride in order to ensure that his family would be able to live comfortably for a few years until he figured out what to do next.
It was at that moment that he noticed a five-year-old boy standing at the corner of the room. The child's arms were crossed over his chest, and his eyes were closed.
Thirteen was leaning against the wall as if he was sleeping. But his steady breaths were more than enough to tell Gerald that his son was just listening to the conversation without any thought of getting in the way.
It was thanks to his five-year-old son that he was able to survive the assassination attempt that was meant to take his life and manage to barely return home to his family.
"Mother, Alessia, I want to talk to Zion in private," Gerald said. "Can you please leave us alone for the time being?"
Alessia glanced at her son and nodded her head.
After he was discharged from the hospital, the five-year-old had become a pillar of support in their family.
They no longer treated him as a child and took his words and advice seriously.
"We'll just be in the living room," Alessia took the initiative to take command of the conversation. "Just tell Zion to call for us if you need something. Mother, let's go."
"Mmm." Lady Callista nodded before giving her grandson a side-long glance.
Trisha then pushed her wheelchair out of the room, leaving Gerald and his son behind.
"Zion, what do you think I should do?" Gerald asked, hoping that his son would be able to point him in the right direction.
"Pops, you don't have to worry about anything," Thirteen replied. "During the two days that you were sleeping, I have devised a plan to make you the perfect House Husband."
"Ha?" Gerald looked at his son in disbelief. "Can you repeat that? I think I misheard you."
Thirteen chuckled before walking toward his father and patting his hand.
"You didn't mishear me, Pops," Thirteen stated. "Prepare yourself to be the perfect House Husband. I got you covered."
Gerald didn't know if he should laugh or cry at the smugness of his five-year-old, who had just told him what role he was going to play for his family.
He would only come to know later that his son's version of the perfect House Husband would allow him to do things he never thought possible while in the safety of their own home.
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