Chapter 1548: The Cheekiest Son ( 1548 )

Javier ran with the sandwich clamped between his teeth, his legs carrying him swiftly across the sand. He glanced ahead and spotted Buddy standing at a distance, looking smug and proud, his tail feathers newly grown back and gleaming under the sunlight, long and shiny.

"Buddy!!"

Buddy glanced toward the voice, his head tilting as he spotted Javier sprinting toward him.

"Cuquawked?" (What?)

Buddy blinked in confusion as Javier suddenly diverted his run, veering sharply to the left and taking a completely different route. Buddy watched him go, his head tilting the other way.

"Cuquawked?" (What’s wrong with him? Why is he running like that?)

A shadow fell over Buddy, and a chill ran down his long neck. He slowly lowered his head, turning it just enough to glance behind him. His father, Giddie, stood directly behind him, his massive golden form towering. Giddie’s beak curled into a knowing smirk.

Buddy let out a low, panicked squawk.

"Cuquawked..." (Oh no...)

Javier munched the sandwich as he ran, his legs glowing with mana as he pushed himself faster, his speed tearing across the beach. He scanned the area ahead, and his eyes caught a shadow moving at a distance behind him. His shoulders tensed.

Crap...

I’m sure that’s Father behind me right now!

He glanced back over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing as he studied the figure. His father was moving in the same calm, unhurried pace, both hands clasped behind his back, his expression serene and composed.

Javier’s eyes widened as glowing golden magic circles began to appear on the sand exactly where he was about to step.

Gihhhh!! He’s using magic now?!

He leaped, evading the first glowing magic chain as it shot up from the circle beneath his feet. He activated his Wild Walk, summoning an air shield mid-air and landing on it before springing off, his legs carrying him forward in a zigzag path. More chains shot from the ground, coiling and twisting like living serpents as they chased after him.

Ugh! I’m sure Father is toying with me right now.

He glanced over his shoulder again and saw his father leaping lightly across the sand, both hands still clasped behind his back, his posture as calm and casual as a man taking a morning stroll. The chains arced after him, closing in from every angle.

Javier gritted his teeth, his hands glowing with mana as he deflected the incoming chains with quick, precise strikes. He twisted and dodged, spinning through the air, knocking aside each chain before it could reach him.

"Kekeke~"

Javier grinned, twisting mid-air as he deflected another chain with a sharp kick. He spread his palm wide, his mana flaring as he landed firmly on the sand.

"Dispel~"

The magic circles around him shattered, dissolving into harmless motes of golden light. The moment his feet touched the ground, he bolted, sprinting forward with renewed speed. But new magic circles began appearing immediately, glowing to life beneath his path.

Ceh...

Father’s magic is so annoying.

I already cast the advanced dispel, and he re-activates it like it was nothing.

Javier gritted his teeth, veering off the main path toward the palm trees and flowering shrubs nearby.

Hehehe~ The dense greenery would provide cover and make it harder for the chains to track me~

Father needs to be really serious if he wants to catch me~

No way I’m going to be easily caught~

I’m not like those two idiots, Marcellus and Cedric.

The strongest mage and the only paladin, and Alf scooped them up like they were sacks of potatoes. One under each arm. Legs kicking. No dignity. No resistance. Just... carried away like misbehaving children.

Pathetic~

But me? I’m different. I’m smarter. Faster. More creative.

This is Javier de Armand~

The most genius, most handsome, and most charming prince of Armand~

He glanced up at the distance, his eyes landing on a tall coconut tree standing near the edge of the path. He rubbed his chin with one hand while his legs kept moving, his feet carrying him across the sand in a steady rhythm.

Ah~ I could use a drink~

Coconut water is good for the body~

He veered toward the tree without slowing down. The chains behind him hissed and whipped through the air, closing in fast. Javier leaped, kicking off the trunk, then kicked again to launch himself higher, spinning through the air as he reached the top.

He snatched a coconut from the cluster with one hand, the chains snapping at the space where he had been just a second before. He twisted mid-air, dodged another chain, and landed on the sand with a light skid before bolting forward again.

Using the edge of his palm, he sliced the top off the coconut in one clean motion. He snapped his fingers, and a simple bamboo straw materialized between his fingers. He stabbed it into the coconut, took a long sip, and let out a satisfied exhale.

"Ahhhhh~ This is good!"

He kept running, the coconut in one hand and the straw in his mouth, grinning as he went.

These chains can’t do anything to me~

Javier took another long sip from the coconut, the bamboo straw between his lips, while his free hand moved with effortless grace. He swatted the incoming chains aside, each deflection precise and fluid, his palm glowing faintly with mana as he knocked them away like flies. The chains clattered to the sand, dissolving into sparks.

Ahhh~ Refreshing~

He kept running, grinning, then his eyes caught a familiar figure up ahead. Heres was kneeling on the sand near a large tree, head bowed, looking utterly defeated. Kliatana stood over him, both hands on her hips, glaring down at him with a cold, unforgiving stare.

Ooh~ Perfect timing~

Javier’s grin widened. He cupped one hand around his mouth and shouted without slowing down.

"Father! Heres said he wants to join the practice duel!"

Heres’s head snapped toward the blur of speed, his eyes widening in confusion and horror.

"W... what? No, I didn’t..."

A golden chain shot from the ground and wrapped around his body in an instant, lifting him off the sand before he could finish his sentence.

"I DIDN’T SAY THAT!!"

Garius appeared a few steps away, standing in his natural, commanding pose. His hands rested on his hips, his chest puffed out, his posture regal and confident without effort.

Kliatana clasped both hands in front of her and bowed slightly.

"Father-in-law."

"Mm. What are you doing here, Kliatana?"

Kliatana lifted her head, her voice soft and measured.

"I was about to administer a lesson to my husband, Father-in-law. He failed to inform me of a matter of great importance, and I believed it was my duty, as his wife, to remind him of the vows we share. A bond built on trust and honesty, where nothing is hidden and nothing is kept in shadow. He forgot that promise, and so I intended to guide him back to the path of transparency."

Garius smiled fondly. He reached out and gently patted Kliatana’s head, his hand moving with a fatherly warmth.

"I see. You’re a good wife, Kliatana. Honest. Attentive. Strong." He paused, his smile softening further. "But you’re pregnant now. You shouldn’t be too rough. Stress isn’t good for you or the child."

He tilted his head toward where the rest of the family was gathered on the beach.

"Go join the others. Enjoy the vacation. Leave the punishment to me. I’ll make sure Heres understands the weight of his actions. After all, a man who keeps secrets from his wife deserves a proper lesson, don’t you think?"

Kliatana smiled softly, her gaze flickering toward Heres for just a moment. Heres’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to protest, but a golden chain wrapped around his mouth before a single word could escape.

She turned back to Garius, clasped both hands in front of her, and bowed gracefully.

"Thank you, Father-in-law. I will leave it in your capable hands."

She turned and walked away without looking back, her steps light and graceful, leaving Heres dangling in the air, bound and gagged by golden chains.

( End Of Chapter )