Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 317: The Pain In His Heart

Laxus had successfully imprisoned Deimos’s soul through magic and sealing him in a form that would never again be able to resist.

The king’s younger brother, who had been a key member of the rebel forces, along with the fox beastman and the rest of their companions, had also been captured.

All that remained now was to wait for their executions, one by one.

With the rebellion crushed and the prince’s curse lifted, the peace returned to the kingdom.

The royal family, whose authority had nearly collapsed, regained its prestige.

It seemed as though a peaceful resolution had finally been reached, one that everyone could accept.

However, even in the midst of that calm, there were still those who bore the wounds of that day.

Two weeks had passed since the incident at the royal palace.

A large bed sat before him.

At its center lay a beloved figure—one so delicate and beautiful, it was almost terrifying.

A boy slept on it, unmoving.

"Rocco..."

Laxus gently grasped a small, pale hand—soft like a kitten’s paw, comforting to the touch.

That hand, which would normally return his grasp with shy warmth and a faint blush, now remained still.

The soft strength that had once answered him was no longer there.

Rocco’s small body who is always restless in sleep and usually found sprawled across the bed or even on the floor, had remained unmoved at the bed’s center for the past two weeks.

Except for when someone repositioned him, he hadn’t so much as twitched.

It was proof enough that Rocco was trapped in an abnormally deep slumber.

"Rocco... please, wake up..."

Laxus lowered his upper body onto the small hand and resting his head against it.

He rubbed his forehead gently against his soft skin, even pressed his cheek to it, but there was no sign of awakening.

"If you don’t wake up soon... I’m really going to lose it. I’m so scared... I’m really..."

He could only let this kind of pitiful voice escape him in front of Rocco.

Only here, with no one else around, could he allow himself to sound so weak.

Leaning over the bed, he reached out to Rocco, who continued to breathe softly in sleep.

That innocent sleeping face, oblivious to his anguish, filled Laxus with a mixture of affection and frustration.

His hand gently cupped Rocco’s plump cheek.

Laxus gently squished and stretched the soft cheek before him, whispering, "Rocco, wake up..." But even that couldn’t rouse the sleeping boy.

With a sigh, he let his strength drain away and collapsed forward, draping himself over Rocco as if defeated.

"Rocco..."

He pulled the small body tightly into his arms.

There was no one else around at the moment—but if anyone ever saw him like this, they’d probably kill him on the spot.

Especially Sylas or the head of the Di Malvento family.

After all, this was technically the Di Malvento estate.

He shouldn’t have been letting his guard down for even a second.

But he pushed away the thought of someone might be walking in.

It didn’t matter right now.

All he want to do now was holding Rocco close in his arms.

If he couldn’t feel the warmth from this tiny body, if he couldn’t reassure himself that Rocco was truly still alive, he feared he might break.

He’s alive.

He’s still here.

If he didn’t keep repeating that to himself—if he didn’t feel it—he might drown in his fear.

"...You idiot. Why did you protect me?"

The memory of that day burned vividly in his mind.

The magic launched by Deimos, aimed with deadly intent.

It had been a high-level offensive spell, the kind that could easily kill someone who couldn’t use magic.

But for Laxus, a powerful mage, it would’ve been easy to counter or shield against.

He could’ve handled it without breaking a sweat.

But that was only true for him.

For someone without magic, taking that attack head-on meant certain death.

Even knowing that, even sensing the sheer pressure of the magical energy—Rocco had run.

With those small legs, he had run straight into the path of the spell, desperate to reach Laxus.

The weight of that choice crushed his chest.

Rocco hadn’t hesitated.

Despite the fear.

Despite the danger.

That truth alone was enough to make Laxus ache inside.

"You really are... such a fool..."

He whispered the words while his hand gently stroked the spot where the wound had once been.

The moment that magic tore through Rocco’s small body, the shock had hit Laxus like a sledgehammer—he had nearly lost his mind.

If Sylas hadn’t held him back, he would’ve killed the crown prince on the spot.

The rage, the terror, the grief—it had all been too much.

Such a tiny body.

Even the smallest wound stood out more on someone so small.

And yet... that small body had stood between him and death without a second thought.

It was truly a miracle that the spell had missed Rocco’s vital organs.

Laxus could only believe that such a beautiful, angelic soul had been spared by the grace of the gods themselves.

That’s how extraordinary the miracle had been.

"...La...xus..."

He could still see it—the way the light had faded from those sparkling amethyst eyes.

That moment was burned into his memory, Rocco whispering his name, losing all strength, and collapsing unconscious.

The image haunted him even now, two weeks later.

The longer Rocco remained asleep, the more those memories resurfaced—twisting into the fear that it might have been the last time he would ever see him awake.

When he had lifted Rocco’s frail body that day, it had felt lighter than air.

As if he were holding a feather, barely tethered to life.

There had been no weight, no warmth—nothing to convince him that the boy was still truly alive.

That coldness, that terrifying emptiness... Laxus never wanted to feel it again.

"Rocco..."

Please wake up.

How many times had he whispered those same words?

Just as he was about to say them again, he suddenly froze.

Was it his imagination?

For the briefest moment, he thought he felt a faint twitch in Rocco’s hand.

He shot upright, his eyes locked on the small hand he had been holding.

Tentatively, he gave it a gentle poke.

A few seconds later, his eyes flew wide open.

—"Nngh..."

Rocco’s fingers had weakly curled around his own.

And he heard it—a faint, almost imperceptible moan escaping those small lips.

The moment he realized it was real, an overwhelming wave of relief and joy crashed through him.

"Rocco!"

He cupped Rocco’s soft, round cheeks between both hands, leaning in to peer closely at his face.

Those slightly puckered lips moved faintly as the boy mumbled, "Mm... muuh?"

Laxus heard it.

Clear as day.

Rocco was waking up.