Even If I'm Reborn as a Cute Dragon Girl, I Will Still Make a Harem-Chapter 84Book 6: : Failure Of A Father

When everyone had gathered, the old man pressed a button hidden in the dustiest, most secluded corner of the basement.

With a sharp mechanical screech, a section of the wall slid aside, revealing a passageway. None of the children, despite having lived here for over a decade, had ever known it existed.

“A… secret passage?” Donnie’s eyes lit up.

“Does it lead to some sort of treasures?” the carefree boy asked in excitement.

“Well, yes,” the old man said as he stepped into the dark passage, motioning for them to follow. “Old relics from more than ten years ago, but they should still be usable.”

He led everyone down a dim, narrow corridor that eventually opened into a vast underground chamber.

When they saw the sophisticated vessel at its center, even the young man—who prided himself on having seen it all—could only gape in stunned silence, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit a goose egg.

“A spaceship?” He stared at the vessel sitting in the middle of the basement like an artifact from another world. “Dad, why is this thing hidden down here?”

“Over a decade ago, my research focused on long-distance space travel. The hibernation chambers standard on all ships today are the result of my work.”

At the control panel, the old man’s hands moved with practiced ease, pressing one colored button after another. “Is it really strange that I have a ship of my own?”

“…No, not at all…”

“Alright, there’s no time to waste. You should start preparing.”

“Preparing? Preparing for what?”

The old man looked up from the control panel, almost incredulous. “For boarding. You didn’t think I rolled this thing out just to put it under the sun, did you?”

“Boarding…?” Bernie was the first to find her voice after a stunned silence. “Dad… you mean you want us to go to space in this?”

“Yes.”

“But why?”

“Because it’s no longer safe here.” He lowered his gaze, unable to conceal the sadness in his voice.

“From suppression to massacre… even the Gaia Center won’t be able to hide it. And once most people realize the government they’ve served all their lives sees them as livestock to be slaughtered, there’s no turning back.”

Anger would spill into the streets, but their protests wouldn’t solve anything.

Once those old monsters tasted blood, they’d lose the last shred of humanity they ever had. They wouldn’t care about the cries of their food.

They’d crave more until the livestock found out the root cause and fought back.

The unarmed had no right to rebel, but the worthlessness of human life would drive them to grow stronger.

There were plenty of humans.

When enough died, the survivors would seize power, and the war would begin.

He let out a weary sigh, covering his face with one hand. “Hurry. I can feel it… the feast those old creatures are having in the lower districts won’t end there. The flames could reach us at any moment.”

Bernie hesitated. “But…”

The young man grabbed her hand and shook his head. “Do as Dad says. The best way we can help him now is by not slowing him down.”

Biting her lip, Bernie turned to gather her things.

“Pack light, you won’t need most of them on the ship. Take those two boys with you, it’s time they grow up and start acting like men,” the old man called after her.

Then he turned to the young man, who had been looking at him solemnly. “And you… You’re staying here. With me.”

◆◇◆◇◆

Suddenly, the basement fell into silence. Only the steady hum of machinery and the breathing of two men could be heard.

“You sent them all away. What are you planning, Dad?”

Space travel required little preparation; they’d just be sleeping in their hibernation pods. Bringing too much on board would only cause clutter and danger.

The old man rolled his eyes at the younger man. “If only you were this sharp all the time. Bring Woodman here.”

“Okay.”

The young man complied, dragging Woodman over. He then noticed the little girl sleeping inside the life-support pod next to his father.

“…Susie?”

He blinked in disbelief, then rushed forward. “Susie, are you okay?”

No response.

“Dad, she’s…”

“Susie will wake soon.”

The old man gestured for him to set Woodman beside the pod. He pressed two buttons, and the nutrient fluid inside slowly drained away.

The pod hissed open, exposing the little girl, who was still connected to tubes, to the harsh air of this world.

“Don’t worry. Daddy will save you.”

With a look of pity, the old man brushed her damp hair aside, then gently lifted her out and laid her beside Woodman.

“Dad, you…”

The young man froze as realization struck.

“You want to stop me?”

“No, it’s just…” He hesitated, searching for words.

“I originally planned to use my life to save Susie,” the old man said calmly, as if talking about what to have for breakfast, commenting on a new outfit, or gossiping about the neighbor’s daughter who’d been seen sneaking home with another man.

The young man’s eyes widened. “Father, how could you even think that? Susie is…”

The old man cut him off coldly, “But after Woodman arrived, I realized that death is too easy for someone who has committed such unforgivable sins, like me. I still have much to do. I can’t die… not yet.”

He took out a syringe and injected it into Woodman’s body. The anesthetic wore off, and Woodman’s eyes fluttered open.

The old man looked at him, whose eyes were still hazy from the lingering effects of the drugs.

“Look closely, Woodman. This is your atonement,” he said.

He took Susie’s tiny hand, placed a blade in it, and closed his own calloused fingers around hers, guiding her grip.

“I’m sorry, Susie. I’ve never shown you the beauty of this world, and now I’m forcing you to sin.”

His gaze lingered on her innocent face, while his face twisted into an expression of deep pain.

“I’m… nothing but a failure of a father.”

*But even so, I want you to live a happy, full life.*

The old man raised her hand high, then brought it down in one swift motion.

The blade struck true, piercing Woodman’s heart.

“Dean… you—!”

Woodman’s awareness snapped back in that instant, but his voice failed him.

He could only helplessly watch as the cold steel drove into his heart.