Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 298: Demon Soul

"Me? I was supposed to be the vessel?" Laxus’s voice was calm, but there was a rare edge of caution in it.

For the first time, Rocco felt Laxus’s grip tighten around him in a protective hold.

Anxious from the sudden tension in the air, Rocco could only watch as their conversation took a darker turn.

"Exactly as I said," Deimos confirmed. "You are my direct descendant. Had this failure never been born, you would have become the vessel for the ’Demon Soul’ this time."

The vessel for the Demon Soul?

Rocco wasn’t sure what that meant, but he did know one thing—it was something bad.

He could tell just from the way Laxus’s hands trembled ever so slightly as he held him close.

That was enough for Rocco to make a decision.

He shot his hands up and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"STOP! TIME OVER!"

A heavy silence fell over the prison cell.

Deimos stared at him, caught off guard.

Laxus, too, froze in place, his expression blank with surprise.

Taking advantage of the stunned silence, Rocco grabbed Laxus’s hand, spun on his heel, and ran.

"Meeting adjourned! If we stay any longer, we’ll miss snack time, so we’re leaving!"

Behind them, Deimos’s voice called out, baffled.

"Hey—wait, that’s way too sudden—!"

But Rocco ignored him.

Right now, taking care of Laxus was the priority.

He might have been slow on the uptake most of the time, but at moments like these—his instincts were sharper than anyone’s.

Laxus had definitely been hurt just now. It wasn’t like him to be so shaken.

Rocco felt the grip on his hand tighten—but it wasn’t his own strength. It was Laxus’s.

Well, at the very least, after all that questioning, he could say he had helped his father, even if only a little. Mission accomplished.

Convincing himself of that, Rocco pushed open the heavy iron door and darted outside.

Just before stepping out of the cell, he glanced back for a moment.

For an instant, he thought he locked eyes with Deimos.

Even though Rocco’s sudden departure must have been unexpected, Deimos’s expression remained strangely composed. Was it because he knew no one else could get him to talk?

Either way, if Rocco was going to continue assisting with the interrogations, he would likely be seeing Deimos again.

Those murky red eyes, filled with an almost suffocating obsession... Just before the iron door closed, Rocco thought he saw them glimmer, curving into an amused shape.

And then—was it just his imagination?

Because at that moment, the ominous aura surrounding Deimos suddenly expanded—

And then, at an incredible speed—

It rushed toward them.

"Whoa!"

A chill ran down Rocco’s spine, and he stumbled backward, landing hard on his rear.

Something black and mist-like had seeped out of Deimos’s body, surging toward Laxus—

And then, as if being absorbed, it vanished inside him.

Laxus’s eyes widened in surprise. "Rocco!?" He rushed to his side.

But Rocco barely heard him.

He couldn’t stop thinking about that thing—that black mist that had disappeared into Laxus’s body.

Frozen in place, Rocco didn’t move. Worried, Laxus lifted him up, scanning his face.

"What’s wrong?" His voice was calm, as if nothing had happened.

That was weird.

Rocco swallowed, then stammered, "L-Laxus... are you okay?"

"Huh? Uh... shouldn’t I be the one asking that?"

Laxus gave him a confused smile, his brows furrowed in mild concern.

To him, Rocco had suddenly yelped and fallen on his backside for no reason—of course he’d be worried.

But no.

Something was off.

Rocco was certain that he had seen it.

Something had wrapped around Laxus and sunk into him. There was no way he had imagined it.

But... Laxus hadn’t noticed a thing?

Someone as sharp as Laxus?

If he hadn’t seen it, then...

Doubt started creeping in.

Was Rocco’s mind just playing tricks on him?

His shoulders slumped, and he shook his head weakly.

"N-Never mind... I guess I was just a little on edge."

His voice wavered slightly, but he forced himself to nod.

Laxus smiled gently, nodding along as if to reassure him. Then, without hesitation, he scooped Rocco up into his arms.

"Well, you did just come face-to-face with a dangerous criminal and even interrogate him in a terrifying underground prison. Of course, someone as kind and sensitive as you would be exhausted."

He ruffled Rocco’s hair with the same gentle touch as always.

Nothing felt different.

No strange reactions, no hesitation.

Maybe... it had been Rocco’s imagination?

Had he just been so tired from his first interrogation that his eyes played tricks on him?

The underground prison was dim and shrouded in darkness. Maybe the exhaustion blurred his vision, and the shadows around him looked like that strange mist.

Yeah... that had to be it.

Otherwise, it didn’t make sense that Laxus hadn’t noticed anything.

"Rocco..."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"...I’m really tired. I wanna go home soon... and tonight, I wanna cuddle with you and sleep."

Even as he said it, an unshakable unease clung to him. For some reason, he felt like he shouldn’t leave Laxus’s side right now.

With that thought, Rocco buried his face in Laxus’s shoulder, murmuring softly.

Suddenly, Laxus’s arms tightened around him—so much so that it almost hurt. Alarmed, Rocco lifted his head to see what was wrong.

And then—he froze.

Laxus was smiling at him, but it was different.

Sweet. Almost melting.

"...Heh, haha. I see. Alright then. Let’s hurry home... and stay together all the way until tomorrow."

A gentle kiss landed on his forehead.

And in that moment, Rocco realized—he had made a mistake.

Wait. Did he just say something weird?

Something that could be taken the wrong way?

All he meant was that he was exhausted and a little anxious, so he wanted to nap beside Laxus. That was it. That was the mood he was going for.

But... had Laxus completely misinterpreted it?!

Panicking internally, Rocco fumbled for a way to fix his words.