novelraw Chapter 169: Showing Off and Running Away?
Chapter 169: Showing Off and Running Away?
Linus didn’t answer right away. Instead, he flipped the grilled fish over the flames, then pointed toward Robin’s house with his free left hand.
“I hope you can get along well with the townsfolk, not just treat relationships as a means to an end.”
Hearing that, Leon instantly understood why Linus had come to talk to him. Clearly, Linus had witnessed him using Maru to pressure Demetrius and was here to give him a lesson.
“When dealing with people, you naturally adapt to their personalities. If someone greets you with hostility right from the start, responding with warmth will only earn you a cold shoulder,” Leon said, sitting on the other side of the campfire.
“Who told you to get so close to his daughter?” Linus looked at him in exasperation. “I don’t believe, with your observational skills, you couldn’t tell how much Demetrius cares about that girl, Maru.”
“Of course I could. But don’t you think he’s being a little too controlling?” Leon countered.
“She’s his only biological daughter and has inherited his talent for science. A bit of doting is only natural,” Linus explained.
“Overprotectiveness isn’t a good thing,” Leon said. “It can put a lot of pressure on a child, making it hard for them to tell if it’s care or a gilded cage.”
“You, a lifelong bachelor with no girlfriend, talking parenting with me, another lifelong bachelor? Don’t you find that strange?” Linus gave him a look, surprised that Leon even had thoughts on child psychology, but still couldn’t resist a jab.
“You brought up the topic,” Leon shrugged. “And why are you taking Demetrius’s side?”“I’m not siding with him. I’m just reminding you not to go overboard,” Linus shook his head. “For example, pulling out a weapon in front of ordinary people—that’s a bit much.”
“He rolled up his sleeves first,” Leon protested. “I was going for tactical deterrence. Some people just need special means to make them behave.”
“You couldn’t beat a bookworm with your bare hands?” Linus teased.
“I didn’t want to fight. If I really laid a hand on him, no matter the reason, I’d have a hard time facing Robin afterward. She’s Pelican Town’s carpenter. My farm’s planning and construction depend on her help. Aside from showing Demetrius that violence won’t solve his problems, I couldn’t think of another way,” Leon explained with an innocent look.
“Forget it. You have your own reasoning, so decide for yourself,” Linus thought over his words and found nothing wrong with them. He decided to drop the matter of “the right way” to get along with others.
After all, Leon wasn’t a child. He might look young, but he was socially adept and had his own logic and way of handling things. Linus suspected he had little to teach him about human relations.
“So, is there grilled fish for me?” Realizing Linus was done lecturing, Leon shamelessly asked.
“You already had dinner with that girl,” Linus said helplessly. “And do you think one fish is enough for both of us?”
“Got it. I’ll catch another one. But I’m no good with grilling—your turn,” Leon decided at once.
“Fine. Just remember to cast from the bridge by the blocked outlet in the Mines’ lake,” Linus reminded him.
Leon raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask why. He went straight to the spot Linus had suggested, took out his fishing rod, and cast into the water.
The moment the hook entered the water, Leon sensed something was off. The lake here was murkier than elsewhere.
Holding the rod in one hand, he quietly slipped his Galaxy Watermelon Knife into his other—keeping it hidden behind him while outwardly maintaining a casual fishing stance.
One minute. Two. Three.
The bobber didn’t move. Instead, the water around it grew cloudier. Just as Leon was about to reel in and toss in a Cherry Bomb to investigate, the surface exploded.
A pitch-black shape burst from the water, wielding a translucent sea-blue greatsword, swinging straight for his neck.
In an instant, Leon stowed the fishing rod in his System Backpack and brought the Galaxy Watermelon Knife up crosswise. The extended blade blocked the strike, though the impact forced him back half a step.
The black figure landed on the bank, but instead of attacking again, it bolted toward the Mines’ entrance.
“Show off and then run?”
Leon wasn’t about to let it get away. He hated losing out, and being ambushed had already irritated him. Now that he could tell it wasn’t human, he wasn’t about to let a potential threat roam free in Stardew Valley.
In one leap, Leon covered several meters, his extended Galaxy Watermelon Knife cutting a sharp arc through the air toward its back.
The shadow realized it might be cut in half if it kept running. It spun around, swinging its translucent greatsword at Leon, ignoring the risk of being struck first.
The suicidal tactic caught Leon off guard. But with Forest Magic backing him, he wasn’t worried. If the thing took a hit from the Galaxy Watermelon Knife, he doubted it would still have the strength to strike back.
Seeing Leon’s fearless charge, the shadow let out a strange, piercing hiss, dropped its greatsword, and melted into black mist, sinking into the earth.
“Ran away?” Leon stared at the sword lying quietly on the ground, annoyed. The shadow was gone without a trace.
Its burrowing escape was something he hadn’t expected, and he had no way to counter it. All he could do was stay on guard in case it popped back up for another ambush.