Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 128: Hidden Intentions

Laxus’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden shift, but he quickly softened into an apologetic smile.

Even that reaction grated on Sylas’s nerves.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to deny the connection between you and Rocco. I just think... well, he doesn’t seem very much like a Di Malvento, that’s all."

The soothing tone, as though Laxus were trying to pacify him, only added to Sylas’s irritation.

This was why he despised the man—the unshakeable, perfect smile, the refined elegance in every gesture, the gentle, disarming voice that lulled others into dropping their guard.

Everything about Laxus Del Fiore was meticulously crafted, calculated to perfection.

It wasn’t genuine—it was the product of cunning precision, befitting someone who embodied the notorious reputation of the Del Fiore family.

A masterpiece of guile.

From birth, Laxus had been complete—a purebred mafioso.

And Rocco had loathed him for it since they were young.

Where did the facade end? What was real? Even Sylas, with all his experience, couldn’t discern it.

The only thing that seemed sincere was Laxus’s apparent fondness for Rocco.

However, even that left questions: was it truly Rocco he cared for, or simply Rocco as a tool?

Depending on how it was interpreted, the level of threat Laxus posed would shift dramatically.

"...Don’t get too involved with my Rocco. The condition of this alliance was that he wouldn’t be used," Sylas said quietly, staring at Laxus as he lounged with crossed legs, still radiating that insufferable air of confidence.

Whether his words caught Laxus off guard or were entirely within his expectations, Sylas couldn’t tell.

But Laxus’s movements stilled, and he turned to look at him.

His eyes, dark and bottomless as an abyss, locked onto Sylas’s.

Then, with a slight tilt of his lips, Laxus gave an answer that seemed like both a smile and something far more sinister.

"Of course. I wouldn’t dream of using Rocco. If anything, I want to keep him far away from all of this," Laxus said with a calm smile.

"...Keep him away?" Sylas’s brow furrowed.

"Yes. You must feel the same, don’t you? Rocco is far too unsuited for the mafia world. How someone raised among us could grow to be so... ’pure,’ I’ll never understand. It’s fascinating, really."

Sylas understood exactly what Laxus meant.

In truth, he had thought the same many times.

Despite being shielded from the blood and violence that defined their lives, Rocco remained strikingly naive and innocent.

There were tales of him narrowly escaping ambushes or stumbling across subordinates cleaning up after such incidents.

Such encounters had happened multiple times, apparently.

Yet somehow, Rocco had preserved his untainted purity, his endearing intelligence.

It was rare, charming, and profoundly precious.

"...But that’s what makes Rocco special. He wouldn’t be Rocco without it," Sylas muttered with a soft intensity in his voice.

Pure and innocent, slightly scatterbrained, a crybaby, and as angelic as anyone could imagine.

His timid and fearful nature often caused him to avoid danger, yet in critical moments, he would dash straight toward it—always for someone else’s sake, never his own.

That selflessness, that vulnerability, was heartbreakingly endearing.

That was Rocco. The Rocco Di Malvento he cherished.

"Deciding to keep him away is nothing more than selfishness on our part," Sylas admitted, his voice quiet but firm. "He’s doing his best to grow stronger in his own way. For us to protect him just because we want to is disrespectful to his efforts."

When Sylas said this, Laxus blinked his eyes in surprise.

He had been making that face all day—unusual for someone who always seemed to anticipate every word and react with a composed, unsettling smile.

It had to be because of Rocco.

Despite his foolishness and naivety, Sylas was unpredictable, and that unpredictability could be terrifying.

Laxus, too, must have been wary of Sylas’s surprising capacity to defy expectations in unexpected ways.

"...You’ve changed," Laxus said, his voice calm but tinged with curiosity. "You used to be more arrogant and completely unaware of how selfish you were."

"Is that an insult?" Rocco shot back.

"It’s a compliment," Laxus replied smoothly. "It’s fascinating how having a ’weakness’ can change a person. You’re the first I’ve seen whose change was for the better."

The cold detachment, the way Laxus analyzed and saw through everything without faltering—it was one of his most irritating traits.

Still, the words themselves weren’t bad.

Calling Sylas’s connection to someone a "weakness" was irritating, but deep down, Sylas couldn’t deny that there was some truth to it.

And being told it was a positive change... it felt oddly gratifying.

Meeting Rocco had changed him.

Whether that was a good thing, Sylas himself couldn’t say.

The images of Rocco’s endearing moments filled his mind: his silly, wide smile; the way he’d burst into tears with strange, loud sobs; the times he’d trip and fall, cutting his forehead as he ran toward someone with too much momentum.

Rocco’s idea of being "cool" was worlds apart from his reality.

And yet, every part of him was precious.

What was he doing now, Sylas wondered.

Playing at something, no doubt.

A faint smile crept onto his face as he imagined it—until Laxus’s next words made him freeze.

"Oh, by the way," Laxus said casually, "it seems my father will also be attending the meeting."

Sylas raised his head and blinking his eyes in surprise at the unexpected statement.

His composure wavered as he questioned Laxus.

"...That’s unusual. Isn’t he known to be sickly and rarely seen in public? I thought he’d send a representative this time as well." frёewebnoѵēl.com

Ricardo Del Fiore, the current head of the Del Fiore family.

Very few people had actually seen him in person.

Known for his frail health, Ricardo had rarely ventured outside.

Born as the youngest of three brothers, he was considered too weak to participate in the brutal succession struggle.

However, while his elder brothers exhausted each other in their fierce rivalry, Ricardo seized the opportunity to strike, eliminating both of them in a calculated move.