I wasn't expecting this confrontation to be easy. There was a reason I had initially wanted to come here alone, after all—I knew that revealing my knowledge of Rin would inevitably lead to conflict with her parents. But I had still brought Stella with me for two very specific reasons.
First, I could trust Jin and Kali completely to protect her if things went badly. Their loyalty and capability were beyond question, making them the perfect guardians for someone so precious to me.
"Daddy?" Stella asked, concern seeping into her voice as she sensed the dangerous tension building around us.
Without hesitation, I reached over and gently touched my fingertips to her forehead, willing her into peaceful sleep with carefully controlled mana. Her small body relaxed immediately as consciousness faded, her head tilting to rest against my shoulder with the absolute trust that only a child could show.
