Gon's Harem System
Chapter 121: The duke gets dumbfounded by Gon

Chapter 121: The duke gets dumbfounded by Gon

He had spent so long chasing his father’s approval, fighting against the shadow of his own limitations, that this moment felt almost unreal.

"You made me proud," the Duke continued, his voice steadying as he stepped back from the hug.

Despite the rasp in his throat, his eyes remained dry, his face as composed as ever.

It was as if he had allowed himself that brief moment of vulnerability before locking it away again, returning to the stoic leader Gon had always known.

"The kingdom stage of the tournament begins soon, I’m sure you will be ready for it."

Gon nodded, forcing back the smile that threatened to break across his face.

Trust the Duke to shift back to formality so quickly after such a raw display of emotion.

"Yes, Father," he said, his voice steady despite the whirlwind in his chest. "I am more than ready, I will be the kingdom champion, and then the empire’s champion, Then I will be the greatest mage ever, surpassing you."

The Duke’s lips twitched, and for the first time, Gon saw a genuine smile flicker across his father’s face, not the tight, controlled smile of a diplomat, but something warmer, something real.

It was a smile that said the Duke had no doubt his son could achieve such heights.

And in that moment, Gon felt a surge of determination, a fire igniting within him that burned brighter than any victory in the arena ever could.

The Duke’s decision to enroll Gon in the tournament had not been born of blind faith, but of calculated intent.

When he had first signed his son up, he had hoped the experience would serve as a harsh lesson.

Gon, born without mana in a world where magic was the measure of a man’s worth, had always lagged behind his peers.

The Duke had seen the gap widen with each passing year, watching as other young mages honed their spells and rose through the ranks while Gon remained manaless.

So he had entered Gon into the tournament, expecting him to crash out in the early rounds.

The Duke had hoped the sting of defeat, the humiliation of falling before an audience of thousands, would light a fire in his son, pushing him to train harder, to close the gap between himself and his peers.

It had been a gamble, one the Duke had taken with a heavy heart, knowing the pain it might cause.

But he had believed it necessary.

He had seen too many young men with potential squander it through complacency, and he refused to let Gon fall into that trap.

If his son was to rise, he would need to be forged in the crucible of adversity.

What he hadn’t expected was for Gon to defy every prediction, every assumption.

Round after round, the boy had found ways to win, using not just magic and his swords but sheer cunning and grit.

To the untrained eye, it might have looked like luck, a string of improbable victories that defied logic.

But the Duke knew better.

He saw the intelligence behind each move, the calculated risks that paid off time and again.

Each victory had been a testament to Gon’s mind as much as his body, a reminder that for a mage, intelligence was just as vital as strength, if not more so.

With each passing round, the Duke’s surprise had grown, though he had kept his admiration carefully hidden.

He had not wanted to risk inflating Gon’s ego, fearing that praise might breed complacency at a time when the boy needed to stay sharp.

But now, standing in the empty arena with his son before him, the Duke could no longer hold back.

Gon had not just survived the tournament, he had thrived in it, proving himself in ways the Duke had never dared to hope.

The Duke placed a hand on Gon’s shoulder, the gesture heavy with unspoken meaning.

"You’ve come further than I ever thought possible," he said, his voice quieter now, almost reflective.

"But the kingdom stage will be a different beast altogether. The mages you’ll face there, they won’t underestimate you the way your opponents here did. They’ll come prepared."

"I’ll be ready," Gon replied, his tone steady but tinged with a fierce determination.

He pushed his hair back again, the strands falling stubbornly over his eyes.

The motion was almost a ritual now, a small act of defiance against the chaos of the world around him. "I will train for this, Father. Every day, every night, I will push myself harder than anyone else because I have to. I’ll show them what I’m capable of."

The Duke studied his son for a long moment, his sharp eyes taking in every detail, the set of Gon’s jaw, the fire in his gaze, the quiet strength in his slim yet muscular frame.

And for the first time, the Duke allowed himself to believe that Gon might truly surpass him, not just in dreams, but in reality.

Gon had always been oblivious to the subtle currents of admiration that followed him like a shadow.

Each match he fought, each spell he cast with raw, untamed precision, had unknowingly deepened the dule’s respect for him.

Unaware of their growing awe, Gon felt only the gnawing hunger within himself, the need to prove his worth, to push his limits beyond what anyone thought possible.

It wasn’t about the spectators, or even the Duke himself; it was about silencing the voices of doubt that had haunted him since childhood.

Years of mockery and scorn had forged a fire in his belly, one that burned hotter with every sneer and whispered insult he’d endured.

Now, with each victory, that fire roared louder, urging him to keep going, to show the world he wasn’t the worthless nobody they’d branded him as.

That relentless drive had carried him through the tournament with a ferocity that left his opponents stunned.

Every skill he unleashed was a declaration, every victory a defiance of the past.