A Secretly Capable Child Is Seeking For Her Dad - Chapter 95

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A Powerful Child Searches for Dad Episode 95

‘So that wasn’t hide-and-seek after all….’

Inside the secret room she had entered following Adelin.

Tie quietly rolled her eyes.

‘I’m sure they said they knew we were there.’

‘They know. That we’re here.’

It really seemed like a hide-and-seek conversation, but it wasn’t.

The more she thought about it, the more bewildered she felt.

Meanwhile, up front, the unit members and Adelin were having a conversation.

“You’re saying everyone in this village has to pay a fixed amount of tribute every week?”

Adelin nodded her head.

Behind her, villagers were treating the torn cheek of the pickpocket child, Jen.

“It’s realistically impossible. The very idea of collecting tribute every week.”

“Is the tribute coal?”

Veil interjected.

Adelin looked at Veil with a bewildered expression.

“…That’s right.”

Kaldenbain-Ridge was a village located in the middle of dense mountain ranges.

Now that most of the animals they could hunt had disappeared because of monsters.

They were relying solely on the coal mines around the village for their livelihood.

“It didn’t feel like a mining village though.”

“The mine is small. It hasn’t been properly developed either.”

Though it was developed long ago, the nearby veins were so small they could barely be called coal mines.

So the residents of Kaldenbain-Ridge had been mining coal entirely by hand from start to finish.

Literally going in with pickaxes and shovels to dig out coal themselves.

But that was still okay.

In the past, even with small mining yields, the entire village could live comfortably enough.

“As you can see, it’s a small village. The nearby Populosa Weapon District used to pay good prices for coal too.”

But the problem started a few years ago.

“…These problems began when the lord changed.”

Veil raised his eyebrows.

Adelin let out a deep sigh.

Lord Reginald, who had changed a few years ago, was an incredibly extravagant person.

If it had just been him, that would have been fine, but the lord’s wife was equally extravagant.

The two squandered all the wealth accumulated by the previous generation’s lord and soon began squeezing the territory’s people dry.

“You saw the chests in the square, right? Every week, a collection order comes down requiring every household to pay enough coal to fill those chests.”

The tunnels of Kaldenbain mine were narrow, and the coal seams were broken in places.

Unless they invested money to expand the mine and open new veins.

With the current method, they could never satisfy the lord.

“Moreover, these days there are hardly any accessible tunnels left. Only ones so narrow and low that we can’t install any more support beams.”

Veil, who had been listening, asked.

“What happens if you can’t meet the tribute quota?”

“That’s….”

Adelin closed her mouth.

Instead, one of the villagers from behind stepped forward.

“What are you going to do about it? Are you going to take our place?”

“Take your place?”

“…Yes, we suffer terribly. If we can’t meet the collection quota.”

Basto, who was sitting on the table, narrowed his brow.

Raul and Enzo’s expressions turned equally cold.

And for good reason, since the nuance of “suffering” implied some kind of violent situation.

Basto asked in an indifferent voice.

“Can’t you start a rebellion to bring down the lord?”

The villagers seemed flustered by the unexpected words.

But soon they all answered in dispirited voices.

“…It’s impossible because of the lord’s army.”

“Right. Those knights, you saw them too.”

The villagers were already sick and tired of the lord’s tyranny.

Meanwhile, Reginald already had many private soldiers with the money from selling coal.

In this situation, even if everyone joined forces, they couldn’t defeat Reginald.

On top of that, the weekly collection orders nailed shut any corner where even a glimmer of hope might sprout.

“How troublesome.”

It was when Basto muttered this.

“When I saw it at the inn, it looked like most of this week’s tribute quota was filled though.”

Nordics, who had been quiet, said while looking around at the villagers.

When he left the inn, the chests surrounding the square were mostly filled.

It was a sight that contrasted with Adelin’s words about mining yields not keeping up with tribute quotas.

The old woman from the inn answered matter-of-factly.

“Because Adelin helps.”

She continued in her usual ominous voice.

“Every week after collection ends, Adelin pays extra money to buy back coal from the lord’s knights. Then the following week, she distributes it to those who are short on their tribute quota.”

Raul tilted his head. If that was true, then Adelin was,

“Spending your personal fortune every week?”

Adelin avoided Raul’s gaze.

After remaining silent, she soon nodded.

“…It’s not that burdensome. Not yet, anyway.”

But something was strange.

A shabby village.

Running such a small pub while spending enough money every week to supplement the tribute quotas of all the villagers.

It was when Raul, who had been frowning, was about to ask something more.

Boooooooo—

Suddenly a long horn sound penetrated into the secret room.

At the same time, the villagers’ faces turned pale.

“What, what? Why is the assembly so early?”

“It’s not time yet….”

Adelin spoke firmly to the panicking villagers.

“It must be because Jen escaped. Let’s go out quickly for now.”

The villagers who nodded began moving busily.

The child and children left the secret room first, and the men each thanked Adelin before going outside.

Inside the secret room where only the unit members and Adelin remained.

Adelin, who let out a deep sigh, pulled a rope hanging near the wall to turn off the lights.

And in the darkness, she looked around at the unit members and opened her mouth.

“When are you leaving? If you come to the shop before you go, I’ll give you each a free drink.”

She then showed a faint smile.

“…Thank you for bringing medicine to treat Jen.”

Though she put it indirectly, that was an order to leave.

Inside the inn they had returned to.

“Change into this.”

Lucalion tilted his head as he looked at the ash-colored cloak Nordics held out.

“When I went downstairs, the innkeeper gave it to me. She said the clothes you’re wearing now stand out too much.”

Lucalion put on the cloak without saying anything in particular.

It was just when he was thinking that he could wear any clothes as long as they weren’t Astie’s dress.

Meanwhile, in one corner of the room, Veil and Basto were having a heated argument.

“Veil. Do you know what kind of danger your actions might cause?”

“What danger? You know too. Those pathetic paladins are no match for us.”

“Still, it’s the Lord’s Army. If we cause unnecessary friction and something troublesome happens…”

“What, am I going to start a war with them? I’m just saying I’ll watch from a corner of the square by myself, so why are you being so annoying?”

“Because I can’t understand your reason for watching.”

Veil closed his mouth as if suppressing his anger.

Then he took a deep breath and lowered his voice.

“…If those so-called paladins try to harm people, we should stop them, shouldn’t we?”

Basto rubbed his brow.

It wasn’t that Basto hadn’t thought about it either.

Given the meaningful testimonies of the villagers and now that they roughly understood the situation.

Basto didn’t want to see the innocent people of Kaldenbain-Ridge suffer either.

However.

“They’re people who have nothing to do with us.”

“Are you really human trash?”

“Call me trash if you want. We have Tie, and Tie just barely survived a life-threatening situation in the Weapon District. Is it strange that I don’t want to take unnecessary risks?”

Silence fell between them at words that left no room for rebuttal.

It was when fierce glares were exchanged between two pairs of blazing eyes.

“Um, Lord Basto. Lord Veil.”

Enzo approached and called out to the two men.

“What.”

“Lord Danzu is…”

Instead of answering, Enzo pointed somewhere.

There stood Lucalion and Tie facing each other in the corridor.

Tie was already busily tying Lucalion’s cloak strings.

“All done! Let’s go!”

Soon the child, firmly grasping Lucalion’s hand, began going down the stairs.

On top of her securely fastened preschool bag, Ppupppu was lying leisurely spread out.

Basto, who had been momentarily stunned, immediately called out to Tie.

“Tie!”

“Hm?”

The child turned around with a completely innocent expression.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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