Black-Haired Dad Isn’t Something You Reap - Chapter 151

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

Chapter 151. When Demons Emerge Between Incidents, Go on a Date (4)
“First, let’s purchase Hisperon’s Estate. But the maintenance costs will be astronomical, and since it’s not on our land, we won’t be able to respond quickly if it deteriorates…”
I muttered to myself, pondering how I could preserve Hisperon’s legacy for posterity. As I wracked my brain, a brilliant idea suddenly struck me, and I shouted with enthusiasm.
“Let’s move the entire house here!”
“You’ve lost your mind.”
“Pisha, you really take the cake when it comes to being out of your mind.”
“In that case, you’d need not just money, but also justification.”
Oh, look at our Croa studying politics so diligently. You’re right—justification matters. And naturally, I’ve already prepared an excuse to spin.
“Hisperon and I are engaged! That’s all we need to say!”
“…Do you think people will believe that?”
“Doesn’t the ‘Boy Hero’s Epic’ mention how I passionately proposed to Hisperon? That’s plenty of evidence!”
When I stated this confidently, Croa looked taken aback and questioned me in return.
“So you knew you appeared in that work and had it performed anyway?”
“Of course? If a blonde princess from a distant land far from Astiages passionately proposed to the boy hero, who else could it be but me?”
“You’ve lost your mind.”
“Pisha, you really are completely insane.”
Feel free to insult me all you like. But my love for Hisperon cannot be stopped. Once I announce that I’m purchasing the belongings of my deceased fiancé, public opinion will be on my side.
“If word spreads that Hisperon died not long after Nanakda’s execution, what position will the Emperor be in? If it becomes widely known that I threw money around and had the estate dismantled, he’ll be pleased that the rumors are buried?”
“That mind of yours really does work selectively well.”
“I quite like how Pisha’s intelligence spikes selectively like this.”
“This will be quite a major project. We’ll need many specialists.”
That’s right. We’ll need construction experts to dismantle and reassemble the estate, and many skilled workers to transport it without damage. Since I want to move it to the Capital so I can visit frequently, the land costs will be astronomical, and since I want to display the collection, this becomes an astronomical expense…
“…”
As I glanced sideways at Father, trying to gauge his reaction, Chiron narrowed his brows and wore a stern expression.
“You do intend to repay this, correct?”
“O-of course!”
All told, my current debt comes to about 5 trillion. But in the long term, it was money I could definitely repay. I’m collecting taxes from Ljubljana and Lorowi, patent fees and trademark royalties are coming in steadily, and Edison’s Military Supply Factory is now stable. If things continue like this… in about 10 years, I should be able to… maybe… repay it?
“Bring me a repayment plan.”
“You already know all my earnings anyway!”
“Bring me a repayment plan.”
“Ugh!”
He really does love documenting everything. This contract-and-paperwork demon. Father’s mentality is so disgusting that anyone of the opposite sex who showed interest in him ran away. That’s why Father has never married.
As I explained this at length, Father, who had been listening quietly, smiled wickedly. His mouth twisted upward grotesquely like a laughing clown, and I broke out in a cold sweat.
“Then I’ll go write up that repayment plan right away!”
“Let’s go together, Pisha!”
“What if you run away alone!”
Hey, I need to survive first! If I’m gone, there’s no Media, no Achilles!
As I spouted specious arguments based on facts, Croa and Shirley looked bewildered before eventually nodding in agreement.
“That’s true!”
“You can discard us anytime, but dealing with Father is terrifying!”
True, Father does have that side to him. Honestly, I’d rather march into Astiages with the Air Force than pick a fight with him when he’s genuinely angry.
I was heading toward the Study Room with my friends, chattering away merrily despite the eye-watering mint-colored furniture, when I ran into the Chief Chamberlain in the hallway. Judging by the stack of peculiar documents Grandmother was holding… she must be heading to see Father?
“Are you alright? Your eyes are quite swollen. Perhaps you should wash your face.”
“I’ll take care of it! What are those papers?”
“Refugee applications and asylum requests.”
Huh? There hasn’t been a war nearby lately, has there? Unless our country catches some plague, the Central Continent should remain peaceful. As I voiced my confusion, the Head Attendant Grandmother sighed as if exhausted.
“One of the continent’s largest Casino Chains has gone bankrupt. Since that city-state’s primary income comes from gambling tourism, the nation itself has been shaken.”
“Wait, the gambling city? The one at the far south? They were doing well and thriving until recently!”
“Apparently, when their odds-fixing scheme was exposed, lawsuits against the nation, the corporation, and individuals have been endless. One of the Casino Chain locations has only elderly customers, so prospects for its future are grim.”
Hmm, for something like that, the country hasn’t completely collapsed, has it? You said it was only shaken, right? Don’t they have the resilience to recover? When I voiced this opinion, Croa, who was surprisingly well-versed in global affairs, backed up what the Head Attendant Grandmother had said.
“Ah, there. People still clinging to the gambling establishments firmly believe it wasn’t the odds-fixing that ruined them, but rather someone’s fingers.”
“Fingers? Like some kind of code? Or a secret society symbol like the Freemasons?”
“Well… since it’s news from the south, I’m not entirely sure myself.”
Right, that place is too far away. Unlike the Western Nations, which have completely closed their borders, information is being controlled there, and there’s virtually no exchange with us.
“But it’s far away, isn’t it? Why are they specifically applying for asylum in our country?”
“Ah, well…”
The Head Attendant Grandmother sorted through the asylum request documents and showed me a photograph and papers of a girl with long, ebony-black braided hair wearing colorful southern-style clothing.
“This girl is a famous fortune teller with a deity attached to her. She only dealt with wealthy clients, but she chose our country as her asylum destination, so…”
“I see.”
So the fortune teller whom they trusted and followed wanted to go to our country, making them think Kisomalos is safe, and they’re just following along?
“Well then, that means all the wealthy people are coming to our country? That’s completely amazing.”
“But before arriving, she said she wants to meet with the Princess and the Emperor first before making a decision…”
“How audacious.”
Does she think the Imperial Family has nothing but free time? Why should we meet with some fortune teller? No, I should tell her not to come. No matter how wealthy she is, if she’s involved in an incident, she’s bound to be troublesome. We don’t want to get involved either.
“If she reads your facial features favorably, she wishes to become the Imperial Family’s official fortune teller.”
“Is her accuracy rate good?”
“Since she’s quite skilled, that’s probably why wealthy clients are attached to her.”
Hmm. Actually, having a dedicated fortune teller for a national leader is a bad omen. But if a deity is attached to her, that means she’s genuinely skilled, doesn’t it?
I’ve never heard of a mere fortune teller having a deity attached to her, so perhaps a statistics-related deity is attached to her. In reality, she didn’t divine through divination alone—she analyzed each casino game venue one by one, grasped their patterns, and informed her clients about them.
With this understanding, I could accept it.
“There’s no harm in meeting her when time permits. If Father approves, I’ll go too.”
“Yes. I shall convey that to him.”
I went to the Study Room with my friends and submitted both a debt repayment plan and a request to change the Study Room’s interior design.
This furniture is from when I was younger and doesn’t fit me anymore! This time, I’m determined to obtain a complete set of rosewood furniture that matches my taste!
I enthusiastically wrote out a report on how Study Room furniture affects learning and submitted it. Having said this much, Father should return my rosewood furniture to me. Let me give that to myself and set up a somewhat futuristic scientist’s room for Shirley.
I waited eagerly for the interior renovation day.

✦ ✦ ✦
“….”
“Stay strong, Pisha.”
“Yes, yes, it’s quite lovely!”
My mint-colored, perfectly rounded Study Room was vanishing before my eyes. In its place, furniture tailored precisely to my dimensions was being carried in one piece after another. The fact that it fit me so perfectly made it abundantly clear these weren’t rosewood pieces.
I stepped onto the cushion that bulged unevenly across the floor and squeezed my eyes shut.
“I told you I don’t like pink, you absolute idiot!”
“Wow, pink seems like the least of our concerns right now.”
“This must have cost a fortune.”
Of course it did! This is all velvet! Do you know how expensive natural velvet is?! And the dyes are natural too! I’d bet anything they used cochineal!
“Argh!”
I don’t need a pink princess room! I’m the Princess! If there’s a princess in the room, it’s already a princess’s room! Why does it have to insist on being a princess’s room like this?!
“Um, Pisha.”
“What is it, Choco!”
“Chiron wants to see you for a moment!”
“I’ll kill him!”
When Father asks to see me, I go—it’s only natural. I huffed indignantly and followed Choco to him. Today, oddly enough, Father was stationed not in the Temporary Office but in the formal Audience Chamber of the Main Imperial Palace.

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