Black-Haired Dad Isn’t Something You Reap - Chapter 152

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 152. Go on a Date When Demons Appear Between Incidents (5)
“Father, wait just a moment!”
“Sit here.”
“Okay.”
When Father says sit, I sit. I settled into the plush pink velvet chair reserved exclusively for the Princess, positioned right beside the Emperor’s throne. Damn, was this made from leftover materials after constructing my study room? Pink velvet, of all things.
“Father! My study room!”
“A fortune teller is coming today, I hear.”
“Really? Is that so?”
So his comment about making decisions based on physiognomy wasn’t mere idle talk. Whatever else he might be ignorant of, the man certainly has guts. Usually, people would claim they’re too frightened to meet alone with the Emperor, wouldn’t they?
“Your Majesty, Your Highness. Genie has arrived.”
Ah, that attendant has such a lovely Southern accent. What kind of name is that anyway? Park Genie, Park Jin-i, Park! Jin! Hee! I tried pronouncing the name several times to myself before giving up on getting it right. I’ll just call her Teacher Genie.
“Hmm, treacherous terrain indeed. To construct a palace in such a place—people dying is only natural.”
The door opened, and a youth in a dark blue robe entered. About Croa’s age, perhaps? The way she fanned out a folding fan and walked with hands clasped behind her back exuded something like Southern mystique.
But mystique or not, shouldn’t she at least greet the Emperor and Princess properly upon entering the Audience Chamber? Just as I was about to point this out, Father—faster with his hands than his words—drew a gun from his holster and fired directly at the girl’s head.
Bang!
The bullet whizzed past and embedded itself in the door frame of the Audience Chamber. I trust Father’s precision marksmanship, but it seemed he intended to give quite a scare—blood trickled from the woman’s ear, and I caught the faint smell of singed hair. He must have aimed dangerously close to her face.
“Manners.”
“May the radiance of the Golden Lamb shine upon you! Long live the Emperor, long live, long live! May the Princess live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years!”
So Southerners really do bow when greeting? It’s not just something they do when apologizing or receiving something?
Teacher Genie’s etiquette suddenly improved dramatically. After bowing, she knelt and remained perfectly still, her head bowed low. Though honestly, she didn’t need to prostrate herself quite so completely. This is the Central Continent, and here a simple bow with lowered head after one greeting is quite sufficient.
“Why did this insolent brat ask to meet with me?”
“Yes! I shall explain!”
Father really is reckless. And humans are truly weak to violence. She was posturing as if about to launch into a lengthy speech about the poor feng shui of the Imperial Palace, but one gunshot and she jumped straight to the point. I wonder if I’ll need to carry a gun for emergencies when I ascend to the throne.
“My prediction in a major divination was wrong, and I became a target of the Triads! If Kisomalos will protect me, I shall dedicate myself entirely to your service!”
“Why specifically choose Kisomalos?”
“Hehe, I dabble a bit in astronomy, you see, and the signs indicated I would survive if I came here.”
“You failed at gambling divination, yet you risked your life coming here?”
“I consulted with my family’s household deity, so it’s certain! The signs say I will definitely survive if I come here! And the deity also said that Kisomalos’s fortune has been remarkably good ever since seven years ago.”
Seven years ago? Isn’t that around when I regressed and Father died? She does seem to have some skill, though she could just be retrofitting coincidences.
“Ah, just grant her asylum. She’s bringing many influential people with her anyway. They’re all people who’ll help the market economy.”
“Hmm.”
Father’s expression is uncertain. It seems he’s still bothered by her rudeness at their first meeting. But I have a special cheat code for situations like this.
“If you refuse, won’t people say Kisomalos rejected her out of fear of the Triads?”
“I suppose there’s no choice.”
Heh. Father really does share Mother’s blood—touch his pride and he’ll capitulate one hundred percent of the time.
“I grant you asylum. I’ll provide a room in the palace, so do your divinations or your magic as you see fit and make your living. I don’t believe in superstition.”
“Your generosity is boundless, Your Majesty!”
It’s ironic that he doesn’t believe in superstition yet readily asks for curses. Though I’ll admit, I have some resistance to divination myself. I’ve seen several rulers fall after becoming close with fortune tellers, and every so-called prophet I’ve encountered has been a fraud.
Still, it might be fun to go see New Year’s fortunes with my friends sometime.
“Pardon me, Your Majesty. If it’s not too much trouble, I have one more request.”
“What now?”
“It’s true that my divinations have been inaccurate, but it’s largely related to astronomy. Would it be possible to share some of Kisomalos’s astronomical data…?”
“Astronomical data?”
I couldn’t fathom what fortune-telling had to do with astronomy, so I asked out of curiosity. The Genie immediately became obsequious, saying she didn’t need high-level research materials.
“Just knowing the constellations and star names visible from the Mortal Realm would be sufficient. It would be even better if I knew which solar system the stars orbit around and which star cluster they belong to….”
As she spoke, perhaps growing frustrated, the Genie pulled out a compass commonly used in the Southern Continent and some constellation map, raising her voice.
“All my divination errors stem from this! It turns out the constellations observed from where the deity resides are completely different from the star positions visible in the Mortal Realm!”
“It seems to be a type of star divination.”
“Huh, you mean that nine-palace thing? I know about that. My birthday is supposedly Pluto.”
“Where would something like the Great Bear constellation even exist in the Mortal Realm!”
What’s that about? Is the constellation really called the Great Bear? What a strange name. When I laughed—haha—I felt an uncomfortable gaze from Father. That’s the look he gets when he’s thinking of something odd again.
Father alternated his gaze between me and the Genie, then smiled wickedly and threw out his conclusion.
“Go to university.”
“…Pardon?”
“You can study astronomical data to your heart’s content at university. Go to university.”
“But I’ve only done divinations my whole life. How could I possibly study?”
“The Princess Palace has an excellent study room.”
Father was delighted at the prospect of more content. Well, if the study room gains another companion, that’s good for me too. With Marshmallow’s attention divided, I can nap comfortably.
“Hmm, Larima was actually planning to enter the study room and is currently doing preparatory studies.”
“Perfect. Study together with Aelset’s little one.”
“…Pardon?”
I’d tell Marshmallow to add another person, and Larima could also attend the Pankration Teacher’s beginner class with me. Teacher Lee had been worried about lacking sparring partners, so this worked out perfectly.
Father and I discussed matters smoothly, settling everything from the Genie’s residence to her class schedule and the allowance to be provided for maintaining dignity—all within just three minutes. As everything was decided so quickly, the Genie, unaccustomed to Imperial Family ways, looked utterly dazed.
“This gets decided this easily? This quickly?”
“That’s how it is. Your room will be prepared in the guest palace closest to the Princess Palace. Since there are plenty of vacant rooms, you’re welcome to open an office.”
“Call me when you register as a business. I’ll coach you personally. Don’t even think about tax evasion—keep your ledgers transparent. Kisomalos doesn’t offer tax breaks for the wealthy.”
The more you earn, the more taxes we’ll collect. Father and I laughed—keke—delighted at how much revenue she’d bring in, while the Genie swallowed hard and brought up her unremarkable past.
“I’ve never kept ledgers. I only took individual requests.”
“That might have worked in a gambling city, but not in Kisomalos.”
“Here, the National Tax Authority is more terrifying than the Triads.”
The National Tax Authority’s pen spares no one, not even the Imperial Family. Do you know what kind of spectacle I put on when I absorbed the Lorowi Territory? If I’d simply inherited it, a massive inheritance tax would’ve hit, so I had my Maternal Grandmother prosecuted for kidnapping me and received the territory and army as compensation. That way, I didn’t pay a single coin in inheritance tax.
By the way, that scheme came from Edison’s mind. Edison is the best. My precious eldest strategist.
“Don’t worry. I’ll teach you how to pay income tax too.”
“Or you could ask the Imperial Palace’s tax accountant.”
“Though it’s a bit expensive.”
The Genie looked quite dizzy. Transitioning from a lawless city to becoming a law-abiding citizen must be difficult.
“So asylum has been approved? Then I’d like to introduce the Genie to my friends.”
“I’ll select the rest myself. Go play with the other children.”
“Yes!”
Another rare character had joined the Princess Palace. I led the Genie, who emanated Southern mystique, to introduce her to my friends. Looping, who hadn’t yet returned to Chiron Territory, was delighted to greet someone her own age, while Croa puckered his lips warily at the Genie.
Hmm… It’s probably because of Genie’s attire and somewhat androgynous appearance.
“Genie is a woman.”
“Oh, I see! It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Croa, Prince of Media.”
Croa… you really are an easy one to read.
I was pondering how he’d grown up to be this way when another source of concern came trudging over and stepped firmly on Genie’s foot.
Sheryl Achilles, who acted without uttering a word, stepped on Genie’s foot, then returned to me and grabbed my arm, biting it with such fervor that she left it covered in saliva.
“…Is she perhaps a child raised by wolves?”
“No. She was raised by people.”
Genie fell silent upon hearing my answer. I too had nothing to say, so I simply lowered my head and shared in the solemn quiet.

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