Black-Haired Dad Isn’t Something You Reap - Chapter 171

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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 171. Learning Only the Bad Things About Being Young (4)
“I, I haven’t done anything wrong?!”
“Yes! Of course not, Your Highness!”
Then why do you have that sorrowful expression? And what’s with the elephant feet? Did you prepare some kind of curse ceremony to celebrate my coming of age?
If this wasn’t prepared as a commemoration, then don’t act like this on our special day. Later, when we’re married and having a marital spat, are you going to show up at the Council the next day looking like you’ve been fighting?
Imperial marriages are quite important in terms of what we show to others, so I wanted to discuss this topic, but I clenched my teeth and held back—Croa would genuinely get angry if I said it aloud.
They say silence is golden, but the moment I shut my mouth, Croa explained the reason for his frustration.
“I’m going to kill Nanac right now!”
“Why?!”
Hey, that kid barely made it back alive. Why would you kill him? First, let’s calm down and ask Media about what kind of backlash comes from killing someone, then we can proceed. Just as I was trying to persuade him, Father walked over stylishly and pulled out a diplomatic document.
“An urgent message came from the Cult Leader. He says if you want to know Kirke’s whereabouts, designate the Dharma Religion as the state religion.”
“Eh? That’s not something that can be done in a day or two. Even the Emperor can’t just decide the state religion on a whim.”
“If you don’t like that, he’s proposing a marriage alliance.”
“I see.”
If I were still the Emperor’s Son, it would be different, but now I’m completely at a disadvantage. Is there any chance the heavens will drop an illegitimate child of my Adoptive Father? If I make him my official younger brother and then form an in-law relationship with Nanac, the math would work out perfectly.
“Right now, Nanac doesn’t have that kind of merit.”
“Then I won’t be able to hear news of Kirke through him.”
“We must kill him! To eliminate future troubles! We must kill him!”
Whoa, whoa, Croa, calm down a bit. I took Croa’s hand and made him put down the hammer. Speaking gently, I explained that he couldn’t use curses in the Imperial Palace, and Croa, his anger cooling slightly, spoke sulkily.
“But I’m an adult now. Curses were forbidden in the Imperial Palace until I came of age, so now I can use them freely.”
“Oh my! You know one thing but not the other.”
I laughed and brought up another contract.
“My servant contract. That lasts until I come of age. You remember, don’t you?”
“…Yes.”
“Until I come of age, you’re my servant. That means you’re mine.”
“…I suppose so?”
“If you’re mine, then you only do what I tell you to do.”
I flicked Croa’s nose, and he let out a yelp before sighing heavily.
“Being Pisha’s servant sure has a lot of restrictions.”
“Well, of course. It’s a position where you get punished if you tarnish the Princess’s image.”
You might as well get used to it now. When you’re married, there will be even more dignity-maintenance clauses. As I explained various precautions, Croa suddenly laughed. Really, this guy—what’s with the mood swings? Has his adolescence been going on for ten years? Why does his temperament keep fluctuating like this? Is it just his nature?
“Hehe, so marriage means being bound by even stronger constraints.”
“That’s about right.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Why are you looking forward to it? Are you the type who gets satisfaction from psychological suffering? Finding it creepy that he’s such a deviant, Croa protested that wasn’t what he meant.
Look at this—he was in a good mood just now and now he’s angry again. His adolescence is really dragging on forever.
“We’ll talk about the Cult Leader later. For now, let’s enjoy the coming-of-age ceremony.”
Father placed a rose crown that he’d prepared for Croa’s coming-of-age ceremony on his head. Marquis Ismenios seemed to have his anger button pressed by the fact that Father was the one who put it on Croa, and he was fuming, but that wasn’t my concern—we decided to present what we’d prepared as well.
“Congratulations on becoming an adult, Croa.”
“Croa, congratulations on your coming of age!”
Roses were essential for a coming-of-age ceremony, naturally. I procured purple roses—Croa’s signature color—and fashioned them into a flower garland to drape around his neck. Larima prepared rose perfume, while Shirley and Leon diligently folded scented paper into rose-shaped air fresheners as gifts.
Buried entirely in roses, Croa found himself at the Imperial Palace’s grand hall, where he was ceremonially forced to drink as part of his initiation into adulthood.
He could have refused if his body couldn’t take it, but given who was pouring the drinks, Croa had no choice but to accept every single cup.
“Surely you won’t refuse my glass.”
“Of course not, Father. I’ll gladly accept.”
“Please have a drink from my cup as well, Your Highness!”
“Yes, then I shall.”
Starting with Father and Choco, followed by the Chief Chamberlain, Marshmallow, Ismenios, Edison, Duke Alset, and the presidents of the Three News Agencies—by the time I’d finished accepting drinks from all of them, Croa’s entire body had turned crimson.
“Did he really drink an entire barrel of ale?”
“Croa certainly holds his liquor well.”
Remarkable, truly. The barrel seemed larger than he was, so where on earth did all that alcohol go?
“Kraaaagh!”
“Ah, he’s collapsed.”
“Looks like he’s asleep.”
“At least he’s not being rowdy about it.”
Though the protagonist had fallen, the party continued unabated—naturally, since I’d poured an astronomical sum into it. To commemorate Croa’s coming of age, I had a new rose garden constructed before the Villa. I planted various rose varieties and even created a flower tunnel, expressing through lavish expenditure just how much I cherished Croa.
The night-blooming roses were particularly spectacular, so I’d arranged lighting throughout the garden. The invited nobles and dignitaries were utterly captivated by the sight.
“Well, now that the noisy one is asleep…”
The Imperial Family members, who rarely gathered together, assembled on the Veranda where the night roses were most visible and began their scheming.
“I’m uncertain whether Nanac actually found Kirke’s whereabouts. But since he’s claimed to have found her, we must extract the truth from him by any means necessary.”
“Honestly, that religious fanatic made a mistake. He should have negotiated properly instead of imposing such absurd conditions.”
“I agree with that assessment.”
Father, Choco, and the Chief Chamberlain nodded in agreement while cursing Nanac. Shirley, who was feeding Leon snacks, made a remarkably aggressive statement in her capacity as Air Force Chief of Staff.
“Should I take the aerial fleet and carpet-bomb the place?”
“We lack justification. Besides, I’d prefer to secure the warp technology before dealing with them.”
“I won’t believe in this warp technology until I see it with my own eyes.”
Shirley voiced her opinion as a scientist rather than as Chief of Staff. The mass of a wormhole typically equals that of an entire planet, so its existence within the Mortal Realm itself was implausible—let alone the claim that one could traverse it with precise coordinate designation. Her skepticism was evident.
But I’d experienced it firsthand. And scientifically impossible events happen constantly on the Narak Continent anyway.
Maxwell created divine power that serves as infinite energy. Divine power transforms freely according to a household deity’s nature, so there’s no reason a divine power capable of manipulating wormholes couldn’t exist.
“For now, should we attempt an abduction?”
Sensing this conclusion was inevitable, I casually broached the topic, and both Father and Choco adopted contemplative expressions.
“But didn’t he decline the party invitation precisely because he fears we won’t let him leave?”
“Getting him to come here of his own volition won’t be easy.”
“Then what if we promise to accept the marriage alliance and summon him?”
“He’d see through the lie immediately.”
That was true. I agreed with Shirley’s assessment and made a thoughtful sound. As I turned the problem over in my mind, I decided to flip the premise entirely.
“What if I just go instead?”
“Pardon?”
“Rather than waiting for him to arrive and capturing him then, wouldn’t it be easier for me to get myself invited to the Religious Order and then abscond with Nanac?”
At my proposal, Father and the Chief Chamberlain, who had been about to object reflexively, fell silent. Apparently, even they could see the odds were favorable in this scenario.
“I’ve been learning assassination techniques from Choco for about three years now, you know?”
“…Yes, of course.”
“I don’t feel any sense of inferiority when facing someone my own age.”
This wasn’t arrogance but simple fact. After consuming that mysterious resonance pill or whatever it was every day, I could now vaguely sense the trajectory of incoming bullets. My reflexes hadn’t yet reached Choco’s level—I couldn’t perform her miraculous feat of slicing bullets from the air with a blade—but if someone fired at me, I was confident I could avoid fatal wounds.
“If you permit me to accompany you, I am in favor of this plan.”
“However, isn’t this far too dangerous for Pisha…?”
So Choco was in favor and the Chief Chamberlain opposed. That meant Father’s decision would determine everything. Since Father held the final authority, their opinions didn’t really matter much anyway.
After deliberating earnestly and scratching his head, Father reached his decision with resignation.
“We’ll proceed according to Pisha’s judgment. However.”
The planning and preparation would need to be thorough, and Father recommended I carry a signal flare as contingency.
“When you fire the signal flare, the fleet stationed above Ljubljana will mobilize. If we succeed in kidnapping the Cult Leader, we’ll retrieve you and him and return.”
“What if I can’t bring Nanac back?”
“Then we’ll reduce the Religious Order to ashes since our relationship with them will be irreparable.”
I absolutely had to succeed in kidnapping Nanac.

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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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