Black-Haired Dad Isn’t Something You Reap - Chapter 188

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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 188. How Brave to Begin Ascetic Training from the Northern Region (2)
I was about to bow according to protocol when I remembered that the Emperor had struck first, so I lifted my head instead.
“You told me to come as a hostage!”
“Pfft!”
As I declared this boldly, Choco burst into laughter, clutching her belly, and Kisomalos chuckled along. The Princesses and Emperor’s Sons gathered in the hall also turned their heads and seemed to be laughing.
“What, you little one, what safety do you think this place has!”
“You called me crazy first!”
“Ugh!”
So this man really is Nanakda’s biological father. He does resemble him when he’s clenching his teeth and getting angry.
“You little brat, last time you came and turned the Imperial Palace upside down—that should have been enough. Why did you come back!”
“Huh?! How was I supposed to know that!”
Didn’t everyone think it was a blonde beautiful female ghost who came and went? The official documents only mentioned Shirley, and since my name wasn’t there, I thought I’d gotten away with it.
“I only wrote down the name of Princess Vishnabel’s life companion out of consideration for your dignity—you should have understood and exercised restraint!”
“Why do you always talk in such roundabout ways!”
So by only listing Shirley, he knew my true identity but deliberately didn’t reveal it, expecting me to figure it out myself?! There’s not a single person in our country who would understand that kind of implication!
When I pressed him on this twisted way of speaking that I’d never understood since our first meeting, the person who appeared to be the First Princess collapsed to the floor and began laughing uncontrollably.
“Hic, hehe, if Nanakda hadn’t… I could have kept this child in the palace and watched.”
The First Princess also seems to enjoy finding amusement in things. She’s like our father. She even looks a bit like Hisperon. Why do all these black-haired people have such similar personalities?
“No, if the negotiations had gone well, Nanakda would have come as a son-in-law. He’d be in Kisomalos.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
“Stop chatting among yourselves! The Emperor is speaking!”
“Ugh, how annoying. Does the Emperor refer to himself in the third person as ‘the Emperor’?”
“Cough!”
“Then when deciding the dinner menu, would the Emperor say, ‘The Emperor wants to eat steak’?”
When I brought up steak, all the Emperor’s Sons collapsed as well. Only the Second Princess stood rigidly, her face flushed red, suppressing her laughter. That one has good patience.
“You, you little brat, do you understand your current situation?”
“What situation?”
“You’re currently in handcuffs with your subordinates, captured as prisoners of war.”
“Oh, this?”
I thought the Emperor was the one misunderstanding the situation, so I introduced Choco, our pride of the Kisomalos Empire, to clear up the misunderstanding.
“Tada! This is Choco, who entered Loruruje Fortress alone and killed a thousand men!”
As I waved my hands sparkly while presenting Choco, she made a “yap!” sound, snapped the handcuff chain, and tore apart the metal shackles with her bare hands.
“These are softer than Imperial Kingdom-made ones. Pisha could break these too.”
“Really?”
I tensed my arms and pulled the handcuffs taut, and with a crack, they snapped. I could certainly break this much myself, but I couldn’t perform the trick of bending metal shackles with my fingers like Choco could.
“Since you care so much about maintaining face, I came quietly to help you save it. You understand up to this point, right?”
“…So what?”
“You said to bring Princess Vishnabel as a hostage, so I definitely came to Astiages in the status of a hostage, right? Since I said I wouldn’t demand Nanakda’s head if I was captured as a hostage, I’m assuming you won’t do it from now on, yes? You’ve confirmed this much, correct?”
“…Yes.”
“I have someone I need to find, so I need to leave now, yes? If gunfire sounds, I’ll interpret it as a declaration of war with Kisomalos, yes? If I die, my father will march north immediately—that’s obvious, right? And later, so things won’t be awkward between us, please return my airship safely.”
“Do whatever you want, you brat! Little One, do as you please!”
“Thank you!”
“Please don’t thank me for understanding!”
Yes, how wonderful that we resolved everything peacefully without spilling a single drop of blood through conversation. I asked the Emperor to return Choco’s weapon, bowed with proper etiquette, and then strode confidently out of the Audience Chamber.
“May wisdom dwell upon great wings!”
“Get out! Don’t you ever come back, you damned Little One!”
“Ah, couldn’t I just borrow one of your cars?!”
“Walk!”
The Audience Chamber door slammed shut with a bang. Well, there’s nothing I can do about that. I have money anyway, so I’ll just rent a car and drive around.
“Since things have come to this, the military won’t move openly, but individual members of the Imperial Family might send people after us, you know?”
“Scared?”
“I’m not scared for myself. I’m worried about you, Pisha.”
“I’m not particularly worried about myself either.”
We finished our conversation and looked down at Kisomalos together. The golden sheep glanced around to see if anyone was nearby, then let out a dejected sound.
“I’m really scared, so could you prioritize protecting me?”
Why does it look so natural for him to hide behind us? He resembled the leader of a group who had long sailed while wearing a fine crown, having entrusted all the difficult work to friends, colleagues, and his wife, standing alone.
“That guy’s so petty that we should rent a car right away. He might distribute our photos throughout Astiages and tell people not to sell us anything.”
“No way. Would he really be that petty?”
“He’s seriously that petty, I’m telling you? Trust me.”
We left the Imperial Palace, rented a four-wheel-drive Willys, and paid for thirty days in advance. After that, we bought food and camping equipment in case we might camp, but as soon as we entered a shop, the owner kicked us out. Flyers with our photos were already circulating.
“Oh my, this came down as an imperial decree, so I’m sorry, customers!”
“Wow, that guy really is petty.”
“See? I told you he was petty.”
Anyway, if things go like this, we won’t be able to stay at hotels either. It might be better to buy camping equipment even if we have to pay extra under the table, right? Just as I was thinking that and trying to negotiate with the shop owner again, a woman with a long cloth wrapped around her face from a nearby alley gestured to us.
“Did you call for me? Do you know me?”
“Yes. I received word from the Cult Leader. A group with a yellow sheep and a woman with an unusual hairstyle. That’s you, isn’t it?”
“What’s wrong with my hairstyle?!”
I flared up in anger, but the woman, as if I didn’t matter, hung some kind of pendant around my neck. Huh? Isn’t this the symbol of the Dharma Religion?
“Everyone in the Astiages branch has been notified. Wherever you go, the Dharma Religion will support the Princess.”
“Oh!”
It’s good to hear, but Nanakda’s influence is truly terrifying. He acted like he wasn’t doing anything, yet there are this many followers in Astiages?
“Um, when you say Cult Leader, you mean Nanakda, right?”
“Yes. The Cult Leader Nanakda Grant asked the followers to help.”
“That… do you happen to know roughly how many Dharma Religion followers there are in Astiages?”
“Since the sect is still weak, we estimate around five million.”
“Wow, wow…”
Religion is terrifying! Absolutely terrifying! Five million people—that’s about half the population of Media Capital, isn’t it? And they all revere Nanakda as their Cult Leader?
Of course, Astiages has an enormous population, so it might not be much when considering the whole, but for someone living on the Central Continent, the number felt inevitably large. After all, everyone on the Central Continent has roughly similar populations. Even Hippolita, the most populous, has a total population of around one hundred million or so… Anyway, it’s nothing compared to Astiages.
“Even if we can get food support, what about sleeping?”
“Come on, a sleeping bag is enough. I’ve slept on the grass in front of the Princess Palace before!”
I answered with confidence, and with supplies from the Dharma Religion followers and Elrod as my guide, I set out to find Kirke. We drove until nightfall, then decided to camp outside a certain city—pitching a tent and boiling soup. It reminded me of camping with Father, which made it fun.
“Delicious! The sausages the Dharma Religion makes are surprisingly tasty, Choco!”
“Please eat slowly, miss.”
After finishing our meal, we lit incense to ward off insects and crawled into our sleeping bags.
Exactly five minutes later, I wriggled out and gently shook Choco awake.
“Choco, I can’t take this. I can’t sleep here.”
“That’s why I said we should go to a hotel from the start!”
“Ugh!”
I thought sleeping outside once would be fine. How was I supposed to know the difference between the Princess Palace’s soft grassland and this rocky dirt ground would be so stark?
Either way, we packed up and headed back into the city proper. Entering what appeared to be the most luxurious hotel, I drew my sword and gun, addressing the front desk.
“Everyone out! As of today, this is Kisomalos Territory!”
If they wouldn’t accommodate us legally, I had no choice but to take it by force. This was entirely the Emperor’s fault. It wasn’t my doing.

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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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