Black-Haired Dad Isn’t Something You Reap - Chapter 212

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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 212. If You Think Revenge Feels Hollow, Your Method of Revenge Was Simply Sloppy (1)
With the Heavenly Demon eliminated, I’d thought we could march into the Capital without bloodshed. There was a time when I actually believed that.
“Aaaahhhhh! What is this?!”
Just because we’d taken the head didn’t mean the people of Astiages would meekly surrender. Instead, as if determined to drag as many companions with them as possible, they charged with their ships’ rams, and some even penetrated our main fleet before detonating their vessel’s explosives in suicide attacks.
I ordered all forces to prioritize evacuation—ships could be abandoned—and only after half of our vanguard battleships vanished did the bloody explosion show finally cease.
Had the Astiages Military truly been so loyal to the Imperial Family? Everyone was bewildered, but once we landed at the Imperial Palace and witnessed what the Empire’s civilians were doing, we finally understood what had transpired.
“Long live the Celestial Demon Cult!”
“Sacred flame, burn bright once more!”
Those who had been brainwashed by the Heavenly Demon were choosing death en masse, and corpses were overflowing the streets.
This is a disaster. At this rate, we’ll have an epidemic on our hands.
“W-well, let’s gather them up and burn them.”
“Use as much military supplies as you need! The moment you find a corpse, take it to the nearest disposal site and incinerate it!”
“I should have brought my Aunt along for this!”
My Aunt could have disposed of the bodies with a flick of magic. As I pondered what alternatives I had, my gaze turned toward Nanakda, who stood in an extraordinarily sacred posture, clad in sacred vestments.
“Nanakda, you’re a Cult Leader. Can’t you use some kind of purification?”
“What? Why would a religious figure use purification?”
“Come on! That’s the image people have! Priests in robes cast healing spells and purify toxins!”
“That’s just a stereotype!”
Nanakda, insisting I close my mouth and calling me prejudiced, then adopted a sacred expression to enlighten me about the truth of religion.
“Listen carefully, you foolish Princess.”
“I’m not foolish!”
“The three elements that run a Religious Order are: exploitation, arranging believers in a pyramid structure, and mutual voluntary gaslighting.”
“Isn’t that a multi-level scheme?”
“No matter how great the founder of a religion is, no matter how noble their teachings or how virtuous their deeds, for a religion to persist continuously, these elements are absolutely necessary.”
“So… isn’t that just a multi-level scheme?”
No matter how I listened, the methods were identical to those of multi-level marketing companies, so I asked—and suddenly, an enormous volume of water came cascading down from directly above Nanakda’s head. He looked as though he’d been caught in a waterfall. Apparently, Grant found Nanakda’s nonsense so intolerable that he was willing to spend divine power just to pummel him.
“Wait, did I say something wrong?!”
Nanakda shook his fist at the sky in protest. Then this time, an iron basin fell and struck him squarely on the head with a satisfying clang. The sound was wonderfully crisp.
“Should we make the Imperial Palace our base of operations? There’s plenty of work to be done there anyway.”
“Yes. We need to bathe and change clothes.”
Just maintaining the city would require more manpower than we had. There was no room to spare for selecting personal attendants.
I quickly abandoned what needed to be abandoned and, gathering those close to me, headed toward the Astiages Imperial Palace. As I gazed upon the shattered iron gates that no one was guarding, something suddenly occurred to me, and I asked Nanakda.
“Speaking of which, what about the Former Emperor who supposedly became a mummy? Is he enshrined in the Imperial Mausoleum?”
“Huh? I ordered my subordinates to search for him, so by now he’s probably pig feed?!”
“Eeeeeek!”
No, you can’t feed him to pigs! I need to display him at the gate as a symbol that Kisomalos has consumed Astiages!
I’d asked without much thought, assuming he’d simply been buried in a tomb that we could retrieve, but I received a shocking answer instead.
“My method may seem cruel, perhaps. But that man—”
“No, that’s not it!”
This fool Nanakda is so infuriating! How can I let the primary culprit behind Hisperon’s death simply become pig feed?!
I should have displayed him at the main gate, let the wind dry him out nicely, then scattered the pieces—clack, clack, clack—as decorations throughout the four cardinal directions of the Capital!
I was about to unveil my grand plan when the car conveniently pulled up in front of the Main Palace, and I practically leaped out. Right, the Main Palace had an Audience Chamber. I’d been wanting to do this for ages.
“Yes! Let’s go sit in the Emperor’s throne!”
“What? I want to do that too!”
“Hey, weren’t you supposed to bathe?”
“The water’s clean anyway, so I can wash up later!”
As Nanakda and I raced ahead, vying for the lead, I heard Croa and Father’s voices from behind.
“There might be remnants still lurking, so be careful, Pisha!”
“Both of you, play gently! You’ll fall!”
Nanakda and I chorused “Yes, sir!” back to Father, then kicked open the Audience Chamber doors. Corpses of those who’d taken their own lives lay scattered about, but the Emperor’s seat remained pristine.
“I’m first!”
“Huff, huff! I can’t compete with your stamina.”
Of course not. While you were busy expanding your business and the cult’s influence, I was diligently exercising and taking vitality tonics. I swaggered over and settled into the Emperor’s seat, mimicking the late Former Emperor.
“Why are you standing there like that? Should I offer you a chair?”
“Haha! Hahahaha!”
I wasn’t confident in my impression, but seeing Nanakda laugh meant I’d nailed it. After sitting for a while, I was about to climb onto the chair and stomp it to pieces when Nanakda pushed me aside, wanting to try sitting himself.
Nanakda settled into the throne with an eager expression, but his face grew subtly distant—not quite what he’d imagined.
“So… all of this… for just this.”
Perhaps old memories surfaced. With a melancholic expression, Nanakda lamented that his brothers had imprisoned him in the Prison just for the chance to sit here once.
“Hisperon too, all because of a person standing just one step above on this seat.”
See? I was right—we should have displayed the Emperor’s corpse. Why did we hastily feed him to the pigs?
“Want to destroy it?”
“Huh?”
“Now that we’re here, don’t you want to smash it with your own hands?”
I retrieved the halberd that a fallen guard had been holding and handed it to Nanakda. The man’s face brightened considerably.
“Should I?”
“I’ll get one too! Leave some for me to destroy!”
“Haha! I’m destroying all of it!”
We hefted the long axe-shaped weapons and obliterated the throne. By the time there was nothing left to smash, we were even splitting the chair legs like firewood.
After we’d played for a good while, Father and Nanakda’s Subordinates entered.
“You’ve made quite a mess.”
“What about the others?”
“Under the Chief Chamberlain’s direction, they’re cleaning the sleeping quarters. We just encountered these men on the way—they say they have a report for the Cult Leader.”
Probably about the pig feed, as expected. True to form, the five subordinates knelt on one knee before Nanakda and reported the Former Emperor’s final moments.
“We disposed of him as you commanded.”
“Though I doubt Hisperon would be pleased about this.”
“Well… I suppose that’s true?”
What are you saying? Revenge isn’t for the dead—it’s purely for my own satisfaction. The opinions of the deceased are irrelevant. Because Hisperon is dead and I’m alive. Obviously, the living take priority over the dead.
“I don’t care what Hisperon thinks. I need to vent my frustrations.”
Right, that’s correct. Nanakda and I see eye to eye on this. I nodded supportively beside him, and Nanakda’s subordinates exchanged glances between us before releasing a heavy sigh.
“How did such a pair ever end up together….”
“Why does everyone around Hisperon end up like that?”
“Even venomous snakes and frogs prefer clear water, or so they say.”
“Who’s the snake and who’s the frog?”
“Doesn’t the Princess seem a bit frog-like?”
Who did you just call a frog!
I snatched up a jewel embedded in the imperial throne and hurled it at one of Nanakda’s subordinates. It struck with a sharp crack, snapping his neck backward. Another subordinate nearby screamed at Kirpan not to die.
“More importantly, I’m worried about capturing my siblings and sister. They’re probably hiding deep in the Empress’s and Concubine’s territories.”
“Huh? They’ll come if you call them, so why capture them?”
“Why would they come just because you call?”
“Well, because someone has to decide who inherits the throne, right?”
The Heavenly Demon was taken away by Netcha, but the Astiages deity hasn’t been destroyed. Barely clinging to life, but this nation still has a thread of existence. Whoever it is, the throne must be inherited. If they don’t want to lose their country, they should naturally come.
“Princess Vishnabel, I intend to keep those people alive.”
“No, that’s exactly it! We need someone responsible to conclude the contract!”
We’ve been at odds about something since earlier. Growing frustrated, I asked Father to explain my intentions instead, and he assessed my plan and laid it out with perfect logic.
“It seems the Princess wants to establish a new Emperor, conclude an unfair treaty with Kisomalos, then once all the benefits are extracted, round them all up and execute them, and select a new leader.”
Yes! That’s exactly it! Father really does know me well from all these years. We’re truly of one mind.
“Oh….”
I thought Nanakda would be pleased once I conveyed my intentions, but the man looked at me as if I were garbage.
“Do… do we really need to go that far?”
What do you mean “that far”? This is perfectly normal.

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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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