Black-Haired Dad Isn’t Something You Reap - Chapter 230

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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 230. Since It Exists for Good Reason, Let Us Stop Deliberating (2)
How long had it been since I’d had a drink? After nearly fifteen years of abstinence, the sensation stirred something within me—a swell of emotion that brought tears to my eyes. Overwhelmed by the novelty of it all, Choco, who had been hesitating with her glass, suddenly threw back a shot and made a grand show of it. She must have thought I was hinting at my disapproval of drinking.
“Pisha, why are you crying! You’re drinking now! I won’t leave this gathering!”
“No, that’s not why I’m upset.”
“Is alcohol not enough? Should I get you a cigarette?”
That’s not it either. I’ve never smoked in the first place, you fool. When I told Prisoner that cigarettes were out of the question, Father fished one from his case and kept pressing it toward me insistently.
“Learning from an adult is perfectly acceptable. Why not start now? Once you begin, you can’t stop.”
“That’s exactly why I don’t want to!”
Helbatro had already gone down the wrong path because of substances—I despised anything addictive! Once I made this clear, Father sighed with disappointment and returned the cigarette to its case.
“I was hoping to gain a smoking companion.”
So that was his goal. It made sense—Croa, Shirley, Choco, and the Chief Chamberlain all abstained, so he must have felt lonely. Perhaps if I learned and occasionally joined him for smoking breaks, he’d be pleased? But if the smell clung to me, Croa and Shirley would hate it.
“You don’t have to force yourself to learn.”
My father’s eyes were sharp—he could read my hesitation plainly. Still, I thought it might be worth trying at least once. Grandmother Helga had smoked too, and it seemed like it could help me adapt to life in the Kisomalos way.
“Clear rice wine really does pair well with raw fish. The flesh just melts on your tongue.”
“Raw fish is best with grain-based spirits, naturally.”
“Yes. When I use it as a side dish with rice, grain-based spirits are definitely the way to go.”
It seemed rice-based alcohol was supreme for raw fish, and sorghum-based baijiu paired beautifully with fried foods—or so I’d heard. They call that a marriage, I believe? Though the term is usually reserved for wine pairings.
“You’ve certainly sampled quite a variety.”
“Back then, I couldn’t have survived without alcohol.”
Imagine it—that fool Helbatro lived past forty, and every time he caused trouble, I had to shield him with my own body. Since Father had been part of Helbatro’s faction, I thought he’d understand, so I chattered away. Then he placed his enormous hand atop my head like a pot lid.
“I don’t remember it, but I was sorry back then.”
“Oh, come now. If all you’d heard were rumors of the extravagant Princess, you might have acted the same way.”
“Yet even now, with a debt of 5.8 trillion, you remain the extravagant Princess, it seems.”
That was then, this is now! Back then, the nickname was unfair, but now I’ve earned it by actually spending that much—so no regrets! Most of that money went to military expenses, which I found rather satisfying. The 800 billion portion went toward relocating Hisperon’s birthplace, so I harbored not a shred of regret. Since circumstances had changed so much from before my regression, I burst into laughter, and Father suddenly tightened his grip on my head.
“The extravagant Princess intends to restore Kisomalos to a superior deity within two years, I presume?”
“Ow! Ow! My head! You’re going to pull my hair out!”
Father was gripping my head like a basketball and swinging me around. He’d probably keep this up until I explained my strategy, but the thing was—I did have a plan! Though if I said it aloud, I’d definitely get scolded!
“I have a plan! I have one, so please stop!”
“Let’s hear it.”
Father sipped his drink and gestured for me to speak. Damn it—if I had such meticulous plans, I’d be ruling Media or Chiron, not Kisomalos!
“Well, you see, Kisomalos is currently an intermediate deity, and reaching superior status isn’t far off, right? Media is also on the verge of becoming a superior deity.”
“So how exactly do you plan to bridge that gap?”
“Um….”
I hesitated for a long moment, then took a deep breath and spoke honestly to Father.
“Well, the truth is….”
“….”
“I’m counting on you to figure it out somehow.”
“….”
This time I might actually get hit—not just a head flick or a pinch, but a proper kick like Choco usually endured!
Bracing myself, I squeezed my eyes shut, and Father let out a sigh of utter exasperation.
“Fine, if it really comes down to it, I’ll figure something out.”
“Really?!”
“Do your very best with what you can manage.”
Excellent! I really did pick a good father! Yes, honestly, what effort do I need to put in to elevate Kisomalos’s divine status? Once the people around me rise in divine rank, Kisomalos automatically becomes a higher-tier deity anyway.
Father has raised the children so well that Chiron is already a higher-tier deity, and the Media Kingdom is strengthening with Kisomalos’s support, so if Croa just gathers power well in the Central Region, Media will soon become a higher-tier deity too. Nanakda’s Dharma Sect followers are multiplying exponentially, so Grant becoming a higher-tier deity is no problem at all.
Moreover, with the success of this long-range rocket bomb experiment, the name Sheryl Achilles will spread far and wide. The research team under Doctor Marichi who participated will also become famous, so Doctor Marichi will probably reach lower-tier deity status in this process, right?
Now that I think about it, I heard Netcha had good news coming from capturing the Heavenly Demon the other day—what happened with that? I glanced at Choco to ask, but the young man was sprawled on the floor, snoring away contentedly.
“He really can’t hold his liquor…”
“He’s always been like that.”
Father joked that if he’d known this beforehand, he would have gotten Choco drunk during their first fight and killed him. Then there’d be no worry about Looping’s succession, so he could have stepped back from the Duke’s House affairs long ago—but even so, Looping was young back then, so no matter what, Father would have had to inherit the Duke’s position, wouldn’t he?
“That’s true.”
“And Choco doesn’t seem like he’d harm Looping.”
“You can never be sure.”
Father seems oddly distrustful despite being close with Choco. Even without Father keeping him on a tight leash, Choco doesn’t seem interested in holding the Duke’s position. Well, he’s not the type to get his eyes turned by money or power.
“If he truly had no interest in the Duke’s position, he wouldn’t have received succession training.”
“Huh…?”
Now that I think about it, that’s true too. Before Father killed Choco’s parents, Choco was receiving succession training to inherit the Chiron Duke’s House, right? That’s why he obtained educator credentials and learned martial arts. Given Choco’s personality, he wouldn’t have learned if he really didn’t want to, but looking at it from this angle, it is strange.
“Hmm, could he be stepping back because Father or Looping seem more suited to being the Chiron Duke?”
“I don’t know either. Whatever he’s thinking, he doesn’t let it show.”
That’s true. If I hadn’t checked with Kisomalos’s power, I wouldn’t have even known Choco was obsessed with me. The more you know about him, the less you understand what he’s thinking, you know?
“Anyway.”
“Huh?”
Ah, I’m in such a good mood right now, feeling pleasantly tipsy. I’m grinning for no reason, just because the alcohol makes me happy, but Father wears a smile with clear purpose and speaks affectionately.
“When would be a good time for the coronation?”
“Coronation?”
What coronation? A coronation? What? What was that again? A hotel venue reservation? Is there some major conference coming up?
As I mumble “Blah blah blah,” Father smiles even more warmly and explains the specific meaning.
“The coronation ceremony of Vishnabel Lorowi Kisomalos, the Emperor of the Kisomalos Empire, who will inherit the imperial throne.”
“Blah, blah blah blah.”
What should I do—pretend to pass out from drinking? I start to sway dizzily and try to collapse onto Choco, but Father gently catches me as I fall and says something absurd.
“If you don’t set a coronation date today, I’ll enforce debt collection tomorrow.”
“That’s not fair!”
Wait, where does the Princess Palace have money to pay 5.8 trillion tomorrow?! As I struggle in Father’s arms, protesting that I can’t repay the debt, he bounces me up and down with a delighted tone.
“If you cannot repay the debt, you have no choice but to hold the coronation.”
“No, a ceremony requires procedures and proper protocols!”
I haven’t even had a birthday celebration this time, and I haven’t held a coming-of-age ceremony! Oh, that’s right! I haven’t held my coming-of-age ceremony! Under Imperial law, an Imperial Family member who hasn’t come of age cannot hold the imperial throne, you know! No matter how old I am now, I can’t just declare myself an adult without properly holding a coming-of-age ceremony as a member of the Imperial Family!
I finally grab one loophole to escape and seize upon this detail.
“I see. A coming-of-age ceremony, that is.”
Then Father places me in a chair and goes outside to rummage around before returning.
In Father’s hands were an enormous bouquet of roses and a gift box—I have no idea when he prepared them.
“Congratulations on coming of age! My beloved daughter!”
Father hurled a hundred roses at me.

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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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