Black-Haired Dad Isn’t Something You Reap - Chapter 260

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

Epilogue
Side Story 6. The Life of a Seasoned Scoundrel—Do Not Attempt This as an Ordinary Person (2)
What? If you keep cursing at me, I’ll get upset. As soon as I puffed out my cheeks and displayed my royal sulk, the Chief Chamberlain and Father began poking my cheeks as if it were the most amusing thing they’d ever seen.
“Like a pufferfish.”
“At least she doesn’t resemble that scoundrel in this regard.”
“Which is precisely why three different men want to marry her.”
The Chief Chamberlain and Father launched into another discussion about Helbatro, drifting into the hazy realm of nostalgic memories. They’d mentioned that Helbatro and Grandmother Helga had plenty of playmates for a single night but never settled on a permanent spouse—yet hadn’t Helbatro remained somewhat settled when Mother was alive?
“How did that bloodline become such a stabilizing force?”
“Turns out I shared blood with that woman too.”
Right, now that I think about it, Mother and Father were siblings, weren’t they? There seemed to be something unsettling about why Grandmother Lorowi raised Mother, but the thought made me queasy, so I decided not to dwell on it.
So did that make Chiron’s bloodline our family’s personal stabilizing force?
“True enough. Living with Father has certainly brought considerable emotional changes….”
“Even if she lacks manners, she doesn’t engage in reckless behavior.”
Chief Chamberlain, are you insulting Father or praising him? Since they’re so close, that must be some kind of backhanded compliment, right? Anyway, I should wrap up this discussion and get to my actual business.
“More importantly, why is it a problem for me to visit the Consort Palace?! I don’t understand at all!”
“Why do you think there’s nothing wrong with being surrounded by fawning attendants, giggling and playing around?”
Oh! Father, you’ve hit the nail on the head. This was the same point Media brought up last night, so I decided to deploy the logic that had convinced even an intermediate deity.
“Listen carefully, Father. There exists a difference in status between the attendants and me.”
“Hmm, go on.”
“Love happens between equals, doesn’t it? Since attendants and I are not equals, our relationship can never deepen.”
Father’s expression grew strange. The Chief Chamberlain looked positively sour.
“Then as the chief of attendants, I’m worth less than the dirt beneath Your Majesty’s feet?”
“No, the Chief Chamberlain’s official title is Count Risto. You naturally deserve respect.”
“Oh….”
Both the Chief Chamberlain and Father seemed at a loss for words before my flawless logic. Ahem, even if I say so myself, I’m an honorary lecturer for the Listo Family. I have some expertise in logic.
“Have you perhaps heard of love that transcends status, or the romance of knights and noble ladies, Your Majesty?”
“Such things don’t exist—that’s precisely why they’re called romance.”
“Oh my.”
The Chief Chamberlain marveled this time, even offering a round of applause.
“As an Emperor, Your Majesty sets an admirable example, but as a human being, that’s a truly despicable statement.”
“What’s so despicable about it?”
“I realized it from the moment you said you wouldn’t have befriended Croa if he weren’t a prince.”
“Why are you bringing up ancient history?! You’re embarrassing me!”
That’s different from this situation. And what does it matter if Croa weren’t a prince? We’ve already grown close, we care for each other, and I could simply elevate his status to match mine—problem solved.
“…Wait.”
Hold on, did I just grasp the crux of this entire situation? That’s right—as the Emperor, I could raise anyone I favored to any position I wanted, couldn’t I?
“Gasp!”
What?! So everyone’s been anxiously worried that I might elevate my potential lover to some grand position?!
As my expression shifted back and forth, my face turning pale and then flushing crimson, Father and the Chief Chamberlain finally laughed, realizing that the blockhead had finally understood everything.
“Still, since you figured it out yourself, I suppose that counts as redemption.”
“From the Emperor’s perspective, it would be unimaginable.”
“No, no—how could everyone see me as such garbage?!”
I only have one body! I already have Croa, Shirley, and Nanakda! How am I supposed to add more partners?! I can’t handle it! It’s physically impossible!
“Besides, it was Ismenios who sent those attendants, wasn’t it? That old man didn’t seem particularly interested in taking a position in Kisomalos?”
“I’m curious about his motives as well.”
“Is this related to internal affairs within Media?”
That must be it, right? That old man is the closest to me among Media’s nobility, so is he being pressured to fill the Consort Palace with Media people?
“I think I need to visit Media at least once.”
I had incidents to resolve and now a clear reason to go, but crossing over wasn’t easy regardless.
Seeing my hesitation, Father—who understood what was troubling me—chuckled amusedly while chewing on his favorite peanut candy.
“If you go there, there’s no turning back with Nanakda.”
“Ah, I know that already!”
I’d been searching for a way to maintain neutrality and bring both of them back at once, but if this happened, Nanakda would be deeply hurt. Even if I offered to lend more troops to crush the northern brothers, he’d say that was something Father could handle, so my goodwill wouldn’t matter.
“Ugh! Aaaagh! What do I do?!”
“This is why living alone is easier.”
“You can’t do that as an Emperor. You need to produce an heir.”
Why did I marry three people in the first place? When they all get along, it’s wonderful, but if even one thing goes wrong, everything crumbles, making every day feel like walking on thin ice.
“First! I think I need to go to Media!”
“Oh, so you’re giving up on the Cult Leader?”
“What?!”
I won’t abandon any of my spouses. Since it’s come to this, we’ll all live together harmoniously until we’re old and gray.
“Emily! Tell my beloved Shirley that it’s time to execute Operation Anabada!”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Ugh, I’d been saving Choco for when infiltration was needed. Now I’m using her for this instead. Well, since my remaining divine power is so little that sending Choco would be risky anyway, I suppose this works out. If the warp stone malfunctions and only half of Choco gets transported, it would be a disaster.
“What’s Operation Anabada?”
“Short for: use sparingly, share fairly, swap wisely, and reuse always!”
“In this regard, you’re a spitting image of Lorowi.”
The Chief Chamberlain only brought up Lorowi when she wanted to insult me. My naming sense wasn’t as fatally bad as Lorowi’s family, after all.
While we waited and Father, the Chief Chamberlain, and I had snack time together, Shirley soon arrived with all the supplies needed for the operation.
“Pisha! It’s been so long since you called for your aunt!”
“Yeah, good to see you. Cast some magic for me here.”
“You only call on me when you need something….”
Why else would I see my aunt? I reminded her not to forget her status as a criminal, then turned my attention to my beloved Shirley, asking how she’d been.
“You’ve been frequenting the Consort Palace constantly, but only seek me out when you need something. How fortunate you are.”
“No, no, I was just worried you’d be tired. I have quite a few problems on my plate right now?”
“Oh, so you’ve been playing around with men while drowning in problems?”
“I wasn’t playing around with anyone! I just got a massage—a foot massage!”
I flared up in anger, then immediately remembered that I needed Shirley and switched back to flattery. As I rubbed her shoulders while fawning over her, the woman didn’t seem displeased—she snorted softly and asked what this was about.
“You know those used warp stones we secretly stashed away from Nanakda? Well, I suddenly have a use for them.”
“Wait, didn’t you say we’d collect them bit by bit and use them to infiltrate Choco into key war positions?”
“I’m in a bind right now.”
As I hopped from foot to foot, my distress apparently amused Shirley, who burst into laughter.
“So you’ve found a reason to abandon neutrality?”
“Yes. Media.”
“How do you plan to sway the Cult Leader?”
“Well, I think I need to play the Hisperon card now.”
The moment I mentioned Hisperon, everyone grew curious about how the warp stone usage connected to him.
“If we gather the tiny scraps of warp stone remaining, we can barely send one person through, right?”
“Yes. I said it was theoretically possible.”
“Then we could definitely send a letter, couldn’t we?”
I would use the accumulated warp stone remnants from the previous Astiages campaign to send an invitation to the Underworld. Of course, my Aunt would need to cast a luck-enhancement spell to ensure the Underworld’s master received it properly, and whether the master would accept the invitation was another matter entirely. But I was confident that once I summoned them to the negotiation table, I could persuade them somehow. After all, I had the Superior Deity Kisomalos backing me.
“My luck is incredible. If I can just bring them to the negotiating table, I’m sure something will work out.”
“So you’re planning to ask for Hisperon’s release from the Underworld? That would certainly be an excellent bait for the Cult Leader.”
Exactly. If Hisperon manifested in the Mortal Realm in either spirit or divine form, I could bring back his descendants and make them my and Nanakda’s children—two birds with one stone.

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