Black-Haired Dad Isn’t Something You Reap - Chapter 34

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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 34. Even So, It’s Still a Person’s Name—What’s With Calling Them a Beast? (2)
As I unlocked the barred inner door and stepped inside, a modest yet cozy room came into view. The bed looked plush, and the bookshelf was crammed with entertaining novels—a fine children’s room, save for the bars on the window.
“Ah, ah…”
The boy scrambled to his feet and quickly crawled forward to bow his head before Prisoner. I’d come to check if he’d gained weight, and fortunately, he looked a bit better than when I first saw him—though still painfully thin.
“What brings you here…?”
“The Princess of our homeland wished to insult and mock you.”
“…!”
“Ah, no! That comes after I see how you’re doing!”
“…?!”
Oh no, Prisoner! You’ve frightened the child!
I pinched Prisoner’s cheek and demanded he put me down. Once my feet touched the ground, I approached carefully and spoke with measured courtesy.
“I came because I was curious how you were living. I didn’t come to insult you.”
Calm down, calm down—don’t curse me. I took a deep breath after thoroughly checking that nothing nearby could serve as a sacrifice. If I could just win this child over and make him my friend, I’d hit the jackpot. After all, he bore the divine position of the God of Media, a lower-tier deity.
“You… you won’t hit me…?”
“I won’t hit you, I won’t! Why would I strike you without reason?”
“But when we first met…”
“Ugh! That was different!”
I stopped because I suspected the King of Media was pulling a scam!
As I tapped my own forehead apologetically and expressed my regret, the child seemed to relax slightly, his shoulders losing their tension.
“Then… why did you come…?”
“Well, it was just chance, really—I happened to pass by and you caught my eye. I thought maybe we could introduce ourselves properly, you know?”
The more I talked, the drier my mouth became. How exactly does one make friends? The Achilles Young Lady was an exception, so that didn’t count. I’d never spoken to boys except when picking fights, so I had no idea how to continue this conversation…
“You’re like an overeager young person on their first blind date.”
“Shut it!”
I kicked Prisoner’s shin decisively, and the scrawny boy let out a soft laugh. He quickly composed himself and looked away, but at least conversation felt easier now than before.
“So then, what is your name?”
“I am… um, Cro…”
“…”
He spoke in an incredibly small voice, dragging out his words terribly, but I waited with patience. I seemed to recall my mother saying that friends multiply with patience. Which explained why she had none.
“…oa, Gede…”
“What?!”
Upon learning the boy’s name, I became absolutely furious.
“Even if he’s a child you plan to discard, how could you name him like a beast?!”
“No, no! I’m—”
“Father! I must go slap the King of Media’s ears right now!”
“I am Croa! Croa Gede Media!”
“This little one is treated like livestock! How could anyone name a person like a beast?!”
“Sob…!”
“Calm yourself.”
Prisoner simply picked me up, leaving me to flail uselessly in the air. This wasn’t the time for this—I needed to go slap the King of Media’s face for my newly befriended divine companion with formidable power.
“It’s not ‘pig dog’—it’s Gede. It’s also a curse word in Media’s native language.”
“Huh?!”
That’s worse than pig dog! What kind of parent curses their child’s name like that?! Even my garbage biological father gave me a proper name!
“Still! The first name being Croissant too!”
“It’s not Croissant—it’s Croa.”
“Oh.”
At least the name I’ll be calling him going forward is decent. I decided to calm down as Prisoner instructed and opened my mouth while dangling from his grip.
“I am Vishnabel Lorowi Kisomalos. The sole legitimate heir of Kisomalos, and a most noble Princess with Lorowi of the Explosion as my maternal house.”
“Wow….”
Hmph, I’m quite the distinguished person, so admire me all you like. As I flaunted Kisomalos’s glory and struck an arrogant pose, Choco—who had tumbled away earlier—reappeared and tarnished both Prisoner’s and my honor.
“Are you two really blood relatives? I’ve never seen anyone with such baseless confidence except Chiron.”
“Choco.”
“Yes?”
“Roll down the stairs and come back up.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Apparently realizing her words constituted lèse-majesté, Choco rolled down the stairs without complaint.
And seeing that I had made a proper judgment and administered a fitting punishment, Prisoner seemed to feel I had sufficiently calmed down, so he set me back on the ground.
That Croa is really gentle and nice. I wish I could have her as my friend instead of the Achilles Young Lady. I’d get plenty of support from the God of Media too.
“Father, Your Majesty. Lend me your ear.”
When I gestured for a private word so Croa wouldn’t hear, Prisoner quickly crouched down and listened intently.
“I like her better in my heart. Could we move her residence to the Princess Palace?”
“Is there any utility in it?”
“Kisomalos said if I make a hundred friends or lovers, my divine status recovers faster.”
“Hmm.”
If you have more children to raise, it’s not a bad deal for you either, is it? As I pressed Prisoner’s cheeks insistently to urge his decision, the man, still crouching, spoke recklessly.
“Hey, Little One. My daughter wants you as her playmate.”
“A playmate…?”
“Yeah. When she’s lazy studying, you take the beating for her. When she plays, you lose on purpose. When you fight, you act like a pushover. That’s the playmate role.”
“…!”
“Don’t hit! I won’t hit!”
This Prisoner keeps teasing me! As I shrieked and yanked his hair and ears, Croa sighed and spoke words of refusal.
“I appreciate the offer, but it seems like something I cannot manage.”
“Why not?”
“I’ve been cursed to not walk, so as a playmate….”
So the wheelchair was because of a curse? No wonder he crawled so incredibly fast.
“Hmm….”
“Wh-what are you doing?!”
A sudden thought occurred to me, and I began kneading Croa’s legs. Since he was wearing a tunic-style nightgown with bare legs exposed, it was easy to touch the boy’s legs.
“Ugh….”
“What’s wrong?”
“She can crawl, can’t she?”
“That’s true.”
“Then running should be possible too, right?”
Divine blessings and curses often came with loopholes—semantic tricks, really.
The curse said she couldn’t walk, not that she couldn’t use her legs. Such cases happened frequently. The family’s god always did its utmost to benefit the legitimate heir, so it might have imposed the restriction as “unable to walk” while leaving other possibilities open. A way to minimize the curse’s backlash.
“Huh?”
“That… actually makes sense.”
“And when Croa was younger, she used her legs just fine.”
“Wh-what?”
Croa’s face looked as though she were saying, “I’ve lived like this my whole life?” Prisoner showed no mercy, pressing forward with his experiment against the Little One, who sat speechless from the sheer cultural shock.
“If you fall, I’ll catch you. Try running once.”
She had enough muscle from crawling to manage a few steps, at least for a moment. As he finished speaking, Choco, who had climbed back up the Tower in the meantime, helped Croa to her feet.
“You can do this, Princess! You’re so incredibly kind—being your friend is absolutely amazing!”
As Choco gushed about how happy the Achilles Young Lady seemed to be living, Croa’s face flushed crimson.
“I-I’ll try!”
“Good. Come on.”
Croa made a sound like “hyah!” as she attempted to run, and her bones cracked and twisted audibly in several places. Yet she definitely managed two steps forward.
“Huff, huff!”
“You’ll be fine with regular muscle exercises while lying down. I’ll design a program for you.”
“This… this method… it’s impossible.”
Her ankles twisted and her back strained, and Croa clearly felt pain—yet she couldn’t stop smiling. I think this was the first time I’d ever heard her laugh out loud like that.

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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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