How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 17

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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How to Replace Your Dad

Chapter 17

* * *

Colonel Lagoni, who came running after hearing about the commotion, was reportedly horrified to see the destroyed barracks.

He apparently clutched the back of his neck upon seeing the princes who had even drawn their swords.

This was also something I heard secondhand.

From his adjutants who had fled from the colonel who had become extremely sensitive.

The adjutants and I sat down in a row in the makeshift kitchen.

And we chatted with wistful expressions.

“You know what. The moment I saw the destroyed barracks, I thought about retiring…”

“But you still have a long way to go on your house loan. You need to think about the kids’ education expenses too. Since I’m single, I should be the one to retire…”

“No, I should…”

“It might be better if I do it…”

The last words were mine.

“Do you even have somewhere to retire to…?”

“That’s how I felt…”

“I can understand that…”

The soldiers and I looked up at the sky with sad eyes.

At least it was fortunate that Second Prince Luciano was far superior in skill to Fifth Prince Gaspard.

Gaspard, knowing he couldn’t win, eventually backed down.

Thanks to that, Prince Ain, who supposedly suffers from madness, was safe.

‘But wait, why madness?’

There was no mention of madness in the game.

Not only did Second Prince and Fifth Prince come when they shouldn’t have, but Fourth Prince, who was supposed to come, now suffers from madness that didn’t exist before.

‘What on earth is going on?’

It seemed I needed to gather information to understand the situation.

Should I ask Colonel Lagoni?

But from what I could tell, he didn’t seem to know much either.

I was deep in thought about this when it happened.

“I’m a servant from Luciano Palace. I’ve come to escort Lady Yustea.”

…The grim reaper’s summons had arrived.

The adjutants looked back and forth between me, who had stiffened, and the expressionless servant.

Then they silently stood up and cleared the way.

No, they fled.

They demonstrated the essence of workplace survival by never getting involved in the affairs of high-ranking people like princes.

The servant waited for me silently.

“…”

I followed behind the servant with a sad face.

The Second Prince’s quarters were located in the deepest part of the military camp.

The servant left me outside the quarters for a moment.

He was probably going to report that he had brought me while having some secretive conversation.

I stood there blankly, looking at the large ancient tree that separated the prince’s quarters from the other barracks.

To be precise, I was looking at the tassel hanging from the ancient tree’s branch.

It looked like a sword tassel that would be attached to sword hilts in the East.

“A magical tool for catching intruders…”

I was muttering unconsciously when it happened.

Suddenly, Second Prince Luciano’s voice could be heard.

“You know quite well about a magical tool that just came over from the Eastern Continent three days ago.”

He was coming out of the quarters and seemed to have heard my voice.

I smiled awkwardly.

‘Of course I know. I used it often in the game to prevent intruders from entering my base.’

It was an item you could only get your hands on after reaching an extremely high level, yet he managed to obtain it.

He was indeed a prince called the First Prince’s greatest political rival.

Luciano approached with large strides.

I stepped back slightly with an even more awkward expression.

“You don’t need to run away like that. I have no intention of devouring you.”

“Someone who’s committed a sin instinctively can’t help but…”

“So you do realize it.”

“I’m truly sorry…”

“Then tell me.”

“Pardon?”

“About that magical tool.”

I hesitated and looked up at the tassel hanging from the branch again.

Captor

A relic of the Eastern Continent Imperial Family.

Captures intruders not permitted by the owner.

“It’s a Captor. It’s a relic kept by the Eastern Continent Imperial Family. And it seems you haven’t used it yet.”

“…”

Luciano stared at me intently.

‘Why is he looking at me like that?’

I muttered while watching Luciano’s reaction.

“Well… the Captor is blue right now. When it’s in use, it changes to purple.”

“Lady Andres, you have quite impressive information networks even after being cast out from your family.”

“Pardon?”

“That’s right. We did steal it from the Eastern Continent, but we couldn’t figure out how to use it.”

“Ah.”

“So? What’s the exact method of use?”

“You weave part of the caster’s body, like blood or hair, into the Captor. It captures anyone who doesn’t possess something of the caster’s.”

Luciano’s servant, who had been listening to our conversation, looked genuinely surprised.

While Luciano’s expression didn’t change much, his gaze toward me became more intense.

Soon he chuckled and asked.

“Then do you also know about the Tracking Orb?”

Upon hearing about the Tracking Orb, I recalled what Fifth Prince Gaspard had said inside Fourth Prince Ain’s quarters.

“So where the hell is that damn Tracking Orb? Brother.”

‘Is Prince Luciano also after the Tracking Orb?’

Sure enough, Prince Luciano added:

“I know the Tracking Orb is in Ain’s hands. But the ancient texts about the Tracking Orb have been lost, so I can’t know what it looks like or how to use it.”

“…”

“But you seem to know.”

“…”

“Won’t you find it and bring it to me?”

He wasn’t someone who would fall for a lie about not knowing.

I muttered while glancing around for escape routes.

“I do know about it, but I don’t want to get involved in the princes’ disputes anymore. As I mentioned, I’m like a dust-covered potato…”

Please, really.

Now that I don’t even have the Andres shield, getting involved in the princes’ fight would be like a shrimp getting its back broken between whales.

Then Prince Luciano approached me.

“Isn’t this an opportunity to settle our grudge?”

“I’d prefer to settle it through other means if possible…”

“I’ll make sure Gaspard can’t touch you while you’re in the north. Plus 1,000 gold on top of that.”

“…!”

He would control Gaspard, the greatest obstacle to meeting Duke Esgaroth?

And on top of that, he’d give me an enormous sum of 1,000 gold.

‘What on earth is he trying to find with a tracking orb….’

As I stood frozen, Prince Luciano said,

“Well, if you don’t want to, there’s nothing I can do.”

Then he turned around as if to return to the barracks.

At that moment, I quickly shouted,

“Plus a position as an attendant!”

“….”

“…would that be too difficult?”

Luciano, who had been staring at me intently, let out a small laugh.

“I accept.”

“I look forward to working with you.”

I quickly bowed my head.

It was the moment when a past enemy became an ally.

* * *

Night.

I prepared a late-night snack to replace the dinner that had been ruined by Gaspard and went to Prince Ain’s quarters.

In front of the quarters, servants were pacing around.

Their faces were pale as if something had happened.

When I approached carrying a tray, they looked at me with surprise.

“What’s the matter?”

“I’ve brought a late-night snack for His Highness.”

“Go back.”

Had Prince Ain declared he wouldn’t eat anything?

‘That would be troublesome.’

“Um… I prepared food that he particularly enjoyed at the Imperial Palace. Couldn’t you somehow let me in? Colonel Lagoni is very worried since His Highness hasn’t eaten for three days now.”

When I asked, the servant waved his hand dismissively as if annoyed.

“His Highness’s nerves aren’t just ordinarily sensitive. Prince Gaspard happened to step on a snake….”

“A snake?”

“Yes. Prince Ain has been cherishing and raising it.”

Then another servant let out a deep sigh.

“What should we do if the snake dies? There’ll be chaos. Shouldn’t we call a veterinarian?”

“Are veterinarians common? Besides, how could we find a veterinarian in the middle of the night?”

Since pets weren’t common in this world, the number of veterinarians was also small.

There were often none in a village, so even though the Imperial Palace servants were capable, they couldn’t immediately find a veterinarian in the middle of the night.

“Shall I take a look?”

“…You can examine snakes?”

“Yes. I once worked at a wild animal breeding facility.”

I had taken care of snakes there too.

Then the servants’ eyes lit up as they crowded around me.

“Why are you only saying this now? What a welcome fellow!”

“Let’s go in. Quickly!”

“Your Highness, there’s a child who can examine the snake!”

It was incomparably warmer treatment than just moments before.

That’s how I ended up entering Prince Ain’s quarters.

The prince, who had been in front of the iron cage containing the snake, quickly got up.

The prince was a beautiful person.

He was a handsome young man with caramel-colored sweet hair and impressive emerald eyes.

But my eyes were drawn more to the snake in the iron cage than to him.

‘It’s not a snake, it looks more like a python.’

It was very large to be called a snake.

It was such a massive snake that I couldn’t understand how Prince Gaspard had managed to step on it.

Maybe he didn’t step on it but kicked it.

Prince Ain looked at me with wide eyes.

“Will you save Eppy?”

Was the snake’s name Eppy?

I was a bit flustered by the cute name despite its fierce appearance, but I soon answered.

“I’ve never seen such a massive snake before, but if you give me a chance, I’ll examine it.”

“Yes!”

The prince stepped aside with a bright face.

I crouched down and examined the drooping Eppy.

It certainly lacked energy.

The prince looked at me with a worried face.

“Gaspard stepped on Eppy and crushed it.”

It wasn’t a size that could be crushed.

It was thick enough that an adult man would need to embrace it with both arms.

“Such a delicate child… How cruel.”

It wasn’t a snake that the word “delicate” suited.

Its fangs were like those of a leopard.

‘But wait, a snake with leopard-like fangs? Oh, could it be….’

I asked the prince.

“Eppy is a death servant, isn’t it? A monster, I mean.”

“Eppy is my friend.”

Prince Ain looked displeased.

He seemed offended by the word “monster.”

But soon he began telling me all about Eppy.

“When it sees me, it opens its mouth wide to greet me. Eppy is smart and knows I like greetings, so it does it for a very long time.”

I remained silent.

…Death servants open their mouths wide when measuring the size of their prey.

“When my shoulders droop, it makes a sad face. It even gets angry for me. Thrashing around inside the iron cage.”

…It’s trying to eat you when it sees you’re weakened.

I couldn’t open the cage to examine it.

I visually examined every corner while staying as far away from Eppy as possible.

I could see red spots scattered across its scales.

“Ah.”

When I let out an exclamation, the prince quickly came to my side.

“Can you cure Eppy?”

“No.”

Then his gentle eyes immediately became sharp.

“Then you are a useless person.”

Even his voice became lower.

The servants’ faces stiffened with surprise.

They weren’t panicking because I said I couldn’t treat the snake.

That look in his eyes was fear.

I instinctively sensed what kind of person Prince Ain was.

Unlike his sweet appearance, there were sinister thorns at his core.

Before his thorns could reach me, I quickly said,

“Eppy doesn’t need treatment. That’s why I can’t cure it.”

“…You’re saying he’s not injured?”

“Yes.”

“Then?”

“It’s mating season.”

“….”

Somehow it felt like a whooshing wind was blowing through the barracks.

I looked at the frozen attendant and prince with a puzzled expression.

“Mating season. The time when they mate and reproduce.”

“…I know what that is too.”

Then I wouldn’t need to explain at length.

“Eppy is female, right? Female Death Servants don’t move much during mating season because they’re conserving energy. You just need to find her a male.”

At my words, the attendant cleared his throat and spoke with an embarrassed expression.

“Death Servants are a rare species. It would be difficult to find a male.”

“They’re quite common in the north during this season. I know how to find them.”

The prince’s eyes were sparkling with interest again.

“You can find a mate for Eppy?”

“Well, yes, but….”

Suddenly, I had a good idea.

If I played this right, I could use this to my advantage.

“For that, I’d need Eppy’s shed skin. I can use the skin to lure a male. Do you have any stored?”

Of course not.

Just keeping a monster in the Imperial Palace was shocking enough – there’s no way they’d carefully preserve shed skin too.

“No… Mother hates Eppy. She forbade us from storing the shed skin.”

“Then shall I try gently peeling some off so Eppy won’t get hurt?”

“Would you do that? I’ll pay you. Topaz that matches Eppy’s eyes.”

“Payment is fine. How about you have a meal instead?”

The attendants’ eyes widened.

Recently, the prince had suddenly stopped eating, claiming someone would poison him.

The prince’s fasting was also a headache, so it would be welcome news for the attendants too.

The attendants looked at the prince with hopeful eyes.

The prince groaned “Hmm.”

“A child who helps Eppy is a good child. A good child wouldn’t poison me, right?”

The attendants responded enthusiastically.

“Of course. A good child would never poison Your Highness.”

“Absolutely. Absolutely.”

The prince nodded.

“Good. But you must make sure Eppy regains her energy.”

The attendants placed the late-night snack I had brought on the table beside the prince.

The prince lifted the dome.

The late-night snack menu was beef stew, which Prince Ain supposedly ate well.

The prince picked up a spoon.

And took a taste.

“…!”

His eyes widened as he stared at the bowl.

Beef stew.

Actually, it’s a dish I’m as confident about as braised ribs.

* * *

The next day at lunch.

The cooks and workers had all gone to eat, leaving the makeshift kitchen quiet.

I yawned and rubbed my eyes inside the makeshift kitchen.

‘Getting up at dawn made me a bit tired….’

Last night, Prince Ain ate the beef stew very well.

Then his eyes sparkled as he said he’d eat breakfast too.

Colonel Lagoni, who heard this news, danced the samba.

If anything happened to the prince, it would all be his responsibility, so his mental stress must have been considerable.

Even the soldiers and Prince Ain’s attendants stepped forward to carry me on their shoulders, so I had to slip away and escape.

Even when other cooks tried to sneak in their own dishes during this opportunity, Prince Ain only ate my cooking.

Thanks to that, I’m currently making Prince Ain’s meals for every meal.

I took out a bowl from the counter drawer to drain the blood from the beef.

But there was a small note inside the bowl.

‘What’s this?’

When I unfolded it, there were squiggly letters written like someone’s scribbles.

But I know what this means.

This cipher was the same one written in the battle logs I had stolen from Luciano’s associates.

[3 o’clock. Food Storehouse.]

‘Seeing that they used this cipher, they knew I had stolen the battle logs too.’

Then those battle logs might have been deliberately manipulated and passed to me.

It’s fortunate I was kicked out of the family and became useless, but if I had actually used them….

I got chills.

‘What a scary person.’

Anyway, this wasn’t the time for such thoughts. It was almost 3 o’clock.

I secretly headed to the food storehouse.

As expected, Luciano was there.

Luciano, who had been leaning against a pile of flour sacks, looked at me.

“I heard you won Ain’s favor. With your cooking and your ghostly skill at peeling scales.”

That’s right.

I succeeded at scale peeling yesterday.

I handed them to the attendant, and the attendants are probably busily running around the fields with the scales, looking for a male Death Servant.

‘I’m good at peeling scales.’

I even got praised at work.

I had planned to make sure he ate the beef stew, anticipating that the scale peeling would be finished quickly.

That way I could go to the barracks for every meal.

The plan succeeded, and I had already been in and out of Prince Ain’s barracks three times since last night.

Luciano asked.

“So what did you gain?”

“It’s nothing much.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

“It’s really nothing much. I just found out that Prince Ain isn’t actually mad, that’s all….”

When I spoke dejectedly, Luciano froze.

“…What?”

“…?”

Luciano, frowning, muttered to me as if confirming again.

“Ain… isn’t mad?”

“Yes. He’s really good at acting.”

“….”

He looked flabbergasted.

“And you think that’s nothing much?”

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