How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 176

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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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How to Replace Father
Chapter 176
* * *
Terriars’ expression shifted to shock the moment he saw me.
“How is this….”
I narrowed my eyes and looked at him.
‘Thank goodness I remembered the Game Story.’
The Reconstruction Council attacking Terriars was part of the Game Story.
A story meant to bring Stella and him together.
Originally, Stella would help facilitate his acquaintance with them.
‘Since Stella knew him from the beginning anyway, I thought the GM had broken the story early.’
But once we arrived at the Port, I sensed something was amiss.
“When the prince went missing, the entire Protocol Unit, Guard, and envoys fell into chaos — yet one person alone remained composed.”
“That was….”
“Exactly. Ilfarm’s Prime Minister, the very one who should have been most desperate. So I wondered.”
“….”
“Did the Prime Minister and the prince plan this together?”
“Ah.”
“If it was something they needed to do without the Protocol Unit and Guards knowing, then meeting the Reconstruction Council would be it, wouldn’t it? And the Abandoned Lighthouse would be the perfect secluded location for such a meeting.”
In the story itself, the Prime Minister and Terriars conspire to meet the Reconstruction Council.
In doing so, they’re attacked and sustain grave wounds.
“You’re too good a person.”
“Pardon?”
“If you did something that would harm the Empire, wouldn’t it have been better to simply let you suffer for it?”
At Terriars’ words, I felt my expression darken with a flush of anger.
“Who said I came to rescue the prince because he’s pretty?”
“What do you….”
“Despite how hard you opposed the outing, you pushed it through anyway, and even conspired with the Reconstruction Council to carry out your plan — what about that strikes me as so pretty I’d rush to save you?”
Terriars’ eyes widened.
I continued heatedly.
“Guinevere is the one who has to take responsibility for this!”
“….”
“Guinevere gave her best to the Protocol. Even if the Ilfarm envoys had the moral fiber of sun-dried mullet!”
“Sun-dried mullet….”
Guinevere was a good person.
She poured effort into everything.
She bore the title of successor, which suited her temperament poorly, without a single complaint.
She only drove herself harder, chastising herself for not doing better.
Even so, she looked after her friends with warmth.
And yet, Guinevere would bear the responsibility for this incident, barring herself from central affairs for years to come.
How crushing was it for the successor of the Nevarro Family to withdraw from the center stage?
Because of that, Nevarro had no choice but to entrust Guinevere’s duties to a distant cousin.
Which meant Guinevere now had to throw herself into a brutal succession struggle.
Terriars let out a hollow laugh.
It must have seemed absurd to him — that I, in the midst of a ceremonial function, valued my friend over a prince of a nation.
But why should I care.
“He’s really not impressive.”
At my muttering, Terriars chuckled quietly.
Just then, Narvan, an officer of the Reconstruction Council, spoke.
“I would venture that this is hardly the place for pleasantries.”
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll beat it? I’ll even send you some hair loss treatment in return.”
“….”
Narvan’s mouth twitched slightly.
But his brow soon arched, and he replied.
“You still have quite the sense of humor.”
“It’s not a joke. I’m serious. Really. Genuinely serious, so you can believe me. I honestly thought your head was a needle cushion. Sparse like that.”
Pfft.
Terriars burst into laughter.
Narvan’s face flushed crimson.
‘He’s rattled.’
Judging by his physique, Narvan wasn’t a martial practitioner.
When my body was only three or four years old, I even saw him wielding a Rod of sacred-artifact caliber like the Curtain’s Origin.
Someone who owned such an immense Rod had to be a Mage.
And magic that requires delicate control of Mana is greatly affected by one’s mental state.
Narvan opened his palm.
A Fortress materialized where he aimed, and soon a whip-like black energy erupted forth.
‘He really didn’t aim properly!’
“Get behind me.”
With that instruction to Terriars, I hurled a spherical Magical Device at the ground.
It was a Smoke Bomb.
“I’m disappointed if you think such a shallow trick will work.”
I heard Narvan’s laugh echo through the smoke.
The black whips moved swiftly.
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out alongside a scream.
“Aaahhh!”
It wasn’t me or Terriars.
When Narvan realized the scream came from one of his own Soldiers, his eyes bulged.
“How could you…!”
How could I? Simple.
The moment the smoke spread, I threw the Hooks I’d brought with me to hurl the Reconstruction Council Soldiers about.
‘In this thick smoke, they can’t pinpoint us and attack.’
I predicted they’d track movement to aim their strikes.
So I used the Soldiers of the Reconstruction Council as sacrificial pawns instead.
I swiftly wielded the Hook again.
“Choke!”
I heard a Reconstruction Council Soldier gasping as their throat was strangled.
Being outnumbered doesn’t always mean a hopeless situation.
When you throw smoke like this, the larger force loses the ability to distinguish friend from foe.
Meanwhile, Terriars and I stuck close together, so we could instantly tell who the enemy was.
“Don’t move!”
One of the Reconstruction Council Soldiers shouted, but it was useless.
I was flailing the Hook wildly, toppling Soldiers and dragging them about.
“Ungh!”
“Gahh…!”
The Soldiers stumbled about in panic.
In that chaos, I spoke to the prince.
“Do you remember where Narvan was standing?”
“Yeah.”
“You can work magic, right? After all, you’re the prince of Ilfarm, supposedly a great magical nation.”
I sensed a pulse of Mana near where Terriars’ hand was.
He said,
“Not supposedly.”
The instant he finished speaking, Bang! An explosion erupted.
Terriars had caved in the ground beneath where Narvan stood.
“Ungh…!”
“Soldiers!”
Narvan immediately used magic to levitate himself, but his posture collapsed.
In that state, he couldn’t properly channel his Mana.
It would be difficult to use other magic while maintaining Levitation Magic.
‘This is the moment.’
Whoosh!
I whistled, and the bird I’d ridden came streaking through the air.
Terriars and I quickly grabbed its talons.
As the Monstrous Bird soared skyward, Narvan shouted.
“Seize them!”
“B-but….”
A Reconstruction Council Soldier with a bow hesitated.
If he shot now, either I or Terriars could fall and be badly injured.
“Just keep the Saint alive! Don’t worry about Terriars’ life!”
Terriars spoke.
“This lighthouse seems like a peculiar world. The prince’s life is remarkably undervalued, isn’t it?”
“If you understand that, then hold on desperately even if arrows hit!”
When I spoke bluntly, Terriars smiled broadly.
“I’ll do my best.”
I looked up at the Monstrous Bird.
“Ultra Cutie Princess Lovely Blip, charge!”
“….”
Upon hearing such an extraordinary name, Terriars went silent for a moment.
“Your taste is exceptional.”
“I didn’t name it.”
It was Ros who gave it the name.
My Mage, Ros, who caused the Monstrous Bird incident.
In other words, this bird was a Monstrous Bird.
A monster whose touch alone causes poisoning.
The Monstrous Bird charged toward the archers I pointed out.
The archers fired quickly, but to no avail.
The moment an arrow struck me, I healed it.
“Ahhhhh!”
The instant Ultra Cutie Princess Lovely Blip’s fur touched the archers, blue spots bloomed across their skin.
With convulsions setting in, they’d have trouble holding their bows.
“Let’s go.”
The Monstrous Bird soared into the sky.
The moment we escaped the lighthouse,
“Kyaaah—!”
The Monstrous Bird cried out sharply.
Narvan’s Barrier had caught the bird like a net.
The Monstrous Bird thrashed about desperately.
Terriars and I gripped the talons tighter to keep from falling.
All the while, Narvan’s Levitation Magic brought the Reconstruction Council Soldiers closer.
I glared at Narvan approaching with the Soldiers.
“Damn old goat.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, Saint.”
Narvan and I ground our teeth, glaring at each other.
For a Reconstruction Council officer, his judgment was quick.
Attacks don’t work on me.
Because I have the overwhelming Healing Power of a Saint.
But Barriers are different.
I had no method to break through a Barrier.
Because I possessed no offensive technique whatsoever.
‘I really do need offensive methods.’
I’d think about that later; for now, I spoke to Terriars.
“Let go.”
“What?”
“This is the sea below. Let go before we’re caught!”
The moment I shouted, Terriars released his grip and fell.
I did the same.
As Narvan watched me slip away again, he bellowed, “Damn it!”
I was grinning at that moment.
“What are you—!”
“Just hold still.”
Terriars pulled me into his arms and cradled my head.
With a splash, we plunged into the sea.
Underwater, I looked at Terriars with an expression of disbelief.
Terriars pushed me upward.
It seemed he meant for me to breathe above the surface.
I grabbed Terriars and pulled him up as well.
“Pshoo!”
“Hah….”
Just as we emerged from the water, Narvan was approaching again with his Soldiers.
Terriars’ hand flashed.
The moment he touched the water’s surface, a Wind Wave erupted, halting the Reconstruction Council Soldiers.
I looked upward.
‘The Monstrous Bird is still trapped.’
I couldn’t use it as a means of escape.
I clung tightly to Terriars’ neck and asked,
“Can you create a Wind Wave like that to push the water and propel us forward?”
“You want to use me as a boat?”
“Yes.”
At my straightforward answer, he let out a hollow laugh.
But he offered no further objection.
And so we weaved through the Reconstruction Council Soldiers using Terriars as our vessel.
* * *
When we emerged from the sea, the sun was setting.
I sighed and collapsed onto the Beach.
My clothes were waterlogged and heavy as lead.
Terriars shook off the water roughly and spoke to me.
“So what’s your plan now?”
“Shouldn’t the prince who created this situation be the one worrying about that?”
I turned out my pockets to show him.
I’d lost the Communication Stone and all my weapons in the sea.
“Because someone pulled me from the sky and made me fall, I didn’t have time to grab the Communication Stone.”
“Water becomes denser the higher its salinity. Falling from that height into such water would be like crashing into the ground.”
Terriars continued with a smile.
“It was an action to protect the precious Saint.”
“I was planning to heal the moment we hit the water’s surface. I failed because you held me, blocking my view.”
“Shouldn’t you be grateful that we came away without Mana cost or injuries?”
“Grateful to someone who created an inefficient situation and made me lose my Communication Stone?”
Terriars and I stared sharply at each other.
Terriars sighed.
“Shall we head to a nearby Inn? If we don’t warm up, someone’s going to die of Hypothermia.”
“An Inn won’t work.”
“Ah, you’re still planning to rely on that great Healing Power of yours. If that’s your wish, so be it.”
With the situation growing dire, his good-natured expression vanished.
I smiled at the sharp-tongued Terriars.
“It’s not about relying on great Healing Power. I’m worried about the Reconstruction Council rushing the Inn.”
This was Reconstruction Council territory.
The likelihood they’d find us before the Imperial Palace was very high.
Though we wore smiles, something like a growl hung in the air between us.
Terriars was the first to raise both his hands.
“I’m sorry.”
“….”
“My heart was urgent. So I caused you and the Protocol Unit great trouble.”
“….”
“I mean it sincerely.”
“….”
My voice softened, and I pointed to the place I’d seen just as we emerged from the sea.
“Let’s rest in that Stone Cave. Build a fire and warm ourselves up, and my Mage will realize the Monstrous Bird’s location and come help.”
“Thank you.”
We moved into the Stone Cave.
As I checked the interior for hazards, I heard debris falling from behind.
“What’s that?”
“Bat droppings. There must be some nearby.”
“Can you use something like that as firewood?”
“Yeah.”
Terriars lit a fire with magic.
I sat across from it and warmed myself.
“How do you know something like that?”
“One of the hundred things a prince with an enslaved mother needs to know to survive.”
“Is that why you were being chased four years ago?”
“There was a civil war and people scattered everywhere, but no one else would hide all the way in the Empire like I did. And no one would have assassins sent after a prince so openly.”
“I see.”
Terriars glanced at me briefly.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“What do you mean?”
“….”
Now it was my turn to look at him.
“Why?”
“It’s strange. Usually people offer comfort.”
I hugged my knees and muttered.
“I’ve crewed fishing boats, cleaned military latrines, and collected debts for loan sharks.”
“What?”
Terriars’ eyes widened.
But soon he nodded with an “Ah.”
“You had a rough time after being expelled from Andres.”
“Those experiences weren’t so tragic.”
I continued quietly, watching the fire.
“I did my best to protect my mother, and I take pride in that.”
“….”
“Does struggling to survive feel like humiliation to you?”
Terriars looked at me steadily.
Whether the flicker in his eyes came from the fire or emotion, I couldn’t say.
He said,
“No. It’s just my history too.”
“Exactly.”
It was when I smiled faintly.
Terriars’ hand touched the back of mine.
“Yustea, you are….”
That’s when it happened.
“I suppose I should apologize for ruining the mood. But I’d say I’m lucky to find you here.”
A familiar voice reached us.
‘Luciano?’
How did he get here?

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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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