How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 186

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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
186
* * *
The next morning.
Mother was gone when I woke.
All that remained was a single note.
[My treasure.
Mother has business to attend to and must step away for a time.
There is no danger to life, so do not worry.
Once my work is finished, I will make my way down to Esgaloth Estate.
I love you.]
The Unit Members grew restless as they watched me read the note quietly.
We’d only just brought Mother back to consciousness yesterday, and now she’d vanished in a single day.
They seemed to think I would be deeply distressed.
But I….
“Sigh.”
I exhaled once and set the note down.
Antonio, whose brows had been drooping the whole while, asked me.
“Are you alright, Young Lady?”
“I am.”
“But….”
“Mother is like a sudden downpour. She appears without warning, then vanishes just as abruptly.”
She was freer than anything else in this world.
And it was because of me that Mother had been bound to Andres all this time.
There had been days when that knowledge broke my heart, when I felt hopelessly small.
But now, with a healthy body, she could go wherever her heart desired—how could that be anything but joyful?
When I said as much, smiles returned to the Unit Members’ faces.
“Young Lady is a kind-hearted person. I like you for it.”
Antonio embraced me tightly with a laugh.
I nearly cried out “Ow!” thinking my bones might break, and the Unit Members set upon Antonio’s back with resounding slaps.
“Mind yourself!”
“Remember that the Unit Leader is no ordinary person!”
“Young Lady almost got hurt!”
While Antonio took his beating from the Unit Members, I gazed once more at the note Mother had left behind.
Yuise and Cesar drew near to me.
“Something troubling you?”
“What?”
At their words, I pointed to a particular part of the note.
The words “Esgaloth Estate.”
“It seems we’ll need to go down to the Estate after all. Mother seems to think the same.”
“We must capture the count of Ilfarm and protect our people from the chaos of the great families.”
At Yuise’s words, I nodded.
“Then I should inform Father—.”
“The Clan Leader is already making preparations. He intends to depart once negotiations with the Emperor and the Irregulars regarding their disposition conclude.”
Cesar said this.
Then things would move quickly.
I stretched fully.
My long residence in the Archipelago was drawing to an end.
* * *
The Emperor released the Irregulars without difficulty.
They had saved Ilfarm’s envoys and attendants in the Port Battle, and earned considerable merit for it.
And Grandfather’s manipulation of the Irregulars’ history, which shifted public opinion greatly in their favor, had played a significant role.
Luciano was the one who conveyed this news to the manor.
“It is not a complete pardon, so you must be especially cautious in your actions.”
In short, it was probation.
It also meant that they would be taken into custody immediately if they caused trouble.
At Luciano’s words, Cesar let out a scoff.
“So they’ve made sure to keep the collar fastened, then.”
When Cesar spoke with bitter sarcasm, Clan Leader Lorenzo gave him a warning glance.
Luciano paid no attention.
He only looked at me.
“Contact me often.”
“I will.”
“More often than you think.”
“Yes.”
“Try not to let your mother find out.”
“…Understood.”
My answer came out awkwardly.
Mother’s image as she came flying toward me with murderous intent had clearly left a strong impression.
Father’s face was one of satisfaction, his lips curling up.
And he declared:
“We depart.”
The Unit Members, who had been preparing for our return even before the imperial order fell, prostrated themselves as one.
It was time to head back down to beloved Esgaroth.
* * *
Esgaroth Mansion.
In the corridors of the Mansion, the vassals of the Marquise’s Faction gathered in small groups, conversing.
“Is it true that Aslan is coming down to Cuaron?”
“He has already passed through the gate and arrived in the North, it is said.”
“What is his purpose in coming down without using the Archipelago as a base? Is it perhaps an attempt to solidify his claim to succession in this opportunity?”
“Mind your words. Solidify, you say!”
“…!”
“The legitimate heir to the Ducal House is Javid. Aslan, a mere rat, could never push him aside.”
“Yes, that is so….”
Marquis Dennis, who was as good as the leader of the Marquise’s Faction, grew grim.
“Aslan is of base blood. He is a criminal, a creature spawned by the Assassination Squad. With such a pedigree, he could never qualify to be the heir to noble Esgaroth.”
“Yes, that is so….”
The vassal answered awkwardly.
Yet the unease did not fade.
Aslan’s influence was formidable.
He had set the Saint before him, performed countless feats, and taken root in the Archipelago.
Even the great families of the Archipelago, including Nevarro, had come to recognize him.
Moreover, his daughter, the Saint, had earned the trust and affection of the Imperial Family.
Seeing the anxious expressions on his vassals’ faces, Marquis Dennis spoke.
“Do not worry. It is not as though we have been idle in the meantime.”
While Marquis Esgaroth and Aslan were absent, they had taken control of the central ministries.
“No matter how much Aslan soars in the Archipelago, the great affairs of Esgaroth are decided in the Estate.”
“Yes…!”
At last the vassals’ expressions shifted.
That was true—no matter how much one flew and crawled in the Archipelago, succession was determined in the Estate.
Aslan would not be able to surpass the Javid Faction.
The vassals of the Javid Faction wore smug smiles.
* * *
Upon arriving at Kuaron Castle, I went directly to my room.
The room was tidy and well-organized.
The bedding and curtains were things I had not seen before.
“Do you like it?”
“We came ahead and tidied everything up for you.”
Charlie and Roslin, the sister of Ros from Antonio’s Unit, spoke with cheerful laughter.
I sat down on the bed and spoke.
“I like it very much. Thank you.”
Charlie and Roslin wriggled with joy.
The door was still open, and several people lingered in the corridor, moving back and forth as if on business.
They wore the uniforms of the Irregulars, but their faces were unfamiliar.
Moreover, they were all women.
“Who are you…?”
At my question, the people outside the door flinched.
Charlie cleared his throat. “Ahem,” and spoke.
“What are you doing? Not greeting Young Lady properly?”
The women beyond the door grimaced at his tone, which sounded like that of a senior, but soon slipped timidly inside.
“We greet you. I am Angelica of Miliano Unit.”
“I am Havi of Miliano Unit.”
“I’m C-Candice of Cesar Unit!”
“I am of Cesar Unit….”
“And of Miliano Unit….”
Ah.
These were Unit Members from Miliano Unit and Cesar Unit.
Miliano and Cesar had been deployed elsewhere before I went to the Archipelago.
Now that the two had joined us, it seemed their Unit Members had come as well.
“Hello. I am Yustea.”
At my words, the female Unit Members prostrated themselves.
“Rise.”
When I spoke with a smile, Charlie chuckled, looking down at the Unit Members.
“Young Lady is very kind-hearted and treasures her Unit Members. Even now she worries about your knees.”
‘But I only said “rise” because it was a matter of propriety, not out of concern for their knees.’
It was proper etiquette not to rise before the master gave permission.
Charlie waved his hand dismissively with an arrogant expression.
“Young Lady needs rest, so once greetings are done, off with you all.”
“This fool acting like a senior just because he got to see Young Lady early….”
A Unit Member from Cesar Unit muttered in frustration, but when our eyes met, she offered a harmless smile.
I laughed quietly.
It seemed the Unit Members resembled their Unit Leaders, influenced by them as they were.
Antonio’s Unit led with their bodies first, and the Clan Leader’s Team bore the toll of Irregular life.
Miliano Unit had a calm, composed style.
And Cesar Unit, true to their leader, seemed to have something of a temperament.
But they did not direct it at me.
Rather, I felt in their gaze a respect like what they showed Cesar.
Their lingering in the corridor seemed to stem from a desire to greet me.
I spoke in a gentle tone.
“I brought snacks from the Archipelago. Go eat them before they run out.”
“Thank… thank you.”
“Thank you so much, Young Lady….”
The female Unit Member rose and bowed hesitantly.
Charlie and Roslin bolted out first.
“We have to grab some before the Unit Leader eats it all!”
“No way!”
They truly resembled their Unit Leader.
The other Unit Members also left the room, but one person remained.
It was Angelica of Miliano Unit.
“Is there something you wish to say?”
“I know it is presumptuous of me to speak of such things. But I see no other way….”
Angelica’s face grew dark, and she bit her lip.
I rose from my seat and approached her.
“What troubles you?”
“I….”
“It’s alright, Angelica.”
Angelica flinched and looked at me.
She opened her mouth carefully.
“There are sick children. They have no parents and no one to lean on. Even when I give them medicine, it only helps for a time. They suffer from their illness again. Will you not take a look at them…?”
“You mean the children at the Orphanage?”
“Yes….”
I blinked.
Angelica’s head lowered further still.
She did not expect the Saint, who refused summons even from High Nobles, to make a journey for an orphanage.
And yet she had ventured to speak of it, because there was truly no other way.
I seized Angelica’s hand.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“Let’s go.”
“…Young Lady.”
“Where is it?”
She pressed my hand firmly, her lips set in determination.
“I will lead you there.”
And so we left the room.
The female Unit Members, who had apparently managed to snatch the snacks safely from Antonio, noticed us as they walked by, food in their mouths.
Charlie asked.
“Where are you going?”
“To the Orphanage.”
“I will provide escort.”
At that, the other Unit Members also abandoned their snacks and joined us.
And so we set out on horseback toward the Orphanage.
The Outskirts of Cuaron—a village that had existed since the days when Cuaron was still called Sanmiguel.
When the Unit Members saw the Orphanage in that village, their jaws dropped.
“This is supposed to be an orphanage?”
“No way.”
The hut, its pillars blackened and eaten away by mold, could hardly be called a facility at all.
“If it were a ghost house, maybe….”
Charlie muttered.
I kicked open the door and entered.
The Unit Members, shocked merely by the exterior, went rigid completely.
The interior was far worse than what lay outside.
I clenched the tender flesh inside my mouth hard.
“Charlie.”
“…Yes? Ah, yes, Young Lady.”
“Bring me the welfare officials of Cuaron.”
“At this hour?”
The sun was setting.
They would have finished their work and be preparing to return home by now, and would certainly be absent when we reached the Castle.
I raised my voice in command.
“Go. Whether you must beat them or drag them here by force, bring them at once—!”
Charlie left in haste.
* * *
I had the Unit Members roughly tidy the interior of the Orphanage.
“Ugh. The mold reaches everywhere….”
“How on earth did anyone live in here?”
“The stench is maddening.”
The Unit Members struggled, but they worked earnestly.
In the meantime, I examined the children.
“This child is critical.”
I grasped a child whose face had turned sallow and who was gasping for breath, and activated the Healing Trait.
Once their color stabilized, I examined another child.
In this way I examined all fourteen children and laid them on blankets purchased hastily from the village.
The existing bedding could not be used, as it was soiled with filth.
After tending to the children, I turned at last to an adult groaning in the corner.
She was an adult woman, and her physical condition was nearly as poor as the children’s.
“Are you the one in charge of this facility?”
“N-No, I’m not in charge. I live in the village and come to look after the children….”
“Then who is the one in charge?”
“They just throw in some grain and roughly check whether the children are alive, then leave.”
I clenched my teeth.
Rage boiled within me.
‘If Clan Leader knew of this, he would never have allowed it.’
Information reaching the Clan Leader was being cut off.
It seemed there was a rat in Cuaron.
I healed the kind woman who came to care for the children.
Then I inspected the kitchen and other rooms.
The Unit Members’ faces alternated between red and purple.
“These cursed bastards….”
“How can a place where people live be like this?”
The kitchen was a vermin nest, and the rooms were infested with insects.
I asked Angelica.
“How did you find out about this place?”
“I stumbled upon it by chance four days ago….”
As she spoke, Charlie returned, dragging officials in formal robes.
“Ah, Young Lady….”
The head of Cuaron’s Welfare Department, recognizing me, spoke hurriedly.
And so I….
Crack—!
Slapped his cheek.
He flinched in shock, clutching his face.
I glared at him sharply.
“How much did the Javid Faction of the Citadel pay you?”
“Wh… what…?”
His face turned sallow.

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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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