How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 228

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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 228
* * *
Empress Regina had arrived.
…in quite a grand manner.
Given how many attendants from the Empress’s Palace she’d brought with her, five carriages had pulled up.
I thought it was some kind of triumphal procession.
Given how lavishly she’d come, it was only natural that the High Priest and everyone at the Jedo Temple came rushing out frantically.
Even the apprentice priests in the chapel were summoned wholesale.
I kept my head lowered among the apprentice priests.
The Empress, stepping down from a carriage nearly as opulent as the Empress herself—or perhaps even more so—glanced around her surroundings.
Her eyes glittered.
It was almost as if—
‘Who’s this bastard who tormented my daughter-in-law?’
—the words were about to burst forth.
Fortunately, though her eyes were spinning with barely contained fury, no such words actually left the Empress’s lips.
The Empress spotted me immediately.
She must have been briefed in advance by Luciano about my disguise.
Just as I was about to send her a look of gratitude—
The Empress’s gaze shifted to the apprentice priests positioned around me.
“The devotion… is insufficient.”
Even past forty, her voice rolled like a jade sphere.
Her voice was so moist and clear that one swallowed hard.
It was meant negatively.
The High Priest of the Jedo Temple asked with an uncomfortable expression.
“What has displeased Your Majesty?”
The Empress tilted her head.
The most beautiful woman in the archipelago had grown into an age that radiated a bewitching charm.
Merely tilting her head seemed to compose some fashion photograph, but it was not an atmosphere in which one could praise her beauty.
Because the Empress had pointed directly at Yuri’s head beside me.
“The hair.”
“…!”
Yuri was taken aback.
She stammered, “Um, um, if you could specify which point…?”
But in the next moment, the Empress’s fingertip glided downward.
“…from crown to toe.”
It was natural that the priests were flustered.
The Empress folded her arms gently around herself.
“Your posture lacks beauty. It’s evidence of insufficient propriety.”
“I’m, I’m sorr—”
“Your hair isn’t neat. It’s evidence of insufficient devotion.”
“I-I’ll fix—”
“Your hands are clean. That’s evidence you haven’t given your best effort.”
“…”
Wow.
I swallowed a groan internally.
‘Is she a genius at finding fault?’
The Empress scanned the apprentice priests in a line, then fixed her gaze on me at last.
She smiled softly.
“You’re absolutely adorable. I’d take you as my daughter-in-law.”
My back stiffened.
‘Your Majesty…’
My body tensed, worried whether anyone might interpret the Empress’s words with deep meaning.
But it seemed everyone understood it as ‘not a single flaw,’ for only Yuri, who’d been criticized by the Empress, was looking displeased.
The Empress laughed softly and moved on.
The High Priest hurried after her.
The other priests and apprentice priests quickly followed in their wake.
The Empress commandeered an entire vast reception hall, then tilted her head to one side.
‘Thanks to her, Yuri will quiet down.’
I widened my eyes with that sentiment in mind.
However…
The revenge campaign of the (future) mother-in-law for her daughter-in-law’s sake was far from over…
* * *
The atmosphere was nearly on thin ice.
No matter what was done, the Empress found fault with it.
First, they brought tea.
Bringing tea was the apprentice priest’s duty.
The apprentice priest who had sided with Yuri’s harassment did his absolute best to brew the tea, then moved it with meticulous care in each step and gesture.
But then—
“The aroma offends me.”
“I beg your pardon? But this is Ceylon that the Imperial Court uses…!”
“It seems to be your scent.”
With those words, she reduced the apprentice priest who’d brought the tea to tears.
Next, she rubbed the table with her fingertip and muttered.
“Dust…”
Then, holding up her fingertip (on which no dust was visible—and indeed, one wondered if there ever was any), she poked the apprentice priest who’d tidied the reception hall on the cheek.
That apprentice priest was naturally rebuked by the other priests for neglecting the cleaning.
And now—
“Again…”
“…”
“Again.”
“…”
“Again?”
“…”
“Do it again.”
She was gripping Yuri, who was lighting candles for prayer, like a hawk gripping prey.
Apparently, the shape of the candle displeased her.
She truly was a genius at finding fault.
I smiled benignly.
‘I mustn’t fall out of favor with Empress Regina…’
The thought that things hadn’t worked out with Luciano four years ago sent a shiver down my spine.
Eventually, the Empress made all the apprentice priests cry, then rose to her feet.
“It’s almost prayer time, so I’ll be going. I can’t interfere with the prayer.”
She seemed to know in advance that prayer was important to me.
She smoothed her collar elegantly and continued.
“To see me out… yes, you.”
The Empress pointed at me.
I alone had not been found fault with by the Empress.
Rather, when I brought fresh tea myself—
“Mm. I imagine heaven serves tea like this.”
—she wore a satisfied expression.
The priests hurriedly pushed me forward to serve as the Empress’s escort.
Because the High Priest was nearly fainting from the Empress’s continued faultfinding, being designated seemed rather fortunate instead.
The priests and apprentice priests gave a hearty salute at the reception hall entrance, as if they were the shoulders of some organized crime syndicate.
I escorted the Empress to her carriage.
The Empress gestured for me to wait a moment.
“Get in. I have something to ask you.”
“…Yes.”
The moment I entered the carriage—
Smooch. Smooch. Smooch.
A storm of kisses and caresses poured down on me.
“My adorable daughter-in-law. My lovely Yustea.”
“Ugh…”
The Empress grabbed my cheek, flattening it, and I let out a groan.
The Empress laughed and patted my waist.
“Those bastards who tormented you, right?”
The Empress, whether four years ago or now, was still the owner of a manner of speech that was anything but empress-like—direct and fiery.
“Should I beat them with switches? Give them stress-induced hair loss? Kill them?”
Savage words poured from a smiling face.
I shook my head.
I was genuinely frightened she might actually do it.
And I quickly grasped the Empress’s hand.
“Thank you for helping me. Now that they’ve lost their nerve, they won’t think of tormenting me for a while.”
“If you need anything, just tell me again~.”
The Empress rubbed her face against my cheek and let out an entranced sigh.
“By the way, Your Majesty, about what I requested…?”
“Oh, right.”
The Empress handed me several documents.
This was the ‘list of Iparam people who entered the archipelago within the last month and possess Sacred Power’ that I’d requested.
I quickly examined the documents.
But something was odd.
“…Are there only four?”
“That’s right.”
Two were an elderly couple.
One was male.
The other was female, but the identifying characteristics column was blank.
‘Could it be the last female?’
“Why is the characteristics column blank?”
“The checkpoint confirmed that the entry was omitted when a monster caused a disturbance at the time.”
“I see…”
“But someone remembered her. She said the woman had jet-black hair, green eyes, and was quite tall. By their account, about this much.”
The Empress rose from her seat and indicated the height in the empty air.
Perhaps mid-170s.
I nodded.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
The Empress rubbed her face against me again and let out a sigh of admiration.
“You’re trying to gather information on the Channel, aren’t you? Since Yohaël intends to do something with the Channel, who knows what he’ll attempt.”
“That’s right.”
“You’re resourceful. You’re pretty. …My dear child.”
The Empress quickly took my hand and spoke.
“Even if you come to dislike Luciano, don’t hesitate to become my daughter-in-law.”
“…?”
What sort of statement was that?
It was such a strange remark—something like “eat beef but don’t become a vegetarian”—that I tilted my head.
I was about to interpret it as ‘don’t break up with Luciano even if you dislike him,’ but the Empress smiled.
“I can still bear children, after all.”
“Ah.”
Such a grandiose idea.
I laughed warmly.
If I didn’t want to be forced into marriage with someone twenty years younger, I couldn’t break up with Luciano, I thought.
After that exchange with the Empress, I left the carriage.
Prayer time was coming soon.
* * *
Yuri and the apprentice priests had gone quiet.
The fact that the Empress said “I’ll be back soon” as she left seemed to be making them most despondent.
With the quiet, I felt at ease.
Because I could observe people while pretending to tidy the chapel.
‘Still no sign of her.’
I pondered the matter.
I couldn’t stay at the Jedo Temple indefinitely.
Perhaps, despite the danger, it would be better to contact Terriars again and ask him to arrange a meeting with Benesa’s nun.
‘To create errors in the archipelago’s communications equipment again… hmm.’
I was contemplating this while moving the religious implements used in prayer.
By then, the sun was setting.
At seven o’clock, the Jedo Temple gates close. I thought I should deliver a note to the Esgaroth Estate before then.
It was as I entered the corridor.
“Um, forgive me, but is prayer service finished for the day?”
Someone spoke to me.
The accent was subtle.
Almost like a foreigner’s.
I turned around.
A tall woman with black hair and green eyes approached me with a group.
In that instant, my eyes widened.
Her appearance resembled the ‘female Iparam person with Sacred Power’ I’d heard described by the Empress.
The others seemed to be Iparam people as well.
Tan skin and the scent of musk were the characteristics of Iparam people.
Except for the woman, they were all men.
I fixed my gaze on the woman and spoke.
“Today’s prayer service has concluded, however…”
“I see.”
The woman looked back at her group.
“It seems we’re late.”
“Oh no. We really needed to come today.”
“There’s no help for it. We’ll have to depart now.”
“Ah.”
The woman and her group wore expressions of deep disappointment.
‘They’re departing?’
I quickly spoke up.
“Um, would you like to visit the Lake? I can guide you.”
At my words, the woman and her group turned to me.
“The Lake?”
“It is the Lake where the Divine One descended. Only officials are permitted entry, but since you’ve traveled from afar, I can arrange for you to visit for a short while.”
“Really…!”
The woman and her group wore expressions of great joy.
“Please wait a moment. Let me just put away the religious implements.”
“Yes.”
I hastily put the religious implements in the warehouse and returned.
The apprentice priests in the warehouse stared at how frantically I moved.
It was almost seven o’clock.
It meant I had little time left to confirm whether she was truly Benesa’s nun.
Upon my return, I guided the woman’s group to the lakeside.
The lake, carefully maintained by the Jedo Temple, was serene and beautiful.
“Oh, so this is it…!”
“The pilgrimage has been worthwhile. Haha.”
The woman’s group gazed around the lake with overwhelmed expressions.
Two middle-aged men and one young man of my age.
The woman walked along the lakeside with shining eyes, following the group.
‘Pilgrimage. She definitely said pilgrimage.’
An Iparam person, the description that matched the checkpoint, and the pilgrimage.
It became nearly certain that she was Benesa’s nun.
I sidled up next to her.
“Um…”
“May I take this stone with me?”
The young man of my age pointed at a stone by the lakeside with a gentle voice.
“Everything in the lake cannot be removed.”
“I see.”
I looked at the woman again.
“Um…”
“What if I collected some water to take with me?”
The young man asked again.
“Water also cannot be removed.”
“I see…”
I looked at the woman once more.
“Um…”
“Would it be permitted to offer a prayer to the Divine One?”
“…”
I looked at the young man with a reluctant expression.
At this point, I began to suspect he was doing it intentionally.
But his eyes were sparkling.
I nodded.
“Shall I recite a Holy Scripture?”
“By the grace of the Divine, I’ve met with a virtuous priest. Thank you. By the way… you smell nice.”
…What?
As I furrowed my brow, the woman tapped the young man.
“Grian, you shouldn’t say such things.”
“Ah. A-ah! I apologize. I wasn’t trying to jest. My sense of smell is just sensitive, you see. Haha…”
The young man laughed awkwardly.
The woman sighed.
“Will you recite the Holy Scripture?”
“Yes.”
I recited the Holy Scripture before the woman and her group.
The woman’s group clasped their hands and bowed their heads, absorbed in prayer.
I was in the middle of reciting the scripture.
Growl…
It was a strange sound.
I turned my head and located the source.
And I met eyes with something hurtling fiercely toward the lakeside.
White fur and a form resembling a tiger.
It was Arkia, the Sacred Beast of the Jedo Temple.
‘Why is the Sacred Beast here?’
But something was wrong.
The Sacred Beast’s eyes glowed a fiery red.
I wasn’t the only one who heard the Sacred Beast’s roar.
The woman and her group also opened their eyes and looked at the charging Sacred Beast.
“What on earth…?”
“Oh no, it’s agitated!”
One of the middle-aged men, anticipating an attack, tried to intercept the Sacred Beast.
It was a practiced hand at handling monsters.
But a Sacred Beast strong enough to guard the Jedo Temple couldn’t be easily controlled by human strength.
The Sacred Beast tore through the middle-aged man and began running again.
…Straight for me!
‘It’s only looking at me.’
As if targeting only me.
In that moment, I met eyes with those hiding behind a tree by the lakeside.
It was Yuri and the apprentice priests.
‘Those bastards did something to the Sacred Beast to make it attack me!’
I grasped the situation, but it was useless.
Already, the Sacred Beast was bearing down on me with its sharp teeth bared wide!
Roaaar—!
The roar echoed.
There was no choice now.
‘I’ll deploy the Nullification Field…!’
Just as I was about to draw up my mana—
“You said you had a good nose, didn’t you?”
That voice rang out.
The young man—Grian, as the woman had called him—stepped between the Sacred Beast and me.
“Wait, it’s dangerous…!”
Before I could cry out, the man drew a cross.
And what appeared was…
A double-sword Pattern on the back of his neck.
…A Credential Mark.
And then I remembered.
Benesa’s nun: Do you know how much the fine is for killing a Sacred Beast of the Avalon Empire?~^^;
…What?
‘No, that’s not the important thing right now.’
The Sacred Beast collapsed.
As it did, I glared at Yuri and the apprentice priests behind the tree.
“You’re dead.”
I pulled off my veil.

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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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