How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 230

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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 a Father
Episode 230
I asked calmly.
“What… why… yes?”
But my lips ignored the brain’s signal in response to such an absurd statement.
The words wouldn’t form into a sentence.
Grian smiled broadly.
“Destroying the national treasure of the Kingdom of Gilose. That is the assignment this time.”
“What does that have to do with infidelity?”
“To enter the palace, one must be selected as a concubine.”
This time, my brain gave up thinking altogether.
* * *
Here was what Grian had to say.
The Shard of Grace, the national treasure of the Gilose Kingdom.
It was said to be something bestowed upon the Kingdom of Gilose by the Angel with the Torch, a deity dwelling in the Third Channel.
The benevolent and affectionate deity cherished the Gilose royal house deeply, as they were sincere in faith and lovers of peace.
“But the Gilose royal house has become corrupt. The Angel with the Torch wishes to reclaim the blessing bestowed upon the house.”
“Gilose would never hand it over.”
“Exactly. It would prove they have become corrupt and abandoned by the deity.”
“I understand that. But why must I specifically enter the palace through being selected as a concubine?”
Grian laughed warmly.
“You foolish bastard…, my apologies.”
Oh.
An ill name and a candid way of speaking unbefitting a clergy member.
Grian continued composedly.
“Some fool leaked this assignment. The Gilose royal house is now on high alert against outsiders.”
“It’s surprising the concubine selection wasn’t canceled.”
“The king must be obsessed with women.”
Truly a person of blunt speech.
Grian laughed again.
“A corrupt king hardly keeps his wits. He’s a famous tyrant.”
I knew about the King of Gilose as well.
I nodded for now.
“I understand.”
“Good thinking.”
Grian’s eyes sparkled.
“Then, as secretly as possible—.”
“Yes, as secretly as—.”
Grian and I spoke simultaneously.
“Let’s commit infidelity.”
“Let’s tell Prince Luciano.”
And we both stopped speaking at the same time.
‘What was that about committing infidelity?’
I looked at Grian with that kind of expression.
Grian looked like he was wondering if I’d really tell Luciano about this.
After a moment of silence, Grian spoke.
“You’re making a simple matter complicated. What man would permit such a thing?”
“That’s precisely why we have to tell him.”
I was the type who didn’t even read misunderstanding novels, someone of utterly candid tastes.
Grian grew quiet.
“…Hmm.”
He groaned and spoke.
“In truth, this is hard to call infidelity. It’s just a matter of words. Reclaiming the deity’s blessing from a corrupt nation is for a greater cause—.”
“Right, so I can tell Prince Luciano about it.”
At that, Grian muttered.
“…I wonder if I’ll get a team member after all.”
His expression suggested Luciano would absolutely not permit it.
And Grian’s prediction proved accurate.
The next day.
When I found Luciano at the Imperial Palace and explained the situation, he smiled radiantly and spoke to a knight.
“Bring that man to me.”
His eyes gleamed with the intent to beat Grian senseless.
The knight moved immediately.
I hastily grabbed Luciano.
“It’s not like I’m actually becoming a concubine. I’m just participating in the selection.”
The knight hesitated.
I clung to Luciano and began to persuade him.
“I’ll be in disguise. With makeup. Once I destroy the Shard of Grace, I’ll come right back out.”
“Haven’t you eaten yet?”
“I probably won’t even meet the king during the selection. The whole point is just getting inside the palace.”
“What menu sounds good?”
“I’ll contact you often, and also—.”
“Is that so?”
Luciano’s eyes blazed with intensity.
“You’re giving up that assignment.”
“Luciano….”
“We’re done talking about this.”
Luciano took hold of my jaw.
“Your eyes are bloodshot. It looks like you didn’t sleep properly yesterday.”
“…I was reviewing Grian’s plan.”
“A waste of effort.”
Luciano turned away.
“Each deity has different things they can grant. For example, the Wisdom’s Nemesis, who wanted the trident to split the sea last time, is a deity whose specialty is elemental transformation. They fulfilled a wish that fit perfectly.”
“The goal was to gather information from the nun of Venesa, and that goal was achieved.”
“The specialty of the Angel with the Torch, who gave this assignment, is mana elimination. If the Restoration Council obtains this property, we’ll have no way to counter it.”
Luciano faltered.
I ran to Luciano frantically.
“This is the first time the Angel with the Torch has issued an assignment. We don’t know when it might issue another.”
“…Does it absolutely have to be you who participates in the selection?”
“To increase the probability of success.”
“Damn it.”
I quickly embraced him.
His eyes narrowed.
“…Only at times like this.”
He placed a hand over my head as if resigned and let out a sigh.
“Promise me.”
“Yes.”
“If it becomes dangerous, you’ll abandon the mission.”
“Yes.”
“You’ll contact me often.”
“Yes.”
“You’ll remember how much I love you.”
It meant: don’t get hurt.
I smiled gently.
“Yes.”
“You’re exploiting how weak I am for you.”
He grumbled and pulled me into an embrace.
I smiled.
The journey to the Kingdom of Gilose had begun.
* * *
On a day when spring had fully arrived.
The area before the royal palace of Gilose was bustling.
Every carriage entering the palace grounds flew flags of various houses.
It was packed with not only the most distinguished nobles within Gilose Kingdom but also those from foreign lands.
The Gilose royal house only permitted women to enter the palace, and even the accompaniment of guards was forbidden.
To enter the palace grounds, one had to descend from the carriage and pass through a security checkpoint.
“From the House of Ardan, here comes Michiya!”
“From the Rocodor Kingdom, here comes Bella!”
All of them were women famous across the continent.
“My, Michiya. You’ve come to participate in the selection.”
Michiya smiled sweetly and nodded in greeting.
As she glanced around, she let out a scoff.
‘They’ve gathered like a pack of dogs.’
Gilose was a prosperous nation.
Thanks to the Shard of Grace bestowed by the deity, the land remained eternally fertile and agriculture flourished.
Because even disasters could not overflow thanks to the Shard of Grace, it was a nation responsible for half the wheat and rice of the entire continent.
Since the Queen of Gilose was gravely ill, whoever became a concubine in this selection would govern this beautiful nation.
Each country sent women to participate in the concubine competition to that degree.
Ilfarm, Aspontana, and even… the Avalon Empire itself.
“From the Avalon Empire, here comes Isis Sanponse!”
From Sanponce, the natal family of the Empress, even a granddaughter was sent to participate.
They even sent along Gaspard, a prince.
“How much influence do they intend to wield.”
As Michiya grumbled, a woman participating in the concubine competition laughed softly.
“In any case, a prince cannot enter the royal palace. What help could a prince be if he cannot pass through the checkpoint?”
“He would be a threat. Preventing us from moving rashly.”
“Well, that’s true….”
The women’s gazes turned to the silver-haired woman entering the checkpoint, Isis Sanponse.
It was then.
“From Ilfarm, here comes Rian, Yu!”
It was a name no one had ever heard before.
The women looked with puzzlement at the two women passing through the checkpoint.
Michiya in particular let out a scoffing laugh as though dumbfounded.
“Now anyone and everyone….”
The woman called Rian was a giantess, standing nearly one hundred eighty centimeters tall.
The woman called Yu had jet-black hair covered in freckles.
When it came to beauty, there was nothing special to see—it was simply ridiculous.
The women’s gazes scattered immediately.
And between them, Rian and Yu from Ilfarm….
“…Were you participating in the competition together?”
Yu asked, and Rian smiled broadly.
“I can’t put all my hopes in one. Isn’t a backup plan necessary for everything?”
“A backup plan…?”
Yu stared at Rian, who wore a tunic.
She was impressively muscular.
Rian asked.
“Why?”
Her expression suggested she genuinely didn’t understand why Yu was looking at her that way.
“….”
“Am I not beautiful?”
“…It’s not a matter of whether you’re beautiful or not.”
I might get caught.
…A man in woman’s clothing.
Rian and Yu from Ilfarm.
They were Grian and Yustea.
* * *
Women were crammed into a garden near the checkpoint.
I sipped on prepared refreshments while scanning my surroundings.
“Isis has arrived.”
Grian murmured.
“The granddaughter of Duke Sanponce, I hear?”
“Yes. A blood granddaughter.”
“Are you acquainted?”
“Among the High Nobles, it’s hard not to know each other.”
I had used a Magical Device to alter my facial bone structure and applied thick makeup with a generous amount of freckles, but I remained somewhat uneasy.
It was fortunate that Isis showed no interest in me.
Her gaze was fixed on the red-haired woman across from her.
Grian spoke.
“That’s Michiya Ardan. A strong candidate.”
“Will it become a showdown between Isis and Michiya?”
“It doesn’t matter who becomes a concubine. All we need to do is enter the Inner Palace and destroy ‘that thing.'”
He whispered.
“That’s the problem.”
“What do you mean?”
“Not everyone here will be able to enter the royal palace.”
“They won’t be able to enter the royal palace?”
Grian’s expression grew puzzled.
At that moment.
Men who appeared to be administrators from Gilose emerged.
“We shall guide you through the first trial. Only those who pass the first trial will be permitted to enter the Inner Palace and take the second trial.”
Grian flinched and looked at me.
His expression asked how I had known this.
‘However tyrannical, a man who became a king is still a king.’
Knowing that there were forces seeking to destroy the Shard of Grace, I thought he wouldn’t let all these women into the Inner Palace.
When I mentioned this, Grian nodded and said, “Ah, I see.”
“I thought he was simply a fool who looked down on women and gathered them all carelessly.”
“Even a fool would recognize danger.”
The administrator of Gilose unrolled a parchment.
“From this moment onward, you must depart the royal palace grounds and purchase ‘The Most Beautiful Thing in the World.’ You will each be given five gold coins as your purchasing budget.”
At that, the garden erupted into chaos.
“We’re to leave the palace grounds?”
“And with five gold coins? What on earth could we possibly buy?”
“This is ridiculous!”
The crowd grew restless.
But the administrator of Gilose remained firm.
“The gathering time is five in the afternoon. Those who are late will not be permitted to participate in the judging.”
Becoming a concubine was not merely about becoming the king’s woman.
It was about selecting someone capable of managing the Inner Palace.
It was about determining whether one possessed the wisdom for such a role.
‘It’s noon now. Five in the afternoon is only five hours.’
I moved swiftly.
Grian jumped and cried out.
“My Lady…! Young Lady?”
Grian was not the only one who panicked.
The administrators who saw me move first widened their eyes.
They hastily waved their hands.
Then countless Magical Devices for transmission appeared overhead.
The transmission devices each attached to the women.
The Dimensional Gateway Transmission was beginning.
* * *
The Inner Palace of Gilose.
“Hahaha!”
A young king sitting in a crooked posture in his chair burst into laughter.
The woman called Yu from Ilfarm immediately bolted the moment the announcement was made.
[My Lady…! Young Lady?]
The tall, muscular woman Rian, also from Ilfarm, called out in shock, but Yu did not look back.
[Hurry! This is a race against time!]
She even cried out as much.
The administrators who watched the Dimensional Gateway murmured, “Ho….”
“Did she already figure out what it is?”
“Even I don’t know… What on earth is ‘The Most Beautiful Thing in the World’?”
“A deity statue. The Angel Statue, the one who granted us the Shard of Grace. Isn’t it mentioned in the historical records as the most beautiful blessing in the world?”
“Ho, it seems she has considerable knowledge.”
The Prime Minister of Gilose let out a quiet laugh.
“What’s more impressive than knowledge is her judgment of the situation.”
That the Angel Statue was the answer would soon become known.
Powerful families who had sent their daughters, granddaughters, or nieces to the Gilose royal palace would reveal the answer.
Surely preparations and groups had been made by each house for the competition.
So, just as the woman called Yu had said, this was a speed competition.
“How quickly, and how to persuade someone with five gold coins to bring the statue from the Central Exhibition Hall. That is the crux of this trial.”
“I see.”
“Hmm…. What a remarkable girl.”
The king, who had been resting his chin on his hand and watching through the Dimensional Gateway, curled his lips upward.
“This is quite entertaining. That one.”
His interest was piqued.
At that moment, Yustea.
Yustea looked around her surroundings.
‘It must be the Central Exhibition Hall. To get to the Central Exhibition Hall….’
It was then that Yustea tried to confirm the route.
“…Maria?”
A familiar voice came from behind.
Yustea flinched.
‘That voice is…!’

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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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