How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 241

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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 241
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‘Good. Guinevere and the old nobles have escaped.’
After sending out the aristocrats who favored me, I moved quickly.
It was just as I was slipping out of the assembly hall.
Bang—!
The sound of the auction house doors shattering came with soldiers’ loud shouts.
“Everyone freeze—!”
“What, what?!”
“What’s happening—!”
The auction house being turned upside down went without saying.
Grian and Antonio, who’d come as my guard, spoke to me.
“Soldiers have arrived, it seems.”
“With the Restoration Council people around, can we really trust this to the Imperial Army alone?”
I answered Antonio.
“Yes.”
“The Fragment of Grace will be taken by the Imperial Army. Then there was no need for us to come here in the first place, was there?”
No.
‘If it falls into the Imperial Army’s hands, the Fragment of Grace becomes the Imperial Palace’s property.’
The Fragment of Grace is a sacred relic that makes the earth fertile and protects it from disasters.
“If it ends up in the Emperor’s hands, it’ll likely never see the light of day again. It needs to come into our hands.”
“What if Prince Luciano slips it out in secret?”
“It’s difficult to silence so many people thoroughly. The Imperial Army answers to the Emperor. If it’s discovered that Luciano did such a thing, it becomes dangerous for him.”
“I see.”
“The deployment of the Imperial Army is to prevent the nobles and the Restoration Council from moving.”
That was precisely why I’d summoned so many nobles.
They would think like this.
‘What if they attack from their side?’
‘Marquis Nevarro, Guinevere, and even the old nobles were there. If we’re caught scheming and they report us, we’re ruined.’
‘With this many eyes on us, it’s to our advantage to stay still now.’
So they’d become mutual restraints for each other and get arrested by the Imperial Army.
‘But the operators of the underground market are different from nobles who care about face.’
Since they’re criminals anyway, escape comes first.
…along with the auction goods.
So.
“There.”
Grian pointed.
I could see figures moving goods toward the wall.
The auction house operators, no doubt about it.
And among those goods, the Fragment of Grace was surely there.
“Antonio.”
At my word, Antonio pulled a massive hand axe from beneath his robe.
And then—thud—!
He leaped and smashed the crate outright.
“No entry from here on out, kids.”
A savage voice flowed from within the hood.
“What, what—!”
“Attack him!”
The enemies tried to resist, but it was useless.
In close combat, the strongest among Irregulars.
How could mere civilians stand against Antonio, who crushed the bones of Pattern Manifestation users without even using a Pattern?
In that opening, Grian charged toward the Fragment of Grace.
From Grian’s hand emerged Benessa’s Nun, with a veil hanging from the sword guard.
As he swung Benessa’s Nun,
Clang—!
Before Benessa’s Nun that severed divinity, the Fragment of Grace crumbled to dust.
“Ohhh!”
“Yustea. Is that Yustea?”
“Good heavens! You summoned all those nobles for this!”
“Hahahaha!”
The old nobles hanging from the wall for their escape shouted with glee.
Guinevere, already over the wall, poked her head back to watch.
Her grandfather, Marquis Nevarro, did the same.
“Cursed old Esgaroth. That cranky old fool getting such a granddaughter by luck—!”
Words that were neither curse nor praise tumbled out bitterly.
In that moment, a window appeared before my eyes.
[The quest of the <Angel with Torch> has been completed.]
[Quest Completer: ‘Benessa’s Nun’]
[Contribution Rate: ‘Master of Eight Flames’ 75% · ‘Benessa’s Nun’ 25%]
It seemed Grian saw the same window.
He laughed and said,
“This is the first time I’ve seen a contribution rate like this. I only got points from it.”
Only points?
Then I….
[Points Settlement in Progress]
[Points Settlement Complete.]
—Current Points: 2,550
Please enter your request.
*Resurrection is impossible for those who have been dead for more than 6 hours.
*Requests that transcend causality cannot be processed.
‘Got it!’
The request input appeared to show only to me.
Grian was watching me leisurely.
10, 9, 8….
Time began to count down, like when ‘Wisdom’s Rival’ wanted to split the sea.
‘Wisdom’s Rival’ is a god whose specialty is elemental transformation.
Borrowing mana stones matched perfectly with their specialty and provided great benefit.
But the ‘Angel with Torch’ was different from ‘Wisdom’s Rival.’
‘I can’t get something like a mana stone. It has to be a trait.’
As soon as I thought it, a window appeared again.
Processed.
Then golden light swirled around me, and a strange sense of exhilaration washed over me.
And then.
[New Trait—Healing matches an existing trait.]
[Beginning combination of same-series traits.]
[Trait upgrade successful.]
‘What?’
I quickly checked the newly appeared window.
Rewind: Restore the designated target to their healthiest state.
“…!!”
I almost cried out, nearly forgetting there were Imperial soldiers nearby.
‘Rewind….’
It was the superior version of the Saint’s trait, Healing.
I clamped my mouth shut.
“Young lady?”
“Is something the matter, Saint?”
Antonio and Grian asked with puzzled expressions.
I turned back to them, my strength completely drained.
“Lottery….”
“Pardon?”
“Lo… what?”
Both of them looked confused.
But I couldn’t explain further and shouted jubilantly in my mind.
‘I hit the lottery…!’
This was a far more tremendous trait than Healing.
Until now, I could heal injuries, but I couldn’t restore stamina or repair severed limbs.
But now I could!
And it said designated target, too.
It wasn’t limited to people.
‘I can even restore things like land.’
Even restoring land that had lost energy like the Fragment of Grace.
In other words, I had become a walking Fragment of Grace—!
* * *
The matter was settled.
I returned to the manor with Antonio, my face satisfied.
And I explained everything that happened today to Father and the Irregulars.
Everyone’s eyes widened enormously.
Cesar, who had been swallowing dryly, spoke.
“Show us.”
Then Yuise made an incredulous expression.
“Now?”
“Could we just take your word for it? A walking Fragment of Grace? That’s absurd. If such a thing were truly possible, heaven and earth would turn upside down.”
“Well, it would, but….”
Even the Clan Leader, the only Elite who was in Esgaroth territory and received updates through communication channels, swallowed dryly.
[The Divine Power in Titania A21-1 District has nearly been depleted. We can verify there.]
Titania A21-1 District.
That was the Holy Site I’d taken from the wife of Count Andres.
Training there would greatly increase efficiency due to the high-purity Divine Power.
I nodded quickly.
I was itching to verify it anyway.
We immediately moved to Titania A21-1 District.
As the Clan Leader said, the Divine Power in Titania A21-1 District was greatly depleted.
At this rate, it would become ordinary land within a few months.
I placed my hand on the ground.
And when I used Rewind….
Rumble—.
The ground trembled and an enormous surge of light wrapped around it.
The intensity of light was completely different from when I used Healing.
And….
“Wow, geez—!”
Antonio, who was checking the Divine Power reading with a magic device, cried out.
The Elite quickly checked the readings on the magic device.
Cesar, who held the device, let out a hollow laugh.
“That’s incredible, really….”
Yuise muttered in a daze.
“What did you call it in the world you came from originally?”
I spoke with a proud expression.
“I hit the lottery.”
Yuise nodded.
“Definitely.”
Wahhhhh—!
The Irregulars outside the Elite burst into cheers and celebration.
They rushed at me, who had returned after a month as a walking Fragment of Grace, and lifted me up in triumph.
I was tossed into the air with a satisfied expression.
‘Ah, what a sense of accomplishment.’
It was tremendous fulfillment and satisfaction.
Now it was time to inform the Emperor of this news.
‘There’s the perfect opportunity.’
The Imperial Court banquet that opened when Constance boasted about completing a god’s quest.
It was tomorrow.
* * *
The next day.
Constance slammed his fist against the wall—bang!
“Curse it. Curse it…!”
He’d been interrogated all day.
It was only because he hadn’t purchased anything at the underground auction yesterday that he’d been released unscathed.
If he’d been imprisoned, it would have been terrible.
“What became of the nobles dragged off from the underground market?”
“It seems they all had no items they’d purchased and were simply warned before being released. Fortunate, isn’t it?”
“Fortunate?! In the end, not a single person on our side obtained the Fragment of Grace!”
His servant bore a troubled expression.
“However….”
“The banquet is soon. Having resolved the god’s quest and without presenting a new trait to Calypso….”
He’d naturally expected to obtain it.
Other nobles didn’t know about the underground market, and he had sufficient funds for purchase.
But someone had spread word of the underground auction….
“Is it truly Yustea’s doing?”
“According to intelligence we’ve obtained, that’s the case.”
“Cursed woman.”
Constance gritted his teeth.
“That wretch, calling herself a Saint.”
His servant looked around nervously.
Tense, as if worried someone might overhear.
“Young Master, not here….”
“Am I wrong?! Had Calypso obtained a trait, it would have been a great blessing for the Empire!”
“….”
“She made sure no one but herself could have it. It’s shameful to revere someone so vicious as a Saint.”
“Might Yustea Esgaroth have completed the quest and received the trait instead?”
Constance let out a snort.
“Then why would she have stayed quiet until the banquet began?”
The Angel with Torch’s quest was received only by those who entered the 3-Channel.
Calypso confirmed repeatedly, but Yustea hadn’t entered the 3-Channel, she said.
“But through team-up, one can perform the quest together and receive rewards, can’t one? When I checked with Calypso, she said someone called ‘Benessa’s Nun’ completed the quest.”
The servant spoke with an anxious expression.
The notice that appeared on the 3-Channel after quest completion was,
[The quest of the <Angel with Torch> has been completed.]
[Quest Completer: ‘Benessa’s Nun’]
—only that.
Nothing else was announced—not contribution rates, nor who received the trait.
Even the Restoration Council and Calypso, who entered the 3-Channel, thought the one who received the trait was the quest completer, Benessa’s Nun.
“It seems Calypso couldn’t have been given the trait alone.”
“For Yustea Esgaroth, Calypso is the greatest rival.”
“The foolish wench. To hinder Calypso, she handed the trait to a foreigner.”
Constance frowned.
His eyes, which had been seething with frustration, soon gleamed.
“No, actually this works better.”
“Pardon?”
“I should confess that wretch’s crimes at the banquet.”
“…!”
The servant’s eyes widened.
“Then all negative opinion would turn toward her.”
The fact that Constance hadn’t obtained the Fragment of Grace and had made false claims would become unimportant.
A foolish Saint who handed over her trait to a foreigner for her own gain would become the scapegoat.
Constance’s lips twisted.
Night fell.
The Imperial Palace banquet.
Lights came on in the banquet hall.
The occasion for this banquet was the Dowager Empress’s birthday.
Though Calypso’s new trait announcement was the biggest topic, the Imperial Court doesn’t hold banquets for individual achievement.
To celebrate the Dowager Empress’s birthday and witness Calypso’s new trait announcement, all manner of nobles gathered in the banquet hall.
The Emperor came, as did the Empress and other members of the Imperial Family.
When the banquet hall had filled with people, the Emperor made his entrance.
“Glory to the Empire!”
“Glory!”
The nobles paid their respects to the Emperor.
The Emperor, nodding with a smile, handed a glass of champagne to the Dowager Empress who came with him.
The Dowager Empress accepted it with a smile in return.
“There’s something more worthy of celebration than an old woman’s birthday, isn’t there?”
The Dowager Empress smoothly turned the topic.
Despite the clear signs of age, she had been the head of the Inner Palace her whole life.
She wisely yielded the spotlight as host.
After that, Constance strode across the banquet hall.
“Your Majesty! An outrageous incident has occurred!”

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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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