How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 268

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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
268
* * *
I faced Calipso with sword in hand.
The soldiers caught in the net cried out.
“You’ll lose for certain!”
“Calipso has an Attack-type Characteristic!”
That was true.
That was the problem.
Characteristics were different from magic.
Magic required calculating the spell formula before casting, but characteristics did not.
While I was calculating the formula, a fireball would come flying at me.
I’d be too busy running for my life to finish any calculation.
Calipso spoke.
“Surrender now. I don’t want to attack you.”
But instead of answering, I thought furiously.
‘The sword has a higher chance of being targeted than magic.’
Even if I got hurt, I could just heal it immediately with Rewind.
I recalled what the Irregulars had told me.
“Young lady, there’s a reason the saying ‘first strike victory’ exists. Take one solid hit and even humans panic—and when they panic, an opening appears.”
That was what Antonio had said.
“First strike… how many times do I have to tell you to stop talking like some street urchin?”
“Idiot.”
No, I didn’t need to recall what Yuise and Cesar had said.
After that, Miliano had clearly—
“You mustn’t focus only on the hands just because the hands are moving. The most critical part in combat is the legs.”
Yes, the legs.
“You push off the ground and close the distance in one breath.”
I pushed off the ground.
I closed the distance in a single breath.
As the blade flashed forward, Calipso, caught off guard, pulled her body back.
Moving in panic, she lost her balance.
“The moment you lose balance is your opportunity.”
“Bring her down! The knees are effective.”
I drove my heel into Calipso’s knee.
“Ugh!”
Calipso staggered hard and crumpled.
“Mind your stance. Keep your center of gravity.”
“Yustea, you don’t have enough raw strength, so you need to put all your weight behind it if you want to break through muscle.”
Recalling the words of Cesar and Yuise, I threw my full weight into the attack.
“The target is the quadriceps. If the quadriceps tears while she’s sitting down, she won’t be able to stand easily.”
The Clan Leader had said that for certain.
My blade pointed at the thigh where the quadriceps lay.
“Calipso!”
“Damn—!”
The soldiers caught in the net screamed.
It was the moment my blade was about to pierce Calipso’s thigh.
A terrible pain erupted in my abdomen.
Calipso’s fireball had shot toward my midsection.
My body flew backward and crashed into a wooden pillar.
Thud!
With a dull sound, I slid down, scraping.
‘Ugh…’
My back felt like it was being scraped against the rough wood surface.
But worse than that was the pain in my abdomen.
My jacket and shirt were burned away, and the skin on my belly felt like it was melting.
‘I can’t lose consciousness..!’
I immediately healed my abdomen with Rewind.
Calipso stared at me, breathing hard.
“Y-your mana isn’t infinite. Eventually, you won’t be able to use Rewind anymore…”
“It’s just as dangerous for you. You won’t be able to get up.”
Calipso’s face went pale.
I felt it clearly.
The blade piercing through Calipso’s skin.
I hadn’t ruptured her quadriceps, but the wound was deep enough to leave a decent gash.
As proof, blood was already soaking through the hem of her skirt.
Light gathered at Calipso’s hand as she gripped the bloodied fabric.
‘Surely not….’
She staggered to her feet.
Calipso’s eyes went wide as she spoke.
“Ah, I’m not quite at the Young Lady’s level, but I can certainly heal a wound like this.”
Damn it.
I clicked my tongue.
‘Those cursed Restoration Council bastards. How many Characteristics did they hand out?’
Calipso’s hand sliced through empty air.
A ball of flame materialized.
And its target was….
“…One mountain after another.”
The net imprisoning Yohael’s soldiers.
The net burst into flames and Yohael’s soldiers descended to the ground.
Clang—!
They drew their blades and surrounded me.
Calipso stared at me, her fist still clenched on the bloodied hem of her skirt.
“Two trained knights. With my Characteristic, I can control all of the Young Lady’s offense and defense. Whatever magical device or sacred relic you possess, you won’t be able to use it as long as I’m here.”
“So?”
“There’s no way for the Young Lady to win. Surrender.”
Calipso’s eyes didn’t waver.
Her expression was one of absolute confidence in her victory.
And I….
Smirked.
The corner of my mouth rose.
‘Perfect.’
* * *
[There’s no way for the Young Lady to win.]
“The Saint has lost…!”
“Certainly. What could she possibly do in a situation like this?”
The nobles, their palms sweating as they watched the Mirror World, gasped in unison.
Calipso’s victory was assured.
Guinevere squeezed her eyes shut, and Roji clicked her tongue sharply.
Roji spoke up.
“Are you sure there’s no hidden Characteristic? You’re telling me there’s truly no Attack-type Characteristic?”
“If there were, Yustea would’ve used it by now….”
“Damn it all.”
The upstart nobles laughed smugly.
“If we take both the Saint and the Reversed Scale now, there’ll be no way for Prince Luciano to pass this trial.”
“When does the trial end?”
“Until noon tomorrow.”
It was at that moment, as the upstart nobles chattered away in triumph, that—
A smirk played across Yustea’s lips as she appeared in the Mirror World.
“She’s… smiling?”
“Why?”
Those watching the Mirror World all wore puzzled expressions.
It was then that an elderly nobleman, a former commanding general, cried out.
“Fire! The forest is burning!”
The other old nobles looked confused.
“The forest is burning, so why is she smiling?”
“It’s a dangerous situation for the Saint.”
The answer came from Yustea herself, speaking from within the Mirror World.
[The forest is burning. When the fire spreads, all the animals in this forest and the villages that gather food from it will suffer.]
At that, Duke Navarro’s eyes suddenly flew open and he leaped to his feet with a cry of “Ah!”
“Setting the forest on fire—that’s not what Calipso would want!”
Marquis Esgaroth’s eyes narrowed.
‘If she were truly as virtuous as she claims, she would never wish for the forest to burn, for animals and homes to suffer.’
As expected, Calipso flinched.
The moment a squirrel’s tail caught fire as it darted between the trees, her eyes went wide and she rushed toward it.
[Lady Calipso!]
Prince Yohael’s soldier tried to stop her, but it was useless.
Calipso fumbled desperately to extinguish the flames on the squirrel’s tail.
Yustea spoke.
[I have a Magical Device that can block the flames. If you let me use the Magical Device, I’ll put out the fire.]
[W-what…!]
[That’s not allowed!]
Prince Yohael’s soldiers cried out in alarm.
Calipso’s eyes wavered greatly.
The elderly nobles watching the Mirror World burst into laughter.
Puh-hahahaha!
Some even laughed while slapping their aching knees.
“A masterpiece. She’s blackmailing Calipso by turning her own ability against her?”
“Ha-ha-ha! Where does a child like that come from?”
Even Guinevere and Roji broke into laughter.
“When her own ability falls short, she borrows the opponent’s ability. Remarkable.”
“That settles it. I’m not fighting Yustea.”
Her cunning was beyond words.
In the Mirror World, Yustea wore a confident smile while Calipso’s face had turned ashen.
The young nobles who had been certain of Calipso’s victory stared with gaping mouths.
“What… what in the world is this…!”
“S-surely they won’t actually let her use the Magical Device? If they do, wouldn’t that mean she could also use the Communication Stone!”
She would be able to use the Communication Stone.
That meant her location could be revealed.
‘If Yustea’s location is revealed….’
The young noble’s face went pale as the thought struck him.
At that very moment, in the Emperor’s Study.
The Emperor chuckled and spoke.
“What do you think will happen?”
Count Urbano, who had been watching the Mirror World alongside the Emperor, furrowed his brow.
He clenched his teeth and let out a sigh.
“Given Lady Calipso’s temperament, she has no choice but to agree. And the moment she does….”
“Those Irregulars will come swarming over.”
Breathing more fire at those who had cornered his young lady.
Inside the Mirror World, Calipso’s lips trembled.
[I understand.]
[B-but Lady Calipso, that’s…!]
Prince Yohael’s soldiers cried out desperately, but Calipso ultimately deactivated her Characteristic.
Yustea drew the Magical Device from her bag.
At her manipulation, the flames extinguished in an instant.
And in that moment.
[You cannot move your body.]
A Language Sorcerer’s voice rang out.
An Irregular had revealed themselves.
* * *
The Irregulars burst forth before me.
Yuise whispered with a growl.
“What were you doing with the system messages? You nearly took too long.”
“It’s such a remote forest that I couldn’t pinpoint our coordinates.”
It was only because the Location Transmitter was active.
Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to summon the Irregulars in time.
‘All of this is thanks to Calipso’s virtuous nature.’
That beautiful heart of hers—unable to harm animals and homes.
Had it been anyone else, they would have dragged out the fight to capture me.
Calipso and Prince Yohael’s soldiers stood frozen.
It was because of Miliano’s Language Sorcery.
In the meantime, Antonio had wound chains around them.
Having successfully subdued them, I let out a long breath.
‘Good. I’ve got Calipso.’
“Now let’s head back. To the Imperial Palace.”
“Aren’t we going to join up with Prince Luciano?”
“We need to keep Prince Yohael contained.”
Until the examination ends.
I checked the Mirror World.
The Mirror World was reflecting the direction of the quarters.
‘The soldiers we stationed in the south have joined up.’
Now the real battle between the princes had begun.
“Though fighting won’t matter much anyway.”
I hoisted the bag over my shoulder.
And smirked.
“I have the Reversed Scale. Victory is ours!”
Waaaah—!
The cheers of the Irregular Unit Members echoed through the forest.
We returned to the Archipelago.
Through the Portal.
Of course, I threatened Calipso to prevent her from disrupting the Portal’s function.
“Think carefully, Calipso. If the Portal stops here, everyone on it dies.”
“….”
“Good, good. Calipso’s a good girl.”
“….”
Yohael’s soldiers were furious.
The Irregulars snickered.
“She’s pouting.”
—As I said that.
* * *
The sun had risen.
Yustea returned to the Imperial Palace, bringing Calipso wound tightly in chains.
“Prince Luciano sent me.”
Kneeling before the Empress and Empress Regina, she handed over the Reversed Scale.
Empress Regina laughed outright.
“My true treasure is you, Yustea.”
As I broke into a bright smile, Empress Regina stroked my cheek affectionately.
The Empress’s face was worth seeing.
Her complexion had turned ashen, her teeth clenched tight.
At least because the broadcast was still ongoing, she couldn’t cry out.
The faces of the rising nobility were equally grim.
I shrugged my shoulders.
No matter how upended things became, victory was ours in the end.
After I handed over the Reversed Scale and turned to leave, Grandfather welcomed me.
“Splendid, Yustea.”
I smiled brightly.
Guinevere and Roji greeted me with quiet giggles.
“You were truly impressive.”
“Indeed. Cunning beyond compare.”
I nodded.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Romeban, standing beside Roji, spoke up.
“But this isn’t the end, is it?”
He wore a worried expression.
Roji hummed and nodded in agreement.
“Now that we have the Reversed Scale, Prince Luciano’s selection is certain. But two will be chosen in this examination. The judges will select the second one, and that’s likely to be….”
Yes, Yohael would probably be selected.
Apart from Luciano, Yohael was the only one who distinguished himself clearly in this examination.
The Empress and the rising nobles seemed to think the same.
Their expressions were poor, but they showed no doubt that Yohael would be selected.
They had gathered together and were whispering about something.
They were likely discussing how to make Yohael win in the Third Round.
But then it happened.
“Prince Gaspard has arrived!”
A sonorous voice rang out through the hall.
“Prince Gaspard?”
“Gaspard is here already?”
The gathered faces turned toward the door in confusion.
The doors opened, and Gaspard entered with absolute confidence.
And in his hand was….
“The… Reversed Scale…!”
The Reversed Scale of the black dragon, Idel.
The Empress and the newly risen nobles forgot all sense of decorum, their mouths falling open.
The Empress’s breath came in ragged gasps.
She stared at Gaspard with trembling features.
“You… how did you… how did you obtain the Reversed Scale….”
Her expression made plain her disbelief that Gaspard could have brought the Reversed Scale.
No—rather, she did not wish to believe it.
Because it meant that Gaspard, not Yohael, had become the one to advance from the Second Round.
I smiled to myself.
‘There’s no way Yohael can compete in the Third Round now.’
So I had created a new Reversed Scale and given it to Gaspard.

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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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