How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 269

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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 269
“What is the meaning of this?”
Grandfather asked.
I drew my lips into a smile.
“It was quite simple, really.”
I had instructed Luciano’s adjutant at the lodging to do it.
To whisper it to Gaspard in secret.
“The Saint had already regenerated the Reverse Scale before returning to the lodging.”
—Thus.
Everyone who heard those words widened their eyes.
Guinevere opened her mouth in shock and asked.
“If, if you had told Prince Yohael about this….”
“If it were Ludvico, there would have been a chance. He couldn’t overturn things in the Third Trial. But Gaspard is different.”
“Different how…?”
“Gaspard can play the role of a spare.”
The Empress would be bewildered for now, but once the Third Trial begins, she’ll support Gaspard.
He is her biological son, after all.
Grandfather chuckled softly.
“From Prince Gaspard’s perspective, this is nothing but good news.”
“Yes. He’ll be able to steal away all the attention and power concentrated on Yohael. Moreover….”
I looked at Gaspard.
His expression was utterly brimming with confidence.
“I was certain that his inferiority complex wouldn’t let him miss this opportunity.”
I had watched Yohael and Gaspard since we were very young.
An exceptional older brother.
Expectations poured upon such a brother.
The Empress’s favoritism.
Gaspard had grown up feeling all of these things.
‘The torment he inflicted on me was also an expression of his inferiority complex toward his brother.’
Since he couldn’t rebel against the Empress and Yohael, he had made me—relatively the weaker target—his mark.
“Then is it truly…?”
Guinevere gazed at Gaspard with a tense expression.
Gaspard prostrated himself before the Empress and offered up the Reverse Scale.
“I offer you the Reverse Scale, Mother.”
“…!”
He had not offered the Reverse Scale in Yohael’s name.
The Empress’s face drained of all color.
The victor of the Second Trial had been determined.
* * *
The South.
Luciano’s lodging.
[Prince Gaspard has offered the Reverse Scale. The Trial is concluded.]
Hearing the voice from the Communication Stone, Yohael’s face hardened in an instant.
Yohael, who had been facing off against Luciano, spoke.
“Was holding me here for this purpose?”
Luciano sheathed his sword and answered.
“Thanks to your best efforts, the plan concluded smoothly, brother.”
“You—!”
A thunderous roar split the empty air.
Yohael closed the distance in an instant and seized Luciano by the collar.
“Your Highness!”
Yohael’s soldiers hurried to stop him.
“The Trial has concluded, Your Highness!”
“The Mirror World is still being broadcast…!”
Yet strength never left Yohael’s grip.
Ragged breath tore from between his teeth.
Luciano pulled his lips into a smile.
“Will you have a defeated dog bark on broadcast?”
….
“How pathetic.”
“…!”
Yohael’s jaw clenched.
His eyes gleamed with contempt and fury.
[Yohael!]
The Empress’s harsh cry erupted from the Communication Stone that had connected just moments ago.
[Let go. Now.]
“Your Highness…!”
If footage of him assaulting Luciano in his rage were broadcast, he would incur the Emperor’s wrath.
If he failed to pass the Trial while also drawing the Emperor’s ire, he would never get another chance to overturn the board.
The veins that had stood rigid on the back of Yohael’s hand began to fade gradually.
He released his grip and turned his head away.
“…I’m withdrawing.”
Having barely managed to rein in the soldiers, he clenched his teeth.
The transmission device blinked, and the broadcast signal vanished.
Only then did Yohael speak.
“Don’t think this is over.”
Luciano smoothed the wrinkles from his collar and replied with composure.
“Anytime you wish. Though you’ll lose again, as always.”
Yohael’s and Luciano’s gazes locked sharply.
Jedo, the Imperial Household.
A sharp crash echoed through the Empress’s private chamber.
The Empress swept every object from the table in a violent gesture and screamed.
“Do you even understand what you’ve done!”
Her face flushed crimson as she shrieked.
Gaspard, standing before her, twisted his mouth.
“I brought victory to you, Mother.”
“Victory? You call it victory to be manipulated by Luciano and Yustea’s scheme!”
“At least it’s better than Ludovico passing through.”
“Gaspard!”
“Then—!”
Gaspard raised his voice.
The Empress’s face hardened.
Gaspard asked.
“You won’t help me?”
“I….”
“I’m your only option now, Mother. Your strongest card.”
“You think you can beat Luciano? Something even Yohael couldn’t do—!”
“Yohael, Yohael! How much longer will you cry out his name!”
“…!”
Gaspard stepped forward with long, aggressive strides.
The Empress, startled by his menace, stumbled backward.
Gaspard’s eyes were bloodshot crimson as he pinned his own mother against the wall.
“Now I am your most powerful card.”
“What… what are you doing….”
“I’ve finally beaten him. That cursed Yohael.”
“….”
Gaspard’s lips curled upward.
“Prepare for the Third Round. I’ll bring you victory.”
“….”
“And after that, watch how your precious Yohael falls apart. It’s my turn now.”
The Empress opened her mouth soundlessly.
Even after Gaspard spun around and left the chamber, she stood frozen.
The Empress swayed and gripped her forehead.
“Your Majesty….”
The Head Maid of the Imperial Household approached anxiously.
“What will you do?”
“What will I….”
“Will you truly help Prince Gaspard?”
“There’s no other way….”
Yohael failed to advance past the Second Round.
The only card Gaspard’s faction had left was Gaspard himself.
“At least it’s better than Luciano taking the throne….”
“But Prince Gaspard has lost his senses in excitement. I’m not certain he can conduct the Third Round properly in that state….”
“Yustea orchestrated all of this.”
The Empress swept her hand across the table, hurling it aside with a violent cry.
A shriek tore through the air.
The sound echoed through the Imperial Household.
Gaspard had lost himself in the intoxication of victory.
Yet even so, she and her faction possessed only Gaspard as their remaining piece.
The Third Round seemed bleak before it had even begun.
* * *
Esgaroth Estate in Jedo.
“There has been a disturbance in the Imperial Household.”
“Prince Yohael returned to the Imperial Palace and clashed with Prince Gaspard.”
“The Empress’s faction is fracturing between Prince Yohael and Prince Gaspard, weakening their position.”
At Yustea’s Intelligence Division report, the Elite members chuckled.
Antonio, sprawled across the sofa, spoke up.
“Now that’s what I call a stroke of luck.”
Even Yustea and Cesar, who might have scolded him for his tone at another time, grinned along.
‘It really is.’
This was exactly a stroke of luck.
Yustea spoke.
“The Third Round schedule will be announced next month.”
“So we have a full month to spare.”
I nodded in agreement, and Yustea returned the gesture.
“Since the Emperor himself is overseeing the Third Round, intelligence will be hard to come by. What should we do?”
“Well then….”
As I trailed off, the Elite members straightened in their seats.
They seemed to expect some grand operation.
I spoke plainly.
“Let’s take a vacation.”
For a moment, the conference room fell silent.
“A… what?”
“A vacation?!”
Yustea and Cesar spoke in turn.
I nodded.
“Everyone’s been working hard—trials, missions, gathering intelligence on the Restoration Council. Let’s rest for a while and recover. That’s important work too.”
The Irregulars stirred.
“But at a time like this….”
“All that effort, then staying tense for a whole month, then facing the trials again—that’s overwork. Rest matters too. Wouldn’t you agree?”
I glanced toward the Magic Mirror.
The Clan Leader, communicating from Esgaroth Castle, hesitated briefly.
[That’s….]
The Irregulars focused on the Magic Mirror.
‘The Irregulars must be desperate for rest too.’
They’d been under relentless strain long before I returned.
They’d earned the respite.
The Clan Leader wore a contemplative expression.
“The Restoration Council has gone quiet. They’re busy preparing the Red Lunar Eclipse after losing Calypso. And Count Andres is in no condition to speak—he’s under investigation in the Underground Prison. The Empress’s faction is in disarray.”
It was the perfect window for rest.
[…One week. No more than that.]
Before the Clan Leader had even finished, an enormous cheer erupted from the conference room.
“Yes!!!”
“Woooo!!”
The ordinary Unit Members and the Elite alike were flushed with excitement.
Cesar grumbled, “This is exactly when we ought to be extra careful.”
But handling Cesar’s complaints was simple enough.
“Let’s take a trip. You should come too, Father. What do you say?”
….
The deeply devoted Clan Leader follower fell silent at the mere mention of traveling with the Clan Leader.
The Elite members perked up with excitement.
“Travel? Where to? Mountains? The sea?”
Yuise unfolded her itinerary and asked.
For someone as methodical as her, vacation planning began with the planning itself.
Miliano answered then.
“Mountains would be ideal, wouldn’t they? Plenty of wildlife, fresh air…”
“We trek through mountains all the time during training. If it’s a vacation, it has to be the sea.”
Antonio, true to his childlike nature and his love of water, launched a counterargument.
Antonio’s Unit Members struck flexing poses in unison.
Yuise’s Team shook their heads.
“Such intense sunlight is rather harsh on the skin, I’m afraid.”
Abel yawned.
“Anywhere with good desserts sounds perfect to me.”
Everyone was excited.
The Clan Leader slipped in a suggestion.
The Apons Coastline would be suitable, wouldn’t it? Few people around, plenty of monsters to encounter.
“Monsters? What nonsense.”
“Just a way to sneak in some training.”
“Absolutely not. No way.”
The Unit Members protested vehemently.
‘These brats….’
Rejected, the Clan Leader clicked his tongue with a tsk.
But unwilling to dampen the mood, he didn’t push further and simply turned his head away with a sharp twist.
“Fine. The sea it is. The location….”
Antonio shot his arm up.
“Leave the location choice to me!”
The other Unit Members regarded him with suspicion.
The other Elite members frowned deeply.
Even Miliano let out an awkward laugh.
I asked.
“Hmm… do you think you can choose a place that will suit this many people?”
“I’ll do better than anyone else. The Clan Leader would only pick somewhere suitable for training, and Yuise would choose a dull place obsessing over security. Miliano clearly only cares about animals being present, and how would Abel know where to have fun? And Cesar….”
The eyes of the Unit Members fixed on Cesar.
“What. Why.”
Cesar frowned as though wronged, but everyone was thinking the same thing.
‘He’d pick somewhere Father would like.’
The Unit Members who received Cesar’s gaze quickly looked away.
Antonio smirked.
“I’ll choose better than the Clan Leader’s tastes. Right?”
“Well, if I were to do the planning….”
“You’ve had the most burden. This time, just enjoy yourself.”
The other Unit Members nodded at his words.
In the end, I had no choice but to agree.
“Then I’ll leave it to Antonio this time.”
Antonio grinned widely.
The Irregulars were brimming with excitement at the prospect of a vacation after so many years.
Of course, that didn’t mean there was nothing to do.
They had to move busily until the vacation to fill the gap left by the Irregulars’ absence.
But with the reward of vacation only days away, everyone wore beaming smiles throughout.
I informed Mother and Father about the vacation.
‘I wonder if Mother will be able to go.’
She would be desperately busy managing Esgaroth’s Inner Palace and running the Trading Post.
Worried, I went to find Mother.
As I opened the door and entered, Mother, who had been settled at her desk, looked up.
“Mother?”
Mother’s complexion didn’t look good.
But the moment she saw me, Mother broke into a bright smile.
“So you’re taking a vacation.”
“You’ve heard already?”
“Then, shall I come along?”
“Of course.”
“I wouldn’t miss a trip with our daughter.”
Mother smiled and stroked my cheek.
I hesitated.
“…Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I am.”
“But you don’t look well. There are dark circles under your eyes, and your complexion….”
“I haven’t slept in days. But it’s nothing serious, so don’t worry.”
“And you haven’t been eating well, have you?”
“Just a bit of nausea. Perhaps from the lack of sleep. The smell of food makes me queasy.”
“Is that so…?”
“A good rest during the holiday will put it right.”
I nodded.
And then an unforgettable holiday drew near.

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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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