How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 40

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

How to Replace Your Dad

Chapter 40

* * *

Yustea chattered away, explaining to the Clan Leader and the Elites about what she had heard today.

“So Marquis Sintus gave me a hint. Marquis Sol wants to get his hands on Tekari’s treasure, so we just need to find that.”

“….”

“….”

“….”

The Clan Leader, Antonio, and Yuise stared intently at Yustea.

Yustea flinched.

“Is there something you’re curious about…?”

Only then did the Clan Leader nod with an “Ah.”

“No. You’ve done something significant. We’ll look into the matter of Tekari’s treasure.”

“Yes.”

“It’s late at night, so you should rest now.”

“I was planning to.”

Yustea bowed her head and looked at the Clan Leader.

“Um, thank you for the flowers…”

“…Right.”

When the Clan Leader spoke, Yustea carefully held the bouquet and left the room.

Thud.

As soon as the door closed, the Elites gathered in a circle and leaned their heads forward.

“What’s this? Why did she cry? Was she hungry?”

“Do we need to include this idiot in our discussion, Clan Leader?”

“Do you have some painful past related to those flowers?”

The Elites frowned and pondered deeply.

Antonio, who had been groaning in thought, spoke up.

“She must have gotten an upset stomach from eating flowers before. It’s common with kids, you know. They think flowers are sweet because they smell nice, so they eat them and get sick.”

“Can’t we really exclude this idiot from our conversation?”

“If it’s a painful past, what kind would it be? With flowers, it’s usually a lover, right? The First Prince maybe? Wasn’t she engaged to the First Prince?”

Hearing the Clan Leader’s words, Yuise shook her head.

“If that were the case, she wouldn’t have wanted to accept them like that.”

“Then?”

“According to the people we placed with Marquis Sintus, Yustea started acting strange after Marquis Sintus bought Asta flowers…”

“Asta? Did he buy flowers with the same name as his daughter?”

“Yes. And after Marquis Sintus asked Yustea if she hadn’t received them from her father too, she became greatly flustered… Ah.”

Yuise narrowed her brow and grabbed her forehead.

Her expression suggested something had clicked.

The Clan Leader asked.

“What happened?”

“She said she had never received flowers from her father before. That’s why Marquis Sintus was flustered. Yustea seemed to brush it off casually afterward, but…”

“Oh my.”

When the Clan Leader let out a sigh, Antonio turned his head back and forth asking.

“What is it? What is it?”

“You’re really an idiot.”

“So what is it?”

“She actually wanted to receive them from her father. She was happy because the Clan Leader, who’s like a new father, gave them to her.”

Come to think of it, there were stories that Count Andres wasn’t very affectionate toward Yustea.

That same Count, who was cold as ice, was said to be a very loving father to Stella, his half-sister whom the maid had seen.

Yuise shared the information she knew.

“The discrimination was severe even to outsiders. There’s even a famous incident.”

“A famous incident?”

When the Clan Leader asked, Yuise frowned.

“It happened on the day of Yustea’s Academy graduation ceremony. There was a graduation celebration party at the Andres Estate that evening, and the Count unusually came with a bouquet.”

“To celebrate her graduation? But didn’t the young lady say she never received flowers?”

Antonio asked with a puzzled expression.

“She didn’t. Those flowers were for Stella Andres.”

“What?”

“That party was Stella Andres’s first party.”

“Then…”

“Yustea mistakenly thought the flowers were for her and went to receive them. It’s rare to give flowers just for a first party. The Count didn’t even look at Yustea and gave the flowers to Stella Andres.”

“What the hell, that’s…”

“The people from the Archipelago mocked her so much it even made it into the gossip magazines.”

“….”

The room fell quiet.

The Clan Leader frowned.

That father was cruel beyond measure.

Antonio gritted his teeth and said.

“They’re both his daughters. Why did he discriminate like that?”

“I guess the daughter who grew up on the streets was pitiful, but the daughter who stayed up every night trying to get even a glance from her father wasn’t.”

“That’s ridiculous. How can that be?”

“Anyway, considering all that, flowers probably had quite a big meaning for Yustea.”

“It must have had a terribly big meaning.”

The Clan Leader let out a sigh.

No other topics came up in the room, but everyone was probably thinking of the same thing.

The image of Yustea clutching the daisies, restless and not knowing what to do.

* * *

The next day.

I tilted my head looking at Antonio, who suddenly thrust a bouquet in front of me.

Antonio’s eyes widened.

“Why? Don’t you like it?”

“No. I like it. I like it, but…”

This was the third bouquet I’d received just today.

In the morning, the Clan Leader came to my room.

And he held out a marigold bouquet saying.

“The flower language is nice.”

At lunch, Yuise came and held out lily of the valley…

“I picked it up on the way.”

That’s what she said.

Around 3 o’clock, Antonio came with a large bouquet decorated with various flowers.

“This is freesia, this is sunflower, and this is a rose.”

“The rose is yellow too.”

“They said all of these are commonly given at graduation ceremonies.”

Graduation ceremony?

Why suddenly?

“Don’t you like it…?”

Antonio looked dejected, so I quickly took the bouquet.

“I like it. I’m even more grateful because it has a good meaning.”

“Right? I asked for the prettiest ones.”

Antonio’s face brightened up completely.

I chuckled softly.

I really am in a good mood.

I should dry the bouquets the three of them gave me like daisies and keep them preciously.

“Um, but what happened with the information about Tekari’s treasures?”

“It seems the Clan Leader is receiving reports from other elites in various parts of the archipelago.”

Then I should go listen too.

I quickly put Antonio’s bouquet in my room and headed to the Clan Leader.

Antonio followed after me.

Yuise was also in the Clan Leader’s office.

“How’s the news?”

When I asked, Yuise answered while resting her chin on the sofa.

“Seven out of eleven are in the hands of the Seven Families. Three with the Imperial Court. So we should consider ten of them hard to obtain.”

Even the Irregulars would have trouble against the Imperial Court and Seven Families.

Even if all clan members stepped forward, we couldn’t guarantee we could definitely steal them.

“Then we’ll have to claim the remaining one. Have you figured out its location?”

“We’re searching thoroughly, but I expect it won’t be easy.”

Right.

Treasures kept by families like the Imperial Court and Seven Families should have had their owners boasting about them extensively.

But seeing how quiet it’s been without any news, they might be hiding it or it might not be in this Empire.

Then, Antonio suddenly spoke up.

“Then shouldn’t we investigate the blacksmith called Tekari first? We could just ask where he sold it.”

“….”

“….”

“….”

The Clan Leader, Yuise, and I all looked at Antonio.

Antonio blinked his eyes.

“What?”

Yuise answered.

“I’m surprised that you’re actually thinking.”

“Do you really think I’m an idiot?”

When Antonio got upset, Yuise chuckled.

“It’s not a bad idea. If you could bring back someone who died 500 years ago.”

“Dead?”

“Tekari isn’t a person. It’s a name passed down by master craftsmen.”

That’s right.

Tekari Company started from a blacksmith’s shop established by the first master before the Empire was founded.

Renowned blacksmiths from across the continent flocked there like a tide to learn techniques.

The first master passed his name to the most outstanding disciple among them.

This continued through generations.

The Clan Leader nodded.

“The treasure is the most perfect work created by the first Tekari.”

“Got it? So going to ask the first one is impossible.”

When Yuise added this, Antonio frowned.

“Then we can just go to the current Tekari.”

“So would the current one know where the first one sold the treasure?”

“No, if the current one uses the same name, they should be able to make something as great as the first. We could ask them to make a treasure.”

“That’s nonsense. The first Tekari was called the hand of god. No matter how current they are—”

“Wait.”

I raised my hand in surprise.

And quickly turned to look at Antonio.

“That might not be a bad idea.”

“What?”

“What?”

The Clan Leader and Yuise asked as if wondering what I meant.

“Why was only Tekari Company able to brand their weapons?”

“Well, because they have the best technical skills.”

“There were many disciples. Weren’t there any who became independent? Those who became independent would have learned the same things, but they couldn’t make anything as great as what comes from Tekari Company, right?”

“That’s….”

Yuise also seemed to sense something strange and hesitated for a moment.

“Ah. Could it be…!”

“Right. What if there was a technique passed down only to Tekari?”

“That makes sense. With that technique, they might be able to create something similar to a treasure, right?”

The Clan Leader also nodded quickly.

I groaned.

“But the current Tekari is a secretive figure.”

During my time as Andres, my father used to deal with Tekari Company for military weapon supplies.

Even at my father’s summons, the current Tekari would never appear.

Moreover, the management itself was incredibly arrogant.

Even when I was the Noble Lady of Andres, once they realized I wasn’t receiving my father’s attention, they openly ignored me.

“I’m not sure if we can persuade them….”

When I spoke in a troubled voice.

The surroundings became quiet.

I tilted my head and looked around at them.

The Clan Leader smiled broadly.

“Have you forgotten our essence?”

“Uh… Assassination Squad?”

“Yes. We’re an illegal organization.”

Antonio and Yuise grinned and stood up.

“Give us one day, young lady.”

“In one day, we can find out even how many moles they have on their body.”

They cracked their knuckles.

I’m not particularly curious about how many moles they have.

But it was very reassuring.

* * *

We found out the management’s movement route through the intelligence team.

They happened to be moving in the west, which was close to the north, so Antonio and Yuise immediately headed there.

And they came back with information about the current Tekari in exactly two hours, not even a full day.

As soon as Yuise and Antonio arrived, the Clan Leader and I rushed over.

Yuise said.

“Yustea’s thinking was correct. There is a secret manual of techniques passed down only to the Tekaris.”

At Yuise’s words, the Clan Leader’s eyes widened.

“So, did you find out the current Tekari’s location?”

“That’s….”

“They wouldn’t tell you that much in the end?”

“…They say they don’t know either.”

“What?”

“He disappeared 20 years ago along with the secret manual. He left behind one note.”

Yuise showed us the current Tekari’s note that she had taken from Tekari’s management.

This is so damn annoying I can’t do it anymore!

I will no longer give my child-like works to those unworthy bastards!

“….”

“….”

Looking at the hastily scrawled letter, I was left speechless, and the Clan Leader held his head.

“One mountain after another….”

Yuise let out a sigh.

“It would be easier to just raid one of the Seven Families. Should we just capture Marquis Sol and threaten him?”

“Antonio, what nonsense!”

“You might as well curse my parents!”

While the two were squawking at each other, Antonio and I were staring intently at the letter.

“Hmm?”

“Huh…?”

As we groaned while examining the letter, we looked at each other.

“Do you feel it too, young lady? Why does this seem so familiar?”

“You too, Antonio?”

“Yeah. I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere before.”

“I have that déjà vu feeling too….”

We crossed our arms and pondered.

Then I shouted “Ah!”

Antonio’s eyes widened too.

“That old geezer!”

“The Blacksmith!”

Then the Clan Leader and Yuise, who had been glaring at each other, simultaneously looked at us.

“What?”

“What are you talking about.”

Those two wouldn’t know since they’d never been scammed, but Antonio had been frequently swindled and had written contracts with the Blacksmith.

And I had received a pledge from him when he saved me from nearly being dragged away as a saint.

So we knew the Blacksmith’s handwriting.

‘It looks exactly like the letter supposedly left by the current Tecari!’

Antonio and I stared at each other with wide eyes.

And simultaneously rushed out the door.

* * *

The place we arrived at in a hurry was the one and only blacksmith’s shop in San Miguel.

In other words, the place where that old man lived—the swindling geezer to Antonio, and the 68-year-old male saint to me.

Antonio kicked the door open and entered.

I quickly followed behind him.

“Old geezer!”

“Sir!”

Then the old man who had been slurping noodles from a low chair in front of the furnace froze.

He then threw down his lunch box and grabbed a nearby shield.

“This time I only overcharged your clan member by 12 silver! That’s practically giving it away!”

“You swindled again… no, no!”

I quickly examined the shield the old man was holding.

Finishing, polishing.

I even tapped it with my knuckles to check the hardness.

And I even lifted it up and down to test it.

“It’s light…!”

“Of course a shield should be light. How else would you carry it around?”

“This hard yet this light?”

I hadn’t had a chance to handle the clan members’ weapons until now, so I didn’t know.

This was very similar to the weapons from Tecari Company imported from Andres.

Antonio rushed over and grabbed the old man’s face with both hands, examining it from all angles.

“What are you doing…!”

“Where does this look like the face of someone treated preciously by a big weapons company? It’s completely weathered.”

“For someone who sits in front of a fire every day, it’s quite remarkable… wait, what did you just say?”

“No way. No, right? I must be mistaken, right? There’s no way a geezer who used to sell junk could be that!”

“So what exactly, you brat!”

Just as the old man was about to push Antonio away.

Antonio and I asked simultaneously.

“Old geezer, can you really make Tecari?!”

“Are you the current Tecari?”

At that moment, the old man’s face hardened completely.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————