I Am the 5-Year-Old Spy Who Kidnapped the Villain - Chapter 164
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 164】
“Brother, I’m here. Today’s training was really tough.”
“I’m here too! How’s your body? Better than yesterday?”
As expected, it was the two siblings.
Aisha and Lucas, who entered each saying only what they wanted to say, familiarly pulled out their chairs and sat beside Sedric.
Once again, surveillance disguised as daily conversation began.
‘No, is it really surveillance?’
Sedric, who had grown accustomed to their visits, was adjusting his posture when Lucas raised his left hand to show it.
“The place I injured during training keeps hurting. I think I should see a physician and rest a bit too…”
“Really? Brother, you should lie down on the bed too!”
When Lucas rotated his wrist this way and that, Aisha, who had been watching worriedly, cheerfully exclaimed.
Both brothers grimaced simultaneously.
“Are you crazy, Dandelion?”
“Does the Croste Duchy not have that many rooms?”
Then Aisha, who had been looking at the two men’s faces with round eyes, burst into laughter.
The three people’s conversations usually flowed like this.
Seemingly argumentative but peaceful, trivial, and completely without substance.
Sedric recalled colleagues from his spy days who used to talk to him in this manner.
Back then, he would curtly ignore them.
Since such conversations were of no help whatsoever in completing missions.
He even thought those who engaged in idle chatter instead of preparing for urgent missions were foolish.
However, lately he had been feeling unfamiliar emotions in these light conversations he once dismissed.
A feeling of tense muscles relaxing, of the surrounding air warming in sunlight.
Even without adding words, it felt cozy being included among them.
He was enjoying that feeling for a moment when Lucas, who had been looking at him, suddenly asked.
“By the way, why did you try to kill yourself? Aebin escaped with a magic circle.”
“…The only fate for a spy who fails to complete their mission is death. Since I was destined to become a corpse anyway, what’s the point of going back.”
Sedric had simply stated his thoughts.
“What?”
But at his answer, the atmosphere in the room, which had been peaceful just moments before, grew somewhat heavy.
“…Become a corpse?”
Lucas’s eyebrow rose slightly.
For some reason, he looked angry.
Aisha, who had been watching Lucas’s expression, hurriedly joined the conversation.
“But summoning magic is only given to first-class spies. Sedric must have been really high-ranking personnel there. Maybe they would have been lenient.”
“…That’s exactly why they would have thought me unnecessary. I…”
Because I used that ability to deliberately interfere with the mission.
Unable to finish his sentence, he closed his mouth.
If he had returned to the kingdom, those who heard the story through Aebin would have immediately tried to execute him.
That’s why he wanted to end everything with his own hands.
But now he was just waiting for the day to be captured by enemies and punished.
“…Anyway, since I failed the mission, I decided to dispose of myself. Because that’s efficient.”
Sedric, who had been mocking himself inwardly, glossed over it appropriately.
He couldn’t say that he had wanted to save them.
However—
“Why did you fail?”
As if she wouldn’t let it end there, Aisha asked with her clear red eyes shining.
“If you’re such an amazing spy, why did you fail this mission?”
“…Anyone can fail, why are you prying?”
Flustered, Sedric averted his gaze.
“No, it’s strange. The Kingdom of Doctia must have given you the mission because they saw the possibility of success, so why did you fail?”
This girl. Could it be…
“Could it be—that you deliberately planned to fail because you wanted to save us?”
She wants to hear the answer she desires.
“…”
Sedric exercised his right to remain silent and just stared out the window.
He couldn’t answer that it was true.
How could he, at this point.
Did he even have the right to do so.
But.
“If you don’t deny it, I’ll understand that you wanted to save us.”
…If it’s not spoken aloud, maybe it would be okay.
“…Think what you want.”
“!”
“!”
When Sedric sighed and answered indifferently, Aisha and Lucas’s eyes widened.
Then their gazes lit up as if they had spotted prey.
Just as the two siblings were about to pounce on Sedric in earnest—
“I just remembered something I need to do.”
Sedric was faster than them.
He jumped up, opened the door, and left.
He couldn’t endure any more.
He felt foolish for having deliberated so long about whether it was okay to speak.
To think they would look so… delighted at his words to think what they wanted.
‘I need to bring this up first so it doesn’t drag on any longer.’
“Excuse me, but where is Duke Callipus right now?”
“He’s in his study right now. By the way, is your body feeling better…”
“Thank you.”
Cutting off the maid who had been attending to him for the past few days, Sedric just bowed his head and hurried toward the direction she indicated.
Any more kindness was dangerous.
At this rate, he really felt like he might assimilate into the Croste family.
His life was over both as a spy and as a direct descendant of the Croste family.
All that remained was punishment.
He wanted to end it as quickly and cleanly as possible.
Without any time to develop feelings for them.
When he arrived in front of the study and knocked urgently, Callipus’s voice telling him to enter came from inside.
“…”
When he opened his tightly shut eyes, his expression, which had been filled with tension, was coldly hardened.
Having calmly collected his thoughts, he opened the door.
Then Callipus, who had been sitting at his desk absorbed in work, looked up.
“How are you feeling?”
At the question that immediately followed, Sedric couldn’t suppress his sneer.
‘This one’s soft too.’
Or pretending to be soft.
“…I’m fine.”
He declined Callipus’s suggestion to sit in a chair and quickly got to the point.
“When will my punishment be decided?”
Then a brief silence fell.
When Sedric, who had been looking down, raised his gaze in puzzlement, Callipus’s eyes were slightly widened for some reason.
As if he had heard something completely unexpected, despite Sedric having said something perfectly natural.
As the continuing silence made the atmosphere awkward, he seemed to finally come to his senses and tapped the desk with his finger.
“Ah, punishment. I see. The date.”
So he was planning to punish him after all.
Though his flustered tone was a bit unexpected, Sedric asked back evenly.
“If you already have a plan, I’d like to know.”
“Then… let’s do it now.”
“…Now, you mean?”
“Yes. Why? Do you need more time?”
Asking a criminal if they need time.
Sedric shook his head.
“No. …Is it execution?”
“No. It might be harder than that.”
Even at this ominous statement, Sedric looked at him without wavering.
“I was prepared for it.”
“Good, then…”
Callipus leaned forward, resting his elbow on the desk, his sharp gaze looking up at him.
Just as Sedric was getting a bit anxious about what punishment would come from this chilling man’s mouth—
“Try calling me father.”
Suddenly, a punishment more shocking than execution fell upon Sedric’s ears.
‘…?’
At first he thought he’d misheard, then he doubted his ears.
He stared intently at Callipus, thinking he would retract it as a slip of the tongue.
But Callipus was actually waiting for his answer.
Even seeming expectant, his nostrils flared slightly on his cold, sharp face.
They’re alike. Just like that guy Aisha.
“…”
Sedric’s eyes trembled faintly as he discovered that blood is thicker than water in a strange way.
Father.
It had been over ten years since he last called Ariena mother.
So how could he possibly call that man father?
“…I misheard.”
In the end, Sedric bowed his head deeply and said this.
“Hm?”
“I misheard.”
“Ah.”
It was a stubborn refusal.
Callipus, who had only been blinking, let out a single exclamation and closed his mouth.
‘…Daughter, you said this would work.’
My daughter—!
Callipus called out to Aisha inwardly as he endured the awkward silence.
And after a moment.
“Then…”
“…”
“I’ll think about the punishment a bit more.”
“Understood. Then.”
At those words, Sedric bowed his head as if he’d been waiting and left the study.
The conversation between the two lost father and son ended like that.
* * *
A few days ago.
When Callipus first heard news of the carriage accident, he was greatly shocked, but believing his children wouldn’t die from such a thing, he immediately left for the rescue.
And he discovered him.
The young man he thought he’d never see again in his life.
It was Sedric.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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