I Don’t Need a Dad Like This! - Chapter 115

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

【Chapter 115】

Hailford Village.

Casselik, who had just arrived, joined the Emperor.

“Where is the one you discovered?”

“I assigned one knight to him. What about the rest of the knights?”

“They’re scattered throughout the village to avoid drawing attention by moving in groups. If I fire a silent signal flare, they’ll advance in that direction.”

“Understood.”

The Emperor glanced at the Shadow standing beside Casselik.

To avoid letting the dark mages slip away before their eyes like last time, this time they had brought a dark mage on their side as well.

So far, the only way to neutralize dark magic was to use time ability to return to before the incident occurred.

Though it seemed like a simple method, the Emperor, who had watched Casselik regress multiple times as a Time Observer, realized that time ability wasn’t omnipotent.

So what he newly came up with was a method to counter with the same dark magic.

“I don’t know how they teleported instantly last time, but this time we must prevent them from using that ability. We need to bind their hands. If they can’t use their hands, they can’t touch blood or tear magic circles.”

Casselik knew this as well.

Having quietly joined the knight who was tracking the dark mage, they silently followed the dark mage who was walking briskly toward somewhere.

The man, who appeared to be an ordinary village resident, looked around cautiously.

And just as he was about to enter the inn.

“Mmph-!”

A massive hand covered the man’s mouth while another hand bound his hands behind his back.

It was Casselik and Shadow.

Having kidnapped the man, they moved silently behind the building without making a sound.

“Mmph, mmmph!”

The man struggled violently, but Casselik’s arm gripping his wrist didn’t budge an inch.

Thwack-

With a light chop to the back of the man’s neck, his rigid head drooped like withered grass.

Casselik examined the jacket the man was wearing and discovered a small glass bottle and a document with a magic circle drawn on it.

The glass bottle, smaller than a palm, contained a viscous red liquid.

All three of them knew what it was without having to say it.

The Emperor clicked his tongue.

“He’s given up being human. To think he’d carry human blood around just to use such abilities.”

“…I do the same though.”

When Shadow muttered in a voice as small as an ant’s, Casselik answered as if it didn’t matter.

“You use your own blood, don’t you. These people are too scared to sacrifice themselves, so they sacrifice others instead. Anyway, this inn seems to be their base for sure.”

“Fortunately, the future has changed. The future I saw earlier was this man alerting people to our presence, but thanks to your intervention, the future changed and the dark mages haven’t noticed our existence yet.”

“Then it’s the perfect timing to strike.”

Casselik threw the unconscious man aside like garbage.

“If the inn is their base, there’s a high possibility they’ve already switched into the bodies of the customers and innkeeper.”

“Right.”

“Give the order and I’ll enter immediately.”

That’s when it happened.

The Emperor grabbed Casselik’s shoulder as if he was about to leave at any moment.

“Then let’s decide on one thing before you go. It’s unlikely, but if you enter the inn and end up having your body stolen, we might not be able to distinguish you from the outside.”

“We should set up a password.”

“Right. I’ve already arranged a code with the Imperial Knights, but I’ll tell you as well. When asked ‘Did you enjoy the last banquet?’, answer ‘I fell into the fountain on my way home.'”

It was a decent code.

From the dark mages’ perspective, even if they realized it was a code from the sudden question, they would be torn between answering whether they attended or not.

Casselik and Shadow nodded.

“I’ll give you the signal flare, so please use it the moment we two enter the inn. And when you hear the sound of a chair being slammed down inside, you must immediately have the waiting knights suppress them.”

“Understood. I’ll send the Imperial personnel in order as well.”

The Emperor, who received the signal flare, waited at that spot with one guard knight.

Turning their backs on them, Casselik coordinated with Shadow and knocked on the inn’s door before opening it.

The interior was ordinary.

Round tables were placed here and there, with about two customers present.

Then a young man sitting at the counter stood up with a friendly smile.

“Outsiders are rare in this place, it’s been a while since we’ve had unfamiliar customers.”

It meant he wouldn’t turn them away but would remain cautious.

Casselik removed his hood, revealing his already disguised face.

“I’m a traveler who got lost. I think I’ll need to depart once dawn breaks tomorrow, so I’d like to stay one night. If you have a village map, could I ask for one?”

“Of course. The rooms are…”

“Two.”

Answering briefly, Casselik assessed the situation.

There were three people total on the first floor.

He could handle the innkeeper, and the other two disguised as customers.

‘Shadow should be able to deal with them.’

“This neighborhood is quite rural, so we don’t have many maps. So with the additional map fee… Ahhh!”

When Casselik suddenly grabbed both arms of the innkeeper who was offering the map, a shrill scream erupted.

Simultaneously, the customers sitting at the table reached into their pockets, but Shadow’s intervention was faster.

Shadow kicked the dark mage in the stomach with his leg, and while he was kneeling, twisted the other dark mage’s wrist.

“Ahhh!”

“Intruders! Emergency situation!”

It was too late to warn of danger now.

Facing the quickly surrounded dark mages, Casselik sighed somewhat emptily.

These guys brought Chronos one step closer to destruction?

They were that weak.

But that made sense, since they had only recently fled to Hailford Village and entered other people’s bodies.

Their movements couldn’t help but be unfamiliar.

And compared to Casselik and Shadow, who were trained through countless battles and training, all they could do was use dark magic with other people’s blood.

Casselik, who had bound the innkeeper’s hands with rope, looked down at them with a cold face.

“…Dark magic is equal?”

Suddenly remembering Sara’s words, displeasure spread across his face.

“From the moment you killed innocent lives, you lost the right to equality.”

Casselik slammed the chair into the floor.

Crash-!

It was the signal promised with the Emperor.

Soon the inn door burst open and knights rushed in. Casselik also drew his blade.

“What, what’s happening…! Gasp!”

“Emergency situation!”

At the commotion, doors on the inn’s upper floor opened, and the dark mages who were about to come down to the first floor turned pale seeing the scene below.

After briefly trying to resist, they quickly changed tactics.

“Teleport to another temporary residence! Quickly tear the magic circle!”

Riiip!

With the sound of paper tearing, predatory red eyes flashed through the torn magic circle.

It wasn’t the dark mages who had torn the magic circle.

Casselik, who had approached in the blink of an eye, tore the document with his blade and stabbed it straight into his opponent’s stomach.

“Ahhhhh!”

“Suppress them!”

With the command, knights who leaped above him began to overwhelm the other dark mages.

“Ahhh!”

Screams filled with terror poured out from everywhere.

Some dark mages, reluctant to waste their colleague’s blood, tried to scoop it up with their palms only to be struck down by blades.

And the situation progressed rapidly.

The knights who had entered the second floor opened each door one by one, dealing with the dark mages.

This wasn’t a fight. It was closer to a one-sided slaughter.

Just as Casselik threw open the last door.

“I acknowledge it.”

A woman wearing a maid’s outfit. The man sitting beside her smiled broadly.

In front of him, a massive purple orb was placed on the desk like a decoration.

“That Duke Casselik’s ability isn’t just luck.”

Casselik instinctively realized.

In this chaos, the only person who could smile so benevolently was Count Greenlenton.

“You must have lost your mind. You’re not in a position to acknowledge me.”

Though it was his brother he was facing after such a long time, Casselik felt nothing but rage.

“What you just said is no different from a mouse cowering before a cat, begging for mercy with flattery.”

The moment he approached with heavy steps and grabbed the Count by the collar.

“Is that really so?”

Count Greenlenton smiled leisurely.

“Yeah, you wouldn’t know. You’ll die before you realize it.”

“No, Duke. If you look at this orb, you’ll quickly realize what position we’re both in.”

“…?”

Casselik frowned at the cryptic words.

He had thought the Count was just trying to buy time before dying, but his expression was far too confident for that.

Finally, Casselik turned his head to stare at the purple orb.

And-

-Hello, Duke. It’s been far too long.

-Mmph, mmmph!

Inside the orb, Countess Rioletta—no, Serena—was smiling broadly with a dagger pointed at Rie’s throat.

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