I Don’t Need a Dad Like This! - Chapter 120

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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 120】

Rie felt more like she was in a dream now than when she had faced the carriage full of dung.

The place where her small head was resting was none other than broad shoulders.

The scent that woke Rie from her sleep was Father’s smell.

‘Why doesn’t Dung Cart smell like dung?’

She was still pondering in a half-awake state when she heard a heavy but warm question.

“Are you awake?”

Noticing that Rie had awakened, Casselik’s red eyes were directed toward the child.

“If you’re tired, sleep more. Right now, this situation isn’t worth watching for a young child like you.”

“…Watch? What?”

“It’s nothing important.”

Casselik dismissed it with a short answer and covered Rie’s eyes with his large palm.

“Huh.”

Such a small face that could be covered by just Father’s one hand!

For some reason feeling indignant, Rie’s brow furrowed.

Rie fidgeted with his hand using her small fingers like corn stalks, but the firm palm showed no sign of moving.

‘…Hmph. That’s unfair.’

Without realizing it, her lips pouted like a duck’s.

However, perhaps because he was so large, the gaps between his fingers were wider than others’, allowing her to peek through.

‘Rie is a Time Ability User. So Rie can see things that little kids can’t see.’

The child, who had become a master of self-rationalization, narrowed her blue eyes into thin slits.

Then, through the gaps between his fingers, she spotted Serena kneeling.

Soon her voice could be heard as well.

“…The dark mages will seek revenge for me. If you really confine me in frozen time and space, you will surely receive divine punishment. I’m a member of the dark mages. I’m their family!”

When had they moved to the Imperial Prison?

Serena, captured by the knights, was glaring at the Emperor with bloodshot eyes.

Then Rie suddenly realized something strange – both the soul and face appeared to be Serena’s.

Seeing her screaming in agony, she was definitely not Mother.

‘Mother and Aunt Serena’s souls must have each returned to their own bodies!’

Meanwhile, the Emperor sighed as if troubled.

“…We should finish this quickly without the need for a formal trial. The dark mages might steal the criminal away again.”

“Right now Shadow is guarding, so the dark mages won’t be able to lay a hand on Serena.”

At Casselik’s answer, the Emperor felt somewhat relieved.

“Is that so? Then we should deal with Serena first and then track the dark mages again. If they notice that Serena has been dealt with, the dark mages will completely flee. Then we’ll have to start tracking from the beginning again.”

“It’s fortunate that Serena was caught, but this has become troublesome.”

“Still, it’s good that we caught her. I also heard roughly about the situation before the regression through Jair. This is all thanks to Rie.”

Through the gaps between his fingers, the Emperor suddenly turned his head and gave Rie a small wink.

‘He noticed that Rie is watching!’

But he didn’t say anything to Father. He kept Rie’s secret peeking as a secret.

‘His Majesty the Emperor is the best!’

Rie secretly gave a small thumbs up behind Casselik’s back.

“…Pfft.”

“Your Majesty?”

“No, it’s nothing. Your daughter is quite clever.”

The Emperor, who confirmed the secret thumbs up, looked at Rie with an expression that said he found her adorable.

‘Hehe.’

Rie, who was smiling softly at that sight, suddenly recalled the Emperor’s muttered words that sounded troublesome.

‘If they notice that Serena has been dealt with, the dark mages will completely flee. Then we’ll have to start tracking from the beginning again.’

If the dark mages hear news of Serena’s capture?

The other dark mages hiding in the clothing store would scatter in all directions like cockroaches.

Moreover, since the situation would be different from before the regression when Serena wasn’t caught, there was a high possibility that their escape routes would completely change too.

‘…It’ll be hard to find the dark mages again….’

Rie hung her head dejectedly.

A way to easily find the dark mages.

No, a way to make the dark mages come looking on their own….

Flash!

At that moment, a certain scene appeared like thunder in her small head.

Right before the regression, when Aunt Serena had forcibly held Rie in her arms.

At that time, Father inside the orb could have easily killed Count Greenlenton, but he couldn’t do so and just stared intently at Rie.

Because.

“Hostage-!”

The small finger that gained enlightenment pointed at Serena.

“What?”

Because of that, the Emperor, who was about to move Serena to another dimension, stopped his action, and Serena quickly shrank back.

“Rie, what are you suddenly talking about?”

Casselik removed the palm that had been covering her.

Rie, who had stepped down to the floor on both feet, pointed at Serena and said confidently.

“A hostage! If we use Aunt Serena as a hostage, the dark mages might come looking for her. Then, we won’t have to go looking for the dark mages!”

At those words, the Emperor and Casselik looked at each other. Soon both of them nodded.

* * *

The dark mages who heard the news that Serena had been dragged to the Imperial Palace were in chaos.

Because Serena was high-quality personnel.

None other than someone who had parasitized ‘Emilia’s’ body.

“What should we do? If we’ve lost Emilia’s body, parasitizing another body won’t be effective.”

“Damn it, this is why I hate ability users. If we could wield abilities freely without using human blood, even I could have easily conquered a country!”

Mary, who was watching the chaos, sighed.

“There’s nothing we can do about what’s already happened. Father, let’s abandon Serena and start over.”

It was regrettable to lose Emilia’s body, but even without that, there were many other plans.

However-

“Well….”

After an ambiguous answer, Count Greenlenton shook his head.

It wasn’t time yet.

Unlike the others, he considered Serena herself as a precious resource.

That was because he was the only one among the dark mages who had experience living as a high-ranking noble.

The dark magic of parasitizing someone else’s body and impersonating them was still useful.

No matter how much one parasitized a noble’s shell, the noble refinement felt and experienced from birth couldn’t be imitated by just anyone.

Moreover, most of the dark mages who survived without being caught by the current Imperial Palace Knights were commoners.

If they abandoned Serena and tried to turn dark magic into a religion among themselves to convert others, the conversion targets would probably be limited to commoners.

Then the nobles might think of dark magic as ‘filthy sorcery used by lowly people’ and have even more disgust toward it.

“…I think we still need her.”

After long consideration, when the Count answered, Mary crossed her arms with an annoyed expression.

“Then we have to go rescue Serena again. Even if we assume we can save her like last time when dark magic’s power became stronger… what are you going to do right now?”

“Who knows. The god of dark magic might grant me power again.”

“Oh my!”

The reason they were able to save Serena, who was about to be punished the first time, was because Greenlenton’s dark magic had suddenly become stronger.

That was temporary, and they had no way of knowing that power was due to the ‘causality’ that Chronos had mentioned.

“…Haha, Mary. Don’t worry. I’ll rescue Serena through a reliable method.”

“So how exactly?”

“First, we need to gather the materials for dark magic.”

The Count turned his head and commanded the dark mages.

“From now on, move in small groups of two per team. And spread out as far as possible in all directions—north, south, east, and west—to secure human blood.”

“How much?”

At someone’s question, the Count tilted his head.

“At least fifty people or so.”

* * *

“Your Majesty, reporting. One corpse was discovered in a village located northwest of Count Rasien’s Domain….”

“Your Majesty, reporting. In the central downtown of Marquis Marken’s Domain, Viscount Saint’s wife was found with all her blood drained….”

“Your Majesty, reporting….”

“Your Majesty. Reporting. We captured a dark mage who was trying to harm a child near downtown in Viscount Norvan’s Domain.”

The Emperor pressed his temples as he listened to the series of reports.

“…The dark mages are beginning to commit murders in earnest to use dark magic.”

He had anticipated that the dark mages would commit murders to rescue Serena.

So he had sent warnings to each lord to tighten patrols and security in the downtowns and villages, but sure enough, the dark mages were slipping around like eels, committing murders.

“How many confirmed murder cases are there currently?”

“…48 cases.”

“48 cases. Just how large-scale of dark magic are they trying to use.”

The faces of Rie and Casselik, who were sitting beside the Emperor, hardened.

Rie had refused Casselik’s attempt to send her back to the Imperial Palace’s guest room and was staying by the Emperor’s side.

Well, Rie was also a Time Ability User after all.

‘…Chronos. Are you watching over Rie?’

-Of course. Rie, they will come soon.

‘Huh…!’

-Along with the massive causality created by killing innocent souls.

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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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