I Don’t Need a Dad Like This! - Chapter 8

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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 8】

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Also known as Glasses-wearing Casselik.

No, Pigtailed Casselik.

No, Cat Whiskers Casselik.

The ‘graffiti incident’ that left legendary nicknames among the servants became the talk of the Duke’s Castle for several days.

But if she ended it with just this, she wouldn’t be a time ability user!

“Hiyaaaat, charge-!”

The next day, morning.

Rie, who woke up early in the morning, freely used the power of the clock that Lost Time had given her.

She had stopped time again.

Actually, Rie had a grand goal.

“Black thick book. Find it!”

Exactly one year ago.

There was a book that the Judge was reading during the trial to determine who would become Rie’s guardian.

The Judge, who wore thick glasses and examined the book for a long time, banged his gavel and entrusted Rie to Casselik.

Seeing this, Rie thought.

Father listens well to the Judge.

The Judge looked at the book and chose Father.

Power = Book.

Find the black thick book she saw during the trial, and Rie will read it first!

“Very sharp. Rie is a great detective.”

As her mind bounced around like a rubber ball, Rie, who was touching her chin, quietly admired herself.

All of this would be the first step in the journey to live together with Mother.

Tododo-

With her short legs cutting through the corridor like that, Rie entered the library and searched for thick books.

But strangely, the book she saw in the courtroom was nowhere to be found.

“Hmm. Disappointing…”

Rie pouted her lips.

Lost Time poked the tip of the child’s shoes as if to comfort her.

“This isn’t the only library here. You’ll be able to find it later.”

“That’s right…!”

Of course, Rie didn’t give up.

Although her body was four years old, Rie was a mature five-year-old.

“If I can’t find the book, let’s steal Father’s notebook.”

“Father’s notebook?”

“Yeah. Rie was curious about that too!”

As they say, a chicken in place of a pheasant.

This child knew an incredible number of ways to solve the case, besides just searching through the library.

‘Why did he leave already? That can’t be right. I’m sure that notebook still had one more year left…’

Rie recalled her past memories and said.

“Before reversing time, Father was crying and said. The notebook showed there was one year left.”

“Hmm. Suspicious indeed.”

“Right? Father is definitely the culprit.”

“Culprit?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Though she didn’t know what crime he had committed, Rie nodded seriously.

“Anyway, let’s hurry and go find Father’s notebook!”

“If you run too fast you might fall, so let’s go slowly!”

Patter patter-

The sound of a young child’s footsteps echoed through the time-frozen Duke’s Castle.

“Hello, Maid Sister!”

“…”

“Hello, Knight Uncle!”

“…”

After greeting each of the people frozen in the corridor, Rie entered Father’s bedroom.

Then, after opening everything she could find – the drawer, under the bed, the nightstand – and crawling around on the floor, she finally discovered a small notebook.

“Oh my!”

The notebook looked quite worn for something a nobleman would use.

Though small in size, the firmly finished leather was faded in color as if it had weathered the years head-on, with scratches here and there.

“It’s as old as Father.”

Though unloved, to Rie who was born and raised as nobility, the old notebook was simply fascinating.

Then, the crow that fluttered over to Rie’s side had a gleam in its eyes.

“I can feel the power of an ability from this notebook. Whatever it is, it’s an object not bound by time.”

“Oh my… no wonder it resembles Father…!”

The item she happened to find was really Father’s notebook!

Now that she finally found it, she would be able to understand why Father was crying at the funeral hall.

“Drumroll…”

Returning to her room, Rie made drumming sounds with her mouth and closed her eyes.

Then, after opening the notebook wide and opening her eyes-

“…?”

Her large eyes trembled.

‘E-earthworms by the dozens!’

That’s right.

Rie couldn’t read the writing in the notebook.

* * *

“Rie can read really well!! Father just wrote it weird-!”

“I know, you little brat.”

“Rie always gets perfect scores on dictation tests!”

“Calm down, kiddo. Even if an Imperial language teacher came, they couldn’t read this!”

“Hiiiiing-!”

The pride of the perfect dictation scorer was mercilessly shattered.

No matter how she looked at it from every angle, the scribbled handwriting was impossible to decipher, so Rie climbed onto the bed and buried her face in the pillow in despair.

In truth, the notebook had a secret.

It was under a prohibition of ‘Time Ability,’ so ordinary people couldn’t read the writing in the notebook.

‘…Decades of time have accumulated here. For that brat Rie to read this, she’d need to build up that much ability.’

Lost Time’s gaze, which had been observing the layers upon layers of magical barriers, lifted upward.

The child who had been throwing a tantrum had fallen asleep at some point.

“It’s more natural for a four-year-old to not be able to read in the first place, little one. You can only read because you received such intense education.”

Snore-

Along with the child’s peaceful breathing, the clouds outside the window slowly moved.

The ‘Time Stop’ ability had been released.

It had been stopped for almost 3 hours, so it was reasonable to hit the limit.

Time Ability was proportional to the ability user’s magical power and strength.

Rie, who was still only four years old, would feel great fatigue when using her ability.

That’s why each time she used it, she couldn’t last long and would fall asleep immediately.

“Such a young thing being so cocky, already abusing her ability.”

While clicking his tongue in disapproval, Lost Time grabbed the blanket with his black beak and pulled it up to cover the child up to her neck.

Suddenly, a voice without expectation echoed through the bedroom.

“Can you do what even Casselik couldn’t?”

Well. Human greed has no end.

“…Tsk, sleep well, little one.”

Lost Time, who had been staring at the child for a long while, shook his head as if trying to dispel his idle thoughts, then disappeared out the window.

* * *

Imperial Palace.

As soon as the boy opened his eyes, he opened his bedroom door.

Then a waiting maid came forward and bowed her head.

“Good morning, Crown Prince. Shall I prepare your meal now?”

“…Ha.”

Finally, time flows.

Finally, the people who had stopped are moving again.

When the boy let out a sigh of relief, the maid tilted her head while reading the situation.

“…Your Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Prepare a meal. Something simple that can be eaten in the bedroom.”

“Ah, yes.”

One year. And after that, time had been stopped for several more hours here and there.

It meant that Duke Casselik, the time ability user, had been running wild again.

‘This doesn’t bode well. Don’t tell me he regressed another year back or something?’

People might not know, but this world had been greatly changed by Duke Casselik.

If he hadn’t regressed, the Chronos Empire would have long since been pushed back in territorial wars with neighboring countries and become a defeated nation.

That part was fine.

But after that, Casselik repeatedly regressed for his personal circumstances.

The problem was that this was already the fourth regression spanning over a year, and Jair was enduring the lost 10 years alone, something even Casselik didn’t know about.

The reason the boy, who was only seven years old, had such a mature atmosphere was because of those 10 years of solitude.

After finishing breakfast, Jair headed to the Tower of Time.

Inside the room with ceilings so high they couldn’t be seen, clocks indicating the remaining lives of Chronos Empire citizens were packed tightly together.

Among them, a massive clock radiating presence was pointing exactly at 11:55.

This clock was the Chronos Empire’s Life Clock.

In other words, Chronos was currently positioned 5 minutes before destruction.

The Imperial Family and the Theodore Ducal House had maintained close relations since ancient times to slow the movement of this clock.

Though that relationship was gradually cracking due to Duke Casselik’s deviant behavior.

“Bring that bastard’s clock.”

“Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince. Not bastard, but D-Duke Casselik….”

“Same difference.”

Assistant Mill hurriedly brought the clock at Jair’s ominous expression.

Casselik’s Life Clock was moving rapidly, as if something was keeping it very busy.

“…This looks like he’s going to use his ability again soon. Mill, I’m going to kill this bastard, want to come along?”

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, such language is… Good heavens, are you really planning to go to the ducal castle?!”

When Jair spoke menacingly and actually started moving, Mill was horrified.

“No. I’m going to get some fresh air. I’ve been trapped in the Tower of Time for a whole year.”

“I thought you were serious, haa…. To make such a joke….”

Jair shrugged his shoulders and walked past Mill.

But who knows.

If he regressed even one more time from here, maybe he really would dry up the seed of the time ability user?

But for now, enjoying the present where time flows was the priority.

The boy stretched and went outside the tower for the first time in a long while.

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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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