I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 100

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 100

Baltar’s shock stemmed from an entirely different reason.
When Baron Oldman appointed Baltar as overseer of his mine, he had given him something—a single item.
A mine map with specific sections marked.

“You want me to break through here?”
“Yes, that is what His Lordship instructed.”

Oldman’s Representative nodded in confirmation.
A dead end within the mine. Breaching its floor would supposedly reveal a new ore vein.
Baltar had never considered such a place. It was unthinkable—a featureless expanse of bare ground could never harbor ore, or so he believed.
He scoffed at the ignorance of a man blinded by greed, yet the words inscribed in the letter accompanying the map seized his attention.

———-
Given that you possess the finest blacksmithing skill in the world,
I am certain you also understand the paths where minerals slumber.
———-

Trust. Trust. Trust…
Then I shall break through it. What else could I do?
What moved Baltar was the boundless faith Baron Oldman placed in him.
The insularity of the Dwarves resembled the way a hedgehog cradles its young—those who crossed the threshold into the family were embraced despite their shortcomings.
Trabel was a detestable lot blinded by coin, yet Baron Oldman was blinded by coin and—

A man I respect.

One who respects me.

“Hehehem! I shall give it my all!”

Baltar did not wish to disappoint Baron Oldman. More precisely, he could not bear to tarnish even a single thread of the trust the Baron extended toward him.
The iron mine had been left to languish, nearly abandoned.
The manager Trabel had hired departed the moment the mine transferred to Baron Oldman’s ownership. No workforce remained. As the overseer, Baltar had no laborers he knew, so he would need to hire Dwarves.

“Truly?”
“That location?”

My first commission as clan leader was this. The Dwarves were bewildered by Baltar’s directive, but they began excavating the mine as instructed.
And then—.

“Clan Leader! Come quickly!”
“We’ve discovered a new vein of ore!!”

Baltar trembled!
Goosebumps erupted across his arms, electricity coursing through the crown of his head!
“….”
“Clan Leader…?”
At the sight of Baltar clutching the map and quivering, a Dwarf asked with concern. There had been a time when they’d made such a fuss about selecting the next clan leader due to Baltar’s senility that it had nearly torn the clan apart.
“Baron Oldman…!”
Baltar’s cry was swallowed back into his mouth, unable to escape his lips.
‘Baron Oldman…! Will you make my dream come true?!’
A new vein of ore. For Baltar, it was perhaps a new hope.
The dream he’d spent more than half his lifetime searching for might lie within it! So it must be that it simply hadn’t been discovered until now!
Baltar’s emotions surged.
If adamantite emerged from within—.
‘Then I shall trade with you for life, Baron!’
What the Dwarf’s heart had kindled was something momentous. Baltar stomped his feet thunderously and rushed toward the entrance of Crest Mine.
“I’ll be the first to enter! You lot!”

***

Lucian Alexis’s sudden appearance left us utterly astonished.
‘Did Father know about this?’
I tracked Lucian with my eyes as he took the seat across from Father. Victor, sitting beside him, caught my gaze and flashed me a knowing smile. Father’s expression was lukewarm, but it was clear he’d known all along that Lucian Alexis would appear at this meeting.
If he hadn’t known, the tempest Windis had conjured would have already thrown everything into chaos.
“Three billion cona… from you, Lucian…?”
The Shop Manager, seated across from Theon, swallowed hard before speaking.
“Is this an investment from the Alexis Duke Family?”
Alexis, the Grand Duke of the Edencia Kingdom, was the current king’s younger brother. He was renowned for his wealthy lineage.
“The family has nothing to do with it. This is my personal investment.”
Lucian Alexis shook his head. Victor, beside him, chuckled with narrowed eyes and spoke.
“I heard that recently the Duchess Dowager of the Alexis family left you a substantial inheritance. It seems you’ve been searching for investment opportunities to deploy the capital.”
Victor quipped that a grandparent’s love truly is best expressed through money.
Still, the Shop Manager and Head Designer seemed to harbor lingering doubts. I shared their sentiment.
Three billion cona. It was an enormous sum to invest in an obscure clothing business that was only just beginning.
“I’m curious why you would invest such a substantial amount in our venture…”
“I saw considerable potential in it.”
“If I may ask, what prompted you to see such potential?”
The Head Designer asked carefully. After confirming the identity of this major investor, only the Shop Manager and Head Designer remained visibly tense in this room.
“Ah, how tedious.”
“Sit properly. Jeffrey.”
….
Jeffrey was half-sprawled in his chair, swinging his legs, while Theon admonished him. Father was sipping his pre-meal wine.
With three billion cona on the line, how could they all be so casual…!
‘We haven’t even signed the contract yet!’
If Lucian became discouraged by their lack of sincerity and withdrew his investment, it would be a disaster. Until the contract was sealed, nothing could be taken for granted.
I had to show some earnestness too!
I straightened my posture and widened my eyes attentively, as if hanging on Lucian’s every word. Lucian answered the question.
“The catalyst was the outfit you sent me a few days ago. I found it quite impressive.”
“Ah…!”
The Head Designer and Shop Manager gasped with emotion. The outfit Father had chosen truly suited him perfectly.
Within hours, it had gained fame under the nickname “Lucian Alexis’s Debut Look,” and the Trang Costume Atelier was flooded with inquiries and visitors seeking custom pieces. The influx was so overwhelming that the atelier had temporarily closed to focus exclusively on the children’s clothing line.
“The day the newspaper was published, the merchant leader of Blue Company contacted me, asking if I’d be interested in investing in the children’s clothing venture that Reytan and Trang Costume Atelier were launching together.”
“I secured the investor immediately. After all, anyone who’s worn the pieces can understand their value, can’t they?”
Victor maintained his sales smile and glanced toward Father as if to appeal to him, but Father let out a derisive snort, his brow furrowing.
‘Oh no.’
I shifted my feet, hidden beneath the table.
Tap. My round shoe toe made contact with Father’s leg. Father leaned his upper body toward me, cupping his hand over his mouth as he whispered into my ear.
“What?”
Thanks to that, the major investor sitting across from us caught our entire secret exchange.
Ugh. Father clearly has no intention of accepting this investment today.
‘If Lucian Alexis sees Father acting so affectionate with his daughter at an important business meeting, what will he think!’
I quickly pulled Father’s hand down and traced “300” on his palm with my index finger.
“….”
Father’s eyes grew even more listless, but the moment my shoe tip touched his leg again, he silently straightened his posture.
When Lucian, who had been watching us, caught my gaze, he smiled softly. At a gathering like this, it was proper etiquette to answer a smile with a smile.
As I smiled back, Lucian opened his mouth.
“The vision of the Blue Company’s merchant leader is truly trustworthy. I will proceed with the investment as discussed.”
“…!”
Color flooded the faces of the Shop Manager and Head Designer, while Theon and Jeffrey, seated right beside me, whispered in my ear.
“Your lips went up.”
“Yeah.”
They seemed to be commenting on my reaction, but I had no attention to spare for their conversation.
My mind was filled entirely with 300 billion Cona!
‘Hurrah!’
The business capital that had been negative 2 billion Cona had become 28 billion Cona in just a few weeks—!
Though I was merely a child sitting at an adult’s business meeting, I couldn’t help but speak.
I turned to Lucian with a radiant smile and said,
“Thank you so much, Uncle Lucian!”
“….”
At my words, Lucian’s expression shifted oddly for a moment before returning to a smile. He maintained an awkward grin, then averted his gaze from me and continued his conversation with Victor.
Meanwhile, Father’s silence deepened. Holding Windis with his other hand, Father leaned toward me again and whispered in my ear.
“Berry, what did you just say…?”
I covered my mouth with my hand and whispered back to Father, asking,
“Curious what I did?”
Father nodded. I giggled.
“Just mischief.”

***

That night.
At the after-party arranged by Victor Stings.
Somehow, Reytan and Lucian Alexis found themselves alone together, drinking. Lucian Alexis held a whiskey glass in his hand and let out a heavy sigh.
“Berry… called me….”
“Stop it.”
“But…. Brother-in-law….”

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