I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 118

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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 118

Something kept moving on Lucian’s shoulder—a round, fluffy mass that bobbed and swayed.
“What is that?”
“A Hamster Humanoid. Looks like one the Investigation Bureau caught before.”
Theon answered my murmured question.
Father kept his gaze fixed out the window. Lucian was in conversation with Tory about something.
‘What are they discussing?’
Lucian’s attention was clearly fixed on Zena’s Candy Shop.
A full-grown man, hat pulled low to hide his face, loitering around the shop’s perimeter. Though, admittedly, Zena’s Candy Shop did have the sort of appearance that might embarrass a solitary adult male entering it.
Based on Lucian’s temperament as I’d come to know it, I wouldn’t have expected him to be so visibly flustered.
‘Something’s off.’
It was precisely when I narrowed my eyes at his suspicious behavior.
[…I….]
Wind flowed through the window Father had cracked open slightly. Lucian and Tory’s conversation carried clearly into the carriage. It was Windis’s ability.
“Oh.”
Father brought his index finger to his lips. I made the same gesture and nodded.
‘Father is still wary of Lucian.’
A major investor he may be, but he’s also a diplomat of the Edencia Kingdom, the First Princess’s closest confidant, and he’d previously disguised himself as Sherry to orchestrate something suspicious.
That’s why Father hadn’t fully earned his trust.
‘Which works out well for me. Now I can hear the conversation too!’
Father, I, and Theon remained silent, focusing on the conversation carried by the wind. The faint sounds grew increasingly clear. Tory shook Lucian’s collar as he spoke.
[For heaven’s sake! Captain! Just go in there boldly!]
[Tory, what if we just happen to meet if I wait? Maybe it would be better to go to Crest Mine like last time and say I want to buy iron.]
Crest Mine! My ears perked up.
So Lucian had visited our mine before?
[How could that work? The only one who shows up as manager is that grim-looking Dwarf! You already wasted a trip to Crest Mine, so this is your only option!]
[Looking for a candy shop under Zena’s name feels too much like stalking. I don’t even want to buy candy.]
Suddenly, the wind cut off completely.
“Huh? Why?”
Looking at Father with a bewildered expression, he folded his arms and spoke.
“Educational purposes.”

***

Father turned the carriage around, saying that Lucian watching the candy shop wasn’t good for children’s education.
I ended up not ordering the honey bear jellies, but there was no regret.

It was morning the next day. Jack Jack had come to Stone House.
He brought word that I’d entrusted the quality inspection of Crest Mine’s iron to him yesterday. He also mentioned that Grandfather told me to stop by the Study after class today.
“My message is complete. What’s your business?”
“There is something.”
“There is? Tell me then.”
Jack Jack gave his permission. I lowered the arm I’d raised and asked him.
“You mentioned before that Zena Chaser worked at Edensia Palace, right? Do you know when she was employed there?”
“I don’t. Zena left the palace when she was fourteen. After that, she met me and we crossed over to the Heishal Empire together.”
“Ah. So you and Zena Chaser first met back then?”
“That’s correct. I cannot provide information beyond this. It’s a matter of a Great Tit Humanoid’s pride.”
Jack Jack’s black eyes gleamed sharply, as if guarding against any information leaking out.
I’d tried to figure out what kind of relationship Uncle Lucian Alexis had with Zena Chaser, but it seemed I couldn’t learn more unless I asked them directly.
‘But I doubt Zena Chaser would tell me either.’
When I’d asked her before if she knew Lucian Alexis, the only information she’d given me was that ‘Lucian Alexis is the First Princess’s closest confidant.’
Even if they had a personal connection, she might not want to reveal it.
‘Did Uncle Lucian learn about the iron quality of Crest Mine while investigating Zena Chaser’s movements?’
Based on yesterday’s conversation between Tory and Uncle Lucian, it seemed Uncle Lucian desperately wanted to meet Zena Chaser. So much so that he’d disguise it as coincidence—whether it was purchasing iron or buying candy.
‘Why not just go meet her directly?’
Thanks to that, I could also infer how Uncle Lucian came to know about Crest Mine.
Since Zena Chaser was Baron Oldman’s Representative, if someone said they wanted to purchase iron from Crest Mine, Zena Chaser would surely appear.
So there was a good chance Uncle Lucian had learned about Crest Mine’s iron directly and been surprised by our iron’s quality—
‘But I can’t let my guard down! Either way, information has been exposed!’
I asked Jack Jack to relay to Zena Chaser that we needed to strengthen information security at Crest Mine and to find an Alchemist connected to the word ‘Camilla’. Before Jack Jack flew off, I asked.
“Will you request Zena’s employment history at Edensia Palace?”
“Huh? Is that allowed?”
“Wasn’t that said as your employer? It’s not unreasonable for an employer to request employment records from their employee. Zena will tell you.”
“Oh. Then the matter of how you and Zena Chaser met—”
“I will not forgive anyone who touches a Great Tit Humanoid’s pride.”
“Yes. I’ll ask Zena Chaser only for her employment history.”
“Understood.”
With his business concluded, Jack Jack flew off with vigorous wingbeats.

***

After class, I snuck away to Grandfather’s Study. The moment I knocked, the door swung open as if he’d been waiting. Grandfather himself had opened it.
“You came.”
“Yes!”
By now, I was accustomed to Grandfather’s golden eyes and his imposing frame brimming with presence. I giggled and walked toward the sofa that had become my designated seat.
‘Today is the day…!’
I faced the sofa with solemn determination.
This sofa, tailored to Grandfather’s physique, was far taller than an ordinary one.
But my height had grown by three centimeters recently. Now I could grasp most handles by rising onto my toes, and I could see over the windowsill the same way.
‘I can climb up by myself!’
I placed both hands on the sofa. Theon had taught me which muscles to engage and how to bend and extend my knees to maximize jumping power.
It was time to demonstrate the fruits of my training. No matter how hard I imagined it, I could only envision myself sitting on the sofa through sheer effort. I took a deep breath and jumped with all my might.
“…Oh.”
That’s strange. I’m still on the ground.
‘Then, let me try again!’
“Don’t stand there—sit down.”
Grandfather, who had closed the Study door, lifted me and placed me on the sofa. My fists, clenched with determination to leap again, went limp with embarrassment.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Are you happy to see me after so long?”
He clearly hadn’t noticed my failed attempt. Or the disappearance of my second growth phase.
I stared up at Grandfather blankly, then chose to smile instead of protest.
“…Yes!”
“Hmph. If you’re so happy to see me, you should visit more often.”
It was a good choice. Grandfather stroked my head! I’d earned a thousand Cona in peaceful atmosphere.
“Hehe. Grandfather, you’re so busy~”
“You’re the busy one. You and your father are always running around somewhere. Is your father preparing the Clothing Shop well? I hear it starts next month?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
“It’s my money funding the venture—of course I know. And I received a reply from the Dwarves.”
From the Dwarves?
I looked up at Grandfather. Pride and the desire to boast were seeping through his expression. I wanted to ask more about the Clothing Shop, but it seemed better to ask about the Dwarves’ letter first. Grandfather’s lips were twitching with barely contained excitement.
“Oh, what did they say?”
“Just a greeting. But it came under the name of Baltar. Until now, all correspondence came from the Dwarves as a whole. Your advice worked perfectly. They even offered praise. What adult would think of such a method? Only a child could come up with something like that.”
“…Are you teasing me by calling me a child…?”
“Of course not.”
But he was clearly mocking my childish method. He laughed heartily for quite some time afterward.
“Berry.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t you want Julia’s jewelry box?”

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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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