I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 142
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 142
Theon would apprehend the fraudsters quickly enough, but a scheme had to be executed with flair. Only then would it capture attention and spread word of our exploits far and wide. The more people who knew of our success, the greater our chances of achieving our goals.
Crash—!
Theon’s aura-wreathed blade struck the shipyard’s crane. The ancient wooden structure’s pillar rotated completely toward where the fraudsters stood, and the impact shattered the rotating axle, sending it crashing down near them.
“Ugh!”
“What—what is this!”
Panicked cries erupted from the fraudsters amid the dust cloud, still unable to comprehend the situation. The Shipyard Owner beside me stood frozen, his mouth agape. It was only natural—he’d just witnessed his company’s assets being destroyed before his eyes.
“Theon really is something. I keep telling him he’s too strong.”
The owner was forty-four, if I recalled correctly—an age where shock could be fatal. In such moments, swift financial treatment was the cure.
“Ah, ah, Miss. What on earth is….”
“I’m terribly sorry, sir. Since I came to Belodia, which is famous as a resort, I thought I’d purchase a yacht or two.”
Boom! Crash!
This time, the fraudsters had made a move. The ropes securing the stacked wooden pillars came loose, and the logs began tumbling to the ground.
“To think I’d encounter the very people Grandfather told me to capture here. Is this what they call fate?”
“C-could you perhaps restrain your friend….”
“Oh, I’ll handle the damages tomorrow without delay. Just tell me directly—there’s no need to contact the family.”
If damage claims went through the Trabel Estate, it would reduce my uncle’s performance metrics. Since I had no idea what his final month’s results would be, it was best to avoid any deductions.
I planned to settle this matter from Baron Oldman’s coffers. After all, I’d accumulated his wealth precisely for situations like this.
‘And while it’s troublesome, if I’m to deceive my relatives, the source of the compensation funds must be clear.’
If I blamed Baron Oldman for the incident caused by the Jewel of the Sun bounty and extracted compensation from him, that payment would be transferred directly to the Shipyard Owner under my name. So this was a confident assertion backed by solid grounds.
“If it’s tomorrow…. The amount won’t be insignificant….”
“Are we talking in the millions? Actually, I’ve been saving up my allowance for quite some time.”
Quite separate from the fact that my current allowance account held exactly 120,000 cona.
“It’s entirely manageable. I’ll simply purchase one fewer island.”
I recited the memorable maxim from my Uncle Lucian that I’d heard years ago, and color returned to the owner’s face. Soon he was enthusiastically offering advice and cheering Theon on.
“My friend! Use that cart over there! It’s so old it’ll break beautifully! Yes, that one! Thank you so much!”
Meanwhile, I quietly slipped away. The Shipyard Owner was so absorbed in anticipation of what equipment Theon would demolish next that he didn’t even notice my departure.
Beneath a sunset-stained sky, dust swirled thick, shipyard equipment shattered, and fraudsters fell one by one—yet only Theon shone brilliantly through it all.
‘Oh no.’
I’d almost lost myself in Theon again. I needed to make my own move for the sake of our performance. It wasn’t long before I spotted my target: Morkan, crawling cautiously across the ground between the collapsed crane pieces, clutching a bundle of cloth protectively to his chest.
“Huff. Huff.”
Morkan’s rough breathing continued as he kept watch on both front and rear, apparently concerned about Theon behind him. Thanks to this, he seemed unaware of my approach from the side. I stood directly beside the prone Morkan and asked him a question.
“That’s the Jewel of the Sun, isn’t it?”
“….”
At my words, Morkan’s rough breathing stopped abruptly. He kept his mouth firmly shut as he slowly raised his head, his eyes widening at the sight of my face.
“Berry Quartz Trabel?!”
“Wow.”
I dropped Burdbell’s special adhesive pellet from my hand onto Morkan’s back as I answered.
“That’s right.”
Click. Bang. A camera shutter sound and a flash of light erupted from somewhere. It was undoubtedly a journalist from the Daily Sunrise who had come after receiving an anonymous tip.
***
“This time too… quite spectacular.”
When I requested that the Investigation Bureau send someone to apprehend the criminals, Demian arrived. It was puzzling how he, who should have been at the Central Investigation Bureau 1st Division, was here, but seeing Demian’s bewildered expression, I decided to hold off on asking questions for now.
“Chief Knox, the Shipyard Owner here says he witnessed the incident from the beginning.”
“I’m going now.”
At his subordinate’s call, Demian moved away. I could see the Shipyard Owner, with a grinning face, bowing respectfully to Demian. Since the owner would testify that they had coincidentally encountered the con artists, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about—
“Was it worse than usual?”
“A little.”
Theon, standing beside me, answered my whispered question. While the surroundings were nothing short of ruins, Theon was unscathed except for dust, without a single scratch.
“Aaaaah!”
“Ah, make that guy quiet. My ears are going to fall off.”
On one side of the ruins, Morkan was struggling, caught in the adhesive. Perhaps because he had become one with the ground and had even lost his jewels to me, he had been thrashing about for quite some time.
“The more he struggles, the more it sticks to his body. I was thinking of telling him not to do that.”
“Don’t worry, Berry.”
Theon spoke to me.
“By tomorrow, it will harden and fall off.”
Burdbell’s special adhesive pellet was originally invented to catch mice breaking into the teacher’s warehouse, but it had the characteristic of losing its adhesive properties and hardening within a day.
“That’s true.”
I turned my gaze away from Morkan. Beside him, the con artists from the Papper Kingdom lay in a row, unconscious with handcuffs on their hands, and from the building where Zena Chaser was, sleeping criminals were being carried out on stretchers.
“Wow! There’s the Octe Gang too!”
An investigator who had confirmed the sleeping faces whistled in admiration. I had overheard the investigators talking earlier, and it seemed there were plenty of criminals inside that Belodia had been unable to catch and had been troubled by.
This was already the eighth time I had heard such an exclamation.
In the meantime, Demian, who had taken a few statements from the owner, returned to our side. Since his expression had relaxed considerably from before, I asked him with a gloomy face.
“Is this going to be a big problem?”
“It’s just catching criminals—what big problem could there be? Though you two might receive commendations.”
My goodness. Commendations?
My eyes widened at this unexpected reward, but Demian’s expression looked complicated. It seemed good but with some awkward aspects. Was it because of Father? Because I would have to tell Father about receiving a commendation?
For now, I asked Demian as if I hadn’t noticed anything.
“Why would I receive a commendation?”
“The Edencia Kingdom officially requested cooperation from the Heishal Empire to find the Sun Jewel. The Heishal Empire accepted that this morning. That’s why I came here. I received information that a man named Baron Oldman was searching for the Sun Jewel.”
Demian paused and scratched his forehead. Then he glanced at me briefly, let out a shallow sigh, and opened his mouth.
“If commendations are given to you two because of this incident, the Edencia Kingdom will also bestow commendations.”
“Really?”
“The First Princess might even pin the commendation on you herself. She arrived in the Heishal Empire yesterday.”
***
23. Suspect List No. 21 (Pending)
“…Zena Chaser.”
“Lucian Alexis.”
The next day.
Witnesses had gathered at the Investigation Bureau in Belodia for a detailed investigation into the incident. People from the Edencia Kingdom had also arrived to receive the Jewel of the Sun.
“It’s been a while.”
“We met two months ago.”
Beside me, Lucian was having a touching reunion, but I couldn’t afford to pay attention to it.
“….”
Belesa Valenhardt.
Beyond the glass window of the room I occupied stood the First Princess of the Edencia Kingdom.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————