I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 185

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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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Side Story 5

Upon arriving at the village, I was introduced to the Village Chief and inquired about the statue’s subject.
When Theon and I spoke the name, Linden struck his palm with his fist, his face lighting up with recognition.
“Brown Quartz! That’s it! That’s the name!”
“Linden! You can’t even remember your benefactor’s name?! What a waste of that brown hair!”
“Village Chief! Do you know how old I was back then? I didn’t even exist in this world!”
“But why is he a benefactor of this village?”
The Village Chief’s eyes sparkled at my question.
“Would you like to hear?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
So it truly was Uncle Brown’s statue, not that of someone merely resembling him.
Father would surely be delighted to learn of this connection.
“I would very much like to hear.”
“Well, since you young people seem to know Brown, there’s no reason I can’t tell you.”
The Village Chief began his tale.
“It was twenty-five years ago. Brown arrived at our village, which had been devastated by a tidal wave. He has a half-brother, and while attending to family matters nearby, he happened to pass through our village by chance.”
A half-brother and family matters.
Father and the Trabel Estate.
“Most people would give up on something they couldn’t accomplish alone, wouldn’t they? But Brown was different. He attempted to rebuild an entire village single-handedly. And it was a village with which he had no prior connection whatsoever.”
“…Why?”
“Even you don’t understand, do you? Brown was a young man we ordinary folk couldn’t comprehend. He simply couldn’t pass by those in need.”
“O-Ordinary folk, you say.”
Yet I couldn’t refute the Village Chief’s words.
Because it was true that I had thought, ‘Why do something that brings no profit?’…
“He seemed like an ordinary youth, yet he appeared truly magnificent. Every time he returned to the village, his cart was laden with provisions and supplies. We were so worried he might have stolen from some wealthy noble’s household.”
From what I had heard, Uncle Brown was a capable man.
Had Hevanth not murdered Uncle Brown, my uncle might have been adopted into the Trabel Family and become the master of Diamond House.
After all, I heard he inherited golden eyes similar to Count Trabel’s.
‘Uncle was a foreigner, after all. Even so, where could he have procured such vast quantities of supplies throughout the Edencia Kingdom? The Trabel Family likely wouldn’t have supported him, and as a foreigner, procurement wouldn’t have been easy.’
The Village Chief gazed up at the statue standing on the platform.
“In the end, he saved our village in just one month. Isn’t that remarkable? So we scraped together our village finances and erected this statue!”
His eyes were filled with longing.
“I wonder where he is now and what he’s doing. I haven’t seen him since he left the village. I hope he’s doing well. I wonder if his child grew up healthy….”
“…His child?”
The question escaped my lips before I could stop it.
The Village Chief laughed as if recalling some amusing old memory.
“I had one thing that always bothered me about Brown. That man talked about the child who would be born more than ten times a day.”
“….”
“He said his wife was a strong-willed person, so the child would inherit her strength. He kept saying the baby would probably be beautiful like her mother. And what else did he say? He mentioned hoping the child would be born with pink hair since his own hair color was so common!”
“….”
“I’ve never seen such an infatuated fool before. How could he be so enamored with a child he hadn’t even seen yet?”
I quietly took Theon’s hand.
Theon squeezed my hand in return without saying a word.
When I learned that Father wasn’t my biological father, an early hypothesis had crossed my mind.

“Could Uncle Brown be my real father?”

But I knew Belesa Valenhardt well.
She would never give herself to anyone unless there was something to gain.
Uncle Brown had never even been registered into the Trabel Family—from Belesa’s perspective, he was someone with no value, someone she would never entangle herself with.
‘So I discarded that hypothesis.’
But….
The timing aligned perfectly.
And there was always that lingering question.

“Father, where did all of this come from?”
“Uncle Brown left it to you as an inheritance.”
“An inheritance? Can I use it?”

Four billion, eight hundred fifty million cona—the amount the water spirit demanded when creating the water vein in the Imperial Palace.
The inheritance left by Uncle Brown.
Father, who missed Uncle so deeply that he drank alcohol on his memorial day despite never touching it otherwise, had used that inheritance to build the foundation where I would live.

“Berry.”
“Mm?”
“Uncle Brown looked forward to your birth very much.”

I looked up at the statue.
The statue of an ordinary young man loomed large before me.

“So when you meet him about eighty years from now, tell him thank you. Tell him the inheritance was put to good use.”

“….”

***

There was a communication facility in another village not far from ours.
I sent a telegram to the Trabel Family’s company in the Edencia Kingdom.
The reply came immediately.
“So they’re coming to pick us up.”
Since the time for the appearance-altering effect to fade was nearly upon us, Theon and I declined the villagers’ kind offer to see us off and waited for the Trabel Family members at the beach where we had collapsed.
“Berry, I’m here.”
“Oh. That was fast?”
I watched Calips walk across the sandy beach, leading a group of people.
Despite his feet sinking deeply into the sand, Calips walked with quick, determined strides, his expression hardening with each step.
“…It’s you two, right?”
He tilted his head in confusion upon seeing us in our different forms, but when we nodded, he let out a relieved breath.
“That was close. Goodness.”
“Calips, were you worried about us?”
“Worried? If the Crown Prince and Crown Princess went missing, I’d be in serious trouble. That’s all.”
“Thank you for coming to get us.”
“…Not at all. And Your Highness the Crown Prince, please stop throwing yourself recklessly into danger whenever your younger cousin is in peril. How could you possibly jump into those waves without thinking?”
“I can’t stop.”
“…Yes.”
Calips changed the subject as if to drop the matter.
“In any case, we’re going to file a damage claim with the relevant department of the Edencia Kingdom.”
“Why?”
“Because the waves were caused by the whale beastmen.”
According to Calips, the massive waves that engulfed the ship were the result of recent conflict between the whale beastmen and the Edencia Kingdom.
Ships had been struck by whales with increasing frequency, and despite protests, no measures were taken. So the whale beastmen were deliberately creating waves whenever large ships passed through.
“This has happened several times already, and the fact that there wasn’t even a single warning when they granted harbor entry makes it obvious. It’s clear that—”
“They deliberately kept quiet to avoid losing foreign ships. You’re right, Calips. We should definitely file for damages.”
I nodded in agreement.
“So you’ll be staying in the Edencia Kingdom a bit longer then?”
“Why would I? I can send my subordinates. You should return too.”
“Theon and I have things to do here.”
“I received word about Uncle just before coming here.”
“Really?!”
My eyes widened in surprise.
News about Father? But how did Calips know I was searching for him?
Reading the question in my eyes, Calips continued.
“Is there any other major incident that would cause you and the Crown Prince to leave the Imperial Palace empty? He just returned to the Trabel Estate.”
Calips gave a slight nod.
“You’re leaving right away?”
“Yes! But I need to stop by one place first!”
I needed to confirm with Zena Chaser whether what I had requested had arrived.

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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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