I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 97

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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 97

So it was when the other me was seven years old.
I don’t recall the full circumstances, but Sherry suddenly disappeared during an outing outside the Trabel Estate.
The other me was left alone on the outskirts of Hisport Town and became lost.
Just as tears were beginning to well up, a man informed the guards of my situation and promised to look after me until Father arrived.
It was Lucian Alexis, his hair completely hidden beneath a hat.

– Who do you like most after Father? Just among family? Hmm…. Uhhhhh….
– Is it such a difficult question that you need to wrap your head in thought…? Most children usually say mother and father in quick succession for this kind of question.
– Mother? Oh! Then I’ll say Father next after Father!
– Berry, doesn’t your answer seem a bit strange?
– I don’t have a mother. I only need Father!
– …Would you like me to show you something cute?

With those words, Lucian opened the mouth of the bag he’d been carrying.
A hamster poked its small head out from within.

– Gasp. A rat.
– How amusing. Such a tiny thing.
– It can talk!
– Who are you calling a filthy rat? I am a Golden Hamster Beastman. Call me Tory.

Lucian seemed to have no intention of revealing Tory’s true nature and tried to cover his mouth, but the introduction had already been made.
That day, Father was already searching for me before even hearing from the guards, and soon encountered Lucian, who had been with me. The two of them engaged in brief combat, but Lucian couldn’t withstand a few of Father’s attacks and fled.

In any case, now.
Goldport. Central Investigation Bureau 17th Branch Interrogation Room.
‘Is that him?’
I stared intently at the hamster’s back—the one I’d asked Father if I could keep.
Small enough to require both hands to hold, warm and impossibly fluffy, with a body that sagged like a melted cheese wedge. It bore an uncanny resemblance to Tory as I remembered him.
“Squeak.”
The hamster’s brief cry drew Lucian Alexis’s gaze toward me from across the interrogation room.
‘Oh, he reacted!’
Here was a man accused of crimes, undergoing interrogation, yet he’d responded to a hamster’s squeak. The tell wasn’t obvious, but Lucian Alexis had clearly been caught off guard.
Father wouldn’t have missed such a reaction. He muttered something about Lucian’s breathing changing, then turned to me, still clutching the hamster.
“Berry, where did you find that hamster?”
“It was wandering around the Investigation Bureau. Theon and Jeffrey caught it for me!”
“You want to keep it?”
“Yes! It’s adorable!”
Theon and Jeffrey were stationed outside the interrogation room, preventing anyone else from entering.
Using a hamster to apply pressure was admittedly underhanded—
‘But I need to understand what Lucian Alexis intended by trying to kidnap me. That’s the only way I can prepare for what comes next!’
In my other memory, the Lucian I’d encountered outside Hisport Town had shown no eagerness whatsoever to kidnap me.
If anything, he’d seemed more anxious for Father’s arrival than my own.
Constantly checking the time nervously, traveling only through empty streets as if anticipating combat, asking questions about what I’d do once we returned to the Trabel Family home.
It didn’t make sense. What had Lucian actually wanted?
‘He’s unlikely to confess while I’m watching, but if Father learns the truth, I can piece it together later!’
So capturing Tory was an investment in future intelligence.
“Perhaps. It might have an owner.”
Father patted my head and turned his gaze into the interrogation room. Lucian Alexis still had his head turned toward us.
Since the interior of the interrogation room couldn’t see outside, he was clearly trying to infer the situation from our conversation. The smile had vanished from his expression.
Reytan, observing Lucian’s reaction, let his voice drift into the interrogation room once more.
“Diplomat Lucian Alexis, do you know what angers me most about this incident?”
[…Could it be that I inadvertently deceived you, Lord Reytan, by posing as a maid of the Trabel Family?]
“No.”
Father’s expression as he spoke coldly held not a trace of warmth.
“You laid hands on my daughter.”
A chill as sharp as wind cutting through ice seeped into the interrogation room.
‘…Gasp! This is that, isn’t it!’
Theon and Jeffrey had said I was dull in this regard, but even I could recognize this.
Father’s atmosphere had shifted to resemble the moment months ago when he’d brought Zikal, Coco’s father, to his knees.
In the words of Crown Prince Theon, Trabel’s reckless, dangerous aura.
‘The side of Father he shows only to enemies!’
The moment understanding struck, Theon and Jeffrey rushed into the interrogation room.
“Berry, it’s dangerous.”
“Hm? What is it?”
Theon stepped in front of me, while Jeffrey clung to my arm, his ears pinned back as he trembled violently.
“Sister Berry is really dense. Lord Reytan, he’s furious from head to toe.”
Tory, whom I held firmly in both hands, also quivered and let out small squeaking sounds—*squeak, squeak*.
Father spoke again.
“Diplomat.”
[….]
“I’ve often encountered soldiers from the Edencia Kingdom on the battlefield, and among them were some who fought in a peculiar manner. Beast-kin and humans formed partnerships, operating in pairs of two. Since they crossed the line between life and death together, I understand their bonds remain remarkably strong even beyond the battlefield. I’ve occasionally seen small beast-kin as well. Hamster-like ones.”
[Reytan, testimony obtained through coercion cannot be admitted as evidence.]
“I haven’t coerced anyone, but if you, the Investigation Department head, feel that way, then that typewriter won’t be needed.”
[…You owe me for this.]
Demian sighed and removed his hands from the typewriter.
The only way to verify what happened in the Interrogation Room was through the documents the investigator in charge had typed.
Which meant that from this point forward, no record of our conversation would remain.
The diplomat Lucian Alexis in the Interrogation Room couldn’t see Father beyond the window, yet both their gazes locked precisely on where the other stood.
Father watched the diplomat Lucian Alexis and spoke.
“Have you ever had a beast-kin as your partner, Diplomat?”
“Squeak—!”
[Tory!]
*Crash!*
At Tory’s cry, the diplomat Lucian Alexis kicked back his chair and stood abruptly. He strode toward the window and protested to Father on the other side.
[Lord Reytan! Are you abusing a different species right now?! What violence did you use to make such a scream?! In the Edencia Kingdom, beast-kin are citizens of our nation. I will file an official protest!]
Goodness. The way he looked at Father—as if he were some villainous boss!
They say one shouldn’t interrupt adult conversations carelessly, but—.
“Diplomat! Tory is with me!”
“Berry’s right.”
“That hamster just got scared by Lord Reytan’s presence and screamed, that’s all….”
[Filing an official protest, you say. That’s as good as confessing that the hamster is a beast-kin.]
I had to clear my name. Theon and Jeffrey backed up my words, while Demian helped corner Lucian Alexis.
[….]
Lucian slowly lowered his fist from the window and returned to his seat in silence. His movements betrayed an embarrassment as if he wished to turn back time.
Father spoke to the diplomat Lucian Alexis.
“This incident has many witnesses, which has made matters worse—and it will be extremely disadvantageous for you unless you’re released with a ‘not guilty’ verdict.”
[What do you want?]
“A detailed statement about this incident. You must speak the truth about every single detail, no matter how trivial. If you wish to prevent misfortunes arising from discrepancies between what I know and your statement.”
[What can I gain?]
Lucian asked. Father’s answer was clear.
“Freedom.”

***

She said she wanted to give her statement in a place with only Father and Lucian Alexis present.
Demian mentioned to Father that this was worth three favors, then led us—including Tory—out of the Interrogation Room.
“Look away.”
The investigators who had been lingering nearby out of curiosity about the case quickly averted their eyes the moment they saw us and heard Demian’s command.
“Ah, that thing over there. You know, that thing.”
“Has there been any word from that location yet? This is serious. Why don’t you go check on it?”
“Director, have you finished the interrogation?”
But there was someone who approached us without hesitation.
It was the head of Branch 17—the Branch Director.
“Branch Director, allowing children into the Interrogation Room—how should we handle this?”
“I-I’m terribly sorry. I thought it might be acceptable since she’s the daughter of Reytan—or rather, that’s not it. I’ll make sure to give the investigators strict instructions going forward.”
The Branch Director was the one who had even offered to guide us when I expressed wanting to see Father.
Avoiding Demian’s gaze, the Branch Director clasped his hands together toward us in a pleading gesture, then couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.
“What was the result?”
“A case of mistaken arrest. She’ll be released with no charges.”
“What? But still—”
“It wasn’t a kidnapping case. We have the children’s statements and alibis. It’s difficult to classify this as a case. I’ll submit the report, so you don’t need to worry about it, Branch Director.”
“Since Director Demian is handling it that way, we’re fine with it.”
The investigator asked casually.
“Then why was she wearing a maid’s uniform?”

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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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