My Daddy Hides His Power - Chapter 172

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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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Dad hiding his strength
Chapter 172
“Aha ha.”
Enoch’s laughter broke the brief silence.
“It’s the growth stage. She’s been eating well lately, so she’s grown quite a bit.”
……
Axion studied Lilis’s face quietly.
It had been about two weeks since he’d last seen her.
The baby fat that had filled her cheeks had vanished so completely she now looked like a proper young lady. She’d grown taller too……
“You’re right.”
Axion nodded and asked again.
“But still, bringing the girl here out of nowhere—what’s that about? Not that it bothers me, but it might be awkward for her.”
She was a girl with a lot of needs to attend to.
“We don’t have servants to look after her. The staff are all men, and frankly, none of them can dress a young lady in her gowns.”
Since adopting Cheshire, they’d hired five servants, but they all clocked out at the end of their shifts. The only live-in attendants were the nursemaid Masa and the butler Caron.
“I don’t understand why she wants to spend time at our house, but if you’re set on it, you could just bring over a few of your household maids……”
“That’s not necessary, Father.”
Cheshire suddenly interjected.
“I can look after Lilis myself. Don’t worry about it.”
“…? You’re going to change the girl’s clothes for her?”
“Uncle!”
Lilis laughed awkwardly.
“I can dress myself just fine. And Masa is here anyway. I came because I wanted to spend time with Cheshire……”
“That’s right.”
Enoch stepped in and pushed Lilis forward gently as he spoke.
“Besides—ha ha—a person has pride. I’m not trying to impose on you indefinitely, so don’t worry. She’ll just sleep here, and after her regular activities she’ll head home.”
“Ah, is that so.”
Axion studied Enoch’s face carefully this time.
Silence.
Enoch offered no further explanation for why he’d suddenly decided to stay.
‘This man, hiding something again.’
Enoch often concealed things.
Later, when it came to light, it was always a burden he’d chosen to shoulder alone rather than trouble those around him.
‘His real aim is to leave the girl in our care.’
That’s why Axion always had to read between the lines with Enoch, without asking directly.
“Well… our house gets so crowded with people, I thought it might be better elsewhere.”
‘Deliberately somewhere quieter?’
Why?
Lilis……
‘He doesn’t want her exposed?’
Axion finished his thoughts and patted Enoch’s shoulder a couple of times.
“I understand.”
* * *
The first morning at Axion’s house.
It had been Dad’s idea to stay here for a while.
If I’d gone straight home, every single person in the household who’d been seeing my face daily would have
“Wow, how’d you grow so much in such a short time?”
reacted like Axion had yesterday.
If even a handful had noticed, it would’ve been dangerous. But if everyone did?
‘I’ve used too much Life Force in too short a time. A whole year passed for me in just one month.’
That’s why Dad decided that when I eventually returned home—
‘My, how you’ve shot up while I wasn’t paying attention!’
—everyone would treat it as perfectly natural, something that didn’t warrant second thought.
For now, I had to hide from the people most familiar with my face.
Staying at Axion’s house—Dad’s closest friend—would seem unremarkable even if I lingered, and with so few people around, it was perfect.
“Why—why are you looking at me like that?”
“Oh, no reason.”
Axion, who’d been staring at me intently, took a big bite of the bread he was holding.
“Just thinking you’ve become quite the proper young lady now.”
“Oh, have I?”
When I saw Masa this morning, even the butler Caron’s first words were “How you’ve grown!” but that was all.
Yet Axion had been watching me with a peculiar glint in his eyes ever since yesterday.
‘I mustn’t let him catch on….’
It was best if he didn’t find out, but even if he did somehow, our side should be fine.
That’s what I’d thought.
Father had said there were only two people.
“Your grandfather is genuinely at risk, sweetheart. His blood pressure spiked and sent him to bed, and now he won’t be able to sleep properly every single night worrying about you.”
Grandfather, and—
“And Axion. That man loses his composure more often than you’d think. There’ll be a significant difference between him knowing your true nature and not knowing it.”
Axion.
I’d hoped the two of them would never find out.
‘He’s right. Them knowing my identity doesn’t help the enterprise one bit.’
Just look at Oscar trembling in fear that the Emperor might catch wind of me using my abilities, or Father with his separation anxiety at peak levels—that alone made it clear.
Even Cheshire, whose mental state had completely unraveled at the sight of me grown so suddenly, came to mind.
“Did you sleep comfortably?”
“Yes, Uncle! I slept well.”
“Good. Let me know if you need anything. Also… I’ll adjust the expedition schedule.”
“Pardon?”
“For now, Cheshire and I won’t both be away from the house at the same time. One of us will always remain, so if you need to go anywhere, one of us will accompany you.”
…….
I paused mid-spoonful of soup and glanced up at Axion.
He tore into his bread without apparent concern, his eyes asking ‘Why?’ silently.
“Ah, no. I understand, Uncle.”
* * *
June, early summer.
The sunlight was deepening into warmth.
* * *
The Emperor’s office—Nicholas’s chamber.
“Duke Rubinstein has proposed implementing a merit-based reward system for the Public Security Force in the Commoner Residential District.”
“What?”
As Ramon, the Advisor, reported the agenda from the Nobility Council, Nicholas’s pen halted mid-stroke.
“A merit-based reward system?”
It had been less than a month since Enoch’s proposal to increase Public Security Force personnel had passed.
He’d approved it because expanding a force that existed in name only seemed meaningless anyway….
‘He’s going to make them actually want to work.’
Once the merit-based system was introduced, the Public Security Force’s structure would begin to take real shape.
Enoch’s intention was transparent.
To strengthen security and crime prevention in the Commoner Residential District.
In other words, the welfare of common people.
“What of the other nobles?”
“They likely found it difficult to openly oppose.”
The nobles had begun watching Enoch’s reactions more carefully than the Emperor’s.
Ever since Enoch returned to Jedo.
Their daily lives had changed because of it.
“As you know, Your Majesty, the Duke has returned from last week’s Central Campaign with additional military achievements….”
With Enoch commanding the military with minimal personnel and undertaking most expeditions himself, the Ability Users’ burden had noticeably lightened.
How could they not watch Enoch’s reactions when he kept sending himself into danger on their behalf?
“What a headache.”
Wielding his own military achievements, Enoch spoke freely in the Nobility Council.
The proposals he’d been gradually introducing had already altered Jedo considerably.
Especially the common people’s living conditions….
“Why does he see one thing and miss the other?”
One must not grant too much to the lower classes.
Their demands would only grow larger, and it would become poison to a hierarchical society.
“Enoch has never lost anything, so he simply doesn’t understand.”
In the end, even his own position as the reigning class would be destabilized….
“Must I watch the ants climb up my own legs before his meager sense of justice finally corrects itself?”
“Y-Your Majesty. What should we do…?”
“He seems intent on straightening out the Public Security Force’s system, but this proposal is excessive.”
He couldn’t fathom why anyone would open the breathing space for ants.
That repulsive ant nest—in the four years since then, it had only grown larger and more solid, which rankled me to no end.
I’d been too preoccupied rebuilding the Temple of Ministers’ foundering position to do more than watch what Enoch was doing, but….
“Bring me some Vermin. I think it’s time we destroyed that filthy nest once and for all.”
* * *
A month had passed since arriving at Duke Libre’s Mansion.
I’d been hiding away contentedly, eating my fill and keeping warm.
‘Maybe I can head home next week?’
I missed grandfather, and I wanted to see the twins—I’d been sending them away with excuses about being busy with the journey and falling ill.
“Ha, this wretch is having the time of his life with the girl left in his care.”
On a lazy afternoon.
Axion set down his book beside me and grumbled.
In the meantime, Axion and Cheshire had each had a short expedition, and Father had….
“Well, since he’s willing to take on the work instead, there’s no reason to refuse.”
It was been one long party for the entire month.
Demon Beast Subjugation parties….
“If you stir things up like this beforehand, we get the benefit. When I had to keep watching you at home, I went out moderately, but….”
Axion chuckled and added,
“Now that you’re in my care instead, it’s like a fish in water. Ah, it brings back nightmares from your Training Institute days.”
“That’s right. You went out on expeditions every single day back then, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. You’re a genius, so you’d graduate from the Training Institute in just a month, and in that time I’d wipe out the Demon Beasts entirely, I said.”
Axion shut the book with a snap and laughed.
“Honestly, I never thought you’d actually graduate from that place in a month.”
“Ahem.”
“I figured your father was useless, but the other fellows kept going on about how amazing you were every chance they got. What was it….”
Axion narrowed his eyes, searching his memory.
“Remember when the Seongsus ran wild four years ago? The one where they even conscripted Octava?”
“Oh, yes.”
“You used an A-rank Shield then, didn’t you? Theo and Gerard wouldn’t stop talking about it like it was an epic tale—my ears are still ringing from it. They said they saw it with their own eyes from up close.”
“Oh, did they?”
“It’s certainly impressive. Magic Formulas you can learn by memorizing, but A-rank requires a staggering amount of Mana.”
Axion shook his head in admiration and opened the book again.
“You must have emptied your Mana completely for the first time then. An A-rank Shield would require you to drain Octava’s Mana dry just barely to cast it.”
“Oh yes, that’s right.”
“You must have been starving.”
“Starving?”
Starving? Where did that come from?
At my confusion, Axion tilted his head.
“You weren’t hungry? After emptying your Mana, the hardest thing to endure is hunger, isn’t it?”
Gasp—I had no idea!
How could I have known?
I know nothing of what state an Ability User finds themselves in after depleting their Mana.
I’ll never experience it, either.
‘But if I don’t know, won’t that seem strange!’
I had to pretend I knew.
I quickly gathered my wits and fumbled for an excuse.
“W-well, maybe I was…? I think I might have been hungry, but…. Um, it’s been so long, I don’t remember very well.”
“…Is that so?”
Axion gazed at me for a moment, then turned his eyes back to the book.
‘Whew, that was close.’
The unexpected conversation made me realize how careless I’d been.
To convincingly play an ordinary Ability User, I need to know the details of their condition inside and out.
‘What if I’d had that conversation with the Emperor instead? I’d have been caught on the spot.’
I watched Axion as he calmly turned pages and carefully stood up.
“Um, what’s Cheshire doing? I should go check on him.”
And I quickly hurried off to Cheshire’s room.
‘I need to learn this stuff!’
I flung open the door.
“Cheshire!”
There was Cheshire, rubbing his hair dry with a towel.
He hadn’t even put his shirt on yet.
“Oh my!”
I spun around.
“I’m sorry. I think I’ve lost my mind. I didn’t even knock. I’ll come back in a bit.”
“No, wait. I’ll get dressed right away.”
Embarrassed, I stood there scratching my cheek as Cheshire quickly pulled on his clothes and tapped my shoulder.
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine. Why?”
“Listen, have you ever completely drained all your Mana?”
Cheshire paused at the sudden question, then nodded.
“Yes. Long ago, when I didn’t yet know how to manage Mana efficiently. A few times.”
“Oh! So what’s that state like? Does it hurt a lot? What happens to your body? Just describe it as best you can. I think I need to know.”
Cheshire thought for a moment before answering.
“…It would probably feel like being forced to stay awake for a whole week straight.”
“What?”
That’s torture, isn’t it?
“Your head hurts the most. Even moving a single finger is difficult.”
“That sounds like exhaustion. Your stomach must be the worst part, right? You get so hungry you can barely stand it?”
“Hungry?”
Cheshire’s eyes narrowed.
“You feel hungry through all that?”
“Huh?”
“I doubt anyone would. Your body has so little strength left that you don’t even want to put anything in your mouth.”
“Wait, no. Uncle said—”
I faltered, confused by Cheshire’s account differing from what Axion had told me, and then it clicked.
“Hold on. Don’t tell me—”
“You weren’t hungry? Hunger is the hardest thing to endure after you’ve burned through all your Mana.”
…Were you trying to trick me?

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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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