My Daddy Hides His Power - Chapter 189

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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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Father Hides His Strength
Chapter 189
* * *
Expedition to subjugate the Moarte Archipelago.
Nominally that was the reason for the sortie, but in truth it was an army sent to recover Axion’s corpse.
The Supreme Commander was Enoch Rubinstein.
The soldiers who boarded the ship with him were the Rank 3 Septime Unit, the same ones who had returned five days earlier—leaving Axion behind.
“…I’m sorry.”
The vice commander of the Septime Unit couldn’t face Enoch.
No matter that their superior Axion had given the order, in the end they had abandoned him alone and fled out of fear of death, hadn’t they?
“I have no excuse.”
Unable to defy the Emperor’s command to keep the earlier sortie secret until the recovery unit could be dispatched, he hadn’t slept in five days, consumed by guilt.
“It’s all right. You were following orders, that’s all.”
Enoch showed no anger, no reproach—only a hollow emptiness.
The three-hour voyage back to the Moarte Archipelago felt like hell itself.
* * *
‘I wonder if Father has arrived by now?’
As Oscar and I chatted away, I found myself growing anxious.
“Now that I think about it, if we’d been just one step late, it would’ve been a disaster. I never expected Uncle to slip away without a word in a single day.”
“Are you kidding? Two steps late would’ve been a disaster too. If your father had gone alone? He’d have spent the whole fortnight swinging a sword, and then what when the Subjugation Unit caught him? What excuse would he give—’I was bored, so I went monster hunting’?”
“You’re right!”
I had to admit it honestly.
Without Oscar, the situation would’ve become extremely complicated.
“Thanks to you, Master, we caught all the monsters in a single day. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you went with Father.”
“Exactly. I calculated all of that beforehand and followed your father for that very reason.”
Oscar puffed himself up with pride.
“But no one’s going to believe that Uncle caught all those monsters in five days and walked away without a scratch, are they? Father’s going to have to pull off quite a performance…”
“Why bother? Everyone knows the Duke of Libre was trapped on that island for five days, and the corpses of the demon beasts are sitting right there as evidence. Who’s going to doubt it?”
Father and Oscar had gone to considerable trouble to make it look as if Axion had subjugated the island single-handedly.
“There were so many of them that it wouldn’t make sense logically for one person to have caught them all. So I burned most of them and hid the rest. I wonder if they spread them out again?”
“Probably?”
“Look, if that’s the case, I’ve got more to say about it. As you know, your dad basically lounged around while I caught almost all the monsters myself.”
“That’s right, that’s right!”
Here came Oscar’s heroic tales again.
I was more than ready to play along with his vanity.
“Ugh, so after working alone like that, by the time it was all done, my Mana was completely spent.”
“What?! So you didn’t hide the monster corpses easily with magic?”
“Right! So I had to—”
Oscar suddenly rolled up his sleeves all the way to his shoulders. His arms, which had some decent lean muscle, came into view.
“Use these magnificent arms to haul them around and move them with these very hands.”
“Wow!”
To be honest, they weren’t quite magnificent, but I cheered him on enthusiastically and made a big fuss.
He had a tall, lean model’s physique that really was impressive, yet for some reason Oscar never seemed satisfied with his own body.
“Ugh, the Tower Master really showed his true colors. When I asked him to help move some of those demon beast corpses, he started whining—’I don’t like it, it’s gross, it’s hard’—squalling his head off, so Father ended up doing all of it himself!”
So I decided to play ignorant about the truth of this greatly embellished account.
“You’re the best, Master. Well, lunch period’s almost over, so I’d better get back to studying.”
“Hey, wait. Come here a second.”
“Yes?”
Oscar stood up, walked around the desk, and confidently gestured to his rolled-up arm.
Surely he didn’t mean… hang from it?
For reference, having me dangle from one of his arms is something Father does all the time.
“I, I already know you’re strong, Master. You don’t have to go that far…”
“Hup!”
If this failed, we’d both be embarrassed, that much was clear.
But I had no choice but to gently grasp Oscar’s lowered right forearm.
“Hnh!”
Then, with a powerful shout, his arm trembled as it lifted.
“Oooh!”
I was rising, rising!
…Then after about three seconds hanging in the air, I dropped with a thud.
“Wow!”
“Phew….”
Oscar quickly wiped the sweat from his brow and spoke without a trace of shame.
“I thought it was a feather, you know.”
“…….”
“I said I thought it was a feather.”
“Oh, yes!”
I hurried to shower him with praise.
“Master, you’re incredibly strong! Your muscles are rippling! You’re absolutely magnificent!”
“See? I can do it too. It’s not something only your father can do.”
In that moment, I came to a clear realization.
Oscar was feeling competitive with my father.
“Master, you’re so much stronger than Father!”
“Well, I suppose you could say that.”
Oscar smiled smugly, wiping the tip of his nose.
“The greatest Archmage! The finest man of this era with perfect wisdom, virtue, and physique!”
“Hahahaha!”
His laughter was a joy to behold.
That’s right! If Master is happy, that’s all that matters!
* * *
At that very moment, in the Moarte Archipelago.
When the subjugation team arrived.
The island reeked of death.
“Ah….”
“This can’t be….”
The first thing they saw upon disembarking was piles of demon beast corpses scattered across the island.
Indeed, they were unfamiliar species—creatures never seen on the continent.
“This achievement is born from Axion’s sacrifice. Since we must deliver specimens to the Administrative Bureau, sort the demon beast corpses by type and load them onto the ships.”
“Yes!”
At Enoch’s command, the subjugation team began to move.
And then, shortly after.
“Ugh, uahhhhh!”
Someone cried out as if they’d seen a ghost and fell backward on their haunches.
“Ah, ah, Axion…?”
An Imperial Flag planted among the corpses.
A figure walking serenely forward alongside the fluttering Imperial standard.
It was Axion.
While everyone stood frozen in shock.
“Axion!”
Enoch rushed forward and embraced his fallen comrade, now returned.
“How, how is this… how is it possible!”
“…….”
Axion felt awkward watching Enoch, who even had tears welling in his eyes.
He’d practiced several times, but could he pull this off properly?
Looking at the team members behind Enoch, weeping and wearing expressions of relief, he couldn’t muster the nerve to act so brazenly.
“Ah, hurry and do this right,” Enoch whispered quietly.
“…….”
Axion gave a measured cough.
He released himself from Enoch’s arms and stepped forward before the team.
“The expedition proved less difficult than anticipated. The demon beasts were troublesome to face, but their numbers fell short of expectations, and since they hide once daylight breaks, there was no need to engage them all at once—I alone was more than sufficient to handle them.”
“What? You don’t mean to say you subjugated every demon beast in this entire area by yourself?”
Enoch interjected, feigning surprise.
“Yes, that’s right. By yesterday evening, I confirmed there were no more sightings. The place’s dark reputation was greatly exaggerated.”
“Even so! How could anyone single-handedly subjugate an entire island!”
Enoch turned to face the team members with astonishment.
“With Axion’s exploits, the Moarte Archipelago has become Imperial territory!”
An unrealistic turn of events.
And yet it couldn’t be denied.
“Wow, wahhhhh!”
One of the dazed team members suddenly let out a roaring cheer.
“Duke Axion! Duke Axion!”
With that cry, voices praising Axion echoed across the Moarte Archipelago.
“The Duke has planted the Imperial Flag on the Moarte Archipelago!!!”
* * *
“Have the Vermin been thoroughly eliminated?”
Emperor Nicholas turned to his Advisor, Ramon, with the question.
The terror attack on the Commoner Residential District had been a masterwork of efficiency—two birds with one stone.
It had not only eliminated Axion but also effectively suppressed Enoch’s momentum.
“Y-yes, Your Majesty….”
Of course, if it became known that the attack had been orchestrated, it would have been catastrophic. But there was no need for concern.
“We’ve confirmed they are all dead.”
“Well done.”
The terrorists he had quietly assembled were all poor men with families to support.
They had traded their lives for money—enough to feed and clothe their starving dependents.
Without a shred of evidence left behind, the terrorists had all taken their own lives as promised, and the truth of the matter would remain buried forever.
……
Yet Ramon remained tense, watching Nicholas’s satisfied expression with growing anxiety.
‘What am I going to do?’
He had stationed guards to prevent the terrorists from having a change of heart and fleeing, and had confirmed each one’s death himself….
‘Where in the world did that one man go?’
Just one.
He had lost track of one man who had not participated in the day’s attack, and his whereabouts remained unknown.
With his neck on the line, Ramon could not report the truth.
“Your Majesty, the expedition team that departed for the Moarte Archipelago this morning has returned.”
At that moment, a welcome voice came from beyond the door.
“Duke Enoch requests an audience to deliver his report. Shall I admit him?”
“Of course! Bring him in at once!”
Nicholas rose with a smile.
What would the expression on Enoch’s face be like, returning with his comrade’s corpse in tow?
“You’ve arrived.”
Yet strangely, Enoch’s expression was calm, contrary to expectations.
He smiled and bowed respectfully.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I offer my sincerest congratulations on the birth of our new imperial territory.”
“What?”
In that instant, Nicholas’s mind went blank.
“What do you mean by that?”
Before he could grasp the meaning, Nicholas’s eyes widened as if they might burst from his skull.
The figure stepping in behind Enoch.
“Your Majesty.”
It was Axion Libre.
“What? You—how is this possible?”
Nicholas’s eyes struggled to believe what they saw.
Minor wounds, armor covered in dust and grime.
‘He came back alive?’
Before the dumbstruck Nicholas, Axion prostrated himself with proper ceremony.
“This servant, Axion Libre, has conquered the Moarte Archipelago as Your Majesty commanded and returned.”

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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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