My Daddy Hides His Power - Chapter 2

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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 2
* * *
I was not human in my past life.
What was I, then…?
‘A graduate student.’
God, it wasn’t a human life at all.
At the bloom of twenty-five, I stayed up all night writing my thesis and died from overwork.
‘The stress from that thesis must have been so intense that I got reincarnated into a novel.’
My thesis title was this.
[A Study on the Characteristics of Social Reform Suggested in Genre Fiction—Centered on the Fantasy Novel Dos’s Rebellion]
I was someone who had read Dos’s Rebellion about ten times over to write that thesis.
I knew the original work’s progression and all the various settings within the novel better than anyone.
‘Well, since I’m an Extra, there’s no need to bother remembering the novel’s plot that carefully.’
To recall the novel’s contents, I’d have to strain my mind and recover my past-life memories…
But then I’d get hungry a lot, and my mental age would sync with my adult consciousness, creating an uncomfortable disconnect.
Anyway, all that bloodshed and revolution would be handled by the two male protagonists—father and son.
Once the main characters created a good world where Non-Ability Users were treated as human beings, I could just idle away and reap the rewards afterward.
‘Extra life—the best there is!’
I was nestled in Susan’s arms, giggling, when I called out to Father.
“Father, be careful!”
Father was fixing Susan’s roof where it had started leaking.
Bang, bang, bang—!
The sight of Father up on the ladder, a nail between his teeth, hammering away, was utterly familiar.
Everyone in this mountain village called on Father whenever the ceiling leaked or the chicken coop fence broke.
‘All these people take advantage of our Father’s kindness like he’s some pushover. Though Susan is different, of course.’
Only Susan—who always shared her delicious cooking and watched over me when Father wasn’t around—could I acknowledge as decent.
The rest of the neighbors had no conscience whatsoever.
“Oh my, James. I’m always sorry to keep asking for your help.”
“Not at all. I’m the one who’s always indebted to you. And today, could I ask you to watch Lilith for me?”
“Indebted? Don’t say such things. Lilith listens so well—I don’t have a care in the world with her. How could there be such a good and adorable child?”
“Mm-hm-hm.”
I hugged Susan’s neck and grinned.
Of course I listened well.
Comparing me to an ordinary seven-year-old would be unfair.
“Look at you smiling. So adorable… Even now you’re this pretty—how much prettier will you be when you grow up? Who do you take after, Lilith?”
Father, mostly—though my appearance was actually quite different from his.
I had silver-white hair like snow and blue eyes.
My looks were far too striking for an Extra’s appearance, which had troubled me—
“Say, was I perhaps… picked up somewhere?”
—which I had once asked Father about.
“You take after your mother!”
“Really?”
Father said my silver hair and blue eyes resembled my mother, who had left us when I was a baby.
“Ha ha, yes. Your mother… you resemble her very much.”
Father, who had been hammering, said this with an oddly strained laugh.
“Your mother must have been quite a beauty.”
Since I didn’t know what Mother looked like, there was no way to verify it.
At first, I’d worried—what if I wasn’t really Father’s biological daughter?
But now? Not at all!
As I grew, the way my eyes crinkled when I smiled, my button-shaped nose, and my upturned mouth became undeniably Father’s.
‘I’m definitely Father’s daughter! And I’m certain—an Extra!’
Brown hair, brown eyes.
Even the name: James Brown.
Anyone could see I was the daughter of Father—just one ordinary imperial subject passing through—so I was surely guaranteed a peaceful future as an Extra!
“The roof won’t leak anymore. And I think you mentioned last time that the doorknob was acting up. I’ll come back and take a look at it.”
“Oh my, you’re too kind. Goodness, what would I do without you? And my Joe just sits around scratching his belly, eating but useless as anything. There’s no one to put him to use.”
The “Joe” Susan was talking about was her husband.
“Ha ha… Then Lilith, I’m leaving her in your care again today. Princess, Father will be back soon from the Market.”
Father shouldered a bundle of firewood he’d brought, and tapped my nose gently as I lay nestled against Susan.
“Hurry back, and don’t forget our promise!”
“Yes, Your Highness. Of course! I’ll bring macarons.”
“Hehe.”
I stayed nestled against Susan, waving my hand until Father’s figure disappeared from view.
Once he was gone from sight, I let my hand fall, and Susan laughed at my dejected expression.
“Does Lilith love her father so much?”
“Yes, of course!”
In my past life, I was an orphan. The only memory I have of a tender guardian is Father from this life.
It must have been hard for him—a young man raising a baby alone.
Without fail, he changed my diapers, fed me porridge, gave me baths, did everything himself.
That he was there from my infancy, when attachment bonds form, meant the world to me.
Good, handsome, tall, and gentle.
And he’d given me the life of the most unremarkable Extra in this terrifying world.
‘I’ll grow up fast and repay his kindness.’
I clenched my small fists, steeling my resolve.
* * *
At Susan’s place, I had sweetened milk and cookies, then played about ten rounds of cards with Joe.
Susan watched the games and told me old stories.
“Late one night, someone knocked on the door so hard it startled me. When I opened it, there was your father standing absolutely pale, holding a baby—and that was you.”
“That’s when I knew your father had no idea what he was doing,” Joe said.
Joe, holding his cards, chewed dried meat as he spoke.
“A young man suddenly shows up in this mountain village, doesn’t introduce himself, keeps quiet as a mouse—I figured there had to be a story there.”
“Well, yes. Anyway, your father said the baby wasn’t sick exactly, but wouldn’t eat. Said the child should be hungry, but cried and wailed whenever he brought out the bottle. So I took a look, and—goodness!”
“Me? Why wouldn’t I eat?”
I took another card and wagered a whole pile of acorns instead of chips as I asked.
“You were over five months old, and he’d only been giving you formula. I think you got so tired of it you were starving yourself in protest, just couldn’t express it any other way.”
Susan laughed, picturing Father’s clumsy attempt at parenthood.
“So I got him to come inside, grated apple, mashed banana, mixed it with the formula to make real porridge. That baby wouldn’t eat, didn’t touch anything—until then you cleaned the whole bowl! Your father’s eyes went wide as saucers.”
“After that, he became so unfailingly polite. Every time I’d see him from a distance, he’d come running to greet me properly. Split his firewood with me half and half—made my life so much easier.”
“Tch, what an ungrateful fellow. If someone fed you, you should work for your keep. Here he is scheming to take advantage of me and play the good Samaritan.”
“What can I do? James insisted on sharing. To refuse kindness would be rude, you stubborn old man.”
“In any case, raising a child for the first time left him feeling lost, so from that day on he kept asking and learning.”
I was amazed. Now Father was practically a master of housekeeping, but apparently he’d been awkward at it once.
“Heh heh. This time I’ve won, little one.”
Joe grinned and flipped his cards over.
Five hearts.
“Flush! Hahahaha!”
Joe swept his hairy arm across the table, pulling all the acorns piled there toward himself.
“Wait.”
I grabbed Joe’s arm firmly and showed my cards.
K, K, K, 7, 7.
“Huh. Full house.”
Joe’s jaw dropped.
I hopped down from my chair, spread my skirt wide, and swept all the acorns into it.
“Let’s play again tomorrow. I’m always up for a challenge.”
“What do you mean, a full house!”
Seeing Joe’s shock, Susan and I burst into giggles.
So I came home with Susan, my skirt full of acorns.
Father would be back soon.
“Thank you so much for letting me play today.”
I put my hands together respectfully and bowed deeply to Susan.
“Please go ahead, ma’am. I’m going to do the laundry.”
“What? Why would you do laundry? Leave it, just forget it.”
“If Father comes home and still has to do laundry, he’ll be tired. So I’ll get it done for him!”
“My goodness… Lilith, you’ve got an angel’s heart. All right, I’ll take care of it before I go. Is this the laundry basket?”
Susan picked up the basket of clothes and asked.
I jumped in surprise and hugged the basket to myself.
“Oh, no, I can’t. Father’s undergarments are in there.”
“Good heavens.”
“Don’t worry! I’m really good at laundry. It’s easy. I just go down to the stream right behind here and rub and scrub, and it’s done!”
Susan was astounded.
“You’ve always been small and slow to speak, so your father worried about you constantly. But it turns out you’re a genius? What seven-year-old plays card games with such ease, does their father’s laundry, and all that?”
“Ahem.”
Susan patted my head approvingly as she watched me with my nose held high.
“Well then, I’ll be going. Make sure you eat a proper dinner.”
“Yes, Susan! Safe travels!”
I sent Susan off and made my way toward the stream.
‘Father hates it when I do the laundry in secret….’
But I would keep doing it anyway.
I understood the struggles of James—a single father raising a child alone, who not only handled all the housework but also cut wood for a living. I was a child with an adult’s mind, after all.
“Who’s the filial daughter washing her father’s underwear at seven years old? That’s right, Lilith Brown!”
I settled myself by the stream, pulled out the laundry, and giggled.
The surrounding mountains and water were as peaceful as always.
‘My, the life of an Extra really is leisurely. I hope every day is like this.’
Even though in this world, as a Non-Ability User and a commoner, I lived a somewhat meager life.
‘Soon the protagonists will make a world where they can thrive, so there’s nothing to worry about. Compared to my past life, there’s no better existence than this. Reincarnation is the best!’
That was when it happened.
Clop, clop—.
‘Huh? What’s that hoof sound?’
As I was busily working the laundry with my small hands, strange presences suddenly emerged from beyond the forest.
Zenon, a small rural fief in the southern part of the continent—and even within it, a remote mountain village tucked far away.
This was an isolated place where, counting our house, there were only six homes in total.
In other words, it was almost unthinkable for anyone to come here on horseback….
‘Something… doesn’t feel right about this.’
My instincts hit the mark perfectly.
“Hyah!”
Neigh—!
Six unfamiliar men on horseback burst out and came to a stop right in front of me.
They were all wearing silver armor with blue cloaks draped over their shoulders.
I recognized the emblem embroidered on their cloaks immediately.
The Imperial Palace crest.
Imperial soldiers!
And if the cloaks were blue….
‘D-Dos’s Rebellion-class Holy Knights? No, why would such distinguished persons come to this forsaken place?’
I was so startled my jaw dropped.
“Seize her.”
As the man at the center of the knights gave his command, one of his subordinates grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and hoisted me up.
“Eek!”
Without hesitation, he pressed what looked like a Police Baton hard against my chest.
“Ugh! O-it hurts….”
That was the Artifact used to distinguish Ability Users, as far as I knew.
The rod-like Artifact glowed blue almost instantly.
“She’s an Ability User, Captain. It appears she is indeed the daughter of Enoch Rubinstein.”
Me? Is this thing broken?
“Just by looking at her, I can tell.”
As I stood bewildered, a black-haired handsome man—apparently the Knight Captain—let out a scoff and took me from his subordinate.

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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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