My Daddy Hides His Power - Chapter 204

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Father Hides His Strength
Chapter 204
Watching the Emperor’s departing figure, Enoch let out a soft chuckle and extended his hand to Cheshire.
“Good work. Your act was convincing.”
……
Cheshire stared at Enoch’s outstretched hand for a moment, then grasped it and stood, speaking quietly.
“…It wasn’t an act.”
“Hmm?”
“Do you think I could ever defeat you?”
Cheshire had imagined confronting Enoch with blade drawn dozens, hundreds of times in his mind.
Yet in every imagined battle, he had never once bested him.
“You will.”
“I can’t envision myself becoming stronger than you.”
On the final day.
The Emperor would only realize, when his life hung threatened by Cheshire’s hand, that he lacked Holy Power—making him an Ability User beyond Primera’s dominion.
And in that last moment.
There would be only one path the Emperor could choose to survive.
To control Enoch—the only Ability User capable of standing against Cheshire.
To seize ultimate victory, he would need to steal Primera’s power, and there was but one way: to drain every last year of his life.
Thus, Enoch and Cheshire crossing blades was an inevitable fate they could not escape.
“I’m not confident I can reach your level within three years.”
“Still, we can’t delay it. You know that.”
“Yes.”
Though all things moved forward smoothly, they always felt pursued, always rushed.
There was no room to rest.
For those who had to fight while concealing Lilis’s identity as Primera, every passing second felt like treading on thin ice.
“Do you remember what I’ve always said?”
……
“If you truly judge that you cannot subdue me, don’t hesitate. When that moment comes….”
“Sir.”
Cheshire spoke with quiet firmness.
“I apologize for speaking of weakness and causing you concern. That will never happen.”
Cheshire’s eyes gleamed with a light that showed how much he had grown. Enoch smiled softly.
“I will succeed, no matter what.”
* * *
On a day in September, after the festival celebrating the conquest of the Moarte Archipelago.
‘Something’s wrong. This is strange.’
I kept glancing out the window as I prepared to leave for the Magic Tower.
‘They did seem to round up the protesters, though.’
The common folk who had been shouting at the Emperor for security guarantees had vanished without a trace.
‘Did they postpone the executions because of the festival? I wonder if they’re still alive?’
In the original story, the Emperor had displayed the severed heads of the protesters in the heart of the island.
A warning: ‘This is what happens if you dare to rise.’
I’d been depressed every day, anticipating that horrific scene to unfold….
“Princess, aren’t you going to the Magic Tower? What are you doing?”
“Oh, Father!”
I asked at once.
“Do you know what happened to those protesters outside? They disappeared!”
“Ah, they didn’t disappear—they stopped protesting. His Majesty granted all their demands.”
……?
I mulled over Father’s words and my jaw dropped.
“Is that really true?”
The Emperor? Why?
Did he suddenly become kind?
Watching my stunned expression, Father chuckled and knelt down to meet my eyes.
“Actually, your father negotiated with His Majesty. We found evidence that he was responsible for the fire back then. Well, strictly speaking, it wasn’t me—Lico recovered it and handed it to me.”
“…? Unbelievable! Really?”
“Yes, really. Having that fact come to light would cost His Majesty more than simply granting the protesters’ demands.”
“Wow!”
Lico, you’re incredible!
Truly a remarkable operator!
“Lico, that’s amazing! How on earth did you find that evidence?”
“It was thanks to the princess.”
“Huh?”
Enoch tucked my hair back behind my ear as he spoke.
“The princess asked Lico to find out in advance who was preparing for the demonstration, didn’t she?”
“Right! But what’s that got to do with it?”
“She stumbled upon the evidence while investigating that. So really, it’s all thanks to our princess.”
“Wow! I, I right now….”
I clutched my cheeks, overwhelmed.
“I’m so happy!”
Sheer joy flooded through me—three cheers!
“Dad’s the best! You really are a hero, Dad!”
Truth be told, I’d felt uneasy in some corner of my heart, suspecting that Dad was turning a blind eye to the deaths of the demonstrators for the sake of a swift revolution.
‘So the protagonist always has a plan!’
How dare I doubt the righteous intentions of Enoch Rubinstein.
“Dad saved all those people!”
“No, that’s not quite right.”
Dad stroked my cheek gently as he spoke.
“The real hero is our princess.”
…….
“Your father is simply following the path you so graciously carve open for him.”
Dad’s gaze deepened as he met my eyes.
“You are the true hero, our princess. This time, at least—you are.”
…This time.
Yes.
In the original story, I was nothing but a villain, yet now I’m actually accomplishing something.
Fresh pride swelled in my chest, and my nose tingled.
“Do you know Princess Lara?”
“Yes!”
The Empire’s most beloved fairy tale heroine—she wields her magical wand to vanquish villains and saves the world!
Princess Lara!
“Our daughter is none other than the protagonist, Lara!”
“Ahem, yes! I’m Princess Lara! And Dad, you’re the hero Louie!”
“No, wait—let’s have Cheshire be Louie instead. Since Louie’s the male protagonist.”
“Huh? Then what will Dad be?”
“I’ll be… Coco, maybe? To protect our princess?”
“Uh-huh?”
Coco is the magical beast that Lara travels with—a slime.
Whenever Lara is in danger, it grows to the size of a house and fights in her stead; a faithful companion indeed.
“But Coco dies.”
In the final episode, Coco is controlled by the Demon King—the final boss—and loses all recognition of its master, attacking Lara until the hero Louie’s blade cuts it down.
“Ah, who cares what anyone does. That’s not what matters.”
Dad pulled me into his arms.
Then he spoke.
“This time, our princess is the protagonist. For me, that is….”
…….
“…the most important thing.”
* * *
The Magic Tower, Gifted Education Room.
Studying is tedious. I rolled my pen listlessly while watching Oscar teach Hans.
He was rather kind about it.
“…So if you compute the definite integral from π/6 to π/3 and find the value of tan x minus cot x, you can do this, right? Then from here….”
Of course, the content of the lesson—being taught to a ten-year-old—was decidedly not kind, but let’s move past that.
‘Sigh… Anyway, why did Dad have to say something so irritating….’
I exhaled a deep breath.
It was the worry that had bloomed this morning when Dad said he’d take on the role of Coco.
‘Will Cheshire be able to overpower Dad?’
The Last Day.
Cheshire must successfully subdue Dad before the Emperor’s Binding Magic takes hold of him.
Perhaps it would be harder than cutting off the Emperor’s head.
If I just follow the original story, there’s nothing to worry about.
‘How much faster will the rebellion happen?’
If variables arise, the question becomes how much the original story accelerates—
‘God, I wish I could at least break that binding magic for her.’
I’m truly useless.
Because of the Law of Power that exists between Primera, my body cannot pierce through the Emperor’s ability.
‘It’s infuriating. How many people could I save if I just didn’t have such a stupid constraint?’
Five Ability Users enslaved by the Emperor came to mind, along with the Imperial Guard.
They, forced to fight for the Emperor until death, stand in the way of Cheshire as he charges forward with his blade.
‘They’ll all die.’
Of course they were no match.
A fate spent as puppets protecting the Emperor for a lifetime, only to be cut down by the protagonist in the end.
Truly, this is a world where extras have no rights.
‘How much Life Force would it take to break the brainwashing on the Imperial Guard?’
Four years ago, during the Sacred Water Incident, the Imperial Guard’s Sword Mage who dragged me to the battlefield.
As I recalled his face and absently reached to look at the Bracelet—
‘Ugh, am I an idiot?’
—a hollow laugh escaped me.
‘This Bracelet only shows time when ability use is possible, so obviously it would just show empty—’
3 months
“Hey! Two-I-C!”
I jolted in shock and practically leaped from my seat like a speared fish.
“What?”
Oscar’s brow furrowed as he glared at me—more precisely, at me staring frozen at the Bracelet in surprise.
“What are you up to now?”
“Oh, n-no. It’s nothing, really….”
I swallowed hard and sat back down.
‘What? What? If the Bracelet’s showing time, that means my ability is working, right? But how? How could I possibly break the Emperor’s brainwashing?’
Could the Law of Power have disappeared?
‘If so, the Emperor dies!’
—
‘Pssh, yeah, that’s not it.’
What on earth is it?
I grabbed my head, unable to understand, and thought hard.
‘The Law of Power is still there, so why can I break through the Emperor’s brainwashing?’
Think. Just think.
‘Wait. Could it be—?’
* * *
The Emperor’s chamber. Nicholas’s room.
“I held off during the festival season because I didn’t want to see blood, but now it’s time to settle this.”
Nicholas gestured with his hand, issuing orders to his Advisor, Ramon.
“Bring the man called Count Jenkins before me. I shall carry out the Deprivation Execution as promised.”
“Y-Your Majesty, are you serious?”
Ramon was reluctant.
The punishment of Count Jenkins, a nobleman who had abused and killed many commoners.
This had been a direct request to the Emperor by Axion, the war hero.
“Your Majesty, you know why Axion made such a request, yes? If Your Majesty personally punishes Count Jenkins….”
“Yes, I know. Do you think I’m a fool? Can’t I read their intentions?”
……
“The moment I punish him with my own hand, that vermin will get a chance to breathe.”
If the Emperor himself punished a noble for abusing and murdering commoners?
All the nobles, who had shown no hesitation in maltreating the lower ranks, would suddenly be put on guard.
So Axion’s request to have Count Jenkins punished by imperial decree must have come from Enoch’s mind.
“I have to grant these requests. What choice do I have? Right now, there’s nothing Enoch cannot do.”
……?
What? Ramon examined Nicholas with a puzzled gaze.
Enoch kept making cracks in this solid hierarchy, manipulating things, yet for some reason the Emperor appeared unconcerned.
“The moment Enoch’s daughter failed to become a leash, it was all foreseen.”
Enoch, unrestrained, would never stop his actions to take root in his convictions.
But Enoch’s time to run wild freely would be brief.
“I’m not inclined to wait long.”
The moment the Emperor finally completed the continental unification and etched his name in history as the Conquest King.
The Emperor’s power would soar to heights incomparable to now. Moreover, he would seize all of Isolem’s rare magic and Ability Users in his grasp.
“Just a little longer.”
The flesh of Ability Users ripens most exquisitely around their twentieth year.
“Three years at the most.”
Nicholas smiled, imagining Cheshire’s growth—his new blade.
“Enjoy the present, Enoch.”
* * *
Enoch Rubinstein stood before a mirror, adjusting his appearance.
“To secure justification for the Rebellion, at least three of the Empire’s five ducal houses—excluding Rubinstein—must stand with us.”
This was the moment to sway the most difficult of them.
The man, preparations complete, left the room with cold, unwavering eyes.
* * *
‘Three years.’
The Emperor knew nothing.
‘The day my blade finds your throat.’
What this man would ultimately achieve.
* * *
‘Three years.’
Toward the decisive clash where each would kindle their own ambitions—
‘Run wild to your heart’s content in the meantime, Enoch.’
The clock began to tick.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————