My Daddy Hides His Power - Chapter 258

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

Father conceals his strength
Chapter 258
‘This man hasn’t changed a bit.’
Oscar thought so. Three and a half years was no trivial span of time, yet Enoch remained exactly as he was.
That handsome face the child had praised so lavishly—saying he’d never seen anyone as beautiful as Dad—and that tall, radiant frame that could lift his daughter with such ease.
Even Lilis, who must have grown considerably, probably still felt weightless in Enoch’s arms.
‘Damn it, I should’ve gotten more exercise.’
Oscar, caught up in this pointless thought, flinched.
There was Enoch, silent, eyes narrowed to thin slits, studying him with a slight tilt of his head…….
“Master!”
Oscar quickly grabbed Jo’s hand beside him, redirecting Enoch’s attention away from himself.
“Thank you for your concern, but I’m quite all right.”
“Huh?”
He wanted to snap—to say that such unnecessary kindness could be the death of a person—but he held it in. Swallowed it down.
‘If people are selected that way, isn’t the Magic Tower just becoming a dumping ground for incompetent fools?’
He choked back the words he truly wanted to speak.
“A fair process ensures equal opportunity for everyone. All the applicants have prepared diligently—I’d like to take the exam honestly and fairly.”
“Huh? No, I’m not saying you should sneak in unqualified people. I just thought if Lilis at least knew your name….”
“No, Master.”
Oscar cut off Jo’s hesitant words.
‘Do I look like someone who’d need to use the back door just to get into the Magic Tower because I can’t solve one lousy problem?’
No. That’s not it. Swallow it. Swallow it.
“I’ve prepared diligently, so I don’t need your help. Even if the results aren’t good, I’ll think it means my efforts fell short. I’ll simply accept your kindness with gratitude.”
“Ahem.”
“…Ha, haha. I suppose you’re right.”
Enoch, who had been quietly observing the exchange, smiled softly to himself.
Then he spoke to Jo.
“That’s correct. Your intentions are good, but this young man would find it burdensome.”
“James, over here!”
“Oh, Susan.”
Just then, with perfect timing, Susan emerged from the restaurant kitchen. Enoch accepted the side dishes she offered and began conversing warmly with the couple.
Only once Enoch’s attention had shifted away from him did Oscar finally, after several steps, feel his tension ease.
“Ah! I really hope you do well on tomorrow’s exam.”
As Enoch turned to bid him farewell,
“Yes, thank you….”
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
His heart raced desperately again.
Oscar stood rooted to the spot, staring at Enoch and the couple seeing him off for a long moment.
“Whoa!”
Only after Enoch had completely vanished did he clutch his chest and exhale the breath he’d been holding.
“Huff, hah. Huff, hah.”
He’d almost died…….
“James! You’re that confident?”
“…….”
When Jo returned and nudged his shoulder with an amused chuckle, Oscar staggered.
Argh!
Anger! Pure anger!
‘You crazy, shaggy old fool! I almost died just now! Do you realize I just looked into the face of death because of you? Were you trying to turn the restaurant into a morgue?’
Oscar swallowed the words rising to his throat, forcing them down, and smiled.
“Hahaha! Of course!”
* * *
A day off!
‘Or so I thought.’
The day of the Magic Tower’s new researcher recruitment exam.
Though I had to forfeit my holiday, I fought a valiant battle against the tyrant Hans Wiber to secure a Half-Day Leave during the morning when applicants took Rounds 1, 2, and 3 of the exam.
But even that precious morning of rest flew by like a shot arrow in the blink of an eye.
Now I’m in a carriage on the way back to work in the afternoon.
“How many applicants showed up this time?”
Beside me sits Dad—who wanted to spend time with his daughter and arranged for a day off, but ended up becoming a man playing alone—
“Over a thousand applied, they said.”
Cheshire had stopped by for just a short morning to see his girlfriend’s face, and now he was walking her to the Magic Tower.
“Wow, a thousand applicants? How many are you actually hiring?”
“There’s no limit like that. We take everyone who passes.”
At my words, Father’s face brightened.
“Really? That’s allowed? Wouldn’t the Magic Tower be at full capacity?”
Would it, though?
Cheshire, who had already solved the problems I’d written beforehand, simply shook his head at Father without speaking.
“…I see. It must be quite difficult, then.”
Watching his reaction, Father came to understand and let out a sigh.
“Don’t you two go out and play—just wait at home. I might be back early from work. As for supervisors, there’s no need to discuss that; the exam proctoring only goes through Round 3, and even that’s only if there are applicants who pass and make it to the Final Exam.”
“Is it really that bad?”
For some reason, Father’s face grew worried, and he mumbled to himself.
“…This will be rough.”
“Nooooo… I’ve entered hell…”
Soon, the Magic Tower building came into view through the car window. I wailed with the full despair of an office worker.
“Princess, you’re working hard again today~”
“I’ll pick you up right at quitting time.”
Watching the two men see me off, I suddenly found myself laughing, all hardship forgotten.
“What is it, our princess? You’re laughing? Are you really that exhausted?”
……
Seeing me laugh without reason, both Father and Cheshire grew worried.
“No, no.”
I shook my head and approached them both, pressing a kiss to Father’s cheek first.
“Dad, I love you.”
Then, as I moved closer, I caught Cheshire watching Father’s expression—and I kissed his cheek too.
“…And you love me too?”
I whispered it softly, thinking he might be embarrassed by such a confession. Cheshire’s face flushed red, and he answered quietly, “Me too.”
“My loves! Thank you both so much!”
……?
……?
I formed a heart shape above my head, and both men looked bewildered at my suddenly theatrical goodbye.
I kept them in my eyes as I slowly stepped backward, one foot at a time.
The ones who love me—
the protagonists of this world.
I had carved away the time I failed,
and these two were the ones who had finally let me keep breathing in this world.
Standing a distance away, I formed a frame with my index fingers and thumbs, capturing the two protagonists side by side in that rectangular view.
Once just one more person returns,
my radiant world will be complete.
I smiled brightly and took my leave.
“I’m going now!”
* * *
Karen, a Magic Tower researcher, walked toward the interview room alongside Lilis, the Final Exam proctor, unable to hide her smile.
“Wow, is there really someone who passed that brutal Round 3 exam?”
Lilis’s voice was also buzzing with excitement as she hurried down the corridor beside Karen, pulling on her research coat.
“Where is the applicant? Are they in the exam hall?”
“No, they’re currently in an interview with the Tower Master.”
“Already?”
“The Tower Master has high expectations—he says this applicant will definitely pass the Final Exam. Once you see their face, you can head straight to the exam hall with them.”
Karen’s voice trembled with excitement.
“Out of 1,086 applicants, only 10 passed Round 1, 2 passed Round 2, and now there’s that final survivor who made it through Round 3! That one person is waiting at the end of this hall!”
There was a reason she was so extraordinarily happy.
Karen, who had been mercilessly tormented by the young Tower Master, Oscar, the previous Master of the Magic Tower.
Three years ago, she’d been shocked when he suddenly vanished.
‘At least now that the Emperor of the Magic Tower is gone, maybe I can finally breathe.’
Or so she’d thought—but who could have predicted it?
Oscar left, and Hans arrived!
The new tyrant, Hans Wiber, was younger than Oscar and infinitely more brutal.
“Your Highness, my retirement is finally within reach. Please—let there be at least one passing candidate this time.”
She’d made enough money by now, and with no need to hide in the Magic Tower to escape conscription anymore, she would finally quit this hellish job and live a quiet life with her family!
—plans that hadn’t gone as intended either.
Hans had refused to process her resignation, citing the Magic Tower’s staff shortage.
“That’s right. Didn’t Oscar say he’d accept Karen’s retirement once new recruits arrived?”
“Yes! I’ve been waiting for a day like this!”
Karen’s voice trembled with emotion.
“I have a feeling about this one. This person is a prodigy. Round 1 exam: perfect score, Round 2: seventy-eight, Round 3: eighty-six. Those scores are extraordinary.”
Lilis looked up, startled, as Karen spoke while shuffling through the applicant’s file.
“Truly?”
“Yes. Remarkable, isn’t it?”
“Well, what’s remarkable is the scores themselves. Seventy-eight on Round 2 and eighty-six on Round 3—that’s exactly the cutoff line. It’s as if they were deliberately calibrated.”
“Oh, now that you mention it…”
“Perhaps they’re such a genius that they don’t distinguish between problem difficulties. When I saw that only ten out of a thousand passed Round 1, I wondered about it. But really, such talent would stand out too much. So on Rounds 2 and 3, they probably missed just enough questions to land exactly on the passing score. Getting a 9-grade ranking is every bit as difficult as getting a 1-grade ranking, after all. When you know all the answers and deliberately get some wrong.”
Lilis warmed to the idea, adding her own thoughts.
“Maybe they didn’t want to draw attention by standing out too much? That would explain it. Honestly though, I was hoping a true prodigy would finally show up. But why are we only discovering someone this brilliant now? The last exam was easier, and they didn’t pass that one either?”
“Haha, surely not~”
“Actually, this is their first application. They’re not a citizen of the principality. They came from the Carta Kingdom as an immigrant.”
“What?”
Just steps from the interview room door, Lilis stopped short.
“I… Karen, could you show me the applicant’s file?”
“Of course.”
Lilis took the file and quickly scanned from the top, but her eyes froze on the applicant’s name.
James Gray.
A common man’s name, unremarkable, scattered across the country.
Yet to Lilis, it could only sound special.
Was it coincidence?
A strange feeling…
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her heart began racing.
Moments later, Karen opened the door, and Lilis slowly raised her head from the file.

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