My Daddy Hides His Power - Chapter 26

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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’s Hidden Strength
Chapter 26
* * *
The moment the door opened,
his eyelids lifted slowly, and the world came into focus.
What appeared before Chesier was not
the cruel servants, nor the terrifying half-brother, nor the father who seemed certain to come and kill him now.
A faint light cast a halo behind someone’s small frame.
‘…Heaven, is it?’
Chesier suddenly recalled the Gates of Heaven that he had glimpsed a few times in passing.
A work of art carved with baby angels guarding the gate to paradise.
Every time he saw it, Chesier would pray.
If God exists, please send me a small angel. Take me from this hell— he would whisper.
“Oh.”
Chesier gathered his scattered thoughts.
Hair that shone like silver thread even in darkness, eyes as blue as the sky—they looked like those of an angel, but they were not.
‘That girl from before.’
The owner of the handkerchief.
That was her.
‘How did this child get here? And why… is she crying?’
The girl suddenly shed tears in a torrent, then pressed her small lips together and swallowed her sobs.
“…Chesier.”
The girl approached him, somehow knowing his name, and spoke it aloud.
“I came to take you away.”
“…What?”
“I’m sorry….”
Chesier stared at the girl, speechless.
How did she know where he was? And what could she possibly be sorry for?
“Let’s go.”
The girl extended her hand.
Chesier hesitated, unable to grasp the hand held out like salvation itself.
The girl was no angel.
She could never pull him from this hell.
“Who are you?”
“Lilith.”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
“I’ll tell you after we get out safely. Just let’s leave here. Okay?”
The girl—Lilith—wiped away the tears that continued to spill down her cheeks with her sleeve as she spoke.
“Just trust me once….”
Could he trust her?
If she was no angel?
If she spoke casually, like a jest or pity, promising to take him to heaven when he yearned for it?
But the girl did not offer sweet words instead.
“Either way, anywhere’s better than this hell.”
That was what she said.
‘…That’s right.’
Against words so brutally honest, his wariness melted away.
‘Even if it’s not heaven, it doesn’t matter. It’ll be better than this hell.’
Chesier reached out, enchanted, and took the angel’s hand.
* * *
I didn’t expect him to take my hand so easily.
I stared blankly down at our clasped hands.
“…You said to take your hand.”
“Y-yes!!”
Good. This is perfect. I made a sound between laughter and tears, and sniffled, asking once more.
“We’re leaving together, right?”
“…….”
“Hehe.”
I smiled brightly as I watched Chesier follow along without resistance.
And now I’m witnessing his childhood—a scene I had never encountered in the original work.
‘Really, I’m so glad.’
That was the only thought in my head.
That I could pull this child out of hell, even if only a little sooner.
“I’m really, truly sorry I’m late….”
Chesier studied me with an odd look in his eyes.
“From now on, nobody’s going to hit you. I’ll have Dad thrash every single one of them with a poker.”
“…But how will you? You’re so much smaller than me.”
“Not me—my dad!”
You’ll get to experience the protection of the protagonist Enoch Rubinstein himself! You’ll taste what it means to be guarded by the world’s strongest!
“Let’s race to the Main Hall Reception Room. Dad’s waiting there.”
We hurried forward, retracing our steps until we reached the staircase.
“By the way, Chesier. You know, um, I’m not sure if you do, but this is Basement Level 2, right? To get outside….”
Panting hard already, I watched as Chesier spoke.
“We have to climb up to the third floor.”
“…Huff. You know that? Let’s go!”
On the way down, I hadn’t noticed, but climbing from Basement Level 2 to the third floor was grueling work.
Especially when you had to take each step with short little legs.
Still, I encouraged Chesier.
“Chesier! Just a little more! We need to hurry…!”
…He was gone.
I spun around at the bottom of the stairs in confusion, then looked up and saw Chesier already a full ten steps ahead.
“Huh, I see. So I’m the slow one.”
I climbed the stairs again with renewed effort.
A body so underdeveloped it was even smaller than a seven-year-old’s—it felt like summiting Everest.
“Ahhhh, Lilith, save me.”
The finish line was in sight.
I could see Chesier waiting by the side door he’d opened.
‘From here on it’s all downhill!’
But for some reason, Chesier had stopped and wasn’t moving.
“Why—huff. Why not? Is someone there?”
“…No. But from here on, there are servants.”
“Oh, that? No problem! Even if we run into them, it doesn’t matter. We just have to not get caught!”
I laughed and pushed past Chesier as if racing him.
“Come on, hurry up!”
…….
I heard his footsteps following behind me.
The Key is to be left on the second windowsill in the Annex lobby corridor for collection.
‘There it is!’
First Floor Lobby. I needed to hide the Key according to my agreement with Ricelle.
“Damn.”
…It was too high. The window.
Even on my tiptoes I couldn’t reach it, and for a moment I panicked—then someone snatched the Key from my hand.
It was Chesier.
“You’re going to put it on the windowsill?”
“Yeah, that’s right!”
Perfect. We made a great team.
After Chesier safely hid the Key, he crossed the lobby again.
Then.
“Where on earth did he go?”
“He must have gone outside….”
Voices came from the direction of the entrance.
Chesier froze.
Perhaps sensing our presence, Jonathan—who had been snapping at the servants—turned to look at us.
……!
His eyes went wide as saucers.
“What—how, how is this….”
“Oh, hello there! I found my friend down here!”
I spoke brightly and dragged Chesier toward Jonathan, running up to him.
He stood frozen, trembling all over.
“Y-you, y-you, you little—b-back to your r-room, w-won’t you hurry and g-go?”
“We’re going to play a switching game! Run!”
I gave Chesier a nudge, and he bolted toward the entrance.
“Stop that one! Get him!”
“Y-yes? Who is that…?”
The servants, unaware of Chesier’s presence, fumbled in confusion but soon began chasing after him.
I seized the moment to slip into the chaos and ran for my life.
“W-wait, young lady! Stay right there!”
“Ugh!”
Jonathan, apparently intent on stopping me before I could cry out, suddenly grabbed my nape.
“I… I can’t breathe.”
“I’m sorry. B-but… wait. Just wait. I need to talk to you…”
The moment he released me, I tried to bolt again.
“Ah!”
Crash!
Jonathan shoved me outright, and I went flying, landing flat on my face.
‘Ugh, what a rotten thing to do. You don’t treat a child like that!’
As I lay there nursing my chin, I caught sight of Chesier.
He was almost at the door—almost free—but couldn’t quite make it.
Because of me.
“G-go on! Leave me!”
I stretched out my hand like a general captured by an enemy commander, shouting desperately.
It didn’t matter if I got caught. All that mattered was that Father would notice Chesier.
‘Please, just go! Use that coldness from the original—the one that cut my throat without hesitation—and leave me behind!’
But contrary to my hopes, Chesier reversed course and ran back toward me.
‘Ugh, that idiot!’
The servants reached for Chesier, but he dodged them easily and was at my side in moments.
‘Wait… since when is he that fast?’
There was something uncanny about his agility.
“Are you… are you insane? What do you think you’re doing? Why aren’t you back in your room right now?”
Jonathan shouted at Chesier, who had drawn close.
Unable to contain his fury, Jonathan ground his teeth before finally throwing a punch.
“Don’t! Don’t you dare hit my friend, you brute!”
But Chesier simply tilted his head to one side, effortlessly sidestepping the blow.
Then he reached down to help me up.
“You fool! I told you to go!”
There was no way he could escape while carrying me—
“…?”
—or so I thought.
“What… what’s happening?”
The instant his hand touched mine.
Suddenly I found myself outside the Annex, the door gaping open behind us.
The servants chasing us had fallen far behind.
‘What was that? Did he just teleport?’
Jonathan, as bewildered as I was by our sudden disappearance, let out a frustrated shriek.
“Catch them! Catch them!”
“…Let’s run,” Chesier said.
Holding my hand, he pulled me across the Garden.
‘What just… oh! Right! Not teleportation—’
Understanding dawned on me as we ran.
The original novel had dumped all its ability points into the two protagonists.
According to Chesier’s fifth ability from the settings…
Chesier Rubinstein (protagonist)
5. His fists appear slow
Remarkably, this broken character could control the density of time itself.
If he so wished, his opponent’s movements would look like slow motion.
Now Chesier’s uncanny speed finally made sense.
‘This is… this is…’
I found myself grinning.
‘Father and Chesier both cheat characters? How am I supposed to lose?’
Confidence surged through me, and I pushed my short legs harder, running faster still.
“Hahahaha! Out of the way, everyone!”
My work here is done.
All that’s left is a little chaos.
* * *
At that same moment.
Enoch sat across from the Onyx Marquis and his wife in an ornately appointed reception room.
“…There was certainly much talk back then. Ignorant folk who couldn’t grasp your situation gossiped endlessly about it.”
“Did they.”
The Marquis, eager as though he’d been waiting for permission to speak, began spouting one honeyed phrase after another.
“But any parent who has children understands. Why you disappeared with your daughter seven years ago, and what was in your heart when you did.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you for understanding.”
Enoch replied offhandedly while sharpening his focus intently.
He gathered his power and heightened his senses, but he felt no trace of the child.
‘No presence at all—either the distance is too great, she’s in the Annex, or…could something have already gone wrong?’
Enoch summoned the girl’s face to mind again, anxiety gnawing at him.
Her eyes were hollow, yet there was something sharp about her—keen as a well-honed blade.
Even without Lilith’s request, he would have wanted to find her again. There was something oddly compelling about her.
“Tell me, is the child I saw earlier—Young Sik—your only one?”
At Enoch’s question, the faces of the Marquis and his wife went rigid.
It was only a moment’s change, but Enoch’s eyes didn’t miss it.
“Yes, that’s correct. Our family has always had few hands to spare, you see.”
“I see.”
Enoch rose, seeing nothing more to be gained from such transparent words.
He intended to narrow the distance to the Annex and search for the child.
“Would I be able to see the Exhibition Hall as well?”
“Of course. I’ll show you there personally.”
The Marquis, caught off guard by the sudden mention of the child, fumbled for composure without success.
It was just as he was about to leave the room.
“Daaaad!!”
A voice rang out from beyond the door, shrill and clear.
‘Lilith?’
Thud-thud, bang-clang.
Running footsteps, small and quick.
“W-w-wait! Miss, please! Stop!”
Jonathan’s panicked shout chasing after her.
“What in the…”
The Marquis and his wife exchanged bewildered looks at the unexpected commotion, and Enoch, too, was taken aback.
And then—
the reception room door swung open.
“Y-you! How did you…!”
Beyond the ashen faces of the Marquis and his wife, Lilith appeared.
“Father!”
Lilith’s face was radiant with innocent joy.
And beside her—
“Remember this kid?!”
The same child from a week ago.
“Looks like the Marquis invited her too!”
The Onyx Marquis had a bastard daughter.

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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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