My Daddy Hides His Power - Chapter 54

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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 hiding his strength
Episode 54
Among faces flushed with confusion, Father rose with unruffled composure.
Then he drew Joseph’s pile of winnings toward him and set his own on top.
“I’d like to purchase your time with this. You’ll oblige me, won’t you?”
* * *
Joseph was staying at an inn near the Gambling House.
After he’d guided us to his quarters, he offered Father a chair and sat across from him.
“You pulled me out of that den as promised, so I suppose I owe you an ear. Who sent you?”
“I’ll tell you that later.”
“Fine, then. Let’s hear your business first. But it’ll be a waste of breath, I warn you. I’ve no intention of returning to Jedo, and I’m finished playing house in the schemes of the high and mighty.”
Joseph regarded Father with a gaze both grim and sharp.
Joseph Lütman.
For a nobleman, his rank was unremarkable, yet his reputation was formidable.
Because he was clever.
He’d lived without want, serving as counsel to men of power.
“It seems many others have sought out the Baron besides yourself.”
“They have. This nation is forever at war, and with each military triumph, the balance of power shifts without pause. In my youth, I lived off that modest talent for reading the currents—parasiting on the powerful, you might say.”
Joseph laughed bitterly at himself.
He’d called it modest talent, but…
The acumen I knew Joseph possessed was far greater than that.
An eye that read the tides of power faster than anyone else’s.
He’d sifted through propaganda, manipulation, and the very talents Father needed with practiced ease.
“But I came to understand it was all for nothing. Once upon a time I cared only for whispering advice into the ears of the great, fattening my own purse…”
He carried in his past the loss of a daughter and wife, swept away in the struggle for power.
“…truly, it was all meaningless.”
As Joseph muttered this with bitter regret, his eyes fell on me, perched on Father’s knee.
‘In the original story, he chose to help Father for a reason much like that, I think. Father lost a daughter too.’
When our eyes met, Joseph’s smile seemed unbearably sad.
“I understand your position well enough, Baron. As for my coming here—I’m sorry to say my reasons are likely not what you imagine. I’ve come to ask for your aid.”
“No doubt. Go home. I’m through with all of it.”
“I never intended to stay long. Just two days. During which time—”
Father fixed Joseph with a steady gaze and continued.
“Please hear what I have to say.”
* * *
Their conversation stretched on long into the evening.
I was downstairs at the inn, drawing pictures on the ground with a stick.
“What are you doing?”
“Oh?”
It was Joseph. You could see how much Father had exhausted him—his cheeks had hollowed in half a day.
“Just drawing pictures. Did you finish talking with Father?”
“No. There’s no end in sight, so I escaped for a breath of air.”
“I see. Our father’s a good man, isn’t he?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
Joseph laughed and added.
“He’s lost his mind, that’s what.”
I laughed at that.
Joseph sat beside me. He looked at the three figures I’d drawn in the dirt and asked.
“Is this your family? The small one in the middle is you, and the others are Father and Mother?”
“No. The middle one is me, the left is Father, and the right is you.”
“Me?”
“Yes!”
Joseph laughed as if dumbfounded.
“Child, did your father tell you to do this? To soften my heart?”
“No, he didn’t.”
“Don’t lie. You acted during the Poker game exactly as he told you to.”
“I did act, but Father didn’t tell me to. Father played Poker for the first time today. I taught him about it.”
“…What?”
I giggled.
“Your hand looked decent to me, but it turned out to be just a Flush, so I thought I’d won. Father had Four of a Kind from the start.”
Joseph’s eyes went wide as he listened to me chatter away.
“…You’re telling me a hand that rarely comes up showed in the early rounds? And neither of you gave anything away on your faces?”
“Well, if I’d looked happy about getting a good hand, you’d have noticed and wouldn’t have gone all-in, right? In Poker, Poker Face is what matters most.”
“Huh?”
Joseph let out a rueful laugh and reached over to ruffle my hair.
“You’re a remarkably clever child.”
……
“It’s a shame you weren’t born into a proper noble house. What good is intelligence when you’re a commoner? It’s such a waste.”
“Aren’t you going back to Jedo?”
“No.”
“Why not? Didn’t you like what my father said?”
“Do you know what your father told me?”
“No, I don’t really know. I just… know that Father wanted you to be his friend.”
“I see. Well, this might be unpleasant to hear, but your father is completely mad.”
Joseph clicked his tongue.
“I expected something different. I thought some noble was trying to use me, hoping to make a fortune through me.”
Start a Rebellion!
Lend me your strength!
Something along those lines, I imagined. A clever man like Joseph would naturally have been horrified.
It must have felt like talking to a madman drawn to flame.
“Listen to me.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know who your master is, but what you’re speaking of has no grounding in reality. Tell your father to stay out of their affairs. You could be put in danger as well.”
“My father can do it. I believe in him.”
……
For some reason, Joseph had no answer.
I stopped drawing and turned to look at him, then froze in surprise.
There were tears welling up in Joseph’s reddened eyes.
“Oh, sir? Are you… crying?”
……
“Why? Please don’t cry.”
Joseph shook his head.
“I’m sorry. I just remembered my daughter. She used to say things just like you.”
……
“You see, I… I lost my entire family because of my own mistakes.”
……
“The world of the powerful is frightening. I lost my wife and daughter as payment for helping them.”
……
“Now I regret it so much. Why did I live that way? My poor daughter… I wish I’d watched her face for just one more day. Been there with her… Like a fool, never understanding what truly mattered….”
“Sir….”
His voice broke.
Joseph wept bitterly.
I didn’t know what to do, so I simply squeezed his hand tightly.
“Because I wasn’t a powerful father… because I let her be born into a humble family… so that later, even if I couldn’t give her much, I could at least make sure she wouldn’t lack for anything… I thought that was the right path….”
……
“But it wasn’t. It wasn’t at all… What my daughter and wife wanted wasn’t any of that… A husband who was always there, an affectionate father… yes, that’s what they must have wanted….”
Joseph wept like a child for a long time, his shoulders shaking.
Whether he was superimposing his daughter onto me, each time our eyes met his sobs only grew louder.
When he finally calmed down a little, I carefully took his hand and tried to comfort him.
“You know… your family is probably praying for your happiness from heaven right now.”
Joseph gazed at me intently.
“But you play cards all day and smoke… then your daughter would hate that.”
“Yes, I suppose she would.”
Joseph let out a small laugh.
“If I were your daughter, sir, I’d pray every single day. I’d pray that my father does what makes him happy, that he stays healthy, that he’s content.”
……
“And then I’d live long and healthy, and when I go to heaven later, I’d greet Father at the gates!”
I laughed and threw my hands up in celebration.
“…Yes, that’s right.”
Joseph stared at me blankly.
I rose and pulled him into an embrace, though his shoulders seemed to shrink beneath my arms.
“I understand. I want my father to be happy always, too. So I think your daughter would want you to be happy as well.”
……
“Don’t suffer, sir. Be happy. And quit smoking, will you?”
Joseph closed his eyes tightly.
Then, fighting back tears with visible effort, he opened them again and pulled me into his arms, smiling.
“…Yes, thank you.”
* * *
Two days had passed.
The day the father and daughter returned to Jedo.
At the Baltrak Temple, where the Warp Gate stood, Joseph saw them off—until James asked him a question.
“Your mind hasn’t changed, has it?”
“No. It hasn’t.”
Joseph felt as though his sanity were slipping away, having endured James’s endless talk of launching a Rebellion.
After walking a few paces, James asked again.
“And now? Has it changed?”
“For heaven’s sake, it’s barely been a minute!”
The only reason Joseph had tolerated this lunatic’s words for two whole days was his daughter, Lilis.
Spending time with Lilis, making small talk, sharing meals, playing together—it had all been rather pleasant.
“Sir, I want to give you this.”
“What is it?”
What Lilis gave him was a small Rabbit Doll.
“I treasure this… Could you keep it and give it to Ella when you meet her later?”
“Well, I…”
He nearly broke down again.
Joseph accepted the doll and stroked Lilis’s hair.
“How could your mind not change when you see such a dear little girl?”
“Enough of that.”
Joseph shot James an irritated glance.
“Besides, the Warp Gate isn’t something ordinary houses can use. Your master must have considerable standing, then?”
James merely smiled.
‘He’s not stupid, but why does he live so easily in this world? A protruding stone always gets hammered down.’
Joseph shook his head inwardly at the sight of James’s innocent cheerfulness.
And then he thought.
‘If I were to prepare a Rebellion, I’d need to start by winning over the provincial lords. Unlike the capital, there are many who harbor resentment toward the Imperial Household—recruitment wouldn’t be difficult. All it would take is time and money.’
And then he thought more.
‘The real problem is those arrogant central nobles. I’d need to bypass the top tier and secure key figures from the middle ranks. I’d have to make contact with the neutral Mage Tower as well. And…’
Joseph, lost in thought, let out a hollow laugh.
Was it occupational habit?
Or had his mind simply snapped from listening to James’s nonsense?
Why in the world was he sketching out this absurd scenario?
‘Without a family powerful enough to counter the Imperial Household lending their strength, there’s no foundation for such an attempt in the first place.’
Yet he continued thinking anyway—force of habit, no doubt.
‘But then again, if one were mad enough to dream…’
Who could it be?
‘The only name that comes to mind is the Rubinstein Duke Family. But would that old man really be insane enough to start a conflict at his age? It’s absurd. And their son? Right—he deserted, didn’t he? A complete fool.’
Joseph smiled broadly and crossed it out in his mind.
Rebellion success probability: 0%
Absolutely impossible XX
“Your mind really hasn’t…”
“Safe travels to you.”
At Joseph’s firm reply, James standing before the Warp Gate scratched his head.
Something about him looked rather pitiful, so Joseph sighed and spoke.
“There’s no possibility, but well—if I go a little mad and change my mind someday, I’ll come find you.”
“That’s kind of you to say.”
“At least tell me where to go. Just who is your master, coming all this way on nothing but hot air?”
James laughed awkwardly and swept Lilis up into his arms.
In that moment, his appearance changed.
……?
Brilliant silver hair.
Clear, luminous blue eyes.
Joseph’s mouth fell open.
‘What? She’s an ability user? Or—no, that means she’s not a lackey at all, but some wind-addled noble playing at grandeur?’
Enoch spoke to the astonished Joseph.
“I shall wait, hoping that your heart will change. Do come to the Rubinstein Duke Family.”
“Mister, Papa!”
And with that, before he could grasp her, she leapt clean through the Warp Gate.
“Ah, wait—”
What on earth was this?
Joseph’s mouth opened slowly as comprehension dawned.
“What just happened…?”

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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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