My Daddy Hides His Power - Chapter 61

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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 61
Bruce’s face went slack with confusion.
“From now on, you fetch your own meals. Breakfast, snacks, everything.”
“W-what?”
“If your arm’s broken, I’ll let you ask your friends for help. But if you really don’t want to move, come find me in my room. Your wrist….”
I raised both hands into the air and made a snapping motion before adding:
“…I’ll break it for you.”
At those words, the murmuring around us froze as if someone had poured ice water over everything.
Bruce’s face drained of color.
“Th-there are lots of kids here. You’re being too harsh…. This is normal. Everyone does it….”
“So? What’s your point? Can’t you see my badge color?”
I tilted my head at an irritating angle and continued:
“Or what? You don’t want to listen to me?”
“N-no….”
“Heh.”
Then someone’s laughter cut through the silence.
A boy sitting at the same table.
‘Gold badge.’
The badge color caught my eye first, and then I saw the name.
‘G-Gerard Schmitt?’
My mind raced.
The youngest son of the Schmitt Duchy.
The man who would later become a Holy Knight and serve under my father.
By my reckoning, he was a villain.
He was going to absolutely despise Cheshire.
“Puhahaha!”
Gerard laughed so hard that tears pooled at the corners of his eyes.
Then he looked at me.
He was smiling, his pale violet hair and deep purple eyes set against translucent skin making for a strikingly beautiful face.
Indeed, a world where importance scaled with beauty.
“Amusing.”
“Wh-what do we do, brother?”
“What do you mean, what.”
Gerard shrugged at the whimpering Bruce.
“Listen to what she says.”
“Huh, wh-what?”
“Do as she says, Bruce.”
…….
“Go get your tray yourself.”
Even as he spoke, Gerard never took his eyes off me.
His smile didn’t look like anything a child his age should have.
“Uh, okay….”
In the end, Bruce trudged off toward the serving station.
Gerard kept staring at me, and I matched his gaze without backing down.
* * *
That evening.
Just before bedtime.
Clambering up to the upper bunk, I pulled the blanket over my head and unfolded the ‘gift’ Lico had given me.
Lico’s gift proved extremely useful.
Information on several noble children currently at the Academy—those I should keep an eye on.
Gerard Schmitt was listed as number one among them.
‘I’d already seen it coming from Lico’s letter, so I knew he was at the Academy….’
But I never expected him to be Cheshire’s roommate.
‘Cheshire enlisted two whole years earlier than in the original story!’
So according to the original, Gerard and Cheshire would have been from different cohorts—they shouldn’t have met at all right now.
But.
‘Characters connected to the story keep tangling together, no matter how much the original changes. Just like how Father found Cheshire the moment we arrived at Jedo.’
The narrative necessity of the original story was truly terrifying.
[Gerard Schmitt
The youngest and most treasured child of Duke Schmitt’s family.
Since he entered the Academy in March this year, he’s in the same Cohort 1026 as you, miss.
But unlike most Cohort 1026 recruits who are nine years old, he’s eleven.
Duke Schmitt petitioned the imperial court for leniency and delayed his entry by two full years.
Once he graduates from the Academy, he’ll be conscripted as a child soldier, so the Duke wanted to keep him close for as long as possible.
As for reference, Gerard Schmitt’s older brothers—the eldest and second son—both died in the war.]
In the original story, Gerard became a Holy Knight and deeply admired my father.
Perhaps because of that? He was Father’s adopted son, yet harbored inferiority and jealousy toward Cheshire, who excelled at everything.
Whenever he deployed alongside Cheshire, he’d pick fights over every little thing, putting them in danger time and again.
By the way….
The massive demonic beast subjugation operation in the original story’s second volume—the one where I choked down dry sweet potato without water.
Do you know why Leon died there?
‘Because of this bastard!’
「Fighting demonic beasts had always been a strain on Cheshire. The power matchup was simply incompatible.
The beasts negated more than half of Cheshire’s attacks, and in a space saturated with their power, he couldn’t even manipulate the density of time.
“We end the subjugation here. Our casualties are already severe, and deeper in is rough terrain—the geography works against us.”
“If you’re scared, the Magic Swordsmen Unit should retreat.”
To Cheshire’s decision, Gerard Schmitt replied with mockery. It was the hundredth clash of opinion during the subjugation operation.
“Don’t you know that leaving even one beast alive makes everything pointless? All the hardship up to now becomes wasted effort. I’ll claim the victory, so you cowards get out.”
“Is victory more important than your soldiers’ lives? If there were even a shred of hope for success, I wouldn’t stop you. But this way, we’re just throwing our lives away.”
“Then watch. Watch whether we die like dogs or whether a hero is born.”
“Gerard!”
Gerard led the Paladin Order and departed first. As Cheshire watched them go, his teeth clenched so hard Leon Antrace approached him.
“Man, that guy really doesn’t listen for shit. Is he fearless? Or does he just do the opposite of whatever you say? He’s a contrary little brat, what the hell?”
“…….”
“So what, we have to go after them anyway?”
They could never succeed in the subjugation alone. To minimize casualties, the Magic Swordsmen Unit had to move.
In the end, Cheshire pressed forward with the operation and spent the rest of his life regretting that choice.
…….
A near-total catastrophe.
Could anyone survive? Even survival seemed uncertain in that chaos.
“Cheshire! Damn it, watch out!”
When he turned at the sound of Leon’s voice calling out like thunder from behind, it was already too late.
“…Brother?”
“No, I….”
“Brother!!!”
The grotesque arm of a demonic beast pierced through Leon’s body as he shielded Cheshire.
As Leon, drained of all color, turned back to Cheshire and opened his mouth—
“Chesh…, cough!”」
‘Noooo!’
I swallowed the scream inside and just beat my pillow with all my might.
After that came the description of the beast’s arm pulling back out, the blood, and all the rest….
The depiction didn’t match an all-ages rating, so for my mental health, I’ll stop remembering here.
“Big brother… sniff.”
I clenched my teeth and wrung my blanket tightly.
Save Leon. Please.
There’s still a ways to go until the second volume of the original, but I’ve already tinkered with this and that, so who knows what might change.
And the biggest problem is.
Gerard Schmitt—this guy.
‘Of all people, he’s on our side….’
What I mean is, while he might be a villain from Cheshire’s perspective, from the Revolutionary Army’s perspective he’s an ally.
‘As much as I can’t stand him, there’s nothing I can do about it.’
Of the empire’s five ducal families, three joined our father’s rebellion.
The twin older brothers’ Antrace, Uncle Axion’s Libre, and this Schmitt.
‘From the way Duke Schmitt delayed his precious son’s enrollment by two years out of reluctance to watch him suffer, it’s obvious. Gerard’s father must shudder at the Forced Conscription System too.’
He’d already lost two sons in the war.
Just how dearly Duke Schmitt must treasure his youngest, Gerard, was written plain as day.
‘But if he’s on our side, what the hell am I supposed to do! He was the guy I hated most!’
Gerard really was… worse than your average villainous extra.
Because of this bastard, how many times had I been forced to choke down sweet potato I didn’t even have to eat?
I deliberated for a long time.
‘Sigh, I can’t help it. Whether I like it or not, Schmitt is an enormous asset—and he’s on our side.’
After deciding, I folded up Lico’s letter.
Gerard Schmitt was eleven years old.
Still, he was young enough.
Wasn’t it before his nature was set?
So then….
‘From now on, I’ll pour on the moral education and try to raise him right.’
* * *
The next morning, 7 a.m.
Breakfast time.
The children were eating, each chatting quietly with their roommates.
Cheshire was there too.
Of course, roommate or not, the commoners never included him in their conversation.
“Hey, hey! You’re definitely Dos, right? I’m jealous.”
“Maybe. Won’t know till we see.”
As Bruce kept pestering Gerard with questions, Gerard answered with only a faint smile and a disinterested tone.
“They say Dos hasn’t come up in years, but this time there are two! That’s really something.”
In Cohort 1026, there were two golden badges.
The badge color was assigned beforehand based on the parent’s rank, predicting the child’s expected rank.
The two Dos that Bruce was talking about were Gerard and Lilis.
“Oh, here she comes.”
“She’s here….”
Bruce and his lackey Simon glanced toward the dining hall entrance.
Cheshire lifted his eyes slightly.
Lilis and her roommates.
Lilis drew attention simply by walking. Everyone in the dining hall was watching her now.
“Why does she get her own tray instead of letting someone else get it for her?”
Bruce grumbled as he watched Lilis line up at the serving counter.
“I get that she likes Cheshire’s pretty face and fawns over him, but the rest? I really don’t get it. Why’s she like that?”
Bruce suddenly startled. Lilis, having received her food, was approaching their table.
“Wait, what? She’s coming over here?”
It was true. Lilis came and stood beside the table.
Bruce was flustered.
“I, I didn’t ask Cheshire to come today!”
“That so? Good job.”
Lilis gave a cursory reply—it seemed she didn’t have business with Bruce.
She stood quietly, staring intently at Gerard, then set something down with a soft clink beside his tray.
It was juice—part of the breakfast spread.
“……?”
Gerard lifted his head.
Lilis smiled brightly.
“Drink it.”
“…….”
What was this? All the nearby children peered at the two of them with interest.
Gerard, who had been watching Lilis quietly, soon broke into a radiant smile and nodded.
“Thank you.”
“Yep. Enjoy your meal!”
And Lilis, having nothing more to say, spun around briskly.
In the spot where Lilis had stood.
Everyone’s mouths hung open.
“What! Hey, aren’t you lucky, brother?”
“Looks like she wants to get close to you.”
Bruce and Simon chattered away.
Just then, Gerard suddenly looked at Cheshire. Their eyes met across the empty space.
‘…What.’
Gerard let out a small laugh and, waving the juice toward Cheshire like he was showing off, held it up with a smirk.
‘What’s he trying to pull.’
Strange kid.
Cheshire immediately looked away and focused back on his meal.

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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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