My Daddy Hides His Power - Chapter 66

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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 66
Evening in the School Courtyard.
A few children strolled about after finishing their meal.
Cheshire and I sat side by side at the Pergola on one edge of the courtyard, neither of us speaking for a long while.
“Cheshire.”
“Yeah.”
“Did you always have a way with words like that?”
He’d cornered Mother whenever she tried to run from me, explained himself, cleared up misunderstandings—all without me asking.
He’d been rather aggressive about it, admittingly, and that had frightened me a little.
But here he was, someone who could blow off steam so readily, yet he kept his mouth shut about his own affairs. Why?
He was impossible to figure out.
“Thank you, really. I was so frustrated, and it felt so good hearing you say it all out loud.”
And he’d stood beside me in silence all this time, bearing my melancholy.
I felt my throat tighten without warning.
“You know, Cheshire.”
“Yeah.”
“I told you before that I’d be fine without Mother…”
“Yeah.”
“I really thought I would be. But when I actually saw her face, well—it wasn’t like that at all.”
……
“I thought I could at least talk to her, you know? Even if we didn’t live together.”
It felt a little embarrassing to bare my heart so honestly, but I pressed on, fidgeting with my fingers.
“I’d already thought up how to answer when she asked how I’d been. And I was ready—I was going to make a good impression when she introduced my brother to me.”
……
“But now I see that Mother doesn’t want that.”
Maybe it was because Cheshire listened without interrupting. My mouth wouldn’t stop.
“I’m still young, and I’ve never given birth myself, so I don’t understand it all that well. But—”
……
“She’s my mother. Even though she didn’t raise me, she’s still the one who gave birth to me.”
……
“I thought we could at least greet each other, at least be the kind of people who can do that much…”
In my past life, I was an orphan.
Perhaps that’s why I envied my friends who were loved by their parents so deeply.
Whenever I strained to remember my past life to trace the original story, it was always that feeling that rose in me.
I felt a certain guilt toward Father because of how I felt.
I had already been reborn, I wasn’t an orphan like before, and Father showered me with love—what more could I want?
“I guess I’m just greedy.”
Maybe it was the memory of that past life.
I’d been sure that Father alone was enough.
But the moment I saw Mother—
I found myself wanting her to call my name tenderly, wanting to be loved by her too.
A heavy sigh escaped me.
I looked at Cheshire and breathed out.
Here I was, airing my grievances before someone who’d been abandoned by both father and mother—it was self-indulgent beyond measure.
“I’m sorry for saying all this, Cheshire.”
“You don’t have to apologize.”
“Huh?”
Cheshire fixed his gaze on me and spoke.
“There are countless people in this world. Some abandon their own children. Some don’t love them. Some show favoritism between their children, even though they’re all theirs.”
“Yeah. That’s true.”
“Your mother raised your brother herself, so naturally she feels more attachment to him. Maybe she doesn’t have the capacity to love you as well.”
“I guess…”
“So don’t strain yourself. There’s no point trying to be loved by someone who doesn’t intend to love you.”
I stared at Cheshire blankly.
“Besides, you have a father who loves you more than enough.”
“That’s right.”
If Father saw me growing despondent over Mother now, it would hurt him.
Mother’s absence hadn’t stopped Father from giving me anything I needed.
Hmph!
I clenched my small fists tight.
“You’re right! You’re absolutely right! Thank you, Cheshire!”
Cheshire smiled faintly, pleased at how my expression had brightened.
“But aren’t you hungry? You didn’t finish eating because of me.”
“No, I ate almost everything. You….”
Cheshire’s gaze grew concerned as he looked at me.
“Should I get you another tray?”
I looked at Cheshire.
The evening moonlight fell gently across his red eyes and face.
Unlike when we first met, Cheshire’s eyes were no longer hollow.
No—if anything, the way he looked at me was tender.
“Hehe.”
I laughed because it made me happy.
“No, I finished too! Besides, just looking at your face fills me right up. You’re so handsome.”
“Don’t say things like that.”
I leaned in closer to Cheshire, who had spoken so curtly.
“I’m really grateful, Cheshire. I’m completely fine now. Just like you said—even without Mom, I have Father.”
“Yeah.”
“And…”
I rested my head gently on Cheshire’s shoulder.
“I have you too.”
…….
Cheshire, offering his shoulder, stayed by my side for a long while after that.
I noticed his right hand kept twitching slightly as he looked down, so I smiled and said:
“Pet my hair!”
Cheshire’s hand, which had been hesitating, finally touched my head.
His touch was clumsy but gentle.
“Hehe.”
As I breathed in the evening air deeply, I suddenly missed Father.
“I wonder what Dad’s doing right now.”
“Missing him already?”
“Well, it’s not so much ‘already’…”
My lip pouted without thinking.
“Actually, I’ve been missing him since yesterday. Sleeping alone without Father scares me and feels so strange…”
Cheshire sighed.
“He’s probably working.”
“Yeah, I suppose so…”
* * *
Shhhhiing—!
A single blade of wind tore through the empty air.
The horde of roughly a hundred Demon Beasts burst with blood and collapsed in that one strike.
Elevado.
An ability wielded only by those who have reached the pinnacle of the blade—scattering Mana into the forms of countless swords to face hundreds or thousands of enemies at once.
‘Still insane.’
Axion, vice-commander of the Dos Holy Knights, felt his tongue slip free as he witnessed once again the unbelievable combat power of this solitary figure.
His subordinate Philip, standing nearby, was equally astonished.
The sound of him swallowing was clear and sharp.
“Commander, what exactly… are you?”
Philip unfolded the Empire Map he had been holding and drew an X upon it.
There were already seven Xs marked on the map—regions where Subjugation had been completed.
Philip shivered.
“This is actually happening.”
The moment his daughter entered the academy, Enoch picked up his blade.
And like a man settling an overdue debt, he had drawn up a campaign schedule for every Demon Beast outbreak across the empire.
“Vice-Commander, may I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“How many days have we been out on this Subjugation?”
“Days? Eighteen hours.”
Philip’s eyes went wide.
That time included the hours spent crossing regions by locating Warp Gates.
When they actually faced the Demon Beasts, the Subjugation took less than ten minutes.
“Just one more thing, if I may ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“How many people does our Subjugation unit currently have…?”
“You don’t really know?”
“I know, but I can’t quite believe it.”
“You, me. And him.”
Axion pointed toward Enoch, who was approaching from a distance.
“Th-that’s astounding, truly….”
Typically, a Subjugation unit was composed of at least fifty people, sometimes as many as three hundred.
And it was standard practice to always include ability users specializing in defense or healing.
Subjugating Demon Beasts was dangerous work that demanded considerable effort.
Of course, such principles didn’t apply to that monster—Enoch Rubinstein—who surpassed even the Demon Beasts themselves.
“……!”
Grrrrr—
Just then, a Demon Beast’s snarl echoed from the rocky crevices above the Gorge.
Axion and Philip quickly glanced upward.
“Ah….”
But it was a remarkable sight.
The Demon Beast, shaped like a stray dog, was trembling and drooling.
As if gripped by terror.
Mindless Demon Beasts knew no fear and could not communicate. Yet this one was unmistakably trembling with dread.
What it was afraid of was obvious.
Axion, looking at the Demon Beast he was meant to hunt down and kill, felt a pang of pity.
It was a peculiar emotion.
“I see…. You were just trying to live, weren’t you….”
Philip seemed to feel the same; with a sorrowful expression, he lowered his brows and extended his hand upward.
The way it looked, shaped like a dog and quivering, even seemed rather endearing.
“There, there. Poor thing. Of all the moments to show up, right when the Commander appeared….”
Snap—!
In that instant, the Demon Beast’s head flew off.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Philip gulped and turned around.
Enoch, who had arrived without notice, stood over Philip with an impassive gaze.
“What are you doing? Do you need a pet or something?”
“N-no, sir!”
Philip straightened his spine, discipline snapping back into place.
Enoch, regarding Philip with evident displeasure, sheathed his sword and swept past them both.
“Next.”

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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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