The Baby Raising A Devil - Chapter 156
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 156
I paced back and forth in the room, restlessly waiting for someone to come. Just as I anxiously poked my head out the window.
“Young Lady.”
The voice I’d been waiting for reached my ears. I quickly rushed out the door to welcome her.
“Linda!”
“Have you been well? I was so shocked when I heard you had collapsed.”
“What about you? Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? You weren’t tortured, were you? Did our people inside the castle take good care of you? What about food? Did you eat?”
When I fired off questions without pause in my worry, Linda chuckled. The other maids who had been waiting with me also giggled and joked, “You’ll pass out at this rate.”
Linda was perfectly fine, enough to even joke around.
“I’m fine. The prison was quite comfortable, you know? If it gets hard to earn a living, it might not be bad to just slice the throat of some disagreeable great noble and live in prison instead.”
Linda muttered while cupping one cheek with her hand, and the other maids nodded with “Ooh.”
“Is that so? Then when I retire, I should try it once too…”
“I’m quite skilled at throat-slicing myself…”
I flinched.
Because I thought Linda, who served as the brains of Dubbled’s invincible crime squad, might actually do it.
“Didn’t you all decide to go clean now…?”
When I spoke in a worried voice, Linda and the maids burst into laughter.
“It’s a joke.”
“Our young miss, how adorable you are.”
Don’t joke like that!
When people with such colorful criminal records say things like that, it makes my heart drop.
Linda was fortunately fine, but how could the other criminals really be living comfortably?
The reason Linda was fine was thanks to me, Hope Trading Company, and Dubbled lavishly spending bribes on everyone from the security captain to the prison guards.
‘Bribes really are the best.’
Well, the biggest reason Linda was safe was because I had promised the Emperor a water source.
“Our captain said Linda had to be brought in because matters related to the great noble assault case must be reported to His Majesty, but to me, Linda is truly a precious person.”
The Emperor immediately understood my intentions and promised that Linda would leave the Imperial Palace safely.
So I had traded Linda’s safety with the Emperor for a water source. Even this was no different from a bribe.
‘By the way, Duke Marche really is impressive.’
Even Father wouldn’t have been able to get Linda out this quickly.
Linda returned to the mansion in just three days after I delivered the fake records to Duke Marche.
‘If such a Duke Marche falls into my hands…’
A living diamond mine!
I covered my mouth with both fists and giggled.
I grinned wickedly thinking about my fourth lottery prize, the diamond old man… no, the diamond mine, and seeing me like that, the Chairman shook his head back and forth.
* * *
I went to Hope Trading Company after a very long time.
All my close associates who knew I was a regressor living my fourth life were gathered there.
Chairman and Seria, Trigon, and even Zachary.
I looked at Seria with a gloomy expression.
“I thought he was called Seto because he was the third child.”
“He was called Seto because he was the third child to join us.”
If you had told me that, no, if you had let me know that Seto was fifteen, I would have figured out he was a Nymph half-blood much more easily.
I sighed deeply with an “Ah,” and sat at the head table. To think that I, who barely had opportunities to sit in chairs while living as a beggar in my last life, had grown accustomed to the head seat. What remarkable progress.
“Alright, let’s start the meeting. Seria, report first.”
“While Young Lady was unconscious, we moved under Chairman’s command. I took full charge of transporting the water sources from the Nymph’s Mine. I had Seto stay at the mine to learn the purification method. He’ll continue to purify and bring water sources from now on.”
“How many water sources can we use immediately?”
“Easily 2,000 points. We can prepare for droughts occurring in one or two provinces.”
“Store water sources for Dubbled separately. We can’t let our own children suffer while trying to save other people’s children.”
“I’ll send 1,000 points to Dubbled.”
Then I looked at the Chairman.
“How much water source does the Emperor want?”
“It’s not about quantity, but he’s probably aiming for a monopoly on water sources. Since public sentiment is already boiling over due to the great drought and the lords’ atrocities, he’ll want to completely suppress it with this opportunity.”
“Hmm…”
“What will you do?”
“I was going to give him fake water sources, but it would be beneficial to strengthen our relationship with the Imperial Palace with this opportunity. Discuss with Father and settle things with the Emperor. I’ll give you full authority over this matter.”
“Yes.”
Next, Trigon.
“You weren’t just playing around while I was gone, were you?”
“…I was investigating the water sources.”
“How did it go?”
“I discovered an interesting fact.”
“What’s that?”
“Even in places other than the Nymph’s Mine, where there’s a certain amount of water source, mana cannot be used. However, when it comes out transformed into Divine Power and magic power, it can’t be completely blocked. But…”
“But?”
“It weakens them. Significantly.”
As expected!
‘Not only Divine Power and magic power, but aura also comes out weakened. That’s why our Wolves couldn’t show their strength against the Nymphs!’
I quickly looked at Zachary.
“Of course it has tremendous utility in strategy. If it were me, I could devise a hundred tactics. With a hundred percent win rate, naturally.”
Since we monopolized spinel, we can create the finest weapons.
The combat power of Iri, a group of aura users, is the best in the Empire.
On top of that, being able to create zones where Divine Power and mana can’t be used. Kugh…!
‘Our military strength will be tremendously enhanced.’
Long live the lovely Nymphs!
I cupped my cheeks with an ecstatic expression.
“The most powerful army on the Continent will be born…”
“What do you plan to do with the most powerful army on the Continent?”
“Intimidate them, of course. Those great noble bastards who prevent Father from getting Valois Territory – if they keep bothering us, they’re all dead.”
As I giggled, the Administrator, Seria, Trigon, and Zachary burst into laughter.
“Well then, there’s only one thing left.”
“Yes.”
“That’s right.”
As the Administrator and Seria each answered, I smiled very mischievously.
“Let’s go sell the Water Source. Everyone, make sure to pull out at least one pillar from the nobles’ houses~!”
At my words, all four of my close associates bowed at the waist.
With this, the mine expedition was over.
The world I knew had crumbled, and Linda was temporarily taken away, but I gained the Continent’s strongest army and a Water Source.
The rise of Dubbled and myself was just beginning.
* * *
One midsummer day, Father and the Emperor had a confrontation.
“I will formally protest.”
“Protest? What did I do wrong that someone of Duke Dubbled’s stature would protest?”
“You detained my son without even giving him a chance to clarify the truth. I must properly bring this to the noble assembly as an agenda item and receive an apology from the Imperial Palace.”
“That was because a report came in, so it was proper to investigate. What ulterior motive would I have had to arrest the Duke’s son? I merely followed procedure.”
“Let’s be honest. Was arresting my son based on a report alone really following procedure? Weren’t you trying to use this opportunity to break the insolent Duke Dubbled’s neck?”
“This man really…!”
“Dubbled!”
“…”
“Dubbled does not avoid fights, and I do not engage in battles I will lose. I will nitpick even the erased clauses of obsolete laws. I will not let a single ant involved in arresting my son go unpunished.”
The Emperor snorted. But who was Father?
He was a Duke of unwavering determination who never took back his words.
Dubbled’s elite fighters (…written as such but read as administrators and scholars) really did nitpick every single particle in all the law books.
On top of that, those involved in Johan’s arrest incident began disappearing, getting their heads cracked, or having at least one bone broken.
The Emperor naturally thought it was Father’s doing and glared while investigating thoroughly, but the criminal den Dubbled had many people with natural talent for evidence destruction.
The Emperor developed neurosis, and eventually…
“What am I supposed to do…”
“Give up. Suwon.”
“That’s absolutely unacceptable!”
“If we do this, we’ll have to see it through to the end.”
And that’s when I made my entrance.
I was the carrot that soothed His Imperial Majesty, who was covered in wounds from Father’s whipping.
“Father, that’s too much! I made a promise to His Majesty. Are you going to make me into a bad child who doesn’t keep promises?”
“What does a mere nine-year-old know? Don’t interfere.”
“But, but… You said we should offer precious and valuable things to His Majesty first.”
“The water source is a different matter. If His Majesty monopolizes the water source, we won’t be able to protect our territory residents. Especially during these unsettled times with signs of a great drought approaching, monopolizing the water source is absolutely unacceptable.”
“Then why don’t we give some to His Majesty and keep some for ourselves? We can share it nicely, half and half!”
Originally, the Emperor was aiming to monopolize the water source. But Father stubbornly blocked him, saying he couldn’t give even one. Just when it seemed we might not get anything at all, I appeared and offered to share as much as half.
‘He must be ecstatically happy.’
And the talk of monopolization would disappear from his mind forever.
The Emperor fell right into our expectations.
He agreed to receive only half of the water source and withdrew his greed.
It was a result born from the passionate acting of the father-daughter fraud team.
But there was one problem.
I came to the Imperial Palace to meet the Empress Dowager, but I blinked in confusion.
The Emperor, who blocked my path to the Empress Dowager’s Palace, rubbed his face against my cheeks like he was cooing at a baby and said.
“Oh, Little One. Come here. Yes, yes. How adorable you are. Please visit the Imperial Palace often.”
…The Emperor had started liking me like crazy.
‘No, why is this mister acting like this again.’
Can’t we just settle our relationship here now that he’s been properly scammed?
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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