The Baby Raising A Devil - Chapter 55

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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 55

The next day, the Chief of Staff came to see me.

“I heard you had nightmares. They say the castle was in chaos.”

“Yeah.”

“Was it because of me?”

The Chief of Staff’s eyes dimmed slightly.

I blew on my cocoa and took a sip before answering.

“It’s because of me. Though Chief of Staff is a little bit to blame too.”

“….”

“You should have spoken more gently, shouldn’t you?”

At my words, the Chief of Staff coughed awkwardly and muttered “Well…” while turning his gaze away.

“But there’s one thing I need you to do.”

“Why does it always connect like this? Last time too, I overworked myself at this age trying to carry out Young Lady’s orders.”

He spoke as if it was absurd, so I smiled as cutely as possible. The Chief of Staff hesitated and then sighed.

“…At least tell me what it is.”

“Get me a doll and create a fake identity.”

“A doll… surely you don’t mean a ball-jointed doll?”

A ball-jointed doll was a type of magic tool.

It was a doll that looked exactly like a real human, and when infused with mana or divine power, it could be used as a stand-in.

“A commoner, around late twenties, someone who can integrate and command various businesses starting with the Hope Merchant Guild. Oh, and since they’ll also run a mercenary group, make them a knight.”

“That would cost an enormous amount. There’s only one doll craftsman in the Empire, and they’re hard to find even with Dubbled’s intelligence network.”

“There’s money from selling the spinel. And there’s still some left from the exile funds you gave me to buy land.”

“If you use that, how will you go into exile?”

“I won’t.”

I stood up from my seat and looked at the Chief of Staff.

“I’m going to live here now.”

“There will be dangers involved.”

“Exile would be dangerous too, wouldn’t it?”

“What do you mean…”

I grinned and said,

“I’m going to make Dubbled independent from the Empire. As an independent nation that doesn’t receive interference from the Temple and Imperial Family. Then that would be my exile, wouldn’t it?”

I’m too cunning to live just trusting that Dubbled will protect me.

I need a way to ensure I’m truly safe.

“…!”

The Chief of Staff’s face hardened.

“That’s not possible. From the first Family Head to the current Duke, everyone has aimed for that goal, but no one has achieved it. It’s just a dream.”

“If it’s a dream, why are your lips trembling?”

He let out a small chuckle.

“It’s amusing that at my age, I still get excited by the word independence.”

“Aren’t you being too honest?”

As I held the cocoa cup with both hands and spoke, the chairman’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“Everyone who has settled in Dubbled is honest about their desires. The hypocrites of the Empire call us villains for it though.”

“I’ll use the doll as a body double until I grow up. Get it for me.”

“It seems Louis’s birthday gift to me wasn’t spinel, but Young Lady herself.”

The chairman and I looked at each other and smiled like villains.

* * *

There was much to do for my new goal. Fortunately, I had completed several things while preparing for exile.

Hope Merchant Guild to provide funding.

A powerful ally.

‘What’s left is military force.’

Dubbled’s military strength is excellent, but it’s still insufficient to oppose the Imperial Palace or Temple in an emergency.

So I summoned Andy to the Imperial Palace.

As soon as he entered the room, the kid’s mouth fell open with an overwhelmed expression.

“What kind of room is this…”

I held out a basket of cookies to him as he muttered in amazement.

“Eat.”

Andy picked up a cookie and glanced at me.

“But why did you call me here? …ma’am.”

The maids aren’t here. You don’t have to use formal speech.”

“It comes out automatically… ma’am.”

“Andy, would you like to live here with me?”

When I asked, Andy’s eyes became as big as marbles and he dropped his cookie.

Andy spread his palm and swallowed several times.

“W-w-wait.”

“Hm?”

“Since when?”

I tilted my head wondering what he meant, and Andy asked with his face turning red.

“Since when have you liked me? Was it from that moment when you gave me bread? I thought it was strange that you were so kind to a stranger…”

“What?”

“This is troubling. You’re cute, but you’re four years old and I’m thirteen. The age gap is too big. I’m not trash who sees little kids as women.”

“…”

“You’re really cute, and honestly I’ve never seen a kid as cute as you before, but I’m not a pervert—”

…What is he imagining?

“I’m telling you to be my knight.”

When I stared at him with cloudy eyes, Andy’s face turned red as he asked, “Huh?”

It wasn’t that I was canceling my plan to find Zachary. But I needed an immediate backup plan.

‘Even if I find Zachary, he might not become my person.’

But Andy definitely had a favorable impression of me.

Even if he was weaker than Zachary, his abilities were sufficiently outstanding.

The fact that he drove back much stronger adult men with a ragtag group of children that included four and five-year-olds.

The strategy used then.

His boldness.

The courage to stand at the front.

Considering all of that, I gave him very high marks.

“I don’t have money to buy horses and weapons, you know? Who would take me as a squire?”

To become a knight, you don’t just need to be strong.

War horses are more expensive than cattle, and it was quite burdensome for a commoner to buy. On top of that, you need to buy decent weapons and serve as a squire under a knight for several years.

It would have been a difficult dream for Andy to harbor.

“I have lots of money!”

I showed him the gems like amber and diamonds that Isaac had given me last time, holding them in both hands.

“…Will you really make me a knight?”

“Yes. If you become my knight, I’ll make your orphanage receive Dubbled’s support too. Also, I can change the director.”

“Master.”

He quickly switched his attitude.

‘Hmm, good at adapting. It’s the kind of cunning that suits Dubbled.’

I nodded with satisfaction, and Andy spoke with a determined face.

“This is when I swear loyalty, right? I know all about it.”

The loyalty oath that was burdensome at first felt routine by the third time.

I looked at Andy, who jumped up with an expression that said ‘let’s hurry up and finish this conversation.’

“Andy greets his lord─”

He stopped mid-sentence and frowned. Then he muttered, “Isn’t it too ordinary a name to be a knight,” and soon nodded.

“Alright, from today I’ll change my name to something befitting a knight.”

He knelt on the ground and looked up at me.

“Knight Zachary greets his lord.”

“…What?”

I stiffened and stared at Andy.

“What did you just say?”

“Zachary. Doesn’t it sound knightly?”

I stared at Andy, no, Zachary with a dumbfounded expression.

‘Really?’

Really?

Andy is really Zachary?

But Andy is incredibly weak!

If Andy is really Zachary, then why couldn’t he fight back against the maids’ attacks at all?

“Why didn’t you fight back against my maids last time?”

“I can’t hit women.”

“You cried though.”

“I’d get beaten less that way.”

It was a strategy.

This is absolutely incredible.

I had regretted so much not finding Zachary, and Andy was Zachary all along!

But since it wasn’t Zachary’s fault, he pressed his brow and suppressed his sense of injustice.
I pulled the bell cord to summon Lea.

“Have Lea teach Zachary swordsmanship.”

“Zakariha, teach Lea swordsmanship.”

“…Just found out.”

“…Damn it.”
Lea nodded and looked at Zachary.

“Follow me. Since it’s Young Lady’s command, I’ll specially teach you swordsmanship.”

Leah nodded and looked at Zachary.

And that day, Zachary truly cried.

Zachary seemed puzzled that a maid would be teaching swordsmanship, but he followed her relatively obediently.

* * *

And that day, Zachary really cried.

“It would be better to teach Zachary spear rather than sword. He has talent. As soon as he learned the breathing technique, he could keenly sense presence.”

“I see…”

“It would be better to teach Zachary the spear rather than the sword. He has talent. As soon as he learned the breathing technique, he became keenly aware of presences around him.”

I looked with bleary eyes at Zachary swinging his spear with shouts of “Heave ho, heave ho!” in front of my room.

“Hehe, what an interesting child. She must have such grand fantasies about knights that she puts on an act of being proper in front of others.”
‘Our home has two of the four knights.’

Isaac and Zachary.

I looked with bleary eyes at Zachary, who was swinging his spear in front of my room with shouts of “Heave, ho! Heave, ho!”

‘I’ll raise Zachary diligently and put him to good use.’

‘There are two of the four knights at our house.’
I originally planned to have him escort the merchant group, but it seemed it would take several years to properly train him.

So I told Seria to first establish trade with a mercenary group. It was a mercenary group I ran errands for in my past life as a beggar, and the Guild Master was quite trustworthy.

Gossipmongers jokingly said that when those four gathered together, half the empire’s military power would be helpless against them.

More money was always better, and I needed funds I could use without drawing attention.

I lightly clenched my fist and made up my mind.
After deciding not to put up walls against the Dubbled people, I realized the Dubbled people were just ordinary father and older brother.

Just an ordinary family who wanted to spend time with their daughter and younger sister, and tried hard to take good care of her.

So I told Seria to make a deal with the mercenary group for now. It was the same mercenary group I used to run errands for in my past life as a beggar, and their leader was quite trustworthy.

Thinking that made my heart flutter with joy.

Money was always better the more you had, and he also needed funds that could be used without drawing attention from others.

‘And until I grow up to some extent, I’ll have plenty of time outside of the trading company, so I should get along well with my family.’

After deciding not to put up walls against the people of Dublered, I found that the people of Dublered were just ordinary fathers and older brothers.

Just an ordinary family where she wants to spend time with her daughter and younger sibling, and tries to take good care of them.

‘I have a family that doesn’t hate me.’

Just thinking about it made my heart flutter with joy.

I was holding my cheek when I heard a knock.

“Master is looking for you.”

Father is?

I nodded and said “Yes,” then followed the servant out.

When I reached the small drawing room, I saw Isaac lounging on the sofa and Henri reading books.

Henri looked at me and smiled brightly as he spoke.

“Good morning.”

Isaac also waved his hand.

“Did you sleep well?”

I also said “Morning” and sat between Henri and Isaac.

“Did the Duke call for you too?”

Isaac asked, so I nodded.

“Yeah.”

Just then, Father entered the small drawing room with North.

North was carrying three small boxes in his hands.

When Father took his seat, North placed all three boxes on the table in a row.

“Open them.”

The three of us opened the boxes with puzzled expressions.

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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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