The Duke Dad I Chose Can’t (Really) See Well - Chapter 23

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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 23

The mister who said that looked down at me and asked, “Isn’t that right?”

‘He said that on purpose. Because he heard from the Duke earlier that I’m not his daughter.’

I unconsciously fidgeted with my fingers at the adults’ consideration.

“Ah, I see. She looked young so I thought she was your granddaughter.”

The boy smiled innocently.

But I saw it.

“…What? That’s what it was?”

The voice muttering quietly.

“Then it’s nothing special.”

And his eyes that turned much colder once he learned I wasn’t the granddaughter!

“Anyway, it’s dangerous here so show us around. While we’re at it, let’s take a break too.”

At the boy’s words, the mister put me down on the ground.

As I followed behind them with quick steps, I heard him say contentedly, “Having two kids really does seem better, doesn’t it?”

A sharp and musty smell.

The sound of hammering.

Just as the sound of carts being pulled grew more distant.

“Hey.”

The boy suddenly turned to look at me.

“You said you’re a newcomer, right?”

Sharp upturned eyes, a sullen mouth. The face that had smiled innocently at the adults was instantly erased.

“Then you’re the youngest from now on, right?”

The boy smiled wickedly, curling up his lips.

I suddenly grasped a very important aspect of this child.

So he was a typical—

“From now on, you’re in charge of washing my socks.”

He was a kid who loved power.

“….”

I quietly stared at the sock that had fallen at my feet.

Not too big in size, with a moderately grimy appearance.

It clearly seemed to be that boy’s sock.

“Initiation should be done properly, but unfortunately I only have clean socks. Expensive ones really do smell better….”

“Gross.”

“…What?”

“It’ll probably stink.”

When I said this while covering my nose, the boy shouted with a flushed face.

“It doesn’t! My feet always smell like jasmine! Do you think I’m the same as those misters?”

Then, thinking he wasn’t acting like a senior, he came to his senses and cleared his throat with a cough.

“…Anyway, we haven’t introduced ourselves. What’s your name, youngest?”

“Hanisha.”

I answered indifferently. Seeing how he kept calling me newcomer and trying to make conversation, he seemed quite excited to meet someone his age too.

“I see. Hanisha. Even your name is small… What? Hanisha? You said Hanisha?”

The boy’s eyes widened.

“You were the Duke’s newly arrived daughter? The very small and lovely baby snowflake who even cleaned out that annoying Count Roman?”

I wasn’t the one who cleaned him out, and I hadn’t been acknowledged as a daughter yet either.

Most importantly, I wasn’t very small and lovely either….

I wanted to hide from embarrassment, but his earlier swagger about me being the youngest and a newcomer had disappeared.

‘Hmm? In that case…?’

I lifted my chin up.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“…!”

At my honest admission, the boy flinched and trembled.

While making a “tch” sound, the boy bent down and picked up his fallen sock.

‘The power of sock errands, impressive.’

Anyway, it seemed I didn’t have to pick up the sock. In that case….

I turned around. As I started walking briskly by myself, I heard a voice from behind asking, “Huh? Hey, where are you going alone?”

I could faintly hear him shouting that it was dangerous to go alone.

‘I have something to check.’

The Northern Region was a land where strong magical power lingered, and it was a dangerous place where even the Marsu tainted by it would go mad and rampage.

Naturally, the ore mined in the Northern Region contained magical power. Since even the people managing it could easily be tainted by the magical power, only those born and raised in the Northern Region could handle that ore.

‘Because Northerners’ bodies have some resistance to magical power.’

So the blacksmiths wanted to use this to create weapons different from those sold in the market.

It was a weapon that would capture people with resistance to the magical power contained in bullets, meaning it would attack but not kill.

It was at a level where just a little more research would suffice, but Stukkyia had to halt development for a while.

Someone had distributed ore containing very powerful magical power to the market.

People contaminated by magical power went mad, and as it became known that it was Stukkyia’s ore, the rumors surrounding Stukkyia became even worse.

And the cause of that is here, right now, in this blacksmith shop.

‘I only know the alias and don’t know the specific age and name.’

Anyway, it’s certain they’re here, so if I can just catch that person, the Duke can develop weapons without any problems.

“…Hey, youngest.”

Besides, I know the most important finishing touch in that development, don’t I? If I find the cause of the problem and help with development too, wouldn’t the Duke acknowledge my contribution?

“Can’t you hear me? Hey!”

So it was back to square one. First, find that distributor. If I can just bring them before the Duke….

“Hanisha!”

At the subsequent call, I finally turned around sharply.

“Why do you keep calling me?”

“You, you…!”

From about ten steps away, the boy shouted with a terrified face.

“What are you doing going among the ores!”

“Huh?”

When I looked around at those words, there were unorganized ores piled up around me.

“A small kid like you gets contaminated easily! No amount of money can prevent contamination! H-hurry, quickly…!”

The boy who had been stammering finally made an “eek” sound, squeezed his eyes shut, and ran toward me.

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me out from among the ores.

“Huff, gasp, really, that was almost a real disaster….”

“If you were scared, you could have run away alone….”

“If you got infected! The adults would kill me! When I’m already broke, do I need more reason to get cleaned out?”

Telling me not to say such horrible things, the boy screamed loudly.

But seeing him still holding my wrist while clutching his chest with a pale face made me feel a little sorry.

“…Sorry. I should have watched my surroundings while walking but I forgot.”

“It’s fine as long as you know from now on. …Well, if you’re really grateful, pay me back with money.”

The boy grumbled but ruffled my hair. While fixing my messy hair, I suddenly thought.

‘This kid….’

Even though he works at a blacksmith shop that makes weapons, he’s afraid of minerals?

…No, wait a minute.

Red hair, green eyes. The age range I could infer for that person around this time.

No way.

“Hey. What’s your name?”

“A newcomer dares to ask a senior’s name? Do you know how valuable my name is?”

Even as he said this, the boy shrugged his shoulders as if he had done me a favor.

“Well, since you’re my direct junior, I’ll tell you specially.”

Then, just like I had done moments before, the boy lifted his chin.

“I’m Max.”

“…Huh? Wh-what did you say?”

“Max. That’s my name.”

The boy—Max—spoke in a clear, articulate voice.

He seemed to take some pride in his name, even wearing a confident expression, but…

“….”

I couldn’t smile.

A crazed murderer who, starting with mineral smuggling, stained every place his footsteps touched with blood.

A man who was called ‘Stukkyia’s eldest son’ by the people.

‘His name was Max!’

* * *

The reason the Temple possessed such immense power was because of the divine force they wielded.

However, they didn’t abuse that power carelessly.

People on the brink of death coming back to life.

Living new lives through surgery.

All of this went against the ‘nature and natural order’ that the Temple held sacred.

However, the religious war that broke out ten years ago left many people with various disabilities, large and small.

Divine power could only be received by those with money, so poor commoners couldn’t even witness such power.

With their bodies not free, their lives became even more impoverished.

That’s when a person called ‘Max,’ an inventor, appeared.

He fused chunks of scrap metal with human bodies.

To those who lost their arms, he gave new arms.

To those who lost the courage to move forward, he gave new legs.

Everyone praised Max. Some even argued that compared to his inventions, invisible divine power could hardly be called power at all.

However, this didn’t last long.

“Huh? Why is this acting up? Huh?”

“My leg, my leg won’t listen to me! S-save me!”

The newly attached arms strangled their owners’ necks.

The liberated legs moved on their own, beginning to run toward cliffs.

Terrified people protested to Max.

That’s when Max answered like this:

“I gave you new bodies, but I never said I’d save your lives, did I?”

The Temple had no choice but to step in to handle this incident, and people began to blindly trust the Temple once again.

And after that day, the title used to call Max completely changed.

From ‘Kind Teacher Max’ to ‘Mad Max.’

A complete psychopath. Stukkyia’s disaster.

A person of extreme caution who should never be approached.

But…

“What are you staring at?”

When I looked at him with an incredulous expression, the sharp-tongued Max curled his lips.

“What. Do you think I’m pretty handsome too?”

“….”

“Well, I guess it is a face you’d want to keep looking at. Where else would you find a face like this? Isn’t it an honor to have someone like me as your senior?”

This guy is that ‘Mad Max’?

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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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