The Duke Dad I Chose Can’t (Really) See Well - Chapter 27

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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 27

Then the black ears that couldn’t be seen from the front were revealed.

Max’s eyes widened dramatically.

‘That’s… that’s the Marsu that guards the gates of Stukkyia!’

It was the creature with a house-sized body that would devour intruders whole.

It was one of the reasons Max had given up his plan to sneak in secretly to obtain minerals from Stukkyia. He remembered it very clearly.

“Hey, no!”

Max hurriedly squeezed between them and lifted the Marsu up high.

“You kids. Do you know how dangerous this thing is?”

“Why?”

“…Huh?”

“Why is it dangerous?”

“Where and how is it dangerous?”

“What happens when it becomes dangerous?”

“Th, that’s…”

He had made a mistake.

For children this age, curiosity was their greatest weapon. Max was left speechless by the barrage of questions.

However, no matter how much he liked explaining things, he couldn’t tell his siblings that this was a Marsu.

“Anyway, there are such things. This dog should be returned to where it originally belongs…”

But Max couldn’t finish his sentence.

“Brother…”

“Big brother…”

It was because of his siblings’ teary eyes.

Please put it down.

We want to play with the dog…

“B, but this is dangerous…”

“It’s not dangerous at all.”

Then, Hanisha suddenly interjected.

“He only eats delicious things.”

“De, delicious things?”

“Yeah.”

Hanisha said “Look, look” and pointed at Max’s head.

When he glanced up slightly, the gatekeeper Marsu was chewing on Max’s hair.

Then, thinking it didn’t taste good, it spat it out with a “ptui ptui” and sneezed with a “achoo.” It meant it tasted bad.

“See?”

Hanisha smiled brightly as if to say “I told you so.”

“And if it intended to eat him, it would have eaten his head instead of his hair. The most delicious part of a genius’s body would be the brain full of wrinkles.”

“Oh… ri, right. The delicious part would be the brain… yeah…”

At those brutal words, Max had no more words to argue back.

“…Instead, you have to play carefully. Never provoke it.”

In the end, Max had no choice but to place the Marsu in the children’s arms.

“Paw! This paw! Peace sign! Nose!”

“Sniff sniff… ah… the paw pad smell is so nice…”

The siblings rolled the dog around in their arms, giggling with joy.

There wasn’t even a trace of danger to be found.

Max, who had lost his words, looked toward Hanisha.

He didn’t know how she had gotten here, but the adults would be worried, so he should at least send Hanisha back.

“Ah!”

But before he could open his mouth, Hanisha jumped up. When she skillfully pulled out a chair, Bashel smiled.

“Thank you. You’re a kind child.”

“Not at all.”

“Oh, come to think of it, I don’t know your name. I’m Bashel, and this is Riche.”

“My name is Hanisha. Oh, I wasn’t originally from the Northern Region…”

Hanisha naturally sat down next to Bashel. As they were talking like that, Hanisha suddenly got up from her seat.

“I’ll help you.”

Then she extended her arms toward Riche. The woman who was carrying breakfast widened her eyes.

“It’s too heavy for you to carry. I can do it by myself.”

“I’m the best at carrying heavy things!”

“Still, I can’t make a guest work.”

“I’m not a guest, I’m Max’s disciple, so it’s okay.”

“What?”

At Hanisha’s words, Riche burst into laughter.

“Max, you said you were going to work, but you made a disciple there too?”

“Huh? Oh, th, that’s…”

Max mumbled his words. His ears felt hot.

Even though he acted mature, Max was still only 13 years old. An age where everything gets exposed in front of his older sister or brother.

Riche smiled softly and looked at Hanisha again.

“Then, my brother’s disciple. Sorry, but could you help me a little? Actually, my wrist has been hurting.”

“Yes.”

Hanisha took the dishes and bounced around helping Riche carry the food.

As they ate together like that, they naturally ended up cleaning up together too. After cleaning up, they shared a modest dessert together, saying they had worked hard.

In the meantime, Hanisha had even received a formal invitation to their wedding tomorrow.

“Children who finished eating, go outside and play. Don’t go too far.”

“Yes~!”

“Sister Hanisha, let’s go out together!”

“Let’s go!”

Phil and Lea were led by Hanisha’s hands as they rushed out of the house.

Bashel was also talking alone with Riche about tomorrow’s wedding.

Max, left alone, just blinked his eyes.

Helping Riche carry food and playing with the children was all supposed to be his job. Though it wasn’t as obvious as his brother’s condition, Riche’s arm wasn’t in good shape.

That’s why Max made prosthetics by cutting into his sleeping time. Because he absolutely couldn’t be alone during daylight hours.

But suddenly, thanks to Hanisha’s appearance, all the things he had to do completely disappeared.

Max, who had been dazed, suddenly came to his senses.

This was an opportunity. A chance to complete the prosthetic leg he would give his brother as a gift before tomorrow’s wedding arrived.

Max quietly slipped out of the room and went to the stable.

He put on the magnifying glass he had made and picked up a wrench. He diligently tightened the screws. Finally, when he put down the wrench.

“It’s done…!”

Joy burst from Max’s mouth.

He had finally completed it.

The prosthetic leg he had made to replace his brother’s leg!

How would be the best way to give it as a gift?

‘Since it’s a surprise gift, it would be good to give it before the wedding, right?’

More than that, his sister would be incredibly happy. His kind sister wished for their happiness more than her own.

His brother, especially his brother who used to love running, might just stand there with his mouth agape.

‘And Phil, and Lea…’

It was when happy thoughts were following one after another.

Rustle-

A sudden presence was felt.

‘Could it be the Cleric?’

Max quickly hid the prosthetic leg.

The prosthetic leg was an object meant to replace a severed body part. This went against the Temple’s ideology that emphasized nature and natural order.

Max swallowed dryly. Soon, the revealed figure was…

“H-Hanisha?”

It was Hanisha. Max unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

“You startled me… How did you know about this place?”

“I followed the jasmine scent.”

“…You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”

Max grumbled but didn’t seem to dislike it, twitching his nose bridge. It was an opportunity to show his great invention to Hanisha, his top disciple.

“Well, anyway, since you’re here, I’ll show you.”

With a clearing of his throat, Max stepped back one step.

The prosthetic leg placed on the desk gleamed darkly under the temporarily installed lighting.

“This is the genius’s first invention. A revolutionary invention that can become a leg for someone who doesn’t have one!”

“…”

“Ah, I haven’t named it yet. I can’t think of anything suitable. For now I’m calling it a prosthetic leg, but if you have any good ideas, I’ll listen. Do you have anything in mind?”

Max chattered excitedly.

So he failed to notice Hanisha’s hardened expression.

* * *

I clenched my fists tightly.

‘…As I thought, I was right.’

Max was indeed an orphan. But he met other brothers and became a new family. Family doesn’t have to be connected by blood after all.

And he made a prosthetic leg for his brother who lost his leg.

Using a mineral imbued with magic that would plant the perception throughout the Empire that Stukkyia’s minerals were dangerous.

To be precise, a demonic mineral so powerful that it would devastate not only the person who possessed it but also the surrounding area.

So the starting point that would become ‘Mad Max’s’ first murder case. That was… right before my eyes.

Still bearing the name of prosthetic leg.

‘Now I understand.’

Max didn’t know that the mineral he used was contaminated with magic.

Because of this, he ended up losing his second family again. And because of an invention he made himself.

And even he himself became contaminated with magic, turning into a crazed psychopath.

To prevent that miserable future, I had to stop him from giving that prosthetic leg to his brother as a gift.

But I couldn’t just bluntly say that invention would fail. To prove ‘failure’ would require a horrific process.

‘Then the last remaining method is…’

“Max.”

At the quiet call, Max, who had been thinking of cool names until then, looked at me saying, “Hm? What? Did you think of a good idea?”

“The ‘prosthetic leg’ Max made… What did you make this with?”

“Huh?”

“I saw it at the blacksmith. Something that looked exactly like this.”

“…”

“That’s it… right?”

At my words, Max’s mouth opened slightly. After hesitating for a moment, Max spoke in a low voice.

“…That’s right.”

‘As expected.’

When I said nothing, Max hurriedly added.

“But they said I could take it instead of wages. This was promised from when I first started working under the misters. I absolutely didn’t steal it.”

I didn’t want to say that Max had stolen anything either. However.

“Then do the misters also know what Max took?”

“I didn’t tell them because the procedures seemed like they’d get complicated… but I didn’t take any important minerals! Most of them were things that wouldn’t sell anyway, things they were going to throw away in the deep snow…”

Max, who had been explaining himself, suddenly paused.

“You… don’t tell me you think I brought something dangerous?”

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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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