The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success - Chapter 146
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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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Chapter 146
“What, no way!”
“I mean it literally. I’ve harbored feelings for a very long time.”
“Damn it all!”
My Grandfather surged to his feet in fury.
“What in blazes! Some wet-behind-the-ears brat making moves on our precious child!”
I was so mortified by my Grandfather that I immediately interjected.
“Grandfather, please stop. The Crown Prince is the one who saved your precious child.”
“He only saved you because of his own dark intentions! Who knows what schemes he was plotting the whole time!”
“….”
“Isn’t that right? Isn’t that right? You can’t deny it!”
Eventually, a third party stepped in to restore order.
“Ahem, ahem. Well then.”
It was the Emperor, who had said he would head to the Grand Temple but still hadn’t departed due to our commotion.
“Why don’t you all go rest at the Southern Villa? That would be best for Cedric Loapi as well.”
The Southern Villa? I blinked.
‘How could Father and I, as experimental subjects, possibly go to a villa without worry right now?’
This was clearly special treatment. There were legitimate grounds for objection.
After all, we were experimental subjects connected to the Gaejo Faction and couldn’t receive guest treatment.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I apologize for the late petition.”
I couldn’t accept special treatment that violated protocol.
I racked my brain to resolve that dilemma and spoke respectfully to the Emperor.
“According to Appendix 9, Article 33 of the Imperial Palace Knight Law, criminals of utilizable value shall not be disposed of immediately, and the scope thereof is determined at the discretion of the Imperial Family. Though Father, Kibon, and I are experimental subjects, our criminal status remains uncertain, and even if classified as criminals, we may possess utilizable value in pursuing the escaped remnants of the Gaejo Faction. Therefore, I humbly request that our disposition be deferred.”
“I, Namia?”
“In summary, it’s a request to spare our lives.”
“I didn’t say I was disposing of you all… well, regardless, since Namia’s reasoning is sound, go ahead and rest comfortably for now.”
The Emperor nodded benevolently. I added something as he prepared to depart for the Grand Temple.
“There is… a hidden underground facility beneath the Grand Temple grounds. Researchers and experimental subjects are there, but the entrance has been destroyed and sealed off, so you won’t be able to find it easily.”
“Ah, is that so?”
The Emperor responded readily.
“Then I’ll have to excavate and search all the way down. That’s essentially the Gaejo Faction’s core resources.”
“That’s not it. Rather, you should leave it alone….”
I smiled brightly and spoke.
“You’ll be able to lure and capture the escaped leadership.”
“Heh heh.”
The Emperor’s crimson eyes gleamed sharply.
“So you’ve thought that far ahead….”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“It seems the position of Minister of Scrolls would be wasted on you.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
That was when it happened.
Father, who had been doing nothing but groaning, suddenly snapped his eyes wide open.
“…Huh?”
“Dad! Dad! Are you coming to your senses? Huh?”
I was rushing toward Father when it occurred.
Father, who had been writhing on the ground, looked around frantically. Then, upon spotting Kiaros, he began to convulse.
“Aaaaaaahhhhh!”
Father, whose eyes met Kiaros’s, curled his body and screamed.
“I’m sorry! Don’t hit me! Don’t hit me! Don’t beat me! Please don’t hit me aaahhhhh!”
Kiaros’s expression, which had been composed until now, instantly froze into bewilderment.
“Why, why are you like this, Dad! The Crown Prince is your benefactor! He’s different from the people who hit and beat you!”
It seemed that Kiaros was wearing a Guardian’s uniform, which was the cause. I desperately clutched Father’s body and shouted.
“Your Highness would never be someone who hit Father! Look at his face, not his clothes! His face! He’s the savior who hasn’t laid a finger on you!”
“Aaaahhhhh! Don’t hit me!”
It was chaos.
A muscular man who seemed twice Kiaros’s size was holding his head and desperately shouting, which was utterly absurd.
Eventually, the situation only settled when the Emperor headed toward the Grand Temple and the Red Knight Order rushed in to calm Father down.
9. The Circumstances of the Prospective Crown Princess
In conclusion, Father was safe.
Of course, his appearance was quite different from the Father in my memories….
I had expected our reunion to be more dramatic, but Father caused such a commotion that I lost the chance for a touching reunion.
‘There was nothing I could do about it, I suppose….’
I kept shouting “Dad, snap out of it!” while Grandfather kept repeating “This bastard’s really lost it!”
Eventually, Father only calmed down once he was kept at a distance from Kiaros, but by then all my strength had drained away and I couldn’t even cry.
Kiaros spoke to me awkwardly.
[He was so repulsed by this uniform and having a fit, so I had to knock him out while bringing him here….]
[You did well.]
[It’s just that I used a bit of violence in the process….]
[You did well. Don’t worry about it.]
I trusted Kiaros, so it truly was fine.
If it hadn’t been for him, I might not have been able to save Father.
[Dad, this was unavoidable. After all, he saved you, so you understand, right? Don’t hold it against him.]
Father acknowledged that too.
But the instinctive revulsion that surged up was unavoidable, and whenever he saw Kiaros, he repeated “I’m sorry! Please don’t hit me!”
Even though Kibon Altes had used violence, Father showed a violent reaction to Kiaros’s appearance as well.
Thinking it might improve if he changed clothes, we decided to place our hopes on that.
“Anyway, I’m so glad we’re meeting like this. My daughter. I’ve endured all this time for this day.”
Father, turning his back to Kiaros, laughed while pulling me into a tight embrace.
“I missed you so much. So very much. My beloved daughter….”
“…Me too.”
As I nestled into Father’s embrace, tears streamed down my face like water from a broken faucet.
“Thanks to the Crown Prince, I get to see you like this… I’m so grateful.”
“Y-yes, that’s right.”
Father nodded, though his body trembled slightly.
“Y-yes… but why am I so frightened…?”
Witnessing the depths of suffering he must have endured in that place, my heart felt as though it would tear apart.
In any case, following the Emperor’s suggestion, we decided to stay at the Imperial Villa in the Southern Region.
Grandfather said he wouldn’t come immediately, but would wander the nearby area with Kibon, who wanted to rest while searching for traces of Aran in the surroundings.
“I’ll catch up with you later! This foolish dog might actually find Aran!”
“I’m not foolish, Grandfather. I’m incredibly intelligent, aren’t I? I listen to everything you say.”
“Woof woof!”
And so only I, Father, and Kiaros headed to the villa.
But Father trembled at the mere sight of Kiaros’s collar and kept repeating apologies, so we had no choice but to separate them starting from the carriage itself.
When we finally arrived at the villa separately.
“Wow, this place is truly magnificent. I never knew such a place existed in the Southern Region!”
Father looked around with an astonished expression. I nodded listlessly as I spoke.
“Yeah… if I’d just gone to House Kalto fifteen years ago for a few coins, I could have come here long before this…”
Once we reached my room, I recounted everything that had happened at the Loapi Baron Residence without omitting a single detail.
“Just as I thought.”
Father shook his head and muttered.
“I didn’t trust his character, so I even had a contract drawn up, but he only sent her to the Academy.”
Father’s blue eyes gleamed ominously.
In the past, his kind expression made him seem harmless no matter what, but now that his frame had grown larger, even a slight hardening of his expression was quite frightening.
“It seems like a conversation will be necessary…”
I examined Father’s firm muscles as I responded.
“If anything, let’s have that conversation with your fists, Father.”
With Kiaros’s punishment, the Baron and Baroness Loapi were likely stripped of everything and had descended to some provincial area far away, but I felt they should also receive Father’s physical retribution.
While speaking, I was simultaneously drafting a report.
It seemed I needed to record everything that happened inside the Grand Temple as quickly as possible.
And I also needed to quickly document the grounds upon which the Emperor was sparing our lives.
“Our dear Namia, you’ve suffered so much…”
Despite his massive frame and muscles, Father’s tears fell continuously.
“Really… you’ve suffered so terribly…”
“You’re right. I’ve been through hell.”
I nodded while moving my quill pen.
Father, about to pull me into another embrace, tilted his head and asked.
“But what’s that you’ve been writing this whole time?”
“Oh, it’s a report.”
I tapped the thick report that was nearly complete and smiled with satisfaction.
“We need to capture the Gaejo Faction leaders who escaped. This is the plan for that.”
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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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