LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 248
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 248
When I first came to the Desmond Family, Darbav spoke to me.
“Are you the brat who beat my daughter with your fists?”
“…”
“You must know how to fight. There’s no one among her peers who can beat Olivia.”
At that time, I was utterly terrified.
Not just an ordinary wizard, but an Archmage. On top of that, he was an antagonist who stood against the Empire due to Olivia’s death. It wasn’t an exaggeration—facing a monster who had the power to execute someone just for hitting his daughter was overwhelmingly intimidating.
Now, he only seems like an overprotective father, but back then, I was completely overwhelmed by the aura Darbav emanated.
“Gulp.”
However.
“You’re hired as a bodyguard. As for being a butler, I’ll have to observe a bit more. After all, handling Olivia alone would be difficult for a child.”
Desmond Darbav was more open-minded than I had expected. His only flaw was being a severe daughter-con. In terms of appearance and ability, he was an exemplary noble.
“I want to get hit too.”
“Pardon?”
“No snacks for today. That way, I might get hit once.”
“…?”
Darbav said to me.
He told me there was one important thing to remember when serving the Young Lady—or any noble, for that matter. Darbav had said this to me as I sat on the office sofa, still a child.
“What was your name again?”
“Ricardo.”
“It sounds rather irreverent.”
“The Young Lady gave it to me.”
“It’s an excellent name. I wish she would name me too…”
-Sigh…
“Alright, Ricardo. Olivia—or rather, nobles—are people who…”
“Yes?”
“…make their words come true. Even if it’s not true at first, a noble can make it happen if they set their mind to it.”
“Then, are you planning to change your name, Head of the Household?”
“…That was a slip of the tongue.”
Darbav’s advice wasn’t wrong.
The Young Lady.
“Damn!”
She was someone who always kept her word.
“Who’s your dad?!”
*
The Young Lady’s voice politely inquiring about the parents of an unknown child echoed through the alleyway.
The child, dressed in expensive-looking clothes, kept his lips tightly shut in response to the Young Lady’s question.
Perhaps moved by the inquiry about his parents, the child widened his eyes for a moment before tears began to well up.
The Young Lady continued speaking without pause.
As a child herself, she boldly hurled insults at the boy with confidence.
“Damn! Where’s your dad?!”
“He’s here!”
“Bring him here!”
“I said he’s here!”
“Then bring him here, damn it!!”
“Sniff…”
Kid, don’t cry. You’re making this more awkward for me.
I gave an awkward smile as I watched the boy, who had been boasting about his dad, start crying. This was becoming troublesome.
As an adult with some semblance of common sense, I felt like I’d done something I shouldn’t have. With an ambiguous expression, I placed my hand on the Young Lady’s head as she engaged in her high-level debate.
“Young Lady.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t think he really has one.”
“Huh?”
“Look at him.”
-I told you, he does! My dad’s just too busy to come here!
The Young Lady looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Huh? Ricardo, he’s crying.”
“Exactly.”
“Why is he crying?”
“Because you said he doesn’t have a dad.”
“Yeah.”
“He’s probably crying because it’s true.”
“No way. He bragged about his dad so much earlier! I even got scared, thinking his dad was the Emperor.”
“Were you actually scared?”
“Yes.”
“What if he’s just a regular noble?”
“I’ll wipe out his entire family.”
“Wow… You’ve matured a lot.”
“Yes.”
“Anyway, people who don’t have something tend to brag about it more, so that’s probably why he’s crying.”
The Young Lady stared into my eyes and asked softly.
“Ricardo, you don’t have one, but you never bragged about it.”
‘Damn.’
Unintentionally hit with a savage insult, I looked at the Young Lady with a teary expression, much like the boy in front of us.
“I’m sulking now.”
“No, don’t. If you leave, I’ll starve to death.”
“Then I won’t sulk.”
“Good.”
Indeed.
Nodding, I let go of my sour mood. The thought of the Young Lady starving was dangerous—not because of the size of her treasure pouch, of course. I nodded again and ruffled the Young Lady’s hair.
-Sniffle.
So… why is that kid still crying?
I looked at the boy, who was trembling and had his head bowed, and kindly asked him the reason.
“Hey, kid.”
“…”
“Do you not have a dad?”
I couldn’t hold back my curiosity. Since he had been bragging about his dad earlier, I politely asked.
“I do!”
“Then why are you crying?”
“Because you said I don’t have one!”
“Also, your tone is getting short.”
“Shut up, you commoner!”
“Oh, really?”
Rolling up my sleeves, I took a step toward the boy. I figured it was time for the Stick of Love.
At the moment I was about to teach the child, full of innocence, the fear of reality.
“Ricardo.”
The Young Lady, with a serious expression, grabbed my collar and stopped me.
Surprised by the unexpected action, I tilted my head. It was strange for her to stop me, given that her temper was usually fierier than mine.
Normally, she would have…
-Damn it! Let gooo!
-Young Lady! Please restrain yourself!
-Weeee!!!! Eeeek! Heeeek!
She would have lost control of her anger and gone wild…
The Young Lady, who was holding onto my sleeve, put on a serious expression and spoke to me as if to solve my curiosity.
“Ricardo.”
“Yes.”
“What if what he said is actually true?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“We could just get rid of him.”
“Who?”
“His dad.”
“Ah!”
Amused by the Young Lady’s novel suggestion, I flicked her forehead lightly and nodded. Her clever proposal was impressive, but since this matter could be resolved with a simple apology, I didn’t want to escalate things unnecessarily.
“Waaaah! I’ll tell my dad about you!”
Should I kill him?
Even though I’m still just a kid at heart.
I feel like I might start harboring bad intentions.
I suppressed my emotions as much as possible and spoke to the Young Lady. She was someone who always prioritized efficiency.
“Young Lady.”
“Yes?”
“Why don’t you tell on him too?”
“Okay.”
The Young Lady nodded, then plopped down onto the ground with a thud and started crying.
“Heeeek!!!!! Daddy! Daddy!”
As if to prove that her backup was the strongest in the world, the Young Lady displayed a performance surpassing that of a Sword Master.
Today, I felt proud to be Desmond.
“Eeeek!”
After about ten minutes of a crying contest to see who could be louder, the boy, overwhelmed by the Young Lady’s superior skills, finally gave up with a stammer of “Uh… uh…!” The eardrum-shattering battle came to an end.
Feeling a thrill as if I had witnessed a Sword Master’s duel, I clapped in admiration and walked between the two. I figured the Young Lady had enjoyed herself enough by now.
Since her hobbies were picking fights, battling, and plundering, I thought she’d be satisfied now that all three elements had been fulfilled.
“Young Lady.”
“Huh?”
“Shall we get going now?”
“But we still don’t know who his dad is.”
“Isn’t it because he doesn’t exist that he won’t say anything?”
“Oh…!”
The Young Lady nodded and approached the boy with her short legs. The children who had been following the boy seemed to realize that the Young Lady wasn’t just any ordinary crazy person and backed away, visibly intimidated.
The Young Lady pointed her finger at the boy.
“Hey!”
“…”
At her call, the nameless boy trembled and nodded his head.
“Don’t be too upset about not having a dad.”
“…I do have one.”
The Young Lady pointed her finger at me and nodded.
“Ricardo doesn’t have one either.”
“…?”
“So, cheer up.”
Is she mocking me twice?
I felt a sense of betrayal from the Young Lady.
Still, seeing her mature enough to offer words of encouragement to the boy, I decided not to scold her. After all, she wasn’t wrong.
In the past, the Young Lady would’ve said, “Bring me everything you have, and I’ll let it slide,” while emptying his pockets. Compared to that, this was mild, and I found myself moved to tears at her growth.
“Just give me ice cream money.”
As expected, the Young Lady was an adult.
The boy clenched his fists and glared at us. Instead of being touched by the Young Lady’s consideration, he stared at us as if he wanted to kill us.
“…You don’t have money, do you?”
“…”
“Ricardo. What should we do?”
“Who knows.”
The boy’s lips twitched.
As if he were about to say the name of someone he shouldn’t, he took shallow breaths and hesitated before finally opening his mouth.
“Do you know who my dad is?”
“How would I know your dad? I can’t even remember my own father’s name.”
“Really?”
“No.”
The boy gritted his teeth and spoke to us.
“My dad is…”
“…”
“Wolf…”
Just as the boy was about to say his father’s name—
“Young Master!”
From the entrance of the alleyway, the hurried footsteps of a man could be heard. Along with the resonant voice of an elderly man came the sound of three younger knights approaching.
I cautiously hid the Young Lady behind me and whispered softly.
“Young Lady.”
“Yes.”
“It seems that boy does have a father.”
“Huh?”
I looked at the old man who was running toward us and spoke.
“Do you recognize that crest?”
The eagle emblem symbolizing the prominent household of the West. The Young Lady nodded as she looked at the badge attached to the old man’s chest pocket.
“Yes. An eagle.”
“That’s correct.”
I glanced at the boy’s face and muttered under my breath.
“So it’s you. The son of that man.”
“Wolfgang.”
I let out a bitter laugh, marveling at the twists of fate.
“Wolfgang Louis.”
The biological father of Mikhail.
The man who killed Mikhail’s mother.
And now, I had met the son of a man consumed by power.
Yet.
“It’s fine. My dad is stronger.”
The Young Lady showed no fear.