How to Replace Dad: Chapter 55
“Are you safe, Your Majesty?”
Luciano’s voice rang out in the tower.
He had led the elite members of Irregular and me into this tower first, and now he appeared leading the holy knights.
Luciano prostrated himself before the emperor.
The emperor stared at me without answering.
Not only the emperor was staring at me.
The pope, the second priest, the heads of the seven families, nobles, knights, and soldiers...
All of them were glaring at me with grim faces.
'I didn't plan to make such a grand entrance...'
At first, I just wanted to watch the saint verification fail.
To twist Emma’s insides.
But when the news came that they would verify using the contaminated white egg from the capital.
'So I had no choice but to step up.'
It was an item in the game story.
The mysterious egg that even the first pope couldn't solve the contamination of, the sleeping saint is waiting for its master.
'The master is Stella, the protagonist of the game.'
In the game story, Stella hatches the white egg while it's contaminated.
So there would be chaos again this time.
I immediately went to find Luciano and asked him to let me into the tower by revealing that I am the saint.
'I was lucky you believed me.'
If not, it would have been a big problem.
The importance of Esgard Duke being here rather than the emperor and pope's lives.
If the Esgard Duke gets injured or dies, the title would go to his son Javid, the duke's wife's son.
'Moreover...'
I looked at Emma.
Emma was pale and fidgeting with her mouth.
“Eh, how... how...!”
Not only her.
The Andres duke and the previous duchess's wife were also frozen stiff.
At that moment, the pope approached me.
“The first servant greets the daughter of God.”
The sound returned to the quiet tower then.
“What? What the hell happened!”
“Is Stella Andres not the saint?”
“The saint is actually Yustea Andres... no, now... what should I call her?”
“Damn it, what the hell is this...”
The tower became noisy as if it would burst.
The Esgard Duke approached me.
“Is it true?”
He didn't hear that I told the duchess that I am the saint.
Of course, if I really am the saint, the duke's prestige would skyrocket.
I couldn't open my mouth lightly.
I smiled awkwardly.
“It has become so.”
Before the words ended, the duke hugged me.
“Where did such a treasure roll in from.”
“Ugh...”
“This cute one, this lovely one!”
The duke looked at the Esgard Duke with a face that was cursing.
* * *
Andres family.
After the servants arrived, they welcomed the duke, the previous duchess's wife, and Emma.
The servants lined up in the courtyard bowed their heads as if to avoid meeting the eyes of their masters.
The news of the saint's appearance spread throughout the empire.
The fact that this saint is not Stella of Andres but Yustea.
The previous duchess's wife, who was walking into the courtyard, leaned against the decoration stand.
And with her wriggling hand, she brushed off the ivory statue decorated.
Crash!
A sharp crack filled the courtyard, but no one moved.
Emma was muttering with a pale face.
“Stella... Stella didn't know about this. The priests said that Stella healed the child's tuberculosis.”
It was also revealed that the treatment was Yustea's power.
While Stella couldn't do anything, Yustea hugged the children and blocked the poison.
The priests praised her without sparing her divine qualities as the daughter of God.
The previous duchess's wife forced her stiff head to look at her son.
“How nice.”
“...”
“You chased away the saint because of a fake. How do you feel?”
“...”
“How do you feel about having the saint completely taken away by Esgard─!”
A loud voice echoed in the courtyard.
The Andres duke answered with a cold voice.
“It has not been a year since the adoption. According to imperial law, if it's within a year, the adoption can be revoked if the child's will is clear.”
“... Is it possible?”
“I have to make it possible.”
The trembling eyes of the previous duchess's wife found stability.
It was a fact known to all imperial citizens that Yustea has deep affection for her father.
The child who smiled even when her whole body was wounded from one praise from her father.
'Now she seems quite angry about being driven out, but blood calls.'
She won't be able to relax in Esgard without a drop of blood mixed.
“I will meet Yustea.”
The previous duchess's wife said that and left the courtyard.
The Andres duke climbed the stairs.
Emma chased him with quick steps.
“Will you stop by the study first? Stella is at the clock tower. When you need support, she always waits for you there, so hurry...”
Even if you make a small mistake, mentioning Stella's name always solves it.
The duke loves and cherishes Stella very much.
'So today's incident too...'
The duke looked back at her.
Emma brightened her face and looked up at the duke.
The duke opened his mouth.
“It would be better to think about how you can please Yustea's heart at a time when you're spouting stupid words.”
“... Yes?”
“If you want to stay in this mansion.”
Knock.
It felt like my heart was bouncing on the floor.
'If I can't please Yustea's heart, you'll drive me out?'
Me, her mother?
The duke ended his words and climbed the stairs again.
Emma, who had been stiff, shouted as if having a fit.
“Wait, wait! Rohan! Rohan!”
However, the duke didn't look back at her.
* * *
The imperial palace.
I was smiling gently while looking into the air.
“The place where the daughter of God is, of course, the temple.”
“The glorious child who will revive the empire. You will receive special protection in the imperial palace.”
“You must rest your body in the sacred space...!”
“There is also a holy site in the imperial palace, so if it's rest, it's enough in the imperial palace...!”
The pope and the emperor had been arguing for an hour.
They were ready to bite each other if possible.
At that time, the grand duke subtly raised his hand.
“If it's a holy site, it's the starting plateau. The saint is in my estate where the starting plateau is... .”
“Get in where you don't belong!”
“Get out where you don't belong!”
The pope and the emperor glared at the same time.
The grand duke lowered his hand.
The second priests and imperial officials next to the pope and emperor were glaring at each other with wide eyes.
'I might stay up all night...'
I was smiling with dead eyes.
“How do you think Yustea?”
The Esgard Duke asked.
All eyes focused on me at once.
'This is a chance.'
I don't like the imperial palace or the temple.
Why?
'Because I'm a saint but a mana leech.'
The reason they want the saint is because the saint is the 'seed of the movie' that came out in the oracle.
They would use me to trade with foreign countries or make me do things needed for the empire or temple.
But I'm a mana leech.
'To do such things, I have to give my life.'
Even if I bring mana from elsewhere to solve it, there will be another task waiting.
I couldn't live that way.
There are two ways to resolve this situation.
1. Massively increase mana.
2. Make dad a great power holder who watches the imperial palace and temple. So I can't make him do excessive things.
'The more realistic one is 2.'
If massively increasing mana is possible, everyone would have done it.
But dad greatly succeeds even in the game.
If I help with the status of being the saint, I might become a greater power holder than in the game story.
“Thank you for your concern from Your Majesty and His Holiness. But it seems I can't stay in the imperial palace or the temple.”
“... What?”
“Why?”
The emperor frowned, and the pope looked panicked.
I lowered my eyebrows.
“It's a shameful word, but it's difficult to control holiness.”
I rattled off the prepared excuse.
In summary, it was this.
“It's not even a month since it opened?”
“It's not stable enough to cause holy waves twice?”
“I'm afraid that if I rest in the holy site, it will cause even greater holy waves.”
“Will it reach explosion level?”
“How dangerous would it be to do such things in the empire's center, the capital?”
“It's too scary.”
“I'm afraid the holy power will explode from anxiety!”
“For that reason, I would like to train in Esgard, which is like my hometown, until the holy power stabilizes. Please grant permission.”
“...”
“...”
The emperor and the pope were silent.
* * *
The emperor thought.
'I can't let the capital explode.'
The pope thought.
'It's unfortunate to lose the holy site.'
Yustea broke the capital's barrier with the holy wave last time.
It was possible that it would explode.
The emperor asked the pope.
“What is your thought?”
“Setting a deadline to train the saint is a good idea. I will contact the northern temple to help with the training.”
“During that time, we must strengthen the barrier of the holy site to prepare to bring the saint.”
When the two nodded their heads, the heads of the 7 families flinched.
'For a while, it's not that Esgard is monopolizing the saint's holiness!'
The Esgard Duke quietly raised the corner of his mouth.
However, he couldn't hide the eyes that were very pleased with Yustea.
The heads of the 7 families had very displeased faces.
'Where did the Andres duke go?'
'If the biological father interferes, maybe we can stop this damn situation.'
'Damn it.'
Since the emperor and pope's intentions matched, it was difficult to oppose.
If I messed up, it might create a situation where the imperial palace, temple, and Esgard form an alliance.
In the end, Yustea would stay in Esgard for 3 months.
'I will make dad the successor of Esgard during these 3 months.'
Yustea's eyes sparkled.
* * *
The next day, the second estate of Esgard.
I thought.
'Is it not the holy explosion but the communication device explosion?'
The communication device in the communication room was ringing madly.
Outside the mansion, there was a crowd of people coming to meet dad or me.
Outside the door, Antonio shouted loudly.
“So, the viscount and the young lady said they won't meet anyone!”
But they weren't the kind of people who would back down from rejection.
If they were the kind who would back down from rejection, they wouldn't have come without notice.
“I am Alonso. I used to do ururukakong when the young lady was at her most beautiful... from the Baul Merchant Guild!”
“I am Gonjigonjijam!”
“Eh, have I ever given you a piggyback?!”
“The day when the young lady pulled out all the three strands of hair left on my forehead and laughed 'karuruk' was like yesterday!”
People were sticking to Antonio with eyes rolled back.
I was looking at that scene with dead eyes from the window.
Yuis approached.
“The ones who didn't care when your mother and I were driven out are now bringing up connections.”
“The power of greed is stronger than sympathy.”
I shrugged my shoulders, and Yuis shook his head.
Then he glanced at me.
“Today's outing is over, right?”
“I'm more worried about going to Esgard.”
The mansion is surrounded, so I can't go to Esgard?
I was thinking such worries while looking at the crowded people in front of the door.
'... Eh?'
Next to Antonio, who was yelling "Get out!", there was a woman who was fidgeting.
From a distance, the face was hard to see, but the silhouette was clear.
I focused on her and said to Yuis.
“The woman with brown hair?”
“Blue dress?”
“Yes. Shall I bring her to the reception room?”
“Only that woman? Why?”
“The woman I saw before the poison incident.”
So, the woman involved in the poison incident.
Yuis's face immediately became cold.
The expression that asked what she was doing here.
He immediately stood up.
I waited for her in the reception room.
After a while.
With a knock, Yuis's voice came.
“Young lady, it's Yuis.”
“Come in.”
The door opened.
The brown-haired woman entered the room carefully.
Yuis sat behind me.
A fierce momentum was felt from behind.
He was guarding against geum-sul.
The brown-haired woman greeted.
“My name is Roslyn, the head of Alkaein Trade. The guild master is my brother... .”
I know.
I also know that the head of Alkaein Trade is a great geum-sul sorcerer.
Roslyn couldn't look me in the eye and only moved her lips.
“Yustea of the Esgard estate Kuarion. Please sit down.”
I pointed to the opposite side with my palm up.
The woman sat on the opposite side.
Then she said hesitantly.
“I am grateful for the honor of meeting the saint. The reason I came here like this is... .”
“Is it an apology for the poison incident?”
“... !”
Roslyn flinched and looked at me.
The black eyes that were hard to see because of the messy bangs were revealed.
The pupils were trembling.
“On the day the poison incident happened in the market, she came to find me. Probably to complete the curse targeting me.”
“That's... that's... .”
“Does the duchess know that you came to find me today? She must have done such things after receiving the duchess's horoscope.”
Roslyn's hand was trembling.
She looked like she didn't know how to apologize.
I quietly waited for her words.
She kept opening and closing her lips, then closed her eyes tightly.
“How can I get forgiveness... .”
Yuis let out a laugh.
“If it weren't for that, the young lady might have lost her life. Is forgiveness possible?”
“You don't have to forgive me. If you want, I will offer my neck.”
Roslyn said that and prostrated herself flat on the floor.
“I know I don't have the qualification to say such things. But the only place I can rely on is the saint's healing power. Please... please save her... !”
I turned my head to look at Yuis because of the strange words.
Yuis also shook his head with a puzzled expression.
'Who is she to him?'