How to Replace Dad 60
Stella's face became sullen.
“Even though I want to do that, I can't meet Prince Luciarno.”
Let's plan the meeting for the next episode.
“Uhm, Gaspar would be upset about this…”
This time, you definitely felt it.
The result of moving according to your own will is the birth of the Saint.
“…”
You must take the Saint's place.
To lead the story in the right direction.
“…”
“Taking it. It feels a bit off.”
Stella leaned deeply against the bed head.
And muttered with a pouting face.
“If this flow is correct, taking it isn't, it's retrieving it.”
Ah.
You're right.
Let's retrieve it.
With that sentence, the window floating in the air trembled and disappeared.
Stella looked at the moon outside the window.
“There's still a chance.”
A chance to return everything to how it was.
This mysterious friend of hers always gives the right answer.
* * *
In the World Tree room at the Tower of God.
“Shall we take a short break?”
Luciarno's voice made me snap out of my thoughts.
When I turned my head, Luciarno was quietly watching me from behind.
Yuis also had a worried expression.
“I was a bit startled, but I'm fine.”
Luciarno replied.
“Mother seems to have had some trouble. Such things aren't something to be fine with.”
“It's really fine. I think you'll see it as finding a solution rather than a problem.”
Both mothers have been in a collapsed state for a long time.
Since I know it's the gold curse, I can approach from that side.
“Yeah, rather think that things have become easier.”
I'll figure out later how he knows about the game and why he cursed me.
“Thank you for taking care of Mother. Thanks to you, I can go down with peace of mind.”
I bowed deeply at the waist.
And just as I was about to lower my head.
Luciarno's hand came up above my head.
“…”!
I was startled and looked at him.
Yuis's face distorted.
However, Luciarno said with the same expression as usual, unreadable.
“You don't need to act too strong.”
“You comforted me?”
“Similar.”
With those words, Luciarno removed his hand.
“So, does the door open?”
Ah, right.
When I touched the World Tree, the door closed.
Perhaps Yuis checked the doorknob.
Yuis shook his head.
It didn't open.
“Then maybe…”
I raised my hand to the World Tree's core again.
Kugugugu...
The circular dirt floor covering the World Tree's roots rotated.
And with a bang, the door opened.
“It seems it worked.”
“Now, let's go.”
“I'm going for that purpose.”
There were things to do.
I need to find a way to wake Mother.
I spread my skirt and curtsied.
“Thanks to you, I can go to Quaron with peace of mind. I will definitely repay this kindness.”
“Alright.”
After bowing, I turned my back.
Just as I was about to leave the room with Yuis.
Something flew by.
Yuis flinched and caught it.
It was a note with the entrance pass and communication code for the Luciarno Prince's palace.
Luciarno said.
“Contact me.”
“Ah…”
“If possible, often.”
“Yes.”
Smiling brightly, I answered and left the room.
Yuis walked while frowning at the entrance pass and note.
“Even that kid isn't easy to deal with.”
“If heard, what then.”
“I'm raising the hackles on my neck so you hear it.”
Yuis growled and glared at me from behind.
* * *
Inside the carriage heading to the second duchy of Esgard.
I was lost in thought looking out the window.
I felt Yuis's gaze from the opposite side.
“About your mother. Is it okay to ask?”
A cautious voice.
“Yeah.”
“What happened?”
I shared what I learned from the palace World Tree room.
“The palace World Tree seems as mysterious as the temple World Tree.”
“What?”
“When I entered that room, I felt it. Probably the divine power was amplified. More so when touching the palace World Tree.”
“…”
“Because of that, the gold curse Mother put on me seems completely broken.”
“Gold curse?”
Yuis asked in surprise.
I nodded.
“There were various gold curses.”
Do not reveal divinity.
Forget the memory of the curse.
Do not remember the game, etc...
“When I was young, I couldn't remember the game, but before collapsing, she made me remember again.”
“Game? Then…!”
“Yes, Mother knew everything. And… one of the curses was making me go find Father.”
Yuis's face hardened.
“You knew Duke Aslan… Were you close to him? …Are you really Duke Aslan's daughter?”
“…”
I put my palm under my chin.
Demanding solid proof that I'm not Aslan's daughter.
“…”
“You look horribly like the Andres duke.”
Yes.
The thing I heard most when I was little.
“You resemble your father so much.”
“If you make your father smaller and change gender, it would be exactly like you.”
“Such a perfect match!”
“Anyway. Duke Aslan didn't show any sign even after seeing your mother.”
“If it's not that he didn't want to, but couldn't?”
“…”
The possibility that I was cursed like you.
“So, I need to confirm.”
While talking about that, the carriage arrived at the estate.
Yuis went out first and helped me down.
I entered the estate with him.
Yuis asked a passing butler.
“Where is Lord Quaron?”
“He is in the study.”
We headed straight to the study.
At first, our steps were normal, but they sped up as we approached the study.
We couldn't hold back because we were curious.
Yuis threw open the door.
“Father!”
“Daddy!”
We both stopped at the same time.
There was a woman with her hand on Father's chest, half leaning against him.
The more surprising thing was that Father's lips and the woman's lips were very close.
Father and the woman looked at us.
I just blinked my eyes.
I wanted to say something, but how?
I was adopted, but that doesn't mean Father can't date.
If it's about dating business, I'd even cheer for it.
But before that, is it okay to see this.
“Ah, first, apologize.”
“Excuse me. Please continue what you were doing?”
And just as I was about to back away.
Yuis scrunched his face and said.
“That crazy one isn't dead yet.”
The woman giggled.
“You have to consider the feelings of the crazy one you're hearing. My cute Yuis.”
“Does Yuis know Father's girlfriend?”
Just as I asked that.
Bang!
The woman flew to the wall.
Father pushed the woman away.
I was startled and supported the woman sliding down the wall.
“Are you okay?”
I hurriedly looked at Father.
“Such things to a girlfriend…!”
“No.”
“No!”
Father and Yuis shouted at the same time.
At that moment, the woman slowly touched her cheek.
Worried if it hurt, I looked at it.
But the chest visible between the collar… chest?
“A man?”
Even after rubbing my eyes, it was a man.
Because it was muscles. Very firm muscles.
The woman… no, he muttered.
“I'm thrilled to death.”
…With a man's voice different from just before.
I looked at Father.
Father sighed and said.
“Yeah. That was…”
“…Boyfriend?”
“…”
Father became quiet.
And after a moment, he gritted his teeth and said.
“Absolutely not.”
—And.
* * *
We sat on the sofa.
Father in the head seat.
On the right, Yuis and I, on the left, she… no, he.
After hearing the situation explanation, I said.
“Ah…. You were Father's friend.”
His name was Enoch.
Father's long-time friend, so even the elites knew him.
“But why did friends kiss…?”
He rested his chin and chuckled.
“It wasn't a kiss, it was blood sucking. I'm half human, half vampire.”
“Really?”
Enoch's eyes widened a bit.
“You're not surprised?”
“Because there's a saint, but no vampire?”
Enoch laughed dryly and pointed at me.
And looked at Father.
“Your daughter is a bit unusual.”
“You're the most unusual.”
“You're not surprised by vampires either, and not by a man wearing a dress. Your face is like the Andres duke, but your personality seems like yours?”
Enoch ignored Father's words and said what he wanted.
Father turned his gaze with a disgusted expression.
I asked Enoch.
“Do you know the Andres duke?”
“Of course. My father was the previous tower master.”
“…”
“During the old folks' picnic, my father was very well received? Thanks to that, Esgard became a strong candidate for the tower's previous site.”
“Then, what about Marquis Gillon…?”
But how come I never saw him once?
Marquis Gillon is a great power next to the seven families.
Enoch poked my cheek and said.
“Yeah. As heard, you're cute.”
Father slapped Enoch's hand away from me and said.
“His name was erased from the family register long ago.”
“Ah, that was because the old man hated my dress so much he burned the dressing room, so I burned his study too.”
“As you see, this kind of guy.”
“But it suits me well. Don't you think?”
Enoch smiled brightly and asked, and I nodded.
“Yeah, it does.”
I've never seen a man prettier than Yuis.
The dress suited him better than any model.
Yuis sighed and said.
“You don't seem to care much about taste, so please handle the young lady's business.”
Then Father looked at me.
“Business?”
“Because I've met my mother. Since Mother can use the memory loss curse, she might have forgotten, so I want to investigate.”
“…”
“I, it's important to me, so I really want you to─.”
Just as I was saying that, I stopped.
Father's expression was strange.
Enoch, who had his chin propped, said.
“Ah, that's it. You asked me to investigate.”
“Investigate?”
“You said you gave this guy the dark mirror curse.”
Yes.
By giving the ancient curse, I caused the first divine wave.
Thus becoming the 'Purifier'.
“At that time, I heard you saw a strange dream.”
And now I see Father was inexplicably staring at his toes.
I asked Father.
“What dream?”
Father slowly opened his mouth.
* * *
The moment the dark mirror curse disappeared, felt in the body.
Aslan faced a strange sight.
The world was like a ruined wasteland.
Corpses of humans and monsters formed mountains.
A woman with strangely distorted face skin was in between.
Holding a girl with beautiful hair.
“Ah, ah, ag… ag!”
A heart-wrenching scream.
Blood mixed with tears flowed endlessly from her bloodshot eyes.
The woman wailing as if her breath would cut off at any moment glared at the darkness and shouted.
“I curse you! I'll tear your flesh and extract your bones, bestowing eternal pain!”
A low laugh flowed from the darkness.
Sound?
No, it wasn't sound.
It was like characters transmitted directly into the head, or like viscous fluid absorbed through the skin.
[Humans are ridiculous. Now you want to be a mom?]
The woman cried blood tears and gasped.
Another arrogant laugh burst from the darkness.
[You thought your daughter was creepy. A face resembling a terrifying husband. Talking about coming into the game, a lunatic. Because of hypocrisy, you couldn't abandon her.]
“You don't know anything.”
[On the surface, you smiled, but your daughter knew. That was just muscle movement. That kid cried countless times. Perhaps her crying would reach your ears, she buried her face in the sheets as if suffocating.]
The woman's eyes trembled.
[I comforted that child.]
Stop worrying about your mother. The flower you gave is always thrown into the trash.
Poor child. Came to save the world but was abandoned by the world.
Even parents are strangers. No need to try. Better to fulfill your mission.
Your mother doesn't come to you even on your birthday this time. Good. Shall we have a birthday party together?
Countless cans floated up.
Thick veins stood on the woman's neck and face.
Tears fell drop by drop.
“I have never hated this child even once.”
[Disgusting excuse. Only I understand that kid. So give it back. That kid is my □□□. The □□□ I called for this world.]
“This kid is this kid's.”
[So you plan to keep it as a corpse?]
Kkik, kkiing, kkiik.
A monster jumped out from the darkness.
At that moment, the view changed.
As if pointing at the woman, it shouted.
“Aslan…!”
“The characteristics of □□□ haven't disappeared yet. So 'that' can still be handled. Go.”
A light returned to the woman's eyes.
The woman holding the girl ran towards the opposite side of the darkness.
The number of monsters jumping out from the darkness increased.
The woman fell and rolled, but never let go of the girl.
And the place they arrived was a huge root.
The woman took out a dagger from her bosom and thrust it towards the root.
Instantly, a scream from a monster jumping out from the darkness split the sky.
Light poured from the girl's body.
The woman's body touching the light burned like fire, but never let go of the girl.
[Can't reconstruct the world! You're not □□□! You're not □□□…!]
The woman's lips twitched.
“It wasn't reconstruction. What I wanted to do.”
The woman shouted.
“Revert my time axis!”
The light became a storm and raged.
The woman's whole body burned, but she tightly held the girl.
Her muttering pierced the ears.
“I won't make the same mistake next time.”
“I'll protect you.”
“I'll love you as much as I want.”
“I love you, agya. I love you.”
And then darkness.
* * *
I was panting for breath.
“Mother…!”