How to Replace Dad 7
Marina and I entered the break room alone.
I sank onto the sofa while Marina stood there, staring down at me with narrowed eyes.
“So brazen. Do you think you can take the test?”
“I have a recommender, so why wouldn’t I be able to?”
“That recommender is the problem.”
The vice duke was the overall director of this test.
He handled both setting the questions and choosing the final winner.
Since he had recommended me, fairness would inevitably come into play.
Marina let out a scoff.
“Even if you run there right now and beg not to take it, you’re still just a fool who can’t even imagine how enormous this test is…”
“It’s tied to your and your uncle’s future.”
As I was thinking about the assignment, it kept buzzing insistently beside me, shattering my concentration.
Marina’s eyebrows shot straight up.
“Fool. You think one test will ruin your uncle’s future?”
She was trying to sound nonchalant, but panic flickered in her eyes.
‘Since it’s annoying, I should stop talking to her.’
“You brought in a mage, got caught, and ran to your uncle for help?”
“…!”
“That uncle of yours leaked your uncle’s embezzlement to the vice duke before he even helped you.”
“…!”
“So you’re thinking you might get kicked out, and that’s why you kidnapped the candidates as a desperate move?”
“…!”
Marina turned deathly pale.
She looked utterly shocked at how far I knew.
‘I don’t know about the kidnapping, but the first two things are because I’m tangled up in it.’
With that foundation, a little thought would reveal why the kidnapping happened in the game story.
“Ah, no. Me and my uncle are…”
Even after I said that much, Marina shouted loudly.
I sighed.
“Excuses won’t work. More importantly, if you don’t stay quiet…”
I showed my clenched fist.
Marina, who had once been knocked out by me and burst into tears, flinched.
Finally, Marina fell silent.
‘Good. Now I can think without any interference.’
The important thing right now was the test.
If I dropped out, I wouldn’t be able to stay in this castle anymore.
‘No, not the castle— I can’t even live in this city.’
Because I had provoked the Marquis of San Miguel.
So I had to somehow pass this test.
‘I’ve played this game, so I know the test content.’
But it had been prepared by the vice duke.
Since I was recommended by the vice duke, the test content would likely change for fairness.
Especially if the Marquis of San Miguel had already recruited his vassals.
Then the test content would favor Marina.
‘If I were the vice duke, what kind of test would I suggest?’
And if the Marquis of San Miguel added a condition that was too much to swallow…
While I was pondering, I grabbed the hem of my skirt.
‘If this thought is correct, this test is a failure.’
It was a game where I had no choice but to fail.
***
Inside the castle coliseum.
As the time came, Marina and I were called out and looked up at the stage.
On the stage stood the Marquis of San Miguel and the vice duke side by side.
And the vassals and Irregular members filled the tiered seats of the coliseum.
The marquis opened his mouth.
“Marina Galban.”
“Yes!”
“Yustea Anonymous.”
“Yes.”
They pointed out that I had no surname.
The vassals who knew this test was for selecting a prince’s aide looked displeased.
It was never right to send a commoner as a prince’s aide.
Currently, the kidnapped existing test takers were still noble daughters despite their family’s status dropping.
It was not something that could be overlooked, the kidnapping of girls.
‘So, the test that can be thought of within all these conditions…’
“The one who finds the kidnapped girls will be the winner of this test.”
I closed my eyes tightly.
‘As expected.’
Unlike my reaction, Marina was desperately trying to hold back her cheers.
After all, the uncle who kidnapped the girls was Marina’s uncle.
It was like knowing the answer already.
The Marquis of San Miguel said.
“Marina Galban and Yustea Anonymous will select 7 soldiers from San Miguel’s soldiers to form a search team.”
This time, Marina made a strange face.
Among the San Miguel soldiers, the excellent ones were all Irregulars.
So I, who was recommended by the vice duke, could form a more excellent search team.
“This test will be broadcast through the magic mirror.”
After saying that, the Marquis of San Miguel sat on the chair prepared on the stage.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
With the sound of stomping feet, the soldiers lined up behind the coliseum appeared in front of us.
***
Antonio glared at the Marquis of San Miguel with a furious expression.
One of Antonio’s subordinates opened his mouth with a determined expression.
“Should we kill them?”
“When I give the signal…”
At that moment, the vice duke sitting next to Antonio said.
“Don’t kill them. Don’t give the signal.”
The subordinate who was about to draw his weapon flinched and sheathed it.
However, Antonio still had a displeased expression.
“Is this a fair test?”
“Write that down.”
“Hey, damn it.”
The vice duke slapped Antonio’s back.
“If it wasn’t a test that favored you that much, Yustea wouldn’t have been able to take the test. It’s the same for me, the director, recommending participants.”
“The vice duke said he would skip the judging.”
“To prevent saying fairness if Yustea passes the test.”
Antonio frowned.
‘He said “if”. ’
The vice duke didn’t think Yustea would pass the test in the first place.
“You don’t believe it? Then why did you let the little teacher take the test?”
“…”
“Why are you forcing a child who will obviously lose into a fight and watch?”
Antonio, who was a former gladiator, knew.
How cruel hope was.
If you win this match, you can leave here.
With that one hope, countless gladiators cut down their parents, siblings, and comrades.
Antonio shot a silent look at the vice duke.
A subordinate under the vice duke said with a troubled tone.
“It was unavoidable.”
“Turning a desperate person into a circus animal, where does that leave us?”
“This test couldn’t be avoided. The Marquis is targeting Antonio-nim.”
“…”
“The vice duke had to choose one of the two. Between Antonio-nim and that girl.”
The vice duke chose Antonio.
And if it’s an unavoidable choice, one should at least gain something.
That’s why he suggested this ridiculous test.
‘Bring the kidnapped girl.’
So, the Marquis of San Miguel swallowed the proposal.
Antonio said with a stern face.
“That’s a truly great calculation. Thanks to that, the little teacher became pitiful.”
The subordinate under the vice duke looked at Antonio and the vice duke with a troubled expression.
“The vice duke also tried to create as good conditions as possible.”
“By having one of the subordinates select the reserve members.”
“Yes. The little teacher is good with the subordinates, so she will definitely help this test…”
“Huh?”
The subordinate who was about to say it awkwardly stopped.
In the middle of speaking, the subordinate selected by Yustea entered the view.
‘The selected subordinate’s state…?’
Antonio looked at the subordinate with cold eyes.
“How is that helpful?”
Yustea selected the subordinates without hesitation.
“First, this big guy. Then an even bigger guy. And the even bigger guy at the very back. Eh, and the biggest guy over there.”
“Why are you only picking big guys!”
The subordinate was bewildered and looked at the vice duke.
The vice duke, who had been frowning since Yustea started selecting subordinates, covered his eyes with one hand.
Yustea was destroying even the advantage she had in this test with her own hands.
The subordinate swallowed hard.
‘Does he not know the situation?’
The Marquis of San Miguel kidnapped the girls.
Naturally, he would tell Marina the location of the girls.
In this situation, you should select those skilled in stealth, not ‘big guys’.
Because you have to chase after Marina’s team to find the girls.
But those ‘big guys’ are…
Antonio’s subordinates muttered with dazed faces.
“They’re all tanks.”
At least the ones who charge in with their bodies.
Naturally, they don’t know the ‘stealth’ part of stealth.
“Do you think they’ll fight when they find the girls?”
“Still, finding them first is priority, right? They’re all over 2 meters tall, how can you follow them?”
“It’s a group.”
“Then…”
“Ah.”
The people watching Yustea made a wistful expression.
‘The little teacher… picked the ones that look strong first…’
She can teach letters well, but doesn’t know this…
Just in case Yustea could form the subordinates well, Marina, who was tense, let out a snort.
The Marquis of San Miguel hit his knee and laughed heartily.
Then he poked his waist to send a signal.
It meant to select those with red inner garments under their armor.
‘They are all search professionals who can use magic birds.’
Magic birds.
Special birds that can transmit situations using specific frequencies.
They are useful for search because they can transmit situations from a distance.
Marina formed the subordinates according to the Marquis’s signal.
All of them were soldiers hidden by the Marquis in the soldiers, unrelated to the vice duke or Antonio’s squad.
Thus, the selection of Yustea’s large search team and Marina’s search team was complete.
The person on the stage blew a large horn.
The test has begun.
***
[Then, do your best.]
Yustea in the magic mirror said with a bright voice.
And the big guys selected by Yustea were…
[Little teacher, is it really okay with us?]
[Hmm. What if I change them now?]
…They also had uncertain expressions.
The people looking at the magic mirror burst into laughter.
“What an interesting sight.”
“Who thought she was so arrogant, thinking she had some great ability.”
“Indeed.”
Some vassals who were recruited by the Marquis of San Miguel looked at the vice duke with a mocking tone.
Antonio’s subordinates clicked their tongues.
“They don’t even know the taste of the little teacher’s galbi-jjim.”
“The little teacher likes big guys, but she makes galbi-jjim really well.”
“She’s good at brewing alcohol too.”
“Then.”
Yustea in the magic mirror smiled brightly.
[It would be better to move together.]
‘I have to separate them!’
Divide the 7 into as many groups as possible to expand the search area!
The subordinate under the vice duke held his head with both hands.
While Yustea wasn’t catching the test, Marina was performing the test well.
Near the San Miguel Castle forest.
Marina recalled the words from the Marquis of San Miguel.
“You also gather farmers in the dry riverbed of the walnut mountain. They hide the carriage with the girls there.”
‘My uncle is really amazing.’
He probably chose that place to cover up the kidnapping incident with the farmers.
One subordinate handed over the map.
Marina glanced at the relay magic device transmitting to the magic mirror.
“As soon as the young ladies were kidnapped, the selected search team would have searched the vicinity like catching rats.”
“That’s right.”
“The fact that they didn’t find them means it’s the work of someone familiar with San Miguel geography.”
“Where do you have in mind?”
Marina pointed to two places on the map.
“A mining village with a bright underground tunnel. And… a suspicious farmers’ village that knows the rugged walnut mountain well.”
You can’t just act like you know the answer.
These are important for performance.
‘I’ll give you one fake option, Yustea.’
Whether those big subordinates can do stealth well or not, but I’ll chase and see.
“Divide into 4 teams of 4 including me for search.”
“Yes.”
“You four, go to the mining village. Me and three, go to the walnut forest.”
The knights stomped their feet simultaneously.
The castle coliseum broadcasting through the magic mirror.
Antonio’s subordinates groaned.
Marina’s team in the magic mirror moved in unison.
The vassals had a pleased reaction.
“Mining village and farmers’ village. It makes sense.”
“Both places had strong opposition to the territory.”
“Seeing it this way, I realize that Marina-nim has a wide perspective on the situation.”
The Marquis of San Miguel answered with a smile.
“She was a child who thought of San Miguel’s affairs as her own. It was awkward to recommend my nephew, but I thought that if it was that girl, she would do her best for this San Miguel.”
“A wise choice.”
While the vassals and the Marquis were laughing, Antonio’s expression darkened.
The reason Marina could move like that was because she knew the answer.
The subordinates she chose there were skilled in search.
[Mining village. Nearby. Arrived.]
[Mountain. Entrance. Arrived.]
“Using magic birds.”
The subordinate under the vice duke frowned.
“If discovered on one side, we can immediately join.”
“Composed of subordinates who know how to use magic birds? The Marquis of San Miguel must be grinding his teeth.”
Antonio’s subordinate clicked his tongue.
There was no gap for Yustea to turn the situation around.
‘I guess I have to be satisfied with just finding the girls.’
The subordinate under the vice duke let out a sigh of regret.
In this test, it’s regrettable, but Yustea was a talented girl in many ways.
If she hadn’t taken the test, she might have remained as a subordinate.
Knowing that she entered this test out of goodwill towards Chari and Antonio, the heart was more pained.
But at that moment.
“Eh?”
The subordinate under the vice duke flinched while looking at the magic mirror.
[Mining village. Nearby. Girl. Discovered.]
The magic bird on the shoulder of the subordinate moving with Marina chirped like that.
The Marquis of San Miguel’s expression, which was looking at the magic mirror with a smiling expression, hardened instantly.
‘What?’
Mining village?
The girls are not in the mining village but in the farmers’ village.
But it said discovered in the mining village?
Marina in the magic mirror also had a surprised expression.
[No way. Not the mining village…!]
Then, she discovered the relay magic device and covered her mouth.
Marina brushed her hair and hardened.
She had a puzzled expression wondering why she discovered the girl in the mining village.
The Marquis of San Miguel hurriedly looked at his subordinate.
The subordinate came running hurriedly and whispered.
“We didn’t move them from the farmers’ village.”
“Then why did the magic bird…!”
At that moment, Antonio, who was watching the magic mirror with his hand covering his forehead with the palm, said.
“That tree over there. Isn’t it the little teacher?”
A girl sitting on a thick tree branch blowing a small flute.
The sound of the flute wasn’t heard.
But every time the notes of the flute were matched…
[Mining village. Nearby. Girl. Discovered.]
The magic bird was chattering.
Antonio and some subordinates recalled.
The self-introduction Yustea made in the cave they first met.
“Yustea Andres, 15 years old! Daughter of the marquis who was exiled from the Andres Marquisate 3 years ago! Since then, the jobs she did are restaurant dishwashing, information disruption, placing bets in the market…”
‘Yeah, that’s it.’
‘Information disruption…!’
Antonio and his squad members jumped up.
“Waaaaaaa─!”
“Waaaaaaa─!!”
With a thunderous cheer.