How to Replace Dad 81
It was absurd.
Wasting such precious divine points on something like this was a complete waste.
I had hoped Onel would draw a card saying there were two Essence of Joy, but no.
Annoyed, I suddenly tilted my head at a thought that crossed my mind.
'Wait, first love?'
I hummed to myself.
Originally, it was said that way.
The Andres Duke had divorced his first marriage partner and fallen in love with Emma, the maid.
That was his first love.
But Emma had come to tell me the actual story.
Emma and my mother were half-sisters. It was my mother who had introduced Emma to the Andres family.
When my mother was heavily pregnant, Emma had a relationship with the Andres Duke.
'So it can't even be called first love.'
If it was just a one-night stand by chance, unlike what was known.
"Hmm."
I narrowed my eyes and stared into empty air.
Then the Duke asked.
"Why are you looking like that?"
"Still a first love?"
"..."
The Duke looked at me with an incredulous expression.
"I have three children."
"Having a night together isn't love, is it?"
"Night... What did Quaron's guy teach you?"
His expression turned into a frown now.
He sighed with an incredulous face.
I was squatting on a flat rock, hugging my knees.
I wasn't scared of such faces anymore.
"So it's weird."
"What?"
"People around Dad say Dad also said that? Ah, not the Duke, our Dad. Dad who is in Quaron."
The Duke let out a hollow laugh.
Incredulous expression.
"Dad also seems not to have experienced love. Ah, love in the sexual sense."
"Are you saying 'palm'?"
"Dad is so cool. He just didn't have time because he was busy."
"How could you know."
"But I know what love is. There are people who know without doing it."
"..."
"So the Duke probably doesn't know love at all."
"..."
"Then why did you do that to me?"
"..."
The Duke stared at me.
I didn't avoid his eyes.
I just faced him with a face that didn't smile, cry, or get angry, just looking at him as if he were a weapon.
The Duke was silent for a long time.
I quietly asked.
"You didn't do that to Onel, or to Stella."
"..."
"Then why were you so cruel to me?"
"..."
"I was a person who everything could be done for family, according to father's words. Then why?"
"..."
He was silent for a long time.
Seemed like he didn't have an answer.
I shrugged and exhaled.
I didn't think he would answer anyway.
I stood up from my seat.
And brushed off my riding pants and said.
"Shall we go to the contaminated area. After solving—."
"Value-less."
"..."
This time I couldn't speak.
I looked at the Duke.
The Duke looked at me with a blank expression.
"Onel is the grandson of the head of the 7th family. If Onel's mother wins the power struggle within the family, he will become the head's only son."
"..."
"Stella was a child with high potential to become a saint."
"...But I had nothing."
The mother's advantage was not as strong as Onel or Stella had.
It was rather a headache.
Since she's expanding power within the Andres family, she was a target to be restrained.
The Duke opened his mouth again.
"But now you have value."
"You won't discard me since you have value? What disgusting words."
I shrugged with a blank face.
The Duke looked at me gently.
"I won't do as you wish."
"What will you do?"
"Anything."
I who was staring at his eyes sighed heavily.
"Yeah. Let's see how well you do it today."
"...What?"
"Then you can decide whether to turn your heart or not."
Of course, I had no intention of going.
The words "won't discard because you have value" mean that if value disappears again, you'll discard me.
It's really infuriating words.
But I have a dad who blindly hugged me whether I have value or not.
There was someone who said "I want you to be my daughter" to protect me.
With so much precious treasure in my hand, there's no way I'd choose such disgusting trash.
I said this just to buy time.
'To give Yuis enough time.'
Aslan burst into laughter.
"It seems my talent for making people angry has been inherited to you too. How dare you say such things to me."
"So?"
"Well, good."
He lightly tilted his head and looked at me.
"Let's see. Test."
***
The place Aslan took Yustea was the flower garden.
Endlessly full of flowers.
It was all made of gold, like in a golden wave.
"Nice."
"If you like it, I'll give it to you."
"Okay. Next."
"..."
Next place was one of the treasure warehouses he had.
Filled with various precious books and magic tools.
Items so rare that even stepping on them would make the emperor envious.
"Anything you need?"
"Is there Essence of Joy?"
"No."
"Then okay. Next."
"..."
Next was the shipbuilding site.
How huge the ship was, countless workers were glued to it.
"Special structure, no problem even in rough seas."
"Meaning the center of gravity is heavy, right? What's important for trade is speed. Next."
"..."
Next was the workshop.
Magic tools are made by inscribing magic on mana stones.
The craftsmen were famous people.
All from magic towers, using incredibly advanced magic.
Yustea received the magic tool from the craftsman and examined it from all angles.
Indeed, amazing design.
It could be used permanently just by injecting mana.
"Pre-commercial insulated magic tool."
"You'll make a lot of money. Next."
"..."
Then it was the port.
The port had developed much more than before Yustea left.
People were chatting with lively expressions and voices in the port.
"Center of the southern port. No ship that doesn't stop at this port."
"Hmm."
"Currently owned by Onel, but if you want..."
"I don't want it. Next."
"..."
Aslan narrowed his brows.
"What exactly do you want?"
"You know all that, why show it to me?"
Yustea had an incredulous face.
Aslan frowned.
"Then what is it that you want?"
"I'm not this... Ah, skewer."
Since you can get all kinds of fresh things, there were many food stalls in the port.
Yustea headed to the stall selling skewers.
Aslan also approached with a frown.
"Are you going to eat such dirty food?"
Yustea didn't even pretend to hear.
If it was before, he would have flinched....
"Ah, no. Sorry...."
He would have muttered like that.
Yustea looked at Aslan.
"Why."
"Money."
His attitude was brazen.
Aslan sighed and handed over a gold coin.
Then the merchant selling skewers narrowed his brows.
"That... um, gold coin is..."
Yustea quickly snatched the gold coin from Aslan.
And put it in his pocket, took out nine coppers and gave it to the merchant.
"Sorry. This side has no concept."
Aslan frowned.
Or not, Yustea took two skewers from the merchant and gave one to Aslan.
Then started walking ahead.
"Concept?"
Aslan asked, Yustea said while eating the skewer.
"If you give a gold coin, even if you give the whole stall, you can't give change?"
"..."
Aslan narrowed his brows.
"Assuming that. But why doesn't the gold coin go into your pocket?"
"I gave you the skewer."
"Do you think I'll eat this?"
"If you don't like it, keep it."
"Then why return the gold coin?"
"Someone who has a gold flower garden is being stingy."
Yustea, sticking out his lips, extended his empty hand.
"You don't want to hold the skewer, right? Give it."
"..."
Aslan obediently handed over the skewer.
And Yustea said.
"Come."
Unexpected words.
When Aslan narrowed his brows.
From the alley, ragged children came out hesitantly.
Yustea gave skewers to the children.
The children's faces brightened.
And they quickly ate the skewers like they were hiding their eyes.
Among them, some hadn't even tasted it.
The child looked at Yustea's skewer with a sad face.
"I was going to eat it..."
"It's okay..."
"Will you buy it again?"
"People say they'll go like that..."
"I'm not going."
"Many people say that and go..."
Yustea and the child looked at each other with narrowed eyes.
Yustea extended the skewer with a defeated expression.
The kids ate it like starving dogs.
After that, Yustea said.
"Tomorrow at noon, relief food will come, so don't target this uncle's pocket. It's a really scary uncle."
"Do you know what we're targeting?"
"I saw them hanging around the stall earlier, what else."
"Since you gave the skewer, I won't target. Try it first. It's delicious!"
Yustea smiled and left a few coppers at the nearby stall.
"Give bread to the kids."
"Aigo, yes! Thank you!"
Then glanced at Aslan.
"Let's go. Now don't take out the gold coin."
"..."
"Targeting both kids and adults."
As Yustea said that, he flinched.
"Damn, they're already attached."
At that moment.
Men approached holding swords or iron rods like things.
"Rich lord?"
The man laughed lecherously.
His teeth in his mouth were all rotten.
Yustea slowly backed away.
And....
"Run!"
He grabbed Aslan's hand and ran.
I don't know how skillfully he ran.
He knocked over a passing box to block the thugs' path.
He jumped over the ship stalls.
Then hid in a cabin and made Aslan's head bow.
So the two sat squatting side by side in the narrow cabin.
"What are you doing."
"Dad, I'm protecting the gold coin pocket. So forget the one gold coin I took from you."
"Calling for help would be fine."
"Then the port manager will be shocked. And not only thugs, but illegal stalls, beggar kids, all chased away."
"..."
"Just avoid it, it's fine."
"Will avoiding work?"
"No!"
Yustea opened his eyes wide as if asking what nonsense he's saying.
"These things, institutionalization is important."
"But."
"But you don't have the will to do it."
"..."
"Even if it's nothing to you, those beggar kids. It's their territory."
"...Like you did to me?"
"Yeah."
At that moment, the ship creaked.
Someone boarded.
It creaked that much, not one person.
Aslan narrowed his eyes and looked at Yustea.
'Thugs?'
In the end, he had no choice but to call for help.
It was interesting how it would come out.
It didn't seem predictable at all.
So....
...It seemed a bit fun.
But it was strange.
Yustea tilted his head and put his ear to the cabin door.
"Do you want to save the thugs too?"
"People who run towards you with weapons have to pay the price."
"Then why are you looking so carefully. Now you should call for help."
"That's... um..."
Yustea frowned.
As if something was sticking.
"The footsteps are too regular and familiar..."
Aslan stared quietly at the muttering Yustea.
"How do you know that? Did you work in a search team or something."
"Eh? Yeah."
"Lies. Rather, say you worked in a blackmail gang."
"Yeah, I did."
"...Why? Say you worked in an information disruption team."
"Yeah. 3 months."
"..."
Aslan looked at Yustea with an incredulous face.
But at that moment.
"Ah, as expected."
Yustea's face brightened.
Bam.
The door opened.
And the face that appeared was....
"What are you doing here."
"Avoiding the thugs, I came in. Thugs?"
"I knocked them down."
"I wanted to see. ...Dad!"
...Aslan.
Yustea's adoptive father.