Chapter 221
Chapter 221
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: A Father-in-Law's Qualifications (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It was just an ordinary night.
After washing the children and putting them to bed as usual, Hans headed to the kitchen alone.
He ate the leftovers the kids had left behind and read the newspaper about Veil's exploits.
He didn't feel particularly unhappy with his lot in life.
The children leaving food behind was a rare occurrence at the orphanage.
They had become that financially well-off, and they'd even renovated the building to rival any private academy.
But amid all that, the thing that brought him the most joy was something else entirely.
It was his son featured in the newspaper.
"Commoner-born knight Veil Mikhail ascends to Empire's Greatest Swordsman."
It was all about Veil's achievements.
"Splitting the heavens... What an incredible talent. Just like his parent's child!"
He read it over and over, his eyes feasting on every word, until an unexpected elderly visitor arrived.
That was when he experienced the staggering magic of teleportation for the first time in his life.
The world that unfolded afterward...
Was a space far more splendid than the estate of the noble house he'd served his entire life.
The central imperial palace, boasting ceilings as high as the heavens, known as the Celestial Palace.
He entered its grandest banquet hall.
But once he was inside, something even more astonishing happened.
The beautiful women before him were calling him "Father."
"Father, you must be tired from the journey. Please, have a seat here."
Irina, a woman who perfectly matched the brilliant surroundings and atmosphere.
She wore a platinum dress that revealed her dizzyingly alluring shoulders and voluptuous, feminine bustline.
With her pure eyes and gentle demeanor, she guided Hans.
"Um... thank you, but aren't you the saintess I met before...?"
Even in her nun's habit, her figure had been strikingly beautiful.
But in a dress, Irina's noble aura transcended mere beauty, leaving Hans quite flustered.
"Yes. I sometimes disguise myself as a nun for volunteer work. But my true role is imperial princess of the empire."
Imperial princess.
The mere sound of the lofty title stole his breath, leaving Hans's mouth agape.
"Hee hee..."
Then came a seductive laugh from right behind him.
Turning around, he saw the cute student who had joined the volunteer efforts before.
But she was completely transformed from her plain academy uniform.
A bewitching black silk dress, like something a little devil would wear.
It clung to her body, accentuating her beautifully pronounced hips.
"Welcome, Father Hans."
Unlike her usual haughty demeanor, Lydia wore a demure and modest expression.
"I am the empire's Third Imperial Princess Lydia. I never imagined we'd meet like this."
The youngest princess elegantly lifted the hem of her dress in greeting.
Irina and Lea watched from the side, utterly exasperated.
"Waiter, prepare a feast for our Father and his companions here?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Your Highness.
Hans's eyelids twitched at the words.
Only then did he truly realize that all these women were of imperial blood.
"N-No, I couldn't...! How could someone like me sit with princesses...!"
"Oh, there's no need to humble yourself before us."
Lea smiled brightly and gently patted Hans's shoulder.
Mago, watching the young woman touch her father's body, wore a deeply sullen expression.
Like a cat hissing in warning.
"Aren't you already a noble soul devoting yourself to the empire?"
"Exactly. You're the saint who cares for our empire's children."
Hans felt a strange thrill from Lea and Irina's practiced flattery.
It was like being praised by the emperor himself.
He steadied his nerves and downed the wine before him to quench his thirst.
"Now, let's eat. I had them bring the finest for you, Father."
Lydia spoke as if personally serving her father-in-law.
But Hans, feeling burdened, waved his hands in refusal.
"N-No... How could I accept something like this without compensation? I insist on paying!"
Hans now received quite a bit of sponsorship in Cornel.
His wallet was comfortably full, and he was confident he could cover the bill.
But at that moment...
"I'll serve the dish now."
As the waiter lifted the tin lid, a steak blanketed in gold appeared.
Topped brazenly with several of the world's most expensive mushrooms.
"Gasp...!"
Hans's hand, reaching for his wallet, froze.
Then Lea summoned her own waiter, who approached with a bottle.
"I'll pour."
――――――.
Cool liquor filled the empty glass.
Lea, ever the poised eldest imperial daughter, elegantly explained the drink.
"It's made from elf-gathered honey, snow from the glacial peaks, and blue rose extracts."
Mago knew of this liquor; her lips parted in surprise.
Its price was exorbitant, but the greater significance was its 'intent.'
This spirit was called "Wedding Spirit."
It was the drink gifted by imperial royals to fathers-in-law upon marriage into another house.
A toast to eternal union followed.
In other words, the princesses were treating their adoptive father as a father-in-law.
"Don't worry about the cost. It's all on us."
Five hundred gold per glass.
The price of a luxury carriage.
Faced with such extravagance as a welcome drink, Hans was speechless.
He could only take a sip of the honey wine from Lea.
And in that instant...
"...!!"
Focus vanished from Hans's dark eyes.
Mago tensed, wondering if the First Imperial Consort with her lascivious figure had slipped something into her father's drink.
But soon, the orphanage director's face melted into pure bliss, all worries dissolving.
"How can liquor taste like this...!"
Sweetness gently cascaded over his tongue.
As it slid down his throat, a pure, pristine flavor like glacial snow filled his body.
The lingering blue rose scent from his nostrils...
It was powerful enough to melt away the burdensome, uncomfortable atmosphere.
"Hee hee... I heard the director enjoys a whiskey before bed."
Lea had investigated her prospective father-in-law thoroughly.
But Irina wasn't about to stand idly by anymore.
"Hmm..."
She whispered to a waiter.
While Hans savored a bite of steak...
She received a cute, dainty box of cookies and quietly set it beside him.
"Um, Father."
"Yes...?"
The pure silver-haired princess approached the now-relaxed Hans.
With a virtuous, wifely smile, she said...
"This is for our 'little ones.' Take it when you go."
"Oh... As expected of a princess who does saintly work. The kids will love it..."
Hans nodded, impressed by Irina's thoughtfulness for the children.
He placed it on Mago's sullen thigh.
Under the princesses' affectionate onslaught, his initial apprehension began to fade.
His expression softened, as if looking at young daughters-in-law.
Yet that didn't mean he was fully won over.
Kindness was just kindness.
His own children, Veil and Mago, came first.
Regaining his knightly resolve, he fixed them with a firm gaze worthy of a former knight and asked the goddess-like beauties...
"But... does that mean you princesses are the ones who summoned me here...?"
"Exactly. Even using massive magic on such short notice."
Mago chimed in.
The princesses all tilted their heads in unison.
"Huh, no...? That's not it..."
Lea and Irina exchanged glances.
As if asking each other who had done it.
Lydia and Miya looked equally baffled.
"That's strange. There can't be another imperial who knows of Father besides us..."
As if in answer, the imperial chancellor returned to the banquet hall.
He approached with a pleased smile at the princesses attending to Hans.
"You're here."
Mosian, having finished his business, bowed apologetically to the unassuming middle-aged man.
Among those in the empire below the imperial family, he held the highest power, yet Mosian showed him full respect.
Hans was that important to everyone present.
"Come now. I'll escort you to the one who summoned you."
Hans cleared his throat and rose.
Mago hurried after him.
"Mosian, surely the one who called Father isn't..."
Irina asked on behalf of the group.
The elder nodded humbly.
"Yes, Her Majesty."
"...!!"
The hitherto relaxed princesses.
All tensed at the news that the emperor had personally summoned Veil's father.
They silently watched Hans and Mago ascend the stairs.
"W-What could it be about...?"
Lydia asked with anxious eyes.
Irina pressed a finger to her lips and murmured.
"No idea. Maybe a formal meeting..."
"...!!"
At Irina's sweet three words, the princesses' lips twitched in unison.
Each wore a mischievous smile, lost in fantasies.
「―――――」
"Your Majesty, I bring Hans Cleverly, director of the Cornel Orphanage."
Mosian bowed first, and Hans and Mago followed suit.
The young grand witch glanced up slyly at the emperor.
Overwhelmed by the majestic aura cloaking him and his crushing presence, she swallowed hard.
「....」
Leonhardt, lost in thought on his throne, reminiscing the past, hadn't even noticed their arrival until now. Finally, he opened his eyes.
"So, you're Hans, Veil's foster father...?"
Leonhardt rose from his throne.
The emperor of the empire stood for one man's father.
"Yes, but... I don't understand why Your Majesty would summon someone as lowly as me."
Ever the knight who'd served nobility, Hans observed proper etiquette.
But Leonhardt had no patience for formalities now.
He simply wanted quick answers to his burning questions.
"I summoned you because I want to know about one man."
"Ask anything freely..."
Hans dropped to one knee in a knightly pose.
The emperor drew close.
"Your son Veil..."
He knelt beside him and asked quietly.
"I'd like to know where and how you came to take him in."
"...!"
Hans's eyes flashed open at the emperor's question.
His dilated pupils stared straight at Leonhardt.
As if hiding something.
"V-Veil...?"
"Indeed. I have no intention of interrogating or harming the boy. Please, answer honestly."
Mosian, listening nearby, pleaded with Hans as well.
The elder bowed respectfully, as if to a superior, seeking his aid.
"..."
Even a tight-lipped, loving father like Hans hesitated before the emperor's request.
Clearing his throat, avoiding the emperor's gaze, he finally spoke.
"Your Majesty."
"Yes, speak."
The white-uniformed emperor met his eyes.
In this moment, his blue gaze burned with passion.
"But before I do, please confirm one thing first."
Hans scanned the emperor's surroundings.
Beside the throne sat the seat for the imperial consort.
And there, the empire's First Imperial Consort Rozanna had returned and taken her place.
"To tell this story, there must be no Epinans anywhere nearby."
Epinans.
Rozanna and Mosian both looked startled.
"Why is that?"
Even the emperor asked uneasily.
Hans met Rozanna's eyes with grave resolve.
"Because the man who was Veil's birth father ordered me never to tell any Epinans about his son's origins."
「....」
The emperor pondered whether to lie.
But mindful of Mago's odd look accompanying Hans, he answered truthfully.
"Rozanna and Mosian are Epinans, but they are safe. As this nation's sovereign, I vouch for them."
A personal guarantee from the emperor.
Hans exhaled deeply, then slowly nodded.
"Understood... Then..."
At last, he began.
He recounted how he'd come to meet Veil.
"In truth, I wasn't from Cornel. I was a knight on the western front, Epina's border region."
「...!!」
The emperor's white brows twitched.
That was the homeland of the one man he'd always felt sorry for and grateful to.
"I served the margrave there."
Hans looked up.
Staring at the emperor with truthful eyes.
"Your Majesty surely remembers. Twenty years ago, the Epinans, enraged by the execution of their royals, rose in rebellion."
"I do... A massive revolt too much for the margrave alone..."
"Precisely. My lord suffered greatly handling the flood of routed soldiers and citizens."
Epinans were a mercenary nation where every citizen was a soldier of renown.
Thus, the rebelling citizens wielded fearsome power.
"Even as a sword saint who'd reached swordmaster at a young age, my lord couldn't hold out..."
Hans squeezed his eyes shut, recalling his lord's end.
In a trembling voice, he continued.
"The estate was engulfed in flames, and my lord's kin scattered or vanished."
The emperor and Rozanna listened to the tragedy, their lips parting wider.
It eerily matched the circumstances of the knight they remembered.
"In that hell, I fought to buy time. Then, from the burning garden, my lord called to me."
Overcome with emotion, Hans's fingers shook.
Mago gripped his hand tightly.
"My lord was gravely wounded. Stabbed countless times all over. Even a swordmaster seemed unlikely to survive."
Bolstered by his daughter's touch, the father calmed.
"Yet in his arms was a newborn babe."
Hans mimed cradling a child, the memory vivid.
"My lord begged me to flee with his firstborn heir. And at the same time, he said..."
Veil's foster father instinctively looked to the Epinan Rozanna.
With a cold gaze, he replied.
"Never tell any Epinans that it's his son."
The margrave was the Epinans' prime target.
Thus, he'd entrusted his subordinate.
Hoping his son would survive, even as an orphan.
"So I fled my homeland with my lord's final command."
Rozanna pressed her lips tight.
Her beauty mark seemed to shrink.
"Wandering to a place without Epinans, I settled in remote Cornel."
Hans gazed proudly at Mago holding his hand.
"And that child was Veil Mikhail."
With a fatherly, gentle smile for her, he continued.
"Cornel had many children in need besides Veil. So I founded an orphanage for Veil and others, living quietly ever since."
Thinking of his splendidly grown Veil and Mago, Hans lifted his head.
With a parental, steadfast expression, he told the emperor...
"That way, Epinans would have little reason to suspect."
A margrave's son would likely live nobly if adopted elsewhere, drawing relentless Epinan assassins.
Thus, Hans had raised Veil disguised as an orphan.
「....」
The emperor bit his lip at Hans's parental visage, more fatherly than his own blood.
Sighing deeply, he gazed wistfully.
"Did you hear no further news of the margrave...?"
"..."
Hans struggled to reply.
Then nodded.
"Living cut off from the world, I heard nothing. Only that he'd passed..."
"I see... Yes, that makes sense..."
The emperor squeezed his eyes shut, regretting the words.
In a voice heavy with guilt and turmoil, as if the world crumbled, he murmured.
"Any final words from the margrave...?"
He'd expected curses for executing Epina's royals.
Racked with remorse, he breathed raggedly.
"Like a dying wish..."
The emperor's uncharacteristically frail demeanor startled Mosian and Rozanna.
"Yes, there were."
But Hans, facing him squarely, confessed boldly.
"That Your Majesty would quell this rebellion."
"What...?"
Even then, reassuring his subordinate and babe.
The margrave's last words...
"That he believed in Your Majesty."
He believes in me.
Leonhardt's face went slack.
He recalled the fox-eyed man who'd slyly smiled and advised:
The only one to protect this nation is the emperor.
"Berti... Yes, it was you..."
In the past, the emperor had bestowed the hero of national salvation title posthumously.
But with his kin reported all dead, there'd been no chance to repay.
Now, at last, he'd met his son.