Chapter 302
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 10 Years Later (3)
“Then, let the match begin…!!”
“Hey, kids, who wants to ride on Daddy’s shoulders?”
I stood among the fathers kneeling down for their children and asked.
Helena pondered alone with her intellectual gaze, then analyzed the situation coolly.
“Ian would probably be the best choice.”
“What…? No way, if it’s grabbing the flag, I can snatch it just as fast.”
Liri spoke with her hand on her hip, her eyes narrowed in defiance.
Her red eyes burned with competitive spirit.
“It’s fine if Liri does it. She wants to so badly.”
Ian smiled leisurely, ready to yield the chance.
But Helena shook her head, her dark eyes flashing.
“No, Liri’s arms are shorter than yours physically. For grabbing the flag, longer reach has the advantage.”
“Hmph… As if there’s that much difference.”
If Helena was like a cool-headed commander, Liri gave off the vibe of a tough tomboy.
Ian, ever the good-natured one, gently eased the escalating tension.
“Then, how about this, kids?”
Still kneeling, I met the eyes of the boy and girls.
First, I looked at Liri and made a proposal.
“You yield the turn to Ian this time. In exchange, we’ll have your favorite pizza toppings for lunch.”
“Hmm…”
Liri crossed her arms with a pouty expression.
Then, in a slightly smaller voice, she muttered.
“You’ll add extra cheese, right?”
“Of course. As much as you want.”
“Fine. That makes it a fair deal.”
Like someone she took after, Liri was thorough even in small trades.
Wonder what she’ll grow up to be…
“And for dessert, we’ll get strawberry crepes from that shop nearby.”
“…!”
I said it while looking at Helena.
Even she, who’d seemed so mature, widened her eyes like a cute lion cub.
“My advice paid off, Father.”
Finally, I turned to Ian.
He was already prepared, rolling his shoulders to loosen up.
“Alright, let’s go, Ian?”
“Yes, Father!”
Thanks to his natural athleticism, the silver-haired boy climbed onto my shoulders with practiced ease.
He was still on the skinny side, but his legs and thighs were impressively sturdy.
“Then, Class A, Class B, and Class C, please come to the field. The final group event is starting!!”
Countless elite knights proudly served as mounts for their children.
The young ones stood on the battlefield with stern expressions mirroring their fathers.
“Ian, should we take out the enemy captain first?”
“Yes, let’s. I’m ready.”
Understanding my intent, he flashed his black eyes through his silver hair.
Then, he focused on Richard and his daughter Lina perched on his shoulders.
She was clearly the same age as the others, with a build similar to Ian’s.
She’d clearly inherited the sturdy bone structure typical of the Richard family.
“Here I go…!!”
I bent my knees slightly.
The moment I sprang up again.
Dust swirled as I charged toward Richard at blinding speed.
But the field was crowded with other knight fathers besides him.
Twisting my body at high speed to dodge them, Ian smoothly snatched their flags in response.
However, the other parents recognized who I was and offered no real resistance.
They hesitated to approach, knowing I was the emperor’s husband and brother-in-law to countless imperial princesses.
Catching on, Richard bellowed loudly.
“Don’t chicken out!! Her Majesty Lea said she’s letting Lord Veil get some exercise anyway!!”
Come to think of it, Richard had been Lea’s closest aide.
He’d received her secret orders.
“Her Majesty takes full responsibility. Whoever snatches his flag gets a gold coin reward today!!”
“Woooah―――!!”
Only then did the parents, who’d been wary of facing me, light up with excitement.
They charged in without hesitation for a fair fight.
“Wait, Lea said that…?!”
“Guess it’s because Father’s been sleeping on the couch all the time lately…”
Even Ian landed a jab, making me squeeze my eyes shut.
“Ugh… No wonder she’s been keeping her distance since the fourth one… She’s finally whetting her appetite…!!”
My other wives were one thing, but Lea was especially insatiable.
She hid it best on the surface, but at night, she became a sensually regal queen.
I could already hear her voice in my head, using a loss as an excuse.
“You lost the match, Veil? Then I suppose I’ll have to give you a massage myself. You wouldn’t refuse the emperor’s touch, would you?”
Her blue eyes glowing in the dark.
Once entranced by them, time slips away without answer.
My body’s still in peak condition from tending my ‘garden,’ so nights with her are enjoyable, but…
Having more kids here would mean she couldn’t handle state affairs anymore.
A chill ran down my spine, and I flashed intense black eyes.
“Ian, can you hold on tighter?”
“Of course, Father.”
Like his mother Irina, our eldest son had rock-solid lower body strength.
Thanks to him, I could throw myself into the match even more seriously.
I’d seize victory for sure and use it as an excuse to survive the night unscathed…!!
――――――!!
I lowered my stance and overtook the knights with overwhelming speed.
Fathers and kids lunging to claim the gold coin reward stared dumbfounded at my afterimage.
But one among them kept pace with impressive skill.
Right ahead: Richard Stonefield and his daughter Lina.
They prepared to meet me with matching blue eyes.
“Come at me, Veil!!”
We rushed at each other at full speed.
And in the moment our shoulders were about to collide.
“…!!”
Instinctively thinking of our kids, we both thrust out our hands instead, clashing palms.
Our fingers interlocked as we began a test of strength.
“Urgh… For someone who’s been lounging around, you’re still as tough as ever!!”
“You too—looks like you’ve been working out lately?”
I smirked at Richard like a sly fox.
He rolled his eyes upward, signaling his daughter.
“Lina, now!”
“Yes, Daddy!!”
While the dads grappled hand-to-hand.
The blonde girl Lina, at her young age, extended her arm with already ferocious movement.
“Ian, watch out!!”
Sensing her extraordinary talent, I shouted at full volume.
Ian twisted his body like a wolf, deftly evading the girl’s ambush.
Then, with fox-like nimble eyes, he counterattacked immediately.
“Hya…!!”
Lina didn’t let out any dainty whimper like other girls her age.
With a tomboyish kiai, she arched her body flexibly backward, dodging Ian’s hand.
As expected of a knight captain’s daughter—she was no pushover.
At such a young age, the kids were already locked in a fierce flag-snatching battle.
From the bench, Liri and Helena cheered them on enthusiastically.
“Don’t lose, Daddy!”
“You too, Ian!!”
As the two girls shouted fervently.
A familiar shadow fell over them from behind.
“Is the match not over yet?”
The girls turned around.
Liri greeted the visitor with a bright voice.
“Mommy!”
“I was a bit late, training your little brother on horseback.”
Lydia hugged her daughter, who was just a half-head shorter than her.
Dressed in a black dress, she held the reins while her son Leon rode a pony.
Unlike her who couldn’t ride, she was diligently training her son.
Leon had black hair and red eyes like Liri.
But unlike his sharp-eyed sister, he had a softer, more boyish smile.
“Did your father arrive on time?”
“Yes, he’s over there joining the flag grab.”
Helena answered Lydia in a relaxed, familial tone.
Following her gaze, the eastern ruler of the empire turned to the intense match.
“Hmm… Why’s he going all out in the kids’ event like that?”
“He’s not using mana, at least.”
Lydia glanced at Helena, who resembled Lea so much.
Then chuckled, noting she lacked any childlike innocence.
“Aah—. As the matches wrap up, Captain Richard and His Highness Veil’s battle remains fierce!!”
“Urgh…….”
“Ian, you okay? It’s fine to give up if it’s too much!!”
I shot a worried look at my son, holding his own against Lina.
He moved me with his remarkably mature response.
“No!! I’ll win the championship so Father can rest in the garden!!”
“Sniff… Wonder who he takes after to be this precocious…”
Richard looked up at his precious only daughter and said.
“Lina, it’s okay—if it’s tough, you can come down.”
“No, Daddy…! I wanted to flatten Uncle Veil’s nose!!”
Their side had a daughter just as devoted.
Still only nine, Lina held her own against Ian with her girl’s frame.
The moment she reached for Ian’s shoulder with filial fervor.
Ian, not missing her greed, narrowed his eyes wolfishly.
Smack―――!!
“Oww…!!”
Predicting the path of Lina’s arm perfectly, Ian smacked it away with his hand’s back.
The instant the girl winced, he reached out and snatched the blue flag from her back.
“No…!!”
“Aah, we have a result!! Ian Andalusia Mikhail has seized the captain’s flag…”
Lina’s blue eyes trembled faintly.
Ian, feeling sorry, pressed his lips together.
“The final winning team is Class A…!!”
Cheers and applause erupted from our class’s parent section.
Even the kids waiting on the bench after elimination yelled excitedly.
“Woooah―――!!”
Amid the roar, I silently regarded Richard.
He exhaled roughly and cracked a smile.
“Was fun after all this time.”
“Same here. But let’s not talk about me in front of your daughter.”
I said it while looking up at the dejected Lina.
Her blue eyes wavered, sorry for losing to her father.
“I’m sorry, Father…. I really wanted to win this one for you…”
Seeing her daughter’s sad face, Richard’s lips parted automatically.
With a somewhat serious expression, he comforted her.
“No. This is a festival for you kids—why apologize to me…? If anything, I’m the one who messed up.”
Perhaps because he’d jokingly said at home he’d beat Veil this time.
His fatherly banter had become a burden for his daughter.
This is why you have to watch every word and deed around kids.
“Don’t worry about me. As long as you grow up healthy, that’s all the happiness I need…”
I watched warmly as Richard comforted his daughter.
He’d grown into a true adult, prioritizing his duties over his competitive drive.
“…”
Ian, the victorious flag-snatcher, watched the scene silently.
Seeing the crying girl made him feel guilty.
“Now, Class A, please come up to the podium!!”
Still, the awards ceremony had to proceed.
Helena, our class rep, led the way as Ian and the others ascended the stage.
Most kids lined up excitedly in a row.
Ian the champion, Liri, and class rep Helena stood front and center.
“We sincerely congratulate the 91st Laurel Cradle Academy Sports Festival champions!!”
Mosian, now principal of the academy, chuckled as he handed over the trophy.
Retired from prime minister, he spent happy days tending the children.
“Thank you.”
Helena received the trophy calmly and passed it to the true hero, Ian.
The silver-haired boy held it briefly, then glanced at the sniffling Lina below the stage.
“What’s wrong?”
Liri, standing beside him, tilted her head curiously.
Her pigtails tilted to one side with her curiosity.
“Wait a sec…”
Ian handed the trophy to Liri and jumped off the stage.
He approached Lina.
“Lina.”
“What…”
The blonde girl whipped her head away from Ian’s call.
As if ashamed to show her crying face.
“Wanna hold the trophy together…?”
“What’re you talking about? Your Class A won.”
Ian’s black eyes gleamed softly through his silver hair.
His face and voice were remarkably calm.
“Who cares who won? This event’s for us to enjoy. So let’s commemorate it together.”
“…”
Lina glanced at her father.
I stood beside him and nudged Richard’s side.
“Shouldn’t we get a big group photo?”
The captain of the Order of Light caught my intent and nodded silently to his daughter.
“…”
Perhaps because even her father urged her to accept Ian’s gesture.
Lina stifled her tears and took Ian’s hand.
As Class B’s rep, she joined him on stage.
Now the podium was packed with reps from every class, rowdy and full.
The photographer beamed at the crowded stage.
“Alright, say cheese! One, two, three……!!”
――――――.
We and Richard watched warmly as the novel photographic technology from the duchy captured the moment.
“Good.”
“What is.”
I glanced up at him slyly to his curt question.
“Just… leaving records of our kids growing up like this. The world’s gotten pretty amazing.”
“True. Capturing in an instant what used to take hours to paint is pretty miraculous.”
I patted Richard’s shoulder fondly.
Then, as I turned my head.
“…”
Lydia had approached right up to my face before I knew it.
“Oh, Lydia, you’re here…?”
We’d grown close enough for casual speech.
But her expression was like a grumpy black panther.
She raised her cute little fist.
And thumped my shoulder repeatedly, scolding me.
“Why go all out in the kids’ match!!”
“Eek…!! Ouch, that hurts!”
I flinched under her blows.
Then her meaningful words made my eyes widen foxily.
“If you’ve got that much energy to spare, save it for tonight…!”
‘Huh…?’
Lydia’s seductive, bewitching red eyes stared up at me intently.
Richard cleared his throat awkwardly and backed away.
“Richard, remember we’re taking the kids to the pizza place tonight?”
*Please say you remember!!*