Chapter 134: Say Hello to Your New Daddy? (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 134: Say Hello to Your New Daddy? (4)
Slap!
Merlin’s tanned cheek flushed a deep crimson.
As the stinging pain left her momentarily dazed, a torrent of foul-mouthed abuse—as if the man had a filthy rag stuffed in his mouth—poured into her ears.
"You stupid fucking bitch! What the hell were you thinking, bringing this here? Are you insane?"
"Why... why...?"
Merlin had explained it clearly enough.
It was a Dragon's Horn. Even if it looked a bit odd, it was worth an astronomical amount.
As Merlin looked at him with an aggrieved expression, the man raised his fist and screamed.
"What do you mean 'why,' you fucking cunt?! Try taking that to the black market or a fence! Gold, my ass! You’d just end up dragging a whole squad of guards down on us!"
"Ah... I didn't..."
"Ha, fuck... I told you to bring money, and you pull this retarded shit..."
"I-I'm sorry... Adolf..."
Adolf, who continued to glare savagely at Merlin, was the spitting image of a street urchin—a common thug. However...
He wasn't a complete idiot.
At the very least, he was smart enough to understand that the Dragon's Horn before him possessed immense value, and unfortunately, they lacked the power to handle such an item.
As his anger flared again, Adolf’s eyes fell upon the cowering Merlin.
...Still, the more I look at her, the more she gets me going. And... that Dragon's Horn...
The biggest reason they couldn't move the horn was that they were currently in the Imperial Capital, Berlina. Adolf knew well enough that every part of a dead dragon, from head to toe, belonged to the Emperor. Trying to trade that horn for gold in the capital was no different from turning themselves in at the guard post.
Wait a minute. If that's the case, I just need to move it somewhere else. A city far from the capital, or maybe even cross the border into another country...
It was the kind of desperate logic only a cornered thug would come up with, but Adolf made his decision quickly.
Rather than returning the Dragon's Horn to its rightful place, he would take this chance to flee the Imperial Capital.
Having decided, Adolf signaled his waiting gang with a glance, then licked his lips and approached Merlin.
"Whew... Hey, Merlin."
"Y-yes?"
"First... first off, I'm sorry for hitting you. You know how it is, right? I've got a shitty temper. That's why I snapped, so try to understand."
"Yeah... no, I'm the one who's sorry... for causing trouble..."
Slyly, Adolf wrapped his arm around Merlin’s trembling shoulders.
"Right, you should be sorry. Who was it that saved you when you were about to get fucked over wandering these streets alone?"
"...It was... it was you, Adolf..."
"Exactly. It was me. I'm the one who gave you a place to stay when you didn't want to go home, and I'm the one who introduced you to my friends. Thinking back on everything else, I'm basically your savior. So how could you put me in such a spot?"
"I'm... I'm sorry..."
"Hey, do you think I'm doing this just to hear you say that? Huh?"
"Then... what... what should I do...?"
Only then did a smirk spread across Adolf’s lips.
Now pulling Merlin into a full embrace, Adolf spoke again.
"If you're really sorry, you shouldn't just say it with words. You should show me how sorry you are with your body."
"...Huh? What?"
"Oh, for fuck's sake, are you going to pretend you don't understand? Do you think an apology is enough to fix this situation?"
"N-no..."
"Right. Since words aren't enough, apologize with your body. Want me to make it easier to understand? Give me a taste."
Surprisingly, Merlin had never once allowed him to have her body.
She had always insisted that was the one thing she couldn't do, promising to bring more money instead.
Of course, it wasn't as if Adolf hadn't thought about taking her by force.
Ugh, should I just pin her down right now? No... wait. The last guy who tried that was burned alive... Damn it. That bastard father of hers couldn't just die quietly; he had to leave some kind of trick behind...
Even if he had left this world, it was only natural for a father to protect his daughter.
Even now, a guardian talisman left by her late father hung around Merlin’s neck. Whether he liked it or not, Adolf had no choice but to coax and wheedle her.
"I-I'll go back home again."
"Ah~ you're really starting to piss me off. Do you think I'm doing this for money right now?"
"...T-then..."
"Forget it. Get out. Don't you dare show your face in front of me again."
"Ah, w-wait...!"
"I said get out!"
With that, Adolf shoved Merlin away.
He did so with the calculated certainty that if he pushed her away like this, she would inevitably come crawling back to him.
Concluding that he would enjoy his fill and then discard her afterward, Adolf kicked Merlin out of the hideout.
*
What do I do, what do I do... what do I do...?
What was she supposed to do now?
Without Adolf, she had nowhere to go.
Adolf was the only one who had accepted her.
If she was rejected by them, what would become of her?
Merlin was even considering whether she should finally give up her body when an unbelievable sight unfolded before her eyes.
"...No... way..."
Leon, the man who made her blood boil just by thinking of him, was walking toward her.
He wasn't walking on the ground like a normal person; he was descending through the air as if walking down an invisible set of stairs.
A faint smile played across his face.
Perhaps because of that smile, a single sentence Leon had said flashed through Merlin’s mind.
'Why don't you try calling me that? My daughter. Say... Daddy.'
Her amazement at the sight of him walking through the air was short-lived.
Her blood simmering with rage, Merlin spat out a curse and tried to cast a spell that didn't require a staff.
However, Leon made a "shh" sound, placed his index finger to his lips, and murmured softly.
"Your voice."
"...!"
"Don't raise your voice so much, Merlin Cornelius."
Leon’s expression was full of mischief, as if he were saying, 'Man, I've always wanted to try that line.'
But Merlin, far from raising her voice, couldn't even make a sound.
The words themselves, imbued with magic power, became a command—a spell that forced Merlin’s actions.
As Merlin stood there, unable to do anything, Leon finally finished his descent and stood right in front of her.
"My, my, look at our daughter. So this is where you were. Have you been well?"
"......!!!!!!"
"Hahaha, yes, yes. You must have missed your Daddy very much."
Leon chuckled, easily dodging the arms and legs Merlin swung wildly at him.
To the silently panting Merlin, Leon snapped his fingers with a flourish.
Snap!
"Wh-what... huh? My voice...?"
"Now, do you want to try calling me Daddy?"
"...I'm going to kill you, you son of a bitch."
"Hahaha."
Merlin began chanting a spell again, manifesting spheres of red flame in both hands.
Whether such magic would work on the man before her wasn't the point.
She was simply so furious she couldn't stand it.
As Merlin looked ready to fire the fireballs at any moment, Leon offered another remark, his voice laced with a faint amusement.
"Don't use such strong words."
"What?"
"It makes you look weak."
"...!!"
The moment he finished speaking, Merlin’s body froze like a stone statue.
Forget making a sound; she couldn't even twitch a finger.
Quite literally, Merlin was preserved in space.
"Hmm~ looking at you up close, you really do look a lot like your mother. Jeez, why did you cut your hair so roughly? This beautiful platinum blonde hair is a mess. I wonder if it'll look better once it grows out."
"..."
As if appraising her, Leon lightly scanned the dazed Merlin.
And then, before Merlin’s eyes—which were slowly being consumed by terror rather than rage—a pair of wings darker than the night sky unfurled.
As if to signal that the real nightmare was just beginning.
"Ah, Sitri. Are you done?"
"Fufu, yes. The only ones in this vicinity are you and Merlin."
"Wait, did you take care of the guys in the hideout too?"
"As if I would. It is simply that, in my eyes, they did not appear to be human."
"Hahaha. Well... then I should let her go now."
The sound of snapping fingers echoed in the air.
Immediately, Merlin’s frozen body regained its mobility, but...
Perhaps due to the Great Demon who had appeared alongside Leon, Merlin was paralyzed with fear, unable to do anything.
To Merlin, who was now trembling uncontrollably, Leon spoke once more.
"Now, follow me."
"W-where..."
"Where else? We have to go find the stolen goods."
*
As soon as they entered the abandoned building, the sound of boisterous laughter reached them.
Naturally, the sound of a vulgar conversation followed, drifting through the dilapidated walls.
"Did you see that bitch's face earlier? Even when I slapped her, she couldn't say a word, just stood there shaking."
"Ah~ I'm telling you, she was fucking hot, though. I almost lost it and fucked her right then and there! Kyahaha!"
"With that tiny little needle-dick of yours? It wouldn't even get past her ass cheeks!"
"What? You motherfucker. Did you see it? Did you?!"
"This guy's triggered. Must really have a needle-dick."
Hmm... it seemed Merlin hadn't been touched by those thugs yet.
If she had, the conversation wouldn't be flowing in that direction.
Whether it was thanks to the guardian talisman around her neck or the fact that she was a mage—even if not as good as her mother—it was a good thing either way.
'By the way...'
While Sitri and I were merely disgusted, Merlin looked significantly shocked.
Did she really think those thugs were her friends?
Because of her absurd reaction, I paused for a moment, and once again, the pathetic conversation reached us.
"Hey... Boss. Are we really leaving for another country? Can't we just sell it here?"
"You fucking idiot. How many times do I have to tell you, you moron? Even the neighborhood dogs know that goddamn horn belongs to the Emperor! The moment we pull that out, we're dead meat!"
"Then you could've just said so, shit..."
"What? You little shit... what did you just say?"
"N-no, Boss. I-I was wrong."
"Talk back to me one more time and I'll crack your skull open. Anyway, we're selling that horn in another country, or at least another region. Then we're leaving this place. Got it?"
"G-got it. But..."
"What now?"
"What are we gonna do when Merlin comes back?"
"I'll have my way with her first, then we'll all pass her around, and finally, we'll break her and sell her off to a brothel. Clean and simple. We've sucked her dry for long enough; it's time we gave her one last 'service.' Don't you think?"
"Kyah~ that's our Boss for you~"
Hmm~ they really are a choice selection of trash that I wouldn't feel a shred of guilt for beating to death right now.
Well, I should still try to avoid killing if possible, but...
"N-no way... it's a lie... it's a lie..."
It seemed Merlin truly believed those thugs were her friends.
Tsk, tsk... to thugs, a 'friend' is just a sucker they can backstab whenever they want.
Well, at least Merlin’s delusions have been thoroughly shattered. I held back Merlin, who looked ready to charge in at any second, and looked at Sitri.
"I'll be right back."
"Fufu, understood. I shall keep a close eye on Merlin."
"Thanks. It won't take long."
And so, I finally revealed myself to the thugs.
BAM!
Currently, I was an Errant Knight personally dubbed by the Emperor, and a noble—the second son of a Margrave who ranked within the top five in the order of precedence.
Kicking the door open with grace and elegance, I saw about six men inside.
"Wh-what the!"
"Who the fuck...!"
Curses erupted from all sides.
Amidst the chaos, the largest and most brutish-looking of the thugs stepped forward.
"Heh, look at this guy. Did you eat your common sense for dinner? You alone?"
"No, five... ah, six now. It'll be seven soon."
"What the hell are you talking about, you piece of shit? Hey, are you crazy? Huh? Who the hell are you to come barging in here alone and acting all tough!"
Man~ I've really wanted to do this.
I'm checking off a lot of bucket list items today.
The Dragon's Horn is... good, it's back there. And this guy must be the leader, Adolf Goebbels...
After quickly assessing the situation, I recited the line of the strongest hero in history.
Ah, though I have a full head of hair, of course.
"I'm just a guy who's a hero for fun."
"...What?"
