Chapter 16
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Call Daddy If You're Mad
-----------------------------------------------------------------
At first, I just thought I'd thrown it too far.
Piel had been in full 'pet fox mode' lately, madly fetching the trays I tossed like a maniac, to the point where my arm was about to give out first…
Honestly, that last throw was right before my grip gave way and my muscles felt like they were tearing—I'd flung it as hard as I could, thinking, 'Just chuck it far and take a quick break.'
So even when it was taking a bit long, I figured it was nothing unusual.
The kid had stamina for days; me lagging behind was par for the course.
…But something was off.
No matter how long I waited, it was ridiculously late. She wasn't coming back.
Piel would've bolted back in five seconds flat like always, but this time, there wasn't even a hint of her presence.
So in the end, with my arms shaking, I forced myself up, muttering, 'She must've crashed into the bushes again…' and went to check.
That's when I saw it.
Right there.
Hell had unfolded in that exact spot.
Syl Argent.
The psycho bitch from the original story Vengeful Goddesses who ruined noble ladies one by one under the excuse of 'playing friends,' driving them all away in the end.
Then afterward, with nothing left but slaves, she'd call them 'friends' and smash them like toys.
That Syl Argent was right now, in front of my annex, with my slave.
And—
With that same innocently bright expression she always wore, she spat out words that made you think, 'Yeah, this ain't human,' with just one sentence.
Syl lifted an axe and casually chopped off her own slave's finger.
What she did next was even more outrageous.
She tried to make Piel do the exact same thing.
At that moment, I threw the original story and the future to the wind and charged straight in, snatching the axe from Piel's hand in one swift motion.
At the same time, I locked eyes with that 'sister' who had crossed a line she absolutely shouldn't have, and the words that burst from my mouth were just one.
"You fucking bitch."
"Fuc… king?"
"Yeah. That's exactly what you just made my slave do. Got it?"
The moment I finished speaking, Syl's ever-smirking face crumbled in an instant.
Flustered? Shocked?
Whatever it was, her expression shattered beautifully.
The Lucas from the original story? He never could've done this.
True to his illegitimate young master status, he'd always kissed up to his older siblings and never once defied them—not even when he was later tortured alive by the slaves he'd tormented.
But the one inside me now wasn't that Lucas.
She touched my slave? That's just crossing the line.
And I wasn't the type to let anyone cross it lying down.
The slaves behind Syl, decked out in flashy dresses to her tastes, and even Karen watching from behind me—they all froze with mouths agape.
Like they'd just witnessed something they never thought they'd see in their lives.
But I? I was unfazed.
No, calmer than ever.
With one arm, I tightly hugged Piel as she ran into my embrace and started sobbing, while lowering the axe leisurely with the other, and continued.
"Don't you even know the Argent Family's basic rules? No touching another person's slave, heir or not."
"Ha! You, an illegitimate bastard, dare bring up family rules?"
Syl's voice was no longer playful.
The soft shell had peeled away, revealing the pent-up rage underneath.
"What, think having one slave makes you our equal?"
Syl strode forward.
The needle bundle she'd picked up again glinted like a beast's fang hunting for fresh flesh.
So I kindly offered her a lesson.
Whoosh—!
"Eek?!"
The axe sliced through the air, stopping dead right in front of Syl's crown—barely a hair's breadth away.
Thin enough that a single strand of hair from her scalp floated down, severed by the wind.
Syl froze solid on the spot.
I looked down at her calmly and said,
"Yeah. Since my sister's forgotten the family rules and is acting up, I'm teaching her as a little brother. Isn't that… my duty as the one stuck with such a pathetic sibling?"
As those words landed, any trace of a smile vanished from Syl's lips—
Thud.
The sound of her knees hitting the ground.
Whether from shock making her collapse, fear buckling her legs, or impact draining her strength.
Either way, the lady who was the Argent Family's next heir had crumbled completely before me.
I drew a faint smile at the sight.
As if I genuinely wanted to praise her with, "Good job learning, sis."
"Y-You psycho… Are you really Lucas?"
I shrugged.
"Who else would I be? Think I suddenly turned into Jesus or something?"
"Je… sus? Whatever—you really think you can handle the fallout from this?!"
When she'd first approached with that needle bundle, Syl must've thought I was the same 'pathetic Lucas' from her memories.
Probably planning to put me in my place, jab me with needles, and give me a mental beating.
But in the end, she was the one who got schooled.
Supported by her slaves, Syl glared at me with a twisted face.
Her eyes burned with the urge to lunge right then.
Then she spotted Piel trembling and clinging to me in my arms, and spoke up.
"Lucas Argent… Kneel and hand over Piel right now. Do that, and I might forgive you."
"Piel?"
"Yeah. That kid's gonna play with me from now on. She's too good for trash like you."
I felt Piel shuddering in my arms.
Syl, seeing it, smirked like a victor and reached out.
"So hand her over. Then… I won't say a word to Father."
Keep quiet to Father.
That phrase brought one face to mind instantly.
Agram Argent.
The current head of the Argent Family.
The underworld ruler who gripped the entire shadow of the Abellan Empire.
A being so monstrous that even in the original story, they couldn't describe his full form.
Even after Piel became the hero and Evelyn took the throne, neither dared confront him head-on—the world's final boss.
In simple terms, a guy with enough power to flip the kingdom but no need to bother—the ultimate black curtain.
And if Syl, the official heir, reported this scene to Agram?
I'd be rolling in thorns and dying for being 'just an illegitimate bastard'—no surprise there.
Coldly speaking, handing Piel over as Syl wanted was the most rational choice here.
All logic screamed it.
So, I smiled.
Grin.
"…You're smiling?"
And answered right away.
"Yeah. Go ahead and tell him."
"W-What?!"
"Master…!"
Piel clutched my sleeve, trembling.
I gently stroked her head and fixed my gaze on Syl.
"Go tattle to your daddy. Tell him your illegitimate little brother pushed you around and snatched your axe during playtime."
Her face collapsed in a flash at those words.
The slaves watching from behind held their breath; Karen covered her mouth, her face ashen.
Syl finally spoke, lips quivering, voice shrill.
"You… have you lost your mind—"
But I held Piel tighter and continued slowly.
"Why stop? Hurry up. Cry about how your illegitimate brother humiliated you. With your dad's temper… he'll decide on the spot after one listen."
Syl looked like her throat was being choked by an invisible leash.
Seeing that terror hit her oddly calmed me further.
A line from my past life flashed by.
If you're gonna grovel to live, might as well die standing.
So I curled my lips up.
It was still my truth in this world.
If it was a battle of crushing Syl's mentality, I was undefeated.
In the end, even with her cruel nature, Syl was still just a kid.
One line from me, and tears welled up visibly.
Then she hiked up that expensive dress and fled, burying herself among her slaves.
It was so pathetic… Back in my room, I laughed till my sides hurt, rolling on the bed like a dying caterpillar.
Childish to beat a kid?
Not at all.
Even accounting for my mid-thirties past life age, it felt damn refreshing.
She'd learned firsthand what happens when you tug the sleeping lion's whiskers.
…Problem was, the one I'd poked wasn't a lion, but the daughter of this world's dragon-tier black curtain.
"So… you picked a fight with Syl Argent without any preparations?"
"Yes, that's right."
She started it— what was I supposed to do?
Have her go apeshit on my slave, hand her an axe to chop off a finger, and I'm supposed to kneel like original Lucas whimpering, "Eek, sorry, sis…?"
Get real.
Better to smash the egg against the rock if it's gonna crack anyway.
Even if that rock was the monster Agram Argent.
And now… the aftermath was rolling in.
Any moment, Argent soldiers could bust down my annex door for defying an official heir—no shock there.
So I needed at least minimal defenses now.
In this palace, one spot to move without the family's eyes.
Thus, I was here…
"So, Your Highness. Lend a hand, yeah?"
In the Ashen Hand hideout led by Evelyn.