Chapter 5

"Dad…"

As I embraced my trembling father, my thoughts became heavy.

I understood my father better than anyone and wanted to do what he wished.

But.

'If Dad doesn’t return, this country will be doomed.'

That’s right.

Dad, Enoch Rubinstein, shouldn’t be here.

He must return to the knights with honey on his lips and a knife in his belly, as in the original story, and gather the protagonist Cheshire.

And he must prepare a rebellion from within the knights and bring about a revolution in this country.

Because.

About ten years from now.

'Ordinary people will all die.'

The imperial royal family will carry out a 'non-magician extermination policy.'

A massacre where they arrest and kill ordinary people without any magic ability, without question.

The one who stops this is Dad.

'I thought it had nothing to do with me. After all, the protagonists would stop the massacre. They would protect me, so I could just be an extra and enjoy myself.'

But….

'My dad was the protagonist!'

Originally, I would have been kidnapped a little while ago.

The role of planting the seeds of revenge in Enoch Rubinstein, who had his daughter taken away.

But with the sudden thought of not wanting to part with Dad, I changed the original story.

Unlike the original, I was safe.

What if Dad took me and ran away?

Dad wouldn’t need to gather the protagonist Cheshire and teach him, nor would he raise a rebellion against the imperial royal family.

'Then it would be a disaster. The innocent extras would all die, right?'

I thought of Aunt Susan and Uncle Joe’s faces.

The moment I imagined them screaming in pain as they died.

'No, no.'

I shook my head hard to shake off the terrible thoughts.

"Dad."

"…Yeah."

"Would you want me to run away and live all my life? No, right?"

"That’s not it, but—"

Dad let go of the body he had been holding tightly and looked me in the eye.

"The princess said she wanted to live a normal life with Dad."

"…"

"If we return to the system? The princess has to live as a magician. It won’t be a normal life at all."

Right, that’s what I said.

But.

'At the point where Dad is Enoch Rubinstein, my normal and comfortable extra life is already over!'

…Swallowing the urge to shout, I decided to act like a greedy seven-year-old.

"To be honest, Dad is amazing, and I’m a magician, so my feelings have changed a bit."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Magicians are also nobles, right? And as Dad’s daughter, I’d be the most powerful noble among them. Right?"

"…"

Dad looked at my sparkling eyes in confusion.

"Dad doesn’t have to keep cutting wood and selling it at the market anymore, and I don’t have to wait for Dad. And… I don’t have to do laundry either!"

"Lilith, princess, I told you not to do the laundry, but you keep—!"

"There’s more! I can eat macarons all the time and wear dresses with ribbons!"

Bang, bang.

I stomped my feet as if I were angry.

Dad was surprised.

'Oh, Dad, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to act like a fire-elemental filial daughter…'

"Why didn’t you tell me! Why!"

"Lilith!"

"You didn’t want me to live as a magician, right?"

I shouted, tears welling up in my eyes and pouting.

"You didn’t even ask me if I wanted to live as a magician and a noble!"

"G, princess…."

"I don’t want to be called princess only by Dad! I want to be a real princess!"

Dad’s eyes started to waver.

"I’m not Dad’s daughter!"

"What, what did you say?"

The decisive blow….

Dad staggered back, shocked.

"I won’t be James’ daughter! I’ll be Duke Enoch’s daughter!"

I pointed firmly out the window with my little finger.

"If Dad doesn’t go, I’ll ask those uncles to take me!"

"…"

Dad was speechless at my firm attitude.

He bit his lip and remained silent for a long time, looking confused.

'Oh, Dad, I’m really sorry.'

I’m really sorry to Dad, but….

His thoughts won’t take long.

The most important thing for him right now is this daughter.

* * *

The cozy cabin full of my childhood memories.

In front of it, Dad and I faced the knights with our packed bags.

I peeked at the handsome face of the knight captain while being held by Dad.

'Black hair, purple eyes. The description seemed familiar.'

His name is….

Axion Libre.

1. Rank: Dos.

2. Duke Libre.

3. Dad’s knight academy classmate, who took over as captain after Dad disappeared seven years ago.

4. His closest ally, who will become Dad’s revolutionary army comrade.

Indeed, he was a major character in the original story.

'Yeah, that’s Axion. There’s no way such a handsome face could be an extra.'

After being hit in the back of the head by James Brown, I decided to engrave the ironclad rule that 'there are no handsome extras' in my bones.

"Let’s go, Enoch."

"Carriage."

Dad murmured in a cold voice, and Axion tilted his head.

"What?"

"We can’t go until the best carriage is brought. Our daughter’s bottom can’t endure riding a horse for a long time."

"What, what!"

The knight standing next to Axion (the one who bit my hand) tried to jump out in anger at Dad’s high-handedness.

But Axion lightly raised his arm to stop him.

"Hmm…."

He sighed and stared at me intently.

Look at him. He’s looking at me like I’m a burden. I could see what he was thinking from his expression.

I went to such lengths to act like a fire-elemental filial daughter to move Dad, and he doesn’t even acknowledge my efforts!

"Kids."

Axion finally gave the order.

"Get a carriage… the best one…."

* * *

About an hour later.

We were on our way to the southern city of Elpasha.

We were planning to take a warp gate at a temple in a large city to go to the system.

"Wow, so soft and comfortable."

I marveled at the comfort of the carriage, which I had never experienced before.

It was a carriage that the grand knights, who are like Sirs, had hurriedly procured like servants.

"Dad! The carriage is totally…!"

I called out to Dad excitedly but stopped.

Dad’s side profile, looking out the window, seemed deep in thought.

He might be angry that his daughter, whom he had raised for seven years, turned out to be a fire-elemental, which he didn’t expect.

'Oh, I’m really sorry, Dad…'

I moved my bottom and stuck to Dad’s side.

"Dad."

"Uh, Lilith."

"Sorry…."

Dad’s eyes widened. He looked at me, who had become dejected.

"Princess."

Dad lifted me and sat me on his lap.

"Are you scared of Dad’s expression? Sorry. I was just thinking."

"…"

"I’m wrong. I’m wrong to our princess. You’re right; I didn’t even ask what the princess wanted."

Dad stroked my hair and cheek, smiling to reassure me.

"Do whatever you want, princess. Dad will really go home, and you can wear pretty clothes and eat lots of expensive macarons."

"…"

"I’m sorry I couldn’t do that for you before. Dad didn’t know you wanted to live like that."

"No, no…."

I was happy with the life in the mountain cabin with James Brown.

Macarons were expensive desserts, so I couldn’t eat them often, but it was fine to have them occasionally. There was no one to show off pretty clothes to in the mountain village….

Most importantly, Dad was a perfect dad, providing for me, clothing me, and putting me to bed, without any shortcomings.

'Oh, I made Dad feel guilty by acting like a fire-elemental filial daughter.'

I felt sorry and said,

"I’m also… really sorry for saying I’m not Dad’s daughter. I didn’t mean it. And I understand Dad. You didn’t want to send me to the battlefield because it’s scary, right?"

"Right. The battlefield is scary. So, our princess shouldn’t go."

"…Huh?"

I blinked at Dad’s firm voice.

"What do you mean? To wear pretty clothes and eat macarons, don’t I have to go to the battlefield?"

"No, you don’t have to. Wear pretty clothes and eat macarons. But you don’t have to go to the battlefield. Dad will make sure the princess doesn’t go to the battlefield."

I turned my head to check if I was hearing things.

Refusing military service outright?

Dad looked like he had just finished a terrifying thought.

"No, Dad. Wait. Dad… Ah!"

At that moment.

The carriage suddenly stopped, jolting me, and my bottom lifted and then settled back down.

"Lilith! Are you okay?"

"Y, yeah."

What’s happening? I turned my head to look out the window.

"Ah, Dad? What’s that?"

Far away, a huge cloud of dust was rising.

Whatever it was, it was approaching the carriage at an incredible speed….

"Werewolves."

As soon as Dad opened the window to assess the situation, Axion, who was riding alongside the carriage, said.

"Are you kidding?"

Sticking to Dad, who was startled, I could confirm the identity.

'W, wolves?'

They were wolves, baring their white teeth and drooling.

Walking upright on two legs, not four!

"I knew they had a habitat around here, but I didn’t expect them to come down to the village. Wait here. I’ll take care of it quickly."

"Damn…."

Dad glared at Axion as if he wanted to kill him.

He was angry that I was put in danger right after we started.

"Princess."

"Uh?"

"Stay here and don’t move. Absolutely don’t come out. Don’t even stick your head out."

"Wait! Where are you going, Dad?"

Before I could stop him, Dad opened the door and leaped out.

"You put a shield on the carriage. If my daughter gets even a scratch, you’re dead."

"Are you going to do it yourself? Is it really necessary?"

"How long are you going to wait to catch them one by one?"

Dad gritted his teeth and pulled out the sword attached to Axion’s waist with a swoosh.

"A, Dad? Dad!"

I was too scared to open the door and pressed my cheek against the window like a squished pancake, shouting.

"Dad!"

Facing the monsters, which seemed to number about thirty, Dad walked out with just a sword in hand.

The knights who had been following him just stood there, dumbfounded.

"Hey, Uncle! You have to help! Why are you just watching? How can Dad take them all on his own?!"

I pounded on the window, pleading with Axion.

He glanced at me and muttered.

"…He’ll take them all."

"W, what…?"

At that moment.

Dad swung his sword.

It cut through the air, drawing a horizontal parabola with a single swipe.

'What?'

And simultaneously—

The monster wolves, which had been approaching at a terrifying speed, suddenly stopped.

The scene was like a paused video, leaving me bewildered.

'Why did they suddenly stop? They didn’t even get hit by the sword?'

The question was quickly answered.

"Wow."

The monster wolves, which had paused for about three seconds, split in half as if the space had been cut, and fell to the ground, spurting blood.

"Wh, wh, what’s happening…."

I rubbed my eyes, not believing what I saw.