Chapter 85

Shocked, I stood there, and my aunt laughed, saying, "What to do?"

"What, what? Dad didn't come?"

"Yeah, for some reason, he didn't come home. It was getting too late, so we decided to leave first."

"Not come home? Where did Dad go?"

My aunt hesitated and looked at my uncle.

"Didn't you tell her?"

"Your brother-in-law said not to…."

What's really going on? I looked back and forth between my aunt and uncle, who were awkwardly smiling, when my grandfather spoke.

"Your father has been busy lately. He's been going out to take care of things he had neglected after you were admitted."

"What things?"

"He went to exterminate the monsters."

Leon mimicked swinging a sword and said.

"He only came home once every two days to sleep and then went out again the next day."

Theo added.

"Oh, I see."

Well, if you think about it, my dad is probably the busiest person in this country right now.

Monsters keep appearing in this vast empire, so regular monster extermination is essential.

And the most efficient army for monster extermination is the Holy Knight Corps.

It was actually strange that my dad, the current commander of the Holy Knight Corps, had been staying at home all this time.

'Maybe he didn't go on extermination missions before I was admitted, trying to spend as much time with me as possible…'

I shook off the feeling of disappointment.

But then.

"But why didn't Dad come home? If it was Dad, he would have tried to come at the right time…"

"That's what I thought too. It seemed strange to me. When he went on the last extermination mission, he said he would definitely be back by this morning."

When my aunt sounded puzzled, I felt a sudden fear.

"Ah, did something happen to Dad? What if he got hurt while fighting the monsters…"

I shivered involuntarily. I turned pale and trembled, but the surroundings were quiet.

When I looked around, everyone was just blinking at me.

"…?"

Their expressions showed no empathy for my worry.

"Rilis, don't worry. The most useless thing in the world is worrying about that guy."

"Rilis doesn't know Enock well yet, Father."

My aunt laughed even though my brother had gone missing without any contact.

Are they really siblings?

"Still…"

"I understand your feelings, but you really don't need to worry. You should worry about the monsters, not your brother-in-law."

"Ha ha! Father, is that a bit much?"

Leon chuckled.

"No, you really should worry. If the monsters are eradicated, your brother-in-law will lose his job."

"Oh! Is that so?"

I felt my strength drain as I watched my uncle and Leon exchange jokes.

I'm the only one taking this seriously….

"Ugh."

My uncle hugged me and put me in the carriage.

"Don't worry, just go back and wait at home."

"Yes…"

"Everyone, get in quickly!"

The children waiting followed me into the carriage.

Chester, who sat next to me, said,

"Don't worry. I don't think your uncle will get hurt. He might be late because he's buying your gift."

Indeed, Chester was the only one who took my worry seriously.

I nodded solemnly and looked out the carriage window.

From the central region to the institute….

'It shouldn't take more than half a day, right? It's an expensive carriage.'

Noble carriages have magic devices on the horseshoes, so they arrive four times faster than regular carriages.

'So Dad should be back by then, right?'

I know it's useless to worry about the world's strongest protagonist, but…

"Ha."

Still, I couldn't feel at ease because it was strange that Dad, who had set aside his work to come see me, wasn't there.

'Huh?'

Then.

I saw a familiar face outside the window and rubbed my eyes in surprise.

'Isn't that Uncle Joseph?'

Joseph Ruttman.

A major character in the original story, whom my dad and I tried to recruit by playing poker at a casino.

Enock Rubinstein's strategist.

'Why is he here?'

I quickly looked around Joseph.

He was talking and laughing with a plump nobleman.

The nobleman was a stranger, but he was probably the parent of one of the ability users being discharged today.

'Who is he?'

I soon found Bruce.

'Wow. Incredible.'

If Bruce's father is the Chamber Marquis, then why was Joseph, instead of my dad, looking for the Chamber Marquis?

My mind went blank.

* * *

At that moment, Enock was…

"Ugh. Ha."

He was pulling his hair out in frustration.

"Ugh. Why is it… not working…?"

"Just a little more… Ugh. Try harder…"

Two old priests with white hair were squatting in front of the warp gate, groaning.

What went wrong?

Enock, Aksion, and Philip, the elite three Holy Knights, had just completed an extermination mission in the southern Aragonia territory last night.

They expected the mission to end at dawn, but it finished much faster.

Today is the day the princess is discharged.

Dad Enock, who was eager to pick her up, had gone crazy, stirring up the territory.

Even the monsters that didn't plan to come out were eliminated, so the extermination mission ended quickly.

But…

"Excuse me, priests. Is it still far?"

"Ugh, what? I'm old, so I can't hear well…"

"Still! Is it far?!"

"Ugh? Where are we? Not far, then…"

"Ugh!"

Enock pulled his hair and roared.

The problem occurred at this temple where the warp gate is located.

Southern backwater, Aragonia.

A remote area where almost no one visits.

So, the only residents of the Aragonia temple were two old priests.

"Clearly, clearly, it should have been fully charged by this morning… Didn't you say that…?"

"Ugh? What, what…?"

"No, no! Please continue!"

The warp gate is a rechargeable device.

The priests need to charge it with holy power so that it can be used at any time.

But in a remote area where no one visits,

The old priests had left the warp gate unattended for quite a while, and when they tried to use it, it was completely drained.

"Ugh. Brother, what do we do? Our commander. We're in big trouble."

Philip, who was eating a lunch box during a break, laughed at Enock, who was fuming.

"Try to calm down. Rushing won't make it charge faster."

Aksion, who was eating with him, clicked his tongue.

"No! I can do it! I can do it!"

Frustrated, Enock pounded his chest and said to the priests,

"Priests, let me help. I can charge it quickly."

"Hey!"

The head priest barked.

"This is our job! This warp gate… is a gift from the main god Primera…."

"No, please."

"Anyway! Outsiders shouldn't touch it… It's improper…."

Enock was about to go mad.

The old priests not only neglected the warp gate but were also stubborn.

Anybody with a strong holy power could have charged it, but they insisted on following the rules and told him to wait.

Enock had waited patiently, thinking the charge would be complete by morning since the extermination mission ended quickly.

"Ugh. Being old is a sin… In the past, how was I?"

"Our head priest… had overflowing mana…."

"Hmm. That's right, that's right…."

"Ugh!"

Enock quietly screamed, scratching his cheek.

Aksion and Philip were too busy laughing at his appearance.

"Ah!"

The head priest suddenly raised his head.

"I'm hungry. Let's eat…."

"Ugh. Should we…?"

"Wow, really."

Enock's eyes spun.

Should he just push them aside and charge it himself?

Respect for elders has its limits. It was time to draw the line.

Enock quickly ran to the two priests, who were wobbling on their thin legs.

"I'll do it."

"Hey!"

"When you go to eat, when will I get home?"

"You need to eat to regain your mana… Young man…."

"Sorry. When our head priest was young… he had overflowing mana… You know? When you get old, your mana and holy power decrease… Ability users all retire…."

"Yes, yes. So let me do it. I want to do it."

"Hey!"

"Priest!"

This time, Enock didn't back down.

"I have a daughter who is dear to me…."

"Ugh? Daughter?"

"Yes. Today is her discharge day from the institute. I promised to pick her up but couldn't. She's probably crying and looking for me…."

"What? Then speak up!"

The head priest pointed to the warp gate.

"Try it, then."

"What?"

Are you kidding? It was that simple to mention his daughter?

Enock felt wronged but had no time to waste, so he quickly moved.

In his haste, he poured a lot of holy power into the warp gate's charging port.

Zap!

The warp gate glowed blue with an ominous sound.

"What! What did you put in so much!"

"Ugh. The young man has a lot of strength… I remember when I was young…."

"Is this thing broken?! It's expensive, this thing!"

Where did he get the strength? The head priest grabbed Enock by the collar and shook him.

But the warp gate started to activate anyway.

"I'm sorry. If there's any problem…"

Enock, whose legs were trembling in a hurry, pointed to Aksion behind him.

"Contact Deputy Commander Aksion Livre of the Dos Holy Knight Corps."

"No, you caused the accident, why should I…."

Aksion got up, fuming.

"Head priest, don't do that. Let's send him quickly… He needs to see his daughter…."

The assistant priest laughed and slowly checked the warp gate screen.

We need to set the destination….

"My eyes are blurry… It's been a while since I've seen it, so I don't know what's what…."

"I'll do it!"

Enock quickly tapped the Pavil Temple on the map displayed on the screen.

"Goodbye!"

And he crossed the warp gate without looking back.

'My princess should be home by now. I'll go home quickly. When I get there…'

Enock, who was thinking during the short crossing, froze.

Pavil Temple, the institute.

There were many people, but none of them caught his eye.

"Dad!"

Just one person.

He only saw his beloved daughter.

"…Princess."