I’Ll Protect My Tyrant Dad! [EN]: Chapter 94

Opportunity to Correct Fate

At the same time, inside a deep cave.

The Pope and Melodia, who were said to be following the ‘Path of Light’ [a pilgrimage or spiritual journey], were walking in the dark cave, relying on a small light. In the deep, deep darkness, the path they walked, guided by the faint light from afar, was in itself an ascetic journey.

The Pope complained, looking down at his blistered feet, but Melodia simply walked on calmly. Her gait was as light as a butterfly.

As they walked without much conversation, Melodia made a sound like ‘Ah!’ and smiled brightly.

“It seems the bluebird has arrived.”

The Pope said in a low voice.

“Are you talking about the messenger bird sent to the Crown Prince?”

“Yes.”

“……I am worried that the Crown Prince may have forgotten you. He is essential to our plan, but hasn’t he wasted too much time exploring the ‘Path of Light’?”

In the dark cave, only Melodia’s eyes were glowing deeply.

“That can’t be. The Crown Prince can’t forget me. I am his destined fate.”

“Haa…….”

As the Pope rolled his confused eyes, Melodia replied cheerfully.

“Never give up, Your Holiness. We must survive and create ‘it’ perfectly.”

“……That’s right, this is all an opportunity to return God’s destined fate to its place.”

The wheel of fate must not turn in the opposite direction.

The Pope and Melodia looked at each other and then turned their gazes away. Their faces, devoid of any smile, looked like corpses.

How long had they been walking in silence?

Melodia whispered as if vowing to herself.

“We must not miss the destiny to win. We have found all the ways, haven’t we?”

Melodia held up the jewel in her hand and smiled, pulling up the corners of her mouth. The light was slowly getting closer.

It still seemed very far away, and their backs were full of baggage, so they would have to go for another month…….

“Now that we can finally leave the Demon World, smile.”

The Pope tried to estimate the time left, but just nodded.

The bluebird, which was like a clone of the saintess Melodia and a messenger bird, was able to leave for the human world, so they would soon be able to leave this place.

They had to believe so.

“We can definitely win victory from Mirmord. Now we have the heart to make ‘it’ even more perfect, right?”

“Haa…….”

The Pope grimaced as if he felt physiologically disgusted and glanced at the heart resembling a bright red garnet in Melodia’s hand. Melodia smiled softly.

“Yes, because there is a saintess with the heart of a demon.”

He washed his face dry with his palms.

“……To make ‘it’ perfect, I left for the ‘Path of Light’ to get the heart of a demon, but no matter how I think about it, just looking at that heart makes me feel unpleasant.”

“Is that so? I am……very excited at the thought of correcting fate with this heart.”

At the words ‘correcting fate,’ the Pope flinched. He lowered his eyes, then opened them again and replied calmly.

“Yes, let’s go correct fate quickly.”

After all, they were in the same boat.

They had the heart of a demon, this ‘human’ whom Melodia was supporting and taking with her, and the treasure deeply buried right under the temple.

Because of all this, Mirmord would be defeated.

And Melodia was destined to win. Their God had ordained it so.

***

Grand Duke Selbastian and the Mirmord family openly exchanged information, but they also continued to exchange internally from time to time. In particular, Grand Duke Selbastian often came to Mirmord himself to grasp the situation.

This was the same this time. He felt in the dark about grasping the situation because he was only on the outside, and Matthias Mirmord was there to awaken his pitch-dark political sense.

That’s how five years passed.

Matthias solidified his position as a partner by sharpening his political sense every time.

However, this time, even Matthias felt like he was walking through a fog.

“Have there been any news from the Pope and the Saintess yet?”

“Since there is no movement from the temple, we can only say that there is no news.”

It was time for the Pope and the Saintess to return, but there was no movement from the temple. The priests were just moving as usual.

“Then what were we supposed to do at this time?”

Matthias tilted his head as he looked at his friend.

Grand Duke Selbastian, who had been taking tutoring from Matthias for the past five years, said clearly as if his learning had not been in vain.

“We must seize the opportunities presented by the revealed circumstances. The Pope and the Saintess are cunning and sly like snakes, so they can hide their intentions. But Crown Prince Baal is different.”

“That’s right.”

Matthias handed Selbastian the documents he had placed on the table.

“Check these documents first.”

Grand Duke Selbastian, who was reviewing the documents, frowned slightly. The more he turned the documents over one by one, the more ambiguous his expression became.

“Matthias, the Crown Prince will definitely try to extend his political life. But why…….”

“It seems strange to you too, doesn’t it.”

“……Yes, why on earth is he trying to recruit children? Useless children, that is.”

“Children with divine power and no background…….? Is he trying to raise them as priests?”

“That’s the most reasonable thing to do, but somehow it feels uneasy.”

They looked at each other and fell into thought.

But right then, there was a rustling sound from the doorway. The eyes of the two were simultaneously fixed on the doorway. Matthias was about to speak fiercely…….

“Come in.”

……Recalling the faint footsteps, he quickly changed his expression to a friendly one.

The only being who could stand outside the door without being noticed by his senses was Sien.

The girl’s footsteps were so cozy that they were hard to hear unless you listened carefully.

And his guess was right.

Slightly, the sound of the door opening was heard, and what came in was a fifteen-year-old girl, Sien.

“I came to give Dad a snack, are you busy?”

“It’s been a while, Sien.”

“Hello, Grand Duke!”

Selbastian clicked his tongue inwardly as he watched his friend’s pretentious side.

“Sien, Dad is not busy. What’s wrong?”

Grand Duke Selbastian skillfully hid the documents in his pocket, and Matthias also pretended to organize the table and swept the dangerous documents into the drawer.

Sien took in the sight and smiled brightly, showing the bowl in her hand.

“Ta-da! Let’s eat delicious fruit!”

A plausibly disguised peaceful day was passing.

***

A few days later, inside the Sien Merchant Guild.

All the subordinates who were working hard to collect information, becoming my hands and feet, gathered. I looked at each of their faces one by one and said.

Yesterday, after hearing Dad’s words, I immediately selected and summoned two reliable, quick-handed, and well-informed people from the guild.

And I ordered them to lurk near the Imperial Palace and the Temple, respectively, and get rumors or information.

So today, I called them back together…….

“Okay, speak from the left. How is the Imperial Palace side?”

The merchant, who had first disguised himself as Vegetable Vendor 1 in front of the Imperial Palace, said firmly.

“The Crown Prince’s movements are definitely suspicious. There was a story that he was openly showing movements in collusion with the temple and trying to recruit children with divine power into a new academy.”

I rested my chin on my hand and gestured towards the informant dispatched to the temple.

“Next, how is the temple side?”

“There were no particular problems. However……. It seemed that they were trying to attract believers by doing volunteer work, going to alienated spaces [underprivileged or marginalized areas], and opening the temple for free.”

It was a similar move to usual. The temple had been quiet for five years while the Pope was away. I was about to nod, but stopped when I looked to the side.

“And…….”

“Why? Look at me too!”

“……Why is Delphia here?”

Delphia stroked her chin and shrugged her shoulders.

“……Heung [a Korean expression of discontent or playfulness]. Why? Can’t I be here? I’ve also brought information, Sien!”

I looked at Delphia and shook my head.

“Did you threaten your friends again?”

“Well……. I did threaten them, but I also found out something good!”

“I’ll listen.”

Delphia said cheerfully.

“The temple doesn’t seem to be doing anything, right? No. Volunteer work is what increases the temple’s power, our cute baby master.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Ah, many people don’t know……. Shall I tell you?”

“Yes!”

When I shone my eyes, Delphia smiled slyly.

“Then a kiss as a price.”

I frowned.

‘I am clearly the master of this guild, but if Delphia treats me like this, my dignity will disappear!’

After gesturing to the informants to send them out of the door, I whispered softly to Delphia.

“Okay. I’ll kiss you after you tell me.”

……Yes, I can’t help it. She’s going to tell me information.

At those words, Delphia chuckled and poked my cheek tightly, then said softly.

“The temple’s divine power is based on people’s faith. The more people believe in God and love the priests, the stronger the divine power of the priests in the temple becomes. Especially the Pope.”

“Is that possible?”

“Of course. So, doing volunteer work at the temple, cherishing and loving people, and increasing the number of believers who believe in them is definitely a sinister scheme.”

After listening to her words, it seemed certain that the temple was preparing something.

I sighed softly. Clearly, small puzzles were being put together one by one, but I could definitely feel that the information was still insufficient.

It definitely crossed my mind that it would be better to have a proper informant.

It wasn’t that there weren’t proper informants in this world.

Of course, there was.

It was Lilith, the head of the Dark Guild.

‘Lilith, the head of the Dark Guild, is said to know all the information in the world. As much as that, she has an enormous amount of curiosity. She has a personality that digs into anything she’s curious about like crazy. Once she believes in someone, she never betrays them. But…….’

But there was no way to lure out the head of the Dark Guild, who was here and there in a flash.

I sighed and banged my forehead on the table. Well, even if I bang my forehead on the table, there’s nothing more I can do…….

“Okay, thank you, Delphia.”

“Why, what are you thinking of doing?”

“Yeah. I’ll have to challenge it with the information I have for now.”

I cackled eerily.