I’Ll Protect My Tyrant Dad! [EN]: Chapter 16

The next morning, Grandma sent a message at five in the morning.

Groggy, I changed out of my pajamas and headed to the Duchess’s private residence where Grandma was.

Leonhardt and I, looking bewildered, were about to face a new phase in our lives.

He must have been taken aback by the sudden summons to education, but Leonhardt was my cool subordinate and friend.

It meant it would be good to keep him by my side and improve our skills together.

I chuckled, hiding my ulterior motives.

Leonhardt nodded but didn’t seem to question it.

The Duchess, looking at the two of us standing side by side, said sternly,

“I do not teach children who do not meet the standards.”

Grandma’s cold test had begun.

Before giving instruction, Grandma decided to briefly check what abilities Leonhardt and I had.

Unlike the Headmaster’s test, I didn’t need to downplay my abilities in front of Grandma.

For me, a reincarnator, Grandma’s test was too easy.

Common sense test, 100 points.

Judgment test, 100 points.

And… finally, the most important mana test.

“Close your eyes and feel the mana inside your body. Then I will check the amount of mana accumulated in your bodies.”

Leonhardt and I nodded at the same time.

First, Grandma went to Leonhardt. I squinted and observed them.

“Your vessel is different from your parents’.”

‘Your parents? Vessel? Is she talking about Leonhardt’s adoptive parents?’

In fact, the novel doesn’t even mention Leonhardt’s parents.

I wondered what that meant, but strangely, Leonhardt didn’t answer.

“As I thought before, if I teach you well, you will become quite a remarkable talent.”

I smiled proudly at Grandma’s words.

I felt like my heart would burst at the fact that I had charmed such a great talent.

‘Leonhardt is indeed capable!’

It was then. Grandma looked at Leonhardt with a displeased expression and asked,

“But you, aren’t you staying at Axel’s mansion?”

“…Ah.”

“You could learn from that child, so why are you maintaining a close relationship with Cien?”

As she said, Leonhardt was staying at Axel’s mansion because of his adoptive parents.

But he was also a child who could come over to our side depending on the situation. In the world of villains, backstabbing and being backstabbed are common…

‘There can’t be two villains under one sky, I remember him being at odds with Axel later on.’

From Grandma’s perspective, who seemed wary of Axel, teaching Leonhardt might feel uncomfortable, but it’s okay because she’ll know that Axel is a good kid once she gets to know him.

But how Leonhardt will overcome this situation is another matter. What if he shows a rebellious attitude…!

“Axel or whatever, I’m going to be friends with Chestnut.”

“…Hiek.”

It was an excessively rebellious attitude.

I blinked and watched the two of them like a shrimp caught between whales [an idiom for being caught in the middle of a conflict]. Grandma stared at Leonhardt’s expression with a blank face for a while, then twisted the corners of her lips upwards.

“Well, if that’s the case.”

Strangely, Leonhardt’s answer seemed to please Grandma.

Feeling proud that the situation was over, I was observing them with squinted eyes when…

“Let’s see.”

Duchess Lucella reached out and tried to lift the boy’s chin.

“In the future-”

Just then, Leonhardt roughly pushed her hand away.

I looked at him with puzzled eyes. The atmosphere became sharp, as if walking on a knife’s edge.

“Don’t touch me.”

“……”

“Mask.”

Why?

It was definitely rude to say to a superior.

Why does it look like a kitten hissing because its territory has been invaded?

He looked lonely, as if he had created an unwanted shield.

I gently tugged on the sleeve of Leonhardt, who was standing next to me.

He bit his lip and said nothing.

Grandma glared at him and looked at me without asking further.

“Now, Honey, it’s your turn.”

‘Honey pot, honey bread, bread, honey…? I’ve been wondering since last time, is that about me?’

I clearly have a name, Cien!

But I can’t argue with Grandma.

I answered cheerfully.

“Yes! I’ll close my eyes tightly!”

I closed my eyes tightly and waited for Grandma.

But after a few seconds, a few minutes, Grandma didn’t say anything.

‘What is it?’

What’s the problem? I narrowed my eyes.

“I can’t figure out the reason.”

“…Yes?”

“You have no mana.”

No mana at all?

“I expected your mana to be weak, but I didn’t expect you to be completely clean with nothing at all.”

I sighed in disappointment.

I had guessed it since I was frail since I was young, but to have none at all…

‘No, was my body that weak? Can’t even create mana?’

“But…”

A voice full of doubt came to my utterly frustrated self.

“I feel something bumping inside your body. Can this be possible?”

“Um…”

Every time Grandma touched me, I felt something rattling inside my body. The momentum was very weak, though.

I said cautiously.

“I feel like a ball is bouncing inside my body.”

“Strange.”

I was taken aback by Grandma’s words.

‘Could it be related to my ‘Reincarnator Penalty’?’

But I shook my head inwardly.

The ‘Reincarnator Penalty’ that God told me about had nothing to do with mana. There were only restrictions when I tried to actively use the knowledge of this world.

“I’ve never seen a case like this before.”

Leonhardt quietly added from the side.

“Take off the fairy necklace, genius. It might be because of that.”

But Grandma cut it off with a single stroke.

“No. It’s not because of that fairy necklace.”

“Ah…”

I hesitated to say something.

‘My body is strange for an unknown reason. Besides, my mana reserves are the lowest.’

It’s just one mountain after another. There’s only a month left until that guy who will kill me and Dad comes!

At this rate, it would be a problem even if I stole the protagonists’ artifacts.

I might need mana to use artifacts above the intermediate level.

I stared blankly at the Duchess and tried to nod in agreement with her words. But I don’t know if I nodded well because my heart was so sad.

The Duchess’s expression also sank at my instantly gloomy expression.

“Are you disappointed?”

“Anniyo…” [No]

This was an answer that clearly showed disappointment to anyone.

Grandma pondered briefly while looking at me.

“Um…”

“There might be other… ways to become as strong as Hammi, right?”

“Yes. Well, not being able to handle mana means that you are a special child. Don’t be discouraged. I, too, was once like you…”

I, too, was once like you, I wondered what the next sentence would be.

I looked at Grandma while waiting for the next words. But the answer I was waiting for didn’t come, and instead, Leonhardt, who was standing next to me, continued.

“A special child… As expected…”

I tried to ignore Leonhardt, who kept looking at me with a faint gaze from the side, and looked at Grandma again with sparkling eyes.

But Grandma didn’t seem to have any intention of continuing what she had said earlier.

“Anyway, Cien. I’ll have to teach you in a different way.”

“…In a special way?”

Grandma nodded at Leonhardt’s question.

“I’ll have to wait a little longer and think about how to refine you well. You’re smart, so you could become an administrator.”

I shook my head inwardly.

Administrators are weak.

You might just sit still and use your head, only to be killed by Axel in one fell swoop.

‘I can’t become an administrator, and I don’t have time to wait until I gain strength!’

I clenched my fist and looked at Grandma.

Grandma flinched slightly and asked.

“Why are you opening your eyes like that, baby.”

I released my clenched fist and pulled on Grandma’s collar.

‘If I can’t become strong, I can just fill my surroundings with strong people.’

In this world, magicians weren’t the only ‘special people’. And I roughly knew the strong people in this world.

“Hammi!”

“…What is it?”

“There’s a place I want you to take me!”

I gave more strength to the hand holding Grandma’s collar.

‘If I don’t have mana, I can just use the knowledge I have as a reincarnator!’

My request was to go to the ‘Senoa Temple’, an affiliated temple of the Papal States. The justification was that I was going to pray to God for abilities.

At my sudden request, Grandma rubbed her dry eyes a few times and nodded. I also heard her saying that it was pitiful, that going to the temple was a request.

“Hammi?”

“…I have a gift for you. Did you receive it?”

“Gift?”

As I tilted my head, Grandma recited.

“Not yet. It’s nothing special, but it will be useful.”

I don’t know if what is ‘nothing special’ to the villainous grandma will also be ‘nothing special’ to me. Anyway, what was important was that Grandma granted my request right away.

‘I feel like Grandma is pitying me, but it’s okay. What’s important is that I entered the temple.’

Thanks to Grandma’s chance, I was able to enter the temple right away. Even though Grandma is an outcast in the villainous ducal family, it seemed important that she was once a figure with influence.

‘I’ll become a granddaughter who surpasses Grandma. Surpassing the master!’

It didn’t matter whether ‘surpassing the master’ was the right idiom to use at this time. I took a deep breath as I looked at the affiliated temple of the Papal States in front of me.

“Hoo, ha. Hoo, ha!”

There seemed to be a group of fools staring at me strangely as I breathed hard, but none of that mattered. I took on the mission of shaking off the tension that was digging into my heart and sparkled my eyes.

‘Calm down, Cien. Don’t be too nervous.’

I clenched my soft hands until they became hard, blinked my eyes, and stepped into the temple with vigor.

I waved my small hand vigorously and walked like a soldier.

Yes, I was definitely following the steps of the maid sisters and walking hard step by step.

Something is a little strange. I walked hard, but after walking for a long time, the temple door didn’t come out.

“Hiyu.”

“Shall I carry you on my back, young lady?”

“Ung!” [Yes!]

While being carried on the backs of the maids like luggage, I thought. I’m glad I brought our muscular maid sisters because it’s dangerous!

This is a small temple in the suburbs, but a temple is a temple, and it was not very friendly with the villainous family.

It means there may be people who hate me.

Grandma gave me minimal safety measures as I headed to the temple alone, and Leonhardt held my hand tightly and didn’t let go for about three seconds.

The time left until Axel Mirmode returns is just over a month.

There were only a few things I could do.

Gathering helpers, interfering with Axel Mirmode’s ‘war’ to delay his return as much as possible, and developing the power to confront him in the meantime!

‘Let’s go in for now!’

There was no time to delay.

I shook my short and chubby legs and snuggled into the arms of the maid sisters and entered the temple.

After entering the temple like that.

After scanning the interior, I reviewed the contents of once again.

Melodia, the Saintess of God.

She dyes people who do not believe in God with love. She also comforts people who commit evil deeds with a good heart.

She was also excellent in divine power, but she confronted the villains, including the Mirmode family, based on the holy objects given by God and the dignified holy knights.

The place where she first became known as a saintess was this temple, the Senoa Temple full of irises.

My situation was urgent, but I couldn’t steal all the holy objects and all the holy knights that Melodia had found.

I was just going to covet one thing.

‘Bring the most powerful holy knight Melodia has.’