I’Ll Protect My Tyrant Dad! [EN]: Chapter 18

My Tyrant Dad Will Protect Me! Episode 18. Won’t You Be My Knight? (18/140)

Episode 18. Won’t You Be My Knight?

January 31, 2023

“I am truly sorry.”

A teacup was offered to me as I sat dangling my legs on a small tea table.

The Holy Knight seemed accustomed to this situation, letting out a long sigh before quickly resolving the matter and bringing me to his private residence.

“It’s okay.”

The children who teased me couldn’t avoid a lengthy period of confinement. Since their divine power wasn’t particularly high anyway, they might not even become priests if I made an issue of it. The video device in the shape of a watch that Grandma put on my wrist would serve as evidence.

Even though Mirmod’s influence didn’t extend greatly to the temple, our family was still nobility. They wouldn’t do something foolish like antagonize the Duke’s family just to protect a few young priests.

“I won’t ask about the big mistake.”

However, I replied in a calm voice.

Of course, I was speaking kindly, but I actually knew how those children would be dealt with.

‘Even if I don’t make an issue of it, they’re already finished.’

Even the smallest flaw is a problem for young priests. It will be very, very difficult for them to become priests in the future.

I chuckled inwardly like a little devil, then looked at the Holy Knight before me.

It was quite a magnanimous thing to say, but there was a hidden motive.

‘If I speak so nicely, this Holy Knight *oppa* [term of endearment for an older brother or male friend] will think I’m nice!’

He seemed to recognize me as a good child, letting out a sigh and expressing his gratitude.

“Thank you very much. But, what brings the young lady of the Mirmod family here…?”

Only then did it seem like the thought occurred to him.

He looked at me cautiously.

‘I can’t say I came to see you.’

I opened my mouth in a sophisticated manner.

Just like the way Melodia won his favor in the novel.

I closed my eyes for a moment and recalled the lines from the original story.

“Did you come after seeing the flyer?”

“Yes?”

“Someone at this temple said they were looking for family. It was Ted, I think. So I came to help find them.”

“You came after seeing the flyer?”

“Yes!”

He quickly continued.

“I, I’m the one who put up that flyer.”

Ted’s eyes trembled.

Of course, I had never seen the flyer he supposedly made.

I was just speaking from memory.

I quietly opened my mouth.

“I’ve seen a blond, almond-shaped blue-eyed baby boy who looks exactly like the composite sketch there.”

“Yes? W-where…?”

“He’s on Pelode Street.”

The upright Holy Knight gripped the teacup in his hand even tighter, as if nervous.

The teacup seemed like it would break.

Melodia’s Holy Knight, Ted.

Even after deciding to dedicate all his abilities to God, he was still constantly searching for his lost younger brother.

And in the original story, Melodia found his precious younger brother for him.

Ted gave Melodia a hairpin he had cherished, thanking her for telling him the whereabouts of his younger brother, and swore to become her knight after finding his younger brother.

I decided to take her role this time.

“If that’s true, I will definitely give you a reward, although it may be small…”

“Really?”

“Yes, anything you want.”

“Then… um…”

After hesitating slightly, I decided to get straight to the point.

“Won’t you be my knight?”

“Yes?”

He hesitated, then quietly shook his head.

“That kind of reward is difficult. Besides… the Mirmod family must have better knights. I’m not a particularly outstanding talent even among the Holy Knights. And I have someone to protect.”

‘Oh, crap!’

I wanted to curse, unbefitting of a small child.

‘He already has someone to protect?’

I took several deep breaths to calm myself.

That statement could definitely be a smokescreen. In the original story, he didn’t have anyone to protect yet.

Since I was from the Mirmod family, the Holy Knight would be even less inclined to follow me.

I smiled harmlessly and made a good excuse to ease his suspicion.

My chubby cheeks were softly glowing, bathed in the sunlight streaming through the window.

“But Cien was touched by the wonderful knight who saved me earlier.”

“Yes? What does that…”

“I’ve only ever been with Daddy in the countryside.”

“…”

“So I was scared of Mirmod. I wish I had a knight to protect me…”

Ted seemed to know about the rumors surrounding me and Dad. His eyes clouded over for a moment.

Perhaps he was overlapping the relationship between me and my dad with the relationship between his younger brother and himself, so I said firmly.

“So, Cien needs lots and lots of family to protect me!”

Eyes sparkling.

When I put my soft hands on both cheeks and looked at him, he smiled weakly.

“Ah…”

He must be thinking I’m a naive noble young lady.

However, he already looked like he owed me a great debt.

It wouldn’t be enough to break the oath of an upright knight who lives for God, though.

So I decided to add more debt to his heart.

“I’ll help you find your brother.”

“…Yes?”

“I’ll help you.”

I smiled brightly and waved at him.

I was serious about helping.

“…Even so, I can’t be your escort right away…”

“Not an escort, I’ll just help you. The knight just helped me too! I know about Shin-ee. Ah, not Shin-ee! Shin, of.”

“Haha…”

It was just something I said, but Ted’s expression was tinged with embarrassment. I heard him muttering softly. ‘Shin’s will…’ he said.

‘Come to think of it, Ted was the FM [Field Manual; someone who strictly follows rules] type who values faith, wasn’t he?’

It was something I said without much thought, but it seemed to have caught him off guard.

This time, I managed to pry into the gap in his heart and make him indebted to me. From now on, this upright Holy Knight will remember me and reach out to me at a crucial moment.

‘Anyway, I didn’t think I could take this person with me today.’

He looked down at my small hand and muttered something quietly between his teeth.

“Young Lady Mirmod.”

He carefully searched his chest and handed me a small hairpin.

“…Thank you for your kindness. This isn’t a valuable sacred object, but please accept it.”

I stared at the hairpin for a moment, then paused. I was flustered by the casual way he gave me the hairpin. In the original story, Melodia strengthened her friendship with him by receiving this hairpin as a gift.

“Yes.”

I accepted the pin he gave me and bowed my head.

‘I’m following the exact same route as Melodia.’

She is the protagonist of this world, and I am not.

It may be insufficient to steal Melodia’s role, but seeing his eyes gave me hope.

‘I can’t be sure if he will become my person or not…’

I stared at his complex expression. The way he spoke seriously about his younger brother resembled my own determination to protect Dad.

After glimpsing his heartfelt sincerity, I sincerely wanted to help him find his younger brother.

Because I know we feel the same way.

***

With a strangely trembling heart, I returned straight to the Duke’s mansion.

Hugging the butterfly-shaped hairpin the Holy Knight had given me.

The muscular maid *unnies* [term of endearment for older sisters or female friends] were waiting for me right in front of the temple. They had been threatening the servants inside the prayer room.

“Hahaha! Lady Cien!”

“…Uh?”

I hesitated and stepped back. Then they smiled broadly and looked at me.

“We got this temple pass!”

“…”

“From now on, we’ll escort you right away when you come to this temple!”

“Like maids!”

I stared at the pale face of the priest standing behind them. It certainly looked like they had threatened him, and I even felt sorry for him for some reason.

“Uh-huh…”

Seriously, I thought it was fortunate that the muscular maid unnies were on my side.

After such a small commotion, the next day came, the day Dad would take over the hall of the vice-Duke and Count.

The succession ceremony was held in a simplified manner.

With the territory war underway and the Imperial Palace keeping our family in check, there was no need to hold a grand succession ceremony.

But I knew.

I cursed the Mirmod family inwardly as I headed to the western mansion that Grandma had prepared for us.

‘Those bad family members, they’re making the succession ceremony so small because our dad is just a successor they’re going to replace anyway?’

It seemed that less than 10% of people thought our dad would survive.

I could tell just by listening to the voices of the people whispering whenever I took a walk around the mansion.

‘I heard he’s going to die soon too?’

‘Still, in the past… so you never know what will happen, right?’

The voices of their whispers reached my ears.

I tried to listen as much as possible to get information.

‘…Even so, he lost all his power and was exiled, so what.’

‘True. Axel and Delphia are scheduled to return soon.’

‘Really? Is Delphia going to arrive faster?’

‘Both of them will arrive within a month. The messenger sent a dispatch!’

But all I heard was the despairing news that Axel and Delphia would be returning soon.

I was very tense, clutching the attack-type artifact that Grandma had given me and thinking seriously.

‘I have to build up my strength!’

It was the same now. Even as I bit my lip and walked quickly towards the mansion, gazes and words followed me.

“There will be another bloodbath in the family soon. Sigh.”

“That little kid will die soon too. Poor thing.”

But.

At some point, the whispering people stopped talking.

Snap, crackle.

Was it because they heard the sound of joints cracking next to me?

The maid unnies lowered their voices and muttered.

“Lady Cien.”

“Ung.”

When I stopped and looked up, the maid unnies’ dark expressions greeted me.

Judging by their expressions, the muscular maid unnies, who were bright in muscles but somewhat deaf in ears, must have heard their bad whispers.

“Shall we take care of them right away?”

“Everything is ready.”

…What’s with this tone?

‘Where on earth did these unnies learn such a strange way of speaking!’

I even felt sorry for them, wondering if they had acted like that when they dealt with the head of the training center’s spy.

‘It’s scary!’

The people, overwhelmed by their fierce momentum, turned their heads forward.

“What, why are we paying attention to those who are about to die?”

“Sigh, an exile is being reinstated. When Axel-nim returns, those things will be!”

“Axel-nim? It doesn’t even have to go that far. It’ll be over when Delphia-nim comes and takes care of it!”

Of course, there were some who spewed out curses like villains. They raised their heads shamelessly, as if acting out a false virtue, and deliberately raised their voices.

‘I know that feeling well.’

I stared at them and smiled.

“Hmph, my dad will never die.”

“Of course. We all know it.”

“Then, shall we deal with those loose-lipped ones in Matthias-nim’s name?”

“Ung? Our dad’s name?”

I tilted my head, thinking I had misheard for a moment.

To deal with them in our dad’s name, it was clear that our kind and gentle dad would be greatly shocked.

He might tremble and wear a gloomy expression for days, saying that I had dealt with people. The thought made my heart ache. But without knowing my feelings, the maids chanted loudly as if in unison.

“Yes? Lady Cien! Please make a decision!”

It was one of my specialties to shake my head firmly at ridiculous things. I shook my head vigorously.

“No way. Our dad will be heartbroken and cry buckets!”

“Huh, hehe…?”

“Lady Cien…”

The muscular maid unnies seemed to be avoiding my gaze strangely.

‘Why do they have that expression?’