I’Ll Protect My Tyrant Dad! [EN]: Chapter 40

40. I Want to Be Sir Ciel’s Subordinate Too

2023.04.18.

Ted looked at Acid with a bewildered expression after hearing his words.

I felt the same. Why is Acid suddenly pledging loyalty to me…?

More than that…!

“Acid, aren’t vows of loyalty only for knights…?”

I stated the obvious.

My baby puppy Acid might get hurt, but I had to say what needed to be said.

Then Ted quietly said.

“No, Ciel.”

“Huh?”

Acid and I looked at Ted at the same time.

“Since Acid has awakened his healing abilities… he can make a vow of loyalty based on that ability.”

I pondered with a serious expression.

Ted had a definite reason to pledge loyalty to me.

Divine power was a necessary weapon for the future confrontation with the original protagonist, or the future confrontation with Axel.

Especially since most of the villains from the Mirmod family were vulnerable to divine power, Ted could just slice them up with the Holy Sword Armos.

However, Acid was still young, and I wanted to help him choose the person he wanted to serve as his master.

Of course, I would be happy to have Acid as my master and have his healing abilities as my power, but I still had a conscience.

Slightly conflicted, I carefully said.

“But if you both make a vow of loyalty, I become the master of both of you… Is that okay?”

At that moment, Acid’s face brightened.

He didn’t look as nervous as when he came in.

“I want to be Sir Ciel’s subordinate.”

Subordinate, huh.

‘Why are so many people volunteering to be my subordinates these days…? Am I that charismatic?’

After slightly complimenting myself, I shook my head.

“No, we’re friends!”

“Yes, then… I’ll swear as a friend.”

Acid glanced at Ted and carefully bent one knee, imitating him.

Acid was serious.

Feeling naturally drawn to his serious appearance, I reached out my hand.

“Here, my hand!”

With a trembling hand, Acid took my right hand. He must have been very nervous, as his hand was sweating.

Strangely, it didn’t feel unpleasant.

I stared silently at my hand.

Ted was holding my left hand, and Acid was holding my right hand.

The sight of the two brothers kneeling before me was surprisingly spectacular.

The older brother, Ted, seemed a little nervous, but Acid was sweating so much on his forehead that it was a little cute.

I held their hands tightly again and coughed a couple of times.

“Now, make the vow!”

Ted spoke first.

“…Acid, I’ll go first, so repeat each phrase, adjusting it to fit your situation.”

“…Okay.”

Acid didn’t refuse to be called by his name for the first time. The awkward atmosphere between the two was slowly disappearing.

Just as Acid’s shoulders tensed up,

Ted looked into my eyes and whispered in a low voice.

“Ted, the owner of the sword Armos, who was appointed as a Holy Knight of Senoa, meets Ciel Mirmod, the master to whom he will pledge his loyalty.”

After hearing Ted’s words, Acid hesitated for a moment and carefully met my green eyes.

“Acid, the owner of the blue light with divine power, who was once a street child, meets Ciel Mirmod, the master to whom he will pledge his loyalty.”

As soon as those words were finished, a faint light flowed from Ted’s holy sword, and a blue light flowed from Acid’s fingertips.

Ted quietly paused until the lights touched the back of my hand, and then opened his mouth when the light touched my hand and slowly disappeared.

“I swear to protect Ciel Mirmod with my life, taking her as my eternal lady and master.”

Acid also said firmly.

“I swear to protect Ciel Mirmod with my life, taking her as my eternal lady and master.”

As soon as those words were finished, a complex magic circle in the shape of circles and triangles was drawn on the floor.

Immediately after the magic circle clearly surrounded us, Ted quietly whispered.

“When the knight’s vow of sincerity is completed, a magic circle is drawn. You become bound to your lady and master.”

I opened my mouth wide.

“So cool!”

After staring at the magic circle for a while, Acid stared blankly at my yellow clothes and muttered in an emotional tone.

“Thank you for accepting me as a subordinate, chick…”

Wait a minute, what did he just say!

“Huh?”

Acid’s cheeks flushed red.

“You, you look like a cute chick… I’m sorry.”

He made a vow of loyalty just now, but he’s so cute when he says that.

I put the backs of their hands, where they had kissed [referring to the vow], behind my back and said arrogantly.

“You’re the chick!”

“…Yes?”

“I’m not cute, I’m cool.”

When I straightened my shoulders and said that, Acid nodded as if he was possessed.

***

Surprisingly, Ted and Acid became awkward with each other as soon as they made the knight’s vow.

I was worried about what to do with their relationship, but…

‘For now, they’re living in the same mansion.’

I was very excited. Ted had made a knight’s vow to me, and cute Acid had also made a vow of loyalty to me.

I wanted to brag to Dad and Leonhardt right away, but neither of them showed their faces.

“Unnies [older sisters/female honorific], where did Leonhardt, Dad, and Delphia go?”

“Ah. That’s…”

The maids wore unexpectedly flustered expressions.

I tilted my head, and they cautiously said,

“There’s someone named Axel… It seems both of them have become busy since he’s arriving.”

“…Huh?”

“Sir Leonhardt is the adopted son of a vassal family serving Axel, and Sir Matthias and Delphia are his political rivals. It seems Axel has notified them of his imminent return.”

“Trouble is brewing again soon…”

The muscle maids sighed. At that moment, I realized.

“Axel Mirmord…”

“Yes? Lady Cien?”

The muscle maids stared at me with worried faces. They, too, knew of Axel Mirmord’s misdeeds.

“Until he arrives… it’s not a month away…”

“No, it’s about two weeks left. Maybe even sooner.”

My forces consist of a foolish Dad, Delphia who is a bit strong but foolish, Dad’s pushover friends, the paladin Ted, the healer Acid, and the muscle maid unnies [older sisters/female honorific].

‘That’s more than I thought?’

I rested my chin on my hand and pondered.

Let’s think carefully about Axel Mirmord’s weaknesses.

“She must be thinking about candy again.”

“I know. Look how serious she is.”

“Cute…”

Our maid unnies… their heads were flower gardens [airheads].

I sighed deeply and thought about Axel.

Axel Mirmord was a terrifying guy.

He was said to have a charismatic appearance and a sharp temper, and the only way to weaken him even slightly was with divine power.

But Melodia had captured Axel and made him kneel. She had un-saintly cunning and summoned numerous astrologers from the East to trick Axel.

Axel didn’t believe in gods, but he had rolled around on the battlefield so many times that he believed in jinxes and spells, which made it possible. And Axel Mirmord was finished off by those sorcerers.

‘The problem is that I can’t properly find sorcerers.’

There was no way Dad would send me to the East, and even if I went, I wouldn’t know where the sorcerers were.

There was an even bigger problem here. After using my head for a while, I started to feel sleepy.

‘Ah, I’m getting sleepy again…’

It seemed like the damn physical ability debuff was activated again, and I was getting sleepy.

Thinking that I should eat what I had prepared for times like this, I spoke solemnly to the maid unnies.

“Gi, give me pine needles!”

I tightly grasped the maid unnie, took the pine needles, and chewed them diligently.

Fortunately, mental peace was restored. It was as if the cognitive ability to look around had returned.

I yawned as I looked at Ted, who was standing guard nearby like a reliable bodyguard.

“Ted, why do you have that expression?”

“Ah… No, it’s nothing. I’ll tell you when I’m sure.”

His expression became terrifying. I tried to observe Ted’s expression but was defeated by my closing eyelids.

‘Pine needles are only temporary…’

I slowly began to sink into a hellish sleep.

***

The feeling that someone was watching her was by no means Cien’s delusion.

Currently, the ‘Cien Trailing Squad’ sent by Matthias was melted into Cien’s surroundings like shadows.

There were only two people, but it was a lineup that could be called fancy.

The two people’s names were Pat and Matt.

Pat was once the head of the Dark Information Guild and was skilled at extracting all kinds of information from people.

Matt’s nickname was ‘The Judge,’ and he was the owner of the magic sword ‘Elpيروس’ [Elpiros]. Like Melle, he killed child sex offenders and murderers, and was called the Judge of Justice by the victims.

At first, they felt a slight discomfort at the order to serve Cien, who had just turned five years old, though they didn’t say it.

There were many people in the world who liked children.

There were many such weak people, but they were not.

When they saw a child, they instinctively felt uncomfortable, uneasy, and unpleasant. It was like an instinct engraved in their DNA.

The combination of rotten selves who had killed others and a pure child.

It was as absurd as a warm milkshake.

But…

‘Pat, Matt. Take on the role of checking Cien’s surroundings.’

It was an order from Sir Matthias, so there was no choice.

On the way out, thinking they would just do it.

Several people who had met Cien surrounded Pat and Matt in a circle.

‘Ah, I’m jealous. I want to be by Cien-nim’s side too…’

‘You’re really blessed, aren’t you?’

‘I haven’t seen her since last time, so I’m having withdrawal symptoms…’

Several people who had already seen Cien expressed envy, but frankly, they couldn’t understand what they were envious of.

It was more comfortable to execute criminals. Babysitting was just annoying.

Their loyalty to Matthias soared to the sky, and they were already deeply ingrained in society, so they didn’t say such things out loud.

But no matter how they looked around, it felt like there wouldn’t be any problems or flaws. They yawned and muttered lowly.

“I really don’t know what’s so cute about kids.”

“I don’t know either. And they say she’s evil?”

They looked at each other and shook their heads.

Cien’s appearance seemed to be exceptionally cute compared to other children.

White chubby cheeks that seemed to sink in when poked, and fluffy pink hair like a yarn ball. Even the way she pouted her lips sometimes.

But was she cute enough for everyone to envy them?

“Let’s watch a little longer.”

“Yeah. She’s been playing all day, so she’ll probably rest soon.”

“I want to stop guarding and go harass other guys.”

The moment they faced each other and nodded, something unexpected happened.

“I’m going to the back alley today!”

Cien clenched her fist and stood up.

The child’s stamina was enormous.

And the back alley… perhaps they might see the ‘group that tainted Cien with evil’ that Matthias-nim suspected.

Their eyes flashed.