I’Ll Protect My Tyrant Dad! [EN]: Chapter 77

I Will Protect My Tyrant Father! 77. The Imperial Children’s Academy (77/140)

77. The Imperial Children’s Academy

2023.08.25.

My maids were acting too suspiciously.

Besides, ever since the trial, I’d been doubting, “Is Dad really a pushover?”

‘I need to poke at these maids a bit.’

I frowned and pondered deeply.

As I was wondering how to subtly lead the questioning, the carriage door opened slightly.

“Leinhardt, Acid?”

I widened my eyes at the familiar faces peeking through the carriage door.

It was Leinhardt and Acid, looking determined as if they’d received some serious pep talk.

“Oh, honey bread!” [A term of endearment.]

“I’m here, Sienne.”

Leinhardt arrogantly took the seat to my left, giving me a profound look.

“Why are you making such a cheesy face?”

“Cheesy? That’s not it.”

“Then?”

At that moment, Acid, who had quietly taken the seat to my right without anyone noticing, whispered.

“Thanks to Matthias, we also get to go to the academy.”

“Really?”

I rolled my eyes. It made sense for me to go to the academy, but Leinhardt was a prodigious genius who didn’t necessarily need to attend.

“Sounds fun.”

‘…Well, it would be nice for those kids to have friends too.’

Since we’re going to the academy anyway, I hope something fun happens.

‘More than that, I was going to ask the maids about Dad’s suspicious behavior…’

But I couldn’t talk about Dad right now, because it was a bit awkward to bring it up in front of Leinhardt.

‘Leinhardt doesn’t have a family… I can ask later!’

Deciding to change the subject, I grabbed the hands of Leinhardt and Acid, who were sitting on either side of me like knights.

They had submitted their applications to the academy as soon as I said I was going.

In fact, now that I was ten years old, I could have gone alone.

But they insisted that they had to keep their loyalty to me and would definitely follow me.

Hearing that, I felt quite proud of the trust we had built up until now.

“Let’s all hurry and go to the academy!”

At that moment, Acid whispered, looking slightly intimidated.

“A-Are you sure it’ll be okay?”

“Huh? Why?”

“I heard the hazing is bad.”

“Then I’ll protect you!”

Acid looked at me with wide, surprised eyes. I stared back at him, widening my eyes grandly.

I naturally expected Acid to be embarrassed and say, ‘Yes!’

But…

“No, I should be the one protecting you.”

He drew a firm line. Even as I stared at him with wide eyes, confused, Acid didn’t say anything else.

The carriage carrying the three of us passed through winding, unpaved roads and entered a glamorous avenue.

The Imperial Children’s Academy, built for nobles, was located on the most expensive land in the heart of the empire, as expected.

I, who had become accustomed to the splendor of the Mirmode family, was dazzled by the vibrant streets unfolding before my eyes.

We finally arrived.

At the Imperial Children’s Academy!

“…Hoo!”

The Imperial Children’s Academy.

Of course, Dad didn’t just abandon me at the academy.

‘Acid on the left, Leinhardt on the right, got it.’

Even though there were already tight-knit connections within the academy, as Acid said, no one would be able to touch me with these two.

Besides, next to me…

“Hehehe, I’m already looking forward to it!”

…There were the maids, who were imposing with their muscles!

Even if the hazing was bad, surely they wouldn’t attack me, a Mirmode.

‘I might be able to live a little more comfortably at the academy!’

I strolled along the gold-plated hallway, looking around.

Gold here, gold there!

It was a sight that made me exclaim in admiration. The academy, despite its name as the repository of imperial knowledge, seemed to be covered in gold as if money had been poured into it.

“Why is it so shiny here?”

Leinhardt raised his mask slightly and said.

“Most of the academy graduates become key personnel in the empire, and they consistently support the academy’s remodeling costs. In short, a virtuous cycle!”

I was more surprised that Leinhardt knew about the academy’s history than the fact itself. I blinked at him, looking at his eyes beyond the mask.

Come to think of it, the mask he always wore seemed shinier than usual.

‘Could it be that he was really looking forward to coming to the academy?’

Leinhardt also had few opportunities to make friends his age, so it was understandable that he was excited.

Thinking that it was a good idea to come together, I squeezed the hand I was holding with Leinhardt and said brightly.

“Thanks, Speedwagon. Ah, no. Leinhardt!” [Referring to a supportive character known for providing background information.]

“Hmph, it’s nothing.”

I stared blankly at Leinhardt striking a pose, then turned my head to the side.

“Isn’t that Sienne Mirmode?”

“You know, the one who had the paternity test at the trial?”

“Yeah, that one!”

The children of the academy were whispering. I scratched my ear, wondering how those kids knew about me.

‘Something feels a little strange. Does gossip usually spread this much?’

It felt like someone was pulling strings behind the scenes. I tilted my head in confusion. But right then.

“As expected, Matthias must have done something.”

“…?”

I perked up my ears at Leinhardt’s words.

‘What did my dad do?’

It was quite a suspicious remark. I gripped Leinhardt’s hand tightly and turned my head sharply.

“What did my dad do?”

“Huh? Huh?”

“You just said something in a very, very low voice. ‘Matthias must have done something,’ like that.”

Leinhardt looked quite troubled and turned his head back.

“W-Well, you have good hearing, don’t you?”

It was really strange. I felt a strange question as I watched Leinhardt quickly bite his tongue.

“…Why are you changing the subject? What did he do?”

‘Since it’s come to this, I’m going head-on!’

Head-on means!

That’s right, using Sienne’s signature tail-dragging skill! [A tactic of persistent questioning or persuasion.]

I pouted at Leinhardt, pretending to be sulky.

As soon as I pouted, Leinhardt seemed flustered and fidgeted.

“W-Why are you pouting like that!”

“Huh?”

“…Are you upset?”

“N-No. Just tell me.”

It was then.

Acid, who had been quietly by our side as if he was barely there, whispered cautiously.

“It was nothing.”

“…Huh?”

“There’s nothing for Sienne to worry about.”

Acid gave a pure and beautiful smile like a narcissus.

‘It feels like a line has been drawn.’

I was flustered by Acid’s subtly different appearance from usual, and I stuttered.

“O-Okay…”

“Yes, let’s go in.”

Looking closely at Acid’s expression, he had returned to his usual kind face.

I decided to brush it off, thinking that I had been too busy bickering with Leinhardt and hadn’t paid attention to Acid, so he felt unfamiliar.

I held out one hand each to Leinhardt and Acid.

“Alright, let’s go in quickly!”

***

The three of us entered the academy classroom energetically.

Three empty seats assigned for us were lined up in the back of the classroom.

I put the schoolbag that the maid had packed for me on the chair and looked around.

‘The atmosphere is strange?’

It was clearly study time, and it seemed like we could talk until the teacher came.

The way the other kids were already exchanging glances felt like they were ostracizing us.

‘Come to think of it, a cold silence fell as soon as I opened the classroom door earlier, didn’t it?’

I deliberately made a scraping noise with my chair. The children began to flinch. Some of them peeked at us. Judging by that, they were at least curious about us.

“Chestnut.”

“Huh?”

“The atmosphere here is really…”

‘Leinhardt also knows the atmosphere is strange!’

I sighed and prepared to respond to his words. Then Leinhardt shouted with a playful smile.

“The atmosphere is really good? I think I can make a lot of friends!”

The already bleak atmosphere in the classroom turned as cold as ice again as soon as he finished speaking.

I sighed inwardly and shook my head.

‘As expected, Leinhardt only stays inside the mansion, so he doesn’t know!’

The sound of chatter from here and there pierced my ears like nails again.

“Hmph!”

“That kid must be Sienne Mirmode!”

“The daughter of that evil…”

I raised my eyebrows at the words ‘daughter of evil…’

I could see Leinhardt perking up his ears and Acid rolling his eyes. Those two had noticed exactly what those kids were trying to say.

‘I didn’t hear exactly what they said, but there’s definitely something.’

I glared at Acid and Leinhardt, then leaned in to eavesdrop on what the kids were saying.

***

The Mirmode family parachuted no less than three people into the academy!

This fact was enough to ignite the hearts of the academy students.

The Imperial Children’s Academy had a very high level of difficulty in its entrance exam.

But to enter proudly in the middle without even taking the academy’s entrance exam?

To put it exaggeratedly, it felt like watching admission irregularities.

Besides, wasn’t it ‘that’ Mirmode family? As much as the Mirmode family had overflowing notoriety, there were many who were grinding their teeth at that family. For example, the children of pro-Crown Prince families.

Liena, a little lady from a representative pro-Crown Prince family, opened her mouth.

“Something really ridiculous happened!”

“That’s right.”

“How can there be people who are admitted through corruption in the middle?”

Liena chirped like a bird.

I knew the power of the Mirmode family, which could make even birds fall, but Liena also had something to rely on.

Liena, who glanced at Leinhardt’s scary expression, deliberately raised her voice.

“We can’t be intimidated by what happened at the academy anyway!”

According to the order of the founding emperor, the inside of the academy was subject to immunity.

They stared at Sienne with their heads held high for no reason. Even though they knew they were being glared at, Sienne sat upright at her desk without any particular reaction.

Rather, Leinhardt, who was next to her, and Acid, who was rumored to be a healer from the temple, were glaring at them.

It was something that made sweat flow naturally, but they pretended not to be intimidated and wagged their mouths.

“That child said that raising the merchant group wasn’t her own ability either.”

“T-That’s new information?”

Because they were so conscious, a theatrical tone flowed out. Liena glanced at Sienne and raised her voice.

“Anyway, it’s very wrong! It’s unfair for a child who hasn’t proven their achievements to enter our academy!”

“That’s right, it’s completely unjustifiable!”

I didn’t know exactly what ‘completely unjustifiable’ meant, but the children unanimously protested against the illegal admission of Sienne, Leinhardt, and Acid.