Lord Baby Runs A Romance Fantasy With Cash [EN]: Chapter 35

[〈Ability Window〉 has been unlocked!]

[The number of usable abilities has increased to two!]

[The amount of Cash acquired from draws has been increased!]

[The communication channel with 〈Aptanes〉 has been expanded!]

[The 〈My Works List〉 feature has been unlocked!]

[You can now revisit purchased novels at any time!]

‘Wow, isn’t this amazing?’

Even if I draw a weird ability, I can just draw another one!

If I’m lucky, I could have two good abilities at the same time!

And they say I’ll get more Cash from the draws!

‘Plus, My Works List… Does that mean if I need the ability from a novel I summoned before, I can call it up without spending Cash?’

If that’s the case, it’s the best!

The light that had filled my vision swirled around me like embers from a bonfire on a winter night.

Swoosh, the scattering light settled back into the book.

And then.

“…It’s changed.”

The Akirtus I saw again had changed.

The cover now featured two heart-cut crystals connected like an hourglass.

One side was tinged with pink, while the other crystal was transparent.

I guess I can put the new ability in this transparent crystal.

[Trait 〈Rush and Cash〉]

Dear Reader!

It is no coincidence that you have come to this world.

It is a destiny guided by karma.

The one and only being who can walk the line set by causality.

“…He’s striking a pose again.”

I stared at the notification window askew.

Of course, it’s no coincidence.

I got picked because I had the most best comments!

What coincidence is there in that!

The random draw is the coincidence!

Therefore, prepare yourselves.

Prepare for the time when the light loses its color and darkness engulfs the world.

When that day comes, your family and those you love will all wither before the cold, biting wind.

I implore you to prepare for the cruel winter!

When the time comes, spread your influence throughout the world and raise your voice!

When you raise your clenched fist, those who stand with you will be your strength.

Now, Reader, you are not alone.

I stared blankly at the words.

‘What is this supposed to mean?’

Darkness is coming? Does that mean something like the end of the world?

Like a romance fantasy, will dragons or demons invade?

Those who stand with me will be my strength, so do I need to form a party?

Like a hero’s party to defeat the Demon King?

“……”

I tried to think of it as a joke, but I couldn’t laugh.

‘My family and the people I love will all wither. They’re going to die……?’

Anna, Nancy, Laura, Tilda.

Ares, Ixion.

And.

‘Dad.’

“Ugh…….”

Just imagining it made my heart ache.

‘So this is what it’s like to have precious people.’

This is what it was.

‘……What should I do?’

Reader, there is a clear reason why you were born here.

Do not be afraid.

There is something only you can do.

Remember the countless lives you have seen.

This trait that suits your aptitude will be helpful.

That was the end of the message.

But strangely, I felt stronger.

‘Something only I can do.’

“You’re always slacking off. You should be grateful they even hired you with your lousy education. If you can’t do it, just say so. There are plenty of people who can replace you.”

It’s different now.

There’s something only I can do here.

Then there’s only one thing I need to think about.

‘Do I want to do it?’

I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, but anyway, a tragedy like the end of the world is inevitable.

If there’s something I can do to stop that destruction, if I can protect my family with my own hands.

‘Wouldn’t that be great?’

No matter how hard it is, it would be better than being helplessly swept away by a tragedy without being able to do anything.

‘Even in my past life, I couldn’t live my life the way I wanted.’

It felt like life and the world were being unfair to me.

I thought I’d been born with a silver spoon in my mouth this time, but it seems the world is going to be unfair to me again.

I don’t want that anymore.

I won’t let anyone control my life.

Whether it’s a person, a demon, a dragon, or whatever, I’m going to live my life the way I want.

‘To do that, I need power!’

It takes more power to protect myself than to trample on others.

‘And my power is—’

I clenched Akirtus tightly.

“Quest!”

[There are unconfirmed quests.]

[Would you like to confirm all of them?]

I nodded, and the new quests I had received appeared before me.

I read them carefully, not missing a single word.

Some of them contained shocking information, and some contained information I didn’t know.

There were also quests that I couldn’t think of a way to succeed in.

There were no penalties for rejecting a quest.

In other words, it’s okay to reject the difficult ones.

But.

[Would you like to accept the quest?]

“Accept all!”

I answered firmly.

My voice responding to the quest felt different than before.

It felt like I was holding the steering wheel of my life.

‘Good.’

So this is how good it feels.

Then, a notification popped up.

[A new quest has arrived.]

〈Great Power from the Ordinary〉

We commend your will and determination!

Reader, gain power!

So that nothing can overturn your life!

But you must remember.

The most difficult thing is to protect the everyday.

There is nothing that makes a person stronger than protecting the everyday and feeling the happiness within it.

You are still a four-year-old child.

Have fun playing.

– Conditions:

1. Kiss Paeraton on the cheek

2. Get Ixion to give you a piggyback ride

3. Eat something delicious with Ares

– Reward: 1000 Cash Draw Ticket

“……What.”

I rubbed my nose for no reason.

That damn devil, giving me quests like this.

‘……Should I have brought my fists instead of my tools earlier?’

I nodded slightly.

[You have accepted the quest.]

Now it’s time for me to be unfair to my life.

* * *

Dusk.

The small conference room on the east wing of the estate.

“The atmosphere in the estate has completely changed since the youngest miss came.”

“Especially His Excellency. He even says ‘Mom’….”

“Ah, you mean ‘Mom’….”

“What are you all talking about? Mom?”

“……I envy you. To not know it yet.”

“Ignorance is bliss. Every time it comes to mind, I break out in a cold sweat with a shiver.”

What could it be that they fear so much?

Is it someone whose name cannot be spoken?

“Ahem, well, what’s important is that His Excellency is particularly fond of the youngest daughter.”

“Of course, she’s lovely. Especially considering the wealth she brought from the Tarenka barony. How could she not be?”

“Objectively, it’s a substantial amount, but it’s not enough to surprise anyone in Paeraton.”

“That’s right. It’s Paeraton, not some other family. Villas and horse ranches don’t matter here. In the end, what matters is what kind of business she brought.”

Judging the business she brought comes down to two things.

How good is the business she brought?

Or how well can she manage the business she brought?

“An empty mana stone mining operation is just chaff, as good as nothing.”

“She’s still young. To bring it knowing that empty mana stones are buried there.”

That’s a business you can’t even run.

The moment you start mining, you’ll incur losses, and there’s no way to cover those losses.

Who would buy mana stones without mana? They’re no different from trash.

“Even so, the fact that the youngest miss is loved shows how important it is that a four-year-old achieved such results.”

“The youngest daughter hasn’t even received heir training, so that’s a big factor too.”

“Speaking of which, there are already people applying to be on the youngest miss’s staff, aren’t there?”

“Baron Dier also applied.”

“Baron Dier… Isn’t he a genius among geniuses? Even though he’s not quite all there.”

“Yes, he’s an individual who earned his barony solely through his abilities. If he’s not a genius, who is? Even though he’s a bit crazy.”

“Hmm….”

Silence fell in the conference room for a moment.

“I thought she wouldn’t have much impact on the succession because she wasn’t born with magical talent, but this picture is getting strange.”

“Nothing will happen right away.”

“But crushing a young sprout saves trouble later on.”

“Doesn’t the youngest miss have a fatal weakness? How about exploiting that….”

“What do you think?”

At those words, everyone’s gaze turned to the person seated at the head of the table.

* * *

“Hehe, look! This is a drawing our young miss made for me!”

“Oh my, our young miss drew me wearing a flower crown!”

“She gave me this drawing too…! Our miss is so good at drawing!”

The employees fluttered their scraps of paper, laughing and chattering.

Erkel, Baron of Paeraton, rubbed his eyes.

‘What is this? I’ve seen this scene before?’

Only the people of the estate had changed to the people of the manor, but the same thing was happening.

‘Has the youngest miss already won over the employees of the manor?!’

It’s much faster than at the Duke’s residence in the capital!

And there was someone watching that scene with a sinister gaze….

“……Such a fuss over nothing.”

The Duke of Paeraton couldn’t contain his frustration and spoke out loud.

The employees who heard those words were startled and straightened up, bowing.

However.

There was something they couldn’t overlook in the Duke’s words.

“I-I’m sorry, Your Excellency, but nothing? What do you mean?”

Nancy, who had somehow started to act boldly, spoke up, unlike the other employees of the estate.

“It’s just lines intersecting on a piece of paper. There’s no particular meaning to it.”

The other employees who were trying to stop Nancy flinched at those words.

“To say that the drawing our youngest miss drew has no meaning is utterly unfair.”

“She drew it while thinking hard about me with her tiny hands. It’s more valuable than a painting by a court painter.”

As the employees continued to speak, the warmth disappeared from the Duke of Paeraton’s face.

His aide, Baron Erkel, who was watching the scene from the side, was sweating bullets.

‘Everyone, shut up! His Excellency is acting like this because he still hasn’t received a drawing from the miss!’

But no one heard his inner cry.

Everyone was blinded by the thought that the precious drawing the miss had drawn for them had been insulted.

The employees unintentionally continued to rub salt in the Duke of Paeraton’s wound.

‘T-This is no good. He has a meeting soon, and His Excellency is about to explode. Somehow…!’

At that moment, Baron Erkel’s eyes caught sight of a savior.

A lovely child holding her brother Ixion’s hand and walking with tiny steps.

A bomb tranquilizer!

“Young Miss!”

Luatisha was startled by Baron Erkel, who greeted her as if he was about to cry.

“Lulu.”

At the Duke of Paeraton’s call, Luatisha ran to him.

He immediately picked up Luatisha in his arms and looked down at the employees with an arrogant expression.

“Come to think of it, my daughter and I engraved vows on each other’s palms and shared them.”

“Yes?”

“We even signed with a stamp, so it can never be undone.”

The employees’ eyes wavered.

‘A vow with the miss?!’

‘A vow that can never be reversed, engraved on each other’s palms….’

Is it a special vow like the loyalty oaths of knights or mages?

‘I, I want to do it too! A loyalty oath to the miss!’

The employees looked at Luatisha with longing eyes.

The Duke of Paeraton’s shoulders were raised, and thick beads of sweat formed on Luatisha’s face.

‘No, what vow? We just made a pinky promise….’

But it was an atmosphere where she couldn’t possibly tell the truth.

Receiving envious gazes, the Duke of Paeraton pinched Luatisha’s cheek as if to show off.

“Then I should go to the conference room.”

Leaving only those words, the Duke of Paeraton left leisurely.

As the remaining employees silently sulked, Ixion raised one eyebrow as if he was dumbfounded.

“The cotton ball was supposed to go for a walk with me?”

What to do if he takes her like that!

* * *

Inside the grand conference hall.

The vassals were waiting for the Duke of Paeraton with heavy expressions.

Today’s meeting was the grand conference held once a month, and it was also the last monthly meeting of the year.

It was a meeting to wrap up the year and prepare for the next, so the atmosphere was as heavy as its importance.

Moreover, in the past three years when the Duke of Paeraton was absent, there had been many changes within the estate.

When the tiger is away, the fox acts as the leader, and if that period is prolonged, the fox mistakes itself for a tiger.

When the tiger returns, it is natural to not want to give up the seat.

Furthermore, the Paeraton ducal family possessed land as vast as a country, and therefore had a huge administrative organization.

Several foxes.

Several wolf packs following the tiger cub.

Even bats that ride the tide and hyenas that prey on the meat that others drop.

All of them were wary of each other, racking their brains to figure out what kind of meat they would take at today’s grand conference.

And finally, the door to the grand conference hall opened.

The only person who can pass through the front door, not the back door, is the head of the ducal family.

All the vassals rose from their seats at once.

It was the moment they were about to pay their respects to their lord.

‘T-That’s….’

‘The youngest daughter?!’

The little miss dangling from the Duke of Paeraton’s arms came into their sight.

No, they could tolerate her being brought into the office, but even to the grand conference?

“Y-Your Excellency.”

In the end, Baron Winchern, who couldn’t bear to watch, opened his mouth.

“This is no ordinary meeting, but the grand conference! It’s inappropriate for a miss who has nothing to do with family matters to attend….”

“My daughter has nothing to do with family matters?”

The Duke of Paeraton’s leisurely voice cut off Baron Winchern’s words.

“Is that what the baron thinks?”

“I-I apologize. However, the miss is young and has not yet taken on any duties….”

“The baron’s breath stinks.”

The Duke of Paeraton slightly frowned and covered his daughter’s nose.

Baron Winchern’s face turned bright red.

“S-Stinks, you say!”

“Does he even brush his teeth?”

“Huh? What ‘brush’ are you talking about?