Chapter 102
Teppy Imperial.
My one and only son, and my hope!
Count Imperial looked up at Domit with eyes full of earnestness. Domit’s narrow eyes widened roundly.
“Please do not worry. A talented young master like him will surely be receiving lessons with an excellent attitude at the academy as well. There will be many children following such a young master.”
“Th-that’s right? Our Teppy would do that, right?”
“Of course. The young master is an outstanding person.”
Domit spoke while gently smiling with his eyes, and Count Imperial sighed as if hearing what he wanted to hear, relaxing the tension in his body.
“If Teppy graduates from the academy with top grades and leads followers to form a knight order……!”
He swallowed dryly.
“It would be fully possible to increase power as well.”
Domit nodded from the side.
“We must show that a vassal family devouring the main family is not just a far-fetched matter.”
“Yes, yes!”
Count Imperial now smiled brightly with a completely relieved expression.
No matter how much Teppy was still a child throwing tantrums, he wouldn’t do so even in that group mixed with commoners.
As Domit said, Teppy had talent in swordsmanship itself anyway, so he would be able to fully demonstrate his skills.
Thus, there was nothing to worry about. It was just a matter of waiting for Teppy with peace of mind.
“Since something huge like the wraith attack happened, I do want to visit once, but they don’t tell me the academy’s location, damn…….”
“Ah, haven’t you heard the news?”
Domit, who had been rolling his eyes to scan the count’s desk, pointed to a document and continued.
“I heard the academy’s location has been moved. It’s said to be the grand duke’s villa.”
“……Villa?”
The count, examining the document, soon read the place name written as ‘Kakot’. The count’s face crumpled to an unsightly degree.
“Th-this……! Taking the children to such an impure place! Is the grand duke in his right mind?”
“Is there a problem with that place?”
Domit, who still didn’t know the empire’s circumstances well, asked. The count opened and closed his mouth, then soon clucked his tongue and flipped the document over.
“It’s not something you need to know. It’s just…… unpleasant.”
What could be unpleasant. Domit was curious about the count’s thoughts.
So he wagged his tail briefly for a moment, but soon folded his mind thinking it was a waste to use it for such a thing. He smiled brightly again looking at the count.
“Anyway, that place is relatively close. From what I checked, it’s a distance you can reach by passing through about 3 teleportation arrays.”
The count, who had been sullen ever since confirming Kakot’s villa, soon let out a deep sigh and lifted his head.
Yes. That place is just an unpleasant location, it won’t affect my child at all.
Rather, since I now know the exact location, it can be seen as a good thing.
Having calmed his boiling heart like that, the count said to Domit.
“I’ll go visit soon. To see Teppy, and to see the level of the other children as well…….”
While saying so, he flashed his navy blue eyes that resembled Teppy’s.
“And to trample that rascal as well.”
Placing the messy Daphne, who was the opposite of his outstanding son Teppy, would make a very good picture.
Kuhuhuhu!
The count let out a vile laugh long and drawn out.
***
The academy children are in the back of a mansion so large and beautiful that it’s embarrassing to call it a villa, in a space turned into a training ground but half-abandoned.
Clang! Clang!
And they are diligently hammering away.
Shouts from the children come and go between the alternating hammering sounds.
“Hey, hey! That! Hold that properly! It’s tilting right now!”
Clang! Clang!
“The rope! Why aren’t you pulling the rope properly?”
Clang! Clang!
“If you’re going to hammer like that, make a coffin instead of a tent. So I can go in when I die.”
The children poured out complaints, but for all that, the tents were being made reasonably well.
The anxiety that they might end up sleeping outside like this, the impatience that just pitching tents won’t bring food so they need to hurry and gather provisions, mixed together and made the children’s hands and feet move quickly.
“Crazy…….”
At that moment, Cilia’s mutter pierced the children’s ears.
The children, who had been wrestling with the tents, pricked up their ears and looked at Cilia. No, to be precise, they looked at Daphne in front of Cilia.
“What are you doing?”
Cilia asked Daphne with a face as if her soul had half escaped.
Daphne, who had been diligently pulling the tarp rope, tilted her head.
“Can’t you see? I’m pitching a tent.”
“Doesn’t look like it.”
“What do you mean?”
Cilia sighed while pressing her forehead.
It seems it was a mistake to hand the hammer to Daphne, who confidently said she would do everything herself. She sighs again.
“You don’t know what a tent looks like. Be honest.”
“……?”
Only then did Daphne let go of the rope and step back two steps. Then she looked at the tent she had pitched.
It was not the dome-shaped tent the other children had pitched, but a tent with sharply pointed angles alive. And the tarp providing shade was completely tilted to one side.
In one word, it meant a mess.
However, since one started making it with sincerity, there aren’t many people who can recognize that a messy result is messy. Especially the dragon Daphne, who prided herself on her handiwork, even more so.
“Isn’t this enough to sleep well? From what I see, it’s perfect. Doesn’t it look like modern art that’s trendy these days?”
“Stop talking nonsense and hand over the hammer. And go to the forest to pick some fruits.”
“…….”
At Cilia’s firm words, Daphne became slightly sulky.
I worked hard in my own way…… She looked back at the children, thinking. Because the children might acknowledge her!
But,
“That sharply protruding part reveals Daphne’s rebellious spirit, doesn’t it?”
“The collapsed entrance seems to mean not letting anyone in carelessly.”
“The slanted tarp seems like a will to let the wind and sunlight flow away.”
The children wounded Daphne without a single curse word.
“You guys are really bad people. It was just the day before yesterday that I saved you.”
They can’t even repay the favor, but hurt me like this!
Next time, I’ll make them anxious a lot before saving them.
Hmph!
Daphne snorted and snatched a rattan basket. It was to find something edible as Cilia said.
Behind the villa where the children were, there was a path leading to the forest.
The forest didn’t look very large, but it was quite dense. It seemed sufficient to gather food for dozens of children.
Rustle, rustle.
Daphne walked deeper into the forest. She liked the feel of the bushes brushing her arms and the grass being stepped on under her feet.
After overcoming one hurdle called the black magician’s intrusion, her mind became somewhat peaceful. On top of that, since she was to receive the second form of the Galaxy Sword from the warrior, only becoming stronger remained.
Also…….
‘The guilt has lessened a bit.’
She had been feeling guilty thinking that since she drove out and took over the owner of this body, she couldn’t become the true Daphne, but upon learning that this body was actually a lump of curses, and realizing that she hadn’t stolen someone’s life, her mind became somewhat at ease.
‘Of course, I can’t tell the family that Daphne was a lump of curses.’
She had a intuition that if they found out, they would suffer mentally a lot.
Since they all just have harsh mouths but their natures aren’t bad guys, she didn’t want to add unnecessary worries.
‘I should tell them only after properly dealing with the wraith and the dragon.’
Daphne muttered her thoughts like that and went deeper into the forest.
“Fruits, huh.”
Would there be fruits in a place like this? Daphne lifted her head and quickly looked around. It was to see if there were fruits hanging on the branches.
That was when.
Rustle, an artificial rustling sound was heard.
Daphne placed her hand on the sword at her waist and turned her gaze to where the sound came from.
Whoosh! The place Daphne’s gaze reached was the top of a nearby tree.
“Who is it! Come out while I’m asking nicely!”
Daphne kicked the tree trunk with her foot and shouted. As soon as she did, a scream was heard.
“Ack! Daphne! Wait! It’s me, me! Teppy!”
Teppy?
Daphne frowned and looked up. Then she saw Teppy sitting on a branch, grinning hehe.
Teppy had clearly said at the very beginning that he didn’t know how to pitch tents or anything, so he would go into the forest first to gather food. Why was he still at the entrance of the forest? Daphne tilted her head.
“What are you doing there?”
“Uh, um.”
Teppy grinned hehe again and scratched his cheek.
“There were fruits, so I climbed up to pick them, but couldn’t get down…….”
“…….”
“Scary. Hing.”
“…….”
I was stupid for even briefly wondering if something happened.
Daphne started walking the path she had been on again.
“Daphne! Ack! Where are you going! You won’t save me? Really?!”
Hearing Teppy’s endless shouts, Daphne recalled the Count Imperial she had seen long ago.
“Aaack! Rache! Because of you, I dropped the bread and ended up like this! Daphne! Daphne, come baaack!”
Pitiful guy…….
He completely messed up raising his child.
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