CH 52

Author: rolypoly

Three days before my birthday.

I got a letter with my name on it.

[Notice of Admission to the Pavilion Empire Training Center — Lilith Rubinstein

As a talented person from a great Empire who Primera called, you have been selected for admission to the training center.  

Please proceed with the admission procedure by May 21, 1779, the convocation date.

If the person who is supposed to be admitted doesn’t show up at the training center within three days of the admission date and doesn’t have a good reason, they have violated the law…]

Was this how the Korean soldiers who had to go to the K-military felt when they received the enlistment notice?

Dad held me in his arms and silently read the notice for a long time before sighing deeply.

“Why sigh? I’ll be right back.” 

“It must have come to Cheshire, too. When I registered as a guardian, I asked for the same admission date.” 

Oh, enlisted together. That’s not bad.

“Lilith.”

“Ung.”

“Should I postpone it for two years? Admission notices come from the age of seven, but mandatory admission is from the age of nine.”

“Whoa, no! I’m going to go quickly!”

Dad’s shoulders drooped.

That’s really nonsense.

My body needs to use my abilities as soon as possible to consume my vitality.

Otherwise, I would barely grow for two years—.

‘It’s a disaster. A disaster. My identity will be revealed in the neighborhood.’

I was trembling because I had sprained my spine.

“Yeah… My daughter is smart, so it will take a month.” 

“That’s right. Believe me. don’t worry.”

“Haa. One week left….” 

Dad looked like a dead man.

‘The problem is that it’s not my enlistment.’

It’s Dad. 

It’s been a few days since I received the letter from my father, but Dad has not responded. 

‘No way… Read and ignore? You didn’t read and ignore it, did you? That Enoch Rubinstein?’

I thought it was a letter that could definitely stir up the main character’s strong desire to start a revolution. 

Didn’t he know that his daughter would be safe, unlike the original, and— that he wouldn’t have to be the Emperor’s watchdog for her?

I grabbed my head and was horrified.

‘N, no. I trust Dad.’

It’s Enoch Rubinstein, a righteous protagonist with keywords such as #goodness #justice #revolutionary!

“More than that, princess.” 

“Ung?” 

“Dad will be going somewhere for a while.” 

“Ung? Where?” 

“I’m going to buy our princess’ birthday present?” 

“Ung. Where are you going to buy the birthday present?” 

“Oh, it’s a bit far. I’m thinking of taking a warp gate from the temple and going to the central part.”

“Whoa, I see!” 

I cleared my chest.

‘As expected, he didn’t ignore reading it. If it’s the central part, he will go see Joseph Lüttman as I told him to.’

This proceeds according to the original!

“I thought it would be a bit difficult to go there in one day. But I’ll definitely be back before the princess’s birthday.”

“What? You go now and come back for my birthday? My birthday is only 3 days away?”

“Ung.” 

Do you want to get Joseph Lüttman in 3 days?

I was dazed and only blinked my eyes.

Joseph Lüttman.

Let me explain a bit—.

It doesn’t say where Dad met Joseph and how he conciliated him—.

I had to infer the meeting of the two from a few lines of the story and conversation, which were briefly described. 

‘What’s certain is, Joseph wouldn’t have said he would help Dad easily from the beginning.’

Thinking back on the hardships of three months, I clearly remember Enoch Rubinstein replying with a smile, ‘Haha, that’s right.’

‘Ugh, he’s going to be with Joseph in three days.’

And I know to some extent, the story of Joseph, who abandoned everything and went into hiding—.

‘I’m sure I’ll be helpful.’

I nodded and said.

“I want to go too.”

“Ung?” 

“I’ll go too. I will choose the gift I want to receive.”

“Ah, that’s a bit. Dad will be back soon. Actually, Dad is… Well, I have a friend over there. I’m going with to see that friend’s face….” 

“Where are your friends, Dad?”

“Does Dad have friends too?”

“Aaaagh, I hate it! Take me too! I hate sleeping alone! I don’t want to be alone without Dad!”

“No, princess…” 

“I won’t be able to see Dad anymore when I go to the training center soon! I hate that too!” 

“Oh, yes, Dad too. Dad doesn’t want to be separated from our princess either. But…” 

“Waaaa!” 

I clung to Dad’s neck, put my head down, and cried and complained.

“You can’t… You really can’t…” 

“Waaa!” 

“Haa, my princess.” 

Dad muttered to me in his arms as I struggled and soothed. 

“What should I do if you don’t want to be separated from Dad like this? Dad has to live with the princess for the rest of my life, it can’t be.”

“Take me too! I’m coming too!”

Dad stared at me with a puzzled face.

* * *

As always, it was my victory.

After Dad announced to the family that he would buy my birthday present, he took me to the temple.

It took only an hour from the temple to get to the central part of the country by the warp gate.

‘As expected, magic is the best.’

As I remembered the day I came to the Capital in half a day, I felt the greatness of magic.

“Good? It reminds me of the old days, doesn’t it?”

“Right.”

Central Valterac is bigger than my hometown, Xenon, but it has some similarities.

Commoners roam briskly between nice buildings with a quiet landscape. 

It was a town where no nobles except for the Lord, so everyone lived comfortably. 

“It’s really nice….” 

“Right…” 

No one recognized Mr. James in disguise and me in commoner clothes.

It’s been a while since I’ve been enjoying this freedom.

Dad asked, and then he headed to the city’s back alley.

The biggest gambling house in Valterac was there.

“Wow, this really isn’t the place to bring kids.”

It was a legally operated gambling house, but like all gambling houses, the atmosphere around it was harsh.

People who smoke cigarettes with swollen eyes. 

People were crying, shouting, and grabbing the pants of a guard at a gambling house—.

“I am crazy.”

Dad stood at a distance and looked at it, then looked at me blankly next to me and sighed.

“It’s really crazy. Really.”

My muttering Dad tapped my forehead once.

‘Oh?’

Then I felt as if I had eaten mint candy.

It sounded like magic.

“What is it?”

“Because smokes is not good for my daughter. Dad made it so there was no smell and no smoke.”

“Aha, thank you.”

Dad took my hand and headed to the gambling house.

Two large guards stood guard at the entrance.

Then I suddenly had a question.

‘Hmm, Dad was a smart, quick-witted, and sensible main character who could do anything, so why did it take him three months to get Joseph?’

Was Joseph an incredible iron wall?

…I soon found out the answer to that question.

“I’ve never seen your face here. Are you here for the first time? The entrance fee is one gold coin. If you go inside, they will fill your ticket.”

At what the guard said, Dad shook his head.

“I’m not here to play games. I’m looking for someone. Would you please find out if any of the guests is Joseph Lüttmann?”

My confident Dad’s question dumbfounded me.

The two guards blinked their eyes, then looked at each other. Their expression was like, ‘What is this b*stard saying?’.

* * *

Of course, we were kicked out.

Dad sat far away and scratched his head.

I sat next to Dad and felt sorry for him as I watched him.

‘I can see why it took so long to get Joseph.’

My good Daddy, who has never been to a place like this—.

My Dad who never touched a gambling game—.

Perhaps in the original work, it would have been difficult to see Joseph’s face, who lives in a gambling house 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 

“I can’t. Just…” 

“Wait, wait.”

I caught Dad.

“Are you going to take off your disguise? I’m a duke, so open the door. Can I meet a friend?” 

“It should be. They say we can’t just go in.”

“Phew, isn’t there a reason why Dad tried to meet your friend disguised as Mr. James in the first place?”

When I asked Dad a question, he leaned back in his seat.

“Right. Well, he’s a little bit. Dad thinks… If he knew who Dad was, he wouldn’t like me very much. It’s hard for him to have a comfortable conversation.”

“When are you saying it’s your friends again?”

“It was a lie. It’s not really friends. He is someone I want to be friends with.” 

“I see.” 

“Anyway, so as naturally as possible….” 

“Are you trying to get close?”

“That’s right.”

“Then you shouldn’t reveal that you are the Duke. Foolish Dad.”

“But there is no other way.”

“Dad, the gambling house… is always open to anyone who wants to gamble.”

I squatted and flicked my index finger at Dad.

“How much money did you bring? Look.”

“Money?”

Dad opened the bag of money he was wearing around his waist.

About twenty gold coins.

He had no intention of gambling, so of course, it wasn’t a big amount.

“Dad.”

I raised my eyebrows at Dad, who tilted his head.

“Do you know how to play poker?”