My Daddy Hide His Power – Chapter 175

Author: rolypoly

“Why on earth were you there?”

Looking at the emperor looking at the child affectionately, Oscar quietly placed his hand on his chest.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

It felt like the sound of a heart beating so fast that it might burst could be heard.

“You seem very surprised.”

The child couldn’t breathe, her small body trembling badly.

“Now that everything’s alright, you can relax.”

“….”

“Tsk. You don’t even have the energy to speak?”

“I, I, I… I apolo…”

“What do you have to apologize to me for? Instead of an apology, you could give thanks. I brought you here just in case something went wrong.”

“Y, Yes…”

The child nodded her head quickly, several times. Tears that had welled up fell down suddenly.

“T, thank you…”

“Don’t cry.”

“Yes…. I, I cried….”

Like feeling the compulsion to obey the emperor’s words in order to survive, the child lifted the corners of her mouth.

The bizarre expression, neither crying nor laughing, was so pitiful.

“I, I’m sorry for crying…”

The emperor burst into laughter at the ridiculous sight.

“Ahahaha!”

“Poor thing. It must have been a big shock. From now on, stay away from such places. Got it?”

“Y, yes…”

Lilith was being pushed to her limits and scared, and only Oscar knew that fact.

Because he also felt the same way.

The imagination that had been tormenting him until now had become reality before his eyes.

“Lord of the Wizard Tower, relax your expression a bit. The child is safe.”

The moment he realized that no matter how much he struggled, with just one gesture from the emperor, everything could come to an end… He felt it in his skin.

“Yes…”

Fear and extreme helplessness bound him.

* * *

Amidst chaos.

Sparks flew in all directions, and piercing screams echoed through the air.

“Cough, cough.”

Cheshire hurriedly went down the stairs, wrapping his arms around the woman holding the newborn baby and putting a shield around her.

Although quite a few people were evacuated, many were still stuck, and the fire kept growing.

‘Damn it.’

Cheshire was obsessed with keeping everyone safe.

Because of a sense of justice? No.

If the situation got more serious, he didn’t know what Lilith, who was shivering outside, would do.

‘I can’t. I have to hurry…’

The anxiety troubled his mind.

“Half of you, go that way! The rest, come with me and let’s secure this building!”

As he exited the building, Cheshire stopped when he saw a familiar face.

“Jem?”

Jemian Traha.

She was a comrade-in-arms, actively serving as the leader of a reputable mercenary guild.

Behind her, about ten members of the unit were visible. They were capable people of the Diez class.

“Huh? Cheshire!”

Jem found Cheshire and came running.

“I’ll help too! Suddenly Lilith came running to our guild!”

“….”

As expected, she doesn’t stay still…

Even though the situation was going well, the thought of Lilith, who couldn’t stay still, made his heart thump in anxiety.

Since he had to evacuate people, he couldn’t continue to stay by her side…

“Where is Lilith?”

“Huh? We came back here together. She’ll be in a safe place. Don’t worry.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, and by the way, I did ask other guilds to come as well, but it’s probably hard to expect much. Each capable person is like an asset to the guild… If something goes wrong, it could be a big problem.”

Meanwhile, Jamion, who was giving instructions to her members with hand gestures, added with an embarrassed expression.

“Sorry for being late. Actually, I knew there was a fire, but I didn’t have the intention of helping. If it weren’t for Lilith, I wouldn’t have come.”

“It’s okay. I understand. Don’t push yourself too hard, just help out as much as you can.”

“Yeah, don’t get hurt!”

In any case, the support of talented mercenaries was welcome. It lightened his heart considerably.

“Lilith…”

Cheshire looked for Lilith before heading to the next building.

“Commander of the Magic Swordsman!”

At that time, one of the guards spotted Cheshire first and rushed over in a hurry. He was the one who had been asked to protect Lilith.

“T, the princess disappeared!”

“…What?”

In an instant, his eyes rolled back.

While taking a breath, he shouted.

“I told you to watch her!”

“No, that’s… No, it’s…”

“Come to your senses and speak properly! Where did she go?”

“I, it’s not like she went anywhere! She went to the mercenary guild and evacuated again… but then… she just flashed in front of my eyes and disappeared.”

“What?”

“I, I’m sorry. I know this sounds like a ridiculous excuse, but she really just disappeared all of a sudden… I don’t even know what happened myself…”

The guard trembled and muttered, as if he was afraid of being reprimanded.

“….”

After that, there were more voices mumbling excuses, but Cheshire couldn’t hear them.

His mind has turned completely blank.

Only a piercing ringing filled his ears.

“Lilith…”

Lilith suddenly disappeared.

In the worst scenarios he had imagined thousands of times in his head, it wasn’t an implausible occurrence.

Isn’t there only one person who can take Lilith away like that?

‘Yeah.’

His head became cold, and Cheshire didn’t think more.

‘Maybe it’s good.’

He’s sick of it. Let’s finish it.

He ran without hesitation.

****

‘Damn it.’

For a moment, the mana he had focused on to protect his respiratory system was distracted, and acrid smoke stung his lungs.

All Axion could do now was get people out of the building waiting for support.

‘Lilith…’

The child made his mind more nervous.

Whenever Axion rescued people, he checked to see if the child was safe and repeatedly asked her not to do anything.

“This way… cough! Ah, don’t breathe!”

At that time, he saw someone trying to save a child by wrapping it in a blanket.

Jemian, a red-haired mercenary who looks just like a man.

It was a familiar face to Axion as they often went on expeditions together.

“Hey! Are you okay?”

“Ah, Duke! Cough, Cough.”

“You don’t look well. You should wait outside now.”

Axion said as he quickly secured a passage.

“Ah! I can’t do that. Cough!”

“Listen to me!”

Jamion was short on mana, so the time she could maintain her shield was short. She was almost bare now.

“What you’ve done so far is enough. Help will come soon. You take care of evacuating the people I brought out.”

“Help… cough, it won’t come quickly. I’ll keep helping!”

As Jemian spoke, struggling to descend the stairs, Axion bit his lip.

Everyone knew it.

In a fire that broke out in a commoner residential area, it’s unlikely that high-ranking support personnel would rush to respond.

‘It’s driving me crazy.’

When he came out of the building with Jemian.

Axion was surprised by the scenery that changed significantly from when he entered.

‘What is this…?’

The fire was half extinguished.

Capable people wearing white gowns were seen everywhere.

They were researchers from the Wizard Tower.

“Wow, oh my!”

Jemian cheered.

“Duke, you’re truly amazing! Did those people come because you called them? Wow, as expected! Amazing!”

Clearly, they came to provide support without the Emperor’s permission, given the timing.

He felt relieved for a while.

“Lilith! Lilith is…”

One of the guards who had been waiting rushed over.

“Your Excellency!”

“Oh, yeah! Where’s the kid?”

“S, she disappeared.”

“What?”

Axion’s eyes grew bigger.

“What on earth are you talking about? Disappeared?”

The guard, seeming frustrated himself, blurted out hastily.

“We don’t know what’s going on either. She just suddenly disappeared in front of us…”

“How can…!”

Axion, who was about to shout that it was ridiculous, held his breath.

No way.

“Wait. Then Cheshire… Where’s Cheshire?”

“As for the commander of the Magic Swordsman… he left the scene immediately after he realized that the princess had disappeared. I don’t know where he went.”

“Ah.”

Lilith who disappeared in front of their eyes.

Where did Cheshire go after seeing that?

“You… why are you fighting? Because Enoch told you to?”

“No.”

Memories popped up in his blank mind.

“I hope you have a reason for joining the rebellion. Not just because you can kill the Emperor, but… something more.”

When they started preparing for a rebellion.

The first thing he learned was Cheshire’s secret.

The only person with the ability who has no holy power… and is therefore not under Primera’s control.

A sword that can stand up against the emperor.

“I’m going to save her.”

To save her?

Those who will die from the emperor’s tyranny?

At the time, it sounded like it meant holding a sword for a greater cause.

“How strong have I become?”

“Even if Duke and father fail… have I become strong enough to kill the Emperor alone?”

Cheshire had often asked him the same question since old times.

The day Axion noticed the twisted look in Cheshire’s eyes, a sense of unease sprouted in his heart.

“Father, what about now? Can I do it alone?”

“What if I say so? Are you going to go kill the emperor alone?”

“….”

“Don’t talk nonsense. We are all supposed to survive together, but if you storm in before we are ready, do you want to go to the guillotine together?”

Why?

Why on earth were you filled with the will to rebel at such a young age, when you didn’t even know anything yet?

The reason is…

Axion finally realized this.

It wasn’t because of a cause or a sense of justice.

“I want to save her.”

Lilith.

“Absolutely, he must be killed.”

“If I don’t kill him, she dies.”

Now he understands what Enoch said a long time ago when talking about the rebellion.

If he doesn’t kill it, she will definitely die.

Primera…