My Daddy Hides His Power Chapter 283 - Side story Part 1 Chapter 23

 

* * *

 

 

Swish.

 

A white flame lit up at the tip of his finger.

 

Oscar looked at it and thought.

 

‘Why won’t they leave?’

 

He couldn’t understand James and Anna’s choice.

 

They both must know that if they miss this chance, it will be difficult to graduate from the training center quickly.

 

“Young Master, the rank assessment is over, so you can come out now.”

 

Oscar blankly stared at the researcher calling him from beyond the glass.

 

‘I thought we were getting close.’

 

Even as he walked out of the mana formal, the magic tool for rank measurement, his mind was filled only with thoughts of the two. 

 

‘Did they hate me?’ 

 

Come to think of it, it was just that Erich, who became his friend, was a little unusual.

 

Oscar also knew that there weren’t any kids who liked his blunt way of speaking or his headstrong personality. 

 

“Here, this is your ability user badge. I’ll also insert your rank slit, so could you give me your arm?”  

 

Oscar held out his hand like a doll.

 

The researcher was puzzled, looking at him who somehow seemed to have no strength at all.

 

‘I should have tried speaking nicely like Erich.’

 

Oscar regretted it just a little.

 

‘I should have just brought the bread myself.’

 

Maybe when he asked James and Anna to go outside and play together, they didn’t want to. 

 

‘I shouldn’t have pulled Anna’s hair.’

 

But now, it was all a useless regret.

 

James and Anna would have to stay here for a very long time, and even if they did come out later, they probably wouldn’t come looking for him.

 

“Y, Young Master?” 

 

Oscar walked weakly, dragging his feet.

 

He left the measurement room.

 

The researcher who was left alone scratched his cheek.

 

“What’s wrong with the kid?”

 

Well, it had nothing to do with him.

 

The researcher merely clicked their tongue in astonishment at Oscar’s glowing rank.

 

“It’s a monster, a monster.”

 

It was as expected, but it was surprising.

 

! Measurement Complete !

 

Mana reserve: 998983

 

Rank: 1st, Dos

 

 

A blessed ability user with the second-highest mana reserve in the empire at the moment.

 

The moment the next Great Lord of the Wizard Tower was born. 

 

* * * 

 

“Oscar, wait! Let’s at least say goodbye to Anna and James, okay?”

 

“Forget it. Let’s go home quickly.”

 

“Oscar…” 

 

Oscar held back his tears as he walked.

 

At the entrance to the training center, a carriage had arrived to pick them up.

 

At that moment.

 

“Oscar! Erich!”

 

Anna’s voice was heard from behind him.

 

He almost turned around for a moment, but stopped.

 

Feeling hurt for no reason, Oscar bit his lips and intentionally quickened his pace.

 

“Wait! Anna is coming!”

 

“Ah, I don’t want to!” 

 

Oscar shook off Erich’s arm and walked.

 

A scream of “Ouch!” came from behind him.

 

“What?”

 

When he turned around in surprise, Anna, who had been running towards him, had fallen over with a thud.

 

‘That idiot!’

 

Oscar hesitated as he was about to leave. Instead, Erich ran over and helped Anna up.

 

“Anna, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

 

“Mhm, I’m okay. Thank you.”

 

Anna stood up, shaking off her clothes.

 

Perhaps because she had been crying before falling, her eyes turned red and she ran towards Oscar.

 

“Oscar!”

 

“….” 

 

“I thought you might misunderstand…” 

 

Anna wiped her teary eyes with her sleeve and suddenly handed over a clumsily folded note. 

 

“I didn’t get to play with you much, but I had so much fun. I wanted to play more… but you’re smart, so I understand that leaving early is inevitable.” 

 

“….” 

 

“I want to play with you again later. I really like you and Erich. We’re friends, right?”

 

Oscar’s eyes widened.

 

As Anna said, his heart that had almost misunderstood was relieved.

 

“I like everything about you. I like that you don’t eat beans, that you tease me childishly, that you pull my hair, and even that you speak harshly. I like you just the way you are.” 

 

Anna handed Oscar the note she was holding.

 

And she said with a smile.

 

“If you wait, I’ll come see you.”

 

* * *

 

The training center after Oscar and Erich had left. 

 

Cheshire, sitting at the pavilion on the walking trail, asked me as I sniffled. 

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Mhm.” 

 

“You’re so brave.”

 

“Because I’ll be eighteen in a few days.” 

 

“Yeah.”

 

Cheshire laughed, then looked around at the children.

 

“When should we leave?”

 

“Anytime.”

 

It wasn’t hard to leave.

 

Actually, since it’s practically an escape, I thought the training center would be noisy for a few days. 

 

“Did the commoner in your room run away and get caught?”

 

“You too? Ah, you idiots! Even if you run away, you’ll just get caught by the inspectors and be brought back!”

 

There were two boys talking near us.

 

“Ah, this is so frustrating. He kept saying he couldn’t stand it, so the teacher switched his room, you know? So there are no commoners right now. I’m bringing snacks!” 

 

“Ugh, that’s unfortunate. But isn’t that the second person from your room already? Why do so many keep running away?” 

 

It was common for children who couldn’t stand discrimination and beatings to try to escape from the training center.

 

“The Quarto kids in your room hit you?”

 

“Um… No, not them, me.”

 

 I was getting angry when I heard that.

 

I quickly turned around. The little devil who had only learned bad things was giggling.

 

“I just gave them a few hits for being slow, but they couldn’t take it. Ugh, I hope they assign someone new to our room soon. I really hate waiting on those Quarto kids.”

 

[Andre Helsley]

 

The little devil’s name tag is green, Octava.

 

Since there were no commoners, it seemed like he was the one running errands for snacks instead.

 

‘He beat them up and drove them away himself…’

 

I was gritting my teeth when I suddenly stopped.

 

‘Wait. Andre Helsley? Why does that name sound so familiar?’

 

I’ve heard it before.

 

When was it?

 

“Oh, right! Personality test!”

 

I grabbed my cheek in surprise.

 

So…

 

The day Oscar—no, Master who became James Grey—returned to the Wizard Tower. 

 

It was the day of the Wizard Tower researcher recruitment exam. 

 

“Robel! Are you crazy?”

 

“We’re already short on people, and you’re kicking out a valuable talent who passed the second exam?”

 

Robert Quon, formerly Oscar’s aide—Mr. Robel—became everyone’s enemy that day. 

 

A candidate who had impressively passed the notoriously difficult recruitment exam up to the second stage was suddenly disqualified at his whim. 

 

Without even consulting his colleagues, he hastily put together something called a <Phase 2.5 Personality Test> between the second and third exams! 

 

‘Of course there was chaos.’

 

Robel broke into a cold sweat as he tried to explain himself to the enraged researchers. 

 

“Please, just listen to me! Andre Helsley was a candidate whose personality had completely fallen to the bottom!”

 

Did he gossip about Oscar?

 

“Our Oscar Manuel! He called the former Lord of the Wizard Tower a person with a broken personality! He said he lives for his own pride and that he’s a rotten power-hungry person who only spews poison whenever he opens his mouth!”

 

“What? That’s not wrong, is it?”

 

“He’s not exactly a rotten power-hungry person, but he did have a point about some things?”

 

“Ah…! Well, of course, but still!” 

 

Robel was constantly tormented by Oscar, yet he was also the one who took the most care of him. 

 

“You all know how it is! If anyone’s going to criticize him, it’s me! Why should someone else do it?”

 

…In the end, we understood Robel.

 

No wonder the name sounded familiar—‘Andre Helsley’ was the candidate Robel had disqualified during the personality test. 

 

‘Robel, your foresight is insane!’

 

If he had passed the second exam, he must have been incredibly smart, but his personality was definitely a mess.

 

‘From the time he was a little kid, he was always beating people up, and now he calls our Master a personality wreck?’

 

I jumped up.

 

“Heh heh. Andre, don’t hit the commoners who come in next time. They’ll run away again.” 

 

“What should I do if they act like idiots and annoy me? Hitting them isn’t really wrong, is it? Ah, I hope the next person who comes in lasts a bit longer.”

 

I want to hit them too.

 

I was licking my lips as I looked at the shiny back of Andre’s head.

 

“Well, since I’m leaving anyway, do you want to do whatever you want?” 

 

Cheshire whispered in my ear. 

 

I turned around in surprise.

 

“When did you say that violence is not good for discipline?”

 

“…Were you thinking of using violence?”

 

The hesitant Cheshire soon shrugged his shoulders and pretended not to care. 

 

“I don’t think it would even hurt if it landed on your little hand anyway.”

 

“Accept.”

 

I approached Andre, who was giggling, without hesitation, and hit the back of his head.

 

Tak!

 

I hit him hard.

 

“Ack! What is this?”

 

He looked back and his mouth was wide open in shock. 

 

At the same time, Cheshire grabbed my hand and started running away at full speed.

 

“Hey! If you keep living like that, you won’t get a job! Live honestly, you jerk~!” 

 

I gave him life advice that would become both the bones and flesh of his existence.

 

* * *

 

Inside the carriage heading toward the Wizard Tower. 

 

“If you wait, I’ll come see you.”

 

Oscar was thinking about Anna’s last greeting.

 

‘I wonder how long it will take for them to gather enough graduation points and graduate?’

 

He sighed as he thought about the two of them catching a thousand rabbits over the years.

 

It seems like he’ll have to wait a year before they meet again… 

 

“Oscar.”

 

At that moment, Erich pointed to the note in Oscar’s hand.

 

“Why don’t you open the one Anna gave you?”

 

“Ah.”

 

Oscar opened the crumpled note.

 

‘…What is it?’

 

There was something he couldn’t understand written on it.

 

<Tomorrow at 3 a.m., leave the window of your room open.>

 

* * *

 

March 15, 1769, the capital. 

 

Current time, 2 AM.

 

The Paladin Commander, Enoch Rubinstein, secretly gathered his knights and came out with them.

 

“From now on, by the authority of the Imperial Army’s Paladin Commander.”  

 

Clank.

 

“I command the pursuit and capture of the two criminals who have threatened the peace of the Capital.”

 

Armed paladins lined up majestically on the quiet street.