NOVEL NEXT chapter 30
30. What’s with the shyness?
Just as I finished speaking, a cold light flashed!
When I finally managed to focus my gaze, I saw Kefi, who was still fidgeting just a moment ago, had already taken the magical stone from her father’s hand, her face flushed red, her expression a mixture of shame and tears, and had crumpled the stone into dust.
“Father! What did you just say?! Are you crazy?!”
“You’re the one who’s crazy, Kefi! You’re not acting fast enough. Are you going to let him get away?”
I suddenly felt like I was caught in a whirlpool, but neither of the excited father-daughter duo seemed to care about my thoughts at this moment.
“Why… why do you want to be with him…”
“Ah, my dear daughter, you’re still being shy about it? You think it’s because many people with a certain status on the continent are starting to bring private priests? It’s because those priests who can predict some future events can help them avoid unnecessary risks! And this is even more important for us… for you, because we often accompany danger.”
Zerora’s urgent tone revealed a desire to tie me up and throw me onto Kefi’s bed.
“And the man you like, just now he even predicted the color of my underwear. If it’s not just a wild guess, his prophetic ability is even more terrifying than the current Saintess! Hurry up and get married, become part of our family, and your life will even be further advanced with his help! What are you waiting for, daughter?!”
“Uh!”
Kefi let out a very girl-like voice, “I… I didn’t say he’s mine… I… “
“Hey, what’s there to hide from your own father? You two are already at the stage where you can play with cars, aren’t you?”
Kefi’s face, which had been flushed with shame, suddenly cooled down like water had been poured on it.
“Father, who said that?”
“Hmm, that magical stone said so, unless you two should have… “
“Father, don’t move!”
Kefir’s voice suddenly flared up with incredible fury, and she even shot me a glare!
“Stand right there!”
Then, like a gust of wind, she vanished from our sight.
Soon after, I heard a series of explosions and the sound of parts falling from afar. Kefir returned, clutching a palm-sized, colorful magic stone.
“Please spare me, my lady, spare me.”
【Crack】
The magic stone was crushed to dust, sending a chill down my spine.
“From now on, I’ll stick to a regular carriage, Father. By the way, can you cool your head down now and listen to my explanation?”
Any man would know the right answer to that.
With that one “grab,” Kefir took complete control of the situation. As for my true identity, Kefir didn’t hide it from her father but laid it out plainly.
I didn’t mind; as long as I clung to Kefir’s coattails, her protagonist’s aura would shield me from a fancy death. Revealing my identity early to eliminate risks was just standard procedure.
“So, Father, he’s not my ‘man’ at all! Nothing happened last night! He just expressed a desire to reform, and with nowhere else to go, I reluctantly let him stay by my side. The priest’s identity is just a disguise.”
Kefir emphasized each word, but her father seemed more concerned about me. After learning my true nature, he didn’t immediately plan to “crush this great villain” but nodded thoughtfully.
“So, the infamous charlatan Ogelid, chased by armies yet cunning enough to escape every time—if he had the kind of foresight you just demonstrated, it’s no wonder he always got away. And to think, the one sending those accurate and credible tip-off letters, elusive as a dragon, whom we mistook for some hidden master, was also you.”
After a complex look, the uncle asked, “With such prophetic power and no evil deeds, why did you choose to become the notorious charlatan the world despises? And why surrender upon meeting Kefir?”
“The former was out of necessity.”
After all, if I didn’t play the villain, death scripts would pile up—one after another. Cannon fodder dies too many deaths, but a villain doesn’t perish over trivial matters.
“The latter… is a secret.”
As for the reason I clung to Kefir, that I certainly couldn’t reveal.
“By the way, please keep my identity under wraps. Honestly… it’s troublesome.”
However, the uncle didn’t dwell on my request but instead made faces at his daughter.
“See, Kefir, didn’t I say he surrendered because of ‘that’? Hurry up and settle the matter…”
Kefir’s sword-drawing silenced the uncle immediately.
What a hassle. I just wanted to cling to Kefir’s coattails, but this protagonist’s family…
Fortunately, at this point, I could somewhat tell: Kefir’s father, unlike the previous Louis XXIII, was no villain, so…
“Uncle, this time I have a request, or rather, a ‘prophecy’: for the upcoming selection of the Goddess’s relic, please ensure Kefir is chosen.”
“Why?”
Uncle’s voice became quite stern.
“Because Kefir can break through.”
“Such a prophecy is more fanciful than boasting. Besides, I can’t choose Kefir just because ‘my daughter might make a breakthrough’.”
Kefier’s father’s fairness caught me by surprise, but Kefier herself seemed accustomed to it and raised no objections. Instead, she silently conveyed her stance with a resolute gaze.
“As a father, I naturally hope Kefier can participate, but her recent actions have drawn criticism, and the appearance of Lu Yi 23 is a signal,” he paused, then Zerola lifted his head to look at us both.
“Moreover, I’m merely ‘recommending’; the final decision lies in the hands of the Great Ying Empire’s Queen Lu Yi the Fourth. After Lu Yi 23 was rebuffed yesterday, she surely went back to spout nonsense to the Queen. Kefier, the road ahead won’t be smooth sailing, you… must be prepared.”