NOVEL NEXT My Daddy Hides His Power
Chapter 236
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The final day, D-20. The day Dad was summoned by the Emperor to the palace. I visited the Seraph Temple alone, where I always went with Dad. “Wow, Princess! You’re here?” “Hello, Priest!” Priest Zadkiel, despite his busy schedule, rushed out to greet me. ‘The one who will soon become the new nation’s high priest!’ #The ultimate villain emperor, who is the embodiment of evil, and #the character standing exactly in opposition, Zadkiel Terrot. He turned twenty-one this year. Although he had grown taller, his fluffy pink hair, reminiscent of spring flowers, and his boyish smile remained just as they were during their first meeting. “I missed you!” “Ah! Me?” Zadkiel smiled shyly and scratched his cheek. “Yes. Last month, only the Duke came, right?” “Aah, right! At that time, because of the Wizard Tower, Dad and I couldn’t find time. I asked the Lord of the Wizard Tower for just one day off to see the priest, but he insisted it was impossible.” “Haha, I see. But it seems the Duke didn’t come with you today?” “Yes, Dad couldn’t make it today because he has something to do at the palace. Wow, but there seem… to be even more people here now?” Almost all the sick people in the capital were gathered here. Not only poor commoners, but also seriously ill nobles come here instead of the central temple treatment center, to the Seraph Temple. “That’s right. It seems that when the sick stay here, they are healed completely by the grace of God.” The grace of God… That’s not wrong. It’s my ability to heal people, and this ability is something that the Gods gave me. “This person came a week ago, and I heard that he had been sick for quite some time.” “Aah, I see.” Whenever I came to the temple, I followed Zadkiel as usual and did my rounds among the patients like a doctor. A middle-aged woman lying like a corpse with skinny limbs, unable to open her eyes. ‘It looks serious, so let’s cure her over the course of about two weeks.’ My job is to check the patient’s condition and cast my powers at different times. 1sec The life force consumed was exactly one second, so there was no need to check the bracelet. “This person…” Zadkiel continued to take me around and check on the sick. ‘This person will take about two days.’ 1sec ‘This uncle will take a week.’ 1sec Patients with injuries that can be fully cured by modern medicine were definitely treatable within my capabilities. Sometimes there were patients that my life force bracelet showed a count of more than a hundred years, suggesting that either their estimated lifespan ended or their diseases were too difficult to treat even with 21st-century treatment. – ‘I hope you don’t suffer too much even if you have the remaining time.’ 1sec In such cases, I compromise by reducing the pain like this. I can’t save everyone. “Priest, you’ve worked hard.” “No. It’s my joy.” As I watched Zadkiel take care of the sick 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, draining his mana and extracting healing magic, I felt guilty. It’s only natural that both commoners and nobles gather here, as even injuries that healing magic can’t heal begin to improve slowly with just a few changes of wet towels by Zadkiel. ‘Actually, it’s my fault that your workload doesn’t decrease, priest. Sorry.’ The Seraph Temple, boldly proclaiming in this empire that ‘commoners are people too! They have the right to receive treatment when they’re sick!’ There was no other way to prevent the Emperor from touching this place, establish the position of the Church, and solidify Zadkiel’s reputation. ‘We have to pretend to be a temple that receives the grace of God, so that patients who have been cured and discharged can come out without fail…’ Regular rounds that are both an act of saving people and a political intention. So perhaps that’s why, whenever I saw Zadkiel looking genuinely happy at the sight of people healing, my conscience pricked at me. “Are you getting any donations these days?” I asked after finishing my rounds and entering the priest’s office. Zadkiel hesitated and answered, “Yes! Of course!” ‘I know it’s not like that… sob sob.’ When the Seraph Temple’s status was high, donations came in like wildfire, but as the atmosphere of war spread throughout the capital, everyone began to watch the imperial family’s mood again. ‘Now the Emperor has Cheshire. Anyone can see the war will be a victory.’ The unification of the continent would soon elevate the imperial family’s prestige to the farthest reaches of the universe. The day when the Emperor will be praised as a ‘God’ again is not far off, so the nobles will naturally not be able to do anything that will get them in trouble. “I know you’re having a hard time these days.” I sat down at the table, holding the donation ledger and a pen from the priest’s office. “Oh, it’s not that difficult. These days, many nobles come here as well, and they tend to be quite generous with donations under the guise of treatment fees.” “But there are a lot more people who don’t have money.” Unlike the state-funded Imperial Healing Department, the Seraph Temple, which belongs to the old religious faction, receives no financial support from the empire. However, it’s not like they charge the poor for treatment either… ‘If there are no donations, we’ll be completely ruined.’ But this situation, where the angel Zadkiel is struggling with financial difficulties, will soon come to an end. “Today, Dad told me to donate. Actually, this is why I came.” “…Thank you, Princess.” I filled out the donation certificate while looking at Zadkiel who was smiling awkwardly. Then I hesitated in front of the amount. ‘I’m confused because Dad always does it. How much would be okay?’ Dad didn’t tell me exactly how much to donate. So I was worried and just filled in 0s. “T, t, that… Princess?” “Huh?” I made a mistake. Judging from Zadkiel’s pale expression, I thought I had overdone it. “Did I write too much?” “Yes. It’s one more 0 than the amount you usually donate.” Zadkiel handed me a new donation certificate as if telling me to write it again. I nodded. “Alright then. I’ll just go with this. A single circle should be fine, well.” “Yes?” Zadkiel blinked. “It’s okay, priest. Please accept it.” “No, but this is too much…” Hehe… Is it really fair that while James Brown is out there risking his life on the battlefield to earn money, his daughter spends it carelessly without a second thought? But, it’s okay! “My family has a lot of money!” This is a righteous luxury! * * * In the carriage on the way home. I recalled how many people I had treated and returned home today. ‘About thirty, right?’ In the end, it was an act that saved many lives, but I could never say that the intention behind it was entirely pure. To be exact, the reason I came to the temple today. It was to upgrade my ability ‘cost-effectively.’ ‘No, Lilith. Don’t feel guilty. You did something good. Honestly, even if this didn’t help upgrade my abilities, I would’ve done it anyway since it only takes one second, right?’ Primera’s ability. I have now mastered handling my abilities freely, and I’ve also realized the secret of this power that the Emperor will never know. What’s the secret? ‘First, Primera’s ability is altruistic.’ I had guessed this a long time ago. ‘Using the ability to kill and destroy is terribly inefficient, but the cost of saving and healing people is extremely cheap.’ If you use your abilities to kill and destroy, the cost-effectiveness is really bad, but the price of saving and healing people is very cheap. What I’ve come to realize beyond this is that the lifespan required to use my ability is not a fixed value. ‘When I first came to the Seraph Temple and started healing people, the cost of using life force, which didn’t cost much, varied quite a bit…’ A body that has to grow by consuming life force anyway. As I continued to use my power to ‘heal’, I had no choice but to realize. The more people I saved, the less the cost of healing decreased. Now, regardless of the severity of the illness, for any patient that could be cured by modern medicine, it never took more than one second. It was very clear how God wanted me to use this ability. ‘Tsk tsk. This power was given to use for good things, but you’re doing something useless, so you’re a villain! You stupid emperor!’ Moreover, the second secret of this ability. There was one more case where the consumed vitality gradually decreased. ‘The vitality required to remove the brainwashing of the Emperor’s elite guards, especially the magic swordsman! How much is it now?’ 1month In the past, it clearly required 3 months of vitality to remove the brainwashing of the guards. However, now, it’s one month. That’s right. The life force required to help those fated to die innocently for the revolution was also slowly decreasing. At this point, it was almost as if the Gods were speaking openly. Primera’s ability, use it to save as many people as possible! —That’s what they said. ‘Now, dududududu. Then, in 20 days… How do I remove the brainwashing that will be applied to Mr. James Brown?!’ I covered my mouth in surprise when I saw the bracelet. ‘It’s been reduced by a year!’ It was worth saving thirty people today. ‘Good! At this rate, if something happens…’ The final day, the last thing I must do. I’ve finished all the preparations. ‘I can do it.’ Strengthening my resolve, I thought of the Emperor. What is he thinking right now? Blinded by war and the unification of the continent, will he be caught off guard and meet his end at the hands of the rebels? Really? The Emperor? ‘Ugh, something feels uneasy…’ * * * “There’s something you can do.” The Emperor, Nicholas, said to the man sitting across from him. “Please hold the hostage in your hands before and after the day of the Imperial Army’s departure.” “… Who, are you talking about?” “Who could it be?” At the man’s reaction, Nicholas sneered as if he had expected it. “… Enoch’s daughter.” The other man’s face immediately hardened. Nicholas barely managed to suppress his laughter as he watched. The embarrassment that had appeared on his always arrogant expression was so pleasing to see. “There’s no one as good as that kid.” Nicholas’ eyes shone like a poisonous snake.
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