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I slowly opened my tightly closed eyes and looked ahead. Leort was looking at us siblings with a confident smile on his face.

Beside him, Rina was elegantly sipping her tea with a relaxed expression.

I was too tense a moment ago to speak, but doubts had started to creep into my mind. Why would Leort confidently nominate my father, Hawk, as the author of Xenon Biography and leave me behind? I couldn’t think clearly in this situation, but it didn’t seem like something he would do.

After hearing Leort’s confident words, Nicole remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking. Her voice was so quiet that it seemed like it could pierce through the floor.

“…If I say it’s not him, will you believe me?”

“If you say it’s not him, your family could be in danger. Paying taxes means there’s income, and it’s the obligation of nobles to report where they obtained that income and how they will use it to the higher-ups. By the way, this is not a threat, but rather the law. Only my father can enact the law.”

Leort’s mention of his father was clearly referring to the Emperor, who was the highest authority figure in the empire. It seemed like Leort had intentionally brought up the Emperor.

Nicole seemed to be thinking the same thing as me because her already stern face became even stiffer. The fist on her thigh also seemed to have tightened up.

“You don’t have to make such an expression. Anyway, it seems certain that your father is the author of Xenon’s biography.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“… …”

I could tell from Nicole’s question that the flow of the story had taken a strange turn. It seemed that Leort had taken this as an opportunity to continue the topic, despite the fact that I, the real author, was sitting right next to them.

But the more Leort continued, the more uncomfortable I felt. It was as if I was using my father as a shield.

Squeeze-

My father had devoted himself to me, and it was hard for me to accept him being used as a shield. So I was about to speak up, but nicole grabed my hand firmly to stop me.

I was momentarily confused by the inexplicable pressure, but when I saw Nicole’s expression, I had no choice but to give up on speaking. Her expression was serious enough to make me trust her, despite the fact that it felt like I was selling my father.

“There’s a reason for everything.”

Leort leaned back in his chair, his charisma quietly flowing out and drawing everyone’s attention.

“As I said before, taxes are a very complicated thing. Especially in our Minerva Empire, where tax-related matters are extremely strict and complex. But the complexity also brings about clear effects. One reason why our Minerva Empire has far more capital than other countries is due to this.”

“… …”

“However, that in itself is not perfect. There may be people committing tax evasion even at this moment. Especially, the method used by Baron Michelle had plenty of room to be abused for tax evasion. If he had the will, he could have perfectly hidden his identity without even paying taxes. Fortunately, it didn’t happen thanks to the strong willpower that he has retained down from his time as a knight.”

It seemed like Leort was convinced that our father is the author of Xenon’s Biography. It was hard to determine whether I should like it or not.

Meanwhile, Nicole and I were looking at Leort. Rina, who was drinking tea next to us, put down her teacup and spoke in her characteristic gentle voice.

“At first, it was hard to believe that Baron Michelle was the author of Xenon’s Biography. But considering his achievements and experiences, there are too many parts that fit perfectly.”

“…Achievements?”

Finally, I spoke. Until I entered the academy, I didn’t know that my father was once a distinguished knight who held a high position.

He was the head of the Navy Knights who were like wandering human monsters, and he accumulated achievements that I, as his son, could hardly imagine.

The magnitude of his achievements was so great that he was supposed to be titled as a Count instead of a Baron. Even the fact that a commoner received a noble status was surprising enough, let alone being a Count. I could roughly imagine how great my father’s achievements were.

“Hmm…”

Rina listened to my question and let out a subtle sigh, then looked at me with a sharp gaze. After a moment of silence, she smiled kindly and spoke to me in a tone that only conveyed kindness.

“Isaac, do you know what achievements Xenon made in Xenon’s Biography?”

“Of course… I know.”

Who wouldn’t know? Xenon, the protagonist of Xenon’s Biography, had achieved so much that it would leave one speechless.

As the biggest example, although he had the help of his colleague, he accomplished great feats such as subduing a fierce dragon, saved the country from a devil’s threat, recovered the relics of a church thought to have been lost, and so on.

Each achievement had such a significant impact on the world that the name “Xenon” became widely known.

Then, after hearing my answer, Rina nodded her head and began to tell me one by one the achievements my father had made.

“Baron Michelle did more than that. He certainly did not do less. About thirty years ago, there was an occasion when a dragon that had ran rampant after losing its offspring, attacked the capital.”

“Oh. Is that…”

I’ve seen it in recently published history books. The exact name is the “Ascanal Incident,” named after the dragon that attacked the Empire’s capital.

Since this world is a fantasy, there are dragons, but they are just simple monsters. They are not a “species” that can polymorph, is proficient in magic, or hoards rare treasures.

They are simply giant reptiles that fly in the sky.

Anyway, the reason why the Ascanal incident occurred was nothing but human greed. Humans who were smuggling discovered a hatchling and cruelly killed it, then dismantled it, only to be caught by its mother.

Naturally, the mother was enraged and attacked the nearest human country, the Minerva Empire. However, the problem here is that the humans who committed the illegal smuggling were not from the Minerva Empire but from another country.

From the perspective of the Minerva Empire, it was a bolt from the blue and not just a mad dragon that attacked them; it must have been a real mess.

“I know that too. At that time, the army rushed to subdue it…”

“That’s what the record says. But the army was in a hurry to evacuate the people, and it was your father, Baron Michelle, who actually defeated it. Coincidentally, I was in the capital for a while for a vacation.”

“…He subdued a dragon?”

“Yes.”

As I listened to Rina’s unbelievable story , I was stunned. In this world, there is an honorable title called “Dragon Slayer,” which is naturally given to those who have defeated dragons.

Such a title exists, because it takes an army to conquer a dragon. However, even if there is such a force, no one can estimate how much damage will be incurred.

However, my father has conquered a dragon alone, despite the fact that he had the help of the military. It was just as impressive as Xenon’s accomplishments, which I had written about in Xenon’s Biography.

“…That’s the first time I’ve heard of it, Rina.”

It seemed that even Nicole had never heard of the story. Rina answered with a slightly sad expression mixed with suspicion in her question.

“I guess so. At the time of the Ascanel incident, there was a friend who helped Michelle’s troops, but he was hit by the dragon’s breath…”

“… …”

When Rina expressed her sincere condolences, Nicole’s expression softened slightly. As my older sister who knew my father better than me, she seemed to have sensed something.

I can also understand why my father was reluctant to talk about the Ascanel incident. No matter how strong he was, he was still human, and whenever he thought about his achievement, he would remember his friend who was oxidized by the dragon’s breath.

As the tragic circumstances became known, silence fell among us. Fortunately, Rina quickly broke the silence by opening her mouth.

“It reminds me of Xenon’s story, where he defeated a dragon with the help of his colleagues. Maybe that’s why he’s like that, wishing that his comrades wouldn’t lose their lives. Although his story was tragic, at least he had not lost companions.”

“… What else?”

“Yes. He defeated a demon who had turned into a devil, and he drove away beastmen and elves who had invaded the borders several times. He started to be called the ‘Red Lion’ when he joined the Navy Knights of Marquis Matheus.”

It felt like I was listening to a heroic tale of a famous person. It was a bit surprising but difficult to accept that it was my father.

No wonder it’s hard to believe that my father, who was nothing more than an ordinary head of the household to me, was famous for defeating dragons and being called the Red Lion.

While I was feeling a bit confused, Rina stopped speaking and looked at Leort next to her. Leort picked up where she left off.

“Until Baron Michelle worked there, the border area was a place where beastmen who were struggling to make ends meet fought against each other every day, and casualties were high. Moreover, even if they were not Navy Knight-level forces, it was difficult to block the beastmen. But the story changed after Baron Michelle arrived.”

“What do you mean it changed?”

“Baron Michelle killed most of the beastmen who lived in the border area. Even the beastmen who felt the crisis joined forces to attack, so it backfired on us. If it weren’t for Baron Michelle, we could have lost not only the border but also some territory. That’s how strong the beastmen were.”

It was truly an achievement that was worthy of being called a ‘hero’. I sincerely admired it.

The reason why beastmen frequently crossed the border was probably due to the environmental conditions beyond the border. It was not suitable for farming and it would be more convenient for the beastmen to take land away from us.

Moreover, the beastmen’s natural tendency to be enthusiastic about combat would have played a part.

“Thanks to that, our empire was able to save a great deal of human and material resources. It was because the military profits on the border exceeded our imagination. It is not an exaggeration to say that Baron Michelle greatly boosted the empire’s economic power . This is also why I am confident that Baron Michelle is the author of Xenon ‘s Biography. As a culprit, He went through unimaginable battles, which could be depicted in Xenon ‘s Biography.”

“…I see. I can understand why you said the Navy Knights were able to do it. But…”

Nicole trailed off, staring blankly at Leort before turning her head to glance at Rina. Both Leort and Rina were smiling in a way that was impossible to read.

Perhaps they had received education on how to keep a poker face at the imperial palace. It was impossible to know what they were thinking.

Nicole seemed to give up on trying to read their minds and spoke in a low voice.

“What are you going to do about my father?”

“He won’t be able to deny it anymore.”

“If he denies it, it will only make things worse now that everything has been exposed.”

Did Leort like Nicole’s clear-cut response? He nodded with a satisfied smile.

Then, he slowly extended his upper body forward, clasped his fingers, and supported his chin. Then, he gave an answer we had not expected.

“There is one thing you are mistaken about. Our imperial palace has no intention of touching you, along with Baron Michelle. It is only to confirm this truth.”

“Are you asking us to believe that?”

In the end, Nicole couldn’t stand it any longer and raised her voice. Although I didn’t say anything, I glared at Leort with a look that said, “Are you kidding me?”.

You push people like this, you have no intention of touching them? Anyone who believes that statement at face value is a fool. If they really had no intention of touching them, they wouldn’t have called them to this place in the first place.

Leort noticed our intense reaction and extended his hand. It was a gesture to calm down, so Nicole settled her expression calmly.

“You have every reason to react sensitively. But this statement is true. What if we pressure Baron Michelle and he stops publishing because of it? If we let the publisher know it’s because of our pressure? Can you imagine what kind of reaction that would cause?”

“… …”

“Of course, it would become serious in various ways. The influence of Xenon’s Biography on the world is tremendous. No matter how greedy we are, we wouldn’t do the foolish thing of killing the goose that lays the golden egg. Above all, even I and Rina are fans of Xenon’s Biography. I just said it before, but the reason we are with you here is just to confirm it.”

Should I believe it or not? If it were someone else, I would have understood, but Leort is a nobleman deeply involved in politics.

I don’t even know how many hidden agendas he has, so it’s not easy to accept.

As Nicole and I couldn’t easily accept it, Rina, who had been watching from the side, took action. She looked directly at me, not Nicole, and put her hand on her chest, opening her mouth.

“Isaac, I swear by the name of the princess. There will be absolutely no harm to Baron Michelle, your family, or your house. Rather, I can prevent his identity from being revealed.”

“…Then what is the merit for you two?”

“The next volume of Xenon’s Biography will come out sooner. That’s all.”

Is that really all? I looked at Rina’s ambiguous answer with suspicion, and she smiled at me, knowing my doubts.

I know that smile is fake because I’ve seen it many times before. That’s why I couldn’t help but be more suspicious.

It was then that I hesitated and faltered.

“I understand.”

“…Noona?”

“Please, I hope you keep that promise.”

Nicole accepted them in a solemn yet determined voice. It was a completely unexpected situation for me.

As I looked at her bewildered face, Leort nodded in satisfaction at Nicole’s response with a content smile.

“Thank you. I’ll say it again, we have no intention of touching Baron Michelle. Before he became the author of Xenon’s Biography, Baron Michelle was not someone our royal family could handle lightly.”

“You flatter us.”

“It’s no flattery. Baron Michelle is an exceptional person.”

I wonder what kind of achievement could make Prince Leort say that. Anyway, I’m glad we’ve put this issue to rest.

Although I felt uncomfortable using my father as a shield, it seemed best to console myself that he would understand. Of course, as soon as we returned to our lodging, I planned to write a letter.

‘What should I write? First of all…’

As I sighed inwardly, trying to figure out what to write in the letter, I felt someone’s gaze on me.

I lifted my head and saw Rina looking at me with a strange expression, resting her chin on one hand.

For a moment, I almost lost my mind admiring her beauty, which seemed to have been crafted by a skilled artisan, but I managed to snap out of it.

“… …”

She glanced at my face and then lowered her gaze. I wasn’t sure what she was looking at, but I could roughly tell that her gaze was directed towards my right hand.

Afterwards, Lina lifted her gaze back up and met my face. It was around the time when I started to question her strange behavior.

As soon as our gazes met, Lina drew a smile with the corners of her mouth and said.

[Nice to meet you.]

She silently mouthed a meaningful message.

Translators note:

I typed ‘Baron Michelle’ so many times this chapter I think I will have nightmares about it now…

Also! Finally busted!