Chapter 5: 4 years later

I earned good money working as a mercenary and lived a fairly wealthy life.

After meeting Chevalier, I became a mage and entered the ranks of the privileged.

Eventually, I joined the Imperial Guard and stood face-to-face with the highest authority in the Empire.

Money, fame, power.

My life was full.

I owned a house with a yard in the capital.

Ordinary people praised my achievements.

Even nobles were careful not to look down on me.

It was a life without any real lack.

But at some point, I was consumed by a sense of emptiness.

Money, fame, power—none of it mattered anymore.

Even though I had everything, it felt meaningless.

Somewhere deep in my heart, there was a void.

And because I didn’t know what it was, I just drifted through life, powerless.

That’s why I made that crazy decision four years ago—to raise the Emperor’s daughter.

I wasn’t really attached to life anymore, so I just thought, ‘Why not give it a try?’

And it turned out to be the best decision of my life.

***

“I’m home!”

The front door burst open.

A girl kicked off her shoes and ran into the living room without even taking off her backpack.

She charged straight at me.

I had been sitting on the couch, reminiscing, but quickly opened my arms.

I caught her with practiced ease.

A sweet scent filled the air.

There was also that soft baby-like smell unique to young children.

I smiled and said, “Welcome home, Yulia.”

“You’re not working today, right? So I skipped hanging out with my friends and came straight home!”

Yulia—no, Elizabeth—grinned brightly.

I had changed her name from Yulia to Elizabeth.

Yulia was an Imperial-style name.

It needed to be changed.

Elizabeth was a common name in Aichenvalt.

I had even adjusted her memories accordingly.

I changed my name, too.

I discarded the name Gerta.

Now, I go by Leo.

That’s a common name, too.

I had no attachment to my old name.

One day, my birth father, drunk out of his mind, told me he’d bet my name in a gambling match with his friend.

Since he had no money, he used my name as the stake—when I was just three months old and hadn’t been named yet.

His friend won the bet and gave me the name Gerta.

Apparently, Gerta was the name of the man his wife had an affair with.

So every time he saw me, he’d curse at me.

Said I reminded him of that adulterer.

“Dad, you smell nice.”

Elizabeth, still in my arms, rubbed her face against mine and my neck.

Her breath tickled my skin.

That tiny gesture of affection washed away the filth of the past.

My gloomy heart was filled with happiness.

Elizabeth leaned back, pushing against my chest, and looked down at me.

With her delicate hands, she squished and tugged at my cheeks, playing around.

“Dad, your skin is way too good. I’m jealous.”

“It’s not as good as yours.”

“Your hair’s pretty too. I wish I had black hair like you.”

She ruffled my bangs with her fingers.

“But I’m happy I inherited your blue eyes!”

Beaming, Elizabeth hopped off the couch and went to the kitchen to drink some milk.

I smiled as I watched her.

The little toddler from four years ago had grown into a graceful young lady.

Her small, pale nose was adorable, and her mischievous eyes gave her a catlike charm.

She was now fourteen, getting ready for her middle school entrance interview.

She already stood at 167 cm.

Her biological father, Emperor Marcus, was over 190 cm tall.

I’d heard the Empress was also tall.

With genes like that, she’d probably pass 170 cm without issue.

And thanks to regular exercise, her posture and bone structure developed well.

I always told her to sit with her hips all the way back and her back straight.

Since I had taken on the responsibility, I wanted to raise her to be the best child in the world.

I fed her good food, bought excellent textbooks, and helped her study myself.

I stayed up late at night reading parenting guides to become a better father.

And as a result, our relationship was strong and happy.

“Do you want some milk too, Dad?”

“I’ll take cocoa.”

“You’ve got a total baby taste.”

“What can I say? It’s delicious.”

“I’ll make it for you. Just wait a second.”

Elizabeth brought me the cocoa.

“It’s hot, so be careful.”

I blew on it and took a sip.

‘Yep. Drinks always taste better when someone else makes them.’

Elizabeth sat at the living room table, sipping her milk as she studied.

Her shoulders were straight, lips pressed together, and her eyes sparkled with intelligence.

Just moments ago, she had been a lively girl—now, she looked like the perfect model student.

***

After finishing my cocoa, I headed to the kitchen.

I began cooking quietly so as not to disturb Elizabeth.

Tonight’s menu was beef stew and bread.

I cut the beef into large, hearty chunks with precise knife skills, then crushed tomatoes to make the base.

I added various ingredients and stirred until it thickened.

After a while, the stew was ready.

As a final touch, I sprinkled in some expensive pepper I’d splurged on.

It was worth every coin.

I took out two plates.

I sliced the bread into bite-sized pieces and placed them on each plate.

Then, I served the stew.

After setting the table, I walked over to Elizabeth and massaged her shoulders.

“Your shoulders are so stiff. Come eat.”

“Give me a massage later, okay?”

“Of course.”

There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my hardworking daughter.

We sat across from each other at the table.

Elizabeth didn’t start eating until I took my first bite.

She didn’t have to do that, but sometimes she was just a little too polite.

“School’s not too stressful, is it?”

“It’s fine. Everything’s pretty much done now. I just have to prepare for the interview. You’re doing okay with work, right, Dad?”

Elizabeth tore off a piece of bread and dipped it into her stew.

I replied, “I’ve been doing this job for four years now. Besides, your dad used to work with his body, remember? This is nothing.”

“But it’s still tiring. Can’t you do something else?”

“Haha, but I like my job right now.”

I smiled.

But Elizabeth couldn’t.

“But still…! Dad, you’re almost thirty. If you keep doing hard labor, it’ll take a toll on your body. We learned about that in school today.”

Elizabeth spoke seriously.

But I just gave a vague smile.

“There you go again, trying to brush me off. Are you going to ignore me again?”

Catching on instantly, Elizabeth glared at me.

She’s not falling for it anymore.

She’d been bringing this up for nearly two months.

And it looked like today, she wasn’t going to let it go.

She was determined to free me from manual labor.

I hadn’t been able to find a proper job, so I worked in construction.

It wasn’t like I had no other way to make money, but I didn’t want to risk getting caught up in imperial espionage again.

I was content with the present.

It was a kind of burnout.

I’d made a fortune as a mercenary, learned magic from Chevalier, and handled the empire’s most dangerous missions as a royal guard.

I had no intention of going through that kind of hardship again.

But Elizabeth’s words came from genuine concern.

If she didn’t care, she wouldn’t have nagged me for two whole months.

Now that I thought about it, she was a sweet kid.

“Sheesh.”

I reached out and ruffled Elizabeth’s hair.

Her soft blonde hair got all messy.

When I didn’t acknowledge her point, Elizabeth scowled at me.

Then she grabbed my hand, the one messing up her hair, and slammed it down on the table.

With her other hand, she pointed at it for emphasis.

“Look at this! And you’re saying it’s fine?”

My hand was a wreck.

The joints were swollen and uneven, and the skin was as rough and dry as sandstone.

Knife scars were clearly visible across different parts of the skin.

But the worst of it all was the burn scar.

The entire lower half of my right forearm was like that.

The skin, twisted and scorched like a burnt tree root, writhed grotesquely.

Some areas were extremely rough, while others were unnaturally smooth.

In those smoother spots, the muscle bundles underneath were practically visible through the thin, translucent skin.

“These hands are already like this… and you’re still getting more injuries!”

Elizabeth held my disfigured arm without flinching, even though I found it repulsive myself.

I pulled my arm back.

“It’s fine. It’s already this messed up—what difference does it make?”

The truth was, most of the scars came from my past.

Not a single one had come from construction work.

Elizabeth had misunderstood.

The twisted joints in my fingers were from my mercenary days.

The knife scars—those were from my own father.

The burn marks were from battles I barely survived.

There’s no way a Sword Master’s body would be ruined by mere manual labor.

But Elizabeth didn’t know that.

She clenched her fists with burning determination.

“I’ll succeed for sure and make you quit that job, Dad! Just wait!”

“My teacher said if I keep doing well, I might get into Lenz Academy!”

Lenz Academy was the kingdom’s most prestigious school.

Elizabeth had always been a smart kid.

She grasped every theory I taught her without fail.

Even objectively, she was a prodigy.

“I’ll graduate from Lenz and make it big, then the first thing I’ll do is make sure you quit that job! Then I’ll get us a house. It should have a yard… maybe even a little pond! Oh, and some servants too! People who can cook and clean so you don’t have to!”

She was dreaming of a happy future.

Even that was adorable and endearing.

I chuckled and added, “Geez… how long are you planning to stick around with an old man like me?”

“Hehe.”

“I’ve been saving up for you, you know. By the time you’re grown, there should be quite a bit.”

Once I passed the three-year residency mark, I earned citizenship.

Up until then, I’d been forced to keep my money in cash, but now I could safely store it in a bank account.

“As if Dad has money.”

“You think all manual labor pays the same? I make decent money, you know. Helping one girl get on her feet is no problem at all.”

Elizabeth tilted her head.

“Get on her feet?”

“Yeah, when you’re an adult, you’ve got to live on your own.”

There was a brief silence.

Elizabeth broke it, her timing oddly off.

“Why would I?”

“…Huh?”

“I mean, why would I?”

Her voice was oddly calm and steady.

It made me feel slightly awkward.

Still smiling, Elizabeth said, “I’m going to live with you forever, Dad.”

“Sure, sure. In that case, I guess I should spend that money myself.”

I joked playfully.

“Yeah, go ahead and use it. I just need you, Dad.”

Elizabeth smiled sweetly as she said it.

I changed the subject.

“Anyway, when’s the interview?”

Lenz Academy required an exam for the first round, and an interview for the second.

Elizabeth had scored outstandingly in elementary school.

The principal, believing in her bright future, had written her a recommendation letter.

He was only allowed to write one a year—and he gave it to Elizabeth.

Thanks to that, she was exempt from the written exam.

Only the final interview remained.

“Next month. You have to come with me, okay?”

So it was a parent-accompanied interview.

Well, it was the top school in the kingdom.

“I guess I should buy some clothes.”

I gathered the dishes and placed them in the sink, then opened the wardrobe.

A few dreary clothes stared back at me.

I didn’t go anywhere fancy—just construction sites or the occasional market—so I had nothing fit for an interview.

‘I do still have my Royal Guard uniform, but no way I’m wearing that.’

As a unit representing the imperial family, the Royal Guard uniforms were refined and stylish.

By the way, I had carefully stored the uniform, cap, and official ID.

Those weren’t just clothes—they were gear.

I kept them just in case I ever had to fight again.

I even had the Emperor’s letter and the ring tucked away safely.

I hadn’t worn the ring on purpose.

I planned to give it to Elizabeth once she became independent.

Anyway, with all that hidden, I had barely anything left to wear.

It was always: home, site, home, site.

Over and over.

“I really don’t have anything to wear…”

“Then let’s go shopping together! I’ll help you pick something out!”

Elizabeth jumped to her feet, her eyes sparkling like a cat who just spotted prey.

“Yeah? We can get something for you too while we’re at it.”

Luckily, tomorrow was Saturday.

Elizabeth didn’t have school, and I had the day off.