Matthias’ acting was very skilled.

For the past five years, he had pretended to be an ordinary farmer for Sien’s education.

He started this double life hoping Sien wouldn’t be tainted by the evil Mirmode family, and would grow up pure and happy like a child.

In other words, he was a professional in this field.

‘It’s easy to pretend to be good.’

Unfortunately, Matthias didn’t know exactly what a good person was like. Even after studying moral textbooks and observing kind people, it was impossible to completely change ingrained behaviors.

‘When I pretended to be as good as possible, our daughter would say heartwarming and cute things.’

He felt moved thinking of Sien’s eyes shining as she said she would protect her kind father. His educational approach would be effective this time too.

Matthias quickly put on an innocent face as soon as he heard Sien slightly open the door.

The dark magician lowered his voice in shock.

“Why suddenly… such a scary expression… Is a spy coming in?”

It seems only Sien thinks his expression is ‘innocent and pure’.

Laughing half-sincerely, Matthias spoke smoothly.

“I’m thinking of growing potatoes under the tower.”

“What? Suddenly, potato farming?”

“Yes. The market price is decent.”

“Well, if we renovate the field, it might be worth about 10,000 gold? Hmm.”

Matthias calmly asked back.

“10,000 gold? That’s really cheap.”

He just said ‘10,000 gold’ and ‘cheap’, but Sien, who was carefully watching from outside, seemed strangely encouraged.

The door burst open and Sien quickly ran in.

“Daddyyy!”

Seeing his daughter’s fierce momentum like a rhinoceros, Matthias regretted for a moment.

He had only tried to show the image of an ordinary farmer father plowing fields, not conspiring to seize power. …Why was Sien angry?

.

.

.

I clenched my fist as hard as a chickpea and pounded my chest.

“Mister, you’re a scammer!”

Oh my, how frustrating.

10,000 gold!

The man dressed all in black opened his mouth with an aggrieved expression.

“S-scammer, you say?”

This, this…

Look at that crazy acting skill!

Is this level enough to be called a scammer these days? Because the world is in turmoil?!

“Potato prices are rock bottom these days! So 10 gold is enough!”

Thanks to Dad, I was well-versed in crop prices.

“No, I-”

Seeing him make a strangely whimpering expression, he seemed to be quite an amateur villain. Judging that I could quickly eliminate him, I was about to deliberately raise my voice even more.

But just then…

“Sien…”

Dad’s voice, mixed with half confusion and half sigh, came from behind me.

“…What do you mean by scammer? You shouldn’t doubt people, Sien.”

It was a weak and fragile voice.

Dad was still viewing the world kindly despite being scammed for trusting people!

Oh my, how frustrating!

“No, Dad! He said he’d take 10,000 gold for potatoes! He is a scammer! This scammer!”

I grabbed the back of my neck with my round hand like Doraemon. I was feeling a high risk of high blood pressure and acute myocardial infarction as my neck tensed up.

Not even five years old yet and already having high blood pressure. This was clearly because of my gullible dad.

“There are so many bad people in the world!”

Dad shook his head and said to me.

“Sien, there might be one bad person out of a million… but this person isn’t one!”

“No! He really is a scammer!”

Oh, how frustrating! I pounded my chest again with my fist.

To think there’s such a naive dad who still can’t give up his faith in people even with a scammer right in front of him…

“Huh?”

The magician, who had been looking back and forth between me and Dad, seemed to have finally grasped the situation.

He widened his eyes and shouted vehemently.

“Master Matthias, you coward… how could you!”

How dare he call our dad a coward!

“Why are you calling my dad a coward! Scammers are the most cowardly!”

But…

Looking closely, this scammer somehow looked really wronged.

Rather, he looked like he could be scammed himself.

As I paused for a moment, Dad hurriedly cleared his throat.

“Ahem, ahem… First, please leave.”

“Ah, yes… I’ll contact you again.”

The scammer hurriedly got up and ran away.

“Mister, if you appear in front of our dad again, you’re dead!”

So, is this a happy ending anyway?

I covered my mouth with my hand and giggled while watching the scammer who had fled like an arrow.

‘Phew, I succeeded in defeating another villain today.’

While glaring at the somehow lonely-looking back of the villain, I said to Dad.

“Never contact him again!”

“Alright. Thank you, Sien.”

I stared at Dad.

He had a somewhat flustered expression. Well, he must be so upset after almost being fooled!

‘You try to scam my kind dad?’

“You did that before too, Dad.”

“Huh?”

“You donated to the steamed bun seller! Saying he was pitiful!”

“Ah… Yes, Sien, that did happen.”

“Buying like 100 steamed buns at once, giving so much money… Oh, my head hurts.”

Dad couldn’t have not known the price of steamed buns.

He was just giving endlessly to people because he was so kind. Looking at my innocent and guileless dad, I gritted my teeth.

I’m going to lose all my cotton candy-like pink hair and baby teeth trying to protect my kind dad!

‘I guess I have something to do before saying I’m going to the library.’

I said seriously to Dad.

“Okay. Dad, I need to sit up here.”

“On the desk?”

Dad, who looked puzzled for a moment, soon cleared the books on the desk to the side. Then he lifted me up and sat me on the desk.

‘Our dad is really strong!’

As expected of a dad with farmer’s blood. Although our eye levels still weren’t perfectly matched… I smiled brightly and fiddled with Dad’s hair.

“Dad.”

“Yes?”

“Open your eyes like this. In triangles.”

“Eyes… in triangles?”

Those pitch-black eyes of Dad’s that look infinitely kind and pure are the problem.

No, is it? Is it that jet-black hair neatly combed back without a single strand out of place?

Or is it those kind eyes and lips that are always smiling gently?!

Overall, Dad looked very kind and innocent. That means he naturally attracts scammers!

‘Looking so innocent like that, bad guys will look down on him…’

At this rate, if someone like Axel comes, there’s a high chance he’ll look down on our kind dad and even push him around to establish dominance.

So before the family’s villains officially start the succession competition!

Before scammers flock to Dad!

I, Sien Mirmode, must thoroughly educate Dad!

“Um! Try to copy me!”

I lowered my chin and rolled my eyes upward as hard as I could.

Dad’s eyes widened round as he watched the demonstration of me, the skilled trainer.

“Are you showing me something cute to cheer me up, Sien?”

“…”

Our dad’s rose-colored glasses are too thick, that’s the problem.

Okay, failure…

Then there’s another direct method!

‘There were some delinquent older boys in our village, but they disappeared at some point… But I learned something fun!’

I pursed my lips. And made a sound with my mouth.

‘Ptui’ like that.

“What is this, Sien…”

“Pretend to spit.”

The first step to becoming a terrifying villain.

Threatening public order!

Dad tilted his head, looking perplexed.

But that’s not the end.

I stood up on the desk. Dad looked at me with uneasy eyes and his lips trembled.

“S-Sien?”

I put my hands on my hips delinquent-style and started swinging my tiny feet on the desk.

“Do this too!”

“Are you… dancing?”

Dad’s gentle eyes trembled.

Like grains of sand in a desert before a storm.

“No. I’m swinging my legs. It’s totally threatening, right? Do it like this, Dad too!”

But Dad just rubbed his face with a bewildered expression, avoiding my gaze.

‘Oh no… Did I teach something too scary from the start?’

I tried to smile as vilely as possible.

“W-who… taught you that, Sien?”

“Huh?”

“How does our pure daughter know how to do such things.”

I knew it originally.

But before I could open my mouth, Dad stood up, lifted me up and hugged me tightly.

And Dad said chillingly in my ear.

“…This family is the problem. It made our daughter, the kindest in the world, like this. Right?”

Somehow feeling a chill, I shuddered.

It felt a little strange. Our dad is super kind, but sometimes he would speak in a very scary voice.

And just then, Dad whispered slowly.

“I’ll have to purge them all…”

Did I hear that wrong?

There’s no way such words would come from our frail dad’s mouth. Then…

“Court ladies?”

What court ladies…?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Dad made a short sound.

“Ah.”

Dad smiled gently at me and continued speaking.

“Citron tea.”

“…?”

“I said I should make citron tea, my daughter. But why did you come?”

I had no idea why he suddenly started talking about citron tea. Dad seemed a bit strange, perhaps shocked by the fact that he almost got scammed.

‘Our dad is good at making all kinds of delicious food.’

But the context was odd. I smiled sourly at Dad.

Maybe I taught him something too intense from the start.

Today’s ‘villain lesson’ should end here.

I gripped Dad’s arms tightly with my tiny hands and said.

“Daddy.”

“Yes, Sien.”

“I came because I want to go to the library.”

Leaving out the part about going to the library to gain strength, I smiled brightly at Dad with my clever eyes.

***

Dad took me to the library, but that day I had to return to the tower without much achievement.

Of course, using the healing power in the necklace or researching famous artifacts within the family weren’t issues that could be resolved in just a day or two.

‘There’s still time, so it’s okay.’

But there were also unbearable things.

In the classes I took with Leonhart, the disciplinary officer kept bullying me.

‘He keeps implying I’m stupid, tripping me… Why is the teacher so childish?’

A week passed with pointless provocations and wasted effort.

My knees were almost bruised, but fortunately they weren’t discovered thanks to Leonhart treating them with a potion.

It was fortunate because if my foolish dad found out, he might cry enough to make the tower float away.

After all classes ended and I came back to the library, I was sighing while looking at a book called “How to Handle Advanced Artifacts”.

‘No matter how I look, there’s no way to maximize the power inside the fairy necklace.’

I sighed deeply and made a serious expression.

‘It says only those with fairy blood can draw out the maximum power.’

Fairy blood was very special.

Those with fairy blood are descendants of fairies blessed by the gods. They start out ordinary but go through an awakening period to gain perfect beauty and infinite power. Especially the daughter of the fairy clan leader.

‘So an ordinary human like me can’t use this necklace.’

Fortunately, what Leonhart gave me was one of the more easily obtainable fairy necklaces.

One that even ordinary people can activate.

“Sigh.”

But somehow it feels disappointing!

“Why are you sighing? Is it because of that teacher? He keeps bullying you.”

Leonhart, who had been sitting next to me and watching, asked. Lately he’s been following me around and saying not-quite-curses like ‘You’re still not dead.’

Still, he gave me the fairy necklace as a gift and brought me to the library…

It seemed like he wasn’t being very helpful.

I looked at him primly and said.

“No. But that teacher really hates Sien…”

“Hmm…”

After looking around to make sure no one was there, Leonhart cautiously opened his mouth.

“These days it seems like he’s conspiring.”

I blinked at Leonhart.

‘He must mean they’re setting traps to get rid of me.’

Those bad guys. What good does it do to hurt a tiny little bean like me!

I bit my lip hard with my rabbit-like front teeth.

Then Leonhart said a bit gruffly.

“Be careful.”

I take back what I said about Leonhart not being helpful. He was being my excellent eyes and ears.

‘I need to have the power to fight against those evil ones too.’

To me, Leonhart said quietly.

“I quietly investigated the director of education.”

“…Huh?”

“No child who’s fallen into his hands has survived.”

“They died?”

“Yes. He’s also hostile to Master Matthias… He’ll try to break your spirit. He might even kill you to warn Master Matthias.”

“Eek…”

To threaten my kind dad by hurting me. It was certainly befitting of the Mirmode family. I nodded with sharp eyes.

“Then what should I do?”

“Do you know how the young children of those who defied the director of education died?”

“No. I don’t know.”

He asked shortly in a hesitant voice.

“Have you heard of the Illusion Maze?”

…Illusion Maze?

Illusion Maze. Having read the original work, I roughly knew what that maze was, but I had to say I hadn’t heard of it. It’s natural for an ordinary child not to know such things.

With my eyes wide open, I soon tilted my head and asked.

“What’s that?”

“It’s the director of education’s method of killing children he doesn’t like.”

For some reason, he looked a bit desperate. I nodded while looking at his eyes slightly hidden by his mask.

“He’ll probably use the same method on you this time.”

“…I see.”

Leonhart emphasized his words.

“Ordinary children go insane and die when they see illusions.”

Leonhart was a bit strange.

He’s not on his second life like me… How can he talk about death so casually and nonchalantly?

Shaking off the strange discomfort arising in my heart, I thought to myself.

‘This is no time to get sentimental! I need to prepare in advance to not die. The director of education’s Illusion Maze!’

Still, it was fortunate that I would be the director’s target.

Because my dad shouldn’t fall into the Illusion Maze.

It would be right for me, who was as bad as this villain family, to substitute for dad.

I recalled dad’s smile that made my heart even heavier because of his innocence.

I, Sien Mirmode.

If someone digs a trap in the path of me and Dad, I’ll whack them on the back of the head with a shovel and shove them into that trap.

With thoughts as wicked as these, contrary to my plump face like a fluffy steamed bun, I snickered.