I became a father with a genius face in the game

The Empire has a peculiar form of territory.

It’s a snake-like, elongated territory that stretches from the northern snow mountains, across the western plains, to the southern sea, with one foot in each of these areas.

Such a territory, when attacked from the outside, would inevitably have its waist severed.

The supply line, the lifeblood of war, would be cut off.

It’s a form of territory so extremely disadvantageous for defense that everyone avoids it.

To have such a territory is also a symbol of immense confidence.

The confidence that no one would dare touch them.

It was confidence bordering on arrogance, but when the name of this territory was revealed, everyone understood and nodded in agreement.

After all, it was one of the five families in the Empire that carried the blood of dragons.

The Mausoleum Countdom.

At this moment, a funeral was being held at the lord’s castle, where the owners of this vast territory resided.

“Ah, Lady Ishtar. You’ve come as well.”

“Lord Donovan. It’s been a while.”

As expected of the infamous and influential Mausoleum family, numerous distinguished guests were in attendance.

These were people who had traveled directly from the Empire’s capital to this place.

“It seems that Marquis Ishtar did not come.”

“He is quite busy with official duties, so it is I, though lacking, who have come as the family representative.”

Among them was Lady Ishtar, the daughter of Marquis Ishtar.

As soon as she arrived at the funeral hall, men quickly gathered around her.

“Lady Ishtar, I heard you refused my sister’s tea party last time. My sister was quite heartbroken over that.”

“Haha, Lady Ishtar isn’t one for such social gatherings, is she?”

“By the way, Lady, I heard you’ve reached a new level of skill recently.”

“Truly, Lady Ishtar. At this rate, the Empire may gain its youngest Sword Master.”

Lady Irina Ishtar, the daughter of Marquis Ishtar, responded to the flood of words with only a smile, not speaking a single word.

It was a polite smile, a gesture of courtesy, since she couldn’t remain silent due to her position as a knight, but it was clear she was too bothered to actually answer.

“Ah…”

With just that, the men surrounding her were momentarily stunned.

The reason for the attention on Lady Irina Ishtar wasn’t only because of her background as the daughter of the Marquis or her unmarried status, but also because of her beauty.

In the Empire, those with exceptional beauty are usually one of two things: they are either of elf blood, or they have dragon blood flowing through their veins.

The Ishtar family, being of the latter, carried the bloodline of the Radiant Dragon Ishtar, who ascended to godhood.

“Lady Ishtar, you truly are dazzling every time I see you.”

One of her ardent admirers muttered absentmindedly.

Her snow-white hair, glowing as if it were light, and her mysterious purple eyes gave off a sense of something divine beyond beauty, just as the man had said, simply by looking at her.

“You’re too kind.”

Irina merely responded quietly.

For her, compliments about her appearance were no different than greetings she had heard her entire life.

“Lady, we are planning to hold a hunting competition soon. Would you care to participate?”

One of the men, Yeong-shik, hesitated before speaking up.

It seemed he was suggesting it because, being a knight, he thought Irina might have an interest in hunting.

“Ah…”

Irina made a slightly troubled expression.

As a knight, she had no fear of seeing blood. But hunting innocent beasts for mere amusement did not align with her temperament.

While she was pondering what to say, a voice came to her rescue.

“Sub-captain. What are you doing?”

“Ah, Captain.”

It was Cain, the leader of the Radiant Knights, the order to which Irina belonged.

Cain glanced over the men surrounding Irina, then nodded toward her.

“The meal will begin soon. Let’s go and take our seats.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Without hesitation, Irina followed Cain and moved away.

The men left behind let out disappointed sighs before heading toward the place where the meal would take place, walking with sluggish steps.

“Thank you for saving me, Captain.”

Irina said, but Cain just continued walking silently, as if not understanding her words.

The funeral was taking place in the courtyard of the Mausoleum Castle, near the family’s cemetery.

The ceremony was simple, with chairs arranged around the coffin of the late Count. Once the ceremony was over, the coffin would be moved to the family’s cemetery.

After Irina and Cain sat down, about ten minutes passed before someone climbed up to the podium next to the coffin to begin the service.

“Thank you to all the honored guests who have traveled from afar to be here. I am Alfred, the butler of the Mausoleum family. As you know, the Mausoleum family…”

The elderly butler skillfully recited a brief history of the family and the achievements of the late Count.

Cain muttered, seeming puzzled.

“I’ve never seen a butler preside over a funeral, only a priest.”

“The Mausoleum family does not believe in the church,” Irina replied.

Cain nodded quietly in understanding.

After the butler finished listing the late Count’s last achievements, he cleared his throat and spoke again.

“Now, before we hear tributes from the honored guests, we will have the family members take their seats first.”

At those words, everyone turned to look.

A group of figures was walking toward them from the direction of the castle.

They were pale-skinned individuals dressed in black clothing, with black hair.

It was as if a vampire were walking under brilliant sunlight. The Mausoleum family.

Naturally, the eyes of the crowd were drawn to the man at the front, Seymour—the lucky man who would soon take the seat of the next Count.

“…Huh?”

“Ho…”

Some people, particularly those interested in fashion, couldn’t help but gasp and squint in admiration.

It was because of Seymour’s distinctive attire.

He was wearing a black suit. The shoulder lines of his jacket accentuated his broad shoulders, and the waistline of the vest highlighted his slender waist. His white shirt contrasted sharply with his black hair.

Most striking of all was the thin necktie around his neck instead of a cravat.

The tie had a golden pin fixed to it, the same color as Seymour’s eye color.

“What is that?”

“It’s a neck decoration I’ve never seen before.”

Those who prided themselves on having a good sense of fashion couldn’t stop admiring Seymour’s outfit.

Despite the fact that his only decorations were the pin, buttons, and cuffs of his necktie, he still managed to create such an aristocratic atmosphere. It was impossible not to feel envious.

“Is this fashion popular in the Mausoleum Countdom?”

“I’ll have to stop by the tailor there before returning to the system.”

“I’ll go with you.”

Some had forgotten their places and were now fully immersed in discussing fashion.

Even those who didn’t care much about fashion were equally surprised.

They were more shocked by the child in Seymour’s arms than his attire.

“Who is that child?”

“Weren’t there three siblings in this generation of the Mausoleum family? Could it be Seymour’s child?”

But as the whispers died down, it was clear why. The child, who had been resting their head on Seymour’s chest, suddenly turned their head.

The child had hair as white as milk and eyes that shone gold. Their plump cheeks were full of sweetness, and their little fingers tightly gripped the hem of Seymour’s clothes.

The child was even wearing a miniature version of Seymour’s outfit.

“So cute…”

“Really adorable…”

The child was so charming that, for a moment, everyone forgot they were at a funeral.

In an instant, the mood in the funeral hall lightened, and only Irina remained calmly seated.

“…”

Irina’s eyes were fixed on the child, Lucis, and she couldn’t look away.

***

After the funeral, countless people surrounded me.

“Seymour, do you remember me? I once visited the mansion to meet the late Count.”

“Yeong-shik. Or should I call you Count now? I am Baron Voltaire, who governs a nearby territory.”

These were people who wanted to make an impression on me, the future Count.

“By the way, may I ask who this child is?”

“This child is so adorable. Hahaha. I guess they must take after their father?”

Many were curious about Lucis’s identity, either directly asking or subtly probing.

“I apologize, but I would like to have some time alone.”

“Oh, we were thoughtless. We’ll give you some space.”

Before Lucis could get annoyed and unleash her dragon blood, I tactfully sent the guests away.

In fact, part of it was because I found it hard to answer their questions.

‘Is Lucis my daughter?’

It was a strange feeling, one that was hard to explain as either yes or no.

I let out a small sigh and looked down at Lucis, who was in my arms.

“Yawn~”

Lucis opened her little mouth wide and yawned.

I gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and held her tightly in my arms.

Just then…

“Mausoleum Count.”

Someone spoke to me.

I turned my head, thinking I would send them away politely, but the sight of a white-haired woman made my head spin.

It was Irina Ishtar.

I stared at her blankly for a moment.

As expected of those with dragon blood, she was truly stunningly beautiful.

“…Count?”

When I didn’t respond, Irina called me again.

Realizing I had missed the right moment to dismiss her, I cleared my throat.

“Ah, sorry. Technically, I haven’t received the title of Count yet.”

“For someone who hasn’t been made Count, you’re already speaking so arrogantly.”

Had we always spoken formally? That was my miscalculation, as I only knew about the situation a year from now.

“Well, it’s a done deal that I’ll become the Count.”

I decided to just be shameless about it.

After all, she was someone with whom I had an unfortunate connection.

‘The family standing in direct opposition to the Mausoleum family. And among them, the person standing against Seymour.’

Irina Ishtar.

Unlike Seymour, who plays the role of a character who dies, Irina is a strong ally to the protagonist and, after Seymour’s death, becomes a possible companion.

Her role in defeating Seymour was, of course, crucial.

‘She’s one of the characters I need to be just as cautious of as the protagonist.’

At the same time, she was one of the people I could never avoid while living as an aristocrat in the Empire.

The Mausoleum family and the Ishtar family were tangled in many old grudges.

“……”

Irina silently stared at Lucis. Lucis, sensing her gaze, turned her head to face Irina.

It seemed that Irina had figured out Lucis’s identity, likely due to the dragon blood running through her or her sharp senses.

“……You.”

Irina lifted her head to look at me.

There was no attempt to hide the deep suspicion and disgust in her eyes.

I forced a bitter smile.

‘Given the history and relations between the two families, it’s not surprising that she would give me that kind of look…’

Still, receiving such a look from a beautiful woman was mentally damaging on its own.

I shrugged my shoulders.

“What’s wrong?”

“……”

Irina widened her eyes slightly in response to my reaction. It seemed I hadn’t reacted the way she expected.

‘Irina and Seymour were sworn enemies.’

If things had followed the original flow, Seymour would have likely snarled at Irina right here.

Irina stared at me with a puzzled look for a moment before shaking her head slightly and getting to the point.

“This child. Where did you bring them from?”

“Hmm? I don’t really understand what you’re saying.”

“This isn’t your child, is it?”

“Well, everyone’s been saying how much we look alike.”

As I played along, Irina’s eyes narrowed.

But she also knew. This wasn’t the right time or place to discuss such things.

Irina clicked her tongue and turned her body, but then suddenly jerked her head back.

“Ugh?”

Someone had grabbed her hair.

Irina instinctively covered her mouth with her hand and turned to glare at me, her face flushed red. Her eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.

I was just as shocked.

When I looked down, I saw that Lucis was holding onto Irina’s hair.

Lucis was fiddling with the white hair in her hand, then looked up at Irina.

The golden eyes reflected Irina.

“…Mom?”

Lucis tilted her head and asked.

Irina seemed not to understand, but having been asked a similar question before, I could understand what was meant.

‘Mom…?’

That word brought a thought to my mind.

The golden eyes of the Mausoleum family.

Ishtar’s white hair.

Two dragons who had been active a thousand years ago, and a child who had been sealed for a thousand years.

‘No way.’

But I couldn’t help but shake my head at the hypothesis that rose in my chest.

The Radiant Dragon Ishtar had ascended to godhood after killing the Void Dragon Mausoleum, and had become a god.