I became a father with a genius face in the game

Irina Ishtar was politely sent off with an apology.

Since Irina wasn’t the type to get angry at a child’s mistake, she got on the carriage to return to the capital, saying it was fine.

Lucis had been following Irina with his eyes until she left, but he didn’t say “mom” out loud again.

“Lucis, do you remember anything about your mom?”

I asked, just in case, and Lucis tilted his head a few times before responding.

“…Sparkly?”

Well, she must have been sparkly.

It’s said that dragon lairs are filled with treasures, after all.

It seemed Lucis didn’t have many memories of his mother.

Yawn

Even though it was a funeral and we had to get up early for the proper attire, Lucis kept yawning.

In the end, I let Lucis fall into Shia’s arms and sent him to rest first.

After having spent the past few days as Lucis’ caretaker, Lucis and Shia had become quite close.

“Well, I should be going then…”

Simon, trying to sneak away after his younger sister, was stopped by me.

“Where are you going? You need to stay until the end.”

Since Shia was the youngest, I couldn’t force her to stay, but Simon, as the second-born, needed to remain at the funeral until it was over.

At least two direct heirs should be there to receive guests in the absence of the head of the family.

“Eek!”

Simon, whose collar I had grabbed, let out a strange sound and shrunk away, as if my touch terrified him.

He acted as if he was afraid I might kill him just by touching him.

Seeing his exaggerated reaction, I couldn’t help but laugh and ask.

“Why are you so scared? Am I going to kill you?”

“Eek!”

“……”

While I was bewildered, Shia hesitated before speaking.

“Um, Siomore oppa, today’s funeral is enough for one person… you know? For Lucis’s sake, too?”

“……”

What on earth had Siomore done to his younger siblings?

***

The funeral procedures were all completed.

The late Count’s coffin was laid to rest in the family’s underground tomb, and the guests had all left.

Now, only the final unofficial procedure of the funeral remained: the family dinner.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Normally, this would be the time to pay the final respects to the deceased and move on, returning to normal life the next day.

But everyone was sitting in silence, exchanging only glances.

To be precise, they were looking at me and my uncle.

‘So it’s today.’

I instinctively sensed it.

These people were going to bring up the topic of the title of Count.

‘The funeral’s over, and Lucis is gone. Over there, they’re completely my enemies.’

Sensing an attack was imminent, I focused even more intently on my meal. If I’m going to fight, I need to fortify myself with food first.

Or should I say, “meat strength” in this case?

‘As expected, it’s delicious again today.’

I always think this, but the family’s chef really knows how to cook a steak perfectly.

“……”

“……”

“……”

At the long dinner table where nearly twenty people were seated, I was the only one moving my fork and knife.

“Hahaha…”

An incredulous laugh escaped from Simon’s side.

His overly ornate outfit, the overpowering scent of perfume that wafted with every movement.

It was my uncle, Richard Mausoleum.

‘It’s this guy who keeps planting nonsensical ideas in Simon and Shia’s heads.’

Richard dragged out his laughter, drawing everyone’s attention to himself, and then sneered as he spoke.

“Seems like you’re enjoying your meal, Seymour.”

It was a veiled remark about whether I could swallow my food while my father was just buried in the family crypt, and whether someone like me could take over our family’s title of Count.

I shrugged and casually responded.

“Looks like you’re not enjoying it, though, Uncle. Oh, is it because you’re getting older and your digestion is slowing down? So will you be able to handle your duties again starting tomorrow?”

It was a veiled message to him to separate business from personal matters, and that he should take care of his own affairs.

Richard narrowed his eyes but let out a relaxed chuckle.

“You’re worried about your old uncle now? Don’t worry. Missing one or two meals won’t make my senses dull.”

“I know very well how sharp your senses are, Uncle. You’ve got a firm grip on the fashion and perfume scene in the empire. Even after decades, your instincts haven’t changed one bit.”

I set my knife down with a clink and added one more line.

“Just like your position.”

“……”

“Be content with your current position and do not aim for anything bigger.” At my warning, my uncle’s gaze narrowed even further.

By now, no one at the dinner table was holding their utensils.

***

The sound of utensils and plates clinking faded away.

Everyone in the hall was watching intently, with intrigued eyes, as they observed the clash between me and my uncle.

“…Since we’re on the subject,”

Realizing all eyes were on him, Richard cleared his throat once and immediately dove into the matter.

“What do you plan to do about the businesses your father was managing?”

Businesses. At the mention of this, I raised one eyebrow.

In a world where nobles run businesses, a major family like the Mausoleums was essentially a conglomerate with tentacles in every industry.

From foundational businesses like military supply, magic, and construction to side ventures like fashion, perfume, catering, and mercenary work, there was no sector they hadn’t touched.

These businesses were divided between the direct and collateral branches of the family, but the most profitable enterprises were all controlled by the direct line—specifically, the head of the family.

So it wasn’t unusual that the topic of business distribution was being raised, but I was still a bit puzzled.

‘Has he given up on the title of Count?’

Originally, the ideal plan for the collateral branches, especially for my uncle, was that one of them would either rise to the position of Count or place my sibling in the role to govern in their stead.

‘Has Seymour opened Lucis’ seal, and that’s why they’ve decided it’s no longer possible in that direction?’

It was a wise judgment.

If you can’t eat the whole cake, you might as well take a slice.

Of course, I had no intention of sharing even a single slice of that cake.

This was all mine.

When I retire, it should go to my siblings, for the sake of a peaceful future for me and Lucis.

“Are you talking about my father’s businesses? That’s a silly question. Of course, I’ll take them all over.”

“Are you trying to be greedy?”

“If following in my father’s footsteps is greed, then yes. I will be greedy.”

“That’s excessive. Maybe your father could manage it, but you, young as you are, are too inexperienced to handle all those businesses.”

At his words, a few members of the collateral branches nodded.

It seemed that many had conspired and discussed this matter before it came up at the table.

They weren’t wrong. Managing not just me but the entire family would require expert help.

Of course, I wasn’t particularly concerned about the well-being of the family as a whole, but bringing up such a thing here was dangerous.

“No. It’s the other way around.”

So I focused on defense.

And the best defense, as always, was an offense.

“The one who was greedy was my father.”

“…What?”

“If that weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have passed away.”

My uncle frowned as if he didn’t understand what I was saying. I then asked him:

“Did you do the same back then?”

“What do you mean?”

“Before my father passed away, did you ask him the same thing? To divide the businesses?”

“…”

My uncle stared at me for a moment, and then, as if realizing something, his face twisted with anger, and he abruptly stood up.

Clunk! Crash!

He didn’t even notice the chair falling backward as he pointed a trembling finger at me and shouted.

“Are you suspecting me now?! Are you saying I killed my brother for his businesses?!”

The atmosphere at the banquet table grew cold. Everyone’s eyes widened as they alternated between staring at me and my uncle.

I shrugged.

“If that’s not the case, then isn’t it a bit strange to bring up the business immediately after the funeral procedures are over?”

“What…?”

“Are you saying it was just a good opportunity, or did you create this opportunity yourself?”

“You bastard! You have no filter! In fact, the one with the most reason to kill your father in this family is YOU!”

For some reason, as my uncle shouted at me, I saw Sia’s face from a few days ago overlapping with his.

– Are you going to kill him too, Uncle?

Why do people keep saying that to me?

Killing, or being killed.

From someone who couldn’t even squash a single bug.

I was about to continue arguing with my uncle, but I just shut my mouth.

“Ugh…”

Frustration washed over me.

“From the beginning, you don’t deserve the title of Count! If it wasn’t for waking up the dragon, you would have…! You shouldn’t have even gone near the tomb in the first place…!”

My uncle was still pointing at me, shouting.

It started to irritate me.

No, it was more than just that.

“Enough.”

I raised my hand, cutting him off.

Suddenly, everything felt bothersome.

Arguing with my uncle like this, shouting at each other.

No.

It was mine from the start.

Why should I even be trying so hard?

I discarded all the phrases I had prepared in my mind to defeat my uncle.

And instead, I asked him honestly.

“Uncle, I really don’t understand, so tell me.”

Suppressing the rising frustration, I spoke one word at a time.

“Why did you all follow the late Count without any objections in the first place?”

Everyone fell silent, but I knew the answer.

The Mausoleum family had always been ruled by fear under the head of the family.

“The same goes for the late Count.”

The family annals I had read over the past few days in the study detailed everything about it.

How much the family members feared the late Count, and what the late Count had done to intentionally instill fear.

“So, Uncle, if, as you say, I really killed my father, shouldn’t you be even more afraid of me?”

“……”

“Besides, I have dragons by my side. And yet, instead of flattering me or trying to gain something from me, you’re trying to take something away?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.

“Did you suddenly become brave in your old age, or has your mind gone a little short?”

“……”

“You all were too stupid and narrow-minded, which is why you lived under the control of a man like my father, who was only incompetent and violent, without saying a word.”

“……More.”

“You’re terribly mistaken. Do you think I’m any different? Now that a young man has become the head of the family, you think I’ll be able to do something? Do you finally think you’re free of the tyrant’s shadow?”

“……Seymore.”

“Wrong. Once a dog has had its tail broken, it can only ever be a dog guarding the house.”

“……Seymore, your magic…!”

“Then choose. Will you live as the dog I raise, or will you…”

“Seymore Mausoleum! Withdraw your magic!”

At someone’s shout, I quickly regained my senses.

“……Huh?”

The floor of the banquet hall was covered in thick black mist.

It was none other than Seymour’s, my magic.

“When did I…?”

The black mist even began creeping up the bodies of my uncle and a few others, clutching at their hearts.

Uncle Richard, with a pale face as if his heart was about to stop, was sweating coldly.

“Crazy…!”

I hurriedly tried to retract my magic…

But I stopped my hand.

‘Should I just kill them all like this?’

It felt as if someone was whispering.

‘It’s annoying. Having to distinguish between allies and enemies, deciding whether to persuade or discard them, and then determining if they’re useful or not.’

It was a voice that scratched an itch I had.

‘Anyway, there are enough people to replace them, right? I already have a list in my head of all the capable people in the empire who are easy to gaslight.’

A very sweet and alluring voice.

‘So just let it explode. Like popcorn popping, bang, just like that.’

It was my voice.