Chapter 13
“Yeah.”
“And… Boss’s name too?”
“Boss? You want to learn the boss’s name as well?”
“Yeah.”
Ekision, who had been looking at Rody fondly, suddenly had his eyes sparkle.
Like someone who had just found something amusing.
“Newbie, give me the pen.”
Ekision straightened his posture and snatched the pen.
Then he began writing carefully—very neatly.
“You said Brody, right? Here, this is Brody.”
“Br…o, dy.”
“That’s it, good job. Then this is Iklis Cheils.”
“…Hey.”
Horace, who had been watching from the side, suddenly nudged Ekision.
Ekision smiled brightly.
“What?”
“…Nothing.”
“Here, just write it like this. Is it hard?”
“No, I can do it!”
Wanting to earn Iklis’s praise, Rody took the pen back from Ekision and started carefully tracing the letters again.
Then he looked up.
“How do you write ‘boss’?”
“Oh, that? Easy. Want me to teach you something else too?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright. This is ‘boss.’ Doesn’t this look cooler?”
Chuckling to himself, Ekision held the pen again and kindly showed Rody.
Beside them, Horace shook his head, then seemed to give up. Crossing his arms, he leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes.
Meanwhile, Ekision was starting to genuinely enjoy teaching.
“Newbie.”
“Hm?”
“But can you really use that clairvoyance ability? Like, can you see things hidden inside?”
“Yeah.”
Ekision’s eyes sparkled again.
He had already heard about Rody’s ability from Gembil, but had never seen it himself—so he had been curious.
Since there was no work today and they still had “training” to do, it was the perfect chance to check.
Ekision slipped his left hand inside his uniform and asked,
“Then can you tell me what I’m doing with this hand right now?”
Rody’s eyes briefly landed on Ekision’s clothes.
“A fist.”
“Oh? Then what about this? How many fingers am I holding up?”
“Two.”
“And now?”
“Five.”
“And this time?”
“Still five.”
At that, Horace, now curious too, started asking questions as well.
He hid his hand behind his back like Ekision and tested him.
“Wow, you really can see. Then see that box? What’s inside it?”
Rody frowned slightly and let out a soft sigh.
He wanted to learn letters, but Ekision and Horace kept asking unrelated things instead of teaching him.
“Stop bothering him and continue the lesson.”
Padrid scolded them while continuing to sign documents.
He had let it slide since they were playing with him well enough, but this was getting out of hand.
“No, this is part of the training too. Come on, tell us—is that kind of thing hard?”
“There’s a bundle of keys and two jewel-like stones inside.”
At that, Ekision turned to look at Padrid.
Coincidentally, Padrid had also lifted his head and was looking at Ekision.
His expression seemed oddly surprised, making Ekision narrow his eyes.
“Padrid, can I check that?”
“Go ahead.”
Ekision immediately stood up and pulled out a wooden drawer from the bookshelf.
The outside was covered with high-quality leather, making it look like a leather box.
Before even opening it, Ekision unconsciously licked his lips.
And the moment he opened it—
“…Oh.”
His eyes widened.
“That’s real. A bundle of keys and… stones. Hmm, not jewels—magic stones. These are magic stones, right?”
“Yes.”
“Newbie, have you ever seen magic stones?”
“What kind of jewels are magic stones?”
“Hm? So you don’t know. It’s nothing special. They’re basically the same.”
They looked just like jewels and sparkled the same way, but magic stones contained magic inside, giving them a slightly different color—as if something had been planted within them.
But Rody wouldn’t know that. He couldn’t even distinguish between jewels and magic stones.
“Haha.”
Ekision burst out laughing.
Even after checking himself, it was hard to believe—it was that fascinating.
“If you wanted to learn letters, you could’ve just peeked at things like this while reading. What a waste of a good ability.”
It wasn’t like Rody had never thought of that.
“If I look too much, I get hungry.”
“Oh, so that’s the problem. I didn’t know. You shouldn’t go hungry while you’re still growing.”
As Ekision returned to the sofa, Rody suddenly stood up.
“Newbie, what is it? Done already?”
“I’m hungry.”
“Hm? It’s not time yet… Oh, is it because I kept asking too many questions? Do you know where the dining hall is?”
“Yeah, I memorized it yesterday. Boss said I can eat anytime.”
That morning, when Bender took him to the dining hall, he had carefully memorized the route.
“Well, that’s true. Want me to take you?”
Rody shook his head.
“I can go by myself. Can I come back after eating and learn more?”
“Of course. Do you want to learn more words?”
Ekision leaned back on the sofa, resting his arm casually on the armrest.
“Hmm… Ekision.”
“Huh?”
Thinking he was being called, Ekision visibly flinched.
“And Padrid, and Jin, and Bender too. And Horace and Gembil. I want to learn all your names.”
That was why he had been carefully memorizing all the names he’d been told yesterday and today.
Because he was going to stay here.
And if he did, these people would all become his companions.
“Ah… yeah, of course. Go eat slowly and come back.”
“Okay.”
Ekision, suddenly looking a bit dazed, gestured toward the door.
Rody nodded, then left the room without hesitation, leaving the pen behind.
Watching the door close, Ekision remained staring blankly.
“Padrid.”
“Yes?”
“…Should I hurry up and get married and have a daughter?”
It was a completely serious question.
No. 3. Let the Cheils Exploration Begin!
Rody headed straight to the dining hall.
Even if he might get confused about where his room was, he was absolutely confident he could find the dining hall.
After all, he had been told he could eat as much as he wanted, whenever he wanted.
Though he was hungry, his steps grew lighter and lighter, and he even started humming as he walked.
Just as he turned the corner right in front of the dining hall—
A figure in bright red clothes suddenly burst out from the nearest room.
Thud!
“Ah!”
The collision was so sudden that Rody was knocked backward, practically flying before landing with a thump.
He winced in pain, rubbing his backside, when an irritated voice came from above.
“Ugh, why is a kid even here? Watch where you’re going.”
Without even apologizing, the person brushed off their clothes and hurried away.
As if they were running off somewhere in a rush.
“What the heck…”
Rody muttered as he started to get up—
“Rody.”
A voice called from behind.
“Lexiard?”
Rody quickly tilted his head back while still halfway up.
“Why are you sitting like that? Are you hurt again?”
He was seeing Lexiard again, whom he had been a little sad to part with yesterday.
Just like before, Lexiard was dressed in fine, elegant clothes.
He had said he was only three years older than Rody, but to Rody, he seemed far more mature.
Unlike himself, Lexiard always spoke calmly and carried himself with composure.
And he had helped Rody a lot—and yesterday, when Rody had asked him countless questions, Lexiard had seemed to know everything.
Rody glanced down at his own clothes.
Yesterday, they had been oversized, with rolled-up sleeves and pant legs, but today, he was neatly dressed just like Lexiard.
He had been told there would be more uniforms like the ones the guild members wore yesterday.
As Rody nodded, black smoke surrounded him and lifted him to his feet.
It had been amazing the first time he saw it—and it was just as amazing now.
Even without Lexiard saying a word, it moved like another pair of his hands.
“I bumped into someone and fell.”
Rody dusted off his clothes. He didn’t want to dirty his new outfit—even if the carpet was clean.
When Lexiard stepped closer and held out both hands, Rody, who had been half-supported by the black smoke, instinctively reached out.
“With who?”
“Some… older sister.”
“Older sister?”
“Yeah, she was wearing red clothes…”
As Rody glanced toward the direction the woman had disappeared, Lexiard’s gaze followed.
But unlike the way he had looked at Rody, his eyes turned sharply cold.
“I see. I wonder who could be so rude.”
“……”
“Does it still hurt?”
“I’m okay now.”
“Where were you going? I’ll take you.”
“I was going to the dining hall.”
“Let’s go.”
After taking his hand earlier, Lexiard continued holding one of Rody’s hands.
As Rody followed along, he looked up at him.
“Lexiard.”
After sneaking glances for a while, Rody finally called his name and tugged on his hand.
“Yeah.”
“Why did you leave early yesterday?”
Lexiard stopped walking.
“…Ah.”
He let out a short sound and studied Rody closely.
“Were you disappointed?”
