Chapter 17
Eklis said he wasn’t an uncle, but Lexiard said Eklis was.
Echysion said the same, and so did Padrid, Vender, and Jin.
Only Eklis denied it.
No one knew why.
Eklis, as if about to leave, rose from his chair. Then he suddenly turned his head.
“Ah.”
“You said you learned the imperial language?”
“Yeah! Want me to show you?”
By now, the fear had disappeared along with the dragged-out sack.
Instead, Rody felt more at ease and relieved than ever before.
He had protected his friends.
“Let me see.”
“Here!”
Right after that, Rody went up to the third floor.
This place, filled with large dark wooden furniture, was said to be Eklis’s office.
The entire third floor belonged to Eklis, making it even quieter than the already silent second floor.
He’d heard that even the servants only cleaned quickly when Eklis wasn’t around.
Eklis casually sat on the sofa and looked over papers that were either drawings or scribbles—it was impossible to tell.
“Tell Padrid everything you want to learn. What was it… self-defense, maybe. Learn things like that.”
“Self-defense?”
“I’m saying you should learn how to protect your own body.”
“Do I have to learn that too?”
“You need to know how to protect yourself. No one’s going to help you here.”
“……”
“Chails dies because he’s incompetent.”
“……”
“There’s no other reason.”
The writing was all so crooked it looked like worms had crawled across the page—completely unreadable.
Eklis flipped to the next page casually as he spoke.
Maybe because of practice, the next page looked slightly better.
Still unreadable, though.
“……”
The next page, however, was a masterpiece.
rody
“……Hey, come here.”
Eklis suddenly beckoned with his finger. Rody trotted over.
“Me?”
“Read this.”
“Boss Eklis!”
Rody shouted confidently, making Eklis’s eyebrow twitch.
Pointing beside it, Rody began reading one by one.
“Boss, boss? Leader—this one’s wrong. This one means leader.”
Rody pressed down on the word “idiot” with his finger.
Eklis tilted his head.
Is he really reading it correctly?
“And this?”
“Boss.”
“And this?”
“Brody!! My name!”
“Read this again. What does it say?”
Eklis pointed at the word “fool.”
“Boss. I asked to learn first!”
“Ha…”
Eklis suddenly started laughing. Then he quickly wiped the smile off his face and spoke to his aide, Persi.
“Bring me the guy who taught this little rat writing.”
“Little rat? Why? What’s wrong?”
Eklis smiled through clenched teeth as he patted Rody’s head.
“No. He’s just damn smart.”
“I’ve always been smart.”
“Yeah, sure. You’re amazing.”
A little later.
“Ugh… that really hurts.”
A small bump had formed on Echysion’s head.
It was the harsh price of a prank.
“I told you, why would you pull a prank like that? You’re not a child.”
“It was fun!”
“…Please accept more punishment. You were told to keep your hands raised until midnight.”
Echysion stood in Padrid’s office with both hands raised as punishment.
Even though he complained that this kind of punishment didn’t suit his age, he still endured it without protest.
Eklis knew exactly what kind of punishment suited Echysion, who cared deeply about appearances.
“…Ah… this is killing me.”
“It certainly looks that way.”
“This is embarrassing in front of the newbie. I don’t look cool at all.”
“If you submit your resignation, it will be processed immediately.”
“I’ll keep them raised.”
Padrid shook his head at Echysion, wondering how someone his age could act like this.
“Please be more careful with your words and actions from now on. At this rate, rumors will spread that this guild is full of trash. For the sake of the child—no, the talented newcomer’s well-being, we should all be more mindful.”
“Sure~ just follow my example.”
Halo, who had been watching Echysion’s punishment, winked at Padrid.
“You are the most dangerous one.”
“Wow, he called me ‘you.’”
Padrid completely ignored him and stood up.
The executives hadn’t gathered here just to watch Echysion’s punishment.
Eklis had ordered them to properly train Rody.
Padrid, who had initially planned to just teach him the imperial language and send him away, changed his mind.
It had been a long time since Eklis showed such sincerity—and if he truly meant it, Padrid intended to properly nurture this talent.
“There is something I must inform everyone of in advance. You likely already know, but just in case. From now on: no profanity, no lewd talk, and no violence within the premises.”
Jin, Jane, Horace, Gembil, Halo, and even Echysion—still being punished—stared at him.
In the silence, Horace raised his hand.
“I have a question.”
“Go ahead.”
After thinking for a moment, Horace asked seriously,
“What about work-related violence?”
“You mean when you hit me?”
Echysion, still eating cookies fed to him by Halo while holding his hands up, chimed in.
“It’s fine if it’s outside.”
“What about hitting someone for being annoying?”
“You mean me again?”
Echysion asked once more.
“Inside? Not allowed. Exercise restraint. If it’s out of sight, it’s fine.”
“That’s complicated.”
“…Is it really?”
“It’s hard to stop things that come out unconsciously.”
“That’s true.”
“I agree.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with Horace.
Watching them, Padrid felt his headache coming back.
It felt like he had gathered nothing but idiots.
“…Please at least make an effort.”
“That part’s easy.”
“Good. Then let’s do this.”
Padrid continued processing documents as he spoke quickly.
“Gembil, since you know the rules best, you’ll handle discipline. Echysion, you’ll be in charge of education. The child learns quickly, and a teacher will also be assigned. Just handle the basics.”
“Huh? Why me? Can’t I handle playtime instead?”
“I’m good at playing.”
“No. You need some restraint. Take responsibility for this. If the new recruit goes astray, it will all be your fault.”
“Ugh.”
“And don’t teach strange words like last time. If you do, I’ll report it to Eklis and have your pay cut.”
With talk of resignation and pay cuts, Echysion groaned as if being pushed off a cliff.
“Wow, suddenly I feel a lot of responsibility. Fine, I’ll try.”
“Thank you. Jin, you were originally assigned to the newcomer, but you’ve been busy, right? Starting next week, we’ll redistribute tasks. You’ll handle the basics concerning the child.”
“Yes.”
“And Gembil, I apologize for asking again, but when Echysion is unavailable, could you step in when needed?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re often out on external assignments, so I’ll try to find others as well. This applies to everyone, actually.”
Padrid looked around at the executives.
“The newcomer is young, so I think a guardian figure is necessary. Though young, the child is quite composed and not troublesome. I don’t want to burden you, but you’re the calmest among us.”
Even with Chails, Padrid felt exceptions had to be made.
A child was still a child.
At the very least, whenever Brody came asking for help, there should always be someone available.
If Rody came to him, he could just summon another executive—this should be enough.
“That’s not difficult.”
Gembil nodded.
“Vender will continue to handle meals and sleeping arrangements. If there’s anything to purchase, leave me a memo. I’ll take full responsibility for supplies and finances—no one is more reliable than me in that regard.”
Halo grinned, waiting for his turn.
“So what about me? I’m obviously getting the most important role, right? That’s why you haven’t said anything yet?”
Padrid, who hadn’t looked at him once, finally glanced over.
“You still haven’t resigned?”
