IRVB 06

“The headmaster went out. Apparently, they won’t be back for a while.”

After saying goodbye to Zeno and stepping outside, Lodi saw Iklis standing in front of the carriage.

Even seeing him again, he was tall—like a towering pole.

“Where to?”

“No idea.”

Lodi tilted his head back to look up at Iklis.

The headmaster almost never left the orphanage unless it was something serious.

It was as if they had something important hidden there—whenever there was something to be done outside, they would always send another teacher instead.

Even when they did go out, it was only for very short trips.

“What did the secretary lady say?”

“She said they went out to receive donations.”

At that, Lodi shook his head knowingly.

Then he pointed toward a corner of the orphanage yard.

Following his finger, there was an old, shabby storage shed.

“The headmaster is probably there. Whenever things get troublesome, they tell the secretary they’re going out for donations and hide there.”

At Lodi’s words, Iklis’s eyes tilted slightly.

“Oh, really?”

…

…

And shortly after—

“O-oh dear! Why are you doing this…?!”

The headmaster of the orphanage was dragged out like a sack, their thinning hair clutched tightly in Gambil’s hand.

It was a shocking sight—but considering everything they had done, it didn’t feel surprising anymore.

“Wow… I’ve never seen the headmaster get dragged out like that before.”

They had always been the one yelling at the teachers.

Lodi muttered curiously as he watched through the carriage window.

Iklis had told him to wait in the carriage instead of following.

Even though the headmaster had technically been his caretaker, Lodi didn’t feel the slightest bit of pity.

They were someone who starved and punished the children—including him—over and over.

They even mocked them, saying they had been abandoned by their parents because they were useless.

Whenever a teacher tried to care for the children more, they would accuse them of trying to bankrupt the orphanage and drive them out.

On the way here, Lodi had wondered, Even if it’s Chails, how will they persuade the headmaster?

But seeing them dragged out like that, it clearly wasn’t a problem.

“Serves you right. Hehe.”

For the first time in a long while, Lodi felt a sense of satisfaction.

Iklis had said he would punish the headmaster and bring in a proper one, so his friends would be safe.

“…Take care.”

Teachers, friends.

Lodi engraved the sight of the orphanage deeply into his memory one last time.

“Wooooow.”

“Hey, you’re drooling.”

Back at Chails.

The place felt even more grand than before, and Lodi’s mouth hung open.

Seeing that, Iklis clicked his tongue.

“We should wash you first.”

Lodi’s eyes widened.

“Wash? Me?”

He grabbed his clothes and sniffed himself.

“Do I smell?”

“You look dirty.”

At the blunt answer, Lodi puffed his cheeks.

“That’s rude.”

“It’s an answer to your question.”

Gambil found it fascinating how Iklis and Lodi were already speaking casually to each other.

One thing was certain—the kid had guts.

“Gambil.”

“Yes, my lord Iklis.”

“Take him and get him whatever he needs. He’ll be staying with us from now on.”

After giving the order, Iklis turned back to Lodi.

Thud.

A heavy hand landed on Lodi’s head.

The weight made him wobble slightly.

“Let’s see how well you adapt. The power you gain will depend on how well you make this place yours.”

“Power…?”

“Welcome to Chails, kid.”

Iklis roughly ruffled Lodi’s hair and walked away.

Lodi stared blankly at his retreating figure, then touched his head where he had been patted.

He said I was dirty… but still patted me.

So he should feel bad about it—but he didn’t at all.

If anything, he felt a bit disappointed it had been so brief, and puffed his cheeks again.

“Hmph… what a weird old man.”

“Heh.”

Calling Iklis “old man.”

Hearing Gambil chuckle, Lodi snapped his head up.

Gambil quickly wiped the smile off his face.

“Am I really that dirty?”

As Lodi blinked and asked, Gambil subtly averted his gaze.

“Well, not that much… but it would be better to wash up first. Follow me.”

Lodi’s first task as a member of Chails—

Was a bath.

“Hey~ Gambil.”

After dropping Lodi off at the bathhouse and assigning an attendant, Gambil was about to leave when a playful voice stopped him.

“Ekision. Didn’t you go out this morning?”

With messy, bright red hair sticking out in all directions, Ekision approached with a mischievous grin.

His usually neat hair looked like it had just been struck by lightning—probably freshly washed.

Otherwise, it might have been rain, but that wasn’t the case today.

“Just got back. But what was that tiny thing you were carrying around earlier?”

It seemed his curiosity had picked up on Lodi heading toward the bathhouse.

His bright blue eyes sparkled.

Sensing he wouldn’t let it go until he got an answer, Gambil spoke immediately.

“A new recruit. Personally selected by my lord Iklis. I’m carrying out his orders.”

“Oh? That’s rare. Must be quite a sharp one.”

“Well… maybe.”

He did have a special ability.

“Interesting. So who was that little runt? From the back, he looked like a squirrel.”

Gambil frowned.

“I just told you he’s the new recruit.”

“Huh? He was tiny—like a fist. Did I see wrong?”

“No, you saw right. That’s him. I need to go get him some clothes.”

Gambil waved his thick hand and hurried off.

Despite his massive build, he moved surprisingly quickly.

“…Huh? Seriously?”

Left alone, Ekision stood there blankly.

“Heyyy~”

When Ekision opened the door to the administrative office, all the high-ranking members of Chails were gathered there, lounging around.

Around the table were two of the six executives—Halo and Horas.

And at the central desk sat Padrid, the chief administrator most trusted by Iklis.

“Ha… welcome. Since you’re here, please take these people with you.”

It looked like he had already been tormented by them—his neatly styled silver hair was now a complete mess.

His left hand trembled as he overworked his pen, clearly furious.

His usually icy blue eyes burned with irritation.

The moment he saw Ekision, Padrid shot him a pleading look.

A silent request to take these devils away.

Ekision smiled brightly—and, of course, ignored it completely.

Seeing him, Halo waved lazily from the sofa.

“Oh, Eki—”

His loosely tied, wavy blonde hair had a half-wilted pink rose tucked into it.

Judging by the rose matching his eye color, he must have charmed yet another woman.

A legendary flirt who never stopped anyone from coming or going had struck again.

Ekision walked over and casually perched on the armrest beside him.

A strong scent of roses filled the air.

“Yup. Why’s everyone gathered here? It’s not payday.”

“Is it ever any different? We came to confess our love to our dear administrator.”

Crack.

The sound of teeth grinding echoed from Padrid.

“Please leave. You are interfering with my work. Halo, you’re making me sick. Horas, aren’t you leaving?”

“I’m off today. What’s your problem?”

“If you’re off, go home.”

“Too much trouble. Do you know who dragged me out here?”

Horas glared at Ekision.

Because Ekision had messed up a report he was supposed to submit yesterday, Horas had been forced to come in on his day off—and he was not happy.

“Then you could always quit.”

“Darling~ that’s harsh. You shouldn’t say that to Horasho.”

Even though he knew Padrid hated it, Halo deliberately used the most annoying nickname.

“It’s Horas, not Horasho.”

“I told you, he does that on purpose. Oh? The cookies are gone?”

Ekision scolded Halo and started rummaging through the boxes on the table.

“If you check Padrid’s third drawer, there should be more snacks. Sometimes he hides them in the wardrobe too. Oh, right! He even made a secret drawer in the floor. Or maybe check his right pocket—there’s usually something in there—”

“Oh, lucky.”

Snap.

At that moment, the pen in Padrid’s left hand snapped clean in half.

Hearing the conversation between Halo, Horas, and Ekision, Padrid trembled with rage as he threw away the broken pen and grabbed a new one