Chapter 07
Instead of one person leaving, another had joined them—doubling the annoyance.
“I respect your preferences, but I prefer the opposite sex.”
“I like women too. Our dear administrator is just an exception. I mean, he even gives me money.”
“I’ll decline. I am an executor, not the one who pays. Your employer is Lord Iklis. When exactly do you plan on getting fired?”
“Maybe when you get off work?”
When Halo winked his left eye, Padrid’s face turned pale with disgust.
“Anyway, I brought big news. A new recruit joined. Oh, there’s one left. Thanks, Padrid! I’ll refill it later.”
“It’s mine, so eat just a little.”
Despite Halo trying to stop him, Ekision dug through the small wardrobe where Padrid kept his coat and found a stash of snacks.
They were Padrid’s personal emergency supplies, prepared for when his energy dropped during stressful work.
The problem was—he never got to eat them himself.
“So what did you say? A new recruit? In the main building?”
For a brief moment, everyone’s attention gathered.
One second later, they all lost interest and sprawled out again, as if it was nothing important.
“Hey, even if a new recruit joins, they’ll probably get crushed before we even learn their name. And when have we ever cared about newcomers? There are tons of people in this guild.”
Unlike the indifferent Horas, Halo seemed a bit curious.
“You said it’s a kid? Like the size of Gambil’s foot?”
Crunch, crunch.
Cookies broke in Ekision’s mouth as he kept eating, too busy to respond.
Watching him, Horas shook his head.
“What, a newborn? If it’s that small, it wouldn’t even be able to walk. What kind of recruit is that?”
Still, he lifted his own foot to compare.
Being slightly taller than Gambil, he was part of the “giant duo” of Chails—and they had the same shoe size.
“I don’t know. I didn’t get a proper look yet. But Gambil said the kid has some kind of special ability.”
Horas and Halo turned their gaze back to Ekision.
Even Padrid had stopped writing and was listening now.
“A special ability? Like that person?”
“Maybe? Seems like it. Or not. But there’s even bigger news.”
“What is it?”
“The safe got opened.”
Everyone who had been lazily sprawled out instantly shot to their feet.
Even Padrid stood up halfway in shock.
For the past month, the hottest topic in Chails had been the safe left behind by the old noble.
“Who?”
“Who?”
“…Who opened it?”
At the barrage of questions, Ekision shrugged.
“…The new recruit. Today. That’s what Gambil said.”
“Damn it, where’s Gambil?”
He kept something that interesting to himself?
“Let’s go see!”
Everyone except Padrid—the owner of the office—rushed out.
“Padrid, I’ll clean up the trash. Bye-bye.”
With a shrug, Ekision grabbed the cookies and followed them out.
In an instant, the office became quiet.
Looking at the table now littered with crumbs and empty glasses, Padrid swallowed the urge to yell at them to act their age.
“…Those bastards.”
Lodi looked at the three pairs of eyes staring at him.
Following Gambil’s instructions, he had washed up with the attendant named Bender and come out clean.
Though she was a stranger, Bender had gently washed his hair and let him use plenty of warm water.
She was also the first person to speak politely to him, so Lodi tried to respond politely as well.
Now, he was sipping the juice she had left him while saying she’d go inform Gambil.
His body felt relaxed and limp, but being in an unfamiliar place, he kept his guard up like armor.
Then suddenly, several well-dressed people came in all at once and stared down at him with curiosity.
After arguing about whether he was the right one, they finally settled down.
“He’s tiny enough to eat in one bite. So cute.”
“Is he even still a kid?”
“Of course he is. Seriously cute.”
“I don’t think it’s him. There’s no way a recruit would be this cute.”
“Then whose kid is he?”
“The hair color looks a bit different from the one I saw earlier.”
The conversation was strange, but their faces were so handsome it felt like all the good-looking people in the empire had gathered here.
After arguing over who would speak first, Ekision stepped forward with a bright smile.
“Hello, little one. I’m Ekision. This is Horas, and that one is Halo. So, where are your parents?”
“I don’t have any.”
At that, Horas immediately smacked Ekision on the head.
“You idiot!”
“Well, maybe they’re just not here right now!”
At that, both of them stared at Lodi again.
Lodi tilted his head.
“I came from an orphanage. So I don’t have a mom or dad.”
At the same time, both of their faces fell into despair.
They had come to see a special recruit with unique abilities—but the first impression was already a disaster.
“Ahem, sorry. He didn’t mean any harm. He’s just thoughtless. Please understand. So… you’re the new recruit who came today?”
“Hahaha! Horas, just act like yourself. Sorry—but I don’t have parents either, so it’s fine, right?”
Ekision suddenly held out his hand for a handshake.
After staring blankly, Lodi took it.
They seemed a bit strange—but not bad.
“I’m Brodi.”
“Wow, that’s a really cool name. Your hands are so small. How old are you?”
“Seven.”
“Wow, must be nice being young. Are you just visiting?”
Lodi, who had been answering diligently, shook his head.
“No. I’m part of Chails starting today too.”
The three froze for a moment.
Ekision quickly turned his head toward Halo and Horas.
‘So it is him?’ was written all over his face.
Ekision had only briefly seen the back of Lodi’s head earlier, so he wasn’t certain.
Back then, his hair looked dark—almost black—but now it was a vivid red, like it carried a cherry scent.
There was no reason for a child to be here, so they could only guess.
“No way. He looks way too young no matter how you look at him.”
“Maybe he’s a decoy…?”
“That actually makes sense…”
“What are you doing?”
At that moment, Gambil returned with a deep voice.
In one hand, he carried clothes, and in the other, a pair of small leather shoes that looked adorable compared to his massive hand.
Ekision, who had been absentmindedly shaking Lodi’s hand, let go and stood up.
He immediately asked Gambil if this was the same kid—and got confirmation.
“Here, kid. Put these on and change your clothes. Starting tomorrow, someone will properly take charge of you.”
“These are nice too. Thank you!”
They were a bit big, but compared to what he used to wear, even the clothes Bender gave him felt luxurious.
Even if he had to roll up the sleeves four times.
Still, Lodi accepted the shoes and clothes.
“Once you’re done, come to the dining hall.”
“Okay.”
With countless eyes still on him, Lodi turned and went back into the bathhouse.
Click.
The moment the door closed, the three immediately swarmed Gambil.
“You’re joking, right? He’s way too young. This isn’t a childcare center. And that kid really opened the safe?”
“I only follow orders. And you know the rules.”
Gambil wasn’t wrong.
Background, past, age, gender—none of it mattered in Chails.
Only skill.
“Still… can he even take care of himself? Does he need a nanny to sleep?”
“I don’t get this either. Even if he opened the safe…”
“He really did open it, right?”
Ignoring the barrage of questions, Gambil quietly stared at the closed door.
“Well. He might actually handle himself better than we do.”
Recalling everything that had happened today, Gambil shrugged.
“Oh… looks like Gambil’s gone soft over something cute…”
“Well, he does look soft enough to understand.”
“Even the way he talks was cute.”
Not a single one of them understood what Gambil meant, though.
