Chapter 199: Handling Matters
Just then, the academy's class bell chimed, echoing through the grounds. To
Bochi, that sound was the herald of a descending nightmare. The blue
jelly-pancake on the ground instantly sprang up, its entire body pulsing in
resistance.
"Guchi! Guchi-ji!"
It extended two tiny tentacles and clamped onto Kaito's leg bone, refusing to
let go for any reason. I'm not going! Absolutely not! Cultural classes are
boring! Memorizing texts is not a job for a slime!
"Alright, enough. It's time for class."
Kaito tried to pull his leg free, but the little rascal held on with the grip of
a drowning man. "If you don't go, your teacher is going to come and drag you
there."
Bochi dangled from Kaito's leg, playing the part of a shameless rogue. "Guchi!"
Not going! Unless you feed me something delicious again!
Kaito's soulfire flickered. This fellow had just emptied an entire storage pouch
of his miscellaneous junk, and now it had the gall to make demands? He began to
seriously consider if sending this little thing to the Aegis Legion to be raised
by Skele-Gluttony and the others was a better choice. The Aegis Legion processed
so many livestock daily; a single scrap from each beast would be enough to keep
Bochi stuffed for a lifetime.
"The final time."
In the end, Kaito's heart softened. He rummaged through his pockets, digging
deep, before pulling out a small, glowing stone. It was a Light of Evernight—not
particularly useful, just a stone that emitted a soft glow at night, essentially
a magical nightlight.
Bochi's black-bean eyes sparkled instantly. It released Kaito's leg, leaped up,
and swallowed the stone in one go.
"Guchi!" Bochi chirped happily.
"Good. Now, get going."
At his words, it bounced twice toward the classroom with visible reluctance,
then spun around, its black eyes blinking up at Kaito. "Guchi!" Next time! You
absolutely have to come see me next time!
Kaito waved a bony hand, his movements slightly weary. "Fine, just scram to
class." He added, "And don't forget your studies. You should be able to memorize
the Imperial History in a single day."
Bochi's body went rigid. It pretended not to hear, spinning back around to hop
toward the teaching building. After just a few bounces, it performed an
emergency brake and looked back at Kaito once more.
"Guchi Guchi!" Um, next time you come, can you bring more snacks?
Kaito nodded helplessly, signaling his agreement. Only then was Bochi completely
satisfied, bouncing away toward its classroom. Kaito watched the receding blue
blob, his jawbone clicking. Raising this thing is going to be incredibly
expensive.
Kaito adjusted his cloak and headed toward the academy gate. He had only taken a
few steps when a scene of utter chaos erupted ahead. Lloyd and Rosen, the two
heads of the academy, were sprinting toward Kaito at a speed that suggested a
hundred-meter dash.
Lloyd was in the lead, but in his frantic haste, his foot caught on an uneven
stone. He pitched forward, sliding seven or eight meters across the ground
before coming to a stop right at Kaito's feet. Rosen, following close behind,
tried to swerve to avoid the downed Lloyd. Instead, he launched himself into the
air, performed a two-and-a-half-twist rotation, and slapped face-first onto the
ground.
Ignoring the dust covering him, Lloyd scrambled to his feet on all fours and
knelt before Kaito.
"Lord Sovereign!"
"Your servant deserves ten thousand deaths! To think you were treated with such
negligence at the gate of my own academy! Please, punish me!"
Rosen also scrambled over, kneeling beside him, his head striking the ground
with a rhythmic thud. "It was my oversight! I failed to conduct proper
pre-employment training! I am willing to accept any punishment!"
Kaito looked down at these two clowns and felt his soulfire begin to throb with
a headache. He had only wanted to check on Bochi quietly; how had it turned into
this?
"Get up."
Lloyd and Rosen replied in unison, "We dare not!"
"Your servants' sins are heavy; our bodies are crushed by the weight of shame!
We dare not rise!"
"If you two don't get up right now, I'll plant you both at the academy gate to
serve as 'Welcome Trees'."
At this, Lloyd and Rosen sprang up instantly, though they kept their heads
bowed, not daring to meet Kaito's gaze.
"It was our negligence!"
"Failing to notify the guards in time! This is a major failure in our
administration!" Rosen chimed in, his words tumbling out like a rapid-fire
incantation. "We will strengthen our management immediately! Right now!
Instantly! We guarantee this will never happen again!"
Kaito looked at the two of them with genuine amusement. "And how exactly do you
plan to handle it?"
Lloyd and Rosen exchanged a lightning-fast glance. They had been in the
Evernight Empire long enough to know that their Sovereign didn't care for the
old noble pomposity.
"We will intensify the training for the gatekeepers," Lloyd said, wiping sweat
from his forehead. "We will also hang your portrait in every single corner of
the academy! To ensure every guard recognizes you on sight!"
"Simultaneously, we will establish a specialized training course," Rosen added.
"It shall be called: One Hundred and Eight Ways to Recognize the Sovereign's
Cloaks."
"That way, today's situation will never be repeated."
Kaito listened, his soulfire flickering. "That guard... what was his name?"
Lloyd blinked. "Err... Balker. He's a recruit who just started today." Lloyd's
voice grew smaller. "He was... he was just being too diligent..."
Kaito waved a bony hand. "He did well."
Lloyd and Rosen looked up simultaneously, their faces masks of bewilderment.
"Let him continue his post at the gate." Kaito finished, ignoring their
confusion as he continued toward the exit. "The Empire needs more employees with
that level of responsibility."
Lloyd and Rosen stood rooted to the spot, watching Kaito's back, unable to
process the turn of events for a long time. After a while, Lloyd let out a
massive sigh of relief. "That scared the life out of me..."
Rosen wiped his own forehead, speaking with lingering fear. "I really thought
the Sovereign would be furious."
"Furious?" Lloyd shook his head. "You've been around the Sovereign this long and
still don't understand his character? He would never get angry over such a
trivial matter."
Rosen thought about it and nodded. "True. But that Balker... he's a real
blockhead."
Lloyd chuckled. "Blockheads are good. The academy needs people like that."
The two stood there, watching Kaito walk through the academy gate. Outside,
Balker saw Kaito emerge and instantly snapped to attention, offering a
respectful salute. Kaito didn't speak, simply nodding before stepping onto the
street.
Draped in his cloak, he walked through the Iron Fortress. The afternoon sun was
warm, and the air was filled with the vibrant sounds of life: merchants hawking
their wares, customers haggling, and children chasing each other. Walking
through these sounds of mundane joy, Kaito's footsteps slowed.
He thought of Skele-Lust. Kaito stood at a street corner and looked up at the
distant sky. There, several bone dragons were circling. The business of
Evernight Aviation was booming lately.
"I wonder how Lust is doing on her end," Kaito murmured to himself. "Can she
handle the workload?" He thought for a moment and shook his head. "Never mind,
I'll let her be."
Before she left, Skele-Lust had thumped her chest and promised that the
oversight was hers alone to bear. Since she had said as much, Kaito didn't
intend to interfere. It was merely a few wraiths, after all. Even if trouble
arose, it wouldn't shake the Empire's foundations. He would let Lust handle it
herself.