Chapter 163

The next day.

Trevaga, no, Agabert’s second base.

“Good morniiing~!”

At the voice ringing energetically through the mansion, Tesetan snapped his eyes open.

Rising from the hard chair, he stepped out after opening the door with a half-doubting face.

When he stood at the railing with his footsteps muted, the view of the lower floor could be seen beyond it.

“Oh my, it really is. There is no mess like this mess!”

An unidentified middle-aged woman was entering his mansion.

Behind her were also five or six people with cloth wrapped around their nose and mouth.

“Shall we start with the kitchen first~? It’s fortunate that Miss Selina lent me workers, otherwise if I did it alone it would have taken all day.”

At the middle-aged woman’s words, a bright voice was heard right below the railing.

“Auntie Marshall, should Tie help too?”

“Oh my, my, no need. Our little commander should go and have breakfast first~?”

“Hing, but……”

The Necromancer King’s gaze turned toward the second floor for a moment.

Tesetan hurriedly leaned his back against the wall.

“Ha.”

A short sigh leaked out.

‘Right.’

Yesterday he had decided to combine the mercenary companies with the Necromancer King.

Because he had slept unusually deeply last night, he had almost forgotten that fact.

But even so.

‘Why from the morning…… here……’

“Now, now! Everyone, the kitchen first~!”

Soon the noisy shout scattered his thoughts.

* * *

“Did they clean well for you? Mister Kim Astie.”

No sooner had Tie entered the base than Veil approached him.

Tie rolled her eyes and ran to the kitchen, avoiding Veil.

“Yup, because Vice-Captain Mister’s house was super dirtyyy.”

“……What kind of blessings did that bastard receive in a former life? He contributes absolutely nothing to Agabert and just gets the vice-captain position for free. And on top of that, the great Necromancer King personally goes and even cleans her house for her.”

“Ussi, Brother Veil! Tie told you not to say bastaaard!”

“What? Because Tie likes mister~?”

Veil mimicked what Tie had said yesterday.

Tie was startled and tried to cover Veil’s mouth.

But Veil, annoyingly enough, kept talking.

“Because you just like mister and only want to be on the same side? Aha, so you weren’t satisfied with the ones who were already on your side all this time? So I guess our child Necromancer King needed a neew side!”

“That’s not iiit……!”

“What do you mean it’s not. Tesetan Veronio, that damned bi, no, bastard!”

Tie puffed her cheeks all the way out.

Veil shook his head from side to side and sat down in the chair opposite Tie.

“What are you going to do about conquest from now on. Are you going to keep letting the guys next door live in that house?”

Tie sank into thought.

The child gazed at Dad’s house visible through the window beyond the kitchen.

‘Keep letting them live in that house?’

In truth, Tie could have brought Dad and Dad’s subordinates into this base.

Because the newly joined members were using rooms two to a room, there were still spare rooms left in the mansion.

But if he told him to move over, would Dad like it?

‘I think he would hate it a lot……’

Tie raised her head.

“Tie thinks it would be good to just leave Vice-Captain Mister alone.”

“Just leave him alone?”

“Yup! Just like children need an adjustment period when they move kindergartens, Tie thinks Vice-Captain Mister is the same.”

Veil’s lips parted.

He let out a sigh and answered.

“……Do whatever you want. As if it wasn’t always like that. Hurry up and eat breakfast.”

“Brother Veil, aren’t you eating?”

With a sullen face, Veil tousled Tie’s hair.

“We already ate. While you were over at that house cleaning from the crack of dawn.”

Grumbling, he left the dining room.

Tie stiffened with a puzzled face, then quickly picked up her spoon.

And he smiled brightly.

“Wow, kokko egg!”

Today’s breakfast was hot broth with kokko egg and potatoes loosened into it.

Tie scooped up potato pieces cut into bite-sized chunks and popped them into her mouth.

“Mmm, yum. It’s refreeshing.”

Just then, when Tie was lifting the bowl with the plate under it and drinking.

Enzo and Raul came in from outside.

“Commander, what’s with Lord Veil?”

“Why’s Brother Veil?”

“He’s pulling weeds in the garden. While muttering things like, ‘Since the little commander is taking care of someone else’s household, I should at least take care of my own household.'”

As if telling him to stop, Raul lightly tapped Enzo’s shoulder.

Then, with an embarrassed smile, he said,

“There have been all sorts of things lately, haven’t there. It seems his insides are a bit complicated.”

Tie closed her mouth.

He continued eating with spoon movements slower than before, but the twins seated in front of him kept talking.

“Then is Lord Basto also like that because his insides are complicated?”

“What. The thing where he hasn’t said anything at all since yesterday?”

“Yeah. Strangely, he did talk when he was alone with me though……”

Hesitating, Enzo looked at Tie.

“When he was in front of Commander, he didn’t say anything at all.”

In the end Tie made an “Ehu” sound and shook her head from side to side.

Then he seriously explained why the two people were acting like that.

“The reason Brother Veil and Mister Basto are like that is because they’re sulking at Tie.”

However, there was no sign of surprise on Raul’s or Enzo’s face.

As if they already knew that Veil and Basto were sulking.

Rather, the twins leaned their waists toward Tie as if they were about to tell her an even more tremendous secret.

“Actually, that makes sense.”

“Uung?”

“Until a few days ago, the two of them were having a standoff.”

“A standoff?”

“Yes. Staring at each other and having a staring contest.”

“Gasp.”

Basto and Veil had a staring contest, and Tie had not known that at all!

“Why, even in front of the new members, the two of them were giving off a vicious atmosphere and all.”

Come to think of it.

It did seem like Tie had seen the two of them glaring sharply at each other a few times.

But,

“Why did they……?”

The two of them merely had slightly incompatible personalities, and generally got along without ever really having big fights.

Enzo chuckled.

“A few weeks ago, the two of them made a bet. Saying each of them would become vice-captain.”

Tie’s eyes grew round.

“A vice-captain bet?”

“Yes. Lord Veil said it was certain Commander would hand the vice-captain position over to him,”

“and Lord Basto seemed to be expecting that he would become vice-captain.”

After finishing, Enzo added with a laughing face,

“But Commander recruited Tesetan Veronio as vice-captain, didn’t she. I guess neither of them predicted that.”

Tie let out a “Gasp……” sound and put down his spoon.

No wonder.

Now that he thought about it, Basto had not said a single word to Tie since yesterday.

Normally he would have come and asked whether he slept well and whether he was eating well.

Even when she dressed Tie in her outer clothes this morning, she had a sullen expression the whole time!

“Th-that can’t beee”

All sayings about both sides being happy were lies.

‘It wasn’t possible for both to be good……!’

Having realized a new truth of life, Tie could not escape the shock for quite a while.

* * *

“First place! First place!”

From early morning, the Central Branch of the reward office was bustling.

With a face that had become fed up, Remi stared at Ornel running around the office.

“I told you! I said Agabert would crush Trevaga within three weeks! Here, here! Everyone, hurry up and hand over 1 gold each!”

With an excited face, Ornel collected gold coins from the employees.

The employees muttered in regretful tones.

“Haa, I still thought Trevaga would keep first place. To think it would end up being merged into Agabert.”

“Uhahaha, didn’t you see the official document the association sent?! It said the captains had a duel of honor. I told you I thought the Necromancer King would win!”

“But Director, why do you like the Necromancer King so much?”

Ornel froze in place with a start.

He made an “Uh, um……” sound, then burst into hearty laughter.

“Did they only put in a little effort there? They were doing conquest like five days a week and all. At first it was scary, but thinking about it, there hasn’t been a mercenary company that worked that hard all this time either.”

Ornel scratched his head.

“Before I knew it, even I was rooting for Agabert to become number one, anyway. Remi! Why aren’t you paying 1 gold.”

At the hand held out in front of her, Remi lifted her head with a tired face.

“……Director. I did not make a bet.”

“Uh, uhh. You didn’t?”

Ornel asked back with a flustered face.

Keeping her mouth tightly shut, Remi nodded.

Then, after rummaging through the desk piled high like a mountain with documents for a moment, she pulled out a sheet of paper instead of gold.

“More than that, about this state request.”