Hello, Readers! I am celebrating my birthday with extra chapter updates, so please enjoy this special chapter release of 4 bonus chapters! 🥳

(Lurelia’s Birthday Bonus – Update 4/4 🎉)

♡ To all readers who purchased these chapters before my Birthday: I can’t express this enough – Thank you for your support. (*ˊᗜˋ*)/ᵗᑋᵃᐢᵏ ᵞᵒᵘ*

“Hah…..”

Ekision lowered his hands.

“Rookie, this won’t do at all.”

He then gently grabbed and stretched both of Rodi’s cheeks with those hands.

“Whyy?”

When Rodi asked fearfully with slurred pronunciation, Ekision’s eyes turned mischievous.

“Want to be my daughter?”

“Here we go again.”

Horas shook his head watching this.

In the week since Rodi arrived.

If anyone had fallen most for Rodi, it was definitely Ekision.

Since he had the most free time during work and spent an hour or two each day teaching her the imperial language, they had naturally become closest.

Their mental ages matched perfectly too.

“What’s good about becoming your daughter?”

“What’s good? You get one handsome father.”

And almost every day, they enjoyed the “Want to be my daughter?” game.

“I prefer a rich father over a handsome one.”

“That’s a given option.”

“Then I’ll do it.”

“That’s my girl! Let’s have some juice to celebrate our father-daughter formation.”

This was already the third time.

Tomorrow would surely bring another father-daughter game with a different theme.

“Didn’t you two do this yesterday too?”

“W-what? Who is that? Lord Horas, who is that child?”

Serinea, forcefully blocking Jo who tried to stop her, asked with wide eyes.

Horas, who had been cracking his neck left and right, raised his eyebrows.

“Haven’t you heard? We got a new rookie recently.”

“…Isn’t that a child?”

“Pretty much.”

“What?”

Serinea looked back and forth between Ekision and Rodi who were playing together.

‘Lord Ekision is being so nice to her?’

This was the first time she’d heard about him liking children.

Serinea, whose life’s pleasure was discovering everything about Ekision, seemed somewhat shocked.

Regardless, Ekision was completely absorbed in stretching and enjoying Rodi’s soft cheeks.

She had dressed up so carefully today.

It hurt that Ekision wouldn’t give her even the slightest glance.

Well, that wasn’t anything new.

Serinea stared intently at Rodi with her arms hanging down and fists clenched.

She looked just like a predator eyeing its prey.

Jo noticed this and was about to grab Serinea’s arm to drag her away before she could cause trouble.

“…I could be her mother too.”

“Huh….”

Horas shook his head again, thinking she wasn’t quite right either.

“I’m sorry. We’ll clean up right away, Lord Horas!”

“It’s fine. But you should take her away quickly.”

Finally, Serinea was caught by Jo and dragged away to the opposite side.

A pitiful cry of “Lord Ekisiooon…!” could be heard.

“Yaaawn- How lively. Everyone’s so energetic.”

Horas yawned widely with his arms crossed.

Rodi, having escaped from Ekision’s grasp, didn’t miss the chance to quickly stick her finger in Horas’s mouth and pull it out.

She was copying what Ekision had done yesterday.

“Sleepy?”

“Yeah, I am. Rookie, isn’t it your bedtime?”

“I’ll sleep after eating everything here.”

“You’ll turn into a pig that way.”

“No, I won’t.”

“Rookie.”

Horas called Rodi while lazily sprawling on the table.

Though Horas had much lighter hair than Gemvil and gave off a different image, they somehow felt like brothers.

If Gemvil was like a black bear, Horas was more like a white bear.

“Yes?”

“Want to use your ability once?”

“Lord Ekision.”

Another voice cut in.

Rodi, Lexiard, Horas, and Ekision all turned their heads simultaneously.

“Percy.”

Eclise’s assistant Percy was standing there.

“Lord Eclise asks you to come up to the third floor for a moment.”

“Oh? Well, I should go then.”

Ekision stood up immediately.

“I’ll be right back.”

“Okay, see you!”

As Rodi raised her hand to wave goodbye, Horas beside her said “Ah” and raised his upper body.

“Right. Percy.”

“Yes, Lord Horas?”

“Did you tell Lord Eclise about what I asked earlier?”

“Yes, I delivered the message.”

“Ah- thanks. You’re the best, Percy. Ekision, while you’re there, ask Lord Eclise to increase my overtime pay. Ah, drink this before you go.”

When Horas offered a drink, Percy reached out with his right hand to take it and drank it all at once.

“Thank you.”

Ekision raised his eyebrows watching this, then smiled broadly.

“I’ll be back.”

Ekision followed Percy out, bouncing excitedly.

Horas watched them leave, then turned back to Rodi.

“Rookie.”

“Yes. What should I look for?”

The earlier conversation continued.

“Let me know if you see anyone suspicious.”

At those words, Rodi tilted her head and thought deeply. Then she stared at the banquet hall doors.

“The assistant mister who just left.”

***

“Hmm, hmm-.”

Ekision turned toward the stairs, humming rhythmically.

Percy followed behind.

The corridor was quiet, probably because almost everyone was in the banquet hall.

Percy, who had been maintaining a certain distance behind, gradually quickened his pace.

When the distance between them shortened slightly, Percy reached inside his jacket.

Ekision, who had been walking cheerfully, scratched the back of his head and said, “You’ll die if you pull that out.”

A strong killing intent arose.

In an instant, Ekision turned around and grabbed Percy’s neck at incredible speed, slamming him against the wall.

It was forceful enough to make a sound.

The sword Percy had started to draw fell with a sharp clang.

“I warned you.”

“How-“

“How did I know, you ask?”

“Ugh!”

Ekision grinned while pressing Percy’s face harder against the wall.

A small cracking sound came as his nose bone was crushed, along with a pain-filled groan.

“Should I tell you or not?”

“Kugh…..”

“Horas doesn’t get overtime pay. Why? Because he absolutely never works overtime. That guy values sleep more than money. And didn’t you know Percy is left-handed? He always reaches out with his left hand first. Remember that.”

If you’re going to investigate, do it properly.

After striking the jaw hard with his elbow to prevent resistance, Ekision quickly reached inside Percy’s neckline as if he’d found something.

When he forcefully pulled out something that was stuck inside the shirt, Percy’s dark brown hair changed to a dull gray.

Percy tried to escape from the grip, but Ekision’s strength was brutally powerful and he was too fast to do anything about it.

He had chosen what seemed like the weakest target, but it had backfired.

At the same time, Percy’s face gradually changed back to his original appearance.

“How many times can you use this? Is it disposable? Did our Percy drop some hair somewhere unsuitable again? So this is what it’s used for. You didn’t use blood, did you?”

What Ekision held was a magic tool that could change appearances.

It was quite sophisticated, able to perfectly replicate not just appearance but also scent and voice.

The man took advantage of that moment when Ekision was examining the tool, pushing off the wall and rushing at him.

He must have had more weapons hidden in his clothes, as a sharp blade cut through the air with a swoosh.

“Was that friend from earlier yours too? That senile old man sent you, right? Hey, I told you this won’t work. At this point, he must just be bored.”

Ekision easily dodged the knife and focused his attacks on the man’s broken nose.

“…Ugh!”

“Won’t you talk?”

“…..”

Sharp sounds rang out as they faced off several times.

But before long, the man’s body spun around as Ekision grabbed his collar.

The man reached out, but Ekision was too fast and he missed.

Though he might lack the strength of Gemvil and Horas, no one in the guild could match Ekision’s speed. At least within the guild.

Ekision grabbed the man’s head with both hands.

“Then we’re done here.”

With a crack, the man’s neck snapped and he went limp.

It was Ekision’s overwhelming victory.

Looking at the dead man, Ekision moved his neck side to side and let out a dry breath.

“Sigh, really. I should be playing with our rookie, don’t make me waste energy on this. Why do they keep sending talents here uselessly.”

We already have more than enough.

As he was about to lift the man onto his shoulders with an “oof,” a low, heavy voice came from the opposite direction saying “What are you doing?”

It was Gemvil, who had just returned from work.

Oh, lucky. Ekision immediately dropped the man.

“Gemvil, carry this for me. He hit me.”