Instead of one person leaving, more had arrived, multiplying my irritation.

“While I respect your preferences, I prefer the opposite s*x.”

“I like women too. Is our general affairs manager the only exception? He even gives me money.”

“I’ll have to decline. I’m an executor, not the one who pays. Hailo, your employer is Lord Eclise, isn’t it? When are you finally getting fired?”

“Maybe when you get off work?”

When Hailo winked his left eye, Padrid turned pale and grimaced in disgust.

“By the way, I brought big news. There’s a new recruit. Oh, there’s one left. Thanks Padrid! I’ll refill it later.”

“It’s my darling’s, so eat just a little.”

Despite Hailo’s protest, Ekision managed to find the snack bundle in the makeshift closet where Padrid kept his coat.

It was Padrid’s emergency supply that he always kept ready for when his blood sugar dropped due to the many stressful situations during work.

The only problem was that he never got to eat it himself—it always ended up in someone else’s mouth.

“Wait, what did you say? A new recruit? At the main building?”

For a brief moment, all eyes converged.

One second later, they scattered back to their own tasks, dismissing it as useless information.

“Hey, even if a new recruit comes in, they’ll probably get fired before we even learn their name. Besides, when have we ever paid attention to new recruits? How many people are in the guild anyway?”

Unlike the indifferent Horas, Hailo seemed curious and casually asked.

“I heard they’re tiny. Like, only as big as Gemvil’s foot?”

Ekision’s cookies made crunching sounds as they broke in his mouth.

After dropping the supposed big news about the new recruit, he was too busy eating snacks to say anything more.

Watching this, Horas shook his head.

“What, are they a newborn? Only as big as a foot? They wouldn’t even be able to walk at that size, what kind of recruit is that?”

Even as he said this, Horas lifted his own foot to measure.

Being slightly taller than Gemvil, he was one of the two giants in Cheiles, and had the same foot size as Gemvil.

“Don’t know. I haven’t seen them properly yet. Gemvil said something about them having a special ability?”

Horas and Hailo’s gazes turned back to Ekision.

This time, even Padrid had stopped writing documents and was listening intently.

“Special ability? Surely not like that person?”

“Maybe? That’s what it seemed like. Or maybe not. But there’s even bigger news.”

“What is it?”

“The safe was opened.”

Everyone who had been sprawled around casually suddenly sat up straight.

Even Padrid was clearly shocked, rising awkwardly. “For a whole month, the hot topic in Cheiles had been only about the safe left behind by the old nobleman.”

“Who.”

“Who?”

“…Who opened it?”

In response to the simultaneous questions, Ekision shrugged.

“…The talked-about new recruit. Today. That’s what Gemvil said?”

“Damn, where’s Gemvil?”

How dare he keep such interesting information to himself.

“Let’s go see!”

Everyone except Padrid, the owner of this room and the general affairs manager, jumped up and ran out.

“Padrid, you’ll clean up the trash? Bye bye.”

Ekision grabbed the entire cookie package while shrugging and followed them out.

The general affairs office suddenly became quiet.

Looking at the table that had become messy with cookie crumbs and juice glasses left behind, Padrid swallowed hard, holding back the urge to tell them to act their age.

“These bastards…”

***

Rodi looked at the three pairs of eyes directed at her.

As Gemvil instructed, she came out clean after washing up with the maid called Bender.

Although Bender was someone she met for the first time, she was grateful to her for washing her hair gently and letting her use warm water freely.

She was the first person to speak politely to Rodi today, so Rodi also spoke politely and clearly in return.

She was sipping the juice that Bender had left for her while saying she would go speak to Gemvil and asking her to wait.

Though her body felt languid and relaxed, she remained vigilant in this unfamiliar space, wrapping layers of caution around herself like armor.

Then suddenly, several well-dressed people burst in and were all looking down at her with curious faces.

They had just calmed down after bickering about whether she was the right one.

“She’s just a bite-sized thing. Completely adorable.”

“Is she still a child?”

“Must be. She’s really cute.”

“This can’t be her. No way a new recruit could be this cute.”

“Then whose child is she?”

“Her hair color seems a bit different from the one we saw earlier.”

The conversation was strange, but they were all such gorgeous faces that it seemed like they had gathered all the handsome people in the empire.

After betting for a while on who would speak first, Ekision finally approached with a bright smile.

“Hello, little one. I’m Ekision. This is Horas, and that one is Hailo. By the way, where are your parents?”

“I don’t have parents.”

At that, Horas, who was standing next to him, hit Ekision’s head hard, saying, “You crazy bastard.”

“No, I mean, they could just not be here right now?”

At those words, both of them stared at Rodi’s mouth again.

Rodi tilted her head.

“I came from an orphanage. So I don’t have a mom or dad.”

Despair spread across both their faces simultaneously.

They had come to see the specially recruited new member with special abilities, but the first impression was all wrong.

“Ahem, sorry. There was no ill intent. He’s originally a thoughtless guy, so please understand. Then, are you the new recruit who came today…?”

“Puhaha! Horas, just act like yourself. Sorry. But I don’t have a mom or dad either, so it’s okay, right?”

Ekision suddenly held out his hand for a handshake.

Rodi, who had been staring blankly, took his hand.

Though these people seemed a bit strange, they didn’t seem bad.

“I’m Brodi.”

“Wow, what a cool name. Your hands are really tiny. How old are you?”

“Seven years old.”

“Wow, must be nice to be so young. Are you just visiting?”

Rodi, who had been answering steadily, shook her head.

“No. From today, I’m part of Cheiles too.”

The three of them froze for a moment.

Ekision sharply turned his head toward Hailo and Horas.

His face seemed to say, ‘It must be this one after all?’

Even Ekision wasn’t sure since he had only caught a glimpse of the back of her head earlier.

Moreover, the hair that had been dark – almost black – earlier was now a vibrant red that looked like it would smell of cherries.

They could only guess since there was no reason for a child to be here.

“No way. She’s way too young no matter how you look at it.”

“Is it for distraction…?”

“That would make sense….”

“What are you doing?”

At that moment, Gemvil returned with a deep voice.

In one hand he held some clothes from somewhere, and in the other, he held leather shoes that looked adorably small compared to his pot-lid-sized hands.

Ekision, who had been continuously shaking Rodi’s hand while talking, said “Just a moment, baby” and let go to stand up.

Then he stuck close to Gemvil and asked if this was the same person from earlier, to which he got an affirmative response.

“Here, kiddo, put these shoes on and go change into these clothes. Tomorrow, the person who’ll properly take care of you will come.”

“This is nice too. Thank you!”

Though a bit big, even the clothes Bender had given her were luxurious compared to what she used to wear.

Of course, she had to roll up the sleeves four times, but still.

Rodi accepted the shoes and clothes.

“When you’re done, we’ll go to the dining room, so come out after changing.”

“Okay.”

Rodi opened the bathroom door again, leaving the numerous stares behind.

Click.

As soon as the door closed, all three of them clung to Gemvil.

“You’re joking, right? She’s such a baby. This isn’t a childcare facility, you know? And she really opened the safe?”

“I just move as ordered. And you know the rules.”

Gemvil’s words were completely correct.

Background, past, age, gender – none of these mattered at Cheiles.

Only ability.

“But still. Can she even take care of herself? Doesn’t she need a nanny to put her to bed?”

“I can’t understand this situation either. Even if she opened the safe…”

“She really did open it, right?”

Ignoring the flood of questions, Gemvil stared blankly at the closed door.

“Well. Perhaps she’s better at taking care of herself than we are.”

Gemvil shrugged as he recalled the series of events that had happened today.

“Oh, looks like Gemvil has fallen for her cuteness too…”

“But I understand, she looks so soft and squishy.”

“Her cheeky way of talking was cute too.”

Though not a single person understood what Gemvil meant.