Chapter 42

The content is almost identical to chapters 22-23. Please skip if you find it unpleasant.

To let the refreshing morning breeze into the room, I opened the window on the shelf and sat at my desk.

It was a bit early for the scheduled work hours, but at this time, there was no need to be bothered by unnecessary tasks.

That's why, over the past fifty years, I've made it a habit to finish my breakfast quickly and start working first thing in the morning.

Usually, my superior, Captain Elies, would also start her work at almost the same time, but today is the first day of the temporary member's child joining the document team. Therefore, Captain Elies is going to pick up the child and have breakfast together.

It seems that the captain intends to take care of the child today, as she had finished a considerable amount of work by yesterday and quickly distributed minor documents to other team members. She had also completed most of the relatively urgent documents before dawn.

To do this, the captain had been working non-stop for the past three days, except for meals, changing clothes, and preparing for the child's first day at work. Despite this, she showed no signs of fatigue, and her renowned beauty remained unblemished.

She had been working as diligently as during the busiest days before a deadline, but her mood was the complete opposite of usual.

Not only the captain, who seemed to be enjoying her work, but also the regular team members were unusually restless.

The child coming today, I saw in the morning cafeteria yesterday.

The child was being measured by Captain Yaeto and Deputy Captain Rurika of the equipment team.

A very young, small child, an incredibly out-of-place presence in the Northern Demon King's Castle.

Perhaps due to the comments made by the gossipy onlookers, Captain Yaeto's expression gradually became frighteningly tense. Frankly, his face had a presence that could make even a grown adult feel uneasy.

However, the child, who greeted him with a smile and patted his head, somehow managed to calm him down and even made Captain Dilnan of the cooking team collapse in laughter, filling the cafeteria with laughter.

The child, who left various impressions in the short time since arriving at the Northern Demon King's Castle, was coming to the document team today.

While organizing newly generated urgent documents, I noticed something strange about the regular team members' office. But when I went to check, I regretted it.

It was less strange and more ominous. They had turned into a group of suspicious individuals with heavy breathing.

Some were even plastered to the entrance door, presenting a nearly criminal appearance.

--- I seem to have seen one of the reasons why the document team is often treated as a den of perverts.

Pretending I hadn't seen anything, I tried to return to my office, but then multiple awkward voices came from the door.

Reluctantly, I turned around to see the entrance door open, and the group that had been acting like criminals was piled up.

In front of this pile, a child was floating in mid-air, and Captain Elies, who had lifted the child by the side, was standing.

"What are you doing, all of you?"

Moving in front of the pile of struggling team members, the captain asked with a smile, but her voice was cold, proportional to her displeasure.

"Surely you're not neglecting your work to peek, are you?"

"Captain..."

Are these really the members of the document team, known for their intelligence? How can they be this stupid?? And they do similar things repeatedly.

From what I know, the serious members of the document team are very few. I often have to clean up after them.

Most of them are happy to be scolded by Captain Elies. Thanks to the "Captain Elies Scolding Squad," the team is becoming even more notorious as a den of perverts. ...Incidentally, some members of other teams are also involved.

Speaking of perverts, there's also the "Never Forget Captain Vincent's Beautiful Voice Squad" of the medical team and the "Make Captain Dilnan My Big Brother Squad" of the cooking team.

These two were mainly from the four external teams.

...I've digressed into trivial matters. No matter how bad the reality in front of me is, if it needs to be resolved, I must take action.

Focusing on the child, who was trembling, probably due to the captain's cold aura. I hope it's not because of the perverts in front of us.

"Aah, I scared you, didn't I? I'm sorry, Yurii. You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

While I was thinking this, the captain picked up the child and smiled gently. How does that dispel the cold aura? When the child looked up at the captain and saw the smile, they relaxed and clung to the captain.

The captain's mood improved dramatically.

...This will be very useful in the future.

"So, what was the reason for almost injuring Yurii?"

The captain, who seemed to be in a good mood, turned her gaze to the team members who had just stood up, and the cold aura returned.

However, the team members were not intimidated at all. They were used to it, for better or worse.

"Actually, we've formed a bodyguard squad for Yurii! I'm the captain, Kosha!!"

"The 'Yurii Watch Squad!' officially launched yesterday! I'm the deputy captain, Ilm!!"

"That's why we came to welcome Yurii! I'm member number 3, Tag!!"

"Yurii's arrival was so exciting that people gathered! I'm member number 4, Gent!!"

In response to the captain's question, the four people at the front introduced themselves.

Now it's the "Yurii Watch Squad." ...Don't form a bodyguard squad for a temporary, general member.

"Give us healing and love!"

The child was taken aback when the gathered team members, including the four, said this in unison. They were staring at the office with their mouths open. It's a natural reaction. Not many adults are like this.

But noticing the captain pressing her temples, the child looked up worriedly.

"Captain Elies, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

The captain smiled at the child, but a hint of fatigue was visible.

It's time to resolve this.

I'm glad I finished organizing the documents.

While deploying wind magic, I placed the papers at a fixed angle.

The wind magic is just to gently transport them to their destination. It has no power, just a light breeze.

A strong wind would mess up the room and make cleaning up a hassle.

Once a sufficient number of papers were in place, I released them all at once to create a path from the entrance door to the office door.

"...Ah!"

Hearing the rough cries, I confirmed the path was clear and manipulated the wind again.

Of course, I have no intention of disrupting the carefully arranged order. I will collect them in the order they were released.

The child's eyes followed the trajectory of the papers and met mine.

"Mars"

"...Please, come inside."

Noticing the captain's somewhat relieved expression, I guided the child into the office, free of perverts.

---

On the way through the created path, the child clung to the captain's legs, probably out of fear of the regular team members.

However, the child couldn't hide their curiosity and looked around the office. It's unfamiliar to them, so it must be interesting.

They blinked at the messy desks and looked at others. Seeing this, one of the team members, who had been silently suffering, was staring at the child. That's probably their desk.

Maybe this will make them clean up a bit.

We successfully reached the office I share with the captain, and as the child entered, they became even more curious.

While the child looked around, I placed the stack of documents I had been holding on the desk and put a paperweight on top.

I might close the window soon.

While thinking this, the child moved away from the captain and approached me, staring intently at the newly placed documents. Their expression was full of suspicion, as if questioning whether it was just paper.

After confirming that the top document had no sensitive content, I handed it to the child. The child took it, examined it closely, and touched it to check if anything was hidden.

Unfortunately, it was just ordinary paper, and the document was already fully processed.

But even after confirming this with their own eyes and hands, the child tilted their head in confusion.

"Hehe..."

The captain, watching this, couldn't help but smile.

"It's just paper, Yurii. Mars is skilled in special combat using paper as a weapon."

When the captain guaranteed it was just paper, the child's eyes sparkled.

They clearly found it "amazing." The pure admiration in their gaze made the back of my neck tingle.

Thinking this, the child suddenly seemed to realize something and looked startled.

Watching the rapidly changing expressions, the child suddenly bowed deeply.

"Good morning. I'm Yurii, and I'll be in your care from today."

"...Good morning. I'm Deputy Captain Mars of the document team. Welcome."

The child, Yurii, hurriedly greeted me, and I was caught off guard.

They anxiously checked my reaction with wide eyes, and the captain's cheeks slightly relaxed. Indeed, this child's gestures are innocent and animal-like.

...Especially after seeing the perverts, it's incredibly soothing.

"Hehe, how about it, Mars? Isn't Yurii cute?"

"I can see why you like them, Captain."

The captain asked for my agreement. It seems the captain brought this child more for their healing effect than for work.

The child, seemingly unaware of this, was looking back and forth between the captain and me.

"Captain Mars?"

"Grow up just like this."

"?"

Yurii, with a "What?" nuance, looked at me, and I couldn't help but pat their small head.

Seeing their happy smile, I genuinely thought so. I hope they don't become a pervert.

---

The child returned the document, and the captain seated Yurii at a dedicated desk. It was made by the equipment team and should fit Yurii's body. A cute cushion, ordered by the captain from the blacksmith team, was placed on the chair.

The child seemed to enjoy the cushion, bouncing on it and smiling happily.

"Yurii, let's do a simple test before starting work."

"Huh?"

"Let's check how well you can calculate. We'll assign work based on this."

Following the captain's instructions, Yurii took off their shoulder pouch and placed its contents on the desk. The empty pouch was hung on a hook next to the desk.

Inside were two pens, different from quills, and red and black ink, a ruler, and an abacus, all incredibly small for Yurii's size.

The child seemed interested in the pens, which they had probably never seen before, and was examining their structure.

"Jot is quite enthusiastic. These pens don't require dipping in ink like quills. They're a new writing tool recently developed by the blacksmith team. Only a few team members have them, but they were made for Yurii's convenience."

"Thank Captain Jot."

"Yes."

The captain explained the pens, and Yurii responded.

While the child was carefully closing the ink cap, I brought a sheet of paper I had prepared at the captain's request.

Noticing this, I confirmed that Yurii had moved the stationery to the side and placed the paper face down in front of them.

"...There are fifty questions. There's no time limit, but I'll stop you if it takes too long. You can use calculation tools and write on the paper."

The questions were the same as those used in the Northern Demon King's Castle's enlistment test, with the only difference being the lack of a time limit.

Frankly, they are not at a level a child this young can solve. However, the captain decided to have them take the test as proof of their abilities.

It's a simple test of calculation skills, but even adults who take the enlistment test often make mistakes on the last twenty questions.

After explaining the test, I took out a pocket watch to check the time and signed the bottom left corner.

"The captain and I will start working. If you finish before I stop you, let us know."

"Okay."

"You may begin."

At the start signal, Yurii flipped the paper over.

While keeping an eye on this, I sat at my desk. The captain probably did the same.

Seeing Yurii glance at the test questions and pick up a pen, I started my paperwork.

After a quarter of an hour, the sound of the abacus being used was heard.

A little later, the sound of the abacus being tapped clearly began.

Noticing Yurii was working on the later questions, I was surprised. The captain was also taken aback.

Moreover, Yurii used the abacus confidently, though slowly.

While working on the documents, I noticed Yurii put down the pen. I thought this was probably their limit.

"I'm done."

But the next moment, I was surprised to hear a relieved voice declaring the end of the test and looked up from the documents.

Checking the time with my pocket watch, I realized there was still time left. Despite this, Yurii stood up and brought the paper over.

Taking the paper, I picked up a red pen, wrote the end time on the back, and turned it over to grade the questions one by one. As the circles increased, the phrase "caged bird" came to mind. However, even if they were the heir of a noble family, they wouldn't be taught such things until around fifty years old.

Thinking about what the adults around them must have taught this child and for what purpose, a chill ran down my spine. It was too abnormal.

"...Captain, all answers are correct."

"...That's quite impressive."

"Moreover, there are signs of double-checking."

Reporting the results to the captain, I felt a chill. The captain must have fully realized the abnormality, hiding it behind her usual smile.

Meanwhile, Yurii was innocently waiting for our reaction.

"Immediate combat-ready. This means we can delegate eighty percent of the verification tasks."

"The speed is also excellent. Other team members can focus on other tasks."

"This is a golden egg we didn't expect to find."

The captain stood up to check the paper herself and nodded, confirming my accuracy. We would discuss the details after Yurii finished their work.

For now, we talked about the situation. As the captain said, Yurii is undoubtedly a golden egg, not just for healing but also as a capable team member.

"Since the work content is decided, let's start the explanation."

The captain announced Yurii's success and showed a sweet smile, hiding her true feelings.

Yurii smiled genuinely, looking happy.

While the captain led Yurii back to the desk to explain the work, I secretly sighed.

I could easily imagine several incredibly troublesome future scenarios, and most of them would likely come true.

Standing up, I couldn't help but sigh again. It was involuntary.

[Additional Explanation]

Sheep: A fluffy sheep with enhanced fluff. Its advanced form, the Sier, is a mount that appeared in the planning room of the Star Planning Department.