Lewis stopped supplying mana to his Emerald Jade Gladius causing the brilliant sword to lose its lustre. The blade gradually lost its previous ferocity as it slowly faded away into nothingness. Taking one step back, the obese man giggled, causing the chunks of fat being attached to him to jiggle.

“Hahaha! Very good! Young, bold and terrific battle acumen! You are what the waypoint constables lack!”

Lewis hollered out, clearly delighted that he had landed a good subordinate. Recently the constable’s office had been hiring subpar newbies, much to the dismay of the veteran constable captain.

“You are too kind, senior.”

Cutting off the mana supply to his Azure Water Blade, Junius saluted Lewis as the man sung his praises. The exchange between the two had lasted for less than a minute, and in that time, Junius had thoroughly convinced Lewis of his abilities.

And the meaty constable captain wasn’t the only one that was amused.

High up in the building, where Junius and the Instructor came out from, a lean and robust man rested his head on the window pane, watching the performance of the capable youth. A dismal sigh escaped from the insides of his mouth as his eyelids trembled. A diabolical thought started to form as the memories he had bottled up resurfaced.

The silk curtains that covered window started to crease as the man increased his grip. His arms felt heavy as an invisible pressure began to mount in his mind. Perhaps it was due to his lack of sleep, he thought that his brain had started to become impaired.

‘I should really go rest...’

Rubbing his forehead, the highest authority of Chilyoja Waypoint finally decided to leave the room that reeked of his unwashed scent. Like a squirrel looking for acorns, the mayor left the side of the window, seeking out his own comfortable bed.

-.-

After the commotion in the town quadrangle right outside the mayor’s office, the Instructor brought Junius straight back to the Mushinkei. Since his pupil had already been tested, there was no need to visit the constable headquarters. Hence, the Instructor left Lewis with a warning to keep the Dalits in line before heading back.

Entering the luxurious building once again, Junius moved quickly, practically skipping like a merry little child, through the aisle. He had been delighted that he was able to show off his skills and receive high praise from his new boss. Additionally, he had proved that the Instructor was not overstating his abilities.

“Hoho~ Someone’s in a good mood! Eh?! Wait, Junius is your legs all healed?!”

Behind the marble counter, a mellifluous woman’s voice sounded. Riko, who was wearing a sultry red mandarin gown, flashed a pleasant smile to welcome Junius back. She was also slightly startled that Junius, who was supposed to remain on a wheelchair, had suddenly made a full recovery.

“Seni… Sister Riko! Ah! My legs. We visited Lady Seph, and she healed my legs.”

“Oh is that so?! That’s great news!”

“Yeah, I’m grateful for her help. By the way have you seen Shin?”

Junius nearly made a mistake once again but quickly adjusted his greeting after Riko’ stern expression locked eyes with him. Ever since he arrived, he had trouble addressing his seniors informally. Especially when it comes to Riko. Her seductive proportions made her seem extremely mature, making it hard for Junius to see her as someone from the same generation.

“Shin is home. He just ran up to hide in his room.”

“Hide?”

“Hahaha! He arrived home with cheeks as red as the ripest tomatoes! Sister Ines actually pulled on those cute little things for over an hour! How lucky… When he came home, he immediately darted upstairs, leaving me without an opportunity to pinch him!”

Ines squirmed as she thought back at those reddened cheeks of Shin’s. Any girl who likes cute things would be tempted to have a go at pinching those. And for the women in the Mushinkei, there was very little entertainment to be had. Dealing with customers day in and day out drained them severely. Now that they had a ten-year-old boy, who was at the peak of his cuteness, they couldn’t help but bully him.

“Ha ha… Then I’ll be on my way, sister Riko...”

“Sure thing! If possible, bring Shin down! Tell him that I have candy!”

Riko attempted to lure the hiding critter back down so that she could have her turn.

“I’ll try...”

Junius however, just wanted to escape the woman. Who knew if, without the ten-year-old boy’s cheeks, she might be tempted to go for his own. Hence, Junius scrambled up the stairs.

“Shin! Are you there?”

Using his knuckles, Junius knocked on the door. However, there was no response. Knocking the door once more, Junius called out his younger brother again.

“Shin?”

“Junius?!”

This time, after affirming Junius’ voice, loud thumps could be heard heading towards the door. The sounds of multiple locks being released caused Junius snicker. It turned out that Shin had been attempting to hide from Ines and was paranoid about any visitors.

As the wooden door creaked open, Junius burst out into laughter once he saw the state of Shin’s face. Swollen and red, Shin greatly resembled a tree squirrel which stuffed its face with acorns. Thinking back, he couldn’t blame Riko. Even he was tempted to touch the boy’s face.

“Hahaha, I’d heard what happened to you. How do you feel?”

“How I feel? All I feel is pain, Junius. That senior never let go of my cheeks no matter how much I begged! Damn it what’s with the direct bloodline of the Frie Clan. All of them are barbarians.”

Shin snorted.

“Don’t say that… They just want to spend some time with you.”

“Screw that! I’m never leaving this room. The people outside are demons I tell you!”

“Fine fine, why don’t you complain to the Instructor? I’m sure he will be able to stop them.”

Junius gave Shin a suggestion to complain to the Instructor.

“Yeah, yeah… Enough about me. How was your examination?”

Shin tried to change the conversation topic. Evidently, he was displeased with the way he was treated by the seniors. However, he suddenly remembered that Junius had accompanied the Instructor to the mayor’s office so that he could be tested.

“Full marks!”

Holding up a victory sign, Junius boasted about his performance.

“Hmph! Show off...”

“Hahaha! You should also work hard! Tomorrow you will be going to Lady Seph’s place for training!”

“You think I don’t know that?!”

One worry of Shin’s was the predators lurking outside, namely the two ladies, who were gunning for his cheeks. The other concern was his future training with Lady Seph. From the primary interaction with her, he could tell that she was no softie. In fact, she might be even worse than the Instructor.

“Oh yeah, Shin. When I was in the mayor’s office, I overhead something important.”

“Hmmm, what is it?”

“Apparently there’s a murderer on the loose.”

“What?!”

Junius words caused a stir in Shin’s tender heart. He had heard of people killers only through stories, he had never expected one to be so close to where he lived.

“Yeah, it came straight from the mayor’s mouth so it shouldn’t be fake… When you return from the clinic tomorrow, try to avoid dim and isolated places. I would love to pick you up, but I’m starting my training tomorrow as well.”

After his assessment, Lewis happily allowed Junius to begin his training the next day. If all goes well, after six months of basic training, Junius would be promoted to become a junior constable.

“Alright, I’ll be careful...”