Chapter 64
The academy remained open for the duration of the Sword-Lord tournament, though classes were no longer in session. Each classroom functioned as a festival attraction of sorts, with the hallways filled with visitors eager to spend money on the festivities.
It would remain this way for three days, with different events being held across each day. After this, the tournament would begin in earnest, and the duelling hall—which I rarely had reason to visit—would be repurposed into the arena where contestants would battle.
The afternoon before the festival was all the time I had to prepare for my position as the animal caretaker, a fact which would have stressed most people out to no end.
But I was a man who, in another life, had to deal with a screaming infant, two cats, a dog, and a full-time job. Compared to that, this was nothing. Lily likely hoped the small window of time would have pressured me, but I instead treated the whole ordeal as a relaxing break from my responsibilities.
“Mr. Jaeger! Are you certain we should be mixing the scarlet hares with the naparas? They’re already causing the other handlers problems, and they have requested your help.”
The boy who came calling for me was a bronze class student who wanted to join the imperial cavalry one day. He had a love for animals, but frankly, he wasn’t very good at handling them.
“I told you, Larry, just call me Rex. And yes, naparas get along with anything. Have the others been doing as I instructed? They shouldn’t be having problems if so.”
“W-well… we tried, but the hares are so violent… we decided to transfer the Naparas first.”
I let out a sigh loud enough for him to understand my disappointment. I was meant to be handing out the fliers and greeting people by the front gate while the petting zoo was set up.
“Fine, I’ll go deal with it. Here.”
I shoved the fliers into Larry’s hands and began to walk away.
“Uh… Are you not going to change?”
“This outfit is fine. It would just be a waste of time getting in and out of it again.”
“If you say so, sir…”
My ‘uniform’ as Lily referred to it, was another obvious attempt to embarrass me that Lily had concocted. Apparently, Rose and her had made it themselves by hand.
“Mama, look! It’s a puppy!”
I turned to the small child and struck a pose.
“Woof! I am the academy watchdog, Chapu! Are you being a good boy?”
The child nodded emphatically.
“Is that true, woof? Good children deserve a treat, woof! Ask Chapu’s servant for your reward, woof.”
I pointed my hand—or rather, the oversized paw from my costume—at Larry. The boy’s mother smiled and led him away, allowing me to continue on my way.
This costume resembled a cartoonish dog with bright blue and white fur. It was far too hot inside, but at least I got some airflow on my face, which stuck out from the mouth area.
I had to pass by various stalls on my way, and naturally, the one who had organised most of them couldn’t help but comment on my attire.
“Looking good, Chapu!”
Rose emerged from the crowd and pulled on my costume’s tail.
“I always do, woof. How’s the profit estimate looking?”
“The turnout is a little weaker than expected, but it's just the first day. I think we’ll be raking in a tidy sum by the end of this.”
She smirked as she counted her imaginary future gold.
“Oh, by the way, take this.”
She pulled out a small tin and hooked it onto my costume’s collar. It had a label reading ‘donations for Chapu!’ and a cutesy picture of the winking mascot.
“Chapu is a friend to the children, woof. He does not support greedy corporate practices, woof.”
I responded, fumbling with my massive paws as I tried to take it off.
“Oh, come on, I’ll let you keep half of whatever you receive! Just slip in a little extra something when you greet the parents, it’ll be easy!”
“Chapu grieves for his sister’s ethical sensibilities, woof…”
“Haha, thanks, bro! I mean, Chapu!”
She ducked away, cleanly intercepting a passing nobleman and directing him to a handmade jewellery stall where she would no doubt be attempting to upsell him something useless.
When I arrived at the designated area for the petting zoo, I could only lament my colleague’s ineptitude.
“I you to move the hares and the naparas together, or else would happen.”
“S-sorry! Can you p-please give us a hand?”
Beatrice of Darrowby was curled up into a ball while scarlet hares angrily kicked and punched her.
“No. Your failure to listen to Chapu’s instructions got you into this mess, woof. now you will listen and obey.”
Soot’s stable had been extended with temporary fencing for this event and was segmented into multiple areas where different animals could be visited. Everything was prepared, except for one area that was supposed to house the scarlet hares and the napara.
Napara were similar to a capybara in both appearance and personality, but they were much larger and had puffy white fur. They were herbivores, but were not preyed on by any creature owing to the unique soporific spores that were released from their manes. They weren’t intense enough to knock you out, but they would induce drowsiness and relax those who inhaled them.
“You’ve moved all the naparas in at once, making the hares think they are invading another species’ territory. You’ve basically put them into attack mode, woof! Take all the naparas out, and transfer them like Chapu told you, woof!”
Besides myself, the group in charge of operating this petting zoo consisted of people who liked animals but had no real experience in properly managing them. As such, during the team meeting where I reviewed and critiqued all their work, it was quickly decided that I should be taking the lead.
Our supervisor was none other than Mrs. Abigail. Although she was pleasant to work with as always, and I had no worries letting her handle the customers, her animal handling skills were… questionable. She made the others look like professionals, in fact.
“R-Rex, erm, I mean, Chapu! Help!”
I found her cowering under the perceived attack of a tiny, harmless gobblecluck.
“It’s angry! What do I do?”
“ isn’t angry, Mrs. Abigail. They express affection by headbutting softly…”
I scooped up the friendly fowl and demonstrated by touching our heads together.
It squirmed happily as I put him back down.
“Th-thank you, dear.”
She eyed the gobblecluck, clearly still reluctant to be left alone with them. Given her temperament, it had become an unspoken understanding that I outranked even our supervisor for the duration of this event.
Funny how this sort of leadership role kept being thrust upon me.
I firmly instructed my hapless followers every step of the way, ensuring everything was set up properly and the animals were calm and comfortable. I even forced the others to line up and repeat back my instructions, to make they wouldn’t screw everything up the moment I left them alone.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
With that matter settled, I turned around, intending to return to my post at the gate.
“Heya!”
But instead, a raven-haired girl in an outfit that complemented my own greeted me.
She did not wear the full-body mascot-style outfit like me, but rather had crafted a stylish promotional garb. It consisted of a skirt that bordered on scandalous, a shirt with short sleeves that exposed the midriff, and suspenders that looked to be more for style than function. She also had a cap similar to Chapu’s head, though far less cumbersome than my own. She also had a comically oversized bag filled with props.
The children loved her for the playful nature and bright colours, while the adults enjoyed her… other aspects.
“Lily? What do you want?”
She smiled brightly, looking me up and down.
“You ditched me. Larry can't draw customers worth a damn, so I came to bring you back.”
“You're not even a part of this. Why are you dressed like that?”
“Huh? We're bound to one another, aren't we? It's only natural I give you a hand… also, your sister cut me in on a percentage of all sales referred by Chippy.”
“Chippy?”
“Chapu’s assistant and child-friendly piece of eye candy. Rose said it will improve the brand's marketability.”
The whole Chapu thing was Rose’s attempt at creating a mascot for her blossoming business ventures. It certainly attracted the kids, but I didn't think that was the demographic she intended to target in the long run.
“Whatever, I was just about to return anyway.”
“Great! Let's go!”
She pulled me along by the paw, but we soon had to stop due to a roadblock of people crowding around something. Raised voices could be heard, but we were unable to see anything.
“What did you do?”
I blamed Lily.
“Not every inconvenience is my fault, you know? Here, give me a boost.”
I crouched and lifted her up onto my shoulders.
“Well? What's going on?”
“Looks like a fight. Some bronze class kids from the third year. Should we stop them?”
“What are those idiots doing at a time like this?”
I grumbled and called out loudly to clear the crowd.
“Step aside! Campus security!”
Technically, Lily really was a part of the security personnel assigned for the duration of the festival, but the crowd didn't need to know that I was just a nobody.
The sudden shout did cause the crowd to part, but when they turned to face me, they looked understandably confused.
Ignoring them, we quickly passed through and confronted the group.
“Bastard! What would you know?”
“More than some backwater mud raker, that's for damn sure!”
There were two separate parties of three, but only one from each was yelling.
“Calm down, you idiot! Don't forget the Emperor is here somewhere.”
“Right! Don't make a fuss over something trivial.”
“Listen to your boys, Imperial! You don't want to lose in front of your precious master, do you?”
“Why are you egging him on? Just back off, bro.”
Those who were trying to rein in their friends noticed our approach and looked at us with pleading eyes.
“Heh, it's a bit early for this kind of thing, isn’t it?”
Lily laughed, but the two angry boys still only saw red.
“I'll kick your ass, mutt!”
One boy broke free, and as if the other had been waiting for the chance, he easily shrugged off his own friends, and fists began flying.
“Lily, stop snickering and restrain them.”
“Tch, ”
Her shadow swiftly extended and engulfed both of them, creating two squirming sacks of darkness. Their screams may have been muffled, but the confusion was still evident in their tones.
“Huh, have you gotten better at that?”
I commented on her technique.
“Hehe, you noticed? It's a little trick I recently learned… hm? Rex!”
I saw what she had, skipping the need for a warning. One of the boys had suddenly torn out of his shadowy prison and moved to kick the other boy.
It was reckless violence, but the real concern was the faint shimmering light around his foot. Aura.
I was quick to leap forward and sweep his leg out from under him, knocking him to the ground. Before he could react, I had my arm pinned against his throat and used my body weight to keep him down.
Contrary to my expectations, the boy looked perfectly calm.
“Sorry about that, I will accept any punishment you deem fitting.”
Something about his blasé tone rubbed me the wrong way, but what more could I really do?
His friends looked just as shocked as the other group, and they immediately began apologising on his behalf.
“H‐he never should have gone that far! Please believe us, we didn't know he was going to do that.”
“Using aura against a defenceless opponent is grounds for expulsion! What are you going to do about this?”
The other party got over their shock and began yelling back at them.
“Hmm… this is above my pay grade, let's just dump ‘em on Klaus.”
Lily suggested. Klaus was in charge of security and disciplining troublemakers for the duration of the festivities, so it wasn’t a bad suggestion.
“Samuel! What do you think you're doing?”
But before I could do anything, a soldier wearing the Soleo crest of a lion's head on his tabard appeared.
“You fool! To cause such a ruckus on this momentous occasion, don't think your punishment will be light!”
The man continued to bark at the student I had restrained.
“My apologies, sir. I will take him from here and make sure he receives just punishment.”
As if my approval was guaranteed, the man stepped forward to lift the student, but instead was frozen in place.
A look from me was all Lily needed to understand my intention, as she coiled her shadow around the soldier's legs.
“What is the meaning of this? Release me immediately!”
I looked at him with cold, analytical eyes.
“This student falls under the jurisdiction of the IMA. Who are you and what is your relation to him?”
The man looked bewildered at my attitude, but the boy beneath me spoke up.
“He's one of the King’s guards, we know each other because we grew up in the same neighbourhood back in the capital.”
“That's right! And I had my eyes on Samuel to become a squire one day, well, he can kiss that opportunity goodbye! You see? As fellow Soleans, it is my duty as his superior and associate to discipline him appropriately.”
“Pfft.”
Lily stifled a laugh and bent over to whisper into my ear. My massive costume mask made it hard to hear anything, but I managed to catch the important part.
“They're lying.”
I had to agree with her. That exchange was so rehearsed it was painful to listen to. Still, I had to be cautious while I didn't know their intentions.
“The IMA can offer an impartial judgment, as our faculty are from both nations. Letting a known associate take charge would naturally lead to some dissatisfaction regardless of the decision made, right? You are welcome to join us if you wish.”
I hoisted Samuel to his feet and nodded to the four other boys who had been dragged into the conflict by their friends.
After releasing the other student from his shadow coffin, the boys helped keep their arms secured on both sides and ushered them forward.
“I will have to report this to my superiors.”
The soldier suddenly turned and briskly walked away.
“Tch!”
Samuel showed his first sign of emotion since his capture at this reaction.
“Follow him.”
I whispered my command to Lily, who grinned mischievously before skipping away.
***
I left the offenders with Klaus after reporting on the circumstances. The therian was terrifying on a good day, and given his expression after I finished talking, I had no doubt an appropriate punishment would be delivered.
After checking on Larry at the front gate and confirming he was doing just fine, contrary to Lily’s claim, I decided to do some sightseeing.
Pretty much the entire student body already knew what everybody had planned and had even gotten an early look at them. The only exceptions to this were myself, Bridgit, Guy, and Zachariah.
So, with some free time on my hands, I decided to check in at the greenhouse first.
“Woooow! She's like a fairy!”
A little girl was excitedly bouncing on her mother's shoulders as she pointed to a familiar green-haired elf.
“The luminal weed is native to mana-rich environments and can be used for a variety of alchemical concoctions. In elven communities, however, we use them as a decorative light source.”
Fleur was acting as a tour guide and explaining the functions of the more unique and fascinating flora to the crowd that had gathered.
I'm sure there were some legitimately interested observers, but most of them likely just wanted to see if the rumours of an elven beauty were true.
Fleur's delivery probably sounded flawless to these people, but as someone who had grown used to her sing-song voice that made anything sound pleasant, I found her to be quite dry.
“These are scatterburst petals. The flowers they grow from are highly volatile, so we carefully pluck them immediately after they bloom. They can be used as explosives when exposed to high temperatures, but also are the prime ingredient for fire resistance potions.”
She continued to provide her dry explanations, not pausing to answer questions or adding any form of personality to her words. It was remarkable in a way that her audience could be so enraptured when she appeared so uninterested.
“That concludes the tour. Please direct your questions to my colleague.”
Fleur noticed me in the back—not a difficult feat considering my appearance—and directed the group to Paris, who was silently observing from the side.
“Rex. Are you comfortable in that outfit?”
Fleur ignored the crowd who attempted to address her instead of Paris and came to my side.
“It’s hot as hell and I’m sweating in places I didn’t know existed.”
I responded.
“Is that so? Follow me, I can help you.”
As always, she was standing too close and would stop to make sure I was following if I fell so much as two steps behind her. I was more or less accustomed to this by now, though.
We went into one of the unoccupied wings of the greenhouse, and she led me to a small refrigerator. It didn’t run on electricity; instead, it was a thick box with ice mana crystals built into the frame, keeping everything inside cold.
“Drink this. It will regulate your body’s temperature.”
She handed me a thin glass vial filled with blue liquid. As someone who had no reason to fear poisoning, I took it without question and downed it in one go.
“Refreshing, did you make this?”
I already knew the answer. I didn’t know anybody besides Fleur who was able to make potions taste pleasant without losing their efficacy.
“Yes. That was the last potion I am ever going to make here.”
She stared at me, our blank expressions mirroring one another.
“That sounds ominous. Care to explain?”
“My brother has ordered that I return to the commune immediately and withdraw my enrollment. He would not tell me why, but it was made clear that I do not have a say in this matter.”
“I see. So when are you due to leave exactly?”
“Two days from now.”
“Hm…”
We stood in silence for a moment as I thought about her words. I’d say Fleur and I were friends, but we didn’t have the sort of relationship—or personalities—that warranted a teary farewell or heartfelt speeches. Still, I felt I should offer something.
“Hug?”
I opened my arms, not really expecting anything.
“...is this a romantic gesture?”
“No.”
“Okay then.”
She stepped into my arms, and I gave her a perfectly appropriate, friendly hug that did not linger a moment longer than it had to.
“That was nice.”
She said with a smile before grabbing another potion and stepping up to me.
“What’s this?”
“It will suppress your body odour. Stand still.”
She dabbed a couple of drops on her fingers and placed them on my neck.
“...Thanks…”
With our awkward exchange finished, I left her to handle the next group of visitors while I went towards the sports field.
I heard from Guy that he had pulled Bridgit, Lloyd, and Zachariah into something outrageous over there, and I was eager to see it for myself.
