However, their younger brother didn’t know what was going on in his older siblings’ heads. “I don’t wanna go to work... I don’t want to work...”
Zen was complaining like a child first thing in the morning. He was procrastinating by messing with Keel, who was curled up in front of the living room fireplace. He’d painstakingly brushed the wolf’s coat so that it was twenty percent fluffier, but Zen promptly smushed his face in it, rubbing his cheeks into it.
“Don’t you think you’ve become too lazy, Zen?” Keel asked, annoyed. He’d been sleeping in late this morning until he was interrupted by Zen.
“I can’t help it. Anyone would get like this,” Zen whined, claiming it was just an inevitability.
First off, a big reason he was slacking off was that he’d successfully protected Elysia from the Vajra Temple’s assassin. On top of that, he’d shoved all of the annoying aftermath onto his siblings. The damage control to appease the Todd Village’s inhabitants, who’d witnessed Shiltz, had been carried out perfectly too.
“He’s a stalker who’s been following Elysia since she was in the imperial capital.”
“We were surprised that he’d follow us all the way here.”
As Zen packed on lie after lie, the other villagers spoke.
“Elysia’s the prettiest girl out there. I’m sure it tormented the man.”
“The city is so scary. Seems like it was tough for you too, Mr. Zen.”
Everyone understood and was compassionate. No one would have believed him if he’d said the truth, that Shiltz was actually a conjurer and an assassin who’d been sent by the emperor, though!
Zen had fought with Shiltz in another realm he’d created with sorcery, so no one had witnessed them. From the villagers’ perspective, it’d probably looked like they’d suddenly disappeared as if they’d been spirited away—not that anyone was particularly concerned about their sudden disappearance. They’d all been in a panic, running away from the plaza, so they hadn’t had time to look around them, and their memories were vague.
At any rate, Zen went around spreading the news that the stalker guy had been safely apprehended and that the prefectural governor would be handling him (his older brother Yohia should’ve already arranged to have a letter sent to Cummel explaining the situation in detail).
Thus everything had been settled—or at least it should’ve been, but an unforeseen blessing came Zen’s way.
Tomon, the town hall chief, had caught wind of the rumors and went out of his way to visit Zen.
“What a thing to happen right at the beginning of the year, huh, Sir Zen?”
“I’m certain it was a huge shock for your daughter too.”
“Girls around that age are very sensitive. You can’t disregard how sensitive they can be.”
After this senior man shared his elderly insight, he said, “So until your daughter has completely recovered, look after her at home.”
He continued to ramble on his own. “Yes, that’s a good thought, actually. I’ll use my authority and treat it like you’re on an official holiday. You should spend two or even three weeks together as a family and take it easy!”
Zen couldn’t help but thank the heavens and his eldest brother for this good fortune that had blessed him with such a wonderful superior.
Of course, the truth was that Tomon simply didn’t want Zen to make any accomplishments.
So for that reason, Zen had found himself with some unexpected vacation time. The end-of-the-year holidays at the Todd Village Town Hall already seemed unbelievably long from Zen’s perspective, who was so used to the central government agencies, yet here was an additional three-week bonus.
If he could keep living idly like this, then it was normal to not want to work anymore. Even if he thought I really should get back to work soon, it was natural that he couldn’t find the resolve.
Although he’d grown completely unmotivated, there was no reason for anyone to criticize him.
“No. Go work. For your daughter too.”
“Don’t look so serious when you say that... Let me escape reality...” Zen kept grumbling, ignoring Keel, who’d given him a piercing, critical stare, and kept burying his face in the wolf’s fluffy fur.
“What would happen if Elysia heard you spewing all these pathetic things?”
“She won’t hear. She’s a good girl, so she’s making breakfast.”
“No, father, I hear you.”
Elysia, who should’ve been in the kitchen, had come to the living room, startling Zen.
“If you really don’t want to work that badly, then I guess I have no choice. I’ll go find a side hustle to put food on the table.” Elysia sadly placed a hand on her cheek.
At a breakneck pace, Zen started rambling. “It was a joke, Elysia. I was wrong to say it. I’ll go back to work starting today, so don’t worry!” Sharla would kill him if she learned afterward that he’d made Her Highness pick up a side job.
“More than anything, though, you’re surprisingly the type who’d be dominated by your bride, Zen,” said Keel.
“Not that we can see my potential wife anywhere on the horizon.”
“Right.”
Zen tilted his head at Keel’s tone, which seemed to imply something.
On the other hand, Elysia stifled a giggle. “You have a strong sense of responsibility, father. You don’t seem like you’ll be fired from the town hall now, so I’ve been put at ease.”
“I can’t force you to live on the streets.” He’d talked just the other day about how he’d protect her, arrogantly acting like a father. If he allowed her to suffer like that, calling him “uncool” would be an understatement.
“Now then. I’ve made a delicious breakfast, so eat up and work hard.”
“Thank you, Elysia.” Zen really felt what a capable daughter she was. He’d thought when they’d just moved to the village that he wasn’t going to make Her Highness do any of the housework, but he left many things to her now.
I was acting like a spoiled child by saying I don’t wanna work. I’ll work hard for Elysia. With that renewed desire, he followed her to the kitchen.
He didn’t notice how Keel, who’d tagged along, was looking at him as if he were saying, You really are whipped.
Then two humans and a wolf had breakfast.
Maybe Elysia had gotten the hang of it, but recently, her cooking skills had improved dramatically, and her repertoire had increased. This morning, they were having an exquisite meal featuring noodles with plenty of sauce that used minced meat. Zen wound up asking for seconds that morning.
“Maybe I’ll go for thirds. I might get fat, though.”
“You work as much as you eat, so you’ll be fine if you work a lot.”
Zen paused. “Um, I feel like you keep bringing the conversation back to my work today, Elysia.”
“You’ve finally noticed,” Keel said.
“Can you understand how anxious your daughter felt upon witnessing her own parent grumbling about how much he didn’t want to work this morning?” Elysia huffed.
“I’m sorry, I was totally in the wrong!”
Zen bowed his head into the kitchen table like he was driving in a nail, and Elysia let out a stifled giggle. “I was joking.”
Zen lifted his face and gave her an embarrassed smile. For the person he was now, this was a relaxing morning. This was his new life in Todd Village that had started last year and continued into this one.
However, upon hearing a sudden, relentless knocking on the front door, he could no longer take it easy.
“Who’s knocking this early?” Perplexed, Zen left his seat and headed for the entrance to open the door.
“Mister Zen, please come back to work soon!”
“W-We can’t run the town hall with just the four of us...”
“The New Year’s festival was canceled because of that whole stalker mess, right? That’s why we’re having such a rough time right now. All these petitions keep coming in every day, telling us they want it to be held again, but because this isn’t something that usually happens, they want the town hall to organize it this time!”
“That being said, we don’t have the know-how, so we’re floundering here!”
“I-I’m sure you’re good at calculating budgets and adjusting schedules, right, Mr. Zen?”
“We’ll handle all the negotiations and gather the villagers’ opinions, so please help us!”
Of course, it was his three coworkers, Max, Namnam, and Anna, who’d come here desperate for help.
“Oh my, it sounds like they really need you, father.” Elysia had walked up behind him and was smiling like she was truly proud.
“Sorry, I guess I don’t have time for thirds,” Zen said to her. “I might not even be able to make it home before lunch today.”
“Then I’ll come by with a lunch box.”
“Thank you. That’ll be really helpful.”
He told his three coworkers to go on ahead to the town hall, then hurriedly prepared to leave for work.
“By the way, I also voted to redo the festival,” Elysia said.
“Really? Then I’ll work hard to make it happen. It feels a little like I’m mixing work with my private life, though.”
“Not at all. This is surely what the people want.”
While they exchanged these jokes, Zen made his way to the door, and Elysia saw him off.
“If the festival can be redone, then please dance with me again,” she said.
“Looks like I can’t refuse. We didn’t have our fill of dancing, right?”
Elysia smiled. That smile somehow vividly reminded Zen of Aness from her student days, with a mischievousness that was also mixed with an elegance that Aness hadn’t had. “Yes. So this time, stay with me the entire time. Until the sun sets.”
“Huh? You mean—!”