Chapter 142: Work? Slacking Off!
After that little interruption, Armand and Carle really did start thinking seriously about what kind of teacher would be good for Rachel.
The tricky part now was Armand’s relationship with the nobles.
Even though Armand hadn’t done anything terrible, technically speaking, he hadn’t “offended” the nobles. But those proud scholar-type nobles always looked down on rough warrior types like Armand. They believed the sweat of a soldier like him would somehow ruin the scent of the books on their shelves.
Carle could use money to deal with this problem. But the trouble with scholars was that they liked to act like money meant nothing to them. On the surface, they looked like noble saints who couldn’t be swayed by gold, but in truth, they just looked down on people like Armand.
Even though Armand held a high position, he still couldn’t be compared to the nobles with titles. No matter how strong Armand was, without a noble title, he was just a regular person in their eyes, and that meant there was still a big gap between them.
Armand could try intimidating those guys, but he really wasn’t in the mood to do that. So even though finding a teacher for Rachel was a little tricky without involving the nobles, both Armand and Carle believed they’d figure it out eventually.
So after spending the whole morning “discussing”...
Armand and Carle decided to stop thinking about it.
“How about this, why don’t you take your little Rachel out to have some fun?” Carle suggested.
In the dining hall, Armand and Carle sat across from each other, eating their daily carbs while chatting about what to do next.
“Go out? Where to?” Armand asked.
He had ordered two meals, one for himself and one for Rachel. But in truth, he gave most of his food to her. That little girl didn’t complain or act picky. She just ate whatever was given to her.
“Anywhere’s fine. Playing is natural for kids. The weather’s nice today. I was already planning to take my daughter out for a walk. Want to come with us?”
“......”
Armand chewed and swallowed the chicken in his mouth, then asked, “You just want to go out, don’t you?”
“Yep. Exactly.”
Carle didn’t even try to deny it. His answer was quick and honest. Armand actually liked talking to people like this, straightforward and direct.
“Going right now?” Armand glanced at the clock hanging near the cafeteria door.
“Yep, right now. First we stop by my house to pick up my daughter, then the four of us can go out together. The garden next to the central plaza is really lively lately thanks to the good weather. I want to take her there. Been so busy lately, I haven’t had time to hang out with her.”
“Then you better write me a leave request.”
“What for? We’re going together. Just call it official business. I’ve already arranged for someone to look after things at the knights' headquarters. Don’t worry.”
While Armand had been mumbling to Rachel earlier about what she wanted to learn, Carle had stepped away for a bit and taken care of everything behind the scenes.
When he saw Rachel, he was reminded of his own daughter and realized it had been a while since he’d taken her out. So he came up with this plan during lunch break, and now everything was ready. All that was left was to leave.
“Official business?”
“Yep. Taking care of kids is part of the knights' headquarters’s welfare benefits, isn’t it? Why not count it as work?”
“You're so quick to connect everything to money.”
“This isn’t about money. Don’t tell me you don’t enjoy sneaking out during work hours?”
“......”
That one line hit Armand right in the heart.
Exactly. Who doesn’t want to sneak out during work? Sure, you can slack off any time. But slacking off during work hours? That’s the most satisfying feeling ever.
“Alright.” Armand nodded firmly. “Let’s sneak out during lunch break. We’ll stop by your house first and pick up your daughter.”
“What do you mean ‘later’? Let’s go now, I can see you’re not eating anyway.”
As he spoke, Carle stood up with all three of their meal trays in hand. Even though the excuse was “taking the kid out to play,” neither of them had actually asked the so-called “kid,” Rachel, for her opinion.
Just as she was happily enjoying her food, Armand picked her up, literally. And since they were in a hurry, he just tucked her under his arm like she was a pillow.
“Mmmph mmmph—!”
Rachel, still chewing on her sausage, was carried out of the knights' headquarters like that. It wasn’t until they reached the carriage, already prepared in advance by Carle, that she finally got to sit down and breathe normally.
Even though no one could really punish Armand or Carle for sneaking out during work hours, they could even go through official channels to get as much leave as they wanted, they still chose to leave in this sneaky way.
They had walked out the main gate openly, even greeting other knights on the way, but Rachel could still sense it. Only after they got in the carriage did the tense atmosphere start to fade.
“Ha—”
Then, both men laughed at the same time.
Armand laughed louder, while Carle was a bit more reserved.
It felt just like back in school, when you didn’t want to study and snuck out by climbing the wall. Both Armand and Carle had done that kind of thing when they were younger. After all, not everyone is born to love reading or numbers.
But thanks to that rebellious energy, they ended up training their bodies well. They didn’t become scholars, but they did grow up to lead the knights' headquarters.
While the two men shared a knowing smile, Rachel wasn’t smiling, because she still hadn’t had enough to eat.
Sure, Armand gave most of his food to her, but she was in a growth phase and had a big appetite. Since she didn’t have the usual picky eating habits of a small child, she ate everything without complaining. She was just happy to enjoy the food. But before she could really get full, Armand picked her up and took her away.
…These two are so childish.
She had thought Carle seemed more mature than Armand, but it turned out even the deputy commander could act like a goofy little boy. They were so happy over such a simple thing. It was hard to believe these were the same two men who had “interrogated” her earlier with such serious faces.
Still, Rachel could kind of understand it. Work is work, and life is life. She had seen plenty of people with totally different personalities on and off the job, including herself. Anyone forced into work would naturally wear a grumpy face, but once they were free again, it was like they came back to life, suddenly full of energy and hope.
While Armand and Carle chatted away happily, the quietest person of the three was actually Rachel, the "child." She leaned against the carriage door, gently swaying and watching the scenery outside.
Sure, she and Armand had talked a little about what kind of teacher to look for, but honestly, none of that really mattered to her. She wasn’t interested in studying, she just wanted to find a steady source of alchemy materials.
‘...Sigh, looks like I’ll have to use the old-school method.’
If she couldn’t get the finished materials directly, she’d just have to extract and refine them herself. It would be more work, but as someone who proudly called herself a genius alchemist, Rachel definitely had the skill to do it.
But... that would have to wait until she could even hold a pen properly.
Sigh...
Looks like the escape plan will have to be delayed for a while.