Chapter : 592

Ken Eliot lay flat on his back in the middle of the courtyard. The afternoon sun beamed down on his face. The grass felt very soft. He wore his navy blue suit pants. His white dress shirt hung completely untucked over his belt. He did not wear a tie. His black hair stuck out in wild, messy spikes. He crossed his arms over his stomach. He breathed slowly and peacefully.

He was fast asleep. He dreamed about a quiet field of potatoes. He dreamed about endless bags of potato chips. He dreamed about a world with absolutely zero cardio.

A sharp poke hit his ribs.

Ken let out a lazy groan. He did not open his eyes. He swatted his hand at the air. He tried to push the annoyance away.

"Go away, mosquito," Ken mumbled lazily. He turned his head to the side. "I am in the middle of a very important training arc. I am meditating. Do not disturb my spiritual energy."

A second poke hit his ribs. This poke was much sharper. It did not feel like a bug. It felt like the blunt end of a solid metal pole.

Ken slowly opened one sleepy dark eye. He looked up.

Olivia stood directly over him. The eighth servant of the 13th Unit looked absolutely flawless. She wore her pristine dark blue uniform. There was not a single wrinkle on her clothes. Her dark hair was pulled back into a perfect, tight bun. Her dark eyes glared down at him. She held her silver-tipped spear in her right hand. She had just used the wooden shaft of her spear to poke his side.

"You are not meditating," Olivia stated coldly. Her voice was strict and commanding. "You are sleeping. In the middle of the courtyard. During active operational hours. Get up right now."

Ken let out a massive, dramatic sigh. He opened his other eye. He stared at the strict spear user.

"Olivia, please," Ken complained. He did not sit up. He stayed flat on the grass. "I just closed my eyes for two seconds. My stamina bar is completely empty. It is flashing red. I need to recharge my health points. Sleeping is the most efficient healing spell in the world."

Olivia crossed her arms over her chest. She kept her spear tucked against her shoulder. "Your stamina bar is empty because you do absolutely nothing all day. I have watched you for the past three hours. You ate a bag of cookies. You walked to the fountain. You sat on the fountain. Then you lay down on the grass. That is a completely unacceptable work ethic."

"Eating cookies requires a lot of jaw movement," Ken argued lazily. He rubbed his stomach. "It is a very strenuous activity. I am digesting. Digestion is a science. You cannot rush science."

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Naomi walked out of the main house. She held a clean water bottle in her hand. Her bright red hair swished in a neat ponytail. She saw Ken lying on the grass. She saw Olivia standing over him. Naomi smiled a very warm, bright smile. Her green eyes sparked with genuine amusement. She walked over to the grass.

She did not yell at Ken. She tossed the water bottle playfully. It landed right next to Ken’s shoulder.

"You got caught, slacker," Naomi laughed softly. She nudged his shoe gently with her combat boot. "You cannot hide from Olivia. She has eyes like a hawk."

"I was not hiding," Ken whined. He reached for the water bottle. "I was perfectly visible. I was camouflaging with the grass. It is a highly advanced stealth technique."

Laxmi walked out right behind Naomi. The fire user grinned a wild, excited grin. She tossed a tiny orange spark of fire between her fingers.

"He is totally lazy, Olivia!" Laxmi cheered loudly. She pointed a finger at Ken. "You should make him run laps! Or better yet, I can chase him with a fireball! That will wake him up very fast!"

"Please do not set me on fire, Laxmi," Ken pleaded lazily. He popped the cap off the water bottle. He took a sip. "My suit is highly flammable. I do not want to be a roasted potato."

Sayma stepped onto the porch. The intelligent Vice-Captain pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She held her neat notebook. She clicked her pen.

"Statistically, running from a fireball increases heart rate by two hundred percent," Sayma noted politely. She smiled a small, calm smile. "However, I do not believe destroying Ken’s suit is a productive use of our resources. Olivia is perfectly capable of handling his discipline."

Ira stood near the wooden door. Her pale face showed zero emotion. "Ken's daily productivity levels are currently at zero point zero percent. A disciplinary task is logically required."

Zinia stretched her strong arms. She cracked her knuckles. She chuckled a deep, rumbling laugh. "Have fun, Ken. Olivia does not play games."

Luna lay on a wooden bench nearby. She snored very quietly. She completely slept through the entire conversation. Risa sat next to Luna. The sweet pink-haired healer drew a picture of a smiling cat. Risa waved a colored pencil at Ken. "Good luck, Ken!"

Olivia looked at the rest of the team. She frowned slightly. She did not understand why they all smiled at his bad behavior. They were elite warriors. They should demand perfection. She turned her strict gaze back to the boy on the ground.

"Stand up, Ken," Olivia commanded firmly. "Right now. I am assigning you a punishment task. You need to learn operational discipline."

Ken rolled onto his side. He pushed himself up very slowly. He moved like an old man with bad knees. He dusted some grass off his navy blue pants. He slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets.

"A punishment task?" Ken moaned dramatically. He looked at the sky. "Why is the universe so cruel to me? What did I do to deserve this? I just want to live a quiet, peaceful slice-of-life story. I do not want a training montage."

"Follow me," Olivia ordered.

She turned around. She marched across the courtyard. Her boots clicked sharply on the stone path. Click. Click. Click. Her posture was flawless.

Ken shuffled behind her. He dragged his cheap shoes on the ground. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff. He let out a loud, miserable sigh every three seconds. He wanted her to know exactly how much he hated this.

Naomi watched them walk away. She smiled fondly. She shook her head. She knew Ken would complain the entire time. But she also knew he would follow the strict spear user.

Olivia led Ken to the very back of the estate. She stopped in front of a large, solid wooden building. It was completely separate from the main house. It looked very old. The paint on the walls peeled badly. A large, rusted metal padlock hung on the double doors.