Chapter 199: [199] Please, Stop Taunting The Guild Master

Cleaning the mansion proved to be more difficult than Ark would have expected.

Although it was grand and very majestic, it had been abandoned for many years, which meant there were a whole lot of things to clean.

The windows were caked with thick dust, the stone floors outside were buried under piles of leaves, and the flowers had grown past their boundaries.

Thalia and Tess had done a good job already. They had managed to clean up several rooms, but there was no way they would have cleaned the entire mansion by themselves.

Ark’s summons were smart, so it did not take him long to teach them how to use the tools. Mountain was trimming the trees, since he was the only one tall enough to reach them.

Jenna was using ice steps to clean the windows outside, up to the fourth floor. Tai and Kenny were burning up all the dried leaves and other dirt gathered from the building.

Sumo was basically a walking power hose, making the job of cleaning tough stains easier, while Inquisitor was walking through the air, swinging the broom like a sword as he wiped out the cobwebs...

The only summon that had proved to be useless was...

Cleopatra.

Ark was lying on a foldable chair, staring at the summon with a firm gaze. He had just tried to teach her the most basic task, sweeping, and this was the third time she had snapped the broom in half.

"Are you doing this on purpose because you don’t want to sweep?"

Her shoulders slumped down, and Ark sighed. "Alright then... You can sit here with me."

This only seemed to make her feel even worse. It was not like her emotions were visible on her face. He could just tell from the way the light coating her twitched.

Ark searched the compound, looking for the most simple task, something even a talentless person could do, and then his eyes landed on the dark forest that loomed in the distance.

"Perfect. Cleo, the job I am about to give you is of utmost importance!!"

The summon nodded furiously, her armour clicking as she paid full attention to him.

Ark pointed at the forest, and she turned to stare at it. "They are going to be hungry after doing so much work. Can you catch us something tasty?"

Cleopatra stared at the dark forest for some time...

Then she suddenly stood straight and pulled out her weapon before dashing towards the encompassing darkness.

"Well, that settles that." Ark leaned back on his chair and clasped his hands behind his head.

The cool breeze whistled as it gently moved past his bones, before coming out of the other side.

It felt good. The soft touch of the sun and the pleasant chair made him extremely relaxed. He deactivated his eyes and enjoyed the darkness.

If he was not a skeleton, maybe he would have fallen asleep...

’Wait, I don’t even have to wait anymore!’ Ark normally stayed in human form because of emergencies, but he currently had two uses of back-to-normal!

Once Ark remembered, he transformed to his human form and settled deeper into the chair.

He enjoyed a few moments of peace, just before a shadow washed over him.

Ark frowned slightly, his eyes still closed. "Get out, you’re blocking my sunlight."

The person did not move, so Ark sighed and opened an eye. Olivia was standing in front of him, her hands folded underneath her chest, and her cheeks puffed up in a pout the size of Jupiter.

Her face was covered with sweat, and her eyes glistened with quiet rage.

Ark raised a brow, then groaned. "What is it, Olivia?"

"We are all working to clean up the place. Don’t you think we will finish faster if you help us out?"

"..."

"Ugh..." Ark groaned as he sat up straight. "I’m getting old. My bones were not what they used to be when I was younger."

Olivia gave him an odd look.

He tapped on the chair, prompting her to sit down next to him.

Once she did, he held the sides of her head and turned it to where Mountain was working.

"Who is that?"

"Mountain..."

"Good."

He turned her gaze to Inquisitor next, and winced when he saw him blast a hornet nest with a wave of gravity, crushing it to dust, before whacking it repeatedly with his broom.

"Uhum..." Ark cleared his throat. "And who is that?"

Olivia frowned. "Inquisitor. Where are you going with this??"

One by one, Ark turned her attention to all his other summons, then smiled smugly as he pointed at them again, counting them.

"Mountain, Inquisitor, Jenna, Kenny, Tai." Ark’s smile deepened. "These are all my summons. They are extensions of me. Do you know what that means?"

A sly glint appeared in his eyes. "It means I am doing five times more work than you." He tapped her freckled nose, causing something dark to blossom in her eyes.

"Little Miss Harpy... Ouch!! What the—?!"

Before he could complete his sentence, Olivia bit down on his finger so hard that it drew blood.

<••>

They started in the morning, but in between taking breaks and chatting, they only finished cleaning the mansion towards evening.

Ark was seated in the living room, a nasty scowl on his face as he glared at Olivia, tapping his bandaged finger on the table.

Olivia was seated opposite him, a permanent grin on her face as she popped a pastry into her mouth, making a show of licking the red paste off her lips, just the way she had tasted his blood like a wild animal.

Thalia suddenly stepped in between the two of them, cutting off their view of each other.

"Please, stop glowering at her, and Olivia, please stop taunting the Guild master..."

Thalia had returned to her normal clothes, since her maid outfit, although efficient, was far too dirty to wear.

She was carrying a tray of food, and the moment the aroma slipped into his nostrils, Ark’s facial expression softened, his eyes moving to the tray as she placed it down.

Tessa brought the next tray, and then Thalia brought another. Soon, the entire table was covered in food of different types.

Rodolph stared at the food with teary eyes. "Is this how it feels to be rich?" He took a bite of the meat and let out a soft groan.

He stopped eating and simply stared up at the ceiling, appreciating the taste.

Ark thought he was exaggerating. It was definitely good, but surely not that good...

But once he took a bite, he too found himself staring at the ceiling.

Both of them had reached enlightenment.

"Damn..." Ark and Rodolph said at the same time. The sheer deliciousness of the food had brought them in sync.

"D-did you cook this?" Ark asked Thalia.

She shook her head. "I can’t take all the credit. Olivia and I did the cooking together."

"O-Oliv-who??" He turned to see Olivia’s bashful expression.

"I-impossible. You can cook?!"

"Why the hell do you look surprised? Do you think I am some sort of dunce?!"

Ark gave her the most brazen face she had ever seen.

"Yes."

A meatball was sent flying at his face. Ark opened his mouth and snatched it out of the air, licking his lips.

"Y-you—!" She tried to get off her seat, but Thalia held her down with one hand. "I’ll get you back for this, Ark."

"By the way," Thalia said in a more serious tone. "We have been getting a lot of letters from different organisations... Some want to collaborate, some are mission requests."

"Well, that is to be expected." Ark knew that his little stint in the association headquarters was sure to turn some attention to them.

Thalia nodded and looked to the side. "Indeed."

Strangely enough, she still seemed a little worried.

"Is something wrong?"

She turned her attention back to him, and an unreadable expression appeared in her pink eyes.

"We got a request..." She began, trying to sound unbothered, but failing to do so. "From Fable."