Chapter 62: Home.

The transition through the spatial void was cold, silent, and violently disorienting, but for Kaito, it felt like a baptism.

The heavy, suffocating atmosphere of the Vip version of the Sleeping Basilisk Inn, saturated with the smell of blood, ozone, and decades of unresolved trauma, washed away as he stepped through the swirling purple portal Ugo had conjured.

Behind him, the chaotic symphony of his entirely confused party members echoed in the dimensional tunnel.

Valeria was muttering prayers to the Goddess because she was scared of portals, and that's why she clung to Mordecai, who, in surprise, didn't react at all.

Seraphina was giggling nervously, whispering about whether her master would finally accept her private "performance review."

Nya was sniffing the magical air, trying to locate the nearest source of raw fish, before she found something different.

"We're going home? Already? Nya, I wanted to have more fun in the capital! Nya said, her nose now close to Mordecai. "B-Boss... this smell... I don't like it..." She whispered.

Mordecai didn't reply; the 'shock' of what had just happened was still echoing in his mind.

After an instant, the portal deposited them onto the smooth, meticulously swept cobblestones of Fort Blackstone’s main courtyard, and their jaws collectively dropped.

The fortress was massive, illuminated by rows of warm, evenly spaced mana-lamps that bathed the stone walls in a comforting, amber glow, and the air didn't smell like sulfur and rotting corpses; it smelled faintly of mountain pine, citrus surface cleaner, and the savory, hearty aroma of a massive goblin stew brewing in the commissary. Ignis was still there, acting as furniture Gargoyle.

But this time, something felt different.

Kaito's eyes widened as he saw the sheer, overwhelming volume of the crowd waiting for them.

The entire courtyard was packed.

Almost all of the entities working at Ravenloft Holdings had gathered, even new assets that Mordecai didn't know about.

There were battalions of skeletal knights holding their polished swords at ease, squads of goblin miners wearing high-visibility yellow vests and hard hats (Thanks, Brenda), new demonic revenant accountants holding clipboards, and the new S-Rank hunters who had just signed employment contracts earlier that afternoon, with the Human Resources manager from Hell next to them.

In that moment, nobody was working or training. Everyone had completely abandoned their posts.

When Kaito’s black leather boots touched the cobblestones, a profound, heavy silence fell over the massive assembly.

Despite his 'edgy' facade, the electrician felt a strange sensation in his heart, like... 'family'? And his eyes were scanning for something, or rather someone.

It wasn't a party, so there was no confetti, no cheering, and no banners welcoming the CEO back like the surprise party he had some time ago.

It felt more like a massive, holding-of-breath vigil that had finally come to an end.

The collective tension in the air was so thick it could be cut with a knife. They had all felt the catastrophic flatline of his mana. They had all felt the server crash.

And now, seeing him standing there, looking exhausted, disheveled, but undeniably alive, a synchronized, silent wave of absolute relief washed over the entire fortress.

Shoulders slumped. Weapons were lowered. A few goblin engineers in the back actually fell to their knees, weeping tears of joy.

Kaito stood at the threshold of the portal, looking out over the sea of monsters and misfits.

Moments ago, he had been ready to obliterate himself and half the capital city. He had been trapped in the darkest, most agonizing memory of his human life, convinced that his existence was nothing but a cruel, cosmic joke.

But looking at these faces—faces that didn't look at him with fear or disgust, but with genuine, unadulterated worry and relief—something deep within his scarred soul finally began to settle.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The sound of small, hurried footsteps broke the heavy silence of the courtyard.

The crowd of towering monsters and heavily armored knights gently parted, making way for a tiny figure in pristine blue coveralls and yellow rubber gloves.

It was Larry.

Right behind him, carrying a heavy-duty mop and looking equally frantic, was Carry.

The little skeletal janitor didn't walk with his usual, bouncy, highly professional stride. He was practically running, his bony knees knocking together.

As he approached Kaito, Larry stopped.

He didn't immediately reach for his pocket. He just stood there, tilting his skull upward to look at the towering Necromancer.

Kaito looked down. The tiny, starry white flames in Larry's eye sockets, which were usually bright and cheerful, were currently flickering violently, tinted with a pale, trembling shade of azure blue.

Larry slowly reached into his breast pocket, his hands shaking, and pulled out a stainless-steel spoon.

It wasn't the dull, oxidized spoon from an hour ago. He had spent the last thirty minutes frantically, desperately polishing it with everything he had, forcing the metal to reflect light once more, in the hope of searching for any his beloved Master's existence.

Larry held the spoon up toward Kaito, a silent offering, a physical manifestation of his absolute, unwavering devotion.

Kaito felt a tight knot form in his throat. He slowly reached out, his hand gently taking the polished spoon from the small skeleton.

"Thank you, Larry," Kaito whispered, his voice incredibly soft. "It's perfect."

The moment Kaito accepted the spoon, Larry's professional composure completely shattered.

The skeleton janitor threw his arms forward, wrapping them tightly around Kaito's leg, burying his skull against the dark fabric of the Necromancer's coat.

A strange, rapid, rattling sound began to echo from the janitor.

Trrrrrrrrrr.

Larry was vibrating, with his entire skeletal frame shaking violently against Kaito's leg.

Skeletons didn't have tear ducts, lungs to sob, or vocal cords to wail. When a skeletal familiar experienced an overwhelming surge of sorrow or relief, the magic binding their bones together reacted physically, causing them to vibrate.

In other words, Larry was crying. He was crying harder than he ever had in his entire undead existence.

Carry stepped up next to him, dropping her mop, and wrapped her arms around Kaito's other leg, her own frame beginning to emit a soft, rapid scrik-scrik-scrik vibration.

Valeria, standing a few feet away, watched the scene with wide, disbelieving eyes. "Wait... the skeletons are... hugging him? Since when do skeletons show affection?!"

Kaito didn't care about the optics. All he did was slowly sink to one knee, ignoring the dirt on the cobblestones, and wrap his arms around the two small janitors. He pulled them into a tight, comforting embrace, resting his chin gently on top of Larry's skull.

'Here, here. Papa has returned.' He thought.

He stayed like that for a long moment, simply letting the pure, uncomplicated affection wash over him. It was a stark, beautiful contrast to the toxic, complicated, lie-riddled relationship he had just left behind in that inn room.

Finally, Kaito pulled back, offering Larry a tired but genuine smile. He reached out, gently patting the little skeleton on the head.

Larry sniffled—a purely phantom sound—and slowly stepped back. He looked at his Master, the blue tint leaving his eye sockets, replaced once again by the bright, starry white flames of pure joy.

He raised his yellow-gloved hand, and with a renewed, absolute vigor, he delivered a perfect, triumphant thumbs-up. 👍

Kaito chuckled, a weak, raspy sound, and returned the thumbs-up.

Suddenly, the crowd behind Larry fell dead silent again. The whispering and the shuffling of armored feet ceased entirely.

The massive assembly of monsters parted like the Red Sea, creating a wide, unobstructed path through the courtyard's center.

Kaito stood up, his purple eye narrowing as he looked down the path. He knew who was coming.

Emerging from the keep was none other than the Chief of Staff.

Under normal circumstances, Pyroas was the physical embodiment of immaculate corporate perfection. Her suit was always tailored to the millimeter, her posture was flawlessly rigid, and her fiery hair burned with a controlled, elegant intensity. She commanded respect, fear, and absolute obedience from every employee in the fortress.

But the woman walking down the path right now looked like she had just survived a war zone.

Her pristine black blazer was torn at the shoulder, the fabric singed and smelling faintly of burnt ozone. Her white undershirt was wrinkled and soot-stained. Her fiery hair, usually a vibrant, flowing mane of crimson flames, was flickering weakly, reduced to a dull, sputtering ember that barely cast a shadow.

She had lost one of her high heels, causing her to limp heavily with every step.

Her face was pale, and her eyes—usually cold and professional—were bloodshot, swollen, and streaming with hot, evaporating tears.

Cassandra, standing near the portal, adjusted her glasses, her demonic eyes widening in genuine shock. "Chief of Staff... your mana reserves..."

According to Section 4, Paragraph 12 of the Ravenloft Holdings Employee Handbook, physical contact with the CEO without prior administrative approval or an active combat scenario was strictly prohibited. It was a rule Pyroas herself had drafted and rigidly enforced to maintain professional boundaries.

But as Pyroas locked eyes with Kaito, the handbook ceased to exist.

She didn't walk. She broke into a frantic, uneven run, ignoring her bare foot striking the cold cobblestones, ignoring the hundreds of employees watching her.

"Mordecai!" Pyroas cried out, her voice cracking, completely devoid of her usual executive composure.

She threw herself at him.

Kaito braced himself, catching her as she collided with his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck with a desperate, crushing grip, burying her face into the heavy fabric of his dark coat. She was trembling so violently that Kaito could feel the physical shockwaves rattling her core.

He didn't push her away or sidestepped. The CEO had immediately understood that Pyroas was the one who probably saved him, and that's why she deserved a reward.

Mordecai wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly, feeling the faint, weak heat of her dying flames against his cheek.

Instinctively, the LitRPG System flickered in Kaito’s vision, pulling up the administrative overlay for his Chief of Staff.

[PYROAS – THE ADMINISTRATIVE WITCH OF PRIMORDIAL FIRE]

Class: Executive Flame Caster (Mythic)

Rank: SSS (Unpaid)

Alignment: Lawful Efficient

Loyalty: ∞

Specialization: Incineration, Compliance, Schedule Optimization

[HP: 48% - CRITICAL WARNING]

[Mana Core: Severely Depleted. Risk of elemental destabilization.]

Kaito’s breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened in absolute shock.

"Pyroetta..." Kaito whispered, his hand gently stroking her flickering, soot-stained hair. "What did you do? Why is your health cut in half?"

"I couldn't find you," Pyroas sobbed into his chest, her voice muffled by his coat, her fingers digging desperately into the leather as if terrified he would vanish again. "Everything went dark. The pin broke. You were just... gone. The world went completely silent."

She pulled her head back just enough to look at him, her red, tear-streaked eyes filled with a raw, agonizing devotion that made Kaito's chest ache.

"I couldn't let you stay in the dark alone," Pyroas wept, her voice weak but incredibly fierce. "I forced a manual override. I burned half of my own life force; I ignited my core to act as a beacon across the grid, just so I could have a chance of finding your signal. And in that moment, Ugo and Cassandra were able to save you."

Kaito stared at her, completely stunned.

He thought back to the inn room. He thought about Lucy, who had burned her own life force to hide him from the world. And now, here was Pyroas, who had burned her own life force to find him, or rather, a chance to find him.

He had spent his last moments on Earth believing he was disposable, believing he was unlovable, a mere stepping stone for a richer, better man.

He had built CEO Mordecai as a fortress to protect himself from ever being used again and to fight against the narrative.

But standing here, holding the trembling, exhausted form of the fire elemental who had literally torn her own soul in half to make sure he was safe... the last remaining shards of his worldly insecurities shattered into dust.

'I am not worthless,' Kaito thought, a profound, undeniable warmth spreading through his chest, thawing the ice that had encased his heart for a long time. 'I am not a stepping stone. I have a family. I have an empire that loves me.'

"You shouldn't have done that," Kaito whispered, pulling her head back against his chest, resting his cheek against her hair. "You could have died, Pyroetta."

"I would rather burn to ashes than exist in a world where I cannot serve you," Pyroas replied, her voice muffled but carrying the absolute weight of a sacred vow.

Ugo, having closed the portal, stepped forward, his heavy ledgers floating around him. The Skeletal Archivist, now with his real body and a spectral SWAT vest, bowed his head deeply.

"The Chief of Staff speaks the truth, CEO," Ugo rumbled, his voice echoing in the quiet courtyard. "When your psychological firewall collapsed, the dimensional coordinates to your location were entirely scrambled by the surge of your own dark mana. We were blind. I could not open a portal."

Ugo looked at Pyroas with a profound, uncharacteristic level of respect.

"It was only because she chose to detonate her own elemental reserves, creating a massive spike of emotional resonance, that I was able to lock onto your signature," Ugo explained. "She guided us to you. She is the reason we could reach the inn."

Kaito closed his eyes, holding her tighter.

He didn't need to say anything. The profound sense of gratitude and affection he felt radiated through the magical bond they shared, flowing from the central server directly into the dying ember of his Chief of Staff.

Pyroas felt it. The warm, steady, comforting presence of her Master's mana wrapped around her like a heavy blanket. The sheer terror that had gripped her for the past hour finally evaporated, replaced by an overwhelming, intoxicating sense of absolute safety.

"You're back..." Pyroas whispered, her voice incredibly weak, her grip on his coat slowly loosening. "The only man I love is... back..."

Her eyes fluttered shut. The sheer exhaustion of burning half her HP pool finally caught up with her. Her legs gave out, and she went entirely limp in Kaito's arms, losing consciousness with a soft, peaceful sigh.

Kaito caught her easily, lifting her effortlessly into his arms and holding her bridal-style.

Every single woman in the room felt flustered and tried to look away, while Cassandra gripped her arm tightly.

He looked down at her soot-stained face, at the peaceful, exhausted expression of a woman who had given everything she had for him.

'At least I know,' Kaito thought, a small, genuine smile touching his lips. 'At least I know that here... people don't hide who they are.'

He looked up, meeting Ugo's skeletal sockets.

"Ugo," Kaito ordered, his voice steady, carrying the calm, absolute authority of a true leader. "Prepare the executive recovery suite. Transfer 50,000 gold coins from the emergency fund to purchase the highest-grade elemental restoration potions on the black market. I want her fully recovered by tomorrow."

"At once, My Leader," Ugo bowed.

Kaito gently handed the unconscious Pyroas over to the massive Skeletal Archivist, making a silent, unbreakable vow in his mind.

He would repay her and all of them.

In that moment, Kaito decided that he would build an empire so vast, so powerful, and so prosperous that none of them would ever have to fear the dark again.

As Ugo carefully carried the Chief of Staff toward the keep, the atmosphere in the courtyard finally began to lighten. The crisis was officially over. The Boss was back, and he was okay.

But the reunion wasn't quite finished.

From high above the bruised, grey clouds covering the Northern Sector, a deafening sound shattered the sky.

BOOOOOOOOM!

A sonic boom rattled the windows of Fort Blackstone.

Everyone in the courtyard looked up. Tearing through the clouds like a golden, crackling meteor was the Nimbus cloud.

Sun Wukong had felt the server come back online.

She didn't land gracefully, not even bothering to slow down. She plummeted into the courtyard, the Nimbus cloud dispersing at the very last millisecond, sending a shockwave of displaced air that knocked several goblin miners off their feet and made Valeria shriek, clinging to her greatsword.

Before the dust even settled, a blur of crimson and gold shot through the air.

"BUDDHA!"

Wukong tackled him. The sheer kinetic force of the monkey deity colliding with him sent Kaito stumbling back two steps, but he planted his boots and caught her.

Wukong wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face directly into the crook of his neck, her golden hair tickling his jaw. She was snuggling into him with the frantic, desperate energy of a lost puppy that had finally found its owner.

"You're back, you're back, you're back," Wukong babbled, her voice vibrating against his collarbone, her long, furry tail wrapping tightly around his thigh to ensure he couldn't step away. "The collar went cold! I thought you left! I thought the fake King of Hell did something! I was about to smash the entire world into gravel!"

Kaito couldn't help it. A genuine, full-chested laugh escaped his lips. The heavy, suffocating melancholy that had clung to him since the inn room completely evaporated, blown away by the sheer, chaotic, golden energy of the Great Sage.

He raised his hand and gently, firmly placed it on top of her messy golden hair, then began to stroke it, a slow, rhythmic, comforting motion.

Wukong instantly melted. A soft, incredibly ungodlike purr rumbled in her chest, and the tension drained from her powerful muscles.

"I'm right here, Wukong," Kaito said softly, his purple eye glowing with a warm, steady light. "I'm not going anywhere. The server just needed a quick reboot."

"You promised me headpats and spoon polishing," Wukong mumbled into his coat, her voice muffled but incredibly stubborn. "You said two hours. Two hours. And... I destroyed the dungeon exactly like you asked. It's totally ruined. It's still being fixed..."

"I know," Kaito smiled, looking over at Larry, who was already holding up two fresh, dirty spoons, ready for action. "And you will get your reward in just a few minutes. I promise. But first, we have to take care of important things."

Kaito gently peeled Wukong off him, though she kept a firm grip on the sleeve of his coat.

He turned to face the three adventurers who were still standing near the fading portal, looking absolutely bewildered by the bizarre display of affection in a Dark Lord's courtyard.

"Valeria, Nya, Seraphina," Kaito addressed them, his voice slipping back into its smooth, commanding corporate baritone. "I need you to do something very important for me. That's why Brenda from Human Resources will be with you shortly to begin your corporate orientation and process your new uniforms."

"New uniforms?" Seraphina blinked, suddenly looking nervous. "But... my support gear is specifically tailored to maximize my... assets. I hope that it will be something more... revealing. Te hee-"

"You will wear OSHA-compliant gray coveralls, and you will like them," Kaito replied ruthlessly, the CEO persona fully back online, but this time, it was a weapon used for comedy, not a shield for pain.

Seraphina let out a nervous giggle, hoping that he was joking.

Valeria and Nya didn't reply at all. They just kept staring at him until the tsundere swordsman only mumbled something like "I-It's not like I wanted to be held like a bride too..." with a pout and crossed arms.

'Nya... I still smell a lot of sadness and another female's pheromones on him... I don't like it.' The cat girl thought.

He turned his gaze away from them, looking out over the walls of Fort Blackstone, toward the Southern horizon where the Cathedral of Light stood.

His conversation with Lucy played back in his mind.

The truth about Nick, the erectile dysfunction pills, the pathetic, cowardly manipulation that had led to the truck crash.

Nick the Chosen Hero wasn't a grand, fated rival like the narrative wanted.

He was a pathetic, impotent fraud playing dress-up, and he was currently sitting in a palace, completely unaware that the man he had inadvertently killed was now fully awake, fully healed, and in complete control of his faculties.

Kaito reached into his pocket, pulling out a fresh pair of black leather gloves. He slowly pulled them on, flexing his fingers, his purple eye narrowing with a cold, terrifying, and utterly focused determination.

"Enjoy the rest of the evening, everyone," Kaito announced to the courtyard, his voice carrying the dangerous, undeniable weight of a man who was about to change the world.

He looked down at Wukong, with a dark, predatory smirk touching his lips.

"Because tomorrow," Kaito promised, "we are going to begin a new marketing campaign. We are going to humiliate the Chosen Hero of the Light one last time. But this time... we aren't doing it for the System. This time, we are making it personal."

The courtyard erupted into a deafening, unified roar of approval. Weapons clashed against shields, goblins cheered, and Larry and Carry raised their spoons high into the air after seeing everyone doing so, holding their other hands together.

Wukong kept her tail gripping her Buddha's thigh, scared that he might disappear again.

The CEO was back, his heart was at the beginning of his healing, and the Chosen One, with his church, was about to experience the absolute, unmitigated nightmare of a hostile corporate takeover.

'This is gonna be the first and last time where I'll act like a true villain.' Mordecai thought.

"Cassandra." He called, moving his gaze to the Iron Banshee with a professional but soft voice.

"Y-Yes, My Liege?" She said, caught by surprise, with her glasses nearly falling. A neon blue blush appeared on her face.

"Into my office, we need to talk." He said, but this time his lips were curved into an invisible smile.

In that moment, Cassandra's eyes watered. She could hear his soul much more clearly now, and from a cacophony of bureaucratic horror, it became a soft, natural sound like the waves of the sea.

"Y-Yes, My Liege!!" She said, following him.

Wukong clearly didn't leave him, not even for an instant. Her tail still wrapped around his thigh. She was following them into the office, like a child scared to lose their papa.

And in that moment, everyone in Ravenloft Holdings repeated their CEO's name in unison, cheering him like a stadium would cheer a footballer who had scored the winning goal.

But in reality, the story was just at the beginning.

[FEEDBACK FROM THE HIGHER REALMS: CHAT IS EXPLODING! CALM DOWN!]

Larry_Simp_01: "LARRY VIBRATED. HE VIBRATED BECAUSE HE WAS CRYING. I AM NOT OKAY. THIS SKELETON HAS NO TEAR DUCTS, NO LUNGS, NO VOCAL CORDS, AND YET HE MANAGED TO SHATTER MY HEART INTO A MILLION PIECES. THE WAY HE HELD UP THE SPOON. THE WAY KAITO KNEELED DOWN TO HUG HIM. 'PAPA HAS RETURNED.' I'M DONE. THIS IS THE BEST CHAPTER IN THE ENTIRE STORY. LARRY DESERVES THE WORLD. GIVE HIM A RAISE. GIVE HIM EVERYTHING. 👍👍👍"

---

CorporateSlave42: "Pyroas burned half her HP—HALF HER HP—just to find him. She detonated her own elemental core. She turned herself into a beacon. And when she finally saw him, she didn't yell. She didn't scold him. She just collapsed into his arms and whispered 'the only man I love is back.' Meanwhile, Cassandra's soul went from 'bureaucratic horror' to 'waves of the sea' because Kaito finally found peace. I'M NOT CRYING. YOU'RE CRYING. THIS IS THE MOST WHOLESOME CORPORATE TAKEOVER I'VE EVER SEEN. 10/10."* 📊

---

NTR_Lover69: "Wukong tackled him like a golden missile, wrapped her tail around his thigh, and refused to let go. The monkey who once beat up the heavenly court is now a CHILD SCARED TO LOSE HER PAPA. And Kaito just... laughed. A real laugh. Not a sarcastic one. Not an edgy one. A genuine, full-chested laugh. The character development is OFF THE CHARTS. Also, every single woman in the room getting flustered and looking away while Cassandra just stood there gripping her arm? PEAK COMEDY. I'm now waiting for the scene of Mordecai kissing Egel and Luna in front of the Cucked One. #GetCuckedNick still applies, but honestly? #GetCuckedEveryone." 🍿

---

GoonerKing: "Valeria: 'I-It's not like I wanted to be held like a bride too...' with a pout and crossed arms. Nya: 'I still smell sadness and another female's pheromones on him... I don't like it.' Seraphina: 'Te-hee, I hope my new uniform is more revealing.' And Kaito just absolutely DESTROYED her with 'you will wear OSHA-compliant gray coveralls and you will like them.' The CEO is back. The edgelord is back. But this time, he has a family. LFG." 💀

---

Nobody 17373881: "Love how you handled this."

---

DatDat: "Another emotionally very charged chapter. I think you resolved this as best as can be. I am impressed by your handling of this emotional trauma. Thank you.

Now, let’s see how Wukong embarrasses Nick."

---

Patryck Rys: "Im not sure how to comment that tbh. Their situation kind of suck now huh?"

---

[VIP USER] dibbs57: "Back in the chat on the current chapter! Sorry for being late, I had to move realms! I approve this development, but the main enemy apart from Kaitos rage remains the system and that world... I'll wait for them to realize that. Or will they simply be content building the empire opposite Oakhaven? Replacing the heavens might also be a trope for cliché nausea. Now where did I put the popcorn... *sorting through boxes*. Oh. TAKE MY 4000 SOUL COINS!"