Chapter 67: Entertainment Plans.

The outcome would be getting cheated at best, or getting killed to silence him. After all, it was better to pay the fine for killing a Drone if the idea was profitable enough. But now that he was an Apostle, he felt that he could revisit the idea, especially since guns won’t threaten Apostles.

With their speed and strength, an Apostle could kill a human faster than they could draw their gun. If struck, the bullets wouldn’t work well against their hardened, metallic bodies.

Even if they were injured, they could heal the injury easily. And this was all before they equipped the heavy plate armor that turned them into humanoid tanks.

So Apostles had little reason to covet the guns other than money. He felt he could handle that kind of problem by offering some benefits to a Big Boss like Tessa and fighting off the Small Bosses on his own.

Shrugging, he thought, ‘I need to get her permission for it anyway. So I might as well ask her opinion for partnership.’

He wasn’t alone in the mess hall while he was eating. Three other Apostles were there, but they were silent.

No one was talking to each other, and everyone minded their business. So his lunch was peaceful.

After eating, he thought about going to bed early. But he thought it was too early for this. Instead, he decided to do something productive with his time.

With his mind made up, he began walking toward the servant’s station. The maid behind him kept up, making sure to hide her presence as much as possible.

“Where are you going now?” the worm asked.

Usually, he would answer immediately. But now, he weighed whether it was a good idea to let the worm know what he was up to.

Eventually he decided and said, “I need to read and write. I want to see if there is someone who can teach me.”

“What use is learning to read and write?” it asked, confused. “Will it make you stronger?”

He chuckled and said, “It might not make me stronger. But it will help keep me entertained by reading books.”

The worm was still confused, so it asked, “Why don’t you try something that will strengthen you?”

“Something like eating everyone around you. It is both entertaining and effective for raising your strength.”

Alexander shook his head and said, “It is just food and more food with you.”

“I also want to eat. But we can’t pay the price for eating these people. It is almost as if you forgot all of the threats that Tessa made to us.”

“That’s true. You have a point. We should eat Tessa first,” the worm said in understanding.

Alexander chuckled before ignoring the worm. Fortunately, the worm didn’t need him to participate in their conversations. It could talk his ears off all on its own.

Alexander mostly droned out what it was saying. He also stopped focusing on his surroundings, preferring to walk in a daze.

Not that paying attention to his surroundings was going to do him much good anyway. After all, he couldn’t see what he wanted to see, no matter how hard he looked, like the pigeon with the glowing eyes that was following him.

He didn’t focus until he reached the Servant’s Station. When he arrived, he said to a servant, “Bring your Matron here immediately.”

The servant ran off to do what he asked for like their life depended on it, which was likely true when dealing with Apostles. The Matron in question also rushed over as soon as she heard the news.

She wobbled over with her fat body and a fawning expression on her face as she said, “What can I do for you, my lord?”

“I need someone to teach me to read and write. Do you have someone available?” he asked, looking around the area and watching the servants work.

He was looking at anything other than her big body full of meat and fat.

She, ignorant of how much danger she was in, nodded like a pecking hen as she said, “Certainly, my lord. There is someone available to teach. And if there is none, one would be acquired for you.”

“Good. Make preparations immediately. I’m in a hurry.”

“Yes, my lord,” she said, before calling out to other servants, barking orders at them.

Soon, they found a teacher for him. It was a young scholar employed to keep records and financial accounts for the Order. The man was only an apprentice, so he could take some time to teach him.

Alexander was very satisfied with this. When he thought about how easy everything went now compared to how difficult it was to learn how to read and write as a Drone, he couldn’t help but feel emotional.

‘It isn’t free anyway,’ he thought, emotionally. ‘I have paid the price for it and will continue to do so.’

From the pain of the transformation, to dying, to the constant hunger, to the crazy glutton in his mind, to the many beatings from Tessa, and to the Tyrant above him, just one of them was enough to pay for this privilege.

But as a Drone, he only needed some money to learn how to read and write. He didn’t need to die, but the threat of death was ever present. So he couldn’t say that being a Drone was better. At best, he could say learning to read as a Drone was cheaper.

He sighed as he thought of this. While he was thinking, the young man asked him, “Should we go to your quarters for the lesson, sir?”

Without thinking, he shook his head like a bell and said forcefully, “No!”

Then he lowered his voice and said calmly, “We will do it here.”

The young man calmed down and said, “Yes, sir. Follow me, sir.”

On their way, Alexander asked, “What is your name?”

“Pharrell, my lord,” he replied timidly.

“I’ll be counting on you, Pharrell,” Alexander said, nodding.

Pharrell immediately assured him, saying, “I’ll do my best, sir.”

Alexander spent the next four hours learning. After the lesson ended, he went to his apartment to sleep, feeling hopeful about his future.

Sources of entertainment were scarce in the Obsidian Maw. He hoped to learn how to read so that he could entertain himself with books and learn more about the history of the Obsidian Maw.

This hope brightened his mood and made him look forward to tomorrow. But then he remembered what had happened earlier that day and grew gloomy again. His mood got worse the closer he got to the main building.

He actually thought about sleeping in the barracks, far away from Lord Bane. But he didn’t want to make it obvious that he was avoiding the Tyrant, which might draw more unwanted attention. So even though he didn’t want to be anywhere near Lord Bane, he still slept nearby for the greater good.

The next day began normally. He had his bath without trying to eat Jessy first. Then he went to the mess hall to start his day.

The mess hall was also silent. No one made a sound because four Big Bosses were present.

All the Small Bosses kept their heads down and ate without making a peep. So no one called anyone names, and he ate his food peacefully.

After breakfast, he made his way to his commanding officer. He found her where he met her yesterday. She was still standing guard in front of the prison with two other Small Bosses.

The three wore heavy black plate armor and held weapons. Tessa held a long halberd in her hand. It was the same halberd that changed his fate. All in all, they looked ready to fight.

Before he could approach her, she called out, “This is a restricted area. If you do not have explicit permission, stay back. And if you have something to say to me, do so from over there.”

So he stopped far away from her and shouted, “I want to report for duty.”

“Noted. You may leave,” she said before looking away and ignoring him.

But he didn’t leave. Instead, he shouted, “Can I run a partnership business with someone in town? It won’t take any of my time. I will only provide some guidance here and there.”

“No!” she called out without looking at him.

Alexander judged the distance between them, and after factoring in the possibility that she couldn’t leave her station easily, he decided to risk it.

So he shouted, “Why not?”

“Go away!” she said, irritated.

He said stubbornly, “I will keep coming back if I don’t know why.”

She finally looked at him, so he saw the frown on her face as she said, “If you don’t leave now, I’ll beat some sense into you.”

“You will have to come to me and catch me to do that. I don’t think it will be easy to do since you need to be there guarding the jail,” he said, exposing her weakness.