The Drunken Private Guards
Mr. Abe activated Body Strengthening, carried me, and ran to the private guards' dormitory.
"Let’s check the dining hall first. Someone must be preparing breakfast, right?"
Still in his arms, we headed to the dining hall, where we found Al, Usa, Dai, and Matsu slumped over tables, passed out drunk. Meanwhile, Assim, Hiro, and Kira were sprawled out on the floor.
“”Haah…””
Both of us sighed simultaneously at the sight.
Leaving the drunks behind, we entered the adjacent kitchen, where Nat, Ryujis, and Martin were gathered.
“Good morning.”
“Oh, good morning, Miss Joan, Mr. Abe.”
“Good morning,” echoed Ryujis and Martin, following Nat’s lead.
Pointing toward the dining hall, I asked:
“What’s all that about?”
“Oh, Arthur and Ben went home before midnight, but it seems the captains drank until morning.”
Nat explained.
“Geez… Mr. Abe, let’s wake them up and get them in the bath. We’ll also need to air out the dining hall—it reeks of alcohol. And the dusty corners need a good cleaning.”
“Got it. Hey, you guys, go wake up the others!”
“Yes, sir!”
The other junior members, who had just woken up, started moving.
“Um, what’s going on?”
Orki asked, rubbing his eyes.
“You guys didn’t hear? The old master and others are coming today.”
Mr. Abe replied in disbelief.
“Oh, they’re coming around tea time, right?”
So they did know.
“Yes, but will they be revived by then?”
Mr. Abe asked, pointing toward the dining hall.
[Ah…]“They’ll probably visit the dormitory too, right? If it’s this dusty and reeks of alcohol… What do you think they’ll say? Grandfather hasn’t missed a day of training, you know. I heard he slashes things apart with a thunder-clad greatsword.”
[Eek!]Finally realizing the gravity of the situation, everyone paled.
“Okay, Orki and Eri, sweep the dining hall. Omi, use Water to clean the windows from the outside. Nat, use Wind to air out the room. Ryujis and Gan, clean the entrance.”
There’s no rule against using magic for cleaning, right?
“Uh, what about me?”
Martin asked.
“Martin, you’ll cook breakfast with me.”
“Yes!”
Why the fist pump? He must really hate cleaning.
“Alright, Mr. Abe, let’s wake them up.”
“Right.”
We all returned to the dining hall, which was in the same pitiful state as before.
“Captain, wake up!”
Orki shook Al, but he didn’t budge. The others had no luck either.
“Oh, look, it’s Nancy!”
At my loud declaration:
Thunk!
To our surprise, everyone bolted upright and saluted in unison.
"“Good work, ma’am!”"
The junior members were dumbfounded. Mr. Abe and I couldn’t stop laughing.
“Ha… ha… Nancy…? Miss Joan? Mr. Abe?”
A groggy Al looked at us in confusion. The others, also still dazed, wore similar expressions.
“Hehe. Nancy’s not here. But you should really get up now.”
“Ah… Thank goodness…”
Seriously, how scared of Nancy are you?
Clapping my hands, I said:
“Okay, take a shower and wake up properly. If Grandfather arrives and sees this mess, Nancy will really get mad at you!”
At the mention of her name, the drunks flinched and dashed out of the dining hall.
“Phew… Let’s get cleaning. Nat, start airing out the room. Omi, make sure all the windows are closed when Nat’s done and then wash them from outside. Orki and Eri, sprinkle this on the floor and sweep it with a broom. Ryujis and Gan, do the same at the entrance.”
I handed them used tea leaves from my storage.
“What’s this?”
“Tea leaves. If you scatter them first, the dust will stick to them, making it easier to clean. Alright, please get to it.”
[Yes!]“Now, time to make breakfast.”
I returned to the kitchen with Mr. Abe.
“Miss Joan, what are we making?”
Martin asked, ready to go.
“……”
“What’s wrong, Missy?”
Mr. Abe asked.
“Oh, nothing. I just realized that while I asked everyone to drop the honorifics, you all still call me Miss. It feels odd, especially since we’re close in age.”
“Well, nobles and commoners are different, right?”
“Eh? But what if a noble says not to use it?”
“Um… Well, it depends on what your father says…”
“Alright, I’ll ask Father about it later. Anyway, let’s make breakfast!”
“What a leap in logic. So, what’s on the menu?”
“We don’t have much time, so how about a one-plate meal? Mr. Abe, can you make omelets? Martin, you do the salad. I’ll handle the pancakes.”
Despite the chaos, Al and the others cleaned up after their showers, and we managed to get the place looking decent. I assigned a daily cleaning roster for everyone before heading back to the mansion with Mr. Abe.
What do you think about this chapter?
