The Butcher of Sargon (LoL x Arknight Fanfiction)

"Sigh, Garde, you're finally out. I honestly thought that once the CEO saw the letter, she'd just kick you out."

"Saria had some things for me to do."

"What things?"

"She asked me to join Rhine Lab and work here."

"You're kidding, right? Something this important, and you're only telling me now?"

Out in the hallway outside the office, Muelsyse widened her eyes at Garde's words.

"So, that means we'll be colleagues from now on?"

"Not exactly. I'm just here in name, collecting a paycheck for nothing. I'm not really in the mood to be a corporate drone right now."

"A… corporate drone!?"

Muelsyse didn't immediately grasp what Garde meant, but when she did, she pouted.

"What do you mean, a corporate drone? If you don't work, where's your salary going to come from? You need money to eat and buy snacks, you know."

"Then tell me—do you enjoy working?"

"Of course… not really."

In the end, Muelsyse had to admit that Garde was right.

"But you're not a kid anymore. At your age, you should be working."

"What do you mean, 'at my age'? I'm only eighteen—I haven't even turned nineteen yet."

"???"

Muelsyse tilted her head and looked up at Garde.

"You're only eighteen!?"

"Yeah, that's why I want to go to school. Isn't this the right age for it?"

"..."

Muelsyse was speechless.

If Garde hadn't told her, she would've assumed he was in his twenties or even thirties.

And to think she had actually worried that an eighteen-year-old Adakrys might have ill intentions toward her?

For some reason, Muelsyse suddenly felt much more at ease around him.

"Well, regardless, you're a Rhine Lab employee now. As the Director of the Ecological Department, I've got my eye on you."

Muelsyse patted Garde's shoulder with a knowing, senior-like tone.

"Oh, right—what's your position, anyway? You're probably assigned to the Defense Division, right? Want me to talk to the CEO and have you transferred to work near me? With everything going on about the new drug, Rhine Lab's probably going to be pretty unstable for a while. Having a bodyguard by my side would be perfectly reasonable."

"No need."

Garde shook his head.

"You don't have to be so polite. I mean, I did bring you back here, after all. Strictly speaking, you're technically Saria's, but she's not around right now, is she?"

Muelsyse even had a little scheme forming in her mind.

Why not take advantage of Saria's absence and poach Garde for herself?

If he weren't already part of Rhine Lab, it'd be a different story. But now that he had joined, he was basically her subordinate. Looking out for him would only benefit her.

"Garde, hold on a sec. While the CEO is still around, I'll go have a word with her. Just wait here."

Before Garde could reply, Muelsyse had already called Kristen and stepped into the office.

Watching her efficient and decisive manner, Garde simply shrugged.

He didn't really care about his position. Just like Kristen didn't like him, he didn't particularly like Kristen either.

He could tell—Kristen was a deeply self-centered person. Besides Saria, she didn't truly care about anyone else.

A company's future depends on its leader. Kristen might be an excellent leader, but she wasn't the kind of leader Garde liked.

And if he didn't like her, why should he work for her?

Rhine Lab was Saria's enterprise, not his.

If Saria needed help, he'd lend a hand. But first, he had to determine whether Rhine Lab was even worthy of Saria's dedication—worthy of his involvement.

So far, Garde didn't feel any sense of belonging to Rhine Lab.

The only connection he had with the company was through Saria.

As soon as Muelsyse entered the office, Garde noticed two figures approaching from around the hallway corner—a plump, elderly Caprinae man and a young, bespectacled Liberi girl.

The old man visibly flinched upon seeing him.

"Mr. Garde?"

"Director Parvis?"

Garde wasn't particularly surprised. This was Rhine Lab's headquarters—running into one of its directors wasn't exactly shocking.

"Mr. Garde, I didn't expect to run into you here. Does that mean Director Saria has already returned?"

Hearing Garde's name, Parvis's voice carried an unmistakable tone of excitement.

For a kind old man who had watched his colleague venture into a deadly restricted zone, such a reaction wasn't surprising.

"No, Saria hasn't returned yet. There was a complication, so I came back with Director Muelsyse instead."

"Director Muelsyse?"

A look of both disappointment and realization crossed Parvis's face.

"I was wondering what all the commotion outside was about today. When you guys leave later, remember to wear masks and hats. Otherwise, those journalists sniffing around for a story will chase you down for several blocks."

Parvis joked.

"I doubt that'll be easy."

Garde spread his hands in resignation. Parvis, noticing how much taller Garde was compared to him, shook his head with an amused smile.

"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce you. This child next to me is Hermer—Olivia Hermer—my prized student."

He turned to the young girl beside him and said, "Hermer, this is Mr. Garde. Back when I was in Sargon, I had the fortune of his help."

"Mr. Garde, hello!"

Upon hearing her mentor's introduction, Hermer immediately lowered her head in greeting.

"Haha, no need to be so formal. I'm sure Mr. Garde isn't used to it either."

As the door to Kristen's office opened, Parvis spoke to his student while walking inside.

"If I recall correctly, Mr. Garde has only just come of age this year. You two should be around the same age, so you'll probably have more to talk about than with an old man like me."

Eigh—eighteen!?

The brown-haired Liberi girl's mouth twitched uncontrollably as she glanced at Garde's massive frame, her smile turning stiff.

Luckily, at that moment, Muelsyse walked out of the office.

"Garde, why didn't you tell me that your position is the Head of Defense in Trimounts? While Saria and Orba are away, that means you have the highest authority, doesn't it?"

Muelsyse walked out with a displeased expression, clearly annoyed. She had barely stepped into the office when Kristen immediately rejected her and kicked her out.

"You rushed in too fast."

How was that his fault? It was Muelsyse's own impatience that got her booted so quickly.

"You just wanted to see me embarrassed."

Muelsyse pouted, but soon noticed Parvis and Hermer standing nearby.

"Huh? Parvis, what are you doing here?"

"I came to apply for approval on a new research project. If I don't do it now, who knows how long it'll take to get another chance to meet with the CEO?"

Parvis smiled as he responded to Muelsyse.

"That makes sense."

Muelsyse nodded before shifting her gaze to the girl behind Parvis.

"Parvis, if I remember correctly, this is your student—Hermer, right?"

"Yes, she just graduated this year, so I brought her into the company. I believe she'll make an excellent researcher."

"That's some high praise. Miss Hermer, I look forward to working with you."

"Please take care of me!"

Hermer quickly responded when Muelsyse greeted her.

"Alright, see you later then."

Muelsyse let out a playful laugh and waved at Garde.

"Let's go. Whisperain is still waiting outside."

Garde scratched his head and followed after Muelsyse. As they left, he took another glance at Parvis.

For some reason, he had a strange feeling—like he caught a faint scent of seawater coming from Parvis.

But this was an inland city.

"Alright, stop staring. You see a cute girl, and you just keep staring at her?"

Pressing the elevator button, Muelsyse looked at Garde, dissatisfied with his distracted state.

"Wanna stop by the supermarket later? Whisperain is growing so fast—she'll need new clothes soon. You should prepare in advance—Actually, forget it. I'll handle it. You just pick out a few sets of clothes for yourself."

She spoke in a nagging, motherly tone.

"As the head of the Defense Division in Trimounts Branch, you can't just dress too casually."

"I already told you, I'm just a figurehead."

Garde's voice was filled with helplessness—he had zero interest in working.

Being the so-called 'head' of the Defense Division meant nothing when the actual director and deputy director were in charge. In any other company, his title would exist just to take the blame when things went south.

"But you still need to buy everyday necessities, right? Or are you planning to just use the things Saria left behind? No way! If you do that, my opinion of you is going to drop big time, Garde—my little brother~!"

Hearing Muelsyse's teasing tone, Garde's mouth twitched. Letting out a dry chuckle, he countered coldly:

"If Miss Muelsyse calls me that, does that mean Miss Muelsyse is very old? Could you tell me, Miss Muelsyse, how old you actually are?"

"...I'm definitely older than you, that's all that matters."

It was as if she had been hit in a sore spot—Muelsyse turned her head away and ignored him.

Would she really tell Garde that she was already hundreds of years old—that her age could make her his great-great-grandmother?

This land lacked many things, but it certainly didn't lack old women who still looked young.

Upon arriving at Rhine Lab's underground parking garage, Muelsyse found her personal vehicle. As soon as she and Garde approached, Whisperain poked her head out of the car window.

"Garde!"

When she was younger, she used to call him "Papa" all the time, but as she grew older, she came to understand that Garde wasn't actually her father.

As she matured, some of her past memories slowly resurfaced. Though she had forgotten many things, not everything was lost.

Yet, the sense of dependence she had on him remained.

It was as if her body instinctively told her that staying near Garde meant she would be safe.

Once they got into the car, Muelsyse started the engine, and the three of them left the Rhine Lab building.

However, as they drove away, Whisperain couldn't help but climb up to the window, gazing back at the towering structure.

Back inside, she thought she had heard something—a voice calling to her from the ocean.

It was a sound that, at her current stage, she still couldn't understand.

<+>

Outside Kristen's office, Parvis stepped out.

"Hermer, let's go. The laboratory approval just came through. From now on, you'll be assisting me with my research."

"Okay."

Hermer nodded, but her mind couldn't help but drift back to something she had seen in the lab before.

A creature, curled up in a nutrient solution, resembling an embryo.

If not for her mentor, Parvis, explaining it to her, she would have thought it was a human embryo. But in reality, it was biological material from a species known as Seaborn.

For a moment, she had nearly mistaken it for some kind of illegal human experimentation.

She had witnessed firsthand how tissues extracted from that embryo rapidly adapted to a variety of extreme conditions—whether it was high temperatures, freezing cold, high pressure, or low pressure.

According to Parvis, if this organism could evolve to withstand Originium exposure, then it might eventually develop antibodies capable of suppressing Oripathy.

That would be a milestone in humanity's fight against the disease.

Although rumors outside claimed that Rhine Lab's Director, Saria, had obtained a cure for Oripathy from Sargon Hotland,

As researchers, they understood that having a cure didn't mean they could replicate it.

Different individuals had different tolerances for medication, and there was no reason to halt their research just because of a cure they had yet to acquire.

'Keep going!'

The young girl silently cheered herself on.

<+>

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