‘What’s this?’

It happened so suddenly that I couldn’t move, and I also didn’t know how to respond to it. I guess Smartie was being considerate because she didn’t attack Max with her horns, but Max looked like he was in pain. As if time had stopped, I saw a spiteful Smartie and Max with his eyes closed. Naturally, his body started rolling away.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

It was amusing to see Smartie snort as if she was telling Max to not underestimate her before maintaining a dignified pose. The saying that making yourself look big would make you look intimidating seemed like it applied to dragons as well as she stood on her two feet and assumed a firm posture.

“Kyah! Pant, pant!”

Smartie wagged her tail afterward and it was funny how I was contemplating whether I should pat her or not. When I was about to say something, I heard Dialugia’s scream.

“Di! Ah! Luria!”

When considering Dialugia’s love for Smartie, I was worried that she was going to start something by saying, “Why would you discourage my daughter like that?” but that didn’t happen. Rather, Dialugia’s eyes were filled with shock and anger.

This wasn’t the first time that Smartie acted in an unpredictable way, but this was the first time she acted so aggressively, so Dialugia thought she had to fix that.

I left Smartie to Dialugia and started running toward Max. He held his chest as if he wasn’t used to pain and after touching his chest, he pulled himself closer to me with a shocked look on his face.

“Mr. Max, are you okay?” I asked.

“C-CEO Lee…” he muttered.

He realized that he was the safest with me.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

Obviously, Smartie started screeching when she saw us.

“Dialuria! What did you do just now?” Dialugia asked.

“Kyah!”

“What’s with that attitude? Are you saying you didn’t do anything wrong?” she questioned.

“Kyaaah!”

“Every time…”

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

“Didn’t I tell you before that you can’t act like that? How dare you look at your mother that way?!” she scolded.

“Kyah!”

“I’ve had enough!”

“Kyah!”

“I’m a dragon, too! A dragon!”

Seeing Smartie acting indifferently toward her mother was a sight to see. She continued snorting as if she was still worked up.

‘She really needs to be taught a lesson.’

Smartie definitely had to be taught a lesson and guiding her while she was still young was the right thing to do. She may be between rare and epic rank, but once she grew into legendary rank, her tackle wouldn’t be an ordinary tackle anymore. It was the same with the situation just now. If Max had been an ordinary child, he would have been severely injured. They started off on the wrong foot, but I had to fix that attitude of hers, so I had no choice but to be serious with her.

When I spoke quietly, Smartie immediately turned her head. Dialugia had to be upset by her daughter’s indifferent attitude to her, as she turned her head toward me as well.

“Dialuria.”

“Pant, pant.”

“You know that what you did just now was wrong, right?” I asked.

“Pant…”

“Return to the nest right now. You’re grounded. You’re not allowed to play at all and I won’t play with you until you have reflected on what you did. I also take back what I said about spending time together once I return from this expedition and going out together. No snacks either, so keep that in mind,” I explained.

“Kyah?”

She looked surprised and when I didn’t look her way, she started crying.

“Kyaaah… Kyaaaaah…”

Smartie looked as if her world was crumbling down and it was interesting that a dragon could actually make such a sad face. Seeing tears drop from her large eyes was cute, but I already knew I shouldn’t fall for it. I wanted to look at her, but staying calm as much as possible was crucial.

“Kyaaaaah! Kyaah. Kyaaah… Kyaaaaah…”

If I had to translate, it sounded like she was apologizing, but that wasn’t going to be enough.

‘You have to be responsible for your actions.’

That was what I wanted to teach Smartie.

The expedition members asked Max if he was okay as they returned to the house, but the amusing part was that Jung Ha-Yan wore a serious expression.

‘Maybe she realized it, too.’

Jung Ha-Yan looked as if she might walk the same path as Smartie if she caused trouble, and she probably had that thought because the scene just now was similar to what she had gone through.

‘It could be a good thing.’

It felt like the potion I had injected in her while we were at the Cursed Shrine was starting to wear off and I even thought about doing it again, so this was a good opportunity.

‘I don’t have the time to take care of everyone one by one…’

Since Jung Ha-Yan had become a top-tier mage when her magic stat reached 98 points, she had to be warned, but the situation in front of me was the most important.

‘I don’t think she’s going to cause trouble just yet.’

Jung Ha-Yan needed time to organize the new power she had acquired, so she should stay quiet for the time being. And she would definitely stay especially quiet after seeing what happened just now.

“Kyah… kyaaaah…”

- CEO Lee, I think…

“Don’t worry about it, Mr. Max. That kind of attitude has to be fixed,” I said.

- But she’s crying so sadly…

“Kids her age are usually crafty. She’ll need to think about her actions for a few days,” I informed him.

- Ah… I see.”

“Kyaaaah…”

Smartie was still crying.

‘I have a lot of work that needs to be done.’

Disciplining my child was something I had been neglecting, so it would be best to do it properly this time.

Anyway, when I left the crying Smartie and returned to the Guild House, I saw the rookies I hadn’t seen for quite a while. Yoo Ah-Young was hammering early in the morning, and she greeted me while covered in sweat. Lee Chang-Ryeol also greeted us while bowing and thanking us for our hard work. Even Han Sora, who was still avoiding Jung Ha-Yan, greeted us quietly. Thankfully, the rookies seemed like they weren’t having any issues.

Moments later, our lovely regressor announced the end of the expedition and the party members started to rest in their own ways. But even though this was break time for us, that wasn’t the case for the guild staff members. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that their work had only just begun. Team Leader Kim Mi-Young summoned guild staff members and moved around busily. And as the guild staff members’ overseer, I obviously couldn’t rest.

As soon as I sat down on a chair in the lobby, the tasks I had to take care of kept popping into my head.

‘They said they were going to officially announce the seatholders of the Empire’s Eight Seats…’

It couldn’t be delayed any further.

‘I also have to visit the black market in Castle Rock…’

I had to see if everything was operating smoothly.

‘I have to conduct market research in the conflicting cities before starting a business there…’

I had to consider whether it would be okay to send goods to the Republic’s side or not.

‘I have to take care of the rookies as well… There’s also the schedule for black magic research…’

There was more. I couldn’t lose my connection with the Vatican, so I had to spend time with Father Basel and with the noblewomen by having a tea party and gossiping with them. Aside from those, I had to learn how the museum’s control system works and discuss different businesses with various guilds, which meant I shouldn’t be sitting here like this.

‘I’ll take care of them one by one.’

I would probably leave some tasks to my competent staff, but there were things only I could do and even though I was happy about the fact that we had returned to the Guild House… it also meant there were new tasks waiting for me. As a result, I couldn’t think but ponder seriously that I might die young at this rate.

My head already felt like it was going to explode, but the nothing-to-do Park Deok-Gu was being loud as well.

“Hey, hyung-nim. How about us men take a long, hot bath together? Ki-Mo bro and the guild master bro said they’ll go too… Ah, Chang-Ryeol is going to join us as well! Max will join us, too!”

“We have private bathrooms, so what’s the point—”

“That’s different from this! We need to promote friendship by doing this! And that’s what the public baths are for! What else are you going to use it for? We need to do this to strengthen our teamwork! For teamwork!” Park Deok-Gu yelled.

“Ugh… I’ll join later so go on without me,” I told him.

“You have to be there no matter what!” he shouted once more.

“Alright, Deok-Gu.”

I wasn’t sure where he had gotten that idea from, but he seemed really focused on taking a bath together. And it was the same for the female members because they were also getting ready to take a bath. If I were to take a guess, Hwang Jung-Yeon and Park Deok-Gu were probably behind all this.

“Miss Ha-Yan, please hurry,” Hwang Jung-Yeon urged her.

“Ah… I-I’m… fine…” Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.

“Don’t be like that,” she said.

Even Jung Ha-Yan was being dragged into it and even though she looked at me for help, I couldn’t help her. The person that needed help more than her was Han Sora because she still trembled at the sight of Jung Ha-Yan. I was sure taking a bath together would be a horrifying experience for her.

‘Maybe I should go.’

First of all, I had to take care of the task in front of me.

“Miss Kim Mi-Young,” I called out.

“Yes, Sub Guild Master?”

‘I would have long been six feet under if it weren’t for her.’

“Were there any letters for me while I was away?” I asked.

“Ah, I was going to inform you about it. Father Basel sent about five letters. Sister Jessica and the Heresy Inquisitor Sister Helena sent three letters each. Lady Caitlyn also asked if you’ll be able to attend the party. And Lady Marilyn sent exactly 144 letters. Aside from those, there were letters from other guilds and a letter without a sender…” she replied

‘Lady Marilyn sent 144 letters?’

“A letter with no sender?” I asked.

“Yes. ‘Keep your promise’ was all it said in the sender section,” she answered.

‘I wonder if it’s the crazy bitch from the Republic.’

I forgot her name.

“That’s a lot…” I commented.

“Yes. There are event invitations from Celia. Dawan also sent official invitations—there are too many for me to go over one by one. Ah! Miss Cha Hee-Ra asked that you contact her as soon as you arrive in Lindel,” she added.

“Ugh… Please narrow it down to the ones you think are really important and organize my schedule. Please organize Mr. Hyun-Sung’s schedule as well and make sure our destination doesn’t overlap,” I ordered.

“Got it,” she replied.

“By the way, how old are your children now…”

“They started attending school recently. T-The education program provided by the guild is very satisfactory, but I thought it would be best if they played with other kids…” Kim Mi-Young explained.

“Ahh, that’s understandable. That’s even better. Please find out if the blond-haired child over there can… No, no, just tell them that he’s my adopted son and get him ready for school right away,” I added.

“Okay….”

“And… please work with the Black Swan Guild and take care of the marketing related to this expedition. It’s important that we mention the title, ‘Continental Guardian,’ so please include that no matter what,” I informed her.

“Okay, Sub Guild Master.”

“Having you around makes things easier for me. I know I’ve said this before, but thank you very much,” I said.

“It’s nothing. I should be the one thanking you…”

“If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to tell me,” I told her.

“It’s fine. I’m more than satisfied right now, Sub Guild Master,” she declined.

“I’ll be heading out now,” I said.

“Have a good day.”

If Kim Mi-Young decided to resign, it would be a massive problem for me, so I should look into raising her salary once again.

‘I feel lighter.’

Even though I still hadn’t started my work, I felt lighter. It was probably because I had taken off the heavy equipment and luggage, but the feeling wasn’t so bad.

To keep my promise to Park Deok-Gu, I entered the bath and started removing the remaining equipment I had on me. I was sure the guild staff members would collect them after I was done with my bath, so I took them off without worry.

‘I think it’s my first time at a public bath…’

The Blue Guild had many amenities, but it felt like it was my first time using one of the many amenities.

After I took off my clothes, I heard Park Deok-Gu’s voice when I entered the steamy bath.

“Wow…”

“What?” I asked.

“Wooow…”

“What?” I asked again.

“You’re definitely the hyung-nim, alright!” he commented.

I had a hard time understanding the bullshit he was saying, but for some reason, I moved the towel to my waist.