"Wow…"
Raon stared with his mouth agape at Balder, who was rubbing his reddened forehead.
'What on earth is happening?'
Balder, who was notorious in Zieghart for his foul temper, was acting like a mouse before a cat in front of the Gambling Monster, unable to move an inch.
It was such an unimaginable sight that Raon's mind couldn't process it.
"He… hit the Special Inspector…"
"Why is the True Martial Palace Master just standing there?"
"Is this a dream?"
Both the Light Wind division and the Inspectors were stunned, unable to take their eyes off the Gambling Monster and Balder.
Raon recalled what Balder had said earlier as he watched the still-terrified man.
'Instructor…'
Considering that Balder had referred to the Gambling Monster as an instructor, it seemed that he was once a pupil.
'It makes sense. The Gambling Monster had enough power and status to be part of the Elders' Council.'
Despite having left the council of his own volition, the Gambling Monster had not faced any repercussions.
Given his accumulated achievements, power, and status, it was not surprising that he had taught a young Balder.
"What… what are you saying! You're still swearing behind my back while being polite to my face!"
Balder stepped back, lowering his gaze as if he didn't want to be hit again.
"Ah, Special Inspector, you're quite picky. I did as you asked, so why are you whining?"
The Gambling Monster stepped forward, closing the distance Balder had created, and flicked his forehead again.
Smack!
With a cracking sound like a walnut breaking, Balder's forehead turned even redder.
"Grr…"
The impact was significant enough for Balder to groan and tremble.
"Look! This time, I was polite on both ends, but there were still insults in between!"
"Special Inspector, it seems your head has grown harder. My finger hurts more."
The Gambling Monster blew on his finger, acting as if Balder's complaints were beneath him.
"This time, I addressed you politely from start to finish. Are you satisfied now?"
"P-please stop!"
Balder raised his voice but could only roll his eyes, unable to do anything against the Gambling Monster.
"Phew!"
As Raon watched Balder, who seemed to have shrunk to half his size, a voice of delight came from behind him.
When he turned, he saw Rimmer gulping down beer.
"Division Leader?"
"Entertaining, isn't it?"
Rimmer shook his beer mug, looking alternately at Balder and the Gambling Monster.
"Those two are master and disciple. Balder spent quite a long time under that old man."
"I can tell, but it's surprising to see the True Martial Palace Master being so wary."
"He started getting beaten up and taught from an even younger age than when you guys came to me."
"Ah…"
That made sense. People who were terrifying in one's childhood often remained a source of discomfort and fear even as adults.
"Of course, just getting beaten wouldn't form a relationship like that. The old man taught Balder with utmost dedication before he retired. He even saved his life several times."
"For that kind of relationship, it's odd that they haven't been seen together much…"
"Would you want your subordinates to see you like that if you'd become a palace master? Of course, Balder avoided him whenever he could."
"Also, the Gambling Monster doesn't attend meetings."
The Gambling Monster had left the council to run a gambling den and tavern, making him an eccentric.
Unless Balder sought him out, the two wouldn't have had any reason to meet.
"Watching that really clears my mind."
Rimmer laughed, enjoying the rare spectacle, and extended a hand to Dorian.
"Hmm?"
Dorian tilted his head, looking at Rimmer's hand.
"Give me some snacks."
"I don't always have snacks on me…"
Dorian grumbled but still pulled out some corn snacks from his Pouch.
-What are you doing? Eat some too!
Wrath tapped Raon's shoulder, indicating he wanted some of the corn snacks.
Seeing him move just as snacks appeared after lying down all day, Raon couldn't fathom how this being could be the Monarch of Wrath.
"Sir, Palace Master."
"Please get a grip!"
"You're currently performing your duties as a Special Inspector!"
"You must forget your master-disciple relationship for now!"
The warriors of the inspection unit tried to persuade Balder to use his status as Special Inspector.
"Ahem! As I said before, I am the Special Inspector! No matter how esteemed you are, sir, you cannot treat me this way!"
Bolstered by his subordinates, Balder mustered the courage to meet the Gambling Monster's gaze with a scowl.
"Oh dear, you're even shouting now. My ears are going to fall off!"
The Gambling Monster feigned deafness, sticking a finger in his ear.
"Sir!"
"This is why people say raising kids is pointless. It feels like just yesterday I almost died saving your life, and now you're raising your voice at me, causing a ruckus."
"That… that's…"
Balder glanced at his subordinates behind him, signaling them not to talk with his finger to his lips. He seemed to have a secret.
"Enough of this. Special Inspector, speak again. What do you want me to do?"
The Gambling Monster spread his arms wide, lifting his chin as if daring Balder to say something.
"Grr…"
Balder clenched his lips and curled his body like a worm.
'Why is this man here?'
He knew the Gambling Monster had joined the Light Wind division.
But he'd heard the man had little interest in the division and only showed up occasionally, so he had deliberately come early.
He planned to destroy the great training ground at dawn and then wreak havoc at the annex building by noon, but everything had gone wrong from the start.
His plan didn't just fail; it was utterly crushed.
'Damn it…'
Although the relationship made him uncomfortable, that wasn't the only reason he couldn't push harder.
The Gambling Monster, Haerian, had built up so many achievements and had such powerful strength and connections that he had left the council without any repercussions.
If he made a mistake with the Gambling Monster here, the council would move against him. He had to avoid that at all costs.
"I… I'm sorry…"
Eventually, Balder lowered his head, avoiding the Gambling Monster's eyes.
"Ahem!"
The Gambling Monster nodded with a grunt.
"If the Special Inspector says so, I have nothing more to say. Continue your work."
He waved dismissively, stepping back as if to say Balder could handle things.
"Phew…"
Balder exhaled a cloudy breath and shifted his gaze.
'I can't leave it like this.'
Having already suffered enough humiliation, he needed to find a way to crush Raon Zieghart.
'Someone else must manage the inside.'
Balder quickly gathered his thoughts and entered the indoor training ground.
Raon licked his lips as he watched Balder head into the indoor training ground.
'He's going to pick a fight inside.'
Balder and the inspectors were clearly planning to find fault inside, unrelated to the Gambling Monster.
'This could be useful.'
After organizing his thoughts, Raon approached the Gambling Monster.
"General, can I use your name for a bit?"
"Do as you like."
The Gambling Monster nodded readily, unlike how he'd treated Balder.
"Thank you."
Raon expressed his gratitude, then broke all the joints of the training mannequins that Balder had touched and dug up the center of the training ground, ruining the floor.
"Vice Division Leader, what are you doing!"
Dorian dropped his snack, eyes wide.
"Yeah, why are you wrecking the training ground?"
Burren came closer to stop him, grabbing his arm.
"Don't worry and wait. I'll replace everything."
Raon waved off the panicked Light Wind members and continued to destroy the equipment Balder had touched.
"Is that guy normal? Leave him be. He knows what he's doing."
Rimmer chuckled, downing his beer in anticipation of what was to come.
"This place is filthy!"
"It's full of dust!"
"How can you train in such a place? You'd get sick!"
Balder and the inspectors found something to nitpick in the indoor training ground, yelling at the top of their lungs.
Raon walked leisurely into the indoor training ground.
"There's rust on the training equipment, and metal shavings are falling off!"
Balder pointed at the rust on the edges of the dumbbells and barbells, frowning.
He was picking on minuscule bits of rust lodged in places hard to reach.
"If you get a wound while training and it comes into contact with rust, it could cause tetanus! Don't you know that?"
Assuming the indoor training ground was managed by someone else, Balder aggressively picked a fight.
"Not only that, but the whole training ground is covered in dust! You haven't cleaned it properly, nor have you maintained the equipment. Where is your mind!"
He ground his teeth, using a white glove to scrape off the dust from a windowsill.
"Light Wind vice division leader! Speak if you have a mouth!"
"Understood."
Raon nodded and called out to someone outside.
"General!"
As soon as he called, the Gambling Monster entered the indoor training ground.
"Why did you call him suddenly…"
"Didn't you say to speak if I have a mouth? The general is in charge of this place."
Raon pushed the Gambling Monster forward with a bright smile.
"I brought the person in charge. Here he is."
The Gambling Monster waggled his finger at Balder.
"I, I was just worried about the inspectors…"
Balder averted his gaze, hiding the dusty glove behind his back.
"If that much dust were dangerous, everyone would be dead by now! People who survived the Flame Demon General won't be endangered by dust and rust! If you're going to pick a fight, do it properly!"
The Gambling Monster didn't see Balder as an inspector, but still as his pupil, frowning at him.
"Even so, it's better not to have it…"
"Should I go to the True Martial Palace and check for dust behind the windowsills?"
"Ugh…"
Balder, having nothing to say, lowered his head and turned to Raon.
"W-where is the office? The division leader's office, not the general's!"
"This way."
Raon pointed to Rimmer's office on the right side of the indoor training ground.
"Let's go!"
Balder and the inspectors rushed to the office, hoping for a last chance.
Crack!
Raon crushed the iron parts of the barbells and dumbbells that Balder had touched and followed them.
The office, cleaned early in the morning, was still dusty and disorganized, despite lacking the trash Rimmer usually kept around. Honestly, there was no defending it.
"It's filthy! It's impossible to tell when it was last cleaned. The office is the face of the division as guests usually visit here first. Is your face a pile of trash?"
Balder raised his voice, assuming the office had nothing to do with the Gambling Monster.
"And why are there so many unapproved documents? What have you been doing until now?"
He slammed his hand on the desk, asking where Rimmer was.
"There are no overdue documents. They will all be handled today."
"This is suspicious enough to warrant a thorough inspection of all Light Wind division officers. I'll summon everyone for a proper investigation…"
"I'll call the person in charge."
Raon calmly nodded and turned to the outside.
"Person in charge? Wait!"
"General!"
Balder screamed to stop him.
"What is it now?"
The Gambling Monster entered the office with even more energetic strides.
"Are you in charge here too?"
"Yes. The division leader is so useless that I have to look after this place as well."
Although he rarely came here, the Gambling Monster was playing along perfectly.
"If you have something to say, speak up, Special Inspector."
The Gambling Monster tilted his chin up, looking down on Balder.
"Uh…"
Balder, like a rabbit before a lion, averted his eyes and swallowed dryly.
"I… I have nothing to say."
"Then why do you keep calling me, you brat!"
The Gambling Monster frowned and flicked Balder's forehead again.
With a loud smack, Balder's head jerked back.
"I… I didn't call you…"
Balder rubbed his sore forehead with his fingers, shaking his head.
"Shut up and leave if you have nothing to say!"
The Gambling Monster waved his hand, indicating that the Light Wind division needed to train.
"Phew…"
Humiliated once more, Balder left Rimmer's office. As he was about to exit the indoor training ground, Raon called out to him.
"Wait a moment."
Raon pointed at the dumbbells and barbells with broken iron parts.
"How will you handle these damaged pieces?"
"Damaged? What do you mean?"
"They broke after you touched them. Since you damaged perfectly fine equipment, you need to compensate."
"Nonsense! I barely touched them! I didn't break anything!"
"General!"
Seeing no point in further conversation, Raon immediately called the Gambling Monster.
"Ah! Fine! How much?"
Raon held up one finger.
"Ten gold coins."
"Ten gold coins? For pieces of iron? Ridiculous!"
"These are not ordinary dumbbells. They are ionized dumbbells with precision artifacts inside that adjust weight and emit ions. They provide comfort and motivation during strenuous training…"
"Grr!"
Balder ground his teeth and signaled with his eyes.
The inspector, who had been haughty just minutes ago, reluctantly pulled out gold coins from his pouch, his hand trembling in regret.
"Thank you. I'll use them well."
"Let's go!"
Balder, now eager to leave, rushed out with the inspectors.
As he was about to leave the training ground, Raon called out again.
"Special Inspector!"
"What now!"
"How can you leave after breaking these?"
Raon pointed at the broken training mannequins and sighed.
"I didn't break those! I didn't touch them!"
"The only person who touched those mannequins was you."
"You broke them and are blaming me! If you think you can get away with this…"
"General!"
Raon's call brought the Gambling Monster running.
"Ah! Stop! How much?"
Balder quickly raised his hand to stop him.
"This too?"
"Indeed. These ionized training mannequins emit ions and have automated artifacts inside that record and adapt to the user's movements…"
"Enough! How much?"
"Thirty gold coins."
"Grr…"
Balder sighed heavily, hearing the amount.
Under the Gambling Monster's watchful eye, he reluctantly paid the price.
"Wow…"
"Unbelievable…"
"Can that really happen?"
The Light Wind division members, having seen Raon destroy the equipment, were astonished as Balder paid for the damages.
"Is it over now?"
Balder looked up with an aged face.
"Yes. I'm impressed by your wise and thorough inspection, Special Inspector."
Raon smiled brightly, waving goodbye.
"Let's see how long you keep that smile."
"Pardon?"
"I'm heading to the annex building now."
Balder's eyes glinted as he bit his lip.
"What's so surprising? The annex building is the furthest from the main building, perfect for secretive activities. I'll search every inch of it."
"…You're right."
Raon maintained his smile, nodding.
"Still smiling? In the annex building, nothing you do will work. If there's anything suspicious, everyone will be summoned…"
"General! Let's go!"
Ignoring Balder's words, Raon called the Gambling Monster.
"That's overstepping your bounds!"
Balder protested, gesturing to the Gambling Monster.
"You might manage this place, but you have no right to interfere with the annex…"
"That's not true."
Raon's cold smile deepened as he approached Balder.
"You're mistaken, Special Inspector. Our general is assigned to the annex building. Not the Light Wind division or the great training ground."
"What?"
Balder stared at the Gambling Monster in disbelief.
"That's correct. I'm currently based in the annex building."
The Gambling Monster smirked at his old disciple.
"Let's go quickly."
Raon tugged on Balder's sleeve.
"The annex building is old and needs a lot of replacements."
"No! I'm not going!"
Balder shook off Raon's hand.
"I won't go! Stop!"
"You must. You need to inspect the annex for any suspicious activities."
"Yes, the job must be completed."
The Gambling Monster blocked Balder's path, moving to the right.
"Heh."
"Hahaha."
Raon and the Gambling Monster exchanged sinister smiles over the terrified Balder.
Sigh…
Wrath trembled, looking between Raon and the Gambling Monster.
Are these things really humans.