Book 5: Chapter 36 (2/2)
“I have confidence in Tafel’s ability to cut down trees, but you don’t see me dumping hundreds of thousands of logs in front of her home and telling her to cut them,” Alice said, the frown on her face not easing up. “She knows I’m already stressed from planning a wedding, and she knows I still have a real job, unlike her! She’s so inconsiderate at times. Ugh!”
“Don’t worry,” Mr. Skelly said and took a step to the side, ending up behind Alice. He massaged her shoulders, forcing her muscles to relax. “Look at how docile he is. He’s not going to break out; you don’t have to personally watch over him.” Mr. Skelly glanced at the bald man. “Right?”
The bald man shook his head. “Nope. I’m going to wait right here.”
“See?”
Alice shrugged Mr. Skelly’s hands off of her shoulders. “You can’t believe him just like that,” she said. “Didn’t you hear what Tafel said? Don’t believe a single word that comes out of his mouth.”
“She also didn’t say how long you’d have to detain him for,” Mr. Skelly said. “You can just leave him here. The guards can watch over him.”
“And let him trick the guards?” Alice asked. “What if the guards accidentally forget about him, and he dies of dehydration? What if he’s strong enough to break out and overpower regular guards? If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.”
“You also have to realize that it’s impossible to do everything by yourself,” Mr. Skelly said. “How about this? I’ll watch over him, and you can go back to doing what you have to do. You know I don’t have to eat or sleep, and you know I’m pretty capable. This mission was practically made for me.”
“Excuse me, Guild Master Alice?”
Alice turned her head. A guard was standing at the entrance to the prison. “Yes? What is it?”
“There’s been a disturbance in the dwarven kingdom,” the guard said. “Apparently, hundreds of pale-skinned, human berserkers somehow snuck in and destroyed a city.”
Alice furrowed her brow. “And what does this have to do with me?”
“The dwarven kingdom has requested human aid,” the guard said. “Since the adventurers’ guild that you manage is the one closest to the kingdom, the other guild masters have agreed to send you to help the dwarves.”
“What the hell? I didn’t agree to this,” Alice said. “There are dozens of guild masters less busy than me. Send them instead!”
The guard blinked. “But doesn’t it make sense to send a berserker to deal with other berserkers?”
“Who the hell is a berserker!?” Alice shouted. “I’m a guardian! Gar-Dee-En!
“R-right, my apologies,” the guard said and took a step back. He saluted. “I’ll relay your words to the secretary right away!”