- Archimedes -
|Next Morning|
"No!"
Charlotte can't believe that the first decision he would make after joining the Sweet and Sour was giving most of the house chores to her.
Khun knew that his new teammates were ordinary and that they needed some time to practice. Their time was limited so they need to use it efficiently. And since Charlotte had passed and reached the floor where she was allowed already to participate the Workshop Battle, she had the idlest time.
He gave most of the house chores to her so that the others could get more time to practice. He actually planned to hand all of them to her but he knew that if he did that, then Charlotte would rather destroy the house so there would be no house chores.
Charlotte was a slayer candidate, not a servant. Not only that this decision hurt her pride and made her felt that her rank was decreasing, she wasn't that diligent enough to take over most of the house chores. She had just thought that she would get to rest and do whatever she wants in this one month until Khun made the decision. Therefore, she felt irritated and immediately disagreed.
And she felt betrayed that the others agreed.
"Did you come all these way just to cheat me as your servant?" She asked Khun.
Surprisingly, he replied with the three words: "Aren't you one?"
Charlotte was rolling up her sleeves already while the others tried to calm her down. The battle between the descendant of Khun Family and a slayer candidate, that would seriously blow up their house.
When the Sweet and Sour knew about Khun's idea, they doubted whether Charlotte would agree with it and like what they predicted, she was more than ready to fight the mastermind of this idea.
But that doesn't mean that they don't have the idea to make Charlotte agrees with it.
Both Nox and Charlotte loved pretty and adorable stuffs and things. It wasn't the secret anymore that she actually loved Miseng a lot as she was quite adorable. And using her love to Miseng, they took advantage of it and put Charlotte in a hard time resisting her.
Charlotte remembered that she was the one who used this kind of trick to get whatever she wanted. She knew that she was a pretty and adorable girl and took advantage of it to escape from the punishments for some of her tricks. Now that someone else had used similar trick with her, she was sure that this was her karma.
At the end, she gave up. And it was a good thing to the others as not only that they got extra time to practice, their parts in doing the boring house chores has been decreased.
"But!" She said and pointed her fan to them. "If you don't make it to the Workshop Battle, then don't blame me for putting poisons in your food."
"Don't worry" Wangnan said with his cheerful smile. "We will make it to the Workshop Battle!"
That was indeed the truth as that did the happen in the Manhwa. All of them will make it to the Workshop Battle and even won it. But Charlotte didn't want to agree with it as she felt that her rank as slayer candidate has decreased into a servant because of them.
"Don't get happy first or confident. Those people in Workshop are mostly crazy people. There will be no mercy in the fight" Charlotte said to them. She looked at Khun and added, "Even if you have an arrogant leader to guide you, that doesn't mean you are going to win."
After that, she walked away and left.
[One Month Later]
After Charlotte gave Miseng and Prince the water so that they could drink it and rest for awhile, she headed to look for Khun.
One month had passed and the Sweet and Sour who were forced to train every single day didn't know whether Khun joining their team was something good or bad as he behaved like a leader and ordered them around. Seeing how they were 'tortured' with their training, Charlotte smiled in relieve. This was because that she found it kind of amusing and that she hoped that this could increase their strength and teamwork. But she herself was no better than them either since she should be faced with house chores and everything.
Dan's legs were starting to heal already. Although he probably won't be able to move as fast just like before, at least he could run again. This is a good thing.
"You pushed all of them like this, aren't you afraid that they are going to die because of exhaustion?" Charlotte asked him while eating the cake that she baked.
"Don't eat inside my room" Khun said to her. "And it's because that we still have test tomorrow and I don't want to exhaust them to death that I told them to get some sleep."
"I am the one who clean both the house and your bunker, so I have the right to eat in here right?" She asked him again. "Besides-"
Knock knock.
Someone outside the room was knocking the door and the person was Goseng.
Goseng reviewed their plans for tomorrow and she came up with some ideas for changes. She stayed up in order to review them.
Charlotte felt that if Goseng had discussed it with Khun sooner, at least few days or weeks before, then maybe Khun would consider it. But then again, the one who she was talking with was the arrogant and proud Khun Aguero Agnes. It was seriously hard to guess what's running on his mind.
"So did you stay up all night reviewing the simulation?" Khun asked. "For a partial strategy that we might not even use?"
"B- but, just in case......."
"Tomorrow is the test. What are you going to do now if you don't trust the strategy that we prepared for the whole month? How can the other teammates take the test if the light bearer isn't convinced of our strategy?" Khun asked her. "I know you're nervous, but have some more faith in yourself."
"All right....." Goseng agreed, although Charlotte felt that she wasn't really happy with what Khun said.
"Relax yourself a bit, Goseng" Charlotte said with a friendly smile. "It won't be nice to get too nervous."
Goseng just smiled weakly and then left. Anyone could tell that she was lack of sleeping and needed more rest.
"Hey, don't you think your words are a bit cold?" Charlotte asked again while chewing on her cake.
"I'm just saying what I should say" Khun answered. "Or, do you think that it's also necessary for me to review again all our plans and then change it?"
"No, no, no" she had a feeling that she would be scolded. "You are the strategist of our team and I am just a pawn that will follow your order. All decisions in your hand."
|Next Morning|
Khun was sure that he told every single member of Sweet and Sour to get more sleep and rest as they would wake up early tomorrow and left to take the test. He was sure that he told them and made himself clear about it so why when he saw the Sweet and Sour members....they were all tired, restless and sleepless?
Khun, "......."
Dan, "......"
Charlotte, "......"
"WHAT THE HELL DID ALL OF YOU DO LAST NIGHT?!"
Turned out, the members of Sweet and Sour were too nervous that they wanted to train more. They wanted to train more and ended up resting less and now, they were all tired. Miseng wanted to be a grown-up and stronger as soon as possible so Prince decided to help her. Wangnan was probably the same while Goseng, she was still reviewing the plan. But Akraptor, he was rather different. He can't sleep because the others were being too noisy and Khun, he didn't notice that since he stayed in his own bunker for the rest of the night along with Dan.
"I TOLD YOU TO SLEEP AND REST EARLY BECAUSE WE'LL START MOVING IN THIS EARLY MORNING!!" Khun yelled at them. "AS SOON AS WE GET THERE, WE NEED TO TAKE THE TEST. IF WE FAIL THE TEST, THEN WE WON'T BE INVITED TO ENTER THE WORKSHOP!!"
"I....couldn't.....sleep..."
"I finished the plans......"
"To be a grown-up......."
"Oh jeez.....oh my gosh...." Khun massaged his temple before he shouted, "JUST GO BACK TO SLEEP NOW!"
"Yes sir."
And just like that, the Sweet and Sour left the bunker to get more rest.
"Jeez.... What's wrong with them?" Khun asked.
"Well.... They were trying to do their best" Dan tried to defend the Sweet and Sour.
"That's stupid" Khun said in anger. "How could they not care about their condition on the day before the test? Damn it....how did Bam spend that many years in this team? This is dangerous. I'm beginning to understand why FUG did all this. Frankly speaking, I didn't say a word this whole month, but this team is a disaster. I'm tired of smiling at them. I can't believe they made it this far."
While waiting for the test result, Khun was tapping his finger on his table and looked at his lighthouse attentively. Charlotte felt like he didn't even blink while waiting for the result.
The sole reason why Charlotte wasn't scolded was because she knew that the house will be filled with noise and therefore, she prepared the headphone in advance to help her. Although wearing headphone while sleeping was risky for her health, she thought that it was fine to do it once or twice. And she felt no regret wearing them as today she wasn't scolded but she was still stuck in the same room with him.
"Hey, can I go now?" She asked and whispered at Dan.
Charlotte didn't want to stay that longer as she knew that Khun was in a bad mood. Believe it or not, she was seriously afraid of Khun now and if she had a chance to run away, then she would run away without hesitation. But Dan who sat next to the door won't allow her to get away that easy.
"We are in this together" Dan whispered back.
"I didn't do anything to piss him off. Don't you think that he is quite scary for now?"
"Not at all" Dan answered. "But as a slayer candidate, will you get afraid that easy?"
".......I am not that afraid..."
"Then stay here and help me."
It seemed like she had no way out.
"Khun... we still have time to get the results. I think you should rest for now....." Dan advised.
".....I can't, because I'm too nervous" Khun said. He held his head and said again, "How can I be nervous about a test on the twenty ninth floor.... I think their stupidity affected me. I'm beginning to feel anxious and nervous. Call the doctor, Dan."
Dan looked at Charlotte who has been quiet for some time before he told her to try something. Charlotte refused as she didn't want to risk being scolded, but Dan forced her.
"What am I supposed to say? I don't want to risk and anger him even more" Charlotte whispered.
"Anything is fine. It's better to try than doing nothing right? Wangnan said that you always have your ways to escape from Viole's wrath."
"It's because he isn't someone to scold his own sister!"
"Well, we can't just leave him looking at his lighthouse like that."
Dan had played his part and this time, it was Charlotte who had to give it a try. But honestly, she didn't know what she should say.
She decided to take the risk and began to speak, "Actually....I'm sure that they aren't doing it on purpose."
"What?" Khun looked at her.
"Actually...what I want to say is that they are just trying to improve themselves. It's not like they don't know that sleeping and resting is also necessary.
From how Charlotte saw it, the main offence of this team has always been both Viole and Horyang. Although the others had never say it, but their absences must have affected them. And without them, they seemed to realize how long they have been relying on Viole and Horyang to pass the tests. Therefore, she assumed that they wanted get stronger so that they won't be the burden anymore, so that they could be stronger enough to not drag down both Viole and Horyang.
Besides, the team that FUG formed to go against them won't be based on weaklings and they wanted to be stronger. They didn't intentionally ignore Khun's words, but they just wanted to use their time to practice which made them all tired, restless and sleepless.
"But that doesn't mean they could just stay up all night like this" Khun said again. He sighed, "My head hurts......."
It wasn't that he didn't understand what she said but even if they felt that they weren't strong enough, they should remember about resting and sleeping. Their time was ticking and if they failed to go to the Workshop, then both Charlotte and Bam will disappear again.
Charlotte used her fan to fan him instead, "Chill down for a bit. After all, it won't be funny if the leader faints later in the test because he doesn't get some rest either. Seeing how you keep looking at your lighthouse, I won't be surprised if your eyes suddenly fall from your eye sockets."
"Did you say those words just to annoy me?"
"I just want you to get some rest" Charlotte said with an eye closed smile. Seeing how he was still restless, Charlotte added, "Relax, you will win the Workshop with this team no matter what happens. Even if you are dissatisfied, this is the only team you had right. You've been through with them for one month, what's wrong working together with them a bit longer?"
He scoffed, "Even when this team is a whole disaster? You are more patient than what I thought."
Her smile grew wider when she was being praised, even though it wasn't actually a praise.
When she said that they were going to win the Workshop Battle, she was actually telling him the truth. But for him, she must have sounded like she was just encouraging and comforting him. When she told him to be patient and worked with this team for a little while, he was angry to the point that he was tired to deal with everything. His head hurts and his eyes became heavy. Maybe he should follow their words and rest for a bit.
If things were just like what she said, then wouldn't it be wonderful? He believed that Charlotte was the type to take everything lightly but as nice as it felt to be someone simple and casual, he wasn't that type of person.
When Charlotte saw him deciding to rest for a bit, she formed a small smile on her lips.
"Do you know that if you wait for someone or something patiently, if you wait a little bit longer, then you might get what you want?"
•••
When Khun heard the sound of notification from his lighthouse, he lifted his head a bit and noticed that he made it to the Workshop Battle along with the others. He felt a bit relieved and lowered his head again.
|Eight A.M.|
The young lass who fell asleep after reading her novel woke up again and stretched her arms like nothing wrong has happened walked outside to see the others. Compared to before, they looked quite refreshed.
But someone was missing.
"Where is Wangnan?" Charlotte asked Goseng.
Before Goseng could give an answer, the two of them heard a loud noise.
"IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP SOON, THEN I WON'T TAKE YOU TO THE WORKSHOP BATTLE!"
"COMING!"
She just sweated dropped when she heard it. Their voices were indeed loud.
•••
Inside the bunker, the Sweet and Sour Team expressed how happy they were to be able to go to the Workshop Battle and to be able to meet Endorsi Zahard.
Endorsi Zahard and her team could be considered as a group of famous people, especially Endorsi herself. Wangnan seemed to be one of her fans and he can't wait to meet her. But when he heard from Khun that Endorsi would be their opponent, he can't accept it.
On the thirty floor, the regulars from Sweet and Sour were amazed when they looked at the Archimedes, one of the top 5 floating ships created by the Workshop. It was extremely big and beautiful.
Khun had read about the Archimedes before and knew that it was one of the legendary ships. But when he looked at its tail, there seemed to be something attached to it and wondered whether that thing has always been attached on the Archimedes or not.
Meanwhile, Charlotte, even though she had read it in Manhwa, she didn't expect to be able to see it with both of her own eyes. It was quite big and beautiful. What a well-made ship! She can't wait to explore around the Archimedes.
"Archimedes is really big!" she excitedly said.
"If you look at it without blinking, then your eyes might fall from your eyes sockets" Khun said again.
Charlotte turned her head around to look at Khun, "Don't use my words to go against me. It's my first time seeing Archimedes, alright? Don't blame me to get overexcited."
He just simply smiled and let her look at the Archimedes again.
•••
Soon enough, all of them landed and then ran from the bunker as they were competing to choose their rooms. The ship was going to depart in two days, so this time Khun made himself clear and told all of them to get some rest.
Charlotte wasn't an exception. She also wanted to get a room with the view and also, she competed with the others for it.
Khun just shook his head seeing their behaviors. Fortunately, all the rooms that he prepared for his own teammates all had view, otherwise, there would seriously be a fight.