Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

"Anyway... leave the rest to us. Lloyd, you go home and get some rest. We’ll talk about everything else later."

Then, Judge Riggs lowered his voice, placing a hand on Lloyd’s shoulder and adding in a whisper,

"And remember, no matter who comes looking for you tonight, do not open the door!"

Only after seeing Lloyd nod did he pat him on the shoulder and let go.

And so, Lloyd headed straight home.

After all the chaos and delays, it was already past 9 PM by the time he got home. Worried that his sister might be hungry, he had stopped by a pastry shop on the way and bought the three desserts they both loved most—

Croissants, crescent rolls, and butterhorns.

When he got home and opened the door, he found Evelor curled up on the sofa, fast asleep.

She was wearing a fuzzy, one-piece set of pajamas—a cartoon alligator. Her head poked right out of the alligator’s mouth, making her look endearingly goofy and exceptionally cute.

The pajamas must have been a new purchase; Lloyd had never seen them before.

She seemed to be having a sweet dream, her small, childlike face flushed as she mumbled incoherently,

"Hah... ah... Yi... you can’t... do this... we’re... siblings..."

The sound of the door closing woke Evelor. The tuft of Dazed Hair on her head shot straight up, and she sat up, rubbing her drowsy eyes. "Mm~ Yi, you’re back?" she said softly. "There’s still food on the table."

Lloyd hurried over, giving his sister a gentle hug before saying apologetically,

"Sorry, something came up today, so I’m late."

"It’s okay, your sister understands."

Evelor stood up from the sofa and gave Lloyd a little push.

"Yi, you go take a shower first. I’ll heat up dinner for you."

"Okay."

A warmth spread through Lloyd’s chest as he nodded firmly.

He went into the bathroom. After his shower, as he was about to get changed, he noticed a new set of fuzzy, one-piece pajamas on the clothes rack. He smiled and decided to try them on.

They turned out to be cartoon Hammerhead Shark pajamas. The back was gray and the belly was snow-white. His head poked out of the mouth, and the shark’s distinctive eyes were positioned right over his ears.

Looking in the mirror, he felt a bit silly and embarrassed...

But Evelor seemed to love it. The moment she saw Lloyd, her eyes lit up with a smile. She compared him to the Hammerhead Shark Puppet in her arms, and, apparently finding the resemblance uncanny, she laughed even more happily.

For the sake of his sister’s smile, Lloyd decided to just wear it. He sat down at the table and began to eat the dinner his sister had made.

’Come to think of it, has it been a while since I last had her cooking?’

’Hmm... it tastes the same as always. That familiar, comforting feeling.’

As Lloyd ate, he told his sister about the case he’d worked on today, simplifying some of the details so she could understand.

Evelor’s face fell with sadness. "Eh? Something like that happened...?" she asked anxiously. "So those dozen or so people are... what about their parents, wives, and children?"

"I don’t know. Hopefully, they’ll be taken care of."

"What about the killer? Can you catch him?"

"Maybe."

Lloyd bit into a piece of bread viciously.

Evelor frowned, putting on a fierce but adorable look. She clenched her small hands into little fists and waved them, declaring with righteous indignation,

"That kind of person, who gets their own comrades and companions killed, is the absolute worst!"

"Yeah. I hope they bring that bastard to justice soon!"

Lloyd replied, equally indignant.

Having experienced and witnessed countless injustices while living on the streets, the siblings yearned for simple fairness and justice more than most.

............

Since it was getting late, the two chatted for a bit after dinner before heading to their rooms to rest.

But Lloyd didn’t lie down right away. Instead, he picked up the pocket watch from his desk, preparing to attempt a Divination to find the mole, Frick.

’It’s unlikely to work, but I have to try, right?’

But before he could begin his Divination, the little kitten lying on the desk abruptly stood up, its ears perked. It let out two soft meows.

Then, Lloyd heard a tapping on the glass.

He turned his head to see a dark figure clinging to his window, watching him silently.

Startled, Lloyd shot to his feet.

He had not expected something like this at all...

The person at the window let out a soft chuckle and greeted him.

"Heh heh~ Little bro, those are some cute PJs you’ve got there."

Clinging to the window was Lloyd’s newfound big brother, Grand Judge Demani...

He was still wearing his gleaming, classical-style armor. Since there was no ledge to stand on, his entire body was plastered against the window, making him look like a giant, silver gecko...

’Could you please show a little respect for your image as a High-ranking Powerhouse?’

Lloyd complained inwardly as he rushed to open the window, asking,

"Your Excellency, the Grand Judge? Why didn’t you use the front door?"

The Grand Judge waved a hand, explaining in a conspiratorial whisper,

"Because I wasn’t planning on making a formal visit... Oh, right. When it’s just us, drop the ’Grand’ and ’Judge’ stuff. I don’t want people gossiping. Just call me Big Brother."

’You’re worried about gossip, but not about people seeing you plastered to my window?’

Lloyd didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the thought. He quickly opened the window, about to invite the man inside.

But the Grand Judge just waved his hand again, still whispering secretively.

"I told you I’m not coming in. Hurry up and get changed. We’re going out for a drink."

"Uh... you just came to ask me for a drink?"

"What else? To ponder the meaning of life? All right, enough chit-chat. Get changed, I can’t hold on much longer!"

The Grand Judge urged him on impatiently, then added as a special note,

"Oh! And remember, don’t bring the Saint Statue!"

Lloyd was helpless. It seemed Demani really did see himself as a neighborhood big brother, taking his little bro out for a secret late-night adventure...

’But why mention the Saint Statue specifically?’

He had no idea how the minds of those with [Mild Madness] worked. He quickly slipped out of the cartoon Hammerhead Shark pajamas, grabbed a normal set of clothes from his wardrobe, and changed. He had no choice about the shoes and had to go in his slippers.

He then stroked the little kitten’s head.

"I’ll be back soon. I’m leaving the house in your care!"

"Meow meow?"

The kitten let out two soft cries, though its meaning was unclear.

"It can understand human speech?"

The Grand Judge asked, looking at the kitten.

"It’s been smart since it was little,"

Lloyd explained casually as he climbed onto the windowsill.

The Grand Judge didn’t press the issue. He simply grabbed Lloyd’s arm and leaped straight down.

Lloyd’s vision blurred, and he suddenly found himself on the ground. There had been no sensation of falling whatsoever.

’The ability to [Veto] spatial distance was clearly a very advanced one, yet it’s being used for something like this...’

Next, the Grand Judge led Lloyd through a small alley and to a high-end, black steam car parked by the road. They both hopped in.

In the driver’s seat sat a prim and proper-looking Priest in black robes, acting as the chauffeur.

"Let’s go, to the usual spot!"

The Grand Judge said eagerly.

The steam car immediately began weaving through streets and alleys, soon arriving at a small, ordinary-looking tavern.

"Want a drink?"

The Grand Judge asked the driver first.

The man shook his head very seriously.

"I can’t drink and drive."

"Well, can’t be helped... Let’s go, little bro!"

With that, Big Brother led Lloyd quickly up to the second floor of the tavern, found a private room, and sat down. He nodded to the Attendant holding a menu, who understood immediately and left.

A moment later, the Attendant returned with two cocktails layered in three different colors, accompanied by a large plate of fried snacks.

"Here, here, try their specialty: the ’Trio’."

Big Brother said, lifting the visor of his helmet to reveal a pitch-black void. He poured a small sip of the cocktail into the opening, then tossed in a couple of snacks.

Then, for some reason, he became incredibly happy.

"Hahaha! It’s been a while, but the taste hasn’t changed a bit! Hahaha!"

Hearing his hearty, genuine laughter, Lloyd also picked up his cocktail and took a small sip.

The flavor was unique. The sweet and sour notes of fresh-squeezed juice formed a perfect complement to the rich alcohol. It wasn’t too harsh, nor did it mask the liquor’s fragrance. It was delicious!

Taking a bite of a salty, fried chicken nugget at the same time allowed the two flavors to create a unique chemical reaction in his mouth, igniting every taste bud and making Lloyd laugh along with him.

’Maybe happiness for men really is this simple.’

After a couple of drinks, the Grand Judge asked in the relaxed tone of a friend having a casual chat,

"So, how was your trip to the field camp? You met that old pedant Alfred. I bet he gave you a hard time, didn’t he? And what about that brute, Shandu? Did he try to get you to move to his backwater town?"

In truth, he already knew the answers to these questions from others’ reports. He was just using it as an icebreaker to start the night’s conversation.

But Lloyd still answered truthfully,

"Lord Shandu... was very forthright and admirable. And while Alfred was strict, he was also fair and generous."

The Grand Judge nodded, then let out a wicked grin.

"Hehehehe... Little bro, you probably don’t know this, but you’re quite the celebrity now in a certain circle within the Six Great Sects. You’ve even made me look good."