Chapter 2: CH 2

Kevin’s nose itched, and he turned around his head to sneeze.

He slightly imagined various possible reactions from the Imperial Palace’s side. The thought of it only made him have goosebumps all over his body.

This time it was over already. It was impossible to stop it anymore.

The little bastard being tied up into a pupa-like squirmed on the ground for a while. He couldn’t break free from the vine stalks on his body no matter what he did. He was anxious and angry, restraining until his whole face was thoroughly red. With difficulty, he stretched out his neck and fiercely let out a ‘pei’ sound. With his face looking upwards, he was ready to scream out. But as he faced Kevin’s ‘black as the bottom of a pot’ complexion, he immediately swallowed it back to avoid choking himself.

Kevin crouched in front of him, patted his head with fake affection, and softly asked, “Which hand?”

The little bastard didn’t respond for a while, “What?”

He was young, so his voice should have been clear and crisp. But at this moment, his voice was severely hoarse, and it wasn’t much better than Kevin’s. Obviously, he had also suffered a lot.

Kevin sized him up and down without batting an eye. His mouth was still trying to scare the kid, “I’m asking you; which hand did you use to grab the leather bag?”

While saying this, he intentionally made an apparent movement of stroking the back of his short knife.

The little bastard, “….”

His stifled face became even redder, and he craned his neck. “I, I just saw it. Wasn’t it just swatted a black bug to death? At worst, I’ll compensate for you!”

Kevin laughed from hearing his words and licked his chapped lips, “Oh? How will you compensate?”

The little boy squirmed again and finally sat on his knee with great difficulty. As if possessed by a chicken claw, his hand scratched around his rag-like cloth and caught one insect without any problem. He spread his palm at Kevin. “Here. I’ll pay you back with a multi-colored one. It could also fly.”

Kevin, “…”

For a while, he could not tell if this boy was trying to provoke him or if he was foolish.

A child’s way of thinking was often hard to predict. Kevin’s understanding of this immature animal was solely based on experience. Such a pity; of all kids he had bumped into, each was fiercer than the last one. The one that gave him the most profound impression was that kid who was especially adept at angering and provoking him…

Kevin relaxedly soaked in the river. On the one hand, he washed the mud on his body. On the other hand, he indifferently thought about explaining this matter of ‘coming back to life.’

The little bastard, with a mouth that seemed as if he was looking for a beating, was currently hanging up on a tall tree beside the river, resembling a giant upside-down pupa. He was rocking while howling with all his might.

He was really worthy of coming from the Giant Beastman clan, this kind of combat clan. Although his age was young, the way he spoke was impolite, and he called out to Kevin, “You would actually go as far as hitting a child. Do you still have any shame at all – “

Kevin didn’t even turn his head, “No.”

The boy continued to howl, “I’m just eight and half years old. I won’t even be able to pinch a bug to death –”

Kevin broke into a laugh, “Are you trying to deceive ghosts? If you change your form, you will be able to snap off my neck.”

The boy, “I’m going to vomit, ahhhhh –”

Kevin, “Then vomit; I won’t look at you.”

The boy let out a sound of ‘wahh’ and started to fake crying.

Kevin, “…”

After bawling for a while, he found out that Kevin didn’t even spare any glance at him. On the contrary, he tidied up, went ashore carrying a short knife like a water ghost, and walked far away.

The boy silently closed his mouth.

Kevin didn’t leave for a long time, and there wasn’t any sign of movement inside the quiet jungle. But when he came back, there were three plump Andoha gophers and a few fist-size wild bird eggs in his hand.

He crouched down by the riverside, expertly skinned, and took out the internal organs. After draining the water, he returned to the scaffold below the tree and started roasting. He also buried a few wild bird eggs in the mud under the fire in passing.

Each Andoha gopher has the length of an adult’s lower arm, exactly fatty and lean. Under the flames, they were steaming and gleaming with oil. Kevin crushed the fruits that he had picked up earlier and smeared the juice on the surface of the burned crispy meats. After being heated by the fire, the aroma became even stronger.

Kevin turned over the roasted meat and found out that the little bastard being hung upside down could no longer howl. He was currently opening his mouth with saliva dripping down.

“I’ve finished seasoning, so you don’t need to add anything more,” Kevin nonchalantly lifted the roasted meat and shifted it to the side.

The fragrance of the food aroused the boy. His stomach had just calmed down and began to let out a thunderous sound again.

Nothing was more immoral than ‘feasting in front of an almost starving to death person.’ The boy could not bear it anymore and said, “Why are you so mean to me?”

Kevin turned over the roasted meat and casually said, “This wasn’t bad already. I used to take along a brat as old as you. I was even meaner to him than toward you.”

The boy, “…”

He slightly imagined what kind of situation was meaner and immediately got goosebumps. He said in his heart, “Weren’t you afraid that later when he grew up, he would pack you up in a bag….”

When Kevin came out from the underground, his face was still covered with black mud. Apart from being slim, no other features could be seen. After all those muds and ashes had been washed clean, his original snowy-white form was revealed.

The light of the flames softened the lines of his brows and the bridge of his nose. Added with the shadow cast by his downwards eyelashes, it created an excellent balance between his sharp and beautiful look.

Speaking from his conscience, the little bastard felt that Kevin was the best-looking adult he had ever seen…

Even more so, he was the most no-good adult he had ever seen!

‘He actually really ate it himself, ahhhh –’ The boy said unhappily inside his heart.

The hungrier you were, the more you couldn’t eat quickly. Kevin was well aware of this principle. He had a refined temperament and ate calmly and unhurriedly at a slow pace.

Before taking several bites, he couldn’t bear it anymore and said, “If you stare at me again, your eyeballs will fall out….”

After saying that, Kevin swept a glance at the boy. He saw the boy pursed his lips and glared at him. His fierce expression carried a little indescribable grievance.

Kevin, “…”

The little bastard’s eyes still retained the shadow of a feline, which was light and translucent. His pupils were big and round at night-time, and they looked particularly clear. Matching them with this expression made Kevin recall the young master of the Pache’s family from many years ago –

The brat that he had just mentioned before.

At that time, Kevin had just entered the reverse army. During the somewhat long spring break, he had initially thought to relax his body. Yet, at half of the break, he was entrusted by others to Pache’s family and helped look after that young master.

That kid was really fierce, ah…

He was both challenging and stubborn, and he refused to be controlled. It seemed that his life goal was to oppose other people, especially Kevin.

You are reading story The Emperor's Daily Nitpicking at novel35.com

At that time, Kevin himself couldn’t be considered old. With the blood of a youngster, he was even more hoodlum than now. Kevin had raised his hand to beat him several times to prevent that boy from going awry.

Every time after being beaten, that young master’s expression was exactly the same as this boy’s. It was vicious and stubborn.

There was also unwillingness and a minor grievance.

Kevin didn’t have the chance to meet that boy again for so many years later. He once heard a piece of relevant news, and at that time, he was inside the marching tent at the White Bone Dessert. He had heard the rumor from his colleagues, “The Pache’s family was done for.”

According to that rumor, the grass on that young master’s graveyard must have changed a few stubbles after many years. In the future, it was impossible to meet him anymore.

Kevin, who had cultivated millennial of bastard’s proficient, unexpectedly felt a fucking trace of guilt at this point.

Thus, he coughed. He was just about to stand up and release that boy when he heard the cub wept, “Give me a few bites of meat, and I’ll call you daddy!”

Kevin, “…”

Where was the damn similarity to Pache’s family…?

In the end, that little bastard was still put down. He held a roasted gopher at the fire’s side and ate with his mouth filled with oil.

Actually, Kevin had also considered the portion for this cub when he hunted earlier. However, he surprisingly didn’t expect that this kid could eat so much. This skinny, barely adult man had unexpectedly eaten two gophers and three bird eggs…

He couldn’t help but remind him, watching him eat, “You should leave some portions aside. No one will share their food with you anymore from tomorrow onward.”

The boy asked without thinking, “Why?”

“Because I will go once the sky brightens,” Kevin blurted out.

“Can I go with you? This place looked like a maze. I’ve moved around for several days without seeing an exit. I need to find someone….” The boy held the ‘whoever has milk is the mom1’ principle. He muttered vaguely while chewing on the last bit of meat.

Unfortunately, Kevin didn’t bother to listen to him.

Based on his assessment, it would need two days for that sand messenger to be passed from the Priest Monastery to the Imperial Palace to when they sent out people to reach this part of the jungle. While he hadn’t thought well about how to explain his situation, he didn’t intend to meet those people. So, one day was used to adjust and rest, while the other day was enough for him to leave this part of the jungle and find a place to hide.

He had already made a well-thought plan, but God liked to mess with him.

First thing on the second morning, when the dawn had just broken, a young man with short golden hair led a group of valiant soldiers. He descended unexpectedly in front of Kevin and completely dismissed his light sleep.

“Mio?” Kevin watched the young blonde man with astonishment. He was almost mistaken that he was still dreaming.

Mio was initially sitting upright on a hippogriff’s back. Upon seeing Kevin’s face, he almost tumbled down.

He buried his head in the back of the hippogriff’s neck for a while and waved his hand. “Wait, wait…let me adjust for a moment. I think I’m hallucinating now.”

At this moment, it was impossible to hide it anymore. Kevin eyed the boy beside him, who had prepared a battle stance and directly said, “No, it’s not a hallucination. It’s me, and I’m still alive.”

“I was the one who retrieved your body back from the battlefield at that time! How could you possibly….” How could you possibly still be alive?! Also, how did you appear at Andoha?!

Mi was both excited and confused. He choked, and his voice cracked after saying the first half of the sentence. He couldn’t continue the other half anymore.

Kevin patted the black hippogriff’s head, “It’s a long story.”

Mio was holding his breath for an explanation, and he almost sprayed out a mouthful of blood. He lowered himself down from the hippogriff’s back, and the troop of soldiers behind him also got down with a ‘bang’ sound. It was so simultaneous that the sound could scare people.

“I also didn’t know how I appeared at Andoha. But at that time, I was indeed discovered by the people in the area nearby. It was said that I was wearing ordinary soldier armor at that time and was in an almost dying state.” Kevin continued earnestly, “In fact, I had been in an unconscious state later. I only opened my eyes recently.”

Saying until this part, he patted the boy’s shoulder, “Here. It was this child’s family that saved me.”

The boy, “…” What kind of bullshit was this?

Because he was too excited, Mio didn’t think about using his brain at that time. He actually believed in Kevin’s lies, “What had you guys done to be in this mess?”

Kevin waved his hand, “Don’t mention it. I originally planned to pass through this jungle and go down from east to north. I would go back to Saint Andis first and then look for you guys and take this little brat to see the north. In the end, we were lost. We still couldn’t come out after moving around for a few days. With no choice left, we decided to pinch a sand messenger.”

The boy had really wanted to expose his lies and made him suffer once too…However, he was afraid to speak out. Moreover, he would also be beaten. So, he could only stand rotted on his spot and looked as all sorts of expressions flashed through the blonde’s face with an unwilling expression.

Mio stared at Kevin for a long time and finally confirmed that everything before his eyes was real. He couldn’t help himself and hugged Kevin firmly. He then let go, retreated a step back, and performed a proper sword-drawing military salute, “Deputy-Commander of Bronze Army and your most loyal friend, Mio Scott, led the newly formed first elite squad to welcome your return!”

The boy was stunned. “…” What?

Kevin smiled and patted Mio’s shoulder, “Long time no see.”

After confirming that his best friend was still alive, Mio felt an unprecedented excitement. He led Kevin and the disoriented boy outside the jungle and delightedly told Kevin about significant events of these few years.

When it came to political power exchange, Kevin couldn’t help but interrupt him, “Wait, what did you say the name of the newly succeeded emperor was?”

Mio answered, “Oswald Knor, why?”

Kevin, “Shh-it sounded a little familiar.”

“Did you forget? Oh right, it was normal if you didn’t react. His Majesty had changed his surname.” Mio continued, “He used to have the surname, Pache. Did you remember the little boy from the Pache family?”

Kevin, “…” He remembered; he couldn’t have forgotten. Last night, he had also just reminisced about how mean he was back then…

“You must have been curious why he changed his surname from Pache into Knor, right? This was actually a long story. Once we return, I will slowly explain it to you. After all, it wasn’t very convenient now.” Mio winked with his gossipy face. He then touched Kevin’s sore spot, “I remembered that you knew him pretty well, ah. He was seven-or-eight years old at that time. Haven’t you beaten him before?”

Kevin rubbed his face and said in his heart, ‘Thank you very much for reminding me….’

But he changed his mind, and his heart became magnanimous again. He said unconcernedly, “He must have forgotten already about the grudges from many years ago. The person who ascended and became the Emperor wouldn’t fuss over a minor matter like this.”

Mio readily agreed, “You’re right. If not, His Majesty wouldn’t have personally come here.”

Kevin speedily halted his steps. He didn’t hesitate before turning around and walking in the opposite direction. “You guys can go first. I still have a little matter to do. After I finish – “

He was frozen before he could finish his words.

He had just walked a few steps when he saw a tall man walk out from a tall tree. He held his arm in front of himself, condescendingly looked at him, and then gave him an insincere smile. “Long time no see, Your Excellency…. Fassbinder.”

Kevin’s right eyelid trembled. “…..”

It is often used to satirize those who have no position and no dignity. When they see someone giving benefits, they just flatter them.

You can find story with these keywords: The Emperor's Daily Nitpicking, Read The Emperor's Daily Nitpicking, The Emperor's Daily Nitpicking novel, The Emperor's Daily Nitpicking book, The Emperor's Daily Nitpicking story, The Emperor's Daily Nitpicking full, The Emperor's Daily Nitpicking Latest Chapter