Just like the previous two days, Proxer and Jogrin played with Suzannia until she was worn out. However, today was different.
As Proxer was trying to initiate a conversation with Jogrin, his phone rang. In an instant, his body became stiff as he started to sweat heavily. Jogrin looked at Proxer with a face as if saying "why did you react like that?"
It wasn't that Jogrin didn't know why Proxer had that reaction or who was calling, but it was that he didn't know Proxer was so afraid of Naytia.
Why did he marry someone he was so scared of? That was what he thought.
In any case, Proxer had to pick up the phone, or else he'd incur his wife's wrath. He was as apprehended as a someone who had been exposed for cheating on their significant other. Proxer sighed in relief that it wasn't the case.
He was also reminded of the joke made by Zanphia a few days ago.
"What are making me think about, Zanphia..." He whispered to himself.
He took out his phone from the pocket with one hand, while the other was carrying Suzannia who was once again fast asleep.
To his pleasant surprise, a very much pleasant one, the one who was calling wasn't Naytia.
"You seem all relaxed suddenly. Is it someone else?"
Having perceived the change in emotion from Proxer, Jogrin queried.
"It's Father."
This time, it was Jogrin who was a little taken aback, although he'd been expecting it, it still came sooner than anticipated.
"I see. So he's already on his way here."
"Huh? How would you know?" Dubious, Proxer raised the question before picking up the call. "Hello? This is Proxer."
After some inaudible muttering coming from the phone, Proxer gazed at Jogrin, flabbergasted.
"Yes. I understand. Then I shall make prepar- Huh? The Second Order of the Royal Knights? But my house can't hold all of them... Oh... I see... I see, see you then."
Proxer put his phone back into the pocket and gazed at Jogrin again.
"It's as you've said, Father is coming here, and he will arrive by the evening. He's notified Naytia and others..."
"The Knights are tagging along too?"
"Well, yeah... That came as a huge surprise to me to be honest. Frankly speaking, they don't seem to get along well, so even if I knew someone was coming with Father, I'd least expect that it'd be them."
Jogrin figured out that the relationship between Kapel and the Knights weren't the best, as proven by the comment made by the Knight named Griston... But he honestly couldn't care less about that.
What mattered to him was that there were more people coming to the neighborhood. While he wasn't certain about the reason behind this, but he'd made some conjectures.
Kapel invited them since they were the only ones who'd dealt with Jogrin before. Instead of employing someone who had only heard about him, it was better to use those Knights instead. As for the soldiers, Kapel might've thought that dealing with Jogrin further would be too overwhelming for them, especially after the bombardment.
Nevertheless, the above wasn't very likely.
On the other hand, it could be Kapel who requested more personnel to handle this case, to which the one to approve it, the king, deployed the Second Order for similar reason as above.
This one seemed more likely.
The Knights could've also volunteered. Kapel gave the impression of a lone wolf, so it wasn't very likely for him to request extra pairs of hands
However, much like the first one, the Knights volunteering didn't seem likely either, considering their opinions on Kapel.
In any case, more people coming here could mean that they were aware of the threats Jogrin posed. The most important takeaway from this was that, he could inquire more people about the shuttle that had gone missing.
He didn't hold much hope for getting any clues, but it was still worth trying.
As for what would happen from here on out, Jogrin couldn't tell, but knowing Kapel, he was definitely going to attempt to squeeze out more information from him.
That was perfect for Jogrin, actually, since that'd give him an excuse to ask about the ominous presence felt inside the "Palacial" as compensation of some sort. He had a feeling that this presence would affect the fate of not just himself, but also the people of Zuta, to a great extent.
"So, what will you do about me?"
"What do you mean?"
Jogrin knew staying in the abandoned house any longer would prove to be a difficult situation.
From Proxer's phone call with Kapel just now, he figured out that the Knights had brought something for their accommodation, possibly some tents, or something more advanced. The problem was, if they wanted to closely supervise Jogrin, this place was far from ideal.
After all, the area around the house was abundant with trees, rendering the condition of setting up equipment impossible. A group of people living in the extremely dilapidated house was out of the question either.
Jogrin explained his thoughts on the matter.
"Right, about that." Kapel replied while pondering.
"Kapel already has a solution?"
"Well, I have been keeping in touch with him, and reported your whereabouts and such. Yesterday, he gave me a couple of options, and asked me to think about which one I want thoroughly. He said that the Knights have all agreed on them."
"What options?"
"Let's see..."
Apparently, Kapel also had the same thought as Jogrin that the area around the abandoned house wasn't ideal for accommodation, so all the options involved having Jogrin move out of the house.
These were some of the options offered by Kapel and the Knights:
First, Jogrin would have to be transferred to the outskirts of the neighborhood, which had an abandoned port. The idea was similar to the first option, but Jogrin would be a lot more restricted in his movements since he'd be put on a yacht which would then be parked some distance away from the port.
In other words, Jogrin would have nowhere to go as he'd literally be stuck in the middle of the waters.
Of course, Proxer didn't hesitate to reject that idea. In fact, Captain Ryov had second thoughts about this as he felt bad for Jogrin, but he believed that to be the safest choice, so he acquiesced, but also proposed the next option in case this one got rejected.
Second, Jogrin would have to be transferred to the plot of grassland where the flying vehicle landed on and set up campsite there. Jogrin will be living in one of the tents in the very middle of the campsite so that he couldn't flee easily.
This was rejected by Proxer as well, with the reason of the grassland being close to the town center where there was an abundance of people. The sudden appearance of the Grand Commander and Royal Knights might induce conspiracy, if not public panic.
That was something neither Captain Ryov nor Kapel considered, since their minds were already preoccupied with a lot of issues at hand, so they were somewhat ashamed that they'd missed out this essential factor.
Third and last, this was one that was come up with by the three of them and the Knights on the spot after the previous ones were rejected. There was also a vast grassland in the vicinity of the Maladin. Proxer proposed that the Knights could set up camp there, while Kapel and Jogrin could settle inside the house.
Kapel was vehemently against the idea, especially Jogrin living inside the house. On the other hand, Proxer insisted, with the reasoning of wishing for Jogrin to learn about familial love, which Kapel deemed outlandish. Under such a conundrum, Captain Ryov became the mediator.
They managed to reach a consensus after some heated debating, thanks to Captain Ryov appealing to Kapel's empathy by reminding him about the "Telestrophe" incident with a piece of paper.
The agreed decision was that, Jogrin was allowed to live under the same roof as the Maladins, with the condition that he must be overseen by either Kapel or Captain Ryov, as well as one of the Knights at all times. That included nighttime too, as they knew that Jogrin didn't sleep.
All that was left was Naytia's opinion. If she agreed, the plan would proceed smoothly, if not, they'd employ the first plan with the yacht.
Having listened Proxer's explanation, Jogrin gave a small nod.
'That's probably why Proxer was so anxious when he thought Naytia was calling.'
His fate would be decided by Naytia. With that in mind, Jogrin glanced at Suzannia, who was muttering something in her dreams, and thought about how he could live with the Maladins if Naytia consented.