"Thank you for the pancake, Mom and Suzannia! It was so good! Let's have more for dinner!"
"You'll get fat then. Do you want that?"
"Never mind... Urgh, back to schoolwork now..."
Zanphia griped while Naytia was watching her pick up the pen and flipped a book. Meanwhile, Kapel volunteered to wash the dishes. Since he still had to supervise Jogrin, he had Jogrin follow him to the kitchen, which was just next to the dining room.
Anyway, Zanphia and Zenover felt the looming terror which was Monday coming closer and closer.
"I can't do this~~"
"How about you stop complaining and actually get to work..."
"Hey! Is that how you treat someone who just fed you?!"
"Gosh... Don't remind me of that embarrassing scene just now. I wanna die..."
"Oh you're so cute when you don't admit that you actually like it." Zanphia got next to Zenover and pinched his face with both her hands.
"Knock it off already. You're distracting me!"
"No can do!"
"Fine... Do whatever you want to my face..." Zenover seemed to have accepted his fate.
"Hehe! That's my good little brother! After I'm done, I'll wash your face for you!"
"Please stop humiliating me..."
As the siblings started bickering again, Jogrin observed them. It was like just now, something felt awry. Albeit not having a sibling himself, Jogrin guessed that was how normal siblings interacted, so the problem didn't lie in that, it was something else...
'What's up with the both of them... especially Zanphia.' Jogrin was perplexed.
"You two, the clock is ticking..."
"Ahh!! I really need to finish it soon!!"
Finally, Zanphia caught onto the fact that she was running out of time, so she hurried back to her seat in a panic.
"Mr. Tyron, is the meeting over? If it is, I'd like to head to the campsite so that I won't keep imposing on them." Jogrin addressed Tyron and asked.
"I believe it should be over now."
Tyron replied so, then Jogrin focused on Kapel who was almost done with the dish washing.
"If that is the case, I suppose visiting the campsite will be fine. We will move once I finish this. I am hoping to have a discussion with Captain Ryov, so we will be going without you requesting." Kapel, knowing that Jogrin was seeking for his approval without looking back, spoke up.
As Jogrin waited for Kapel, he continued to observe Zanphia and Zenover who were scratching their heads, and Naytia who was showing a genial smile beside them.
...
"We welcome you. Please feel free to have a seat." Captain Ryov, having noticed the arrival of the three, welcomed them warmly.
"Thank you... Mr. Tyron, may I trouble to keep watch for the time being? I would like to talk with Captain Ryov in private."
"No problem. It's my duty anyway. Please go ahead."
"Thank you for your understanding."
Kapel said "in private," but in reality, they were just standing on one side of the tent, while Jogrin and Tyron were on the other.
Throughout their discussion, Kapel always had his eyes on Jogrin. Though unable to make out what they were saying, Jogrin surmised that they were talking about the contents from the meeting just now. Whether Kapel decided to reveal them would be entirely up to him.
'I wonder if they have any news about the shuttle that I was encased in while reaching here.'
Despite having been let down several times before, Jogrin still hoped that the shuttle would miraculously emerge and still be functional. That was the only way to get himself back to his home planet.
And when that happened, he would have to give up on trying to protect the Maladins from any possible harm. As regrettable as this was, he had priorities, and sometimes sacrifices had to be made. No matter how badly they treated him, the Darkians were still where he belonged.
"I am grateful that you shared the information with me."
"No problem. The higher-ups thought that you should know too, so it's not my personal decision."
It didn't take long for them to finish their discussion. And it seemed like the meeting wasn't just for the Second Order of the Royal Knights, but also for other staff at the military and the "Palacial" as well.
"Jogrin. I will be sharing some of the details discussed with you."
"Really? Shouldn't they be classified or something?"
"For the internal affairs, that would be the case. However, as you might have anticipated, most of the contents of the meeting was about you. The fact that the operation will be stationed at Proxer's house has been informed to the higher-ups. They concurred with it, so long as you are under constant supervision."
Their condition was basically the same as Kapel's. Hence, living here wouldn't pose a problem... ostensibly, as Jogin had one concern regarding this.
"I know this planet has received guests from various other planets, but will it be a problem if I were seen by people who live in this neighborhood?"
"Though seldom, there have been others who possess a tail... But yours would still appear rather peculiar to many. While I believe being seen would not be much of a problem, I recommend you to stay out of their sight."
Indeed, from the reactions from those whom Jogrin had met before, most of them were startled when they noticed his tail. It was logical that Jogrin should be prudent.
"Anything else?"
"Allow me." Captain Ryov spoke up. "Previously, we have been informed by Commander Maladin that you have inquired about a shuttle that should have arrived along with you... The thing is, according to the intelligence unit, recordings from security cameras within the military bases in the vicinity of where you crash landed indicated that, only you could be seen."
In other words, there was no sign of the shuttle Jogrin mentioned. The chance of it having been separated from Jogrin during the voyage was astronomically high. In turn, that would mean that there was no way back to his home planet.
It wasn't like he could just fly up and go beyond the atmospheric layer himself. There was a good chance that he wouldn't be able to survive. With Zuta's technology, there might be a vehicle that allowed for interstellar journeys, but the problem was, the location of the Darkian planet was unknown. The shuttle might've recorded the path it took to get to Zuta, if he retraced it, he could return to his home.
That was why the shuttle was essential, but that hope was nothing but shattered.
"Do you have anything you want to add regarding this?" Kapel queried.
Jogrin explained his opinion on the matter as described above.
"There indeed are vehicles for such a use, but it is as you have said, we do not know the whereabouts of your planet of origin."
"Nothing we can do about that..."
This was a huge conundrum, but there was no point in dwelling on this for now.
"There is one last thing we will be sharing with you. Regarding to the powers of the Darkians you told us about, we have also informed the higher-ups of it. Here is their verdict..."
The fact they'd already acceded to Kpael and Captain Ryov's plan was enough to tell Jogrin what they actually wanted to do with him. And if he had to give his opinion on this, he'd say he absolutely despised what those "higher-ups" had in mind.
"It is similar to what I told you a moment ago, that you are to live in the Maladin household... Captain Ryov conveyed to me their orders: the Knights and I must report any instances of the activation of your powers, preferably recorded in video format."
"Nothing more?"
"... That is correct."
"And you're not infuriated with that?"
"..."
"You are, since you're not supposed to inform me about this."
"Hold on, Jogrin. What do you mean by that?" Captain Ryov was perplexed by the exchange between Jogrin and Kapel.
"After telling them everything about my capabilities, including the one that drains life force, and the one that makes people vomit, they still opted for me to stay with Proxer and the others. What do you make of it, Captain Ryov?"
"You don't mean that..."
"They're trying to keep me here, or to be more precise, away from them. At the same time, they want to see my powers in action, from afar, to see if I can be a military asset to Zuta. That is, with the possible expense of 'a mere few lives.' Kapel understood that, so he told me as a way of rebellion." Jogrin expounded.
"That's... cunning."
"That's really reckless of you, Kapel, but I suppose that means you've come to trust me more, as slightly as it might be."
"At this point, you are more trustworthy than those monsters in disguise."
"Monsters, huh?"
As despicable as those higher-ups were, as long as those perilous powers never activated, there was nothing they could do. For now, keeping himself in check would be the most imperative for Jogrin.