Karl blinked hard. The voice behind him wasn't Leo's. It was too soft, too fluid, too... feminine.

Standing there was a fully naked woman, skin pale as porcelain, hair neatly tied back as though invisible pins still held it. Her posture was formal, her expression calm, her gray eyes empty of all emotion.

"Oh... it's you," Karl muttered, relief in his voice. "For a second I thought—" His eyes trailed down her figure. His brain froze. His jaw locked. "—were him."

She didn't flinch, didn't cover herself, didn't even look embarrassed. She stood at attention like she was still wearing her uniform.

"I am the executive under Sir Leo, my lord," she said smoothly. "He was the first one to wake up. He's on his way towards the fourth floor. He ordered me to assist you until his return."

Karl rubbed his face, groaning. "Right. Of course. You're calm. Completely naked, but calm. Great. Fantastic."

Her gray eyes blinked. "My lord, I am... unaccustomed to this." She hesitated, then added with a rare crack in her composure, "It is... breezy. Between my legs. And I am cold."

Karl exhaled sharply through his nose. "Yep. That'll do it." He pinched the bridge of his nose, then threw his arms wide toward the crowd of newly-awakened ghouls.

"Alright! Listen up, all of you! Congratulations, you've transitioned. You are no longer skeletons. You are ghouls. Flesh and bone. White-skinned beauties, every last one of you." His grin widened. "But—dressing buck naked in public is not permitted. Save that for a private session... or an orgy. I'm not here to micromanage your extracurriculars, but for the love of god, not on the clock and get used to being dress. Eventually you'll learn why having a dress is the next most important thing than breathing."

A ripple of confusion spread across the ghouls. Some nodded gravely as if they'd just been given sacred doctrine.

Karl clapped his hands. "So — dress up! We've got a lot of work to do!"

Immediately, the chamber bustled with motion. Ghouls bent to gather discarded uniforms or searched the racks of folded clothing nearby. But the results were... less than smooth. A hulking brute squeezed into a too-small suit, seams straining like an overstuffed sausage. Another slipped into pants so loose they pooled around his ankles. One broad-shouldered woman tugged on a shirt designed for a man's frame, sleeves hanging past her hands.

Karl dragged his palm down his face. "Oh god. It's worse than a Walmart fitting room."

Then his eyes landed on Ossario. The tailor stood, hands already full of fabric, jaw clenched tight. His mustache twitched with suppressed fury as he scanned the crowd. Ossario's mustache twitched again. His hands flew up, clutching fabric like it was a wounded child.

"Mio Dio. Carlos!" he burst out, his voice heavy with an accent thick enough to slice with a knife. "I warned-a you! I warned-a you, eh? Letting them choose-a their own-a bodies with-a no thought of the uniforms! Madre mia, look-a what we got here! One is-a busting out of his seams like a sausage in-a boiling pot, another is drowning in-a fabric! Disgraziato! This is-a not fashion — this is-a chaos!"

Karl chuckled, leaning back against his tomb like he was enjoying a comedy show.

"Relax, Ossario. Breathe. Think of it this way — job security. You're not just a tailor anymore. You're a tailor in hell's most exclusive fashion district."

"Job-a security?" Ossario jabbed a finger at Karl, eyes bulging. "You promised me, eh! You promised — più sarti! More tailors! You think-a I can-a sew for ninety-seven naked-a ghouls all by-a myself? Am I a god?"

Karl raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright! Fine. You're right. I did promise. Consider this me keeping it for a moment. I'll let you borrow five of them at the moment." He scanned the crowd and jabbed his finger at five random ghouls. "You, you, you, you, and... you. Congrats, you're temporary tailors now. Congratulations on your promotion to fashion slaves."

The chosen five looked at each other, blinking in confusion. One stammered, "But my lord... I'm just a soldier—"

"For now, you're sewing pants, so adapt. Besides, one of you might like making clothes." Karl's grin widened.

Ossario, though still fuming, clutched his chest as though some divine justice had finally touched him. "Grazie, grazie, finally! Some-a sense! You listen-a to Ossario, eh. Without-a discipline, without-a uniforms, your dungeon becomes a circus. Or worse — a brothel!"

Karl snapped his fingers, pointing at him. "Exactly! Thank you! Finally, someone who gets it. The last thing I need is this place turning into GhoulHub Premium. Keep it civil, keep it professional. We're undead entrepreneurs, not a walking porno mag."

Ossario muttered something in rapid Italian curses under his breath, but at least his shoulders eased as he began barking instructions at his five new assistants, pulling them into his orbit like a drill sergeant made of needles and thread. Karl folded his arms and watched, a crooked grin on his lips. "Well. At least the circus has a ringmaster now."

-----------------------------

The silence on the 4th floor broke with the soft click of polished shoes. Leo descended from the stairs, his white suit pristine against the dim cavern light. His skin was alabaster, his hair jet black and combed neatly, his posture elegant but sharp like a blade hidden beneath silk. The kobolds stiffened, tails curling low. They whispered among themselves in awe and fear — for their skeletal superior was no longer bone and cloak, but something almost... human.

Orkesh swallowed hard, bowing slightly. "S-sir Leo..."

Leo raised a hand, silencing him gently. His gray eyes flicked to the corner. The pile of bandit corpses slumped together, mangled and broken, some missing limbs, others with their faces frozen in agony. He crouched beside them, running a hand over one of the bodies. His fingers pressed against the stiffened skin, noting the pale coloration. His brows knitted.

"Their blood congealed too fast," Leo murmured, half to himself. "Ruptured organs, sheared bones... excessive blunt force. Not blades. Not claws." He glanced up at Eddie, who was spraying a jet of cleaning foam onto the wall while whistling a tune, little glowing emoticons flashing above his head.

"E-D179," Leo said, his tone clipped but polite. "Report."

"(o˘◡˘o) Sir, yessir!" Eddie zipped over, his brushes flaring out like an annoyed peacock. "Cleanup's almost done! BUT—" His digital eyes narrowed into angry slits as he jabbed a metal arm toward the mountain of corpses. "LOOK at this mess. ʕಠ益ಠʔ That big tin-can kitty and the muscle-head bag of bones didn't hold back. AGAIN! I told them three times, minimum-effort cleanup battles only!"

The kobolds shrank away as Eddie vented, throwing his little arms around, but Leo only sighed softly. "I see. Your concerns are noted." He rose, dusting off his hands, then turned his eyes on the kobolds. His gaze lingered on the cage where Kenji stirred uneasily, then flicked back to Orkesh. "Tell me, from the beginning. How did this happen?"

Orkesh's throat tightened. He stepped forward, tail curling nervously. "W-we don't know all the details, sir. We just saw fifty bandits enter. Manicia spotted them first as they descended. They pushed their way here before the... units responded."

Leo's eyes narrowed. "And the entrance? I left orders for it to be sealed."

Orkesh hesitated, then jerked his head toward the cage. "We... questioned the survivor. He claimed they used a crystal. Something that disrupted the mana flow. It let them tamper with the door."

Eddie let out a loud beep-beep-beep! "(*≧皿≦) WHAT?!" He whirled on the cage, his eye-lights flashing red. "WHO GAVE THE FURRY FOX A CHEAT ITEM?!"

Kenji jolted awake, scrambling back against the bars as Eddie pressed close, sparks crackling from his metal arms.

Leo lifted a hand, halting the robot's tantrum. "Enough. Stand down." His voice carried the weight of command, and even Eddie grumbled, retracting his sparks. Then, Leo turned his focus fully on Kenji, but spoke to the kobolds. "You said he claimed it was a crystal. Do you believe him?"

Orkesh's ears twitched. "It... sounded convincing. But foxkin lie as easily as breathing. We can't be sure."

Leo's expression tightened. He crossed his arms. "If it is true, then our fortress is nothing but glass. An open book to anyone with such a device. The dungeon's integrity is compromised."

The kobolds stiffened, their fear rising again. Mina's voice cracked. "W-we... we're grateful the units were here, otherwise..."

"Yes," Leo said softly, his gray eyes flicking back to the corpses. "Otherwise, you would have been slaughtered alongside them."

A shiver ran through the group.

But then, Leo straightened, his voice returning to its calm, professional cadence. "Do not despair. The fault lies with us. I grew complacent. That will not happen again. And those responsible..." His lips curved ever so slightly into something dangerous. "...they will pay tenfold."

The kobolds bowed deeply, tails brushing the floor. "Thank you, sir Leo."

Eddie hovered up, suddenly cheerful again, his voice chirping. "(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧ That's right, kiddos! You've got Mr. Perfect Suit AND me, Eddie, the number one maintenance automatoid, on your side! Nothing gets past us! Well—except fifty bandits last night but pshhhh, details, right? (¬‿¬)"

The kobolds sweatdropped in unison.

As they straightened, their eyes lingered on Leo. The difference was too stark — yesterday he had been a skeleton in a suit, now he was... this. Skin like porcelain, sharp features, hair like black silk. He wasn't like them, but he wasn't bone either. He was... something else.

Misha, usually boyish and loud, felt her chest tighten. She'd never seen a human, didn't know the word for it — but when Leo's gray eyes swept the room, her heart thudded doki-doki against her ribs. Her ears turned hot. She quickly looked away, pretending to fix her tunic.

Manicia noticed the blush and smirked, elbowing her. "What's this? Little hunter's heart going thump-thump?"

Misha hissed, tail puffing, "Sh-shut up!" but the heat on her face betrayed her.

Leo, oblivious, had already turned, his polished shoes clicking as he strode deeper into the cavern, his mind already churning with strategies. Just as Leo turned to leave, Mina's voice called out, small but firm:

"Sir Leo... there's one more thing."

Leo paused mid-step, glancing back. "Yes?"

Mina twisted her hands, then steadied herself. "Our kin in the dark forest... is it true, what we've been hearing? About the fog? The sickness?"

For a moment, silence. Then Leo exhaled through his nose, his expression cooling.

"Unfortunately, yes." He adjusted his cuffs, as though words alone needed precision. "The fog is not natural. It carries sulfur compounds—poisonous when breathed for long. At first it only irritates: coughing, wheezing. Later, it scars the lungs. Chronic illness. Eventually... death."

The kobolds flinched. Orkesh's face grew grim. Mina's ears folded back.

"Can it be cured?" she asked.

"Not easily," Leo said. "Even for us, treatment is difficult. It would be wiser to relocate before it worsens. And I suspect Lord Karl will say the same. In fact..." He allowed himself a faint smile. "...I would wager he has already considered it. He tends to plan three moves ahead."

The kobolds murmured, relief mingled with dread.

Leo straightened his white suit and gave them all a calm nod.

"Do not worry. The fault lies not with you, but with us. I will ensure it does not happen again. And... I promise, your kin in the dark forest will not be abandoned. Lord Karl will see to it."

The kobolds bowed in unison, gratitude filling their voices. "Thank you, Sir Leo."

He turned without another word, walking toward the stairwell, his footsteps quiet but full of authority. Even Eddie paused his chatter, tilting his little body and following with his screen displaying (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧, clearly impressed by the boss.

The room stayed silent until Leo's figure disappeared behind the bend.

Then, as if someone had cut a rope, everyone exhaled at once. Mina rubbed her forehead. Orkesh muttered, "Every time he speaks, it feels like my spine locks straight." Manicia snorted, leaning back against the wall. "That's what a real boss looks like."

And that's when Misha, who had been unusually quiet, blurted in a low, nervous voice:

"...Do you think Sir Leo would ever... you know... take a kobold as a partner?"

The cavern froze. Even Eddie paused mid-scrub, his little screen-face flashing (⊙_⊙).

The kobolds stared at Misha. Then, Manicia slapped her thigh and let out a cackle. "Oh ho! That's what's got her tail curling! The boyish little hunter turns all red just because the boss got himself some skin and a pretty face!"

Misha's fur puffed, ears bright red. "Sh-shut up! I didn't mean—! I was just curious!"

"Ohhh, curious, huh?" Manicia teased, nudging her shoulder. "Yesterday you were wrestling wolves and spitting like a boy, today you're asking if the handsome boss would take you as his mate. How cute~"

Misha buried her face in her hands. "Shut up shut up shut up!"

Even Orkesh chuckled despite himself. "Manicia, stop tormenting her. She's making holes in the floor with her tail."

Eddie, completely missing the nuance, hovered closer with a grin emoticon (≧◡≦). "Ooohhh so that's what you organics do when you like someone! You get all red and shouty! (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) I gotta log this for my romance database!"

"EDDIE!" Misha barked, covering her face harder.

But Eddie, oblivious to subtlety, spun around with a wide emoticon on his faceplate (≧◡≦). "Oooooh so this is LOVE?! Red face! Loud voice! Heart rate spiking detected! (♥ω♥*)"

"EDDIE!!" Misha squeaked, hiding her face in both hands.

Manicia grinned ear to ear. "There it is. Our little hunter's first crush. On the boss of all people! Hah, this is too good."

Misha's muffled voice came through her hands. "Shut up shut up shut up!" The kobolds laughed, the tension from earlier finally breaking. Even if only for a short while, they let themselves breathe, teasing and laughing in the wake of their boss's heavy presence.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.