Chapter 96: Working plan
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Bat Bat raised a tiny fist.
"Lily teach Bat Bat important," Bat Bat announced.
Sekhmet looked at Bat Bat.
"What important," he asked.
Bat Bat puffed her cheeks and declared, with full seriousness, "Girls don’t pee on people."
The servant girls behind them choked on laughter.
One of them coughed and pretended it was dust.
Sekhmet’s face went blank.
Lily nodded as if she had just taught advanced philosophy.
"Yes," Lily said, satisfied. "We covered that."
Sekhmet looked at Elena slowly.
Elena’s eyes held the silent pain of someone who had fought a war only to discover the enemy’s weakness was solved by one sentence.
Elena cleared her throat lightly.
"She also learned," Elena said carefully, "that if she wants something, she says please."
Bat Bat nodded proudly.
"Please," Bat Bat repeated, as if it was a weapon.
Lily leaned closer to Bat Bat and added, "And she learned what a pervert is."
Sekhmet froze.
His gaze snapped to Lily.
"What," he asked, voice dangerously calm.
Lily smiled sweetly.
"Relax," she said. "I told her you are not a pervert."
Bat Bat’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"He is not pervert," Bat Bat agreed reluctantly. "But master is blind."
Sekhmet stared.
Lily nodded again.
"That part is true," Lily said.
Sekhmet exhaled slowly through his nose. He did not argue. Arguing here would only create more chaos.
Instead, he asked the only question that mattered.
"Why did her knowledge increase by seven percent," he asked.
Lily blinked.
Elena blinked too.
The servant girls blinked.
Bat Bat blinked like she had no idea what knowledge percent meant.
Lily narrowed her eyes.
"What are you talking about," she asked.
Sekhmet paused. He could not mention the system. He could not mention percentages. He needed to speak in a way that did not sound like he had a divine voice in his head measuring Bat Bat’s brain like a merchant weighing meat.
He chose words carefully.
"She grew," Sekhmet said simply. "Her behavior improved faster with you."
Lily’s face softened slightly, pride blooming.
"Of course," she said. "Because I understand girls."
Elena’s lips tightened faintly.
Bat Bat puffed up.
"I understand girls," Bat Bat echoed, because she liked repeating confident statements.
Sekhmet held his expression steady and nodded once.
"Fine," he said. "Then you can help teach her sometimes."
Lily’s eyes lit up.
"I will," she said quickly. "Because if I do not, she will become a public danger."
Bat Bat gasped. "I am not danger," she protested.
Lily pinched Bat Bat’s tiny cheek gently.
"You are," Lily said sweetly.
Bat Bat squeaked.
Sekhmet watched that small interaction and felt something strange inside him.
Warmth.
Not romance.
Not desire.
Something calmer.
Gratitude.
Because for years in purgatory, his life had been surviving with no softness. No normalcy. No childish arguments. No ridiculous lessons. No people teasing him without fear.
This... was stupid.
But it was also human.
Sekhmet cleared his throat.
"I have work," he said.
Lily tilted her head.
"What work," she asked.
Sekhmet’s gaze sharpened.
"The Dawn House business," he replied. "My father left me in charge."
Elena nodded once, as if she had been waiting for him to say it out loud like a man rather than think it silently like a boy.
Lily’s expression shifted slightly.
"That is a big responsibility," she said, less teasing now.
Sekhmet nodded.
"I know," he replied.
He looked at Elena.
"Elena," he said, "I will be meeting the vice general manager in two days. I want full reports ready. Auction schedules. Supplier lists. Debt records. Everything."
Elena nodded.
"I will prepare it," she said.
The servant girls straightened instinctively.
They loved drama, but they also understood the meaning of "reports." Reports meant work.
Sekhmet looked at Lily.
"And you," he said.
Lily blinked.
"And me," she repeated.
Sekhmet’s eyes narrowed slightly in a way that made Lily suddenly cautious.
"I will not ask you to do business," Sekhmet said. "But I will ask you to keep Bat Bat under control when you visit."
Lily scoffed, pretending she was not pleased.
"Obviously," she said. "Because you cannot."
Bat Bat pointed at Lily.
"Lily boss," Bat Bat declared.
Lily smirked.
"Yes," she said. "I am boss."
Elena’s eyes narrowed, but she did not argue.
Sekhmet’s gaze moved past them toward the staircase.
He needed his next piece of the plan.
Auri.
He had promised himself he would use Auri as his secretary, his shadow assistant, his silent helper. The Dawn House business required movement, not just reading. It required eyes in the city, message delivery, discreet observation, and someone who could do it without gossiping or being seduced by servant girl drama.
Auri was perfect.
He spoke without raising his voice.
"Auri," he called, not loud, but with command.
He opened the void land connection.
The air beside him rippled like cloth over water.
A faint shimmer formed.
Then Auri stepped out.
Soft footfalls.
She appeared calm and composed, wings folded, posture straight. Her beauty made the servant girls freeze like statues. Their eyes widened. Jealousy stabbed the room instantly, sharp and immediate.
One of the maids whispered, "She is too pretty."
Another whispered, "She has wings. That is cheating."
Auri’s eyes swept over the hall, then settled on Sekhmet.
She bowed.
"Yes, master," she said.
Lily stared at Auri, then at Sekhmet, then back at Auri.
"That is your summon," Lily asked slowly.
Sekhmet nodded.
"Yes," he replied.
Lily’s eyes narrowed.
"And you summon pretty women now," she said.
Sekhmet stared.
"She is a harpy bat," he said flatly. "Not a wife."
Lily sniffed as if unconvinced.
Bat Bat pointed at Auri proudly.
"Bat people," Bat Bat said.
Auri’s gaze lowered gently to Bat Bat.
Her lips curved faintly.
"You are Bat Bat," Auri said calmly.
Bat Bat puffed up.
"Yes," Bat Bat replied. "Respect me."
Auri nodded as if this was normal.
"I respect you," Auri said.
Bat Bat’s eyes sparkled.
Sekhmet rubbed his temple.
This was becoming a social hierarchy.
He spoke firmly.
"Auri," Sekhmet said.
Auri’s gaze returned to him instantly.
"Yes, master," she replied.
"I have tasks," Sekhmet said.
Auri waited without expression.
Sekhmet’s eyes hardened slightly.