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"How nice."
Isatia embraced the cat, her heart racing with excitement.
No matter what, she was determined to support her sister and this man.
"If I could successfully return to Ichrite, would I be able to see a sweet romantic comedy every day?"
she murmured to herself.
Even though the current situation in the Cerryti Empire was fraught with hardship and devoid of hope, the moment she saw her sister arrive, she felt a surge of strength fill her entire being, as if ignited, willing to fight with all her might for that beautiful future she scarcely dared imagine—
Not only returning to the peaceful life in the Royal Capital as before but also having more friends and family by her side.
"Then you might be in for a treat, meow."
Cat Boss dared not say more.
The painting of the twisted pretzel alone in its shop was hefty in its significance.
"Lanci, be honest with Isatia and tell her about our journey to the Cerryti Empire and the Mafia stronghold."
Talia completed a one-on-one communication with Lanci, standing beside him to urge him to re-tell the story well to Isatia.
Lanci seemed to have become much more honest after being lectured by Talia.
Of course, it could also be that he was threatened by the encrypted call.
Like if Lanci didn’t listen to her, she would start to act spoiled.
"Sit, please sit."
Isatia pointed to a distance, asking Lanci and Talia to sit beside her workbench.
They had been standing and talking for ages, when in fact, this underground palace had tables and chairs, also where Isatia lived every day.
Isatia hurried to adjust some switch components on the wall.
With the low rumbling of mechanical transmission echoing in the quiet space, suddenly, warm light cascaded down like a waterfall, brightening the entire palace as if they were in a dream realm detached from reality.
Talia and Lanci’s gaze was drawn to the radiant light above, where crystal decorations inlaid with gold and blue patterns shone like a cluster of brilliant stars, casting a warm glow into every corner of the hall, lighting up the light-colored stone carvings on the walls and leaving bright trails of light on the smooth white stone floor.
After a moment, the bone-chilling cold air gradually eased into a more comfortable temperature.
"I’m sorry, I don’t even have tea to offer you a proper welcome."
Isatia sat down with them at a long table on one side of the underground palace, where the Immortal Crystal lamps shone brightly in the firelight, and chairs carved from oak were neatly arranged on both sides of the table.
"It’s okay."
Lanci waved his hand in response.
Isatia was his classmate’s mother, and he felt somewhat embarrassed by her politeness.
"Actually, it all began when Tata and I went to the Poseen Kingdom. We were there for the supervision of the Platinum Level Card Maker exam, intending to also buy some high-order Mental Series materials. Coincidentally, we were also looking to improve our rapport, so we embarked on a journey full of mishaps..."
Lanci began to tell Isatia the story.
"Mhm, mhm."
Isatia listened intently, holding Cat Boss and nodding frequently, focusing earnestly on Lanci and Talia.
"I often go to the Poseen Kingdom too, and I know quite a few friends there. You met Rosalinda, didn’t you?"
She couldn’t help but ask. 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
"Yes, she’s quite close to Aitio and Tata."
Lanci confirmed.
"I really want to see her again."
Isatia’s thoughts seemed to drift northward toward the beautiful Floral City.
"But I think Rosalinda would probably prefer not to see you..."
Talia said softly.
Aitio was fine, she considered Isatia as a sworn sister.
Countess Rosalinda would probably be filled with bitter feelings the moment she saw Isatia.
"Then we got involved in an incident concerning ’Parlony’s Grudge Record’, but luckily, we resolved it in the end and defeated Perlman and Beelzebub, the masterminds behind it all..."
Lanci continued to recount the events that unfolded in Floral City Pariel to Isatia.
"Wasn’t Perlman a decent member of the Demon Clan? And who is Beelzebub?"
After listening to Lanci finish the account of the Floral City Pariel events, Isatia still had some questions.
She had once met Perlman, the Lord of the Posen Demon Realm 10th District, and had a very good impression of him.
```
He could very well be credited as a major contributor to the current prosperity of the Poseen Kingdom, even creating a certain possibility for the coexistence of humans and the Demon Race.
"We can only say that the Demon Race is capable of change, just look at your... um, Beelzebub! By our estimation, he comes from the Eighth-order Demon Tribe from beyond the Calamity Servitude in the Northern Continent of the lost land, but that’s not the point. He’s obviously not part of our system, and the stage over there is probably a different story altogether," explained Lanci to Isatia.
"So, did full-scale war break out in the South Continent after that? The good friend you made in Poseen, Nigel, gave you identities to infiltrate the Cerryti Empire?"
Isatia roughly guessed what had happened next.
"That’s right. We initially assumed the identity of a 62-year-old publisher named Lovia, who happened to be on the train arriving in Bulida when we encountered an attack by Allied Forces’ spies. Professor Landry, in the compartment next to us, was unfortunately killed, and I had no choice but to take his place and fulfill his last wishes, taking on his responsibilities to once again make the Cerryti Empire great."
Lanci nodded solemnly, straightening his posture and tapping his fingers on the table as he spoke.
"...Why did you start adopting the Empire’s perspective from here on out?"
Isatia noticed something was off.
Initially, she truly believed that Professor Landry was a die-hard Empire person; she didn’t expect that he was actually an old countryman from Hutton Kingdom playing a role, completely fooling her.
Now she thought it might not be a problem with the persona of Landry, but rather the person underneath the disguise.
"Just say whether I managed to fool everyone or not," Lanci asked.
"...Continue, brother."
Isatia had no comeback and let Lanci continue the story.
"As a result, I successfully replaced Landry, taught at the Saint Kray Temple Monastery, and even joined the Empire’s Special Operations Department. I might be involved in an Empire plan in the future. Elsa, as Landry’s sister, was my responsibility to protect. After being attacked today, I pursued and eventually captured a member of the Blood Clan and was brought here by the Mafia boss Barton, planning to strike a deal with the Bulida Mafia," Lanci summarized succinctly.
Being referred to as ’brother’ by Isatia made him quite uncomfortable, but he didn’t know what to say at the moment and focused on getting through the important matters first.
"The final situation is as you know. We started fighting as soon as we met, and if I were the real Landry, I might have been dead on the spot," he said, spreading his hands.
He always vehemently condemned the refusal to communicate.
"Oh, sorry about that. That’s Demon Race diplomatic etiquette," Isatia apologized, tapping her head and sticking out her tongue.
...
Lanci understood this kind of etiquette but could not agree with it.
Compared to them, Antanas truly was a great member of the Great Demon Clan, someone you could have a good conversation with at first sight. Probably only Antanas was like that.
The others, be it Sinola or Pranay, you’d be lucky to talk to them without getting killed if you were even slightly weaker.
Isatia across from him seemed to understand the situation.
She stood up, leaned over and bowed slightly.
"I entrust my sister to you, Lanci."
Isatia patted Lanci’s shoulder with satisfaction.
Even though Lanci’s narrative omitted many details, such as his interactions with Talia, Isatia could feel that Lanci had helped her sister a lot.
"I hope to call you brother-in-law soon."
She whispered, covering her mouth with her hand and winking at Lanci.
"Wait a second."
Lanci quickly responded.
I treat you as an aunt, yet you treat me as a brother?
We can’t keep going on with each of us having a different story in the future.
Naturally, Talia read his mind.
Talia, in her embarrassment and anger, raised her hand and knocked Lanci on the head, causing him to hold his head in bewilderment and look at her.
"Just treat her as a younger sister."
If Isatia was an aunt, then that meant Talia, as Isatia’s older sister, would also be an aunt!
"How can this be?"
Lanci felt that proper respect for elders and family hierarchy must not be confused.
"You are of my generation, so that’s that!"
Talia insisted.
