NOVPUBUnder the clear sky, looking from afar, there is a vivid blue and pure color.
After lunch, Lanci, Hyperion, and Talia bid temporary goodbye to the Welfort family.
Lead by Lanci, they left the mansion and stepped onto the road leading to the eastern city-state.
This road, known as the "Path of the Guardian," is wide and quiet, with towering oak trees and neatly arranged shrubs on both sides, lush green grass carpeting the ground.
Talia is very familiar with this place.
Once upon a time, she would come here every day to wait for Lanci.
It was also early summer then, and the afternoon sun on the Nanwantian Border made people’s skin slightly hot.
However, her life and mood were far from calm during that time, spending every day considering how to make the best use of her deal with Lanci to raise the seemingly unreachable war chest for the restoration of her country.
Dozens of years of lonely wandering ended due to a chance encounter at the foot of the city wall.
Talia walked between Lanci and Hyperian, mute with thought.
Although they were wearing lightweight casual clothes, they could still feel the heat wafting from the distant grass, and the warm wind made them sleepy.
But none of them felt sleepy.
They quickly passed this path, the view broadened, and they reached the stone bridge over the canal, where water birds occasionally swam leisurely.
Hyperion stood on the far left, looking at the river on the right and briefly observing the expressions of Tata and Lanci.
The two of them seemed to always be used to being silent and not talking to each other.
But Hyperion found it difficult to adapt to this atmosphere; the cries of the water birds lingering in her heart.
She didn’t know which was harder - facing Lanci or facing Tata.
All Hyperion knew was that some kind of peace in her heart was gone.
At that moment of desperation, she, who was closer to Lanci’s heart, did not feel the slightest security.
Even now, she feels a timid fear as if something of hers is about to be taken away.
No matter what Tata wanted, Hyperion originally thought she would offer it with both arms.
But now, Hyperion began to question this idea. She didn’t know if it was because her love for Tata wasn’t enough, or because she was too selfish.
Hyperion had originally planned to find a good opportunity to recognize Talia after coming back.
However, because of the embarrassing incident that happened between the three of them in the morning, Hyperion, now knowing that Talia is her aunt, didn’t know how to start talking about it. Suddenly mentioning it might make things even more awkward between the two of them.
Just off the bridge and walking on the slope, in the muddled time, Hyperion felt a gaze run over her.
She turned her head and looked in the direction of the gaze.
It was Lanci looking at her.
He seemed to see the anxiety that was about to be written into her stride.
"Hyperion..."
Lanci smiled helplessly.
His silent gaze seemed to comfort her - don’t worry that Tata will have a grudge against you. As long as she is well-fed, her mood will be better. She won’t mind that much.
That was what Lanci wanted to convey.
"!"
Hyperion quickly looked away, unwilling to read Lanci’s impolite thoughts anymore.
With Tata right between them, she couldn’t believe Lanci would dare play such a game!
Talia paused in her steps slightly, moved Hyperion next to Lanci, and exchanged positions with her.
It seemed as if she didn’t want Hyperion to walk close to the driveway, just a subconscious act of protection.
"..."
Looking at Talia, Hyperion felt a sour sensation in her eyes, recalling the meticulous care she received when living with Talia.
In her childhood imagination, only a mother would be so good to her.
On her return journey to the Northern Continent, she missed Tata the most. Knowing that having Tata by her side makes her the happiest person in the world, now that she really is back by her side, she feels troubled by the imagined distance between them.
Hyperion vigorously shook her head and, after a long hesitation, timidly reached out and held onto Talia’s arm.
Talia looked at Hyperion blankly.
She didn’t resist Hyperion’s intimacy.
In Talia’s eyes, Hyperion had always been a girl who cared greatly about maintaining distance. She was always worried that being a bother to others or presumptuously getting too close would make them annoyed. Therefore, even when they lived together every day, Hyperion never tried to initiate closeness with her.
Who would have thought, in just the blink of an eye and six months later, Hyperion was now willing to be close to her.
In the shadow of Lanci’s footsteps, witnessing this sudden unraveling of tension among the three of them, the cat boss is a bit overwhelmed!
What magic did Teacher Da Lan use this time?
How did he manage to make this atmosphere feel like a family trip for Lanci?
I heard that Lanci and Hyperion had once encountered an Illusionary Barrier at Herram Prison. That illusion could unearth a person’s most fragile fantasies or their irreparable regrets—beautiful dreams that they could never fulfill in reality.
Although the cat boss didn’t know what specifically happened inside Herram Prison between them, or why Hyperion and Tata’s relationship seemed to improve, he heard on the way to Nanwantina that, in Hyperion’s dream, Duke Migaya and Duchess Isatia brought her to play in the Nanwantina region.
Now it feels as if that dream has almost come true…
He looked at Lanci.
His expression was very natural. It seemed as long as he saw Hyperion happy, he was relieved.
"Lanci, thank you."
Hyperion thanked him.
Facing Hyperion’s sudden thanks, Lanci didn’t feel surprised. Even if she didn’t say it, her eyes always conveyed similar sentiments when they were together.
"No need for thanks."
Lanci said with a smile, just like he had said to Hyperion on the fourth floor of Herram prison. Despite how cruel reality might be for her, he would try his best to make it a little more pleasant for her,
"Don’t worry, Hyperion, I will help you find Mr. Migaya and Miss Isatia. Searching for people is one of my strengths."
After saying that, Lanci specifically looked at Talia.
"…"
Talia was confused. She didn’t know why Lanci was suddenly acting so confidently.
He should not know about her relationship with Isatia. Migaya and Isatia were only related to Hyperion. So why was he looking at her?
Although Asina had told her that Lanci was really skilled at handling civil commissions, that was simply at the level of community service around The Ichrite Academy. Could he really help her find Antanas?
Of course, if the siblings Sinola and Pranay were still alive, she would actually miss them quite a lot. Back then, they were the only demon world civilians she could get along with.
As for the general who is always at the Demon King’s Castle… he is likely to be dead already. He didn’t need others to kill him, he was fond of seeking danger, sometimes even knowingly risking his life.
After a brief trip down memory lane, Talia soon brought herself back to reality.
"Safety first."
In the end, Talia reminded him as such. 𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝙤𝙢
From the bottom of her heart, she really hoped that Lanci could help her find Isatia. Aside from Antanas and the others, she felt her life would not have much more to regret.
Her longstanding desire for the restoration of her nation, as well as her hatred, can just vanish like smoke.
She didn’t want to be bound by the past anymore.
But above all, she hoped that Lanci and Hyperion can stay safe. She didn’t want them to take risks.
"Eh, Tata, are you worried about me?"
Lanci pointed at himself curiously, his face filled with surprise as he asked Talia.
"…"
In the beginning, whenever she saw Lanci acting cheeky, Talia would just give him a sidelong glance.
Later, that turned into denial.
Later still, she would just ignore him.
"Yes."
Talia answered, her tone was firm, as always, without any fluctuations.
"…"
Lanci was flummoxed for a while.
She admitted it?
Although there were occasional times where Talia suddenly became a bit warmer.
But he had never seen Talia like this before.
"Where did you hide the real Tata?"
Lanci mumbled.
"Take a guess."
Talia looked at him and said.
"??"
Lanci was even more confused. Talia was still not angry and even started to respond to his jokes.
