NOVPUBThe Bingxue Witch shook her head, deciding not to delve further into this matter.
Compared to her, who had only arrived from the Northern Continent a few months ago, Loren and Florence had known each other for several years, they surely understood Florence better and were more familiar with her than she was.
She rarely left the temple in the Forest City Gedalya, and it had been over a hundred years since she last visited the South Continent; sometimes, she also felt that the city of Ichrite was filled with novelties.
"Where did you go today? I couldn’t find you all morning."
The Bingxue Witch approached Loren, still somewhat disgruntled as she redirected the conversation back to the matter at hand.
Loren had disappeared this morning, as though he had vanished into thin air.
If her guess was right, this fellow, supposedly resting, was likely taking advantage of the free time to engage in unspeakable activities.
Loren was stronger than she was, if he deliberately concealed his Magic Power and whereabouts, she indeed had no way to find him, let alone rashly track Loren in such a state.
"I, I met with a friend."
Loren explained, a bit nervously.
"..."
The Bingxue Witch gazed at Loren’s flustered appearance, pondering for a moment.
If Loren was completely calm and collected, she would have thought nothing of it, merely the quality of a typical behind-the-scenes manipulator.
But this fellow could actually feign just the right amount of panic.
It was as if he had run into a colleague while on a weekend date with his girlfriend.
It was awkward and natural to a point that was a bit too much.
"I understand."
The Bingxue Witch thought it over again and nodded.
Since Loren wanted to play his part, she could only go along with what he said.
Before she gained his trust, revealing her intent to uncover the truth hastily would be somewhat dangerous.
"You have indeed been working too hard recently, I’ve noticed. However, next time you have free time, perhaps consider that I am also helping you by working overtime."
Still without a smile on her face, she spoke to Loren in an even tone.
"I’m sorry... I don’t know how to thank you..."
Loren clasped the back of his head with one hand, looking down as he spoke.
Guilt mixed with gratitude made it especially hard for him to express himself.
"Then if there’s another day off like this, take me with you; otherwise, I’ll feel imbalance in my heart."
The Bingxue Witch said.
Unable to reveal her intent to investigate Loren and yet wanting a legitimate reason to keep an eye on him, to avoid being caught without a suitable explanation, the best strategy was to naturally earn his permission. That way, standing by his side, regardless of how she tracked him, would be perfectly reasonable.
After all, a woman’s curiosity could explain most issues.
"...Um, Miss Almis, but we..."
Loren’s voice faltered.
Even if he was slow to catch on, he knew that a man and woman going out together on a day off could possibly, probably, count as a date.
"We’re just colleagues. Or do you think I’m such a bore that you wouldn’t want to spend even a single day with me?"
The Bingxue Witch moved a step closer, looked up directly at Loren, and asked.
"No, I’m really thankful to you, and I find you to be incredibly reliable. In my toughest times, you were the only one willing to stand by me so firmly. Without you, I wouldn’t have known how to get through last month."
Loren hastily replied with sincerity.
"..."
The Bingxue Witch was somewhat at a loss for words.
Watching his sincere eyes, the Bingxue Witch involuntarily let down her guard for a moment.
For some reason, she felt as though Loren’s emotions at that moment weren’t feigned.
That’s not right.
It was precisely this that was terrifying, as she could not clearly discern whether the man was deceiving her or was genuinely sincere.
The hero’s stage of the Northern Continent was vivid in her mind, the last words of the Saint of Destruction echoed in her ears, each detail reminded her that there was definitely something amiss with Loren.
"So, your answer."
She came back to her senses, her gaze sharp once again.
"As long as you don’t mind, I certainly have no problem."
Loren smiled wryly.
From the first time they met, he had never been able to understand Almis’s thoughts. The only thing he was certain of was that Almis treated him very well.
As it stood, she seemed not to dislike him too much.
The instructor had said that team building with colleagues was very normal, that sometimes, more team-building activities were necessary to strengthen the cohesion of the Church.
"Then it’s a deal."
Having said her piece, the Bingxue Witch turned and left, signaling that Loren could depart as well.
[...]
In the silence of the instructor, Loren once again opened the door to the secret chamber of the Temple, and walked along the corridor, quickening his steps.
In less than half a minute, he had crossed the Yala Moat and the Riverport Bridge and returned to the opposite side where the Ichrite Opera House was located.
"Instructor, how’s the time?"
[Seventeen minutes and twenty seconds have passed since you left Juliana’s side.]
The instructor’s voice immediately came through, proving he hadn’t dropped the line earlier but had been listening without speaking.
Loren felt instantly reassured upon hearing this voice.
Although the voice was altered and he couldn’t tell what the instructor’s original voice sounded like, Loren’s entire sense of security now rested on it.
Following the instructor’s route planning, today’s toughest challenge was safely passed without incident.
[The good news is you have many routes available.]
The instructor suddenly said.
"And the bad news?"
Loren didn’t understand what the instructor meant by "routes" at this moment.
It didn’t sound like he was referring to the way back to the opera house, as Loren was nearly there.
[The bad news is you’ve opened up every single one.]
"??"
Loren didn’t understand, his face full of confusion.
[It’s not too big of a problem. You’ve now returned to the proper course of the dating route. We’ll talk about the brother route and the witch route later. Next, all you need to do is have dinner with Juliana, watch a show, and play a bit at the Golden Bee Amusement Park in the evening, and the date will be over.]
The instructor’s voice continued to echo in Loren’s ears.
"Hiss."
The mention of the amusement park by the instructor made Loren somewhat worried again.
The Golden Bee Amusement Park in Ichrite is always a crowded place, with many special souvenirs and limited gourmet prizes. On weekend evenings, it tends to be even more crowded, and Loren had never experienced going to such fashionable spots with a girl.
The instructor had analyzed Juliana’s preferences and timely selected this dating agenda, and sure enough, it was very much to Juliana’s liking.
[Don’t worry, I will also be at the amusement park tonight. If you encounter any trouble, I might appear as any passerby and help you.]
The instructor said.
"Thank you, instructor."
Loren felt a surge of relief.
[Anyway, after today’s drill, your time management has shown great improvement. Be confident, even if next time you have to face the real difficulty of hell, I believe you will get through it. What doesn’t destroy you will make you stronger.]
"What if I get destroyed?"
Loren didn’t know what the instructor meant, but the instructor’s successive riddles gave him a sense that the gears of fate had begun to turn, and he was completely oblivious to it.
[I’ll be there.]
The instructor’s voice was as confident as ever.
"That’s a relief."
Loren finally let go of the anxiety he was holding on to,
"Can I also ask for your guidance on my next date, instructor…"
[No problem, whenever and wherever, even if I have my own plans, I will do my utmost to help you as well.]
"Great!"
The instructor’s unflappable confidence seemed to be infectious.
After all, they had succeeded today.
Next time, they would be even more successful!
…
On a bench at the edge of Temple Square, a young man in a black baseball cap sipped his coffee one-handed and finally cut off the earpiece communication, taking a break.
He opened his notebook, removed the temporary bookmark, a [Golden Bee Amusement Park entrance ticket], and started looking at the hand-drawn map.
The Little Black Cat beside him leaned in closer
"Meow meow, what if next time you happen to be running three routes while also directing Loren on three routes, do you really dare to play?"
Cat Boss seemed to anticipate the worst-case scenario, looking at Lanci with some concern.
"Firstly, there’s little chance of such a low-probability event happening."
Lanci looked toward it, simply smiling with ease,
"Secondly, such difficulty is trivial for me. Can you imagine me begging for mercy out of fear?"
His eyes, like the green surface of a lake, remained clear, naturally harboring thoughtfulness and tranquility.
"Meow."
Cat Boss meowed and gazed at Lanci, lost in his universe of thoughts.
Since Lanci said it would be successful, it had no more worries about the future and decided it would just enjoy the day following Lanci around.
Then it reached for the golden entrance ticket Lanci had placed on the chair.
It seemed to remember that yesterday when Tata came back, the edge of the shopping bag he carried also revealed a golden corner like this.
But most likely, it had seen it wrong. It was not possible that both of them always thought about going to the same places.
