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Talia had deep experience with this.
She often woke up to find her blanket gone.
"Alright then, if you want to join me, I can help with the logistics, and you can focus on fighting the Blood Clan."
She had been curious about McCarthy’s restaurant for a while now, thinking it would be nice to have morning tea, afternoon tea, and evening tea there, and to take the kids along.
"No problem."
Lanci promised.
Next time in the Shadow World, he would definitely take Talia with him to enjoy the blessings.
Just thinking about the three of them getting along made him feel like it was too harmonious.
In the banquet hall.
Nigel was quite surprised to hear that Lanci had attended several Demon Race banquets.
"Is that so?"
He had not expected Lanci to have met other members of the Demon Race and be acquainted with them.
The Demon Race in Hutton Kingdom must be very rare, but he understood because he had heard that Lanci had been to the Northern Continent and was good at challenging the Shadow World.
"Of course, I know a thing or two about the etiquette of various Demon Races."
Lanci nodded.
"If Miss Tata were here, you could have danced with her."
Nigel revealed a somewhat helpless smile.
Although he felt that Lanci and Tata were always bickering, their relationship was surprisingly not bad.
"Haha, she... wait, she really could."
Lanci habitually wanted to mock Tata but suddenly realized she was a princess.
After perceiving her as the next-door unemployed girl with grey hair for so long, he often overlooked her most genuine identity.
"What if I could dance, do you think I would agree to your request?"
Talia spoke in Lanci’s mind.
"No, with our coordination, we’d likely step on each other’s feet at least twice in four steps."
The more Lanci worked with Talia, the more he felt like the two of them were like sine and cosine functions.
They never matched up.
"Don’t you think that even if it’s for the sake of practicing our understanding, you should still first attempt to ask your mentor?"
Talia asked after a moment of silence.
"But right now there really is no chance, we can’t just summon you out of thin air, can we? Unless... you actually want to agree to my request?"
Lanci helplessly responded with his thoughts.
"Today is indeed a pity, but in two days, during the fireworks festival, there will be the Temple of Love’s masquerade ball event; you could invite Tata to go with you."
Nigel suddenly seemed to remember something and mentioned it.
"..."
Lanci found himself at a loss for words and looked at Nigel.
And the Tata in his heart also fell silent, as if watching to see how he would respond.
As everyone knows, the biggest gap in the top lane is the jungle difference.
And today, right from the start, Lanci felt that gap.
"What’s wrong?"
Nigel always felt as if Lanci had been arguing with someone a moment ago, and his unintentional remark had somehow thrown Lanci off.
"Right, Nigel, is your full name Nigel Quelstern?"
Lanci abruptly changed the subject, to the point where even Nigel was a bit startled.
Despite Nigel’s not-so-great reputation in the Poson Demon World, the majority of the Demon Race here still showed him the due respect, even calling him Young Master Quelstern.
At Sir Perlman Quelstern’s dinner, even Lord Astrophel from District 7 didn’t come especially to trouble Nigel and Butler Rocky.
However, Astrophel couldn’t resist coming over to mock Nigel a few times, Nigel was expressionless, then Astrophel was taken away by Lord Eureka from District 8, a gentle and elegant Demon Race lady with glasses.
"Yes, I was adopted and mentored by Teacher Perlman from a young age, he is like a foster father to me."
Nigel acknowledged.
"So today’s birthday girl, Siyala Quelstern, is more like your adoptive sister?"
Lanci asked Nigel, as he looked towards a girl being greeted by demons in the far side of the hall.
"..."
Nigel did not deny it, but neither did he nod, as if it was difficult for him to refer to her as his adoptive sister.
"It’s your sister’s birthday; as her brother, you should at least go and greet her."
Lanci patted his back, nudging him forward.
He could see that Nigel was reluctant to face his mentor’s daughter, Siyala.
But he also noticed that Nigel had looked at Siyala a few times, and Siyala had also glanced at Nigel, but their eyes had never met.
"The accident wasn’t your fault, and if I’m guessing right, it was you who protected Siyala, wasn’t it?"
Lanci continued, watching Nigel who was as immovable as a lump of iron.
It was said that when Nigel had to kill his cursed, Berserk sister, Siyala, his older sister, was also present.
Clearly, if Nigel had not made that cruel decision, Siyala would have died as well.
"That can’t change the outcome or Siyala’s inner wounds."
Nigel muttered, looking down.
"Your decisiveness and resolution actually saved her. There’s no need to blame yourself; tragedies happen, time can’t be reversed, and some things can’t be changed even in a lifetime, but the tragedy wasn’t your fault."
Lanci kept patting Nigel’s back, as if he would keep doing so unless Nigel moved.
"You need to understand that, alright?"
"..."
Nigel gave Lanci a complicated look and nodded, his eyes, deep and dark as ever, finally turned towards where Siyala was, in the shining spot.
Then Lanci’s heart also heard a sigh.
"Sometimes you can also do some good, can’t you? If you were always like this, why would Hugh be so scared?"
Talia noticed Lanci’s weird capacity for emotional exchange; when used poorly, he was like a cult leader, but when used well, he was like a Little Angel.
She had been watching Lanci all along.
