NOVPUBIn the early morning of Capital City Ichrite, the sky was filled with a faint blue hue, and in this cool autumn season, the air throughout the city was exceptionally fresh.
To the east of Ichrite Academy, past two streets, the roads were lined with shops.
A small restaurant was emitting kitchen smoke and the aroma of oatmeal and cheese for breakfast.
Lanci stood bewilderingly at the entrance of the shop, looking up at this two-story wooden house built in a classic architectural style. There was a sign at the entrance carved with "Cat Boss Restaurant."
Although the entire building was constructed of slightly rustic, tea-colored wood, its design and decoration were heavily influenced by old Victorian charm. The generous rooftop elegantly curved, and the eaves extending far beyond the walls created a spacious impression. The space under the eaves formed a balcony suitable for relaxation and conversation, even dining. A string of wind chimes hung deep under the eaves, ringing harmoniously in the breeze.
This was the new address Talia told Lanci about.
Even though it was a restaurant, the second floor also served as a hostel.
If rented long-term, the fee shouldn’t be too high. Most importantly, Lanci believed that the cuisine here must be distinctive and delicious, for it to have caught the attention of food lover Talia.
As soon as Lanci pushed open the door, the sound of "ding-a-ling~ding-a-ling~" rang out, and the delicate pavilion structure of the restaurant came into view. The simple layout divided the chairs and tables on the first floor into several sections, other than the counter at the entrance, there were entrances leading to the kitchen and the second floor.
Seemingly, they didn’t primarily serve breakfast, hence there weren’t many patrons at this hour. Even the store clerk at the counter had to be engaged in serving dishes.
"Hello, I’m looking for Miss Tata who resides here."
Lanci leisurely waited in front of the counter until the serving clerk returned, before asking.
"Miss Tata... I’m sorry, I only recently started working here and I’m not very familiar with the residents."
The clerk seemed puzzled, then apologized and explained to Lanci.
She looked very young, seemingly of the same age, working part-time here.
"If you could describe her features, even though I can’t tell you the room of our guests, I can go to the second floor to help you look for her."
The clerk offered kindly.
She felt that Lanci didn’t seem like a bad person; he appeared to be a very cordial and gentle young boy.
"Um, she’s very beautiful, about 168 cm tall, looks approximately between 20 to 25 years old, with grey hair and golden eyes. She has an ideal healthy physique, hasn’t given birth, isn’t very talkative and never smiles."
Lanci started to vividly describe Talia’s characteristics.
Last time in his old home, Nanwantina, Lanci failed to describe Talia with words to the housekeeper. Since then, he had been constantly thinking about how to depict her as detailed and perfectly as possible via text.
Before Lanci finished speaking, he felt a sudden chill behind him.
Quickly, a frigid hand landed on his shoulder.
Behind him, there seemed to be a pair of apathetic golden eyes belonging to a superior being, exerting terrifying magical pressure on his body.
The clerk felt as though the temperature throughout the restaurant had dropped by two degrees. Rubbing her shoulders, she started to shiver slightly.
"Are you referring to the lady behind you?"
She raised her hand, pointing somewhat puzzledly in Lanci’s direction, and asked cautiously.
"... Probably."
Maintaining his unwavering smile, Lanci slowly turned his head.
It was as if he had a mountain weighing on his body, making it impossible to move anything other than his head.
Lanci saw Talia standing behind him.
Her delicate hand seemed ready to crush his shoulder at any moment, while her other hand was holding a box of Ichrite sea salt flavored dry cheese biscuits.
This type of biscuit sells out early each morning, so the people of the royal capital need to wake up early to queue for purchase.
"Good morning, Teacher Tata."
Seeing that Talia’s appetite was as good as ever, Lanci felt relieved.
It seemed that she had been quite happy for the two days he was not around.
He was just a little worried that she might put on weight.
After all, she was of a certain age and had a bad temperament. If she puts on weight, it would become even more difficult for her to get married.
"Come with me."
Talia slowly released her hand, her tone impassive.
But each word was loaded with murderous intent.
Lanci, after thanking the clerk, dared not utter a word. Obediently, he followed behind Talia, up the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor.
They walked to the deepest part of the corridor, where Talia took out a key from her pocket and unlocked the door to her new residence.
"Go in."
Talia coldly instructed.
Lanci naturally didn’t hesitate and hurriedly stepped into the room.
"Tata, you have good taste …"
Looking around the room, he couldn’t help but praise.
The ceiling was made from wooden planks and sloping beams, with glass skylights. The inclining angle filled the room with an ambiance akin to a terrace for stargazing at night. The walls were painted a soft cream color, interwoven with shades of light orange and beige, creating a warm and luminous atmosphere. After careful polishing by the restaurant owner, the wooden furniture exuded a natural texture.
Talia ignored Lanci, walked past him, and sat on the only wooden armchair in the living room.
Seeing the little coffee table and the few newspapers and magazines beside the armchair, Lanci could roughly imagine Talia’s routine at home.
As Lanci was thinking, Talia’s gaze fell on him again.
Although Talia had no evidence, she was increasingly developing a strong intuition that Lanci was always thinking about something particularly infuriating. n𝚘𝚟pub.𝚌o𝚖
Over time, following her inherent curiosity and provocation, the feedback from her innate magic was becoming more intense. At least she could now confirm that whenever Lanci was with her, his mental activities were extremely active.
Apart from reclaiming her land, the thing that Talia wanted to do the most was to quickly enhance her innate magic from lie-detection to mind-reading, to see what really crossed Lanci’s mind.
"Why are you here?"
Talia asked coldly.
She had been wanting to seek Lanci to probe for information about the happenings in the Demon Shadow World a few days ago.
However, thinking about the possibility of Lanci smiling on the surface while thinking about something that deserves death infuriated her.
Thus, she had not yet decided when to contact him, choosing rather to wait for him to come to her.
Unexpectedly, Lanci took the initiative to come so soon.
It appeared that this human being was more dependent on her than she thought.
But it was as she predicted.
Seeing him always upset her.
