"The princess of Mowish is quite fond of him," said the old lady from the Church of the Goddess of Harvest, glancing at her old friend by her side. "It’s obvious, just look at how they are sticking to each other like glue. It reminds me of Jack and me when we were young," the old lady remarked with a sigh. "There you go, thinking of him again," the Bishop sighed, extending his hand to pat his old friend’s back. "How much longer will you speak his name, my old friend?" "Perhaps until the day I go to meet him, which shouldn’t be too far off," the old lady said with a smile. "I’ve been growing weaker lately." "Do not..." "Sera, it’s the destiny of every mortal. We grow, we mature, we age, and in the end, we face death peacefully and return to the River of Mana," the old lady turned around. "Sera, I’ll go to Jack first and convey your longing to him in full." Then, she reached out to embrace her old friend, "Don’t cry, do not shed tears in front of the younger generation." "You rascal..." her old friend lamented, eventually breaking into a smile. "You always like to beat me to the punch." "Yes, this time I’ll also be one step ahead of you." "Our great-grandmother and that old lady seem to have a great relationship," the siblings of Alice Greenleaf Moriti remarked while watching the elderly supporting each other in the corner. "Alice, how’s your new friend?" "He’s dancing over there," Alice raised an eyebrow. "I must warn you, he’s no pushover from the countryside; he could kill you without even lifting a finger." "I’m not an idiot, that’s the terror who could slay the Great Demon at the age of thirteen," the Half-blood Elf’s human brother rolled his eyes. "I’m glad, brother, that your intelligence has finally caught up," the girl said, then watching him in front of her, she smiled, "The Goddess of Fate really is interesting." "There you go with your Goddess of Fate again, one moment this goddess, the next moment that goddess. Can’t you stick to one serious faith? You know, embracing Chaos in faith can beckon the gaze of Chaos itself." The young boy said this. "I already have a faith," the girl answered with a smile. "But you seem to have never praised her name." "You needn’t worry about it; you only need to cling to your War God’s stout legs." With that, the siblings’ conversation once again ended on a sour note, and the sister who had driven away her brother now turned towards the dance floor that had emptied, seeing him leading the princess by the hand down the stairs. "Malin Gaiate of Carterburg... are you the best avenger in the eyes of the goddess?" she murmured to herself, filled with curiosity and doubt, her smile fixed on her face as she watched the princess approaching. "Greetings, Your Highness." Perhaps she came to assert her dominance, a boring human farce. This Half-blood surely disappointed her. Alice lamented thus, and then she watched as the princess extended her hand to her. "I entrust my beloved one to you; tonight, you are the host, and moreover, the star of the show." "What is that princess doing?" asked the young boy as he watched his friend walk over. As a brother, the young Moriti shook his head, "How should I know?" "But she’s your sister." "I have never managed to anger my own brother to death with a sister." The conversation ended there, as he and his friend watched that metaphorical little rascal walking into the dance floor with his beloved one and his sister. "Damn, man, don’t do anything foolish; this guy can slaughter a Great Demon as easily as killing a chicken," noticing the displeasure on his friend’s face, the young brother quickly reached out to stop him—he had been skeptical, but today he saw this bear spirit as a mount. It was one of the most fearsome Mountain Spirits from the northern mountains, weighing nearly seven tons, capable of wearing heavy armor. In the Middle Ages, having such a war bear as a mount meant being able to break through spear formations with a single charge. Even now, it’s a symbol of a strong person’s power; that kid just sat on it and upon dismounting, let the huge bear wait by the roadside on its own. And of utmost fright... that bear was right there, looking at someone trying to lure it with honey with the eyes one reserves for an idiot. This proved its loyalty to its master and demonstrated its own strength—only those with immense power could be that intelligent. And only those that intelligent would understand that killing that simpleton with one slap would cause trouble for its master. How could the owner of such a mount be a mere decorative pillow? No way, he could not let his good friend walk down the path to death... at least not in the hall. "I’m not ignorant of his notoriety," thankfully, his friend wasn’t a mindless person. "But why... why did the princess of Mowish want to recommend him to your sister." "How should I know." Saying this, the young man also showed a face full of question marks. "You’re her brother, don’t you know?" "You’re still her pursuer, don’t you know that?" At this point in the argument, they both sighed, fellow strays at the end of the world. "Why did you let Malin dance with her?" Clovis asked curiously, looking at Faye who had returned to the lounge. "Because I noticed an interesting little detail, and I thought it would be good for that Alice to have some up-close time with Malin," Faye said, reaching for the juice Jessica passed to her. "Ah, why?" Lillim set down the cup she was about to drink from and asked. "You’ll understand once Mr. Malin comes back." Faye laughed, took a sip of her juice, swallowed, and then laughed again. "Quit beating around the bush, my dear Faye." Rewo stepped forward, beginning to act coy—throwing herself into Faye’s arms. Faye laughed heartily for a while but eventually divulged, "I sense that she bears the bloodline of a vampire." "Malin wouldn’t kill her in front of all these people, would he?" Jessica asked while surveying the surroundings, as if calculating an escape route for later. "No, it’s a bloodline acquired later in life. If it were innate, that would be a serious matter," Faye said, speaking with conviction. Lillim frowned: "But if it is acquired, being so close to Mr. Malin, what if she can’t control herself?" Maya pondered for a moment before deciding on a course both vulgar and refined: "Then just kill her." The girls erupted into laughter, except for Jessica, who looked around: "What’s so funny? What if they start fighting?" "Don’t worry, they won’t fight. Just watch what’s happening out there." Malin supported the waist of the girl in front of him, and she was pressed tightly against him. Listening to the breathing in his ear, Malin hesitated to speak until the girl’s hot breath landed on his neck. Out of respect for a young woman and to prevent her from becoming the most dazzling human torch in the gathering, Malin had to clear his throat, "If you were to drink my blood, I think your funeral wouldn’t need to go through the burning procedure again." "Mr. Malin, you really are annoying. Can’t I even savor the delicious smell?" The lonely gourmet miss did not seem pleased. She lifted her head and looked down on Malin: "Such a delicious scent, yet imbued with such holy power, it’s truly hard to resist, Mr. Malin." "I’m glad you think so; that’s what everyone says about me." Malin smiled and stepped in time with her. "By the way, from your scent, I’ve discovered a very interesting piece of information," the half-blood girl said, smiling, interrupting herself and leaving the sentence hanging. "What news could make you so happy?" Malin asked, looking at the girl in front of him. "It seems... you haven’t really connected with your lovers, have you?" With that, she laughed, leaned on Malin’s shoulder, and stealthily licked his neck, "Such a sweet smell, and not a hint of other women’s stench." The next second, a small twig came between her mouth and his neck, lifting gently, and a few drops of blood fell on her lips. For a moment, it was as if the girl was intoxicated. She whimpered, then hurriedly left Malin’s embrace and ran to her elder, covering her mouth. Malin gave a bashful smile to the elder, who returned the gesture with a chuckle and a thumbs-up. So Malin’s smile grew even more sheepish—what a witty elder. "Alice, what happened to your mouth?" The elder lady laughed as she asked the girl who returned in front of her, mouth foaming. "Grandmother, some men really can be so petty," the girl lamented, taking several gulps of the normal blood product handed over by a servant. The wound by her mouth visibly healed, "It hurts like lava." "I did notice a girl who wasn’t very modest, trying to nibble on a man in front of his fiancée." The elder lady said with a laugh, then burst into laughter at her young relative’s indignant pouting. "Grandmother! How can you take his side?!" "I laugh because Princess Faye has confirmed your identity, and that’s why she entrusted Mr. Malin to you. She is asserting her dominion, my foolish child." "Well, I hope next time she’ll be straightforward." Having said that, the girl sighed, resolving to stay as far from that Malin as possible—the kind of cute boy whose touch to blood could blister was best kept at a distance. She looked up to see him across the way, giving her a sheepish smile. And the girls around him were laughing so hard, they were out of breath. So they were all watching my embarrassment! What are you laughing at?! Why are you still laughing?! How can that flirt laugh so exaggeratedly?! Seeing this, Alice felt even worse.