The boy had gone conspicuously quiet moments ago.
“What do you think of this song?” Noe asked.
“...I think, well, how should I put it? The crucial issue with this song, um, the crucial issue is how to define this issue as the crux of the issue. And approaching it with such an issue, er, we once again have to reexamine the issue...”
Lanqi’s voice sounded exceedingly strained.
“So, judging by the voice, is that Miss Tata?”
Utterly bewildered by the rambling, Noe simply cut him off.
Perhaps Miss Tata had taken the alias Lanfu Wilfort and enrolled in the School of Magic Engineering under the name of a Wilfort family member.
Then again, on second thought, Miss Tata was a woman in her twenties; dressing up as a teenage student to attend classes did carry a rather embarrassing feel.
“No, that’s not her. It could never be her, of all people.”
Lanqi shook his head repeatedly.
Just imagining Talia singing made a buzzing noise ring through his head.
Besides, why did the lyrics sound increasingly polished?
Ever since Professor Borao had crafted a magic apparatus that allowed the Poet of Great Love to vocalize freely without using her Demonic Voice, she had been thoroughly enjoying life across campus, even breaking into song just as she had back in the Shadow World’s Demon Realm, Necalis.
Lanqi instantly understood. As long as there was money to be made, Professor Borao was exceedingly agreeable about most things. If the Poet of Great Love had volunteered to become an entertainer to earn research funding for the laboratory, Professor Borao would have signed her up on the spot.
The Poet of Great Love was indeed a natural moneymaker; ever since her creation, she had barely cost Lanqi a copper, and instead kept earning him money.
Silence lingered in the dining room of the new Wilfort residence for quite some time.
“By the way, who on earth is Miss Tata?” Noe asked curiously.
He had wanted to ask long ago, and now the question naturally reached his lips with just the two of them present.
Two months ago, during the attack on South Vantina, he had witnessed Tata’s might—a presence far beyond imagination.
Ever since they moved to Ikerite, Miss Tata, who lived nearby, was frequently invited to dine at the Wilfort household, and she would bring pastries from the restaurant in return whenever she visited.
Of course, it was also possible that Lanqi had asked Miss Tata to look after the Wilfort family—Noe could guess as much.
“To tell the truth, she’s a fallen noble lady from the Northern Continent. As for specifics, it isn’t really my place to say,” Lanqi replied.
“Ah, I see.” Noe nodded.
Back in South Vantina, the ones closest to Tata had been the household maid Francine and butler Hans, and they still kept in touch frequently.
All in all, Tata increasingly felt like a member of the Wilfort family.
If Tata were willing to show just a bit more warmth toward them, Noe felt she would be practically an adopted daughter of the Wilforts.
In any case, Miss Tata was the benefactor who had saved them, so he harbored no suspicion toward her.
Still, as this boy’s father—and an elder to Tata—it was only right to show some concern.
“In other words, you won’t get dragged into some hidden danger involving her family?”
Noe was genuinely worried. A woman as powerful and enigmatic as Tata was bound to have a complicated background. If Lanqi ever married her, he might be dragged into whatever troubles plagued her forebears.
Someone like Miss Hyperion, on the other hand—her parents were obviously just ordinary folk, so being with her certainly wouldn’t stir up any catastrophic trouble.
“...Tata’s parents passed away in a war long ago, so don’t bring that up in front of her,” Lanqi cautioned.
Having finished his breakfast, he set down his cutlery and lightly dabbed at the corners of his mouth with a napkin.
Talia was a figure who belonged in Northern Continent history textbooks; how could there be any parental troubles left?
“No wonder she rarely smiles.”
Hearing this, Noe probed no further, a touch of sympathy swelling in his chest.
“Lanqi, next time you pass Boss Cat Restaurant, tell Miss Tata to treat the Wilfort home as her own. No need to be polite—tell her to drop by often.”
Noe gave Lanqi’s back a firm slap, impressing the instructions upon him.
“I’ll mention it if I remember. Around the middle of this month, I’m going to the Kingdom of Posen with her, so she won’t be able to visit the Wilfort house for a while.”
Lanqi shook his head. He glanced at the clock on the wall; it was about time to head back to Ikerite Academy.
His visit home was also meant to let his old man know he would be traveling far.
“Just the two of you?”
Noe knew Tata had long served as Lanqi’s bodyguard, and having witnessed her power firsthand, he felt exceptionally at ease whenever Lanqi was with her.
“Yes,” Lanqi confirmed, rising to leave.
“Don’t cause her any trouble. Buy her whatever she wants to eat—don’t be stingy.”
Noe pulled out his wallet, drew a Southern Continent Global Travel crystal card from inside, and handed it to Lanqi.
It was a supplementary credit card from Noe’s Southern Continent Federal Bank account, with a limit of thirty thousand pounds. In the past, he never would have let Lanqi use it so freely.
“Er...”
Lanqi accepted the card, looking at Noe with eyes that seemed to wonder which of them was actually the Wilfort child.
Tata truly was a born diner; he hadn't realized she had such a potent parasitic passive.
Wait, even she couldn't possibly eat thirty thousand pounds' worth of food, could she?
The thought suddenly struck Lanqi.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of Ikerite’s eastern district, much closer to Ikerite Academy at Boss Cat Restaurant.
In the living room at the end of the second-floor hallway, Talia sneezed out of nowhere, then glanced around in confusion.
She felt as though someone had just been thinking about her with unusual intensity.
“Maybe it’s because Hyperion took my blanket yesterday; I must have caught a slight chill,” Talia muttered to herself, letting the feeling pass.
Hyperion was prone to nightmares. Sometimes, in the middle of a sound sleep, she would steal Talia’s blanket, or in winter, she might even burrow straight under Talia’s duvet.
Leaning comfortably back into her armchair once more, holding the fox, she leisurely read a copy of *A Gourmet Guide to the Kingdom of Posen*.
Just as she immersed herself in the book, a knock sounded at the door.
Talia placed the book on the low coffee table beside her, set down the fox, walked over, and opened the door.
There stood Antanas.
“Antanas? Heading down for breakfast together?”
Judging by the timing, Antanas had likely just wrapped up this morning’s broadcast. She lived right next door.
Almost every day, Antanas would come over and chat at length about the latest gossip around Ikerite.
“Of course! You seem to be in a good mood today?”
Antanas flashed a radiant grin in greeting.
“Am I?” Talia asked, puzzled.
“Well, your expression hasn’t really changed from usual, but I can just tell your mood is pretty good,” Antanas muttered, studying Talia’s exquisite face. “Oh, right, Talia, could you do me a favor?”
Antanas looked at her with an imploring expression.
“What’s the matter?”
Talia looked back, beckoning the fox to follow along, and asked as she locked the door.
“I took on a commission. A young lady is feeling completely out of her depth about an upcoming date. She has zero experience interacting with men her age, let alone dating, and she’s unfamiliar with the area around the royal capital of Ikerite. It seems she impulsively agreed to the date on a whim, but now that the day is almost here, she’s in a total panic and wants me to coach her on how to handle it,” Antanas explained as they walked down the corridor.
“The thing is, tomorrow I have an audition at the Hutton Times Broadcasting Company. They want me to become a professional announcer and host, and turn the private show I host at Boss Cat Restaurant into one of their scheduled station programs.”
The Hutton Times Broadcasting Company was an independent radio station based in the Hutton royal capital of Ikerite, renowned for round-the-clock news, current affairs discussions, and interactive call-in programs. Having first aired in the year 1773, it boasted over two decades of history and occupied a unique position in the Kingdom of Hutton’s broadcasting landscape thanks to its pioneering talk formats and public participation model.
Its programming spanned politics, health, law, culture, and numerous other fields, aiming to provide a platform for the public to communicate directly with hosts and guests.
At times, certain programs also touched on relationship advice and emotional matters.
The station greatly admired Antanas’s talent, and their offices happened to be located near Ikerite Academy. Once Antanas gained a measure of fame, they wasted no time extending an invitation.
“What about Sinora? Does she have plans tomorrow?” Talia asked as they passed Sinora’s door.
“She’s hopeless. The moment she sees a handsome guy, she blushes so hard she can’t even look at him, let alone offer dating advice,” Antanas answered helplessly.
“Then what specifically do you need me to do tomorrow?” Talia pondered for a moment and asked.
“Uh, all you need to do is connect with the client via covert communication magic during the date and coach her on how to respond to the guy’s topics, how to interact with him, and things like that,” Antanas listed, counting on her fingers.
“No problem.”
Seeing how eager Antanas was to go to the audition, Talia agreed.
She understood human romance somewhat now, so it shouldn’t be an issue.
Ever since reading *Romance of the Holy War*, she had looked up plenty of human romance novels, finding them more and more intriguing the more she read.
Dating was simple enough.
Come to think of it, back in South Vantina, when she protected Lanqi every day from mysterious assassins and it was always just the two of them wherever they went—that seemed to count as dating too.
“...”
Seeing Talia so confident, Antanas suddenly felt a flicker of worry.
Still, looking on the bright side...
It should just be a simple, ordinary date.
The anonymous client, Miss Zhuzhu, had also mentioned that her date was an earnest, kindhearted, honest man.
As long as the man didn’t consult a dating coach of his own, Talia couldn’t possibly cause too much chaos.
Or, even if the guy turned out to be an absolute grandmaster, he might still be thrown completely off balance by Talia—after all, a wild novice was the ultimate foil to a master.
Chapter 620