Flocks of birds flew across the distance in the afternoon sky dotted with sparse clouds.
Far removed from the bustling crowds of the commercial district across the river, a breeze brushed gently past their cheeks, making Florence widen her eyes.
The chatter of the people, the musicians' melodies, and stray laughter and singing all drifted over to this spot.
"Loren..."
Florence had meant to tell Loren to let go. Pressing so close against a man's chest made her profoundly uncomfortable, yet sensing Loren's guilt-ridden emotions, she found herself unable to push him away.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl.
Finely dressed merchants and vibrant townspeople streamed endlessly along the streets outside the square. Magnificent architectural complexes flanked the area, adorned with solemn, ancient statues depicting deities of legend.
Even the statues of the Goddess of Fate seemed to watch over them.
In the end, Florence slowly lifted a hand and patted Loren on the back.
"Loren, see? Aren't I alive and well?" she said to him.
Back then, neither of them had been as strong as they were now—or rather, Loren hadn't been anywhere near as formidable as he was today. Whenever they had been wounded on the battlefield, they often supported each other like brothers, slinging their arms around one another's shoulders as they walked.
[Loren, watch the time. And stop holding her.]
The Love Drillmaster reminded him.
Hearing this, Loren subconsciously let go of Florence.
It was the first time he had ever heard a hint of nervousness in the drillmaster's voice.
Perhaps he really had gotten too excited upon seeing his close friend and lost track of time. He ought to chat a little and then take his leave.
He couldn't afford to lose himself any further.
Then again...
Hanging out with guys really was far more relaxed and comfortable.
"..."
Once Loren released her, Florence took a slight step back and looked at him.
Although Loren didn't know she was a girl, men and women were fundamentally different after all.
Back when she had worn armor, it had been fine, but contact like that just now crossed the line. In the eyes of the gods, it might well border on scandalous impropriety.
"Florence, how much longer are you planning to stay in Ikerite this time?" Loren asked when Florence remained silent.
He had no idea when Florence had arrived, and Florence hadn't notified the Church either.
It wasn't until yesterday that his close friend had suddenly contacted him, saying she had arrived in Ikerite and wanted to meet.
Usually, such circumstances arose only when carrying out higher-level missions for the Southern Continent United Kingdom Council, so Loren knew better than to pry too deeply.
"I might head back to the Canberra Kingdom right away, or I might stay here in Hutton for a long time. It depends on my mission, so I'm sorry, I can't share any details," Florence replied with a hint of apology.
She actually wished to stay in Ikerite a while longer. After all, it hadn't been easy crossing the Southern Continent, journeying from the Canberra Kingdom in the central-west all the way to the Hutton Kingdom on the easternmost edge.
Ever since the priest evaluation exam, she had been worried about Loren's condition.
Recently, Loren had been under relentless public scrutiny, caught at the center of the storm every day, and she felt powerless to help him.
If possible, she only wished she could be by his side to check in on him from time to time.
"Have you gone to see Monaster?"
Loren had known for a long time that Student Council President Monaster was Florence's younger brother.
Monaster hadn't returned to the Canberra Kingdom in years. If he didn't return to inherit the family estate, Florence would have to do so instead. Yet Loren always felt that Florence wasn't the type who liked being tied down by family obligations.
"Of course. Thank you for always looking after him," Florence said with a nod.
"Not at all. He's the one who's always helping me handle troublesome matters at the academy."
"By the way, does Monaster plan to return?" Loren asked.
"I think he's found happiness here, so I'll just have to deal with Father myself," Florence replied, chuckling as she shook her head.
At first, her brother had only come to the Hutton Kingdom to see whether his sister's close friend was a dependable man. Over time, Monaster had been the first to blend right into life in Ikerite.
"Is that so..." Loren murmured.
"During my time in Ikerite, whenever I'm not dealing with business from the Southern Continent United Council, I'm mostly at your Ikerite Academy or the Church of the Goddess of Fate's temple. You can find me easily."
Now that Student Council Vice President Asna was no longer at the school, much of the School of Sages work that Asna used to handle had fallen to President Monaster, so Monaster and Loren interacted far more frequently.
"Monaster pretty much always knows where I am," Florence said earnestly.
"I'm truly sorry. I've been bogged down with work lately, so even though you came to Ikerite, I couldn't take you out for the day," Loren said apologetically, glancing toward the distant clock tower.
"There's plenty of time. When you're not busy next time, we'll hang out again," Florence said breezily, waving a hand.
"No problem." Loren nodded.
"Then, it's a promise?" Florence smiled with keen interest.
"Yeah," Loren answered.
[...]
...
Atop an ancient tower far from the temple square, the topmost floor was supported only by a few stone pillars holding up the roof, with its open walls guarded by glass railings. Lanqi sat right in front of the railing with a sketchbook in hand and a mounted telescope set before him, looking like an artist sketching en plein air while keeping watch on Loren and Florence in the distant square.
He suddenly muted his earpiece and buried his face in his hands.
"Meow meow, what's wrong?"
Boss Cat burrowed into Lanqi's arms, stood up, and looked through Lanqi's telescope, catching sight of the two figures tightly embracing in the square.
"Meow meow?!"
Boss Cat jumped in sheer shock.
"It's not a big problem," Lanqi said, lowering his hands and shaking his head.
Although he had accepted Loren's commission, he had likewise accepted Miss Florence's commission. To protect her privacy, he couldn't expose her information or secrets; that was basic professional ethics for him.
What Lanqi hadn't anticipated was that Loren's feelings toward Florence were actually this heavy.
After all, Lanqi hadn't pried into much gossip from the council president about the past between the High Priest and the Paladin Commander.
"You call this 'not a big problem'?! Think about it carefully—Loren ditched his date, snuck off behind her back, and is hugging another girl over here, meow! What kind of behavior is that?!" Boss Cat questioned.
"Does Loren know he's hugging a girl?" Lanqi looked down at the little black cat and asked.
"No, meow," Boss Cat replied.
"Then subjectively, did he intend to do 'something to wrong Juliana'?" Lanqi asked again.
"No, meow..." Boss Cat mumbled.
"So Loren isn't a scumbag at all. He's just a good man," Lanqi said, picking Boss Cat up.
Boss Cat tilted its head at a forty-five-degree angle and stared blankly for a long moment, as if its brain had crashed.
It felt that if it ever faced Lanqi in court, Lanqi would have it sent behind bars in just two or three sentences.
"Then what do you plan to do, meow?" Boss Cat asked.
It worried that Loren would meet a grim end one day.
"Play the matchmaker to the very end, of course. As long as I'm here, Loren won't fall," Lanqi said with conviction, pumping his fist.
Although the challenge had escalated, his passion had also been ignited.
If Loren and Miss Florence were also fated for each other, then he would naturally tie this red string of fate securely between them!
Nothing was impossible.
Chapter 626