The Ice Snow Witch shook her head, deciding not to dwell on the question any further.
Compared to her, who had arrived from the Northern Continent only a few months ago, Loren and Florence had known each other for years. He was bound to know Florence much better and be far closer to her.
It was true that she rarely stepped out of the temple in Gedaria, the Forest Capital, and she had not visited the Southern Continent in over a century. At times, she too found the city of Ikerite full of novelty.
"Where were you today? I couldn't find you all morning."
The Ice Snow Witch walked up to Loren, turning the conversation back to serious business with lingering displeasure.
Loren had seemed to vanish into thin air this morning.
If her guess was correct, this fellow had claimed it was his day off, but in reality had very likely seized a window of opportunity to carry out some shady dealings.
Loren was stronger than she was. If he intentionally concealed his mana and whereabouts, she genuinely could not locate him, much less dare rashly stalk him while he was in that state.
"I... I went to see a friend," Loren explained, somewhat nervous.
"..."
The Ice Snow Witch stared intently at Loren's flustered look, falling silent for a moment.
If Loren had been completely calm and composed, she would have considered it ordinary—merely the typical bearing of a mastermind behind the scenes.
Yet this fellow could actually put on an exquisitely measured display of fluster.
It was just like getting caught by a coworker while on a weekend date with a girlfriend.
Clumsy, yet natural to an outrageous degree.
"I understand."
After weighing her thoughts repeatedly, the Ice Snow Witch nodded.
Since Loren wanted to act this out, she could only play along.
Before gaining his trust, rashly exposing her intention to unmask him would actually be dangerous.
"You truly have had a hard time lately; I've seen it with my own eyes. But next time you have free time, could you also consider that I've been working overtime to help you as well?"
Her face remained devoid of a smile, her voice flat as she addressed Loren.
"I'm sorry... I don't know how to thank you..."
Loren scratched the back of his head with one hand, hanging his head.
Guilt mingled with gratitude, leaving him utterly at a loss for how to express himself.
"Then if you have another day off like this, take me along. Otherwise, it will feel unfair to me," the Ice Snow Witch said.
She could not expose her intent to investigate Loren, yet she needed a legitimate reason to keep an eye on him—to avoid having no suitable excuse if caught. The best approach was to naturally obtain his permission. Staying by his side like that, no matter how she tracked him, it would all be entirely justified.
After all, a woman's curiosity could explain most things.
"...Uh, Miss Almis, but we..."
Loren's voice faltered in confusion.
Dense as he was, he still knew that a man and a woman going out together on a day off might... probably... count as a date.
"Merely as colleagues. Or do you think someone like me is too boring, and you don't want to spend even a single day with me?"
The Ice Snow Witch took a step closer, looking up straight into Loren's eyes as she asked.
"No, I'm truly grateful to you, and you're someone I find immensely dependable. When things were at their hardest for me, you were the only one willing to support me so steadfastly. Without you, I wouldn't even know how I'd have gotten through this past month," Loren answered hurriedly and sincerely.
"..."
The Ice Snow Witch was rendered slightly speechless.
Gazing into those earnest eyes, she involuntarily lowered her guard for an instant.
For some reason, she felt that Loren's emotions right now didn't seem acted at all.
No.
That was precisely what made it terrifying, because she could not tell at all whether this man was deceiving her or treating her with genuine sincerity.
The stage of heroes in the Northern Continent was still vivid in her mind, and the last words of the Son of Destruction still echoed in her ears. Every single thing reminded her that Loren was definitely problematic.
"So, your answer?"
She snapped out of it, her gaze turning clear once more.
"As long as you don't mind, of course I have no problem with it."
Loren gave a helpless smile.
Ever since their first meeting, he had never been able to read Almis's thoughts. The only thing he was certain of was that Almis treated him very well.
For now, it seemed she didn't dislike him that much.
The drillmaster had said that team building with coworkers was completely normal; sometimes, engaging in more team building was the only way to strengthen the church's cohesion.
"Then it's a promise."
Having said that, the Ice Snow Witch turned and walked away, signaling that Loren was free to leave as well.
[...]
Amid the drillmaster's silence, Loren once again opened the door of the temple's confidential chamber, stepped into the corridor, and gradually quickened his pace.
In less than half a minute, his figure crossed the banks of the Yala Moat and the Riverport Bridge, returning to the opposite bank where the Ikerite Opera House stood.
"Drillmaster, how's the time looking?"
[From the moment you left Juliana's side until now, seventeen minutes and twenty seconds have passed.]
The drillmaster's voice came through immediately, proving he hadn't disconnected earlier, but had been listening the whole time without speaking.
Loren instantly felt reassured upon hearing the voice.
Although modulated so Loren couldn't tell what the drillmaster's real voice sounded like, all of Loren's sense of security currently rested on it.
According to the drillmaster's route planning, today's hardest hurdle had been cleared without a hitch.
[The good news is you have many routes,]
the drillmaster said suddenly.
"What about the bad news?"
Loren didn't understand what specific "routes" the drillmaster meant right now.
It didn't sound like routes back to the opera house, since he had nearly arrived.
[The bad news is that you've unlocked every single route.]
"?"
Loren didn't understand, his face full of confusion.
[It's not that big a deal. Right now you're back on track for the dating route. We can worry about the bro route and the witch route later. Next, you just need to have dinner with Juliana, watch a performance, and have a little fun at the Golden Bee Amusement Park tonight, and the date will be over.]
The drillmaster's voice continued in Loren's ear.
"Hiss."
The amusement park the drillmaster mentioned made Loren a little worried again.
Because Ikerite's Golden Bee Amusement Park was always crowded, packed with unique souvenirs and limited-edition food prizes. On weekend evenings, it tended to be even more packed, and Loren had never had any experience visiting such trendy spots with a girl.
It was the drillmaster who had analyzed Juliana's preferences and picked this date itinerary just in time, and sure enough, it matched Juliana's tastes perfectly.
[Don't worry. I'll be in the amusement park tonight as well. If you run into any trouble, I might appear as any passerby to help you,]
the drillmaster said.
"Thank you, Drillmaster."
Loren felt an overwhelming wave of reassurance.
[In any case, after today's drills, your time management has already achieved modest success. Be confident. Even if you have to face true hell difficulty next time, I believe you can pull through. What doesn't kill you will make you stronger.]
"What if I do get destroyed?"
Although Loren didn't know what the drillmaster meant, the series of riddles gave him the feeling that the gears of fate had already begun to turn, while he remained completely in the dark.
[I'm here.]
The drillmaster's voice sounded as confident as ever.
"That's wonderful, then."
The last bit of Loren's lingering worry finally settled.
"For my next date, can I ask you to guide me again, Drillmaster...?"
[No problem. Anytime, anywhere. Even if I have a date of my own, I will do my utmost to help you at the same time.]
"Great!"
The drillmaster's unshakeable confidence—as if a mountain could crumble before his eyes without him flinching—seemed to rub off on him.
After all, they had succeeded today.
Next time, they would only be more successful!
...
On a bench at the edge of the temple square, a young black-haired man in a flat cap took a sip of coffee with one hand and finally tapped off his earpiece, pausing communication for the moment.
He opened a notebook, took out the Golden Bee Amusement Park admission ticket that had been temporarily serving as a bookmark, and looked down at a hand-drawn map.
The little black cat beside him leaned in closer.
"Meow, meow. What if next time you happen to be triple-threading yourself and have to direct Loren triple-threading at the same time? Do you really dare play that game?"
Boss Cat, as if envisioning the absolute worst-case scenario, looked at Lanqi and asked with some concern.
"First of all, the probability of such an event is virtually zero,"
Lanqi looked at him and merely smiled with ease.
"Second of all, that level of difficulty is nothing to me. Can you imagine me begging for mercy out of fear?"
Those eyes, like emerald waters, remained crystal clear, harbouring deliberation and ease amidst their natural calm.
"Meow."
Boss Cat let out a meow, staring at Lanqi as his mind drifted into a cosmic daze.
Since Lanqi had said it would be successful, there was no need to worry about the future. It would just enjoy the day and have fun with Lanqi.
Then it pawed over the golden admission ticket Lanqi had set on the bench.
It seemed to remember that when Tata returned yesterday, a similar golden corner had peeked out from the edge of the paper shopping bag she was holding.
But it had probably mistaken it. The two of them couldn't possibly be thinking of going to the same places every single time.
Chapter 628