"What makes me different," Luo’er asked with a smile, "or is it because I am a man?"
"You wouldn’t understand girl’s business!" Feliz said somewhat unconvincingly.
"Actually, I really wish you could be friends with Miss Audrey." Luo’er sighed, then continued.
"Friends, with that kind of person?" Feliz said hesitantly.
"You need to understand, in any world, having another friend is always better than having another enemy. Miss Audrey is actually a very kind person, but you can only feel that once you truly become her friend." Luo’er explained.
"She..." Feliz hesitated for a moment, then said quietly," It’s clearly her who doesn’t want to take the initiative to be friends with me."
"With your bad attitude, who would dare to be friends with you. Besides, why wait for others to take the initiative? Can’t you be more proactive?" Luo’er continued to persuade.
"I..." Feliz suddenly thought of something and glared at him, "Are you lecturing me?"
"I’m older than you, of course I have the right to lecture you." Luo’er replied matter-of-factly.
"Older..." Feliz looked him up and down. Luo’er was visibly the same age as them, only one or two years older at most. However, she suddenly thought of something, that is, Luo’er was a half-elf, his lifespan was not much different from that of a real elf, but he matured faster than the Elf Race.
"You’re not already fifty or sixty, are you?" Feliz looked at him with a questioning glance, her body unconsciously distancing itself from him.
"You’re exaggerating. I’m not that old." Luo’er shrugged, "A fifty or sixty-year-old half-elf wouldn’t look like me."
"That’s good." Feliz breathed a sigh of relief, before saying unconsciously.
"Good what?" asked Luo’er.
"Nothing! Just shut up!" Feliz spoke to stifle his words.
Having carried Feliz to the dormitory building, Luo’er put her down by the building and said," Let the maids in the dormitory help you in later, I won’t go in."
"Why?" Feliz was clearly displeased that Luo’er dumped her just like that.
"I’m not your slave, it’s improper for me to follow you in." Luo’er replied.
"What’s improper about it? Are you willing to leave me stranded here?" Feliz stood on tiptoe against the building wall.
Just as Luo’er was about to speak, a familiar yet icy voice came from behind, "If you’re so willing to be her slave, then go ahead!"
Luo’er was taken aback, turned around and saw Tangmo, who had appeared behind them at some point, looking at him with an icy stare.
"Aud... Miss Audrey!" Luo’er nearly gave himself away when he spoke.
"You... I was worried about you, but it turns out you’re just fine. Hmph!" Tangmo gave a cold snort and turned to leave.
"Hey, you mean that? Then I’ll give you the money and this slave is mine!" Feliz stepped forward to hug Luo’er’s arm and shouted at the departing Tangmo.
"Don’t stir things up, I was just trying to mediate between you two." Luo’er shook off his arm, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
"You see, she’s already given up on you, now you belong to me!" Feliz showed a satisfied smile.
"You just wait here, someone will come later to help you in." Luo’er pushed her back to the wall, then turned to chase after Tangmo.
"You jerk!" Feliz shouted after him furiously.
Tangmo ran fast and Luo’er quickly lost sight of her. He stood there thinking for a moment and decided to check her dormitory. Tangmo’s dorm was not far from Feliz’s, so Luo’er quickly arrived at her door.
Luo’er gently pushed the door, which was, of course, locked. He started to knock and call out, "Miss Audrey, open the door!"
There was still no response from inside, Tangmo didn’t even bother with him.
"Miss Audrey?" Luo’er said, then instinctively pushed the door again. Suddenly, he froze as he found the door completely immovable.
If the door was bolted from the inside, no matter how tightly it was sealed, he would get some feedback when he tried to push it. The door before him, however, gave no response. There was only one possible explanation.
Luo’er had encountered such a door before. It was the magic door to the archives, which could only be opened by magic. Without magic, no amount of external force would budge it.
With this in mind, Luo’er pulled his magic wand from his pocket and began whispering the spell to open the archive door at the academy. Instantly, a flash of runes swept across the door, quickly followed by the creak of the door opening.
Luo’er hurried inside and closed the door. Once in the room, he noticed Tangmo sulking on the bed but seemingly unsurprised by his arrival.
"Are you still mad at me?" Luo’er asked, standing by the window.
Tangmo said nothing, turing her head aside and hugging her blanket.
"Miss Audrey, you seem to be acting strangely these days," Luo’er sighed, taking a seat on a nearby chair.
"You’re the strange one, Luo’er. Under the disguise of collecting information, you’ve made acquaintances with so many girls," Tangmo mumbled, gripped with childish resentment.
"I’m merely gathering intelligence for the task. The more friends you make, the more potential sources of information you get. Why are you always angry about this?" Luo’er responded with a wry smile.
"For the task? You’ve already become close with Feliz, even to the point of hugging. Not to mention that you’ve just stopped short of entering her dorm!" Just the thought of Luo’er laughing and joking with Feliz made her all the more furious.
"Moumou, have I spoiled you so much that you can’t get into character?" Luo’er’s tone suddenly turned serious, no longer tender.
"I, I..." Hearing that Luo’er was upset, Tangmo became nervous. She burrowed her face in her blanket and muttered weakly, "It’s natural for me to be upset when the person I like is cuddling someone else."
"What are you thinking about all day? From the second you stepped into the Magic Academy, you’ve acted more and more like a whiny woman." Luo’er frowned.
"I..." Tangmo bit her lip, too guilty to respond.
Luo’er stood up and walked over to her. He pulled away the blanket she was leaning on, looking down at her. "Moumou, you’ve never trusted me, have you?" he asked sternly.
"I, not really, I..." With her comforting blanket gone, Tangmo was completely lost for words.
Listless, Tangmo felt a lump in her throat. In a weepy voice, she began to speak, "Ever since I came to the Magic Academy, everyone has been looking down on us. I know we have a mission and it doesn’t matter how they see me. But, I just can’t stand how they discriminate against you. Everyday, I worried that you would be mistreated by others. When I saw how worn-out you were last time, I felt terrible. I wanted..."
As she spoke, tears began to roll down her cheeks. "I care so much about you, but you spend all your time laughing and joking with other girls. Seeing you without a scratch was something I should be happy about, but I just felt heartbroken and... jealous."
"I’m such a lousy captain. We’re in the middle of a mission and I can’t be of any help. Instead, I’m angry at you all the time. Everyday, I see how busy you are while I have nothing to do. Luo’er, I..." Tears welled up in Tangmo’s eyes, streaming down her cheeks.
"What do you have in that little brain of yours? Anyway, it’s good that you’re telling me this now," Luo’er sighed, wrapping his arms around her to comfort her.
"Luo’er..." Nestled against him, Tangmo relaxed and began to sob, expressing her pent-up frustration.
Luo’er held her quietly, letting her cry on his shoulder. After she had vented her feelings, he spoke softly, "Daier is Marsyan, she could know some information about Masya, and she is also my colleague."
"As for Feliz," Luo’er paused before continuing, "She’s actually not bad. I genuinely hope that you guys can become friends, even though I know that the friendship may not last long. The reason I’ve been nice to them is because I hope they’d treat me the same way. I’m not out there kissing their boots, nor am I trying to get them to like me."
"Okay!" Like a child in her man’s arms, Tangmo nodded and responded softly.
"All you need to do is to go to class joyfully. I don’t need you to complete any mission. Sometimes I just want to relax here when I’m tired," Luo’er said, appearing exhausted.
Thinking about her past behavior, Tangmo felt regretful and apologized, "I’m sorry for always making you upset whenever you visit."
"So, from now on, listen to me. Letting me relax is also part of your job," Luo’er sighed.
"I understand. I won’t annoy you anymore," Tangmo answered softly.
"Nevertheless," She suddenly raised her head to look at him, pouting, "I’ll still be jealous if I see you with other girls!"
"Oh you..." Luo’er shook his head helplessly, letting out a wry smile.
"We’re almost done with the mission. We’ll find a chance to leave the academy once it’s completed. You should concentrate on studying in the meantime, especially since you love magic so much," Luo’er voiced.
"I don’t mind. Though I love magic, I love Luo’er even more. So when you leave, you can’t leave me behind!" Tangmo confessed outright.
No matter how often she said it, Luo’er seemed to have grown accustomed to it. However, her heartfelt words still inexplicably warmed his heart.