"But this isn't enough, far from enough. The only measure of success is capturing or killing Belte, not relying on these things with no real significance to make up the numbers." Laine shook his head, "We were slow from the start. If we hadn't been held back by that Beastman Warband in Mien Forest, we would have had a good chance of catching up with Belte in Kaltenhaven." Googlᴇ search NoveIＦire.net
"You're right, we were too passive, perhaps this was my fault." Teresa finally admitted her mistake graciously, "I should have joined up with you from the beginning rather than splitting up because I was stubbornly thinking I would definitely do better. The Blood Axe guaranteed my safety but burdened our steps."
"Hmph." Laine let out a cold laugh, having never expected those Mercenaries to be of help. As for those Wandering Knights? Judging by Aik's actions, this kid was more like a crafty mercenary, or a slick, scheming bandit leader. Laine never considered Aik a knight; he interacted with him more like he would with a high-ranking mercenary.
Moreover, the score he had to settle due to being coerced by him was something he remembered well.
A malicious thought had once crossed Laine's mind.
If during the skirmish in Mien Forest, he had chosen to abandon the female sorcerer and the Mercenary Corps to hold back the Beastmen, and hurried overnight to the port himself, there was a high probability he could have intercepted Belte.
However, he quickly discarded this idea.
Firstly, as a Knight, and specifically as a White Wolf Knight, if he didn't adhere to the Eight Virtues, he wouldn't be any different from those mercenary Wandering Knights, driven by greed.
Secondly, as the offspring of that person, he possessed an incomparable pride in his bones, and would not resort to such underhanded deeds unless absolutely necessary.
But then again, considering the Blood Axe Mercenary Corps had been reduced from a full fifty members to just over a dozen, paying a dreadful sacrifice to protect Teresa, it was perhaps better not to continue speaking ill of them. And since Teresa had acknowledged her mistake, Laine felt it inappropriate to keep dwelling on this matter. So, he extended his hand and placed it on her shoulder, "Let's sit and talk."
"Whether standing or sitting, it's still you." Teresa smiled brightly, like a plum blossom blooming in the heart of winter.
Laine had an illusion, as if her smile had lit up the entire room.
This smile was intoxicating.
Emmm... In an instant, Laine felt the impulsive urge of "thinking with the wrong head," causing his face to blush a bit.
So the two of them returned to the sofa. Unlike before, Teresa simply kicked off her high heels and sat on the sofa with her legs curled up. Her long phoenix eyes first looked at Laine, then herself, and suddenly she laughed, "This is the first time I'm sitting on the same sofa with a man ."
"Uh... as long as you don't feel I'm taking advantage of you." Laine replied somewhat awkwardly, off the top of his head.
"No... I always felt that there's no need to be so reserved between us." Teresa reached out with a slender finger painted with henna nail polish and lightly touched Laine's palm. "You always think I intentionally put on a cold front, that's just in front of outsiders. Between us, we're people who can entrust our lives to each other. If I, as a woman, don't mind it, what's there for you as a man to be embarrassed about?"
Laine thought to himself that she might be right. If even Female Member Jialan didn't mind, what was there for him to feel embarrassed about? He wasn't losing anything.
Thus, the White Wolf Knight, who had previously been cautiously stealing glances at her beautiful figure and enchanting face, became gradually more brazen and daring with his gaze.
Women have an astonishing insight into where men look, but Teresa didn't mind.
What Laine didn't know was that Teresa, of course, was just a normal woman. After her menstruation ended, she naturally experienced emotional changes due to her physiological cycle.
In short, she was more willing to get close to men these days.
As for which men were worth getting close to... is there even a need to say?
After agreeing to have dinner together in the evening, Teresa spent an hour applying makeup specifically, and then another half-hour choosing her outfit. With Dietlinde's guidance, Teresa carefully recalled Laine's preferences and finally settled on this outfit.
Sure enough, faced with the man's unrestrainedly amazed gaze, Teresa felt very satisfied; she always had confidence in her beauty.
Hmm~ What am I even thinking about?
The woman's cheeks, like a ripe apple, suddenly turned crimson.
She began to understand just what kind of feelings she had towards the man in front of her.
"Why is your face suddenly red?" Laine, unaware of what was going on in her mind, knew well enough not to interrupt, so he patiently waited a moment before speaking.
"No, nothing's wrong. By the way, do you remember that female mercenary Amelia who took care of me during our journey?" Having figured out her thoughts, the female sorcerer became unburdened and leaned even closer, nearly half her body leaning against Laine. "Don't you find it a bit strange?"
"Strange how?" Laine felt a bit uneasy.
"I mean, why is it that a girl in her teens traveling alone is so clumsy about taking care of such things as menstrual hygiene?" Teresa was merely trying to change the subject.
But Laine suddenly made a connection and then flashed a mysterious smile, "Yeah! A girl living independently in the wild, a woman who has been a mercenary for years, adept at cooking and medicine, literate and skilled in arithmetic, how could she be so inept at taking care of others? So, think carefully, what might be the reason?"