"Two possibilities. First, she fears me; she is afraid I might harm her. That means either she has a Magic Talent and fears I'll take her to Celestial Vault Castle as a Wizard Apprentice, or she has a special physique and fears I'd use her for experiments." Teresa raised her first finger.
Laine stretched out his hand and pressed down her finger: "That doesn't make sense. As a merchant's daughter, now fleeing, she couldn't possibly fear becoming a Wizard Apprentice like those noble daughters. To gain your protection would be a godsend for her. Similarly, a special physique is possible, but that's too rare. She's been with these Mercenaries for two years. If she had a special physique, there's no reason the Mercenaries wouldn't have discovered it. A woman in a Mercenary Corps is already very conspicuous; she wouldn't have lasted long if she had something special about her physique."
The slender, jade-like fingers briefly touched the rough hands of the man, and Teresa instinctively shivered but did not pull away.
Because it didn't feel bad, she could feel the wonderful sensation produced by the interplay between the magic power within her and Laine's energy.
The two energies were mutually attracted.
"Then it's the second possibility. The girl has a secret she doesn't want others to know." Teresa extended her second finger: "Do you remember the last time we parted ways at the gate of the High Mountain Fortress?"
"Yes, I remember. You asked me to come back alive, and I promised, and I did." Laine withdrew his hand, crossing his arms over his chest.
"That's not what I meant. Do you know? Before you arrived, I instructed Oliver and Viert to escape, intending to face the Beastman Warband alone. But at that moment, Amelia didn't leave..." Teresa recounted to Laine how the female mercenary had given her a sword.
"Gave it to you? After everything was over, do you still have her sword?" Laine stroked his chin.
"No, after everything ended, she never mentioned giving the sword again." Teresa shook her head, adjusted her posture, and leaned sideways on the sofa, displaying her long, beautiful legs directly in front of Laine: "This indicates that the sword is very important to her. Her claim that it's her family heirloom is entirely believable, which means she personally has secrets."
"Correct! She has secrets, and they're earth-shattering ones!" Laine said very seriously, but his eyes increasingly showed amusement.
"Is she a Demon?! Or an Undead?!" Teresa wondered aloud: "Impossible, right? If that were true, I would definitely have sensed it."
"Neither." Laine shook his index finger before speaking in a deliberate manner: "The real answer is, she's very beautiful. Compared to you, not a bit less."
"Impossible! I have seen her face... wait, are you saying?!" Councillor Jialan was about to refute, but she immediately understood the implication behind Laine's words.
"Her appearance could very likely bring her trouble!" Laine pinched his chin: "It seems she used makeup and other methods, techniques very advanced, and even if the usual mercenaries can't notice, given her indispensability, they'd fully support her in keeping the secret. But outsiders are different; her appearance could indeed cause her problems!"
"Then it all makes sense." Most of the doubts within Teresa were dispelled, but new questions arose immediately: "How did you know? And... is she really that beautiful?"
"Because when I was searching for people, I observed and discerned carefully." Laine stared into the female sorcerer's eyes: "Beauty often brings trouble, especially between women; jealousy can often distort appearances, am I right?"
Teresa was left speechless; jealousy among women is indeed hard to explain.
Forget it, why concern myself with those lowly people? As long as Laine trusts I'm not that kind of person, it's enough, Teresa thought. To avoid potential arguments, she attempted to change the topic.
"...Speaking of which, Laine, that sword of yours... is it also your family heirloom?" The female sorcerer suddenly brought up the topic she'd always been interested in.
Because at all times, Laine would carry the sword on his back, even tonight at dinner and while talking on the sofa, Laine merely placed it on the large wooden table within reach.
"...You're curious?" A flicker of amusement flashed in Laine's eyes.
"Do you have a reason not to tell me?" For some reason, Teresa felt discontent seeing the man . She didn't like Laine having so many secrets before her; she wanted to know more about this man.
"This sword?" Laine reached towards the wooden table, and with Spiritual Energy, the Longsword rose into the air and flew into Laine's hand.
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"Yes, this sword, can you explain it in detail?" The female sorcerer's eyes were bright like the clear moonlight. She immediately sat up, eager to hear Laine's secret.
"Ha, perhaps someday I'll tell you." Laine shook his head: "Our relationship hasn't reached the level where I can talk about this."
"All you need to know is, this sword is the only thing my father left me."