TN: And we're back! sorry for the week long hiatus, it was not intentional since I had to get my right leg in a cast after tripping 3 floors down a stairwell (like an idiot ://) and be unable to use my PC setup upstairs BUT I should be OK now.
Anyways, Thanks for Arcanic Madness, WeissAkumu and WolfWTF for becoming as Supporters!
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After Tartaglia walked out of the reception room, he happened to run into Arlecchino returning after carrying out the tasks Pierro had assigned to her.
Without drawing attention to it, Tartaglia gently ushered his younger brother Teucer aside, telling him to go play with the other children of the House of the Hearth first, before striking up a conversation with Arlecchino.
"'Servant,' during your meeting with Mr. Shao Yun this time, nothing unpleasant happened between you, right?" Tartaglia asked with apparent concern, though a faint hint of teasing lingered in his tone.
Hearing this, Arlecchino first swept her gaze over Tartaglia from head to toe, appraising the man who had miraculously survived against the odds.
Then, in an extremely cold voice, she shot back, "Do you think everyone is a battle maniac like you?"
Rather than being offended, Tartaglia's interest only grew.
With a slightly provocative grin, he pressed on. "Honestly, I'd really love to see you cross blades with Mr. Shao Yun. Even the Doctor's most defensively fortified segment ended in a crushing defeat at his hands. If it were you facing him, what kind of scene do you think it'd be?"
Yet in response to Tartaglia's speculation, Arlecchino remained completely silent.
She stood there motionless, her body still as stone, while only those eyes—marked by eerie red cross-shaped pupils—locked tightly onto Tartaglia.
Under that oppressive stare, Tartaglia's earlier smugness gradually faded, unease creeping into his heart.
"Uh… hey, your look is kind of scary, you know? What are you thinking about?"
Arlecchino replied frostily, "I'm thinking about why he didn't just put a hole through your head back then. That way, I wouldn't have to suffer through your voice now."
Hearing this, Tartaglia instead showed a smug smile and laughed. "Haha, that's only because I've got a good little brother. Plus, my relationship with Lumine and Paimon was pretty decent back then. At least, that's what my master told me."
At that moment, another figure appeared before them.
The newcomer had short golden hair, clear azure eyes, and a sprinkling of freckles across his face.
He wore a black jacket modified from a diving suit—practical, yet undeniably stylish.
His lower half was clad in black waterproof shorts, perfectly showing off his "fair" legs.
Most eye-catching of all was the Cryo Vision tied to his shorts, radiating a chilly aura, along with the mechanical-looking utility pack hanging at his lower back.
This shy-looking boy was none other than the "Penguin Boy," Freminet.
"Father, I've arrived," Freminet said softly, his voice quiet but clear.
Arlecchino turned at the sound, her gaze settling on Freminet. On the surface, her expression didn't change at all, but deep down she was attentive as she asked, "Is everything prepared?"
Freminet, never good with words, simply nodded and answered briefly, "Mm. Everything's ready."
After receiving his reply, Arlecchino glanced once more at the tightly closed door of the reception room before saying, "Then go in."
Freminet raised his hand and lightly knocked on the closed door. After that, he pushed it open and stepped inside the reception room to meet Shao Yun.
Watching all of this unfold, Tartaglia couldn't help but feel a surge of shock and confusion.
He had initially thought Arlecchino was sending Freminet in to take Shao Yun's life—wasn't that absurd?!
"Hey! Don't tell me you're actually planning to send a kid to assassinate him? You're way too cold-blooded! Even if you really wanted to make a move on him, you shouldn't be pushing something this dangerous onto a child!"
However, faced with Tartaglia's accusations, Arlecchino merely shot him a cold glance.
Then she replied irritably, "Is fighting the only thing in that head of yours?"
Tartaglia froze for a moment at her words, but quickly snapped out of it and began to seriously consider what she meant.
A moment later, as if struck by inspiration, he hurriedly defended himself. "Actually… my negotiation skills are pretty good too, you know! Like when Lyney and Lynette were falsely accused by the Hydro Archon—that was settled properly because of me, wasn't it? So, what do you think? Pretty impressive, right?"
As he said this, a trace of pride crept onto Tartaglia's face.
But when Arlecchino heard him bragging about his so-called "negotiation achievements" at such a moment, a cunning glint flashed through her beautiful yet icy eyes.
She crossed her arms over her chest and spoke in a tone that sounded like praise, but was clearly laced with mockery.
"Oh? If your negotiations can get you to the point where you're 'dead' for three months, and while the 'young maiden' is mourning 'The Fair Lady,' she might as well be mourning you too—then yes, I'd say you're truly impressive."
Faced with Arlecchino's ridicule, Tartaglia could only defend himself helplessly. "I really didn't expect things to turn out like that. I just wanted a proper spar—who knew he'd take it so seriously?"
Arlecchino shook her head in exasperation. "That's exactly why you're a battle maniac. If someone threatened Teucer and told you to go all out, do you think you'd show them any mercy?"
Tartaglia was completely stumped by that question, left dazed for several seconds before hurriedly changing the subject.
"Anyway… thanks. For looking after Teucer while I was gone."
Arlecchino showed little reaction to his thanks. She simply turned away, slowly walking off as she replied in a flat tone.
"No need to thank me. It was an assignment from 'The Rooster.' When he first gave the order, his intention was probably for me to adopt Teucer outright…"
"But since you're back now, you should take him home to Snezhnaya as soon as possible."
…
Meanwhile, inside the reception room, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.
Freminet, small in stature, stood nervously before Shao Yun, his hands tightly clasped together and trembling slightly from sheer tension.
He took a deep breath, doing his best to steady his nerves, and introduced himself in a slightly stammering voice.
"H-Hello… my name is Freminet."
Shao Yun's gaze fell upon the boy standing awkwardly before him, and he slowly looked him over from head to toe.
"Hello, I'm Shao Yun…"
The next second, Shao Yun muttered inexplicably, "Now I finally understand why priests like little boys…"
Thankfully, Shao Yun's orientation was completely normal—this was merely an offhand remark.
Still, it had to be said: the boy named Freminet before him was truly delicate-looking, to the point where the word cute fit him perfectly.
Hearing Shao Yun say something so baffling, Freminet felt both awkward and confused.
"Huh? Um… what did you just say? I don't really understand."
Realizing he had misspoken, Shao Yun quickly shook his head and changed the subject. "Haha, nothing, nothing. Don't worry about it. Um… I heard you're especially good at diving. Is that true?"
At the mention of his diving skills, the already nervous Freminet instinctively clutched the hem of his clothes, replying shyly and modestly.
"Ah? Th-that… yes. I guess so. I'm not that amazing, really—just decent…"
Seeing this, Shao Yun stopped beating around the bush and stated his purpose directly.
"I need your help. I want you to take me diving and help me look for something. You understand what I mean, right?"
After hearing Shao Yun's request, Freminet nodded vigorously.
"Yes, yes, I understand. Father already explained everything to me. Everything's prepared—we can set off anytime."
…
Although the city of Fontaine relies heavily on its convenient and efficient aquabus system for daily travel, that doesn't mean there are no other ways to leave the city.
Along the walls of the Court of Fontaine, there exist some little-known mechanical lifts used for exiting the city.
However, due to Fontaine's highly developed water transportation network, land routes play a relatively minor role overall.
As a result, these lifts are rarely used, with most residents still preferring boats as their primary means of entering and leaving the city.
Shao Yun walked ahead, while Freminet followed behind somewhat timidly.
At first, Shao Yun chatted with Freminet as they walked, trying to lighten the slightly heavy atmosphere between them.
Yet to Shao Yun's mild frustration, Freminet was simply too shy and introverted.
No matter what topic Shao Yun brought up, Freminet would respond cautiously with just a few words before falling silent again.
After several attempts, Shao Yun gradually gave up on conversation altogether.
And so, the two continued on in silence.
As they drew closer and closer to the water's edge, Freminet—who had been lagging behind—suddenly quickened his pace, caught up to Shao Yun, and walked alongside him.
Then, turning his head, Freminet blurted out,
"Lyney and Lynette really didn't mean to hurt you…"
Hearing this, Shao Yun—who had been focused on the road—came to a stop and turned to look at Freminet.
"What?!"
Freminet's heart tightened instantly, thinking he had angered him.
Rubbing his hands nervously, he stammered, "Um… I just thought that since we've already decided to work together, maybe this could be a good opportunity?"
"An opportunity to clear up the misunderstandings between us," he added, cautiously glancing at Shao Yun's expression.
Hearing Freminet's words, Shao Yun merely cast a calm glance at the visibly tense boy and asked casually, "Oh? And what exactly do you mean by that?"
Taking a deep breath, Freminet mustered his courage and continued.
"I mean, since we're working together now, doesn't that mean we could use this chance to clear up any misunderstandings between you and Lyney and Lynette?"
"They're really good people. Isn't it possible there was some kind of misunderstanding between you?"
After saying all this, Freminet looked as though he had exhausted all his strength, breathing lightly as he waited for Shao Yun's response.
Shao Yun looked at the boy before him, whose face was filled with sincerity.
Then he reached out and gently patted Freminet's head.
"Don't think about that for now. What matters most is focusing on the task at hand."
"As for Lyney and Lynette, we can deal with that when the time is right."
Feeling the warmth and steadiness of Shao Yun's hand resting on his head, the tension in Freminet's heart eased slightly.
He nodded obediently and replied,
"Okay…"
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