As the call went out, there was almost no delay. The moment it connected, it was immediately picked up by Von Lycaon, who had clearly been waiting for a while.
Before Andrew even had a chance to speak, Von Lycaon respectfully said,
"Esteemed Manager, have the matters keeping you busy concluded? Or perhaps, do you now require Victoria Housekeeping Co. to lend you a helping hand?"
But to Von Lycaon's surprise...
This time, in response to his polite greeting, Andrew actually rubbed his chin, gave a slight nod, and said,
"Speaking of help... I might actually have something I need your help with. Or rather, I need the help of The Mayor backing you."
"Oh?!"
To be honest, Von Lycaon hadn't actually expected that he or The Mayor could provide any substantial help to Andrew. After all, for an existence like Andrew, his own usefulness was at most helping him handle some tedious, trivial matters.
As for any truly meaningful help, he was afraid it was limited to those insignificant Dennies from their first meeting.
But this time was actually different?!
Upon confirming that Andrew was being serious, and not just treating him simply as a housekeeping service organization like before, Von Lycaon couldn't help but let a trace of excitement slip into his voice.
"Please feel free to state any needs you might have. As long as it is within my power to fulfill, we will absolutely give it our all."
"Even if it is an incredibly demanding task, I will do my utmost to persuade The Mayor to achieve your request."
Listening to Von Lycaon's incredibly solemn promise, for some reason, Andrew felt that his affinity level with the butler was inexplicably quite high.
It was even absurdly high.
As for exactly how he had managed to grind this affinity level up... Andrew could only say he didn't have the slightest clue; it truly left him completely baffled.
He hadn't even had that many conversations with him, right...
Their most frequent interaction was simply Von Lycaon helping to deliver The Mayor's rewards every time he took care of a monster or some major trouble.
It couldn't possibly be that his affinity was successfully maxed out just because of something like that, right?
Although being treated so enthusiastically by a man inexplicably made him feel a bit uncomfortable, Von Lycaon's wolf-man appearance somehow diluted that weirdness.
This appearance, which aside from its humanoid form was basically indistinguishable from an animal, always gave Andrew the illusion of seeing a Palamute—the kind exclusively assigned to hunters in the legendary Old World villages—whenever he looked at Von Lycaon.
Shaking his head to toss this bizarre thought out of his mind, Andrew spoke to Von Lycaon on the other end of the line:
"Although I do have some matters to entrust you with, it's hard to explain clearly over the phone. I'll just explain it to you in detail once you get here."
The infection and mutation of the Frenzy Virus wasn't something that could be clearly explained in just a sentence or two over the phone.
Rather than wasting his breath, Andrew felt it would be much faster to directly show the freshly recorded report and samples right in front of the other party.
Hearing Andrew say this, Von Lycaon also understood his meaning.
Out of trust for Andrew, and knowing that since Andrew was doing this he definitely had his reasons, Von Lycaon nodded without any hesitation and said,
"I understand. Please wait a moment; we will rush over to your location at maximum speed."
Consequently, Von Lycaon hung up the phone.
Whether it should be called expected or entirely anticipated, less than a minute after the call ended, an unhurried knocking resounded from the workshop door, its volume perfectly measured.
At the same time, Twentie outside also transmitted a notification regarding the arrival of special visitors.
Knowing the arrival was none other than Von Lycaon, Andrew opened the door without hesitation, only to discover that the person outside wasn't just Von Lycaon alone as he had expected, but a full group of three.
Aside from the tall and burly Von Lycaon, there were two females—one tall, one short; one mature, one young.
The younger one looked to be only about eleven or twelve years old.
When Andrew saw that young girl, whose entire being exuded a timid and cowardly aura, the worries he initially held regarding whether Von Lycaon would be willing to accept Ellen's recruitment were mostly dispelled.
Her age looked to be absolutely a few years younger than Ellen's.
However, having gained a deeper understanding of why children worked in New Eridu through Ellen's previous explanations, upon seeing such a young girl this time around...
Andrew's sympathy didn't just casually overflow again.
After all, compared to following black-hearted bosses or gangs wandering in the gray areas, Andrew had at least confirmed that a person like Von Lycaon was thoroughly reliable.
Even if there would inevitably be some danger due to the necessity of entering Hollows.
With Von Lycaon's sense of justice and responsibility, this was actually already an extremely excellent destination in New Eridu.
And during that brief moment when Andrew's mind wandered slightly because of this...
Suddenly, the woman with incredibly silky grayish-white long hair and dark red pupils identical to Ellen's gently tapped the ground with her toes. Then, as if breaking free from the shackles of gravity, she floated through the air right up to Andrew's face.
And this was Rina, who had come along at Von Lycaon's request.
The exquisitely delicate face of Rina appearing so abruptly before his eyes caught Andrew—who had just snapped out of his daze—somewhat off guard.
And after noticing that Andrew had regained his focus, she didn't choose to pull away.
Staring into Andrew's refocused pupils, Rina, floating in the air, gave her body a slight twist, and then swayed as she floated a full circle around him.
Ultimately, she chose to stop when she reached Andrew's back.
Before Andrew could even react, she gently raised her arm and cupped one of his palms from below.
It was as if she was observing and inspecting something.
Yet, throughout this entire series of actions, rather than sensing any so-called romance, Andrew only felt an aura of elegance and nobility from her every gesture.
Noticing Andrew's gaze, a gentle smile appeared on her face as she chuckled softly and said,
"I have long looked forward to meeting you, Esteemed Manager. Now I finally have the opportunity to see you in person."
"Rina! Do not be rude!"
Under the subconscious reprimand of Von Lycaon—who had likewise just reacted, not expecting Rina to be so forward—Rina released the hand she was lightly holding, twirled gracefully to the front of Andrew, and landed firmly on the ground.
"Please forgive my impertinence."
With lowered eyes, she gently lifted the incredibly long hem of her skirt with both hands. While performing a curtsy toward Andrew, she introduced herself with a light laugh,
"I am the Head Maid of Victoria Housekeeping Co., Alexandrina Sebastian. For convenience's sake, you may simply call me Rina."
It was only then that Andrew finally got a complete look at the full appearance of the Head Maid standing before him.
Although her incredibly delicate face up close had already left an undeniably profound impression on him, what was even more striking was her figure, which was an entire magnitude more voluptuous than both Astra Yao and Evelyn.
Coupled with her movement—gliding through the air like a phantom, completely ignoring gravity...
Purely from a visual standpoint, the sense of softness she exuded was an entire tier stronger than even Astra Yao's.
Although she was wearing a traditional British maid outfit, whether it was to facilitate easier movement during combat or not, a slit split open directly from her left waist.
Beneath the gently swaying hem of the skirt, two incredibly long, slender legs could be faintly seen.
Yet, what left the deepest impression on anyone who saw her was her pristine white stockings—one side extending up like pantyhose, while the other side only reached the knee, exposing a section of snowy-white, delicate thigh.
This asymmetric beauty was simply impossible for anyone to refuse.
By her side, two Bangboos, also suspended in the air and sporting entirely different hairstyles, flanked her left and right, similarly performing their own maid curtsies in mid-air.
"Uh... oh, oh, hello, Alexan... Rina."
Realizing exactly what she had just done, Andrew's cheeks subconsciously flushed slightly red.
Although his resistance had significantly increased after being baptized by Astra Yao and the others, the effect of Rina's series of actions was still a bit too potent.
After all, while Astra Yao was similarly very proactive, there were vast differences in the types of proactiveness.
The impressions they gave off were also completely distinct.
Astra Yao possessed the kind of proactiveness typical of a young girl facing someone she liked—every advance was an all-out offensive, yet due to a lack of experience, it constantly carried a trace of youthful, innocent beauty.
Rina's proactiveness, on the other hand, carried an air of effortless mastery and maintained the absolute perfect distance; it was simply far too overpowered.
To say they were on completely different levels wouldn't be an exaggeration at all.
Looking at Rina in front of him, Andrew couldn't help but give a light cough to mask his embarrassment while similarly introducing himself,
"Ahem, I'm the boss of the Seliana Smithy, Andrew. You can just call me Andrew, or call me Manager like Von Lycaon does."
Watching the somewhat embarrassed Andrew, the smile on Rina's face grew even brighter.
As if she had seen something incredibly amusing, Rina made no other movements. Instead, she just nodded slightly with a smile and chuckled,
"Hehe, as you wish, Esteemed Manager~"
Looking at Rina, who was curtsying in front of Andrew, and Andrew, who was slightly flustered by her sudden actions, Von Lycaon couldn't help but shake his head. Letting out a somewhat helpless sigh, he spoke up to defuse the situation,
"My apologies, Esteemed Manager. Perhaps it's because she had wanted to meet you so many times before without a proper opportunity. Now that she's seeing you for the first time, Rina might have gotten a bit too excited."
He couldn't help but turn his head to shoot a gentle glare at the smiling Rina. Then, to ensure Andrew wouldn't feel awkward or embarrassed, he brought the topic back on track,
"Next, would you like to first explain the matter regarding which you require The Mayor's assistance, or would you like to receive the gift from the Defense Force first?"
At Von Lycaon's reminder, Andrew instantly snapped back to reality.
Upon mentioning official business, he shook his head and incredibly quickly sorted out his emotions and the thoughts that had stalled due to the shock.
Now fully recovered, Andrew said with a serious expression,
"A gift from the Defense Force doesn't really matter; it won't be too late to talk about it later."
Knowing that none of the factions in New Eridu could possibly provide the things he truly lacked, Andrew merely waved his hand dismissively.
Completely indifferent to the Defense Force's reward, Andrew stated without hesitation,
"Compared to something that doesn't really matter, let's just get down to business first."
Seeing Andrew so certain, Von Lycaon naturally had no reason to refuse.
Subsequently, Andrew turned around, ready to lead Von Lycaon toward the second floor where he had conducted his experiments earlier.
Rather than giving a long-winded verbal explanation, Andrew chose to use a much more direct method to make Von Lycaon understand his intentions.
And the simplest way was to directly show Von Lycaon the previous experimental logs.
Turning his head to signal Meow-Da, who had been watching the spectacle from the side, to stay behind and keep watch in the first-floor workshop, Andrew then gestured for Von Lycaon to follow.
Having already been upstairs several times, Von Lycaon silently and familiarly followed Andrew's footsteps toward the second floor.
As for Rina and Corin—who had come along but was so timid she hadn't spoken a single word, choosing instead to secretly huddle in a corner to minimize her presence—since Andrew hadn't given them any signal, they tacitly chose to stay right where they were.
Watching Andrew and Von Lycaon head upstairs, Rina's gaze shifted, noticing Ellen off to the side, silently keeping her head down as she sewed the Paolumu armor set.
It was just that for some reason, looking at the young girl's back, she gave off a somewhat puffed-up, pouty feeling.
She remembered very clearly.
In the mission briefing earlier, Von Lycaon had explicitly mentioned that this Esteemed Manager had also agreed to recommend a young girl to join Victoria Housekeeping Co. as a new member.
And aside from Corin, the only young girl present here was the one right in front of her~
Moreover, the Esteemed Manager also had a request for sewing clothes.
Harboring the thought of completing the commission while simultaneously getting to know this future new member in advance, Rina flashed an elegant smile and drifted over toward Ellen.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Meow-Da, who had been left behind to keep watch over the workshop, noticed Corin, who had been curled up motionless in the corner ever since coming inside.
The Felyne's paw pads ensured it made absolutely no sound while walking.
The curious Meow-Da silently crept right up behind Corin. With its large eyes wide in curiosity, it circled back and forth around the huddled girl, sizing her up.
As for Corin, who had been curled up like a quail, when she heard the footsteps of Andrew and Von Lycaon growing further and further away as they headed upstairs, she subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't suppress the curiosity welling up inside her.
Her curiosity regarding this Manager who had earned endless praise even from Von Lycaon made her instinctively peek her head around.
She wanted to observe exactly what this Esteemed Manager's living environment looked like.
However, the moment Corin turned her head, she locked eyes perfectly with Meow-Da, who was curiously examining her from behind.
"Eek!"
Caught completely off guard by this eye contact with a stranger, Corin's body instinctively stiffened in that very moment, rendering her completely paralyzed.
Meow-Da, noticing that Corin had turned her head and was staring motionless at it, assumed she had something to say, and thus unapologetically stared right back.
Consequently, the person and the cat just stood there motionless, engaging in a wide-eyed staring contest.
____
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