The force with which Teest leaned in was neither light nor heavy. His head rested on Nol's shoulder, holding back just a bit of his strength. His long hair cascaded down Nol's chest, like a hand both light and soft.
Nol's heart skipped a beat.
In the future he dreamt of, there was probably this scene—his lover leaning on him, both of them flipping through a photo album, browsing through the times before they knew each other.
…Is this some kind of temptation? Nol wasn't quite sure.
Mrs. Flama was as beautiful as he had imagined, with remnants of her features in Teest's eyes and brows. His eyes were especially similar to hers.
Mr. Flama was tall and well-built, with a gentle handsomeness on his face. He looked gracious and of good temper. Only Teest's physique resembled his father's.
Their pair of adolescent children were also good-looking.
…No wonder the guard relaxed his vigilance on his appearance upon hearing he was from the Blanco family, Nol thought. The genes of the Blanco family were truly remarkable. None of the portraits in this room were unattractive.
Nol turned his gaze back to the photo of Teest.
A young Teest wore a child's robe and didn't hug his mother. His chocolate-colored hair softly hung down to his shoulders, and his honey-like eyes opened wide. He looked round and adorable, but lacked the innocence and dependency a child should have.
His mother once held him so tightly. She smiled radiantly, as if she was about to dance. What a happy family. This picture seemed to never relate to the term "Mad Monk".
Nol couldn't look away, and he couldn't help but think of his own parents. If he remembered correctly, there was a similar album in his parents' house. If only he had taken it home…
"There are many branches in the Blanco family, and the distant relatives are as numerous as the stars in the sky," Teest whispered, leaning on his shoulder.
Nol stroked the cheerful picture and listened silently.
"The ancestors of the Blanco family were one of the nobles in Gemino. It used to be a family of magic craftsmen with a long history."
"Over two hundred years ago, the family produced a genius craftsman named Wilma Farren. Thanks to her, the numerous Farren family was ennobled by the emperor—look, that's Wilma Farren Blanco."
Teest's eyes shifted to the beautiful woman holding an empty vase. On the aged canvas, she appeared to be in her fifties, with a slight downward gaze, smiling with elegance and confidence.
"A century ago, Wilma's niece married into the Alva family, giving birth to the current Duke Alva."
"My mother is a descendant of Wilma's nephew, and my father was a jeweler who once served the Blanco family. In fact, the Flama family jewelry store was run by my mother, while my father was mainly responsible for crafting the jewelry."
Nol waited for the astounding secret of this family, but Teest just shut his mouth.
"What happened next?" Nol couldn't help but ask.
"I told you, I just wanted to reintroduce my family," Teest said. "Your first meeting with them wasn't exactly… um, formal?"
"Most of the members of the Blanco family are non-believers, with a few casual believers popping up now and then. They aren't deeply connected to the Temple of Life. After the Flama family incident, I guess they wouldn't easily destroy the photos." He adjusted his head to a more comfortable angle as he spoke languidly.
So, Teest's intention of guiding him to visit the Blanco family was truly just for a photograph.
Nol looked at the family frozen in time and couldn't help but ask the burning question–
"How do you see them?" Nol got straight to the point.
Teest remained silent for a full three or four minutes.
"Their love for me is very peculiar." After a long time, the Mad Monk once again avoided the question. "Their emotions are strong and unwavering, as if they inherently know 'what to do'. Everyone in the house, except for me, seems to overflow with emotions every day."
"You're the same. Whether it's towards me, your neighbors, or the natives… I've always been curious about what that feels like. How do you all determine when you 'love' something?"
"Is there an obvious hint? A 'ding' sound in the head?" Teest mumbled.
"…How do you view your family?" This time, Nol didn't let him sidetrack.
Teest tilted his head slightly, gazing at Nol's lips and chin.
"I don't know. I never thought about it before." He whispered, "I never thought they would leave me. I thought they would always be there, in my domain."
"I thought that when I grew up, I could ensure they would always be around. In exchange, I was willing to become a knight in charge of executions, only killing those who broke the law… but I guess that's not love."
But Teest didn't have the chance to grow up. His family left him, leaving only a complete gold wheel behind.
Nol hesitated for a moment, then reached out and touched Teest's hair.
"I don't know what your home is like, but I think there's no standard answer to this and no notification sound," Nol said, placing his palm on the old photograph. "My family has a more reserved way of getting along. The emotional bonds in my family are more like 'ailments'."
"Ailments?"
"When you're healthy, everything feels mundane. But when something goes wrong, the pain and the feeling of its presence become particularly pronounced." Nol continued, "If any one of them is lost, the rest would be in great pain."
When Teest spoke again, his voice was less passionate. "So that's why you're so fixated on 'going home'."
"Yes," Nol replied earnestly. "Most people in Paradise probably feel the same."
For a moment, Teest seemed a bit discontented and a bit aggrieved. He swallowed, as if holding back words that almost escaped.
"Dinner is ready."
Old Dill from before knocked and entered after five seconds. "I'm here to take you to the dining room… What are you looking at?"
"Sorry, I was looking for a photograph of the Aquina family," Nol replied smoothly. "My aunt mentioned that the Blanco family's lounge has a family album."
Old Dill glanced at the gold vase in the room, ensuring the gold on top was still there. "Please don't misunderstand. I'm not blaming you. It's just a guest album. If you see a relative who is no longer in this world, feel free to take it."
With that, he turned to leave.
"Thank you for your generosity," Nol said, looking at his retreating figure.
He didn't touch the Aquina family photo but took the Flama family's photo into his pocket. In order to hide this, Nol made a duplicate in the empty spot.
Finishing all this smoothly, Nol handed the photo to Teest. [Take it. If the quest fails, we won't be able to come to Eternal Day City again.]
[You keep it for me,] Teest said.
Nol followed the old servant to the dining room. [I've already taken your gold wheel.]
[I like to keep treasures together, as I've said.] Teest seemed a bit frantic in his thoughts.
Nol: [...]
Nol: [What's wrong with you?]
[Why?] Teest walked alongside Nol, occasionally brushing against Nol's hand.
[…What do you mean 'why'?]
[If you really think I'm beyond redemption, why do you ask me how I feel about my family?] Teest paused for a moment, then continued, [Do you want me to realize that I still possess something called 'love'?]
Nol looked at Teest, somewhat puzzled, trying to figure out what had upset him. [Recently, you don't seem like the kind who likes being alone. If you think about it, you might make some friends in the future… That's what I think.]
Teest's family had tried so hard to teach him to love, and he didn't want their efforts to turn to ash with the flames.
…Selfishly, he also hoped that Teest could see a better world.
[Yes, you've always been fighting for a better ending for everyone.] Beside Nol, Teest's thoughts were still slightly resentful. [For yourself, for your peers, for strangers, and of course, for the future me.]
[But why did you decide our ending from the start?]
Nol's hand stiffened as Teest caught him.
[I don't like this,] Teest said. [At times like this, you seem like a real god.]
"…Mr. Ross…"
[You said you would believe in me,] Nol couldn't help but retort. [Isn't this appropriate?]
"Mr. Ross."
[The gods I've known are all cold-hearted bastards, but you're not!] Teest glared at him.
Does that mean he's saying he acted like a "real cold-hearted bastard" just now?
Having been toyed with by the unpredictable Mad Monk for days, Nol felt like he was about to explode with anger. And here he thought they were having a nice moment.
[If you can't figure out your own feelings, don't drag me down with you!] Nol gritted his teeth, his mind racing. [I have a lot of other things to deal with. I can't participate in the guessing game of whether the "Mad Monk will fall in love" or not. By the way, you were the one who first said there won't be "love". Have you thought about how I feel?]
Teest looked at Nol in shock, as if Nol had just smashed ten vases in front of him.
[Anyway, I don't like this ending,] After a while, Teest said with a hint of guilt.
Nol stared back sternly.
[But I don't want to pretend with you,] Teest continued cautiously, his thoughts faint. [If I pretend to love you like a normal person, you'd see right through it… wouldn't you?]
Nol glared at him even more intensely.
Teest muttered and quickly turned his head away.
"Mr. Ross!" Old Dill finally intervened, grabbing Nol's shoulder. "If you've had enough of the fresh air, come and eat—the turnip soup is getting cold!"
Nol jumped and quickly sat down at the table.
The servants' dinner was made from ordinary ingredients but of excellent quality.
The preserved meat was substantial, with the right amount of fat and saltiness, served with a half-cooked egg. The turnip soup had delicious beans, potatoes, and leftover preserved meat. The accompanying bread was freshly baked, emitting a quality buttery aroma.
Including Nol, there were eight people at the table. Everyone was silent, just focusing on their soup.
It wasn't the best time to gather information, so as Nol ate distractedly, he pondered the questions he'd need to ask later. Teest, however, kept pacing behind him, not even asking for his share of the meat and egg, making it hard for Nol to concentrate.
Suddenly, Teest stopped.
He grabbed the back of Nol's collar. The force was so strong that it pulled the chair back by five centimeters, making a particularly harsh scraping sound.
Caught off guard, Nol almost spilled his soup—Teest's action seemed like he wanted to drag him away, but for some reason, he stopped.
[There are ten lizardmen and five ogres beneath the mansion, likely invading from the basement, including two flame snakes that can specifically detect temperature.]
Teest still clutched the back of Nol's collar. [If it were humans, this would be the Eternal Church's hunting configuration—anything with body heat can't escape.]
Nol gripped his spoon tighter. [I don't sense their presence, nor do I smell them.]
[You can't rely only on those two senses alone,] Teest replied quickly. [I heard them advancing. We need to leave, and fast.]
With that, he glanced over the other seven servants, then fixed his gaze back on Nol.
Nol paused for a moment, then smiled.
Suddenly, he stood up, grabbing the tablecloth and yanking it forward. The unfinished food splattered on the ground, plates shattering everywhere.
"Thanks for the hospitality!" Nol spread his arms, recalling the Teest he remembered from the burning church, trying to give a sweet smile.
"Now I'm full, and the dinner was delicious. It's wonderful that the master of this place isn't here. This place is mine now, get out!"
Nol went to a corner, lifting a heavy marble vase with one hand. "Everyone out!"
Old Dill took a dining knife and charged at Nol. Internally apologizing, Nol threw him out of a window—the one facing the street, of course. He also didn't forget to cast a protective spell on the old man.
Immediately after, he used the tip of his foot to hook the tablecloth, pretending to accidentally brush it against the fireplace. The flames from the fireplace quickly crawled up the cloth, setting the nearby dining cabinet on fire. Nol swung the heavy vase around, making it whoosh through the air, all the while shouting "Get lost!" at intervals.
Seeing the deranged intruder, three young servants screamed and jumped out of the window. The remaining older servants were thrown out, just like Old Dill.
With the room empty, Teest deactivated his earring and looked at Nol with a mix of amusement and disbelief.
"Your 'madness' act was… rough," he commented, making an unbearable look on his face.
"If you tried playing the role of a 'loving partner', you'd be just as rough," Nol retorted with a grin.
"The creatures below have stopped, probably confused by what's happening up here." Teest quickly changed the topic. "We need to get out."
"Alright," Nol agreed, activating his earring.
They would leave the rest to the city guards. Even if they hadn't gathered any information here, a meal and a photograph for the lives of seven people was a good trade.
"Thank you," Nol suddenly said as they prepared to leave the beautiful building.
"Hmm?"
"Thank you for letting me choose this time, Teest."
Teest snorted. "There weren't any anti-magic crystals this time, so it wasn't as dire."
"Oh." Nol glanced at him sideways.
"We also took the photograph," Teest added, avoiding Nol's gaze. "Consider it a small compensation."
Nol nodded with a straight face. "I see. I misunderstood. I thought you were trying to care about how I felt."
"..." Teest remained silent.
"You're welcome." After a few seconds, he responded in an unprecedentedly serious tone.
...
Before the fire could spread outside the house, it was promptly extinguished by the quickly-arrived guards. The house was missing a few sets of inexpensive silverware. The guards concluded that this "Mr. Ross" was tempted by the sight of wealth, but fearing the spread of fire might endanger him, he hastily fled the scene.
Nol and Teest were accustomed to operating from the shadows, so shedding an identity was nothing new. In the end, the full-scale manhunt Nol anticipated never materialized.
Assured that the losses were minimal, the guards didn't seem too concerned about the incident. They went about their business as usual. Even though it occurred in the capital and the victim was the prestigious Blanco family, the guards had no plans for further investigation. By the next morning, Nol understood why.
"The Kesh family on Emerald Street was attacked, right around the time the Blanco house caught fire."
In the tavern, Nol overheard patrons whispering among themselves.
"Seems like all the well-known aristocrats have been targeted! The last time, the Grimm family was fine. They had a team of mercenaries at home, so no one was harmed."
"I heard from my cousin, who's a guard, that half of the Kesh children were eaten on the spot! All the magical tools and jewels in their house were cleared out!"
"It's terrifying. Even with strict checks outside…"
"Exactly. They came without being detected and left without a trace!"
...
"Well, it's okay to kill the rich…"
"What are you talking about? Are the servants of those houses also rich?"
"It must be the work of that Monster Manor. It's only a matter of time before those monsters attack the palace—"
"The church said a new batch of Investigation Knights are on their way. The Fifth Brigade is coming!"
...
Pretending to drink, Nol's frown deepened as he listened. He understood the conflict between monsters and humans. From the start, Nol never intended to believe the tales from the Temple of Life. He firmly believed there was a reason behind these so-called "monster disturbances". However, committing acts like killing children was going too far.
What was the Lord of the Manor—if indeed it was his neighbor—thinking?
Suddenly, Kando, hidden in Nol's robe, squirmed. Nol carefully lifted his robe to look at the candle tucked in the inner pocket.
"I have a suggestion," it said, waving its dripping wax in a sneaky manner.
"So proactive?"
"Just doing my part occasionally, so you don't see me as a heartless portal." The candle chuckled. "I think you've realized it's not the time to leisurely gather information. You need to speed things up."
"Speed things up?" Nol raised an eyebrow.
"The Manor failed to attack the Blanco family so they might take action again," the candle stated. "How about giving them a little surprise?"
The author has something to say:
The young couple's first quarrel! Their relationship is moving forward with its ups and downs~