Small Talk

"Is that so? Liyana, I really envy you. To think you've traveled to so many places over the years."

Delyan swirled her wine glass and sighed. "Unlike me. Even after graduating, I've just stayed in Olifendo. I really want to go out and see the world, too."

"The scenery in Olifendo is perfectly fine. There aren't many places out there that can compare to this," Liyana said, waving her hand dismissively. "Besides, when you go out adventuring, you spend most of your time in a carriage. It's actually really boring and not nearly as fun as you'd imagine."

"That's very true." Resting her chin in her hand, Mo Lini nodded in agreement, as if recalling that particular journey. "Being cooped up in a carriage all day, your only options are reading or chatting. The biggest thrill you get is trying to guess what you'll be having for your next meal..."

"That sounds so relaxing," Liss and Annie sighed. Mo Lini's explanation only made them more envious.

Here in Olifendo, in order to graduate, they had to prepare for magic experiments and take mage rank exams. They were constantly spinning like tops.

Delyan naturally joined the ranks of those complaining about academy life. The girls chattered away, spilling plenty of juicy gossip about student romance drama and embarrassing stories about certain teachers.

Gossip was perhaps human nature. Even Luo Lun and Mo Lini listened with keen interest.

"Oh, right, Delyan. Isn't that Mian guy a junior from your academy?" Liss suddenly asked Delyan.

"Yeah, I know him pretty well. Why? Is he caught up in some scandal with a girl?" Delyan's interest was instantly piqued. "Tell me everything!"

If she could get some dirt on that kid Mian, it would be much easier to make him run errands and help out with her experiments next time.

"No, it's not that... I'm just a little curious," Liss said, taking a sip of her fruit wine. "He's clearly a student from your academy, but his mentor is Professor Enlaisi from the History Department... Isn't that a bit weird?"

"Oh, that." Delyan didn't seem surprised at all. "Professor Enlaisi has helped him out a lot, so it's normal that they're close. Why do you care about this?"

"Well... quite a few of my friends are pretty interested in him." Liss shrugged.

"That kid Mian is that popular?" Delyan was a bit surprised. While Mian wasn't bad-looking, he certainly wasn't at the level of a heartthrob.

"Not Mian," Liss corrected, lowering her voice. "Professor Enlaisi."

"Cough, cough!" Delyan, who had just taken a sip of her drink, choked on Liss's words and broke into a violent coughing fit. Sitting next to her, Annie thoughtfully patted her back.

Liyana was also taken aback for a moment. Then, the image of Professor Enlaisi surfaced in her mind. He didn't look old, possessed plenty of vigor, and appeared to be only in his early forties... Coupled with his unique aura, it wasn't actually that surprising that he would attract some young girls.

Liss continued, "You see, Professor Enlaisi has always been single..."

"But he used to have a wife," Liyana interjected. "That's why he's always been single."

Liss added, "Devoted... To some people, that might actually be a bonus."

Liyana opened her mouth to speak but ultimately swallowed her words.

"Professor Enlaisi rarely interacted with others before, but lately, people have been seeing him walking around with Mian a lot. So, some have started to suspect that there might be something illicit going on between them..."

"Pfft—" Without any warning, Liyana spat out the fruit wine she had just sipped, spraying it all over Delyan's face across the table.

"Hey! Liyana, you did that on purpose!" Delyan protested indignantly, wiping her face to find her hand covered in sticky liquid.

"Sorry, sorry!" Liyana frantically pulled out a handkerchief and wiped Delyan's face. "It's fine, I wasn't drinking milk."

Delyan shot Liyana a fierce glare.

Jokes aside, Liyana couldn't help but look at Liss. "That's way too absurd, isn't it? How could Professor Enlaisi be that kind of person? He had a wife! His sexual orientation is perfectly normal."

Liss shrugged innocently. "Some of my friends just like to let their imaginations run wild in that direction... I'm just repeating what I heard."

Well, Liyana and the others had absolutely zero interest in any impure relationships between men.

The bizarre topic was temporarily dropped.

"Miss Luo Lun... what did you do for a living before this?" Annie stole a glance at Luo Lun, who was sitting across from her. "You don't seem to be a student here..."

Luo Lun fell silent for a moment, seemingly weighing her words.

She couldn't exactly say she was an assassin, could she?

"Oh, Luo Lun," Liyana chimed in smoothly, as if she had just remembered, her tone as casual as if she were introducing a neighbor. "She's a professional assassin."

Luo Lun was speechless.

"Eh?"

"An assassin? Really?"

"That's so cool!"

To her surprise, rather than showing fear, the faces of the three girls across the table lit up with intense curiosity, their eyes sparkling.

"Like the assassins from the Blood Pact?" Annie's eyes gleamed. "I heard they specifically target those filthy, corrupt nobles who oppress the commoners!"

"That's right," Luo Lun nodded.

She was even the leader of the very Blood Pact Annie had just mentioned.

"What's an assassin's job like? Is it really hard and dangerous?" Annie's questions were quite ordinary.

"Miss Luo Lun, why did you come to Olifendo? Is your... um... target here?" Liss's question carried a hint of thrilling inquiry.

"Does this line of work... pay well?" Delyan's question was highly pragmatic.

A barrage of questions was fired at Luo Lun.

"Um... most of the time it's actually quite relaxed. After all, the vast majority of commissions aren't accepted. Only after an investigation, when a target is proven to be truly wicked, will they be dealt with," Luo Lun replied thoughtfully. "As for the pay, taking down just one prominent noble family can cover expenses for a very long time."

"That sounds like such a dashing profession," Delyan sighed in admiration.

"Miss Luo Lun looks so cool."

"Eliminating evil and promoting good, that's just too awesome."

Faced with the girls' adoring gazes, Luo Lun felt a bit embarrassed and buried her face in her wine glass, the liquid bubbling softly as she exhaled.

She hadn't expected her profession to be viewed this way by the youth of today.

After all, in the past, assassins were treated like rats crossing the street—everyone wanted to beat them.

This change in perception had to be attributed to the new policies drafted by the Blood Pact.

She wondered what the Blood Pact would evolve into in the future.

In her heart, Luo Lun couldn't help but marvel: times truly had changed.