"Cozy" Dinner, with an Invisible Net

As the morning glow over the sea gradually faded away, tiny stars began to twinkle, signaling the start of a lovely and heartwarming dinner time.

Or so one might think!

The atmosphere at the dining table remained tense.

Facing Ophelia, who showed no intention of giving up the golden silk shrimp ball, Evelyn turned to Luo Wei for help.

"Little Wei, your teacher wants to eat this..."

She helplessly pursed her lips, her beautiful eyes shimmering slightly, exuding a pitiful expression that could melt any man's heart.

Luo Wei's heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

It was rare for his teacher to show such a pitiful expression. The last time he saw it was when he took her in at the old mansion.

Noticing Luo Wei's unusual gaze, Ophelia swiftly took action.

Under the table, she gently nudged Luo Wei with her leg.

Luo Wei's eyes shifted to her.

"Luo Wei, I want to eat this too."

Her lips curled into a faint smile, her gaze soft. The usually cold expression on her face melted into a charming smile, like the ice thawing in early spring.

Luo Wei's heart couldn't take it anymore.

To make matters worse, her leg wasn't behaving. From an angle no one else could see, her long leg, wrapped in black stockings, teased him by brushing against him repeatedly...

While she maintained a pure and innocent smile on the surface, under the table, she was acting like a little temptress. Luo Wei took a deep breath, feeling like he was about to lose control...

He tried to calm the restlessness in his heart, quietly reaching under the table to grab her foot, which was attempting to move further up, and shot her a warning glance.

Ophelia blinked innocently.

Evelyn suddenly sensed something was off and quickly glanced under the table.

Luo Wei withdrew his hand, and Ophelia pulled back her leg.

Evelyn eyed the two suspiciously, her gaze momentarily falling on the shoe that had been kicked off on the floor.

"Hmph." She decided to drop the act and tightened her grip on the fork.

"You always take everything from me! You already have so much, yet you're still not satisfied!"

The golden silk shrimp ball moved toward Evelyn.

"Humph, when have I ever taken anything from you? Luo Wei met me first!"

Ophelia clearly wasn't going to back down, and the shrimp ball shifted back toward her.

Evelyn chuckled. "Hilarious! I was talking about the food! So, you're feeling guilty, huh?"

Ophelia was momentarily stunned but didn't loosen her grip.

"Whether it's Luo Wei or the food, what I want is mine!"

"Hahaha, no wonder people from the royal family are so domineering. It's disgusting!"

Seeing the two of them on the verge of fighting over a single shrimp ball, Luo Wei quickly stood up.

"Hey, if you both love it so much, why don't I just make another plate?"

"No! I want this one!" Evelyn's stubbornness flared up.

"Me too!" Ophelia was even more stubborn.

Suddenly, both pairs of eyes turned to Luo Wei.

One gaze was full of resentment, the other resolute.

"Little Wei, you decide."

"No need to think about it. He'll definitely give it to me~"

Luo Wei sighed, looking at the two of them, then silently turned his gaze to Helena, who was quietly devouring her meal at the edge of the battlefield.

The shrimp dumplings were quite appetizing, and she had almost finished them all...

His mind raced, and suddenly, he had an idea.

"Helena, don't just focus on the dumplings. This is also made from shrimp, and it's delicious too~"

He snatched the poor golden silk shrimp ball that the two were fighting over and gently offered it to Helena's little mouth.

Helena looked up in confusion, a bit of sauce still smeared at the corner of her lips.

Luo Wei pushed it closer, and Helena obediently opened her mouth. After taking a bite, her sapphire-blue eyes blinked in surprise.

"Hmm... it's quite tasty. Thank you, brother."

"You're welcome." Luo Wei patted her head. "Not fighting over food is what good kids do."

Ophelia and Evelyn exchanged glances.

Then, both turned expressionless faces toward Luo Wei.

But neither said anything more...

Luo Wei sat back down, quietly letting out a sigh of relief.

It's perfectly normal for a brother to dote on his sister, right?

Looking at the now peaceful dining table, he felt like a genius.

The family dinner finally took on a warm and cozy atmosphere, and Luo Wei continued to serve Helena more food. Soon, her plate was piled high.

"Thank you, brother, but... it's too much..."

Helena looked at her brother with both gratitude and helplessness.

"It's fine. Eat up. I believe in your appetite!" Luo Wei added a braised chicken leg to her plate.

Evelyn shot him a sidelong glance. "Little Wei~ I want some too!"

Luo Wei smiled and served her a chicken leg as well.

A soft cough came from his side, and Luo Wei turned to meet Ophelia's dissatisfied gaze. Naturally, he served her a piece too.

Once everyone had their share, the dinner became even more peaceful and harmonious.

That is, until the last member of the family arrived.

"Oh? Everyone's here!"

They looked up to see the witch, Tilis.

Tilis, also looking travel-worn, arrived and noticed that Luo Wei's sides were already occupied. She casually pulled up a chair and sat at the far end of the table.

"Phew, I'm exhausted. I've been teleporting all over the place today. My magic is almost drained."

"What have you been up to?" Luo Wei asked curiously.

Tilis didn't plan to hide anything from the group. "First, I went around Brugge, rounding up the remnants of the guild leader's faction. Those who opposed me were dealt with. Then, I returned to the islands to prepare for the nagging elders."

Luo Wei nodded. The islands she mentioned were located in the vast southern seas of the continent, where many remote islands were rarely visited by outsiders. It was also the headquarters of their council of elders.

"So, you're working on unifying the entire Magic Hermit Order?" Ophelia suddenly asked.

Tilis nodded lightly. "Yes, that's right. How about you? Did you manage to keep your ancestor's situation under wraps?"

Ophelia had indeed been busy with that matter these past few days. She let out a tired sigh.

"A few bishops from the church came from Saint Callen, along with the Royal Mage Corps. They worked together to reinforce the island's seals. My ancestor must have eaten his fill and gone back to sleep. He probably won't wake up for another few hundred years."

"That's good news," Tilis said with a smile.

Ophelia, looking at the seemingly carefree witch, frowned. "But it's not over yet. Because of you."

"Me?" Tilis blinked.

Ophelia pursed her lips. "Haven't you noticed the city has started tightening security? And yet, you waltz in so casually? Now, entering and exiting the city requires registration. Several southern dioceses have sent their knight orders for support. The church is going door-to-door checking for magical residues. All of this—is for you."

"The Calamity Witch, Tilis."

"The top name on the wanted list, the evil black sorceress responsible for this entire incident."

"This description..." Tilis muttered in dissatisfaction. "Can't it be changed to a righteous female mage who saves the day by sealing away monstrous aberrations?"

"Wishful thinking," Ophelia retorted, her gaze turning threatening. "Right now, you're the Church's number one enemy, a calamity wreaking havoc within the Empire. If you don't want me to leak your whereabouts to them, you should be grateful to me!"

"But even if you tell them, they still can't catch me, can they?" Tilis said, helping herself to a braised chicken leg that seemed to be up for grabs.

"Heh," Ophelia sneered. "Such arrogance."

"Let me correct you. Arrogance stems from an inflated sense of self. But I'm different from you all, so this is confidence, not arrogance," Tilis replied, taking a small bite of the chicken leg and finding it quite tasty.

Seeing Ophelia's eyes grow increasingly hostile, Luo Wei forcefully interrupted their harmonious exchange.

"You'd better keep a low profile for now. The Sacred Edict Church isn't entirely incompetent. I know you're strong, but for safety's sake, it's best not to use magic too frequently in their territory."

"The Sacred Edict Church is still far behind the orthodox church in the east..." Tilis said dismissively, still munching on her chicken leg. But under Luo Wei's disapproving gaze, she eventually gave a soft, reluctant nod.

"Fine, I'll listen to you."

Bringing up the eastern church reminded Tilis of something else.

"By the way, when I returned to the Elder Council, I heard some unusual news..."

All eyes turned to her. Tilis set down her chicken leg and spoke slowly.

"Over the past month, the Siston Diocese of Norsgul has been in frequent contact with the Florenza Diocese, the Castori Diocese, the Northern Winter Diocese, and the Western Welen Diocese. While this is clearly related to the bishop reshuffling following the Pope's death, our Elder Council has flagged this as a matter of high concern."

After she finished speaking, the dining table fell into a brief silence. Ophelia cast a peculiar glance at Luo Wei.

Luo Wei knew what she was thinking. Each of these dioceses represented a nation: southeast, northeast, and north of Weignar, with Norsgul, Weignar's sworn enemy, located directly to the east, and the Kingdom of Welen to the far west...

It felt as though an invisible net was closing in around Weignar.