"Sophia seems to be recovering wonderfully — she won't need to come back anymore!"
Leilin lounged on his reclining chair, speaking in a leisurely tone.
"Thank you so much!" Belinda's eyes were slightly red. Though she didn't know why, ever since Sophia had started drinking the strange tea brewed from Leilin's little green tree, her symptoms had been noticeably improving. Sophia was already much more mentally mature now.
"By the way, what exactly is this 'tea'? Some kind of potion?" Belinda asked with a hint of confusion, while her heart was already full of gratitude toward Leilin. She simply assumed that Leilin had been cultivating the little tree entirely to treat Sophia — and Leilin certainly wasn't about to dispel that pleasant misunderstanding.
"Oh, it's just a drink from my homeland. It similarly extracts essence from plant leaves, so it's somewhat similar to what you have here..."
Leilin clearly didn't want to elaborate.
"Customs from a remote island overseas? I'd love to travel there with you one day..." Belinda's eyes seemed to glisten with unshed tears.
"Mm! There'll be a chance someday!"
Leilin yawned, looking rather listless.
"All right, Sophia — what good stories did you bring for Grandpa Nick today?"
Leilin looked over at Sophia, who had by now drunk every last drop of her tea.
"Oh! I heard from Agnes that the Holy City is planning a major counterattack this time — even the reserve 'Punishment Corps' will be deployed..."
"And also... the Holy City is under full martial lockdown now. There are even plans to consolidate all the residents under unified management!"
...
"That Thomas is so stupid! He practically spilled all the precious intelligence just because someone batted her eyelashes at him. Aren't I amazing?"
Sophia held her head high with pride, a sly smile gleaming in her eyes.
"Mm! Sophia is the best!"
Leilin gave an approving nod. Through listening to her daily accounts, information about every aspect of the Holy City was converging before his eyes.
However, as Sophia continued speaking, his head drooped lower and lower. Eventually his eyes closed entirely, as though he had fallen into a deep sleep.
Seeing this, Sophia immediately stopped talking, and her eyes reddened slightly.
"Let's go," Belinda said, her voice choked with emotion. She draped a leather coat over Leilin and led Sophia away.
They were extremely busy every day now, with only a brief window of free time.
Perhaps there was also the reason that she didn't want to see Leilin in this state.
But once they had left, Leilin opened his eyes. A sharp, brilliant light shone from within them: "So it's come to this? The great battle looks like it's about to begin! Then it's time to set my plan in motion!"
"Oh, and... there are a few rats I should deal with at the same time!"
His gaze flicked to the side, seeming to peer through the walls to another location entirely.
After that, he closed his eyes once more, like one of those frail old men, and sank into a heavy sleep.
...
Clang! A priceless crystal vial was swept onto the floor, shattering into countless shards.
"In times like these, even I — a noble scion of the Steward family — have to march off to war, and yet he just sits there comfortably! I can't fathom what my sister is thinking!"
Thomas panted heavily, his armor splattered with blood.
"Young Master Thomas! Our Steward family has been the Holy City's hereditary guardians for generations. Defending the Holy City is our sacred duty! The other party is merely a freeman..."
An elderly butler with white hair stood beside him — one of his eyes was completely gone, leaving a deep, hollow socket. He spoke in a soothing tone.
"Furthermore, the young lady surely must have seen some hidden card that person holds, which is why she ordered us not to offend him. With the young lady's judgment, she would never misjudge someone!"
"But... but I can't stand it anymore! And those two wretches — not just Sophia, even Belinda keeps running over to visit him! What do they take our Steward family for?"
Thomas shouted, while the butler opposite him sighed inwardly.
They were all freemen, after all. Belinda had even voluntarily been helping defend the Holy City. Now she was simply visiting a friend from time to time — they had absolutely no grounds to criticize her. Naturally, this spoiled young master wasn't going to listen to any of that.
"I can't take it! I can't take it! Manbas — you have to find a way to make that Nick disappear for good! During a war, it should be perfectly easy!"
Thomas's expression turned dark, killing intent flashing in his eyes.
"As you command, noble young master! Your will is our mission! But the Second Elder is preparing to lead the Punishment Corps in a counterattack right now — please bear with it for just a little longer..."
The old butler bowed once more at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
"I know! I know — to hell with the bigger picture!" Thomas grumbled in dissatisfaction, but didn't raise another objection, which brought a quiet sigh of relief from the old butler.