"Oh my, you must be Phaeton, right? Ellen and Corin have been talking about you the whole time they've been waiting."
"Rina, don't say anything unnecessary. I'm just giving a normal introduction."
While Ellen was defending herself, her gaze stayed fixed on Wise, as if she wanted to ask him something but hesitated due to the presence of others.
Rina smiled quietly, her expression carrying a deeper meaning. Little Corin, however, understood none of it. She only knew that seeing Wise made her feel happy.
"Wise, it's a pleasure to meet you here. I never imagined... that I would be working with you."
Seeing Corin standing there so politely, Wise reached out and patted her head without thinking.
"I'll be counting on you, Corin."
Hearing this, Corin blushed lightly and nodded with a bright smile. Being trusted by Wise filled her with quiet satisfaction.
"By the way, Mr. Wise must be quite tired from the journey, right? Would you like something to eat to replenish your energy?"
Rina then took out a small box that seemed to be meant for snacks. The moment she did, Corin and Ellen reacted at the same time. Corin stiffened in fear, while worry clearly appeared on Ellen's face.
As for why they reacted that way, the reason became obvious the moment Rina opened the dessert box.
Inside the box was something that could no longer be described as a snack. Fish heads and octopus tentacles lay covered in cream.
Upon closer inspection, something inside the jam appeared to be moving.
"Ah, there's really no need for that. I'm not very hungry right now," Wise said, feeling that eating something like that would probably kill him.
"Mr. Wise, there's no reason to hold back. Even a small bite would be fine. Corin and Ellen keep praising your cooking, so I'd like to hear your opinion."
'From her tone, it feels like I absolutely have to eat this. What is this, some kind of test?'
Wise stared at the food in front of him for a long moment before finally reaching out and grabbing the most normal-looking pastry he could find.
Rina laughed happily, her favorability going up by five points. Corin felt terrified, yet her eyes shone with admiration as she looked at Wise.
As for Ellen, the moment she saw Wise reach out, she had the urge to eat all the snacks in his place. However, after a brief struggle, she restrained herself.
She had expected Wise to seek her help in this moment of crisis, but instead, he simply raised the snack and ate it under everyone's gaze.
He chewed calmly before swallowing, then offered a brief evaluation.
"The flavor is acceptable, though there's still room to improve. If Miss Rina has any ideas, we can talk about them another time."
While speaking, Wise quietly sent the horrifying snack into his system space, carefully placing it as far away as possible so it wouldn't affect anything else.
Rina remained blissfully unaware and was instead pleased by his response.
"Is that so? That's great news! Thank you, Mr. Wise."
Corin lingered nearby, clearly unsure whether to speak, so Wise added another sentence right away.
"Corin and Ellen will be there too. You can come along as well. Ellen will be responsible for tasting the finished food."
Hearing this, Corin agreed happily. Ellen complained that it sounded like too much trouble, but added that she would go anyway, since there would be free food.
Wise glanced at Ellen's mood on the system panel and realized she was actually quite happy.
'What a proud little shark. So cute,' he thought, smiling as he looked at her.
Ellen soon mentioned that she wanted to rest for a bit, and at that moment, Wise received a call from Belle.
When he stepped aside to answer it, his eyes caught sight of Ellen curled up on a chair, apparently asleep. It was rare for her to sleep with her tail held so close to her body.
Without thinking, Wise reached out and touched her tail. Almost instantly, Ellen reacted, her tail lashing out on instinct.
Wise blocked the first hit, and not long after, she relaxed again, as if she had sensed someone familiar nearby.
Her breathing was a bit strange, too controlled, making it seem like she was pretending to sleep just to avoid being noticed.
He didn't bother with that. He explained everything to Belle over the phone and then said something that completely shocked her.
| Belle, this time I plan to enter the Hollow myself. |
| What?! Absolutely not! |
After hearing Wise's idea, Belle's voice immediately rose. Like a loving wife worried about her husband, she began listing one serious consequence after another.
For example, if he were to get injured after entering the Hollow, it could cause inconvenience in his daily life and might even make it impossible for him to be with her at night. Just imagining such a possibility left her devastated.
| Don't worry. You know how strong I am. And this is necessary to find Rain as soon as possible. Her situation likely isn't good right now, and I won't be acting alone either. |
Belle thought about it for a long moment. Considering that Victoria Housekeeping was involved, the situation shouldn't turn out too poorly.
After some hesitation, she finally agreed, even if her unease remained.
Hmph, if you hadn't been so persistent, I never would've agreed. And don't forget to bring extra anti-Ether corruption pills, just in case. |
Belle kept reminding Wise to pack his belongings, repeatedly stressing that he shouldn't take unnecessary risks when danger appeared.
With no other choice, Wise nodded in agreement. After hanging up the call, he glanced at Ellen, who appeared to still be fast asleep beside him.
Yet the system panel clearly indicated otherwise. She wasn't asleep at all, likely having woken up when her tail was touched.
Also, when Wise talked about going into the Hollow together, he saw her body and tail twitch slightly.
'Worried about me? How cute. But I'm not someone who needs protecting.'
With that thought in mind, Wise grew curious about what Ellen was thinking beneath that calm exterior.
-+ + + + +
Ellen's Inner Thoughts:
Tch… This time, Wise actually chose not to use a Bangboo and will enter the Hollow by himself. Does that mean I can't hug him openly anymore? Damn it…!
-+ + + + +
Ellen's true thoughts made Wise's lips twitch slightly. Still, he knew that the strength he had shown was nothing that should worry her, especially with so many people around this time.
While thinking about this, a sudden idea came to him, and Wise decided to take the opportunity to mess with Ellen.
He glanced at Ellen, who was still pretending to be asleep, and spoke with deliberate calm.
"It looks like Ellen is fast asleep. In that case, I need to confirm something."