"If that's the case, it must be quite difficult to wait."
Talia said softly.
As mentioned earlier, it is very challenging to find an orphan who is also an age-appropriate Coordinator.
Adopting an orphan often requires a long wait.
Of course, things are different now. With the Clyne Faction and the mentor's presence, finding a willing orphan is not actually difficult.
Seeing Talia appear interested, Fred was now completely certain of the analysis he and Lacus had made.
Talia was not unwilling to adopt; rather, she had given up because opportunities were scarce, spots were limited, and there were also bloodline factors to consider.
There was a sequence to this—at the very least, she was not resistant to the idea of adoption.
This aligned with the situation Rey had faced back then.
Thinking this, Fred, having achieved his goal, continued.
"You can first fill out the application form on our official website. Once submitted, you will be added to our waiting list. We will notify you via your Terminal as soon as there is any news."
"I understand."
Just as Fred had expected, Talia did not refuse.
Fred didn't say much more either. Just as he was about to stand up and take his leave, he saw a familiar, handsome young man with long hair approaching them.
"Talia, sorry I'm late."
"Is this the adoption center consultant?"
Speaking with a voice identical to Char's, Durandal smiled warmly in Fred's direction.
Even upon seeing the man wearing a mask, his expression remained completely unchanged.
However, deep down, Durandal felt a slight ripple of surprise at the sudden sight of a masked man.
"Yes, hello. May I ask who you are?"
Fred pretended this was their first meeting.
Although he had anticipated this encounter, seeing Durandal in person still stirred some emotions within him.
Fortunately, the mask concealed most of his expression; otherwise, Fred wasn't sure if this old fox would have noticed something.
In terms of intellect, Fred didn't believe he could completely outmatch the other.
But he had his own advantages—foresight of the plot was one, and operating from the shadows was another.
"Durandal, Talia's boyfriend."
Whether it was to assert his claim, Durandal took Talia's hand as he spoke, as if deliberately showing off their affection.
Fred found it rather amusing.
Meanwhile, Talia blushed slightly, looking even more beautiful.
"So it's Mr. Durandal. In that case, adoption becomes even more necessary."
Fred continued earnestly, sounding every bit like a proper adoption center employee.
"Yes, but timing is also an issue."
Durandal sighed.
"That is indeed true. However, we will do our best to assist both of you."
Fred nodded along, speaking in a formal tone.
Without being overly enthusiastic, his business-like attitude was enough to put the two at ease.
"Well... it seems marriage is still out of the question here, after all."
It was unclear whether it was rare to encounter someone directly involved, but Durandal followed up with another question.
"Yes, but there are still countries in L4 and L3 that maintain good relations with PLANT. If the two of you wish to go through the formalities, it wouldn't be a problem to make a trip there."
Fred nodded.
"Of course, you wouldn't be able to enjoy the various tax incentives within PLANT."
He didn't know why he now sounded like a matchmaker, but he continued explaining.
Fred was familiar with these policies.
After all, he had always been cautious. Since he was pretending to be someone else, he had raised his knowledge to the same level as a staff member at an adoption center.
As for those policies, they weren't complicated—they were simply regulations that emerged after the Marriage Matching Law was passed.
As long as you married according to the Marriage Matching Law, both parties would receive certain tax reductions. If you had children afterward, education and healthcare would be fully covered.
The benefits were excellent, but considering the sharp decline in the number of children, it wasn't hard to understand—Clyne and Zala were genuinely anxious.
Meanwhile, Talia, listening to their conversation, had long since flushed red to the tips of her ears.
"I see, I understand."
Upon hearing this, Durandal pondered for a moment before revealing a gentle, scholarly smile.
"Thank you."
"It's my duty."
Afterward, Durandal followed up with a few work-related questions for Fred, and the two didn't linger. After exchanging a few more words, they bid each other farewell.
Only after watching Fred leave did Durandal sit down beside Talia.
"He... doesn't seem simple."
Durandal said softly.
"Really? You're overthinking it."
Talia didn't dwell on the issue, instead focusing on the page displayed on the tablet in front of her.
This was the application form the other party had mentioned earlier.
"He didn't even guide us in filling out this form. He just seemed like an ordinary consultant."
"Hmm..."
He couldn't quite put his finger on the other party's behavior.
Durandal recalled the other's body language during their interaction.
It seemed like the confidence of someone who had everything under control.
And he wore a mask...
Although his attempts to probe had yielded nothing, he still needed to be cautious.
Thinking this, Durandal responded verbally but kept his guard up internally.
However, he didn't show any of these emotions on his face and quickly continued.
"Let's visit a few more places. Perhaps we can speed things up."
As he spoke, Durandal took Talia's hand.
"Alright..."
Meeting Durandal's gentle gaze, Talia pondered for a moment before nodding firmly in agreement.
The waiting time at adoption agencies here started at five years. Waiting that long would be too late, and bloodlines...
Unaware of the two's respective concerns, Fred quickly returned to Lacus's car.
"How did it go?"
Lacus looked at Fred in the passenger seat and asked.
"Durandal probably has his eye on me."
Fred shrugged, not overly concerned.
After all, he hadn't done anything to them. On the contrary, he was trying to bring them together. As for whether Durandal would seek revenge if he found out Fred had killed Creuset—that would indeed be troublesome.
But he had just dealt with Creuset, and now killing Durandal without reason might make Siegel suspicious.
Especially since Durandal was in contact with Ola, and Ola might have connections with Siegel.
After all, he was still troubled by Talia's matter and likely didn't have time to think too much for now.
Moreover, under Siegel's surveillance and without any military power—only his intellect—as long as he wasn't given authority or access to information, he wouldn't be able to cause much trouble for the time being.
Chapter 191: The Plan for Durandal
"Is he really that sharp?"
Though Fred spoke with certainty, Lacus was somewhat skeptical.
"I hope not."
Fred didn't elaborate further, and seeing this, Lacus followed up with another question.
"The mentor has already found information on several Coordinator orphans..."