0119 Crossroads of the Labyrinth

When Mou Mou approached Lance’s room, he was already awake.

The sunlight filtered through the window, bathing Lance’s silver hair in a soft, golden glow. His pale profile was serene, and the faint, unconscious smile playing on his lips made him seem like a completely different person from the insufferable man who usually spoke with such biting sarcasm. What made Mou Mou’s heart skip a beat even more was the sight of him sitting up in bed, cradling a thick, dense book, looking for all the world like a refined scholar.

What is this sudden, overwhelming aura of a male lead?

Mou Mou refused to admit that she was captivated by this look. She cleared her throat pointedly, forcefully suppressing a flurry of internal reactions—*as if we’ve lived a lifetime apart; this guy is actually still alive; such stunning beauty; can you just stop talking forever?*—and shouted at him in an intentionally gruff voice, "So, you’re actually still alive, then?"

This abrupt outburst made it impossible for Lance to ignore her. He paused his reading with a sigh and turned to look at her. "Is this how you treat your savior?"

"After you saved me, I turned around and saved you once as well. We’re even!" Mou Mou adopted a haughty, tsundere expression she’d learned somewhere, though her hands were busy dragging a chair over to sit down. She was clearly not planning on leaving anytime soon.

Following Lance’s gesture, Mou Mou looked closer at the book in his hands. The title was printed in large, bold letters: *Irresistible Charm: Learning to be a Gentle Gentleman.*

Mou Mou’s face darkened instantly, and she radiated an aura of pure, low-pressure irritation. If there had been animation effects, one could have seen her red hair dancing, eyes sparking, and a giant tic-tac-toe symbol appearing on her forehead as her silhouette loomed in a display of sheer, overwhelming dominance. Unfortunately, she lived in a three-dimensional parallel space and lacked such high-level transformation abilities. Facing Lance’s deliberate provocation, she could only lower her head and retort viciously, "I never realized you were such a method actor!"

"I’ll take that as a compliment," Lance said, clearly gloating.

"No wonder you were suspected of having beast-kin blood and being a spy! It’s a tragedy you aren't out there winning an Oscar, you ridiculous man!" Mou Mou continued her counterattack.

"What?" Habitually ignoring the parts of her sentence he didn’t understand, Lance was still taken aback by her sudden suspicion. "Beast-kin blood? A spy?"

"That’s right!" It was rare to see Lance react so strongly to her words, and Mou Mou finally felt a surge of triumph. "Rapid healing from severe injuries, extraordinary strength, coincidences that are just too convenient, and acting skills that are too good—it’s honestly hard not to suspect you... isn't it?"

Unfortunately, Mou Mou didn't get to gloat for long. The rest of her caustic, biting remarks were choked back by the rare, solemn expression on Lance’s face. She didn't have the heart to continue.

If you had sacrificed a high-level water magic core for a complete stranger, traveled to a city for someone you’d only just met, and while there, spent your time dining, shopping, and pouring your heart into teaching your own magic techniques to these people—only to volunteer for a high-risk, high-difficulty, thankless mission for that same city before you’d even had two days of rest, and then, after risking your life to win the battle, you were treated like a spy just for surviving—wouldn't that life be a little too tragic? Anyone would go crazy under those circumstances.

Mou Mou bit her lip in embarrassment, her voice dropping several octaves as she fell into a state of utter confusion. "Er, what I mean is, you’re just too good a person. As they say, tall trees catch the wind, and great people attract jealousy. A life without envy is a mediocre one. Gold will always shine, right...?"

"So," Lance cut her off with a firm tone. He maintained that rare, somber expression, his red eyes locking onto her shifting, uneasy gaze. With a completely assertive question, he asked her directly, "Do you believe it?"

"Believe what? I don't believe any of it," Mou Mou heard her own thoughts being summarized so simply and quickly raised her head to deny it loudly. "I only believe in you."

"Believe in me?" Lance kept his poker face, not even a hint of a smirk crossing his lips. "Is this how you show your faith in me, by listing off all the reasons to doubt me?"

"No, that’s not it!" Mou Mou shook her head like a bobblehead. "I was just listing everything others are saying about you, so it would be easier for you to refute them point by point!"

"And what if I don't want to refute them?" Lance remained expressionless.

"Brother, let’s stop this, shall we?" Mou Mou groaned, grabbing his sleeve and almost lunging toward him. "This is clearly not the time to be cold and aloof! Don't listen to that nonsense about how 'those who understand me will understand, and those who don't, won't be convinced by explanations.' Why are you gambling with me like this? You know I’m crazy and have no filter! Just explain where you’re from, where you’re going, or if you have any hidden skills or special constitution, and we can get this all sorted out!"

"You want me to explain that much?" Hearing her earnest persuasion, Lance seemed, for the first time, to be slightly moved. "Wouldn't it suit your wishes much better to use this opportunity to throw an insufferable guy like me out of Eikasia?"