Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Fu..."

Having already reaped a bountiful harvest, Professor Ah Kai naturally had no objections to Fu Qian's suggestion.

After bidding farewell to the rising star of the Benevolent Curse Institute, Fu Qian had absolutely no intention of reporting to Apocalypse just to make his presence known. Instead, he chose to head straight back to the Laboratory to enjoy a brief moment of peace and quiet.

Unfortunately, as he had noted before, trouble always sought him out in this position. Slacking off wasn't something he could do just because he wanted to.

Even though it was hard to imagine what this particular visitor wanted.

Not far from where Jia Keke had previously kept watch, a somewhat familiar figure sat bored out of her mind. She only sprang to her feet when he stepped within three meters of her.

It was Veil's problem child of a younger sister, Lotte.

It wasn't too surprising that she hadn't left yet, but what was she doing here?

When she looked his way, the young woman's eyes flickered with uncertainty, as if she didn't even know how to greet him.

As an academic leader, Fu Qian certainly wouldn't fuss over such trivial matters. He gave a slight nod, taking the initiative to greet her, and even gestured with his left hand.

"Completely healed?"

The original reason these two sisters had come to the Academy was for her hand.

And Professor Lisa's handiwork was thoroughly reliable.

"It's fine now..."

Elder Professor Fu's approachability only made the young Lotte more unsure of how to react. For a moment, she merely gave a gentle nod.

"That's good. Want to come sit in my Laboratory?"

While his workplace wasn't exactly isolated from the rest of the world, its clever location meant that people rarely just passed by.

Whatever her mindset, Lotte had definitely made a special trip here.

"...Will I be disturbing you?"

Seemingly surprised by such courteous treatment, Lotte asked cautiously.

"You will. I was planning on doing absolutely nothing for a while."

Even as he spoke, Fu Qian was already leading the way.

...

"The decor is quite nice. It's spacious and comfortable—a completely different style from Professor Lisa's place."

Although stunned by Fu Qian's overly blunt answer—her eyes briefly losing focus—Lotte followed him inside anyway.

"I was a little doubtful when my sister mentioned it before."

The moment she stepped through the door, she showed a more mature side of herself by complimenting the Laboratory's layout.

"You flatter me. So, your sister has been here?"

True to his word, Fu Qian plopped down in his seat, immediately exuding an aura of idle relaxation.

"No, she just heard your research assistant mention it."

However, his casual posture actually seemed to help Lotte relax a little, and she let out a soft chuckle.

"Oh?"

His research assistant naturally referred to Classmate Liushuang, and those words seemed to carry a hidden weight of information.

"Has your sister joined the Sword Comprehension Institute?"

Fu Qian gave a slight nod and asked casually.

"Not exactly... A professor just thought her talent was decent and suggested she stay to audit classes for a while."

Speaking of this, Lotte genuinely looked quite happy, bringing to mind their previous conversation in the hotel.

Back then, she had frankly admitted that one of her reasons for coming here for treatment was that she felt it could be a good opportunity for Veil, a chance for her sister to gain something.

Judging by her current reaction, those words had truly been sincere.

"Also, Veil told me about how you took her into the Sword Pavilion last time, Professor Fu. In fact, that was when she met the instructor from the Sword Comprehension Institute... even though she didn't gain much in terms of comprehension."

"All in all, thank you very much for all your help, excellency."

As she spoke, Lotte's expression grew solemn, and she bowed in profound earnestness.

...

"It was an effortless favor. At the end of the day, it was her own serendipity."

Not at all surprised by Lotte's words, Fu Qian waved his hand, projecting the detached transcendence of someone leaping outside the three realms.

Was sword intent something so easily grasped?

Even after being told that Veil had been appreciated by an instructor, Fu Qian didn't think for a second that she had attained sudden enlightenment in the Sword Pavilion or managed to stun the entire room.

His purpose in bringing her into the Sword Pavilion had merely been to casually offer her a possibility. Aside from the illusory, lottery-like chance of comprehending sword intent, "entering the Sword Pavilion itself" was part of that fortune.

He trusted that Veil would definitely perform well and cherish the hard-won opportunity, but whether her performance was seen and appreciated by the instructors of the Sword Comprehension Institute was entirely her own matter.

As it stood, this was already a fairly excellent outcome for Veil.

Moreover, taking this into account, Lotte's initial uncertainty about how to greet him made perfect sense.

Having heard of her sister's encounter, she was clearly hesitating between calling him Elder Fu or Professor Fu.

"I'm sure it was indeed simple for your excellency, but that doesn't mean I take it for granted... I really was an idiot before."

Shaking her head in self-mockery, Lotte was quite stubborn this time, even casually offering a harsh critique of her past self.

"Whether the person who saved you did it effortlessly or not doesn't change the fact that you would have died without them, so it shouldn't affect the favor you owe..."

"Thank you, truly. If it wasn't for your excellency, I can fully imagine just how far reality would have deviated from a day like today."

"My sister actually wanted to come and express her gratitude as well, but unfortunately, she immediately heard that you had gone out."

Only then did the formerly rebellious girl let out a sigh and take a seat to the side.

...

"Yet you still came running over here."

Fu Qian didn't doubt Lotte's newfound awareness, but he still cast a glance toward the door.

"I mostly just don't have anything else to do..."

Blushing at his gesture, Lotte confessed to her current status as an aimless loiterer.

"My sister has been approved to live at the Academy, and I've been allowed to stay with her. So when she goes to the Academy, I just wander around... Professor Fu, do you mind if I let my sister know you're back?"

Lotte clearly had a very firm grasp on her own situation. She didn't make any demands like wanting to receive guidance too, but instead carefully sought Fu Qian's permission.

"I don't mind."

"Great."

However, her youthful enthusiasm was clearly not to be underestimated. Instantly lighting up with excitement, Lotte excused herself and stepped to the side.

Although the communication devices in this world were rudimentary and expensive, transmitting a brief text message was still no problem at all.

"Professor Fu."

She returned to her seat shortly after, though her expression was a bit strange.

"Madam Ji would like to confirm with you—would it be convenient for you to head over to the Sword Comprehension Institute right now?"

"It is."

Fu Qian was already standing up as he spoke.

She had obviously contacted Veil, yet the reply had come from his research assistant. To him, this wasn't strange at all.

Classmate Liushuang had reminded Veil of his absence, so naturally Veil would inform her of his return.

And although no reason was given, there was clearly a matter over there that would benefit from his involvement.

If that weren't the case, Classmate Liushuang wouldn't have bothered asking if he wanted to go.

As for what exactly the matter was, given the timing, it was likely that the reward from the Night Watchers finally had some headway.

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