When Angel and Klein entered the private room, there were already two people waiting in the room.
Those were Dunn and Daly who were talking in a low voice.
Different from her usual black robe with weird eye shadow and blush makeup, today Ms. Daly is wearing a dark blue dress. The design is a bit close to an evening dress for formal occasions, but closer to daily style. It also exposes a large area of white shoulder and neck skin, which forms a sharp contrast with the dark fabric.
She only wore some light makeup on her face, which made her skin, which was a little less red than ordinary people due to the influence of Potion, much more rosy. A pair of earrings made of various complex symbols hung on her earlobes, allowing her to retain a hint of the mystery of "Spirit Medium".
Dunn, who was sitting next to her, was wearing a simple white shirt and a dark brown vest. He was not wearing the windbreaker that looked old-fashioned and boring. This made him look a little younger than usual and closer to Ms. Daly's style.
The low-pitched conversation between the two came to an abrupt end when Angel opened the door and came in, but a few key words still reached her ears.
They seem to be discussing what they want to do before the end of the year... Could it be getting married? Is it too fast?
Angel had several thoughts flashing through his mind. He did not use divination to confirm, but asked with a smile:
"Where is Leonard?"
"He has to rush over from East Borough, so he will be late." Daly glanced at Klein, who had used Faceless's ability to return his appearance to the time of Tingen, and finally stopped looking. Staying on Angel, he replied, "Recently there are rumors that 'Aurora Order' has returned to Backlund. He used to investigate serial murder cases at East Borough, but now he has turned to track these cultists."
The serial murderer should be talking about Shermane, but I have already told Leonard about her identity, and also told Archbishop Anthony who manages Backlund Diocese has reported it, and even if she is unfortunately caught, it can be solved quickly... But weren't all the strongholds of "Aurora Order" in Backlund cleared by Three Great Churches after Great Smog? It's only been half a year and they're back again?
Katarina combined with "Demoness Sect" in protection of Viscount Stratford, as well as Lola and Vincent investigated into The royal family and military factions behind Great Smog have recently entered the "The End" stage and seem to be preparing for some major events. Angel believes that "Aurora Order" may also be preparing to intervene in this matter again.
Could it be that less than a year after Great Smog, Backlund will face some major disaster again?
Angel was thinking worriedly, but considering that today was the day when several Tingen Team members reunited, she put these illusory worries behind her mind and sat down with Klein, occupying one-third of the table in the private room, leaving the last space for Leonard who had not yet arrived.
While waiting, the four of them were not idle. Klein was very interested in Dunn Smith's "missing" situation for nearly a year. However, the latter obviously could not disclose it due to certain restrictions, so he brought the topic from work back to trivial matters in life without leaving a trace. Instead, he asked about the relationship between Angel and Klein.
"It's been more than a month since you were 'engaged'. Have you decided when to hold the wedding? Which identity will you use?"
Glancing at the ring on Angel's ring finger, Dunn asked with a smile on his lips.
Which identity... Angel was stunned for a moment, and then he remembered Dunn and Daly. It was not clear that Christine and Dwayne Dantès were also one of the two people's false identities. He was probably asking about the choice of "Angelica" or "Angel".
"I think Angelica Zaki is good. The combination of Pirate Queen and Mad Adventurer... but I'm afraid other Pirate Admiral will be a huge disappointment, such as 'Vice Admiral of Ailment' or 'Iceberg Admiral'."
Daly also joined the conversation and joked in a relaxed tone.
Fortunately, she didn't say anything "Golden Queen". It always felt too shameful to reveal one's identity in front of old friends. These things must have been told to her by Leonard when she was secretly investigating my and Klein's identities. Maybe it was also the credit of those "The Great Pirate Series" books... Angel glanced around uneasily and answered after a moment:
"Perhaps we will choose a suitable time after these recent things have come to an end... As for the identity issue, I think it doesn't matter which one I choose. My relationship with him will not change."
Klein, who was somewhat silent on the side, glanced at her, thoughtfully.
When there was a moment of silence in the private room, the door was pushed open from the outside, and Leonard, wearing a black windbreaker, walked in. Seeing that everyone else had arrived, he smiled awkwardly and said:
"The key person always comes in at the end."
These self-deprecating words relieved the atmosphere in the room, returning to the relaxed atmosphere when they were still at Tingen. Even Klein couldn't help laughing and said:
"Then you will be punished by improvising a poem."
This was an "exclusive program" arranged by everyone at that time for Leonard, who often failed to arrive on time. It usually ended with him reciting a poem he copied from somewhere.
This time Leonard also moved his lips, as if he wanted to blurt out a golden sentence, but in the end he just pursed his lips and sighed softly:
"I almost forgot..."
This attitude of admitting defeat was understood by everyone, and he took his seat and waited for the waiter to bring plates of food and pour glasses of champagne. The aroma of baked foie gras, pan-fried keel fish, chicken and wine mixed together and filled the whole room, activating everyone's taste buds.
Angel and others picked up their wine glasses and looked at Dunn. The latter stood up naturally, looked around the room, smiled and said:
"Cheers to the reunion of everyone in the Tingen Team Backlund team!"
His humorous statement made everyone laugh.
Daly, who actually did not belong to "Tingen Team", looked at him deeply, raised his glass and took over the conversation:
"Happy birthday to you too."
"Happy birthday, Captain."
Angel, Klein and Leonard raised their glasses together. The five of them clinked at the top of the table and drank the small amount of champagne in one gulp.
Since they were all acquaintances, everyone started dining without too much politeness. This restaurant with the same name as Tingen City's Old Weil did a good job in restoring the flavors of the North Continent's dishes from various countries. Roside's grilled fish, Intis's foie gras, and Desi's oysters all had local tastes that were eighty-nine percent, and everyone was full of praise.
"It's a pity that Seeka is not here, otherwise she would clamor to write tonight's dinner party into her novel, and the title would be 'Reunion of the Dead'."
After putting the tender fried foie gras into his mouth, Klein muttered.
Indeed, our tombstone is still standing at Tingen's Raphael Cemetery... Angel looked around and found that three of the five people present had been declared dead, and the living had become a minority.
"I will go back to Tingen City soon to handle some matters. If nothing else, I should be able to see Seeka, as well as Royale, Frye, Kenley. I don't know if Rozanne is still working as a clerk. She always feels that staying up late is too harmful to her skin."
Leonard took a sip of the newly added champagne and said in a low tone.
He knew that whether it was for confidentiality or to protect his family, the three people present would not be able to restore their original identities in a short time and could only continue to act secretly. This meant that when he returned to Tingen, he, the only survivor, would have to bear the attention of everyone again.
Shaking his head to get this emotion out of his mind, Leonard unbuttoned his windbreaker, revealing his untied shirt. The dull temperament he had brought from work also changed, and he returned to his usual casual self.
Then, he looked at Dunn and Daly who were sitting side by side, with a smile on his lips, and asked slyly:
"Captain, besides celebrating your birthday, there should be one more important thing at this dinner, right?"
Angel stopped serving the wine, and Klein also stopped tasting the oysters.
The two of them looked at Dunn together.
Dunn, who usually had to receive the attention of all the team members from time to time, was actually a little restless at the moment. He was just about to say something, but Daly beside him said:
"Speaking of which, when I was at Tingen, Angel told me about her hidden thoughts. She said that not long after she joined Nighthawks, she became interested in the mature and reliable Dunn. Then she asked me...'If you don't want him, then I will join.'"
As Daly spoke with a smile and an imaginative tone, Klein and Leonard all looked at Angel with expressions of disbelief. Even Dunn, who put his hand into his pocket for something, looked at him dumbly, as if he was surprised that he had a secret suitor.
"Really?"
Klein asked with a straight face and a serious expression.
"No... that's not it. I just wanted to push Daly to be braver and reveal her feelings to the captain..."
Angel never expected that at Dunn's birthday party and the possible "proposal" scene, she would actually become the focus of the conversation again. While explaining to Klein, she suppressed Daly with her eyes. From the corner of her eye, she saw that Dunn had taken out a small box from his pocket, and she immediately raised her tone and said:
"Captain, be brave now!"
Her shout drew other people's attention to today's protagonist, and she wanted to use "invisibility" to leave the scene, or get directly into Mirror World, leaving a Mirror Substitution who could be laughed at to bear everything on her behalf.
Fortunately, others had no time to pay attention to her. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the small wooden box in Dunn's hand. The box was surrounded by brass and looked classic and elegant. It was about the size of half a palm, and it had been opened a crack.
Although there is a suspicion of plagiarism from Klein, choosing this time is not bad... Angel, who escaped from the gaze, chuckled secretly and looked at his captain expectantly. At the same time, he also noticed that Daly's expression on the side was a little stiff, and his eyes showed incredible emotions.
"Well, thank you all for coming tonight," Dunn took out something from the box with a smile on his face, "This makes me very touched and happy..."
He sighed at the monocle in his hand, wiped it with his sleeve, and put it on his left eye.