Silence's Complex Emotions / Silence's Decision

Sakura turned her head slightly to look at the beautiful elf lady who had moved closer to her, and said with a helpless yet amused tone:

"No, it's just a bit of a surprise. After all, Muelsyse, you're the head of the Ecology Department, and I heard from others that you're a veteran."

"That's more like it. So, Sakura, have you gathered any clues? Share them with us!" Muelsyse was somewhat satisfied with Sakura's gentle reply. Then she leaned closer to the person next to her and whispered something in her ear.

As Muelsyse whispered in her ear, Sakura's human ears turned slightly red, and the fox ears on her head twitched involuntarily.

"I've only been in the Structural Department for a few days, how could I possibly have too much evidence? However, I have gathered some clues, would Muelsyse like to hear them?"

"Want!"

Upon hearing this, Muelsyse agreed without hesitation.

"Alright then, let me and Muir... Can I just call you Muelsyse?"

Sakura, who was about to start piecing together the clues, suddenly stopped mid-sentence and then changed the subject to ask a question.

Sakura's sudden change in address wasn't because she wanted to get closer to Muirsey; it was simply because she felt Muelsyse's name was a bit long and troublesome to pronounce.

It's worth noting that even now, when Mobius isn't absolutely necessary, Sakura only addresses her as "Doctor."

"Hey, did Sakura learn that nickname from Ifrit?" Hearing this familiar nickname from her friend, Muelsyse's eyes lit up with curiosity.

Actually, there was a question she had wanted to ask earlier: why did Sakura suddenly become so concerned about Ifrit and try so hard to protect her?

"No, I just thought of this name. I felt your previous name was a bit long, so I wanted to change it. Does that child also call you Muelsyse?" Sakura explained gently, looking at the curious elf beside her.

"Oh, I see. Of course! In fact, I quite like this nickname." With that, Muelsyse cupped her face in her hands, smiling broadly.

After admiring herself for a while, she finally put her hand down and added, "That's right, that child also calls me Muelsyse!"

"Then I'll call you that from now on, Muelsyse. Okay, let's get back to the main topic. I'll share some clues I've noticed. See if you can find anything useful."

"Um."

Afterwards, Sakura spent a lot of time explaining to Muelsyse the various suspicious points in the Structural Department laboratory, pointing out everything from the head of the Structural Department to the details of various experiments.

As Muelsyse listened, the smile on her face disappeared faster and faster, replaced by solemnity and contemplation.

"Now that you mention it, there are indeed many suspicious points about this laboratory." After pondering for a while, Muelsyse raised her head and said to the person beside her.

"That's right, but unfortunately, they were very careful, and I didn't stay there long enough to collect any useful evidence." Upon hearing this, Sakura nodded slightly, her expression looking somewhat disappointed.

Noticing her friend's disappointed expression, Muelsyse concealed the complex emotions in her eyes and began to comfort her with a smile, "It's okay, Sakura. These clues of yours are very helpful to me. Keep working diligently, and I'll keep an eye on things too~"

"Yes, thank you for comforting Muelsyse."

"Hey~ We're friends!"

However, although Muelsyse was smiling happily in front of Sakura at this moment, in fact, her complicated feelings had not stopped at all and were still churning in her heart.

It wasn't until today, when her new friend Sakura mentioned it, that Muelsyse, who had been searching for clues for a long time, finally realized an organization that she and Saria had subconsciously overlooked... Rhine Lab.

Just like her longtime friend Saria, Muelsyse didn't really want to think about Rhine Lab.

However... she had to admit that there were indeed considerable doubts about the Structural Department lab and the treatment Ifrit received there...

If she hadn't known, it would have been fine, but now that she does, Muelsyse isn't keen on standing idly by... at least she feels that a necessary investigation is still needed.

P. S.: Goodnight everyone, going to sleep now, see you tomorrow.

Chapter 117 Silence's Complex Emotions

Happy times are always fleeting. After dinner with Muelsyse, Sakura had to return to Rhine Lab and go to her job.

See you tomorrow, Muelsyse.

Standing where they were about to part ways, Sakura smiled and waved to Muelsyse.

"Oh! Such wonderful times are coming to an end so quickly." Looking at Sakura's gentle smile, Muelsyse sighed with a touch of reluctance.

Then, as if remembering something, she took a few steps closer to Sakura and whispered earnestly, "Although I know you're quite capable, Sakura, you should also know that someone is secretly keeping an eye on Ifrit. So, remember to be careful tonight."

"Okay, don't worry, I'll be careful." Hearing this, Sakura chuckled softly, then replied gently, "Muelsyse, you should go back and rest. You've been busy all day."

"Okay, see you tomorrow, Sakura!"

After seeing that his friend had agreed, Muelsyse nodded slightly, took a few steps back, and turned to leave.

After watching Muelsyse's figure disappear from sight, Sakura leisurely withdrew her gaze and left, heading towards the Structural Department Laboratory.

She had brought up everything she needed to say, both openly and subtly, at dinner tonight, and she hoped and believed that Muelsyse would take some action.

Structural Department Laboratory--

"You've arrived, Miss Sakura."

Silence, who had just come out of the laboratory, greeted Sakura with a smile after noticing her arrival.

"Hmm, how is Ifrit doing today?" Sakura nodded gently and asked calmly.

"... Ifrit is still a little weak, but her spirits are still good." Faced with Sakura's casual question, Silence's expression was unnatural for a moment, but she quickly replied.

Sakura, with her keen eyes, naturally noticed Silence's unusual expression, but her expression remained unchanged, and she continued in a gentle tone:

"Is that so? What a poor child. I hope she recovers soon."

"Yes, I also hope Ifrit can recover soon." Hearing Sakura's perfectly reasonable answer, Silence concealed her emotions and echoed her sentiment.

"Heh~ Miss Silence, please take care of yourself and don't overwork yourself." Looking at the girl in front of her whose thoughts were written all over her face, a hint of helplessness flashed quickly in Sakura's beautiful blue eyes before she gave her some advice.

In Sakura's opinion, compared to Saria, Muelsyse, and the other two who had been working in the scientific community for many years, Silence, a girl who had just graduated from school, was much easier to understand.

Take that strange look from Silence just now, for example. Sakura didn't need to think too much to guess that Silence was doubting her.

After all, she had reported to her superiors this morning that there were no problems last night, but Silence knew what had happened last night, so it was reasonable for her to suspect her under these circumstances.

However, her "acting" was so bad that, to put it bluntly, she couldn't hide anything... So it's no wonder that Silence's teacher, the head of the Structural Department, Ahrens, was able to keep her under his thumb, completely fooling her, and even causing misunderstandings with Saria.

Of course, Sakura didn't care about Silence's suspicion of her, because it was expected.

"I will, and thank you for your help tonight, Miss Sakura."

Silence nodded slightly in response to Sakura's request.

"It's my duty, Miss Silence."

After settling Ifrit completely in, Silence said goodbye to Sakura and left, heading towards her dormitory.

Just as Sakura had guessed, although Silence tried her best to maintain a calm demeanor, her mind was actually in a state of extreme turmoil.

The reason she is feeling so conflicted right now is not only because she received a lot of clues and information today that she couldn't quite process, but also because she belatedly discovered a loophole tonight that made her feel uneasy.

This loophole made Silence unconsciously suspect Sakura... Although she thought it was unlikely, she couldn't help but connect this new colleague she had met with the mysterious Serpent Lord.

However, despite her suspicions, Silence is currently unable and has no way to investigate this matter.

To get to the bottom of this, she only had two options: either ask Sakura for details herself, or go directly to the Security Department to investigate the surveillance footage or something else... But she couldn't use either method right now.

If Sakura is alright, that's fine; but if she is, then it would be a classic case of alerting the enemy.

In the latter case, because of the need to conceal Ifrit's situation, Silence could not openly investigate directly.

Otherwise, if they accidentally attract the attention of their teacher, Ahrens, who might forcefully examine the little dragon... it wouldn't be good to continue the experiment.

Therefore, even if she has doubts or suspicions, Silence can only swallow them silently.

However, more concerned about Ifrit's safety and the truth behind the [Diablo Project] than figuring out what happened last night, Silence was more interested in.

The truth behind the investigation plan still needs further consideration, but the safety of Charmander is, in a sense, more urgent. So even though [Serpent Lord] said he wouldn't be coming for the next few days, Silence plans to sneak into the Structural Department Laboratory late at night for a stroll.

If this were anywhere else, she naturally wouldn't dare to do something so risky... but this is Rhine Lab's headquarters, so the safety level is relatively high.

"Well..."

After letting her mind wander for a while, Silence couldn't help but sigh softly as she walked back to her dorm, a hint of weariness flashing in her eyes.

Mobius's laboratory--

After noticing that it was completely dark outside the window, Mobius leisurely put down the documents in his hand, then stretched and loosened his limbs, thinking to himself:

'Sakura, you've worked hard~ I'm going to rest now.'

'I didn't expect you, Doctor, to actually keep your promise to Ifrit...?'

Sakura, who was on guard duty, was caught off guard by Mobius's words and was stunned for a moment before responding.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm just tired and want to rest. What does it have to do with lab rats?" Mobius retorted without even thinking after hearing Sakura's words.

'Well, whatever makes you happy, Doctor.'

'Hmph~'

As the exchange concluded, Mobius stood up, turned off the equipment and lights in the laboratory office, and then left.

And the office once again welcomed a long-awaited night of rest.

P. S.: There will be one more picture later.

Chapter 118 Silence's Decision

For the next few days, Mobius kept his word and didn't go to see Ifrit at all, behaving like a researcher with an extremely regular schedule. He spent his days researching in the lab and his nights resting on time.

However, compared to the routine and "leisure" she experienced here, the other two sides were in a complete mess.

Saria and the others are still frantically investigating the truth about Haydn Laboratory, and thanks to Sakura's reminder, Muelsyse's investigation workload is even greater than in the original story.

During the day, I would go out to investigate with my friends, and in my spare time and evenings, I would go inside Rhine Lab to investigate on my own.

Furthermore, based on his understanding of Saria, without evidence, Muelsyse did not tell her his speculations or Sakura's information, but instead investigated on his own.

Meanwhile, Silence's situation was even more chaotic than Saria's.

Because Ahrens couldn't stand it anymore, even though all he had been receiving lately were reports of Ifrit's poor health, he still planned to resume the "treatment" of the little dragon as soon as possible.

Silence had absolutely no right to object to her teacher's decision; in fact, she hadn't even regained the privileges she'd been temporarily stripped of, including her right to contact Ifrit during the experiment...

Moreover, her investigation into the [Diablo Project] has not progressed well. Because she has not regained her authority and cannot be too open about it, her investigations are severely restricted in all aspects.

Early morning, Ifrit's room--

"Silence, what's wrong?"

Ifrit tilted her head and looked at Silence, who had brought her breakfast, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

"It's nothing, just a few minor issues. Ifrit, don't worry." Hearing this, Silence, who was tidying up the room, raised her head slightly and forced a smile at Ifrit.

However, it was this smile that made Ifrit, who was initially just puzzled, slowly furrow her brow.

Honestly, she really hates this situation. Everyone's lying; there's clearly a problem, but they're insisting nothing's wrong...

"..."

However, after noticing the fatigue in Silence's eyes, Ifrit looked away and finally managed to say, "Then... Silence should take good care of herself and get some rest."

After speaking, the little dragon lowered its head and continued to quietly eat its breakfast.

Although she was very worried about Silence's current state, Ifrit also knew that her questioning would not get her the desired result, but would only make the already exhausted person even more tired because of her.

The little dragon wasn't an ignorant child, so she temporarily suppressed her urge to ask the question...

"Yes, I will."

Watching Ifrit eat breakfast, a fleeting look of helplessness and apology flashed quickly in Silence's tired eyes.

In truth, Silence also longed to find someone to confide in and share her predicament... but in her opinion, that person should absolutely not be Ifrit, a child who should be living a carefree life.

After tidying up the room, Silence straightened up, a determined glint in her eyes, and then said to Ifrit, who was sitting on the bed: