"Long time no see!"
Qin Ran greeted her in return.
Then he noticed Conti looking at him strangely.
Her gaze held curiosity, anger, and a trace of awe.
When their eyes met, the woman who called herself a bounty hunter but was actually one of the new generation of Guardians of Aesop Ancient City gave a soft huff and turned her head away.
"Eat, eat!"
Beck grabbed pastries from the plate and stuffed them into his mouth as he spoke indistinctly.
"Lady Conti, could you take Beck to find some more food?"
"This little bit won't be nearly enough for him!"
The old scholar spoke.
"Of course, Lord Herbert!"
Conti nodded respectfully and led Big Guy outside.
With food as an incentive, Big Guy left without a single complaint.
Only Qin Ran and Herbert remained in the sitting room.
"To think you're a member of the Royal Clan... that really was a surprise!"
Herbert remarked.
"To be honest, I was surprised too when I learned who I was."
Qin Ran shrugged, and the aura of Aberration around him swiftly subsided.
He returned to his normal appearance once again.
The Original Sins naturally resented being restrained like this, but against Qin Ran's entry-rank Mental Attribute, they were suppressed without any chance of resisting.
"You're much more reassuring like this!"
"The way you looked before... was too frightening. Conti was clearly scared!"
"You should know that very few things can frighten Conti. Even when dealing with Cadwell, she showed considerable courage and made him suffer quite a bit."
Herbert chuckled good-naturedly.
"Could you tell me exactly what happened?"
Qin Ran asked.
"Of course!"
"After you were injured fighting Aiga and left temporarily, everything happened just as you predicted. Landon's military appeared. They'd known about the Nightspawn and Otherkind all along, and they'd