In the Empire Hotel, Orson stood on the fourth floor, gazing down at the bustling streets of Saint Roland City.
Beyond the city center, he could see the grand palace walls and the Imperial Cathedral.
This was the heart of the Empire.
Every street had stationed guards.
Here, everything was grand, orderly, and perfect.
Anyone dressed too plainly was stopped at the entrance.
“Beautiful view, isn’t it?” Orson said to the Doctor.
“It is,” the Doctor nodded. “Though I bet the cathedral bell tower has an even better one.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t have the best relationship with the people there,” Orson chuckled. “Otherwise, I’d take you up for a look.”
“How’s Litte’s investigation going?” Orson asked.
He had handed the case over to Litte, but like a worried parent, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.
No matter how much he reminded himself that Litte was the protagonist and didn’t need his help, another voice in his head kept saying:
What if she isn’t the protagonist in this worldline?
Or what if there was no protagonist at all?
In the original story, Litte had suffered imnsely before she beca strong.
But in this tiline, Orson had protected her at every turn.
Now, she was suddenly facing her hardest test yet.
What if she failed?
Could he bear that responsibility?
As much as he hated to admit it, Orson realized he had started treating Litte like a daughter.
People say that excessive care leads to worry.
Every ti he thought about Litte, Orson’s mind raced with anxiety.
From the beginning, Litte had been the one to surprise him.
That day in the forest, he had been ready to step in when she killed the wolf king.
But in the end, that was just a Tier 3 beast, and he had been there to protect her.
This was different.
Mudrick was a Tier 7 warrior.
Even Orson, who was also Tier 7, couldn’t guarantee Litte’s safety.
Even if there was only a 0.1% chance of disaster, Orson still worried.
It was in his nature.
He hated taking risks.
Especially when it ca to the safety of those he cared about.
“I found so records at the Iron Wolf rcenary Group’s base,” the Doctor said, rubbing his nose.
“Logs of all their contracts since the group was founded.”
“I compiled a list of frequently appearing nas.” The Doctor handed Orson a slip of paper.
“After all, hiring interdiaries costs a hefty fee,” the Doctor smirked.
“I know. Middlen take their cut,” Orson said.
“Nobles give orders to their subordinates, who then hire interdiaries, who then contact rcenaries.”
“But sotis, when the job seems trivial, the subordinates want to pocket the interdiary’s commission.”
“So they go straight to the rcenaries instead.”
“Exactly,” the Doctor said. “Smart man.”
Orson looked at the nas on the list.
Most were aliases, but one na—Lodi—stood out.
“Perfect,” the Doctor said. “Litte seems to have pushed aside, so I’ve got so free ti.”
“Want to investigate this guy?”
“Why did she push you aside?” Orson asked, curious.
“You’re really asking?” The Doctor rolled his eyes. “I’m covered in blood. She’s a naïve little girl who thinks killing is always wrong.”
“They think there’s always a better way. What am I supposed to do?”
“Alright,” Orson nodded. “But I’ve never killed anyone either.”
“You’re different.” The Doctor smirked. “Maybe your hands are clean, but your heart?”
“Your heart is another story.”
“You know what I an,” he added.
“Fine, fine.” Orson sighed. “You’ve helped Litte enough. Let’s leave the rest to her.”
“But if things get too dangerous, drop it. Your safety cos first.”
“I know.” The Doctor turned to leave.
“Oh, by the way. Litte and the others are eting Mudrick in the forest in two days. Up to you if you want to go.”
With that, he left.
“Two days, huh?” Orson stroked his chin.
That timing was... interesting.
—
The next day, Litte finally returned to the academy and resud her normal class schedule.
“Orson, I’m back~ Did you miss ?” In the evening, Litte excitedly rushed into the room—only to see Olivia, Lianca, and Orson sitting at the dining table, having dinner.
There was nothing she could do about it. Orson had also been busy outside over the past two days, but he had promised Olivia that he would always co ho for dinner. Because of that, Olivia now had a legitimate reason to use Orson’s kitchen freely. In fact, in Litte’s absence, she had even taken the initiative to clean Orson’s room.
“Uh...” Seeing this scene, Litte’s brain seed to freeze for a mont.
The other three also froze briefly, but Olivia was the first to react.
She was still unaware that Litte was actually a girl. Since she and Orson had already established their relationship, there was no longer any possibility of Litte interfering between them.
As a result, taking care of Litte—her future brother-in-law—was also a way of respecting Orson. She continued acting like the perfect sister-in-law.
“Litte, you didn’t say you were coming back today.” Smiling, Olivia stood up. “Take a seat. I’ll go grab your utensils.”
“No need, I’ll get them myself.” Litte changed her shoes and politely responded, “Besides, this is my dorm too—I know where everything is.”
To avoid making Orson feel awkward, and also to maintain a semblance of peace, Litte chose not to start any conflict with Olivia just yet. Instead, she smiled in return.
Only Lianca, for so reason, felt like there was an underlying tension between them, as if they were subtly competing.
Orson, of course, understood the feelings both girls harbored for him. But seeing Litte’s reaction, he felt relieved.
At least it seed like she had taken his words to heart.
Litte brought her utensils and took a seat beside Orson. Perhaps worried about being misunderstood by Orson and Olivia, she deliberately sat slightly farther away than usual.
It was only about a centiter more than the usual distance she kept at ho. But to Litte, this already felt like a huge compromise to Olivia.
“Haha, it seems like Litte is really attached to her older brother,” Olivia said with a chuckle.
“Of course! After all, Orson is the one who treats best~” Litte didn’t deny it and proudly nodded.
“Isn’t it perfectly normal for brothers to sit together?”
“That’s true.” Olivia acknowledged. “After all, you are brothers.”
Litte wasn’t dumb—she caught the hidden aning behind Olivia’s words.
Clearly, Olivia was trying to remind her to back off.
Litte smiled but said nothing.
She had been busy these past few days. But once she finished everything, Olivia definitely wouldn’t have it easy anymore!
With that thought, she shot Olivia a subtle glare, which Olivia returned with an indifferent glance.
Lianca watched the silent exchange between them. Although she wanted to say sothing, for so reason, she instinctively felt that staying quiet was the best choice.
Seriously, I’ve never seen my sister and Litte argue before. Why does it feel like there’s so much tension between them today?
anwhile, Orson simply focused on eating his al.
Staying silent was the best way to handle this situation.
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