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Receiving such a firm confirmation from Freminet, Lyney's gaze once again shifted back to Shao Yun.
At that moment, his expression turned serious. With great sincerity, he spoke solemnly, "So I believe I must take action—do something—to prove my sincerity to you!"
However, after hearing Lyney's earnest yet somewhat naïve declaration, Shao Yun couldn't help but smile bitterly and shake his head.
He let out a soft sigh and said slowly, "You people of Fontaine really do like taking other people's offhand jokes and polite remarks completely seriously…"
Lyney, who had been full of confidence, and Freminet, who had looked so certain, both froze on the spot upon hearing those words.
Their mouths fell open, eyes widened, and almost simultaneously, they let out an incredulous cry—
"Huh?!"
Seeing the two of them looking like young girls who had just had their hearts broken by a scumbag, Shao Yun felt a wave of helplessness wash over him.
He shrugged lightly, already regretting what he had just said.
So, he quickly amended himself, "Ah, never mind—just pretend I didn't say anything."
Immediately afterward, Shao Yun took two bottles of [Potent Health Cure] from his backpack—precious items second only to the [Special Health Cure].
He placed them on the bedside table next to Lyney.
Then, in a steady voice, he said, "Drink this. It'll greatly help with your recovery. You might even be able to remove the bandages by tomorrow."
After a brief pause, he added, "This is enough for two doses. Find a way to pass the other one to Lynette."
"After all, it wouldn't be very appropriate for a grown man like me to enter a young girl's room…"
Looking at the potion Shao Yun had taken out, Lyney felt deeply moved.
He raised his head and looked at Shao Yun with sincere eyes.
"Thank you, Mr. Shao Yun."
As he spoke, something else seemed to occur to him. Gratitude resurfaced on his face as he continued,
"And thank you as well—for asking Yanfei to help clear my name a few days ago."
"If it weren't for your help, I'd probably be in the Fortress of Meropide by now."
Hearing Lyney's thanks, Shao Yun waved his hand slightly and replied calmly, "On one hand, I really couldn't stand Furina's smug expression. On the other, I didn't want to get dragged into things that had nothing to do with me."
But then, his tone suddenly shifted, turning noticeably colder.
"That said… now, I'm actually looking forward to the day you do enter the Fortress of Meropide."
Lyney was momentarily at a loss for words.
He opened his mouth, let out a vague "Uh…", and fell silent.
Seeing that he had visited whom he needed to visit and left the medicine behind, Shao Yun felt there was no reason to stay any longer. He straightened his clothes and turned toward the door.
When he reached it, he paused, turned back, and spoke softly to Lyney on the bed, "Alright, visiting hours are over. Get some good rest and recover soon."
With that, Shao Yun stepped out of the room.
…
Just as Shao Yun crossed the threshold, a figure hurriedly followed after him—it was Freminet.
He quickly caught up and called out, "Wait—please wait a moment!"
Shao Yun turned around at the sound of his voice and saw Freminet looking anxious.
He asked with some confusion, "What's wrong, Freminet? Is there something else?"
Freminet appeared nervous, rubbing his hands unconsciously. After taking a deep breath, he finally mustered the courage to ask, "Um… have the misunderstandings between you, Lyney, and Lynette been resolved?"
As he spoke, his gaze flicked back toward the room where Lyney lay.
Shao Yun followed his line of sight, glanced inside briefly, then withdrew his gaze. A hard-to-read expression appeared on his face as he answered slowly, "Well… for now, it's hard to say."
Hearing such an ambiguous response, Freminet's heart tightened—but he didn't give up.
"Then what would it take for you to be sure? Is there something specific we can do? Some condition?"
He stared at Shao Yun intently, eyes full of hope.
Seeing how determined Freminet was to repair the relationship between Shao Yun and Lyney, Shao Yun felt utterly puzzled.
He frowned and asked, "No, seriously—why are you so—"
Before he could finish, Freminet cut him off, afraid Shao Yun might refuse, and volunteered eagerly,
"If there's anything you need help with, just tell me!"
"Lyney and Lynette are both injured and can't move around easily. I can do things for them!"
Shao Yun had originally planned to refuse Freminet's request to tag along. But when he met those pleading, pitiful eyes, his heart softened.
In the end, he sighed.
"You… ah, forget it. Since you're so insistent, come along. But remember—don't cause me any trouble."
That said, Shao Yun knew very well that this well-behaved child probably wouldn't do anything mischievous.
Thinking that, he muttered quietly, "Yeah… come to think of it, you really don't look like the type to cause trouble anyway."
And just like that, Shao Yun—who had planned to act alone—left together with Freminet.
As they walked down the street, passersby couldn't help but wonder whether the two of them were father and son.
Along the way, Shao Yun kept an eye on Freminet, occasionally asking whether he was tired or thirsty.
Freminet, meanwhile, stayed close behind Shao Yun without making a single demand.
Before long, the two arrived at the Gardes Headquarters.
After entering, Shao Yun carefully instructed Freminet not to wander around and to stay obediently in the designated seat while he went off.
Once Freminet was settled, Shao Yun went to find Chevreuse.
At that moment, Chevreuse was fully focused on practicing with her musket in the indoor firing range.
Upon hearing that Shao Yun had come looking for her, she immediately set the weapon aside and halted her training.
She quickly adjusted her uniform, then strode into an office to meet him.
…
When Shao Yun saw Chevreuse, he handed over all the evidence he had obtained from the House of the Hearth—everything except the information on the families of the missing girls.
"Miss Chevreuse, these are the evidence materials for you."
Chevreuse hugged the thick stack of documents in her arms. Due to their sheer weight and quantity, she stumbled slightly and nearly lost her balance.
After some hurried adjustments, she finally managed to place the precious evidence securely on the desk.
Catching her breath, she casually pulled out a few documents from the pile and flipped through them.
But with just a single glance, she froze on the spot.
"Th-this… is all of this actually real?" she exclaimed, her voice pitching upward in shock.
She then looked up suspiciously at Shao Yun standing across from her.
Seeing her reaction, Shao Yun thought she suspected him of fabricating evidence—and calmly returned her gaze in silence.
"… "
Realizing her response had been too extreme, Chevreuse coughed lightly to mask her embarrassment.
She steadied herself and forced her tone to sound calmer.
"Sorry—I absolutely didn't mean to imply you fabricated anything. It's just… this speed is way beyond what I expected!"
"We only sealed off the Confrerie of Cabriere and detained Marcel the day before yesterday—and now you've already delivered all the remaining key evidence?"
Shao Yun shrugged casually.
"What's so strange about that? That's what you call efficiency."
He crossed his arms and looked at Chevreuse confidently.
Chevreuse turned her gaze to the mountain of evidence on the desk—it was more than enough to bring the entire case to a conclusion.
Swallowing hard, she said gratefully, "Thank you so much for providing these crucial materials. I'll report your assistance to Lord Neuvillette."
At this point, Shao Yun no longer cared about titles like "model citizen." There was only one question that truly mattered to him.
"When will the trial of that guy Marcel begin?"
Chevreuse carefully examined the evidence before her, thought for a moment, and then gave a fairly precise answer.
"If everything proceeds smoothly, the trial should officially begin the day after tomorrow."
"After all, this is a major case involving the serial disappearance of young women. Both the Hydro Archon and Lord Neuvillette are paying close attention to it."
Hearing this definitive answer, Shao Yun finally felt at ease.
He then took his leave.
"Alright, I understand. In that case, I'll be going now."
Chevreuse waved at him and reminded him, "Take care on the way back. Stay safe."
…
After delivering the evidence, Shao Yun left the Gardes Headquarters with Freminet.
On the road, Shao Yun began planning the next step—searching for the families of the victims in the serial missing-girls case.
"Alright," he said. "Let's see… which family should we visit first?"
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