"Miss Clara, Miss Firefly, what brings you here? Has something happened? Do you need help?"
At the Silvermane Guards' post in Belobog…
The moment Clara and Firefly appeared, they immediately drew the attention of the Silvermane Guards.
After all, Clara and Firefly were now esteemed guests of the Supreme Guardian, making them honored guests of Belobog as well. Coupled with their exceptionally striking appearances, it was hard for the Guards not to remember them.
Thinking they might be in some trouble requiring the Guards' assistance, one quickly approached and inquired.
"No, it's not that," Clara shook her head upon hearing this, then raised her hand to point toward Sampo, who was not far behind them. "If I'm not mistaken, this man named Sampo should currently be in the Silvermane Guards' prison, right?"
"When I saw him, I didn't think much—just grabbed him with the help of these friends here."
After speaking, Clara's gaze swept over the members of the Astral Express crew.
"Hmm?"
Following Clara's pointing finger, the Silvermane Guard looked over and saw Sampo. Instantly, the Guard's previously smiling expression changed, turning icy and filled with authority.
"Sampo Koski, care to explain why you're here?"
"Shouldn't you be… 'operating the sewing machine' in your cell at this hour?"
The Silvermane Guard questioned Sampo while stepping closer, one step at a time, the pressure absolutely palpable.
"Heh heh…"
Sampo gave an awkward laugh, quickly trying to explain.
"Big brother, it's all a misunderstanding, a total misunderstanding, I swear…"
"Hmph. A misunderstanding?"
Hearing Sampo's explanation, the Silvermane Guard couldn't help but find it somewhat laughable. With a cold snort, he promptly seized Sampo.
"So, your appearing here was just a 'misunderstanding,' was it?"
"And your jailbreak was a 'misunderstanding' too?"
"Brother, it really is a misunderstanding! Even my getting arrested was a misunderstanding!"
Seized by the Guard, Sampo didn't struggle. Instead, he put on an expression more wronged than Dou E, hoping to garner a shred of sympathy.
"Hmph. Take him away!"
Sampo's pitiful look did not earn the Silvermane Guard's sympathy. Instead, it earned him a solid kick from the Guard.
After personally watching as other Silvermane Guards hauled Sampo back to prison, the Guard turned to Clara, wearing a deeply apologetic expression.
"My apologies. For a prisoner to have escaped…"
"For such a thing to happen, and for the Silvermane Guards to only realize it now…"
"It's alright," Clara said understandingly, shaking her head at the apologetic Guard. "See, the criminal was caught again. No real harm was done."
"I suppose that's the silver lining in this unfortunate situation…"
The Silvermane Guard sighed. Clara's comfort did little to ease the self-reproach in his heart.
"It was them who caught Sampo and brought him back, right?" The Guard recalled Clara's earlier words and turned his gaze to the Astral Express crew.
"Hello, I'm March 7th…"
"… "
The Astral Express crew briefly introduced themselves to the Silvermane Guard.
Having listened to the conversation between Clara and the Guard, they basically understood the Guard's position.
Therefore, none of them held anything back.
"March 7th, Dan Heng, Welt… Stelle?" The Guard muttered the names, a hint of confusion in his tone. These names seemed somewhat unusual in Belobog, but the Guard didn't dwell on it, figuring they had just given their given names without their family names.
"I am a Silvermane Guard of Belobog. On behalf of all the Guards, I thank you for recapturing the prisoner."
"My sincere thanks." After speaking, the Guard performed a very formal salute to the group.
"Hehe, it was nothing, really," March 7th said, scratching her head somewhat sheepishly at the Guard's earnest gratitude, letting out a few silly giggles.
Everyone else: …
March 7th's demeanor left the others feeling a wave of speechlessness.
"I have some matters to attend to and need to take them to see the Supreme Guardian, so we'll be on our way now," Clara said, not planning to stay long. After informing the Guard, she prepared to lead the Astral Express crew away.
"To see the Supreme Guardian!" The Guard was inwardly surprised but didn't press for details. "Understood. Please proceed safely."
"If you encounter any trouble or danger, please notify the Silvermane Guards immediately."
The Guard saluted Clara again before turning to walk back into the Guard post.
"Let's go," Clara said with a nod to March 7th and the others. Then, she took Firefly's small hand and walked ahead to lead the way.
"Hss…" Watching the way Clara and Firefly were together, March 7th took a deep breath, a thought seeming to strike her. She leaned closer to Dan Heng and Stelle, whispering:
"Doesn't it feel like there's something… off about those two?"
"Off? What do you mean?" Stelle responded, her expression full of confusion. From start to finish, Stelle hadn't noticed anything odd about Clara and Firefly.
Well, there was one thing: whenever she faced Clara, an inexplicable sense of fear would always rise in Stelle's heart…
Stelle didn't know why she felt that way. Clara looked so darn cute. How could she feel afraid of such an adorable, seemingly innocent little girl?
It was really strange.
"I haven't noticed anything," Dan Heng also shook his head upon hearing March 7th, not picking up on anything unusual about Clara and Firefly.
"Ugh, the 'off' thing I'm talking about isn't about their identities or intentions or anything like that," March 7th said, a bit impatient, indicating she didn't mean it in that sense.
"?"
Upon hearing this, both Stelle and Dan Heng had big question marks appear over their heads.
"Well… don't you think the relationship between those two seems a bit… excessively intimate?"
March 7th organized her thoughts and voiced what was on her mind.
"Intimate?"
"Isn't it… pretty normal for close friends?"
Dan Heng and Stelle indicated they completely missed March 7th's point.
"Ugh, how can you both be so dense?" Looking at Dan Heng and Stelle's clueless expressions, March 7th felt a bit exasperated. "The level of intimacy between them is clearly beyond what ordinary close friends have, okay?"
"So, you mean…?"
Hearing this, the astute Mr. Dan Heng finally understood what March 7th was trying to say.
"?"
But our freshly hatched baby Stelle was still utterly confused.
"Yes, yes, yes! They must be the kind of relationship we're thinking of!" Upon Dan Heng's words, March 7th nodded frantically, like a chick pecking at rice. "I usually only see this kind of thing in videos. Who'd have thought a real pair would appear right before my eyes?"
March 7th's eyes now shone with light as she looked at Clara and Firefly.
"Ah~ What a pure and beautiful relationship."
"The universe is vast and full of wonders. It's not really that surprising," Dan Heng remarked, much calmer compared to March 7th.
"True."
"So what exactly is this relationship?!!"
Listening to Dan Heng and March 7th speak in riddles, Stelle couldn't help but feel frantic.
"It's not for kids to know~"
In response, March 7th simply gifted Stelle with a stunning, enigmatic smile.
Stelle: ?
…
I have completed the author to TL pipeline, 2 chapters per day. Advanced chapters available on patreon.
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