novelraw Chapter 168: Competing for Favor
Chapter 168: Competing for Favor
"I'm here."
These two words reassured Naclis more than any others could. As long as she was by Loren's side, there was nothing to fear.
After writing a verse of lyrics, Loren pondered for a long time but still couldn't figure out what to write next. Composing this stuff was quite taxing.
So Loren simply started chatting with Naclis instead. His tone was very relaxed, as if he truly didn't take the Pseudohumans seriously at all. He never showed his negative emotions in front of his family:
"Pseudohumans aren't that scary either. Their combat ability isn't great. They can be killed with just slightly more powerful firearms, let alone all the Enchanted Bullets we have.
"Their most dangerous aspect is their ability to impersonate other people, but they always slip up somehow. People who live closely with them can easily notice these anomalies."
There was one crucial point Loren hadn't told the others. Pseudohumans grow stronger from other people's fear. Not knowing this was fine, but if people knew, many would subconsciously start feeling afraid.
This was also why the Anomaly sequence had never been made public. If it were truly disclosed, who knows how much fear would breed? Many anomalies were closely linked to people's fears.
It might even attract the attention of the God of Fear.
With Loren's reassurance, Naclis wasn't as scared anymore. Or perhaps she wasn't really that afraid to begin with, but only this way could she comfortably cling to Loren's side like a child without feeling guilty.Time always passed quickly when with Loren, and soon it was mealtime.
This period passed quickly. The past twelve years had also passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, Naclis had grown from a child into an adult, even her mind hadn't had time to mature properly.
Tonight's meal was still more delicious than before, but this time Anna didn't speak up. She knew Seraphina had cooked it.
"Master, are you satisfied with the meal I prepared?"
Seraphina propped her chin on her hand, tilting her head slightly, watching Loren with a smile.
"It's very delicious."
Loren expressed his approval of Seraphina's cooking skills. At the same time, he noticed that Seraphina, like Mirrorheart, always maintained the same expression. Seraphina kept smiling constantly, making it impossible for Loren to read her emotions. Loren even began to suspect she might be a Pseudohuman.
"If you like it, I'd like to cook for you for a lifetime."
The dining table suddenly fell silent. Even Anna stopped her chopsticks, watching as Naclis's chopsticks slowly slipped from her hand.
Flossie looked like she was ready to watch a good show, while Corolla silently lowered her head, pretending she hadn't heard anything.
"Thank you."
Faced with these words that sounded like a confession, Loren remained vigilant.
"You don't need to thank me. I am your possession. It's only right that I devote both body and mind to you."
"How come I never think of such shameless lines?"
Flossie couldn't help but mutter a complaint, but Seraphina just glanced at her casually before ignoring her completely.
But Flossie didn't let Seraphina off. She leaned close to Naclis's ear and whispered softly:
"Miss, I think Seraphina wants to become the mistress of this household, competing with you for the family assets. Corolla and I firmly stand on your side. Just give the order, and we'll secretly stuff the jewelry from the master into Seraphina's mattress..."
Flossie's voice was very soft, but just loud enough for everyone to hear.
"I'm not, I didn't..."
Corolla, who had been dragged into this by Flossie, hurriedly tried to explain. But when Naclis looked at her, Corolla chickened out again:
"Of course I'm on your side, it's just..."
Corolla's voice grew softer and softer, her body gradually sinking lower until she hid under the table, as if everything would be fine as long as she couldn't see anyone else.
"Everyone, settle down..."
Loren had a headache. He just wanted to hire some ordinary maids. While there weren't any spies from other factions mixed in, how did he end up with a bunch of eccentrics?
However, Seraphina's somewhat excessive behavior did make Loren somewhat dismiss the idea that she was a Pseudohuman. Pseudohumans generally didn't do attention-grabbing things. They usually attacked and replaced others when people were few.
What gave Loren the biggest headache was that Naclis seemed to be genuinely considering the feasibility of Flossie's plan.
"Alright, that's enough. Discuss among yourselves who you'll room with tonight, in pairs of two. I'm heading back to my room first."
As Loren finished his meal and was about to wipe his mouth, Seraphina handed him a handkerchief. At the same time, Mirrorheart spoke up:
"Let me wipe your mouth for you."
Except Mirrorheart didn't take out a handkerchief. Instead, she stuck out her tongue.
"..."
After hesitating for a moment, Loren chose to accept Seraphina's handkerchief. Seraphina glanced at Mirrorheart at that moment. She still maintained her usual smile, but now it seemed like she was mocking Mirrorheart.
Mirrorheart also remained expressionless, not taking her seriously at all.
"Loren, come shopping for clothes with me tomorrow."
Just as Loren was about to return to his room, Laila stopped him:
"Even though there are Pseudohumans now, with you here, there shouldn't be any danger, right? I don't have a single piece of women's clothing right now."
Laila had stopped hiding her gender during this period. She usually wore loose tops, but even so, it couldn't conceal her... advantages at all. Every time Naclis saw her, a trace of resentment would rise within her.
"Alright."
Loren leaned toward the idea that there weren't many Pseudohumans currently. After all, the only Pseudohuman discovered so far was brought from the Nofica Theocracy. Even if something really happened, it wouldn't be Gedlan's turn yet.
Pseudohumans had brains too. They knew Gedlan had Loren, making it more dangerous here, so they probably wouldn't appear here in large numbers.
Their goal was only to replace humans, not to wage war against them. Being discovered brought absolutely no benefit, only harm, even if just one was found.
"Pseudohumans..."
Loren truly didn't know how to completely eradicate Pseudohumans. He could only discover and kill them one by one. When playing games before, he could just beat up everyone to solve the Pseudohuman problem—whoever could withstand it was a Pseudohuman—but that method wasn't really feasible now.
However, he didn't need to pay special attention to Pseudohumans either. Their combat ability really wasn't strong. They were terrifying in a world without other supernatural powers, but here they were just cannon fodder that could be instantly killed by low-tier magic. Dealing with Pseudohumans didn't even require the Witches.
Even if they ambushed someone, Pseudohumans were unlikely to injure a Witch. Loren was just always used to being cautious.
By the time Loren finished writing the lyrics, it was already time to sleep. Everyone had gathered in Loren's room as if by prior agreement. They all wanted to sleep with Loren tonight.
"Maybe I should buy a bigger bed..."
Loren's bed clearly couldn't accommodate this many people.
"I can sleep on the floor."
Seraphina offered to put up with it herself, but was immediately refuted by Mirrorheart:
"You're not qualified to be here."