Selene was awakened by a fragrant smell. It seemed the self-proclaimed master of dreams, the “Scholar of Sin,” hadn’t been too hard on her. She had only slept for four hours, but didn’t have a headache or feel nauseous. On the contrary, she felt incredibly refreshed, a feeling she hadn’t experienced since graduating.

“…If he could guarantee the quality of my sleep every day, this deal wouldn’t be so bad…” Selene sat up from the sofa, stretching comfortably, and muttered half-jokingly.

Although she had survived, and even received a “gift,” she was still a bit confused and apprehensive.

What was that architecture in the dream world? And what about the experience after she chanted the incomplete name of the Scholar of Sin? What if she chanted the name of another Evil god, or Old God? Or… could she return to that place in the dream world?

…She’d try again tonight. She’d already met the Evil god face-to-face. It wasn’t like it could get any worse.

Having made her decision, Selene suddenly smelled the fragrance that had awakened her again.

Was Louise cooking? No, she was completely useless in the kitchen. She could even burn water.

Confused, Selene went downstairs. The fragrance became stronger and stronger as she approached the kitchen. It was the smell of butter, meat, and various spices, making Selene unconsciously swallow.

Richter, who was sitting at the dining table, looked up, a warm smile on his face.

“You slept quite late last night. I didn’t want to wake you. Eat first.”

Selene’s eyes fell upon his left hand, which was holding a rather famous novel in both the North and South Continents. The title was a bit verbose, but it was commonly referred to as 《The Knight and the Mermaid Princess》. And behind him, on the table, were three generous portions of breakfast.

She silently sat down at the table, staring at the food in the tray: fried potato skins, salad, buttered bread, bacon, sausages, and omelets. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.

“Doesn’t it suit your taste?” Richter, seeing this, closed his book. “Should we go to a restaurant…”

“No, uh, how should I put this? I’m very satisfied,” Selene snapped back to reality and poked at the food with her fork, whispering, “I just feel like I’m still dreaming… Did you make all this?”

Richter nodded, taking a bite of his own breakfast.

“I went out early this morning and bought some ingredients. After all, you only have potatoes. I haven’t cooked in a while, but it should be alright… Or do you prefer something lighter for breakfast?”

He asked, slightly uncertain.

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“I believe I said I was satisfied,” Selene stuffed a piece of bacon into her mouth, chewing and swallowing it. “It’s just… I haven’t had a normal breakfast in a long time. I’m a little overwhelmed.”

“What do you mean?”

“Literally. For the past two months, I’ve only been eating potatoes. Boiled potatoes, potato soup, fried potato skins… For breakfast, I just eat something simple, just to fill my stomach.”

“Even if you’re trying to save money, there’s no need…”

“It’s not that. I don’t save money on food. I’m just too lazy to make anything complicated.”

“…”

“Thank you.”

...

Chatting casually, and quickly finishing their breakfast, the two were soon done.

“Louise still isn’t back?” Selene, clearing the table, saw the untouched breakfast. After a moment of thought, she left it as it was, casting a “Preservation” spell on it.

It was a low-level spell that prevented an object from changing its properties for a certain period. It didn’t work on living things and was usually used on paintings, statues, and other inanimate works of art. It was also good for preserving food.

Richter, seeing this, suddenly asked,

“Is that a Preservation spell? Did you cast it?”

Selene put on her custom-made coat, adjusted it slightly, and, puzzled, asked back,

“Yeah, what about it? It’s not very common, but you should have seen it. It’s just a low-level spell, even easier than Fireball.”

“…Very few people specifically learn it, so I was a little surprised,” Richter said with a smile, “Usually, only students in the art department at the university, or those who’ve become ‘Painters,’ ‘Sculptors,’ and other superhuman professions would bother to learn such a useless little spell.

“What about you? It can’t be just to preserve leftovers, can it?”

“In this remote little town, we don’t have many options,” Selene sighed, a hint of helplessness in her voice. “The merchants occasionally bring books with spells. I learn whatever’s in them. And preserving food isn’t useless, you know? Apologize to all the ingredients that spoil easily!”

Perhaps because they had spent a day together, their relationship had become a bit closer. At least, Selene felt comfortable joking with him… After getting to know him a bit, she realized that Richter was very easygoing and friendly, though he had some secrets, he wasn’t difficult to get along with. He was good at reading people, but kept his observations to himself, always polite and courteous. And because of his extensive knowledge, he could easily find common ground with others, quickly building rapport, yet always maintaining a certain distance…

Would this kind of person be so fixated on a “pen pal”?

Selene suddenly felt a little doubtful about their conversation from the other night. If it was all an act, she wouldn’t be surprised. If it was true… then she had to admit, she was very curious about how extraordinary that girl had to be to have Richter so captivated.

...

Their plan for today was to continue following the suspects.

But considering the appearance of the member of the Omniscient Confederation, they felt this needed to be reported to Duquesne. Also, the fact that Louise hadn’t returned all night suggested that she might have discovered something at the suicide scene and was currently filing a report at the station. So, after leaving the detective office, they went directly to Reeves Street.

Duquesne hadn’t slept all night. His eyes were bloodshot, and the dark circles under his eyes were prominent, but his mental state seemed fine. At least, his words were clear, and his logic was sound.

As Richter had said, he wasn’t planning on doing anything about the mysterious person whose identity was known. After all, that person was at least a high-level superhuman. He wasn’t easy to kill or capture. It was best to leave him alone.

This was as expected.

But Duquesne’s answer to their question about Louise’s whereabouts surprised them. They immediately frowned.

“She didn’t come here. The last time she was seen was by the two guards investigating the artist’s suicide case. At the scene of the suicide.”