"Miss Geling."

As Macal's knock echoed, Ogre folded a corner of the book page as a bookmark and closed the book.

"Hmm..."

Responding absentmindedly, Ogre stood up.

Midnight meditation wasn't as restorative as sleep, but it did help replenish some energy.

Fortunately, Ogre had a good constitution, so even with insufficient rest, he showed no signs of fatigue.

"Miss... Miss Geling, Aunt Mima has already prepared breakfast."

As the door opened, Macal immediately put on a smile standing outside.

"Alright..." Ogre nodded in agreement and returned the smile.

That smile almost turned Macal to stone.

It wasn't until Ogre closed the door and walked past him that Macal snapped back to reality.

Watching Ogre's figure descend the stairs, Macal scratched his head, realizing he had forgotten what he wanted to say.

"Macal, oh Macal, you need to be more confident and composed, you can do it..."

Macal encouraged himself.

If he couldn't even speak properly, how could he develop a relationship with Miss Geling...

"Macal! What are you dawdling upstairs for?" Mima's loud voice came from downstairs, interrupting Macal's self-encouragement.

"Got it, Aunt Mima." Responding, Macal snapped out of his self-encouragement.

"After breakfast, once I buy the books, what excuse should I use to ask Miss Geling out for a stroll—buy a new dress? But it seems Miss Geling isn't that interested..."

Muttering to himself as he descended the stairs, Macal suddenly stopped halfway.

He spotted something that shouldn't be there—a feather.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"It's a demon crow's feather... strange." Macal looked up at the skylight above the attic.

"Could it have flown in from outside... bad luck."

"Macal, hurry up."

"Got it, Aunt Mima." With Mima's urging, Macal didn't think much of it, casually using Battle Qi to obliterate it, and paid it no mind.

He just assumed he had overlooked it earlier because his mind was full of thoughts about Miss Geling.

...

'Strange, why is there a dining knife missing?'

Mima looked at the people eating and then at the cutlery box. She distinctly remembered there being eighteen pure silver dining knives.

How could one be missing?

Maggie picked up a piece of white bread, dipped it in jam, and looked at Ogre, "Geling, is there anything you like? We can buy it together when we go to Lake Town this time."

White bread wasn't uncommon in towns.

But in villages, having soft white bread at every meal was rare, not because white bread was so precious, but because of its cost-effectiveness—after all, black bread at a tenth of the price could also fill you up.

It was only because Mima's family had Macal, a Paladin, that they had this luxury.

"No..."

Ogre shook his head—he wasn't planning to stay here long, so why buy so many unnecessary things.

They wouldn't enhance his strength.

"Miss Geling, let me."

Just as Ogre was about to reach for a boiled bird egg, Macal quickly picked up the egg from the plate before him.

Gentle Battle Qi enveloped the boiled egg, and with a light tap, the entire egg white separated from the shell.

'Uhh...' Ogre looked at the shell-less egg on the plate, momentarily at a loss for words.

It was his first time experiencing such treatment.

"Thanks..." Ogre expressed his gratitude and didn't mind putting the egg in his mouth.

'So Battle Qi can be used like that...'

Compared to Macal's egg-giving gesture, Ogre was more intrigued by the use of Battle Qi.

This method of using Battle Qi to only affect the shell was quite interesting, though it did seem a bit showy.

'She ate my egg.'

Macal didn't think much of it; he was just delighted watching Ogre—he liked everything about him.

'So elegant...' Maggie watched Ogre eat in small bites and silently followed suit.

'With these two watching me, I can't even enjoy my meal...'

Though Ogre ate in small bites, his eating speed wasn't actually slow.

It was just limited by the size of his mouth, and with Maggie and Macal watching, he appeared more deliberate.

"Maggie, today's newspaper has arrived, could you please go fetch it?" Mima brought a pot of hot soup for everyone.

The soup had bits of meat, bones, and bamboo shoots floating in it—it didn't seem like a main dish, more like something to warm the stomach.

"Okay, Mom." Today, Maggie wasn't wearing her usual dashing knight outfit, but a dress similar to Ogre's high-waisted skirt.

Though it didn't quite match in style, it wasn't unattractive.

"Brother Fra came looking for you today, Miss Geling." Mima served everyone the meat bone soup, then mentioned the main topic of the day.

"Hmm?" Ogre feigned innocence and looked up.

"It's nothing much, really. I told Brother Fra you were resting, so he left a message for you." Mima put the spoon back in the iron pot, then looked at Ogre and relayed the message from the Dawn priest: "Brother Fra said he's been busy lately... so you'll have to wait."

'As expected, the deaths of those mutants caught their attention.' Ogre feigned disappointment and nodded, "Hmm..."

The sudden unexplained deaths of so many mutants were a bit embarrassing for the Church of Dawn.

Most importantly, those mutants were killed by Ogre within a few moves—this would likely lead the Church of Dawn to underestimate the "outsider's" strength.

'Investigate all you want... by the time you find out, I'll be long gone.' Ogre also picked up a piece of white bread and dipped it in jam.

"It's alright... Miss Geling, I'll help you!" Macal was secretly pleased, as this meant Ogre could stay here a bit longer.

But seeing Ogre's somewhat disappointed expression.

He couldn't show his joy, so he gently and softly comforted the 'girl.'

"Little Geling, you can stay here as long as you want, it's just one more plate to wash." Mima also offered a comforting word.

Who wouldn't like having an adorable girl at home?

'Hope Carl, that brat, seizes the opportunity.' Mima thought to herself.

"Thanks..."

Ogre looked at the two concerned people, feeling a bit curious—'I wonder if they'll hold a grudge against me later.'

Ogre originally planned to use his identity as a nun to stay directly at the Church of Dawn, but he hadn't expected the Dawn priest here to make room for him.

"Mom, the newspaper."

Maggie's voice came over, and she brought today's edition of the Dandelion Daily.