"Costate, slow down when you speak. My psychological endurance isn't as strong as it seems. I'm still a fragile human at heart."

"..."

"Sir, I... I'm really sorry?"

Before Costate could finish speaking, Ronald clutched his chest and knelt down just like her.

In the middle of an extremely delicate atmosphere between the two.

Though Costate looked troubled, she chose to fulfill her duty and proceeded to explain:

"At last night's banquet, a noble named Dantès expressed a hope for his town to form a friendship with Kurpis. Since you weren't there, I boldly agreed, thinking positively."

"..."

"Huh? This is all?"

Ronald's tense expression instantly collapsed.

When he saw Costate coming over so dramatically to apologize, he thought he had gotten himself into some serious trouble again. But after hearing the brief report, it turned out to be just this kind of 'self-made decision'?

"Hahaha." Watching the tense atmosphere vanish instantly, Patricia, who observed the scene, couldn't help but laugh, even giving Ronald's shoulder a pat, "Ronald, you two are really something."

"But there's no need to worry. I did some inquiries about this Sir Dantès last night."

"He's the lord of a port city in the Nicoss Empire, with a decent reputation and no annoying quirks. Your town having contact with him should pose no issue. Costate has considered this very seriously."

"Got it." After hearing Patricia's explanation, Ronald cast a grateful glance her way.

He then immediately helped the maid stand up, a lightness in his tone evident to everyone around:

"Costate, I misunderstood earlier. You did well with this."

"Really, sir?"

Though she stood up following Ronald's action, Costate's face still bore some concerns, clearly lacking confidence in her decision.

In such a situation, Ronald reached out and tapped his own head, then invited Costate:

"If you really don't believe it, you can come in and see."

"..."

Costate immediately understood Ronald's implication.

This was an indication that she could read his memory to ensure the absolute truth of their conversation.

"Sir, I trust you!"

The special state of their first meeting was a separate case.

Having been around Ronald for nearly half a year now, and gradually developing a complete personality, Costate, who had always identified herself as a maid, no longer dared to make such actions. She immediately bowed to express her loyalty.

On the other hand, seeing Ronald and Costate's interaction, Patricia confirmed nothing else would happen and chose this moment to bid farewell:

"Alright, you two can understand each other slowly in private."

"I still need to inform His Highness about your arrival, Ronald. See you later at the banquet."

With that, Patricia left without looking back.

Her character as a swordsman was still unwavering, never hesitating when it came to action.

"See you tonight, Patricia!"

Ronald waved goodbye, then entered the room arranged by the Nicoss side together with Costate.

The impact of power was very evident.

Although Ronald wasn't present when the rooms were assigned, he and Costate still ended up with a room considered quite luxurious here. Both furniture and space were far superior to the inn Ronald had stayed in before.

But after just a few seconds of admiration, Ronald noticed an issue. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

There were clear signs of Il's activities in the room, but the super being was currently nowhere to be seen!

Ronald became alert and immediately turned to Costate:

"Costate, where's that Il guy?"

The maid promptly answered:

"Sir, Il was quite dazzling at last night's banquet, very popular among the Nicoss nobles. So, early this morning, a local noble invited her to their residence, and she'll be back by the evening banquet."

"..."

Hearing this, Ronald was silent for a few seconds before cautiously continuing to ask:

"Il didn't use any special tricks, did she?"

Ronald's concern was genuine.

In a world where spells exist, people are wary of casters and actively take measures to protect themselves from their intrusion. According to the information Ronald had seen in Springs, there are actually quite advanced measures in this regard.

But Il is different!

Evolved into a super life form under the influence of the rampaging "Organic Encyclopedia," Il can sense and utilize magic power, but she can also completely separate from the magic power system and play tricks purely based on biology.

And such tricks...

The casters, not to mention being unable to defend against them, are mostly unaware of Il's actions, and what's more, Il's abilities are of a super-standard level.

After the inquiry, Costate confidently reassured and explained the situation:

"Sir, I supervise Il at all times!"

"The reason for her popularity is just her fast learning speed in human social interactions, and she only releases some pheromones as assistance. Il absolutely hasn't excessively interfered with or controlled humans in secret as you feared."

"..."

Ronald momentarily blacked out.

Although Costate made it sound like no big deal, the phrase 'released some pheromones' was really unsettling.

Perhaps, it's really time for his week-long vacation to end.

Ronald vaguely had a plan in mind.

Since he brought Costate and Il on this expedition, he should bear responsibility as the initiator, at least not let Il be so 'casual' anymore.

There would be more complicated matters to handle afterward.

But he would have to firmly address them—

Saying things in a way that they just pass by.

At that moment, Ronald didn't hesitate; using the Il soul fragments in his possession, he sensed—

Mood: joyful, relaxed, curious.

There were indeed no dangerous feelings like brutality or slaughter.

"Whew—"

Ronald immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

After confirming that she hadn't done anything extreme, he then reassured Costate:

"So, Il will definitely be at tonight's banquet, right?"

Costate responded with a serious expression:

"Yes, sir, she assured me she would."

"If Il doesn't come tonight, I will personally bring her to you, and you can punish me then..."

Bang, bang, bang—

Just then, the door was knocked.

A somewhat respectful voice immediately sounded outside:

"Sir, the banquet is about to start. Do you need any assistance with providing attire or an introduction ahead of time?"