"Talk. What's going on between you and Hilda?" Holan asked, crossing her legs on the sofa and casting a slightly accusatory look at Caius.

  Caius wasn’t a fan of that tone.

  So he replied lazily, "I'm a little thirsty."

  Holan raised an eyebrow. "Then drink water. Why are you telling me?"

  Caius flopped onto the table with a weak sigh. "Ah, how society has declined..."

  "To think that I, a future Legendary Mercenary, would one day meet such a tragic fate—dying of thirst in the Hydis Library."

  "And the beautiful instructor just stood by and watched... even though she still owes me a candlelit dinner..."

  Yes, this was a classic move of his—recycled, with a touch of pity play. This time, though, the target had shifted from the Boss Lady to an elegant instructor.

  Listening to Caius mutter to himself, Holan couldn’t help but chuckle and finally got up to brew him a cup of tea.

  "Happy now?" she said, placing the cup in front of him, half exasperated.

  Instantly reinvigorated, Caius shot upright, took a slurp of the tea, and looked completely content.

  "Now will you talk?" Holan rested her cheek on her hand, eyeing him closely.

  "Talk about what?" Caius feigned ignorance.

  "Hilda. What's your relationship with her?" Holan pouted slightly as she spoke.

  "Friends, didn’t I already say that?" Caius replied innocently.

  "Friends?" Holan clearly didn’t buy it. "Since when do friends get taken into her private garden?"

  "You know about that?" Caius was genuinely surprised.

  Holan rolled her eyes. "You and Hilda headed toward the Student Council area. You vanished from sight. That means you were either in the council building or the garden."

  "The council building was packed, and no one saw either of you. So that leaves the garden."

  "And that place connects to her private dormitory. It’s always been a restricted zone—off-limits to everyone. Even the principal needs permission to enter."

  With that, Holan leaned forward, supporting herself on the table, her face inches from Caius, completely serious.

  "Spill it. What's really going on between you and Hilda?"

  The corner of Caius's mouth twitched.

  Now this is an instructor. Her logic was watertight.

  Detective Holan: I’m buying front row seats.

  "We really are just friends," Caius said helplessly.

  Holan stared at him, clearly unconvinced.

  Caius sighed and threw the question back. "Then what do you think my relationship with Hilda is?"

  Holan was caught off guard, raising her brows in surprise.

  This thick-headed brute was actually turning the question on her?

  "Caius, you can’t do this..." she murmured, her voice suddenly deflated.

  "Do what?" he asked.

  "You... you..." She bit her lip, struggling to speak, before finally saying, "You promised Belle you'd protect her!"

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  "Uh-huh. And how does that conflict with anything I just said?" Caius looked genuinely confused as he took another sip of tea.

  Holan was momentarily speechless. But she was clearly frustrated—her chest rising and falling with every breath before she turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

  Seeing this, Caius waved a hand in front of her face. "Instructor Holan?"

  No response.

  "Beautiful instructor?" he tried again.

  Still nothing. She even turned her head further.

  Caius scratched his head, sighing. "Alright, alright... I admit it."

  Holan perked up, her ears practically twitching.

  "Our relationship... is complicated," Caius said, as if the words were difficult to get out.

  At that, a flicker of disappointment flashed through Holan’s eyes. A tightness formed in her chest, making it hard to breathe.

  Still, she kept a composed exterior. "Go on. I'm listening."

  Caius shook his head, putting on a guilty expression. "If I'd known private deals with the Student Council President were illegal, I never would've done it..."

  Holan blinked. "Deal? What kind of deal?"

  "Her sword broke when we fought the Wolf Demon, remember? My side gig is being a blacksmith," Caius explained.

  "I heard she comes from a well-off background, so I figured, why not? I offered to forge her a new sword in exchange for proper compensation."

  "We had a duel yesterday to get a feel for her fighting style, so I could tailor the sword perfectly for her."

  "That's what responsible blacksmiths do."

  "Remember my warhammer? That’s actually my forging hammer. I just used it earlier to make a dagger for Kiki."

  "Really, meow! This one, meow!" Kiki proudly held up her [Mewtooth].

  Holan took it and drew the blade, visibly surprised.

  Even though she wasn’t a professional, it was obvious how finely crafted and sharp the dagger was. On the blade was a single engraved character—[Caius].

  She’d seen Kiki without the dagger before. Clearly, Caius had forged it recently.

  "But you know me, I’m also a skilled mercenary. Her combat technique looked a bit unrefined to me, so I gave her some pointers," Caius continued.

  "So, our relationship is... layered. We’re friends. I’m her seller, she’s the buyer. But I’m also kind of her instructor now—she wants my help improving her combat skills."

  "So... she took you to the garden for that?" Holan asked.

  "Yup. We discussed the sword design and I offered a bit of advice on her combat form. After that, I used a Teleportation Magic Array Plate to leave." Caius sighed. "Had I known this was illegal in Hydis, I wouldn’t have done it."

  "I’ve heard that in big cities, unlicensed private weapons trading is banned. I should’ve applied for a trade license from the Crafting Guild first..."

  That said, beneath the table, Caius discreetly gave Kiki a thumbs-up.

  Good assist, little cat. Totally worth spoiling you.

  Sure enough, Holan now looked awkward and slightly apologetic. "Actually... the trade isn’t illegal..."

  "Huh?" Caius acted surprised. "Private weapons deals are allowed?"

  "Mm-hmm." Holan nodded.

  His eyes widened. "Seriously? I thought I committed some major crime!"

  This performance? Pure gold. Someone hand him a Golden Actor Award!

  He even patted his chest dramatically, like he’d just dodged a bullet. "Whew! That scared me. Good to know everything’s okay."

  "I’ve been saving up for the Orphanage renovations. Planning to build a swimming pool for the kids in the yard, and tear down the old building to rebuild it. That takes a lot of money."

  Looking at Caius’s carefree grin, Holan felt a wave of guilt wash over her.

  She realized she might have wrongly accused him.

  She’d suspected Caius and Hilda of suddenly becoming... intimately close without saying a word.

  But thinking back, that didn’t make sense at all.

  He’d only just met Hilda. She knew exactly what kind of person Hilda was—cold on the surface, but actually kind to those around her.

  And Caius? He was clearly trying to help Belle and the Orphanage. Taking on odd jobs and forging weapons to raise funds for the renovations...

  Not only did she do nothing, but she also speculated about him because of some gossip, even going so far as to confront him aggressively.

  At that thought, Holan’s eyes grew a little red.

  She looked at Caius cautiously and said in a small voice, “I’m sorry…”

  “Huh?” Caius blinked in confusion. “What for?”

  Seeing that innocent, puzzled look on his face, Holan felt even more remorseful. Her small hands fidgeted nervously before she bit her lip and timidly extended her hand toward Caius, gently hooking her pinky around his index finger.

  “I thought… I mean, I misunderstood you. I’m really sorry…”

  In that moment, she was no longer the composed, intellectual mentor. She looked more like a little girl who had made a mistake, eager to make amends and earn Caius’s forgiveness.

  To Caius, this scene was irresistibly adorable.

  At the same time, he gave himself a mental thumbs-up.

  Everything he’d said had been the truth—well, except for the part about being afraid of illegal weapon deals. That had been a lie.

  But then again, it was kind of true. In some places, private weapon transactions were strictly prohibited and required a certified license.

  Still, with Caius’s personality, he was never one to worry about such things.

  Even if it was illegal, he wouldn't care. As long as there was money to be made, that was all that mattered. After all, he was a mercenary—one who operated on the fringes of the rules.

  So in the end, his words were more true than false. He had simply left out a few important details.

  And just like that, Caius had completely cleared himself of suspicion, even managing to turn the tables and make Holan feel guilty instead.

  Ah, beautiful mentor… you’re still a bit too green~