Loki lifted the cover off the tray.
Inside was something like baked buns, a medley of fried eggs, bacon, asparagus, baked beans in meat sauce, chicken sautéed with mushrooms, a corn-like vegetable, and a thick stew made with some unknown greens.
Overall, it was quite a feast. For Loki, who usually only threw together a quick breakfast, this could already be considered a luxurious meal.
No matter how many times he saw it, he couldn’t help but feel helpless about the subtle fusion of cuisines in this world.
It was a bit like a fusion restaurant that would serve bizarre dishes like cheese cream soup dumplings.
Fortunately, thanks to the exceptionally high quality of ingredients in this world, those dishes that sounded or looked questionable actually turned out to be surprisingly palatable.
At least Loki’s taste buds didn’t often betray him.
“Hmm, time was tight, so I only managed to prepare a simple meal…”
“Not at all, this is already plenty abundant.”
Loki waved a hand at Selene.
This was the moment to say the classic line, “You will become a good wife someday”—but Loki had no desire to get tangled in such awkward insinuations.
After all, he wasn’t here to chase women… And just dealing with Cerulean was already a headache; even if he had the energy to flirt with others, he probably didn’t have the fate to satisfy their desires.
The physical strength of people in this world was incomparable to his previous life, which greatly affected reproductive-related activities—not to mention the presence of some extraordinary demi-humans or other races, making the duration of such acts stretch into hours.
And the often-ridiculed “anime amount” was actually not uncommon here.
To make that lengthy process less tedious, relevant industries had naturally arisen and flourished, becoming an indispensable part of society.
…
No.
Don’t think too much.
Loki cleared his throat, straightened up, and said seriously,
“After all, my usual breakfast is just a glass of milk and a few slices of toast.”
“Eating so simply, doesn’t that affect your work?”
“It’s just a habit. I don’t have work every day.”
“I see… It’s impressive you can still maintain such a well-defined figure—some knights can’t compare.”
“Living off past efforts, nothing worth boasting about.”
Even so, he still did simple workouts and meditation; otherwise, he wouldn’t even maintain his fifth-tier level and would have long since fallen to the bottom.
After losing the protection of the Chief of the Hand of Truth, the Sea of Souls completely closed off to Loki, no longer granting him unlimited access.
So the only way he could improve his strength now was by forcefully taking it.
Not directly from the Sea of Souls, but by using others as intermediaries to plunder their power and make it his own.
It sounded like a formidable ability, but if he didn’t come into contact with the target, it was useless.
“By the way, how did you sleep last night? This place isn’t really built for living, and the noise from the knights’ morning training was louder than the crossroads downtown…”
Selene asked warmly.
Considering she was most likely sent over by her deputy captain father to “take care” of Loki, probably with a long list of instructions, Loki didn’t find the concern strange.
That man actually sent his daughter out to serve as Loki’s attendant… it was hard to tell if he was being snobbish or just skilled at smoothing relations.
They had only exchanged a few words so far, so Loki didn’t yet have a full picture of the Knight Order’s deputy captain, and thus couldn’t guess her true thoughts.
“Not bad. I’m the type who can sleep well as long as there’s a bed. Also, there’s no training ground near this room, so it wasn’t that noisy.”
“That’s good. If you need anything, just tell me… I’ll do my best within my limits to meet your requests.”
“I don’t really have any requests…”
Loki glanced toward the curtained partition that was still motionless.
“But I don’t know about the other person.”
“The other person…”
Selene suddenly remembered Loki had mentioned a third party before.
For some reason, she instinctively thought of that Saintess Cerulean—
Ina’s romantic rival.
*****
Huh? Could it be that she and Lord Loki slept in the same bed last night?
Selene was shocked and covered her mouth.
Ugh… she couldn’t imagine what Ina would be like if told about this…
As a friend, she knew the short-haired witch’s cool demeanor was an act; Ina wasn’t very good at expressing emotions, which had earned her the nickname “Cold-faced Prince” at the academy.
Ina often complained to Selene about this, sometimes asking for advice on “femininity” or “womanly power,” but there was never much progress.
After learning about Ina’s feelings—and especially seeing Cerulean’s intimate behavior with Loki—Selene found herself quietly worrying about her friend’s romantic troubles.
Not to mention the long-standing rumors within the Knight Order about Christine and Loki.
Of course, Selene was firmly on Ina’s side.
But their faction leader was too ineffective; only yesterday did she manage to talk to Loki face to face—before that, it had only been one-sided stalking.
No normal courtship, just outright creepy stalking.
Still, Selene knew her friend’s personality well; apart from giving Ina a nudge at key moments or watching the drama unfold, she couldn’t offer much real help.
After all, matters of the heart ultimately depended on Ina herself.
…At least one thing was certain.
Loki wasn’t as “terrifying” as the rumors said.
So Selene asked,
“Has Lady Cerulean not gotten up yet?”
Oh, she guessed right.
Loki leisurely began filling the empty plates with food, looking toward the head poking out from behind the curtain.
Her beautiful silver hair looked like a well-worn mop draped over the sleepy girl’s face, half-closed eyelids hiding half of her dull crimson-purple eyes.
She lazily pushed the strands away from her face, then clomped toward Loki in slippers, scratching her belly with one hand.
Even in this unkempt, messy state, her top-tier modeling almost erased all flaws, leaving only a kind of languid cuteness that made one want to pinch the girl’s cheek.
…It was basically cheating.
“I’m awake.”
She yawned as she answered.
“When?”
Loki asked.
“When you wheeled the food cart in.”
Ignoring Selene’s wary gaze, she plopped down on Loki’s lap like an arrogant cat, stretching her limbs freely and squeezing a sultry, enticing sound out of her throat.
“Ah… ha… hmm…”