"Your dance was truly magnificent!"
"Absolutely stunning!"
As Lock and Lana exited the dance floor, nobles around them rushed forward with compliments. Both immediately adopted humble smiles, politely deflecting for a while before using the excuse of 'suddenly remembering something important to attend to' to gracefully extricate themselves.
Lana still held Lock's arm as they ascended the stairs, heading towards the second floor of the palace.
"Count, next I have a surprise for you. I hope you'll like it," Lana said with a smile.
Lock was slightly curious but didn't ask. Since it was a surprise, he would just wait.
Led by her, Lock arrived at an exit on the second floor. Lana stopped there, gesturing for him to enter alone.
Lock, not suspecting anything, pushed open the concealed door. Behind it was an open-air sky garden.
Various flowers were planted here, forming a circle and emitting a rich fragrance. In the center clearing of the garden, a figure stood.
A cascade of curly blonde hair fell over her right shoulder, a delicate crystal rose hair ornament pinned near her temple. Her face was adorned with light, elegant makeup, and her pink lips exuded a unique allure.
Lock paused for a second, then walked over with a smile.
As he slowly approached, Lakyus, dressed in a black evening gown, appeared somewhat flustered. After a long moment of hesitation, she finally greeted him, "Good evening, Count Lock!"
"Good evening, Lakyus," Lock replied with a smile, appraising her from head to toe. He also noticed the exquisite necklace with blue gemstones adorning her fair, slender neck. "You look very beautiful today. That necklace suits you perfectly."
"Tha… thank you," Lakyus replied, a little embarrassed. After becoming an Adventurer, she hadn't paid much attention to her appearance.
If Lana hadn't insisted on helping her dress up, she might have chosen simpler attire instead of this body-hugging evening gown.
Her exposed shoulders felt as if they were gently caressed by Lock's warm gaze, a strange sensation that made Lakyus very uncomfortable. She really shouldn't have worn this kind of dress in front of him! Lakyus thought, annoyed.
Lock admired her for a while, and to avoid appearing too smitten, he took the initiative to ask Lakyus, "Lakyus, you must have something to discuss, coming to see me, right?"
"Yes," Lakyus nodded, her expression returning to normal. She said, "Regarding your previous invitation, I've discussed it with my companions. Many things have happened recently that have indeed made us realize our shortcomings. Especially during last night's operation, not only did Tina and I encounter such a powerful demon—though thanks to your support, we were unharmed—but Gaguran and Tia also suffered severe injuries and nearly died."
"None of us wants such things to happen again, so we've decided to accept your invitation."
Lock immediately beamed with joy. To secure the services of Blue Rose before leaving the Royal Capital was indeed a good thing. "It's wonderful that you've had a change of heart."
Just as he was delighted by this, Lakyus continued with a serious expression, "Of course, we still have some conditions that we hope you will consider."
"Tell me. As long as they're not too excessive, I can agree to them."
"Blue Rose has three conditions. First, although we accept your invitation, it is not for life. We need to set a time limit, and we can discuss the specific duration." Lakyus said earnestly, observing Lock's expression. Seeing that he wasn't angered by this, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Nobles often had extremely harsh conditions when recruiting subordinates, the foremost being a lifelong service contract. After all, no one would want to cultivate a subordinate who could leave at any time.
However, Lock didn't care about this at all. Once they joined him and witnessed a broader new world, it wouldn't be him wanting to keep them, but rather them hoping they wouldn't be sent away.
"I can agree to that. What are the other two conditions?"
"Second, Blue Rose will not carry out tasks we are unwilling to do, such as attacking unarmed civilians or unthreatening demi-human tribes, and so on."
"If those things truly need to be handled, it wouldn't be up to you. My Tiger Knights can do it. I agree to this condition as well." Lock nodded with a smile. In fact, he rather liked this condition with its moral bottom line, as it proved they weren't dangerous individuals on the verge of collapse like Clementine.
"…" Lakyus didn't know how to comment on Lock's answer. Did it mean he would do such things in private?
But considering Lock's noble status and his schemes in the Royal Capital, perhaps he couldn't avoid such matters. As long as the team wasn't involved, and given their current situation where they needed his help, Lakyus could only turn a blind eye.
"Third, Blue Rose is a complete combat team, so we do not accept dispersed assignments."
"Of course. You are not like ordinary people. Trust me, with my help, your improvement will be far beyond imagination. Maintaining your team's composition is only beneficial to me, not detrimental."
Upon hearing this, Lakyus couldn't help but smile. Although she had expected it, actually settling the matter still made her feel relieved. "Then, for the days to come, please take care of us!"
"On behalf of all my subordinates, I welcome Blue Rose's addition!" Lock's face showed a sincere smile as he extended his hand to Lakyus.
She calmly extended her hand as well, and under the moonlight, their hands clasped tightly together.
This moment symbolized the completion of an agreement.
From now on, the Kingdom's most famous Adamantite-ranked Adventurer team would become Lock's capable assistants.
It could be said that all the combat talents worth recruiting in the Kingdom had essentially become his subordinates.
Given this, he could now proceed to other human nations. And with the reputation of Blue Rose, perhaps it could provide considerable assistance to his talent acquisition plan.
Thinking this, Lock's smile widened even further.
"Speaking of which, Lakyus, do you remember that one condition you promised me before?" Lock, in high spirits, suddenly asked.
This made Lakyus slightly puzzled, but she had no intention of backing out. "Hmm. Why bring that up suddenly?"
"This setting, I think, is the most suitable time to use that condition," Lock took out a small music box from his storage space and slowly opened it.
Ding ding ding ~
A crisp, pleasant melody emanated from it. This mysterious, magical item even made the well-traveled Lakyus curious, and she looked at it a few more times.
"What a beautiful tune, but I don't think I've ever heard it before. Is it music from another country?"
"No, it's a tune I composed myself," Lock chuckled. Usinaan Yggdrasil item and loading piano music data from the real world—that counted as his own composition, right?
"I didn't realize you were also a musician!"
Lakyus praised him. This wasn't just flattery; she genuinely found the tune beautiful and moving. Even with her limited understanding of music, she couldn't help but love the melody.
However, she wondered why he had suddenly brought out this item.
The next second, Lock revealed his purpose.
"Lakyus, would you dance with me?"
"Hm? You're using that condition for this?"
"Yes."
Lakyus was a little surprised, but then she thought, perhaps Lock didn't care about her conditions at all. After all, he was not only powerful himself, but he also had a large contingent of Tiger Knights. What could he not accomplish?
However, when given any condition to a lady, normally one would choose a request of that nature, wouldn't they?
Lakyus glanced at Lock, and such a thought suddenly popped into her mind.
Actually, she couldn't be blamed. After all, during their first meeting, Lock had made such a misleading gesture, leaving a not-so-good impression deep in Lakyus's heart, causing her to instinctively become wary whenever she saw him afterward.
But after several subsequent interactions, Lock had behaved very normally, without any inappropriate actions, which allowed her to relax a little.
Perhaps she was being too sensitive! Lakyus silently mocked herself. If Lock truly had ill intentions towards her, with his abilities, she might not have any room to resist at all.
Thinking this, Lakyus's face relaxed, and she nodded, "Alright."
Lock placed the music box on the ground nearby. Even from a distance, the music clearly reached their ears.
"Miss Lakyus, may I have this dance?" Lock extended his hand to Lakyus in a very gentlemanly manner. This was the standard noble etiquette for inviting a dance partner.
The sudden formality of Lock made Lakyus a little unaccustomed, but she too, came from a noble family. Although she hadn't attended many balls since becoming Adventurerers, she hadn't forgotten basic etiquette.
She placed her hand in Lock's palm and said with a smile, "It's my pleasure, Mr. Lock!"
With that, their bodies slowly drew closer, then touched intimately.
Accompanied by the melodious music, their shadows overlapped under the moonlight. In this sky garden, a beautiful dance performance unfolded, but the only audience was the brilliant starry sky and a radiant full moon.
Many years later, whenever Lakyus recalled this night, her heart would be filled with sweetness. It was one of the few extremely happy memories of her life.
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A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
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