Ever since the Underworld had been freed, the variety of food in the Underworld had increased noticeably.
In front of Lucian was a perfectly grilled steak, its seared brown surface locking in the savory juices.
He picked up his knife and fork, just about to start eating, when a faint but unmistakable sound of metal scraping came from beside him.
Bronya's wrist was steady and elegant as she tended to her steak.
Her silver knife, moving with a nearly mechanical rhythm, sliced cleanly into the tender meat, making almost no extra noise. After she had neatly cut several evenly sized, smooth-edged pieces, she rotated her wrist and gently pushed the knife along the edge of her plate.
In the next moment, those pieces of steak slid to the edge of Lucian's plate, right beside his own untouched steak.
Lucian had to admit, Bronya's movements were so fluid and natural, there was simply no room for objection.
"Your steak has too many tough tendons. It's a pain to cut."
Bronya's voice was quiet, as calm as if she were stating a fact, and her deep blue eyes did not even lift from the food left on her own plate.
"Eat this one."
She set down her knife and picked up her fork, her posture impeccable, as if that thoughtful gesture had been nothing more than a minor part of her duties as the commander of the Silvermane Guards.
Only when the knife pushed past the rim of the porcelain plate did it make a quick, sharp sound, like a needle piercing through the surrounding chatter of the other guests.
Lucian paused, looking at the clear dividing line on his plate—one side his own whole steak, the other Bronya's perfectly cut pieces.
'Well, that's really... considerate.'
Lucian could not help but praise Bronya in his heart.
At the same time, he also noticed the envious looks from those around him.
"Hmph."
A short, clear huff suddenly came from Lucian's left, with a hint of nasal resonance.
Seele acted as if she had not seen what had just happened, busy with the mountain of specialty roast on her plate, drenched in rich sauce.
One hand gripping her fork, the other holding her knife, Seele's motions were nowhere near as delicate as Bronya's, since hers were direct and almost rough—even her knife scraped along the plate, making a *scrrrk-scrrrk* sound.
Seele speared the largest, most sauce-laden piece of meat, causing its thick golden-red sauce to nearly drip off before she lifted her arm and, with an assertive motion, brought the forkful of meat across the table, stopping right in front of Lucian's mouth, just a few centimeters from his lips.
In that instant, the rich, spicy aroma of the roast hit Lucian head-on.
"Master, open up."
Seele's words were brief, her eyes fixed on Lucian's face, as if to say, "Stop wasting time, just eat."
In that instant, the air grew tense—it felt as if everyone's gaze was focused on Lucian, waiting for his decision.
In the next moment, Bronya put down her fork, the sound of metal meeting porcelain ringing out, standing out in the silence. Right after that, she picked up the crystal-clear glass of water at her side and took a small sip.
"According to the Silvermane Guards' latest physical training manual..."
Bronya spoke quietly, her tone steady as if reading a daily report, every word clear and calm.
"Excess fat and spicy seasonings are unhealthy."
As soon as these words fell, Bronya gently slid her glass of water toward Lucian, as naturally as if she were organizing a file.
Seeing this, the corners of Seele's mouth curled into a cold smile.
However, the fork hovering in front of Lucian's lips did not waver—if anything, it nudged closer by half a millimeter, the sauce nearly touching his lips.
"Can't fight on an empty stomach. Theories are useless if you're starving. Eat first, then you'll have the strength to cut someone down, got it?"
Seele's eyes were sharp as she met Bronya's calm gaze head-on, her words like ice-forged knives—both soft and forceful, carrying a clear provocation.
Seeing this situation, Lucian truly could not bring himself to smile.
Back in his original world, before he had transmigrated, whenever he watched anime and saw a love triangle turning messy, he always looked forward to things going wrong—seeing a fight break out or someone getting completely destroyed.
Now, it was his turn to be in one.
Lucian took a deep breath, then opened his mouth wide, taking a big bite of the giant, sauce-dripping piece of meat Seele was holding out!
Just as Seele was starting to look smug, Lucian quickly picked up his knife and fork again and finished all the steak Bronya had cut for him.
Right after that, he also drank all the water Bronya had pushed his way.
"Yeah, it's all good..."
Lucian treated his disciple and his fangirl equally, since he understood that, to avoid escalating the current situation, he needed to keep things balanced.
A tribute to Thanos, the legendary master of balance.
However, what Lucian did not expect was that, over the next two days, this scene kept repeating itself.
He was not stupid, so he could easily tell the two girls were competing for his attention—this was just too obvious.
'Looks like I have influenced them...'
In the original story, Bronya and Seele would have eventually become as close as sisters, but now, their relationship was getting tangled because of him.
Lucian realized that with him involved, there was no chance these two would ever get along.
If he remembered right, the chance for Bronya and Seele to resolve their issues and become friends was at the orphanage in Rivet Town.
Bronya recovered her childhood memories there, and after she and Seele understood each other, their misunderstandings disappeared.
Having made up his mind, after finishing yet another tense breakfast, Lucian immediately sent Bronya and Seele off together to the orphanage in Rivet Town.
Even though the two of them did not understand why, they both still listened and went together.
By evening, they finally returned, and as Lucian had guessed, the conflict between them was gone.
When they left, there was a long distance between them, but when they came back, they were side by side.
As the two went upstairs together, they even chatted and laughed.
'Now, I just wonder if those two can get along with Tribios and Mortis...'
[DING! Script cooldown complete. You can now activate the script again.]
[Script: 1]
Inside his room, Lucian's thoughts were pulled back by the sudden notification from the System.
As soon as he heard the notification, Lucian knew it was time to get a new conceptual ability.
'System, start the script.'
[Random character script starting...]
[Feixiao]
[Randomly drawing a conceptual ability...]
[Absolute Hit: Your thrown or launched projectiles will always hit their intended target.]