Since the Upper and Lower Districts reconnected, the variety of food available in the Lower District had increased significantly.
In front of Oliver was a perfectly grilled steak, its browned surface locking in the appealing meat juices.
He picked up his knife and fork, just about to start eating, when an extremely subtle yet unusually clear sound of metal scraping came from his side.
Bronya's wrist movements were steady and elegant.
She was meticulously cutting the steak on her plate, her silvery dining knife slicing into the tender meat with an almost precise rhythm, producing virtually no extraneous sound.
However, just after she neatly cut several pieces of meat that were uniform in size and smooth at the edges, she flicked her wrist, and the dining knife gently nudged the pieces along the rim of the plate.
Those pieces of steak, originally hers, slid onto the edge of Oliver's plate, resting right beside his uncut, whole steak.
The movement was smooth and flowing, possessing an undeniable naturalness.
"The connective tissue in your portion isn't ideal; it will be difficult to cut."
Bronya's voice was soft and steady, as if stating an objective fact. Her deep blue eyes didn't even lift from the remaining food on her plate. "Eat this portion instead."
She set down the knife and picked up her fork, her posture impeccable, as if that thoughtful gesture was merely the most trivial part of her duties as the Silvermane Guards commander.
Only the extremely brief, yet sharply distinct, *slish* sound when the dining knife scraped the edge of the porcelain plate, like a fine needle, abruptly pierced through the chatter of the surrounding guests.
Oliver froze for a moment, looking at the two distinctly separated areas on his plate
—his own intact portion, and Bronya's perfectly cut portion.
'How truly thoughtful and considerate.'
Simultaneously, envious glances were cast at him again from the surroundings. "Hmph."
A clear, short snort carrying a slight nasal resonance came from his left.
Seele acted as if she hadn't seen the previous exchange at all. She was focused on tackling the astonishingly large, specialty roast meat drenched in rich sauce on her plate.
She held a fork in one hand and a dining knife in the other. Her movements were far less delicate and refined than Bronya's, possessing a decisive, almost rugged, energy.
The dining knife scraped against the porcelain plate, making a loud *slish-slish* sound.
She speared the largest, most appealing piece of meat, thickest with sauce; the golden-red gravy was practically dripping off.
Seele raised her arm. The fork, carrying the large piece of meat with an air of undeniable force, swept across the table and precisely hovered right next to Oliver's mouth, only a few centimeters from his lips.
The rich aroma of the roast meat, mixed with spicy seasonings, wafted toward him.
"Master, open your mouth."
Seele was concise, her gaze fixed on Oliver's face, as if telling him, 'Don't dawdle, eat quickly.'
The air instantly froze.
It seemed as if everyone's attention was now focused on Oliver.
They seemed to be waiting for his decision.
Bronya put down her fork, and the metal clinked against the ceramic plate with a barely audible 'ding'.
The sound was exceptionally clear in the silence.
She picked up the translucent crystal glass beside her and took a small sip of clear water.
"According to the latest physical training manual of the Silvermane Guards..."
Her voice was not loud, her tone as steady as if she were reading a routine report, every word clear and calm, "Excessive fats and irritating seasonings are unhealthy."
As she spoke, she gently pushed her glass of clear water towards Oliver's hand, her movement as natural as organizing a document.
"Heh."
Seele's lips curved into a cold smile. The fork hovering at Oliver's lips remained motionless, even inching forward by an imperceptible half-millimeter, the sauce almost touching his mouth. "You can't fight on an empty stomach. What good are those flowery theories?"
Her gaze was sharp, meeting Bronya's calm eyes without evasion, her words like ice-tempered blades, "You need to eat your fill to have the strength to cut people, understand?"
The last two words were bitten off lightly yet heavily, carrying blatant provocation.
Oliver really couldn't smile.
When watching anime at home and seeing a love triangle, he always looked forward to 'drama', 'fights', 'sending them to the crematorium'.
But now, he himself encountered this situation—Oliver took a deep breath, suddenly opened his mouth, and bit down on the large, trembling, sauce-dripping piece of meat on Seele's fork!
Just as Seele was feeling smug...
Oliver picked up his knife and fork again and ate the steak Bronya had cut for him completely.
He also drank all the clear water Bronya had pushed over.
"Hmm, it's all delicious."
One apprentice, one fangirl; he had to treat them equally.
A tribute to the legendary master of impartiality.
What Oliver didn't expect was that this scene would repeat itself for the next two days.
He wasn't stupid; he could tell they were vying for his attention. It was too obvious.
"It seems I've had a deep influence on them—"
In the original script, Bronya and Seele were like sisters.
But now, because of him, their wings were tangled.
Oliver felt that with his involvement, these two yuri characters wouldn't have a chance.
Instead of their wings being tangled, it would be better if they were like sisters.
If he remembered correctly, the catalyst for Bronya and Seele resolving their conflict and becoming good friends was the orphanage in Rivet Town.
Bronya recovered her childhood memories there, and after understanding each other, the two eliminated their estrangement.
After breakfast, Oliver immediately sent Bronya and Seele to the orphanage in Rivet Town together.
The two girls didn't understand, but they both obeyed and went together.
In the evening.
The two returned.
As Oliver expected, the conflict was resolved.
When they left, they kept a significant distance between them.
When they returned, they were walking shoulder to shoulder.
The two went upstairs together, chatting and laughing.
"I just wonder if they can get along well with Tiresias—"
Ding! script cooldown complete. Current available scripts: 1.
Oliver's thoughts were pulled back by the system's notification.
He could get new abilities again.
"system, open the script."
Randomly opening character script—
Fei Xiao
Randomly drawing a concept-level gold Entry—
"Guaranteed Hit": Your thrown or fired projectiles are guaranteed to hit the existing target.