The overlord of the gods is interrogating the alien female spy.

　"That's a shame."

　Is it a pity?

　Chen Lingxu found it amusing.

　But embellishing a story to make it more exciting is something a bard would do.

　For Chen Lingxu, this was just a trivial matter in the course of his long life. His only pleasure was that he had unexpectedly encountered his descendants and heard the sequel to the story from them.

　"And what about your story, Ines, the little lamb who never stops crying?"

　Her story?

　The girl then recounted her story: how she came here with her parents' caravan, and how she survived the robberies by bandits.

　"Thank you for helping me, Your Majesty..."

　After the story was finished, the girl bent down, almost burying herself in the soft, warm mane.

　"Ah."

　The girl's eloquence clearly did not inherit her great-grandfather's excellent genes; her praise was merely a dry repetition of the name she had heard from the wolf pack.

　Chen Lingxu didn't care about any of that. He was more concerned about the identities of the bandits than the unfortunate caravan.

　"Another gang of Gallic bandits. Ha, noble bandits, how come these fools are never completely wiped out?"

　Gaul—the image of that country still lingered vividly in Qilin Tianzun's mind. A group of arrogant creatures that made him want to laugh.

　“Those people are like rats in the gutter, Your Majesty, they are nothing to worry about.”

　Caesar, who had been reprimanded earlier, was calming down the anger of the Qilin Celestial Venerable on the other side.

　"Would I be angry for a destroyed kingdom? It is these fools who cannot digest the remains of Gaul after all these years that make me angry."

　But there's no point in saying all this; the sun gradually rises over the distant night, heralding the arrival of a new day.

　Sitting on the back of the giant beast, Ines felt her body sway, as if she was about to fall from the sky. The feeling of weightlessness instantly snapped her back to reality.

　"what?"

　But she woke up not on the back of that giant beast, but in someone's arms.

　He was taller than his father, and his embrace was very warm, just like his mother's. When you nestled inside, it felt like entering a safe haven, where you could stay out of the wind and rain.

　"woke up?"

　After she opened her eyes, the person holding her also lowered their head.

　Just by looking into his eyes, Ines knew his identity... But how could such a large beast transform into... such a handsome man before her?

　The little lamb was completely captivated by this amazing person.

　"Great, um, Your Majesty. Where are we?"

　"Yes. Do you see that city?"

　City?

　Turning her head, she saw the colossal structure through a hazy morning mist. A vast city, seemingly constructed from countless obsidian blocks, stretched across the wilderness. Countless fruit trees grew around its waterways.

　"That's Kazdel."

　Is that Kazdel? The dark, devilish castle Mom talked about?

　Are they going there to do business?

　So, who in this city invited this great emperor who saved her to a banquet?

　"Why is it in such a remote place? It's been quite a search for me."

　Not far from the city, in a lush orchard, there is an unremarkable little house, which seems to be a place to run some kind of agritainment business.

　Following closely behind the Qilin Celestial Venerable, the girl saw the person he was talking about.

　A beautiful, smiling, pinkish-white Sarkaz. She was wearing a straw hat and carrying a basket of fruit, as if she had just finished picking fruit in the forest.

　"It was clearly your carelessness that led me to give..."

　The landmarks you described in your letter were very detailed.

　She didn't want to bear such blame. After arguing with the Qilin in front of her, her eyes fell on the little girl Caprini hiding behind him.

　"Hello, young lady. What's your name? And why are you with him?"

　The little lamb in front of me looked fair and tender. Although there was some dirt on her face, you could still tell that she was very beautiful. Her eyes were beautiful gold, her thick black hair was very smooth, and her horns on her head looked like a pair of curved knives.

　But isn't he too young? Is he even fourteen? When did his tastes become like this?

　“My name is Ines. Your Excellency. I am the child of a merchant who was saved by His Majesty. My parents were killed by bandits on their way here.”

　"Ah... I see. What a poor child. But it's alright, you can stay and live in Kazdel. There are many people from Letania here. Do you know about the Spellcaster Alliance Agreement?"

　"I know. It was decreed by His Majesty the Witch King."

　His father chose to operate this business route precisely because of this policy.

　"What a smart child! Are you studying?"

　"Yes. But I can't go back to school now..."

　This holiday will likely be unforgettable for her.

　"Well... if you don't mind, you can study in Kazdel. Kazdel also has the same subjects as Letania."

　"Um... Your Majesty..."

　The little lamb looked up at the Qilin Celestial Venerable beside her. Her parents were gone, and the only person she could turn to for help was the one who had saved her.

　Chapter 2 Be My Child!

　"What are you looking at me for? You can't make your own decisions about this, and you expect me to be your father? To control everything you do?"

　"Ugh."

　Qilin Celestial Venerable glanced sideways, and the girl lowered her head, clearly very disappointed.

　“Oh dear, don’t talk to the child like that. Don’t mind him, little Ines. That’s just how he is.”

　The pretty pink and white Sarkaz older sister was squatting beside her, comforting her.

　"If you're unsure how to decide, why not try it out for a while? If it's not a good fit, then we can consider other options."

　"Thank you, beautiful lady."

　"Beautiful lady... Oh, you're such a lovely child. Tell me your personal information later, and I'll ask someone to help you with your school enrollment."

　Ms. Sarkaz was delighted by the child's honest praise. She patted the lamb's head and then stood up to look at the Qilin Celestial Venerable, who had brought the child back but seemed indifferent to his actions.

　"What kind of look is that? I'm in my prime right now."

　She stood on tiptoe, cupped his face in her hands, and pinched it hard. Theresa emphasized that she was at the age of a Sarkaz teenager, blooming like a flower.

　"Yes, yes, yes. But didn't you notice she looked familiar?"

　Chen Lingxu casually placed his large hand on Ines's little lamb head and pressed it down. Hearing his words, Theresa once again turned her gaze to the little black lamb.

　"Hmm? Look familiar?"

　Theresa had met far too many people; even she found it difficult to recognize and remember everyone, especially since the other person wasn't a Sarkaz. But since Chen Lingxu had said so, it meant that it must be someone she knew… someone both she and Chen Lingxu knew—Caprini.

　Theresa began a brainstorming session, constantly digging into her past memories.

　“Caprini… Letania… um!”

　"Huh? Could it be that you are...?"

　Who was that bard again?

　Theresa remembered that they had met the bard, which was the beginning of her legendary story, and the name of the bard who had witnessed their encounter gradually surfaced in the vortex of her memory.

　“I remember now! Isn’t there a bard named Tom in your family, little Ines?”

　"Yes, ma'am. My great-grandfather was named Tom."

　The beautiful Sarkaz woman in front of him suddenly became a little strange, and her gaze towards him held something different from before.

　Ines timidly shrank behind the Qilin Celestial Venerable.

　"Stop acting crazy, you're scaring the child."

　"What? That's excitement, pure excitement! It's not going crazy!"

　Theresa composed herself and gave the little black sheep a faint smile.

　"You must be hungry. I'll make you apple pie, or maybe peach pie?"

　The fruit in her basket was today's food. Now that they had finished their business, she invited the two people into the house. Meanwhile, the wolf pack that had come with the Qilin were already running around in the orchard, playing on their own.

　After Anese returned to the wilderness, the wolves learned of the return of their Beastman Emperor and had been awaiting his call. Decades ago, the loyal wolf pack finally returned to the command of the Qilin Celestial Venerable.

　However, Chen Lingxu usually didn't have much to do for them, so these wolves mostly played by themselves, only obeying his orders when Chen Lingxu needed them. This time, Chen Lingxu had simply given them a ride on his way to visit.

　"I've traveled a thousand miles to get here, and this is all you give me? Hmm? Is your butt itching for some food?"

　"Oh, there are children here, don't say such things..."

　Being held by his waist, it was more...

　The large peach, which was still quite ripe, simply patted the back of his hand playfully.

　"Hmph, if this stuff doesn't taste good later, you can just wait for me to enjoy you, little Te."

　"Yes, yes, Teacher Chen, please go see her. The child is very sad right now and has come to rely on you the only one."

　Theresa could clearly sense the little black sheep's emotions: hesitation, unease, confusion, pain, and sadness. Only when Chen Lingxu spoke to her did joy appear in her emotions.

　She was just a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl, a sensitive age, and now she had suddenly suffered hardship. If she wasn't properly comforted, something terrible might happen. Given her special status, Theresa decided to take good care of her.

　"Remember to strengthen border patrols."

　"I understand. I'll talk to Therese about it this afternoon."

　Chen Lingxu returned to the living room of the small house. The little black sheep was sitting in a corner of the sofa, huddled up with its head down. It hadn't touched any of the fruit on the table. It was as well-behaved as could be.

　"Your Majesty..."

　The towering Qilin Celestial Venerable didn't sit on any other sofa, but insisted on sitting on the sofa where she was... Did she take his usual spot?

　The poor little lamb was pushed aside, its mind still wandering to these random thoughts.

　"Ines, since your great-grandfather was a bard, why do you play such awful tunes?"

　The Qilin's large hand gripped the lamb's waist, gently lifting her onto his lap. The question he asked next made Ines feel very ashamed.

　"I... I'm not very talented when it comes to musical instruments. Your Majesty."

　"Hmm, I can tell that you play the harmonica terribly."

　goo.

　The little lamb's head drooped swaying. Chen Lingxu pinched her cheek, making her pout. Two pairs of golden eyes met, and the Qilin Heavenly Venerable's voice sounded deafening to the little lamb.

　“I never keep idle people around me. Since you come from a ‘three-generation musical family,’ then practice diligently. I don’t mind if you’re a slow learner, as long as you can show ‘continuous improvement,’ I can put in a little effort to take care of your future.”

　So, does that mean that as long as she tries her best and is a good child, she won't be abandoned?

　"I, I will definitely try my best!"

　"Hmph, effort isn't something you can just talk about. If I find that you haven't made any progress for a while, I won't waste my energy on you. You can just wait to go to the homes of those mediocre fools and become someone else's child, and then live a mediocre life."

　Even... to have your own family again...

　"Your Majesty... Oh, thank you."

　Tears welled in the little black sheep's golden eyes, yet she still stared intently at the tall Qilin before her. She had already resolved to persevere and live strong on her own in the days when her parents were not around, but this hero who had saved her and was willing to raise her shattered the wall of will she had just built up, releasing all the fragile emotions within her.

　"Enough. What kind of whining is this? You've gotten my clothes all dirty."

　He raised his hand and wiped the tears off her face with his sleeve, but seeing the dust stained with her tears smearing her fair face, Qilin's eyes narrowed. As he hugged her, he scolded her with obvious disgust.

　"Yes, yes. I, I won't cry anymore, I won't."

　Ines raised her hand tightly to wipe away her tears, twitched her red little nose, wanting to promise him something, but thinking about his words and actions, joy and sadness kept intertwining in her heart. After burying her face in his chest for a few seconds, she didn't know why, but suddenly laughed a few times.

　"What are you grinning about again?"

　"Oh, Your Majesty... I... I can..."