The time had already approached 9 p.m. in the treehouse where Aske was staying.

Although the visibility within the Dark Forest wasn't strong, there really wasn't much difference between day and night. But when night fell, the insects would start their collective chirping, as if on a set alarm clock.

"Actually, the insect sounds are for mating!" Nora explained to everyone, "Usually, the male insects make beautiful and melodious sounds to attract the females they fancy."

"Really?" Mia asked curiously, "So, if I imitate their sounds, will I attract female insects to come and play with me?"

Nora: ???

"First of all, you can't accurately imitate their sounds..." she said, somewhat speechlessly.

"But Nora, sister, you can use the Evolution Law to create insect sound organs, right?" Little Mia asked.

"I won't do such a boring thing," Nora had to firmly refuse.

"Why not? I think it's fun!" Mia kept pestering her, "Those mating females will come over when they hear the sound, like cats that smell fish, but end up finding nothing. Isn't that interesting?"

The other girls in the room: ....

Why did it suddenly feel like the remark was a veiled criticism...

But then again, considering that it was Little Mia who said this, and children say the darnedest things, everyone just pretended they hadn't heard it.

"So you all booked your own rooms but gathered here; what's that about?" Aske originally wanted to join the teasing but felt the mood was off and thus wisely kept quiet.

"Hey, look over there," Thira, who was standing by the window, suddenly said.

Everyone came to the window and looked down in the direction Thira was pointing, to see several half-elf couples nestled together by the lake, admiring the moon's reflection on the water.

"Since there are no trees above the lake, this must be one of the few places in the Dark Forest where you can see the sky," Thira said sentimentally.

It had been nearly two years since she had been traveling with the team from the far east to the utmost west of the continent. When would she be able to return to her homeland and see the sky of Constantinople again?

Homeland... The little princess felt a wave of emotion at the sight and felt her eyes moisten; she quickly sniffed hard.

"Miel, seeing your kin here, do you have any thoughts?" Aske asked casually.

"To tell the truth, not really," Miel said helplessly.

She had grown up in Constantinople and often received strange looks from the townspeople because of her pink hair, green eyes, and delicate skin. But after spending so much time with the team, forming close bonds with everyone, she didn't care much about being a half-elf anymore.

How wonderful it was to have met the Squad Leader and everyone else... The half-elf girl couldn't help but lean closer to the Squad Leader next to her.

Before she even touched Aske, she accidentally brushed lightly against Eleanor.

"Sorry, are you alright?" Eleanor said quickly, steadying Miel, who nearly stumbled.

"I'm fine," Miel said, a little embarrassed as she regained her balance.

Everyone was around! What was I doing just now... she bit her lip in silence.

Eleanor nodded, her fair cheeks also showing a faint, almost imperceptible flush.

Looking out at the half-elf couples huddled together by the lake below the window, she involuntarily remembered the night at Weisbach Palace, where she talked with Aske under the moonlight, leaning against the balcony railing.

Perhaps feeling a little warmth of her own, she too couldn't help but move a little closer to the Squad Leader... only to have her moment intruded upon by Miel.

Sigh.

While the two girls were secretly heartbroken, Peggy had already moved to the front and stood next to Aske.

She leaned on the windowsill and looked out for a while, thinking what was so great about the moon, then couldn't help but slightly turn her head, stealing glances at Aske from the corner of her eye.

My Squad Leader is just way more attractive...

The Blood Clan girl thought, and under the tranquil night sky, she suddenly felt a faint sadness.

She remembered when she first "resurrected" from her grave, it had been just her and Aske alone in a hotel room in Constantinople for a few days.

That was days! Not just hours! Yet she had been so obsessed with revenge that she hadn't seized that precious window of time.

Now that her revenge had been taken, she hadn't managed to win over the Squad Leader. Would that rare opportunity to spend a night alone with the Squad Leader ever come again?

After all, there were now a number of beautiful girls hovering around the Squad Leader. Damn it, why!

I was here first! At least respect the order of who came first!

While Peggy was feeling indignant, Nora watched her from behind, feeling a subtle pang of jealousy.

Too close, Peggy, you're too close to Aske, almost sticking to his arm! Ahhhh really, you're practically an adult, how can you get so close to the Squad Leader?

Therefore, Nora moved up quietly and said,

"Aske, I have a question about the shadow tactics from last time..."

Once tactics were mentioned, Aske was indeed drawn in, turning around (conveniently moving away from Peggy) and asked seriously,

"What's the question?"

"The key to shadow tactics should be keeping the shadows and the core attacker in synchrony when making a move, right?" Nora picked a random point of confusion to ask, "But say you're using Ellie's moves, and at the same time Ellie is coordinating with you, while I use a skill to restrain the opponent."

"Suddenly you use my skill, and to meet the requirements of shadow tactics, I have to interrupt the restraining skill I am currently using, wouldn't that be an issue?"

"Ah, that's a great question," Aske explained enthusiastically. "There is such a problem. Say you're using a very important skill, and then I use your skill and ask for your coordination, causing you to be at a loss, not knowing what to do."

"The reason this happens is that shadow tactics itself is based on a dual-thread situation. When I'm not asking for coordination, you act according to my verbal commands; when I start an attack and request coordination, you're supposed to interrupt what you're doing to prioritize matching my move."

"So do you see? Although there are two threads, the switch between them is under my control. In fact, as a competent tactical core, I will constantly be aware of what you all are doing and pick the right moment to ask for coordination. The concern you raise is exactly what I try to avoid in actual combat by arranging the proper rhythm."

"Ah, I see..." Nora replied with a grin, moving closer to Aske, "Then, if..."

"I have a question too!" Seeing Nora's demonstration, the other girls quickly caught on to her intentions and began to "eagerly learn," surrounding Aske.

"Don't shout, don't rush, one at a time..." Aske hurriedly jumped onto the bed, gesturing for everyone to queue for questions.

Outside, the half-elf guide was about to knock on the door to remind the Squad Leader to gather outside the inn at 9 am the next day, when he heard the impatient chatter of the girls inside, a jumbled mess that was completely unintelligible, chirping incessantly.

"What are they doing in there?" The young half-elf man wondered, and then amidst the twittering arguments, he heard Aske's voice, quite helplessly calling out.

"One at a time? Could they be lining up for that kind of thing..." the notion suddenly struck him, and he felt a kind of disorienting shock as if his world view had shattered, then he stiffly turned around and quickly left.

No, I must not dwell on it, any further thoughts would taint me!

Humans are truly filthy!

Silently returning to his room, the half-elf guide decided to go to bed and rest, but suddenly felt a bit stifled in the room.

He went to the window and opened it, only for several vines to suddenly stretch in from outside, wrapping tightly around his neck.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.