Chapter 51: Serval—!

"If it’s about this matter, I can definitely help keep an eye out for you.
After all, there’s an ancient humanoid robot in the Mechanical Settlement. Maybe the technology came from it."

Venti was extremely adept at taking on tasks, which at first glance seemed out of character for his usual laid-back, slacker persona. But in reality, it wasn’t.
By taking on the task himself, he didn’t actually need to do much. He could simply rely on the lack of communication between the upper and lower districts and periodically feed Pela some "currently available information."

He had already informed the big boss, Svarog, in advance. As the bridge between the upper and lower districts, he only needed to facilitate communication and cooperation.
More importantly, after gaining this hard-earned favor from the Silvermane Guards, developing a network of connections in the upper district would naturally follow—

All of this was built on a small lie, but it benefited all three parties involved. Truly a win-win-win situation.

"Then I’ll leave it to you. I’m really sorry. This is a failure on my part as an intelligence officer..."
Pela let out a long sigh, her expression showing a hint of relief.

Due to the Supreme Guardian’s ban, the upper and lower districts had long been cut off from each other. No one knew what the lower district was like now, though it was safe to assume it wasn’t doing well. As for the factions, networks, and key figures down there?
All of that was a blank slate. No matter how capable Pela was, she couldn’t conjure up a pile of information out of thin air. Unless she started making wild guesses based on scraps of information from the lower district.

While that wasn’t a bad idea, it would attract unnecessary attention prematurely.
Coincidentally—Venti was currently the most suitable person to break the deadlock.

Although it was unclear how he managed to bypass the railway to get down there, through their interactions over the past few days, Pela could sense that
Venti definitely wasn’t a bad guy. He was just a fool who, in such a terrible environment, clung to his free-spirited and romantic ideals.

In that case, meeting Venti was truly a stroke of luck.
Or perhaps, as Venti had mentioned earlier, the mechanical bird he gifted really had some kind of luck-changing function?

Thinking this to herself, she naturally didn’t notice Serval’s smirking expression.
Meanwhile, Captain Gepard had a more straightforward goal.

"Now that the issue of the technology’s source is resolved, let’s discuss how to manufacture it."
He looked eagerly at his sister, only to find her wearing a somewhat "mischievous" smile.
Following her gaze, he saw Venti and Intelligence Officer Pelageya, who were getting along so well that they exuded an aura of "don’t disturb us."

To be honest, the fact that Venti had become so close with Intelligence Officer Pelageya surprised Gepard somewhat.

After all, while Intelligence Officer Pelageya was well-liked among the Silvermane Guards, due to certain reasons, the only person she could truly call a friend was probably his sister, who had already left the Silvermane Guards.
Not to mention, most of the Silvermane Guards couldn’t even get her name right.
Although she wasn’t particularly bothered by being called the wrong name, getting different names from different people was still a bit of a headache...

More importantly, Intelligence Officer Pelageya’s interests were rather unique.
Liking books wasn’t a problem in itself, but her reading preferences leaned more toward books that were officially banned in Belobog.
This was an awkward topic, and while Intelligence Officer Pelageya did a good job keeping it under wraps, there were still some traces left behind.

Whenever his sister or Lynx casually mentioned book club gatherings, Intelligence Officer Pelageya was always there.
Occasionally, during his patrols at noon, Gepard would find her reading books without covers.
To avoid the social disasters that could arise from befriending the wrong people, Intelligence Officer Pelageya consciously maintained her existing social circle.
She neither actively sought new friends nor excluded others excessively, leaning more toward being a passive observer in social interactions.

Therefore, becoming close friends with Intelligence Officer Pelageya wasn’t an easy task.
As for Venti, Gepard’s feelings were somewhat mixed.
On one hand, he was both Intelligence Officer Pelageya’s friend and the key figure who provided this technology. On the other hand, he also seemed to have a close relationship with Lady Bronya.

Adding Gepard’s own position as a captain and his sister’s sensitive identity as a former member of the research department, there was a bit of a risk of forming cliques...

Not to mention, Venti seemed to possess abilities that didn’t match his surface-level identity as a "bard."
Yet before this, Gepard had never heard of him. If it weren’t for his sister’s influence, which made him subconsciously pay some attention, he might not have even recognized Venti back then.

Now, after this interaction, he could confirm that Venti meant no harm and even seemed to lean toward their side. Anything beyond that couldn’t be discerned from such a brief encounter.
Therefore, the next step should be to observe with goodwill rather than malicious speculation. Otherwise, wouldn’t that just confirm that "he himself had ulterior motives"?

Although Gepard didn’t consider himself particularly adept at scheming, he at least performed above average in his position, reaching a level of excellence.
If he could prevent the situation from deteriorating, he naturally had a duty to step up.

However, before that—
If he let his sister continue with her "auntie smile," Venti and Intelligence Officer Pelageya would probably catch on.
So, he gently tugged on his sister’s arm and said seriously,

"About this discussion, I think no one is more qualified to speak on it than you, sister."
This praise from her younger brother instantly made Serval’s heart bloom with joy, and she replied with great pride,
"Of course! Who do you think your sister is? Even the energy hub in the restricted zone was built by me!"

"Ahem. Sister, since this involves military secrets, why don’t we step aside to talk?"
At this point, Gepard lowered his voice slightly.
Serval naturally understood his hint, and the curve of her smile deepened.
After giving Venti an encouraging gesture, she eagerly pulled Gepard away.

Perhaps due to her age, she was starting to feel the pressure of matchmaking. Faced with her little sister’s rare change in demeanor, she felt it was her duty as the big sister to help facilitate things.
Ah, youth truly is wonderful—!

By the time Pela snapped out of her thoughts, only Venti remained in the room. He was examining an electric guitar, seemingly pondering how to play it.
"Huh? Why is it just us? Where did Serval and Captain Gepard go?"
She turned her head in confusion, only to realize she was alone in the room with Venti.

But, a sense of ambiguity?
None.
As for romantic thoughts...
If the other party didn’t bring it up, wouldn’t it be pointless to dwell on it herself?

With no romantic notions in mind, after learning that Serval and Gepard had gone to discuss "military secrets," she got up in a huff and walked outside.
If they weren’t going to talk in the inner room, they might as well go outside. Didn’t they worry about guests overhearing something?
Not to mention, Venti had already done enough to earn everyone’s trust.

Once she reached the outside and found the two, Pela had a somewhat "demanding answers" tone.
"Serval—!"