Team villains except me

Chapter 573 A Clever Collaborator

Norvia did not deliberately hide the fact that she was going to the northern continent, but she also did not tell Ellit and Dooku directly.

Norvia lowered her eyes, looking at the succubus with a relaxed expression on her face in the communicator, and asked him softly.

"Why do you think so?"

“You can’t fool me, Nolvia. You sent me to Titig right before my exams and had Dooku watch over my studies… Nolvia, you’re on the northern continent right now.”

Elrit's tone grew increasingly confident. He held up his spoon with a smug look, his golden hair reflecting a jewel-like luster under the light, making him almost like a treasure himself, though the treasure itself was unaware of this.

Ellit seemed to be scrutinizing something closely. He didn't delve into what Norvia was going to do on the northern continent, or rather, he already knew but didn't want to expose it.

"It's freezing cold on the northern continent at this time of year, but the coats there are warmer than those on the western continent. Norvia, I need the thickest coat."

Ellit held up a pair of gloves to the communicator; they looked old and somewhat tattered.

"It should be a similar color to these gloves. Natalie gave them to me. Matia used them."

Nolvia gazed at the succubus on the other end of the communicator, realizing that Ellit was now as soft and supple as a ball of yarn.

Nolvia nodded and asked Ellit what kind of material he wanted for his coat.

"The most expensive one is fine."

Ellit drew out his words, with a hint of mocking laughter.

Norvia nodded without hesitation or refusal. Her eyes held the vastest sky, boundless and untouched by darkness or resistance.

Ellit pursed his lips, feeling entitled to the expected reaction, but also thinking, "It really is like this." He always unconsciously probed like this, anticipating his teammates' reactions, and then maliciously asking a capricious question to prevent himself from falling into a fragile state of complete trust in the world.

The problem is, he always manages to get the perfect response by sheer luck.

That makes no sense.

When a succubus accustomed to despair begins to develop a dependency, it marks the beginning of his impending doom. He seemed to have been on the verge of death for a long time, yet he was happier, more relaxed…and more content than ever before.

Ellit muttered.

"I'm not being dishonest."

He simply felt ashamed and incompetent about his past life, which he felt was beyond his control. He didn't want to accept his past because he was so happy now, so the mistakes and pain of the past shouldn't exist and should disappear without a trace.

But he couldn't deny himself. Like Garcia, all his memories shaped him, and forcibly forgetting bad memories would only lead him toward an increasingly narrow future.

Ellit gave a soft hum, told Norvia to get some rest, and ended the call after saying goodnight.

Norvia silently said goodnight.

Unread messages piled up on the communicator, like snow falling outside the window. The room smelled of sage; Novia seemed to recognize a similar scent somewhere before—

It's the incense on Lulu's clothes.

look.

Love is always filled with tiny details; love leaves its mark. Like the densely packed clue boards arranged by Adega's parents, like the sage scent burning in Adega's room, like the old gloves that Natalie kept—the gloves that Matia had used…

Just like Elrit's relaxed expression.

Just like her promise.

Norvia put down the communicator and lay down on the soft bed.

There's always a solution to every problem; I hope tomorrow will be sunny.

……

"Laili. Laili? Good morning, get up and have breakfast. Breakfast is very important; my parents say that skipping breakfast can make you sick. I bought a carrot cake outside; it's fresh out of the oven and still steaming. What do you want to drink? Coffee, milk, or hot chocolate? Mead is fine too; drinking this in the morning will warm you up quickly..."

Adaja's voice, mixed with the knocking, assaulted Norvia's eardrums.

Norvia opened her eyes groggily, and after a moment of reaction upon seeing the unfamiliar ceiling, she realized that she was now on the northern continent.

Norvia rubbed her eyes, stood up, and put on her coat. She felt as if a Shana lived inside Adega's body, even though Shana should be in Kikora on the western continent right now. She tried to turn on the light, but the room remained dark.

A dim light shone through the crack in the door. Norvia opened the door and found that Adega had already returned to the living room.

"Get up—Laili, the weather's pretty good today. I'll take you around to familiarize yourself with the surroundings. As your guide and guardian in the Northern Continent, I'll show you around the local attractions for the next few days. We can discuss our cooperation later. A few more days won't make a difference. How long are you staying here?"

Norvia followed Adega's voice and the candles lit in the hallway to the living room, where she found a cotton doll about the same height as Adega. The fabric was old, but its mouth opened and closed, making Adega's voice.

The next second, Adaja replaced the cotton doll and appeared in front of Norvia.

"Good morning. How was my puppetry? Were you shocked?"

It doesn't seem so. Riley, if you were a child, you'd definitely be the kind of little adult I hate the most. Childhood fun, Riley, the most important thing for maintaining enthusiasm for life is what you felt in childhood…”

Adaja stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence and tentatively asked Norvia.

"How are your parents treating you? Are they still alive? I vaguely remember that there were a few people in your team whose families were quite broken."

Norvia glanced out the window.

There was no sun; the weather was gloomy, and the only light came from the accumulated snow.

The living room lights were off, the only light source being the candles burning on the table, around which lay a sumptuous breakfast; it seemed that Adagio had brought over classic breakfasts from the northern continent.

Norvia pondered for a moment, then looked up to answer Adega's question.

“My parents were very good to me. They passed away when I was ten years old. I had a happy childhood.”

But soon, the time she has lost her parents will be the same time she has had them.

Adagio was speechless. He remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "I'm sorry."

Norvia shook her head.

"It's nothing. I'm only staying in the Northern Continent for two days, but I'll be returning soon because of the Academy League. I have some things to take care of in these two days."

"Mr. Saiheng, perhaps we can discuss our upcoming collaboration tonight. I desperately want to kill Dantles; I'm willing to pay any price for my teammates' safety."

Therefore, there is no need to feel anxious about the information asymmetry between each other, nor is there a need to repeatedly prove one's ability as a puppeteer.

The breakfasts on the table didn't come from the same shop; some pastries were already cold, while others were still steaming. Given this time difference, if it weren't for something weighing on her mind keeping her awake, then Adaja's bedtime was far too late.

Adaja wasn't stupid; he understood what Norvia was saying, and he smiled.

“Riley, I’m a nocturnal creature. This is my normal activity time.”

Nolvia didn't refute. Just as Adega had said, she was a dangerous person who could subconsciously lower one's guard. She could notice very subtle things, such as Adega having a cozy home, Adega liking to fill the room with warm lighting when she was awake, and just now she noticed that the room's lights couldn't be turned on, and the light source was a candle.

This is Adagio's home. His presence here is all too obvious. The different handwriting and corresponding dates on the clue board allow Norvia to clearly deduce Adagio's daily routine.

Clearly, this was not Adaja's waking time. He should have fallen asleep about half an hour ago.

Adagio gradually realized this as well. He had lived for too long, and his understanding of people consisted only of two types: fools and lovers. Fools couldn't comprehend his thinking, and lovers required his admiration and emulation; both were far removed from him. Therefore, he always approached Norvia with disdain and presumptuous assumptions.

But Nolvia is neither. Nolvia is a clever collaborator. A clever but gentle collaborator, almost like a partner or friend.

Yadaijia smiled, somewhat relieved.

"Just call me Adagio. The spare key to the house is under the flower bed. It might be frozen solid now, but you're a water mage, you'll definitely have a way to fix it."

I'm so sleepy, it's definitely past my bedtime. You should eat breakfast and then head out. See you tonight, Norvia.