Has the knight lady who married into the countryside fallen into depravity today?

Leila thanked her profusely and withdrew.

The lobby returned to silence, with only the afterglow of the setting sun casting dappled light and shadow on the carpet through the glass windows.

Ophelia gazed silently at Klein.

He was looking down, carefully putting the meticulously processed packet of powder into a small leather pouch at his waist.

His movements were neither hurried nor slow, revealing a unique composure in him.

She stepped forward, her gaze falling on his slightly wrinkled collar.

Almost instinctively, she raised her hand and straightened his folded collar.

The two were very close, close enough that she could smell the faint scent of magic potion mixed with the fragrance of some kind of herbs on him.

This was originally an extremely ordinary action that a wife should take, but when performed by this former honorary knight of the empire, it carried a touch of awkward seriousness.

"When are you planning to make your move on that thing?" she asked abruptly, a hint of seriousness flashing in her golden eyes.

Klein stopped what he was doing and looked up. Their eyes met in mid-air.

"Sirens?"

Ophelia nodded, her right hand instinctively touching her left hand, which was wearing a special glove, through her clothes.

Even through the thick leather, the chilling, viscous, terrifying aura of the deep sea was completely suppressed by her powerful fighting spirit.

But the memory of that tactile sensation, as if it were dragging one's soul into an abyss, remains so vivid that it sends chills down one's spine.

That was a danger she absolutely did not want Klein to face alone.

"It's almost ready." Klein noticed the fleeting tension in her eyes. He didn't say anything more, but simply reached out and took her left hand in his.

He didn't use much force, nor did he hesitate for a moment because it was a contaminated hand. He simply used his warm fingertips to gently and soothingly pinch her fingertips.

That warm, gentle feeling seemed to seep through the leather and into her cold palms.

He pulled her to sit down at the table and turned to pour two glasses of warm water.

"However, the plans have changed." Klein pushed one of the water glasses toward her, his tone as relaxed as if he were discussing tomorrow's dinner. "I've changed my mind. Directly studying the Sirens' true form is too risky. That thing is probably directly related to the evil god in the deep sea, and I don't want to cause a tsunami on my own estate."

Ophelia paused slightly, holding the water glass, and looked up at him: "So?"

"So, let's study that box first." Klein tapped his long fingers lightly on the solid wood table twice. "The cube that the sage used to seal it. Think about it, the value of the box itself is immeasurable, given that it can lock a monster of that level inside. As long as we understand the underlying logic of the seal, even if something goes wrong in the future, we can put it back in the same place."

Ophelia's tense shoulders visibly relaxed. The corners of her mouth twitched almost imperceptibly—Klein wasn't the kind of madman who would recklessly court death for the sake of so-called curiosity and ambition.

—Although there are occasional "mischievous" moments.

Are you confident?

"The essence of alchemy is nothing more than disassembly and recombination." Klein smiled gently, his eyes gleaming with the thirst for knowledge of a scholar. "Give me some time, and I'll figure it out."

Ophelia didn't reply. She lowered her eyes, staring at the slightly rippling water in her glass. After a long while, she suddenly put down the glass, stood up, and her bright golden eyes met Klein's.

"Take me with you when you research the seal."

Klein opened his mouth, about to explain that this was only a preliminary analysis of the outer shell and there was no danger, but she interrupted him without any politeness.

"There's never such a thing as 'absolutely foolproof' when it comes to things from the deep sea." Her tone left no room for negotiation. At this moment, she was no longer the wife who would blush while trying on clothes, but the decisive and powerful knight who faced the sirens on the west coast. "We agreed that both of us must be present to conduct this research. Studying the outer shell counts as research."

She looked down at her husband, her refined features exuding an undeniable air of authority.

"Don't even think about shaking me off and acting alone, Klein." She paused, her tone softening slightly but remaining firm. "This is what we agreed on."

Seeing her assertive demeanor, Klein's smile deepened. He obediently raised his hands, making a gesture of helpless yet indulgent surrender.

"Of course, I'll listen to you."

Ophelia looked down at the raised hands.

His fingers were long and slender and fair. Because he had been holding test tubes and carving knives for many years, there were thin calluses on his fingertips and the base of his thumb. Even the location of the calluses was completely different from that of a knight holding a sword.

These are the hands of a spellcaster and a scholar; they should not touch the filthy scum of the deep sea.

After examining it for two seconds, she looked away with satisfaction, and the muscles in her shoulders relaxed again.

That's considered passing.

Klein lowered his arm and stretched it upwards, making a soft cracking sound from his shoulder and back bones.

He stood up from the chair, straightened his collar again, and walked towards the stairs.

"I'm going to the lab for a bit." He waved with his back to her. "Remember to call me when lunch is ready."

"You just promised not to touch the seal, what are you doing now?" Ophelia called out to him. She asked bluntly, without even changing her posture, only turning her head to look at his back.

Klein stopped by the door, turned around, and replied, "To brew medicine. To make some inhibitors."

Upon hearing those three words, Ophelia subconsciously rubbed the glove on her left hand.

"Karen's condition is terrible right now." Klein leaned against the door frame, counting on his fingers as he planned the next steps. "The evening primrose and tranquilizing herb that Lyra sent are of good quality, perfect for use. I haven't quite figured out the corruption logic of the Deep Sea Will yet, so I can't completely eradicate it for now. But I'm confident I can mix something to suppress his auditory hallucinations and reduce the number of times he goes crazy."

He paused here, his gaze drifting across the air and landing with extreme gentleness on Ophelia's left hand.

"By the way, I can also try to research some formulas for you." Klein softened his tone, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze. "Although the residual aura on your hands is suppressed by your own battle qi, it will eventually become a hidden danger in the long run."

"It's a good thing that things have eased up a bit now."

There was a moment of silence in the lobby.

Ophelia looked at the man leaning against the doorframe, a gentle ripple appearing in her golden eyes. Then, she stood up and walked towards him.

"Do you need me to help?" she asked.

Klein straightened up: "Of course, my lady knight, I'd be happy to."