Chapter 76

Stephen looked just like he always did—gentlemanly and wearing a pair of gold-framed glasses. Upon hearing that Elara had arrived, he said to the people next to him, "Please excuse me." Then, he trotted toward Elara. Someone happened to lift their head and caught a glimpse of her. They looked at her for a brief second before continuing their own discussions. Their discussion could be heard, albeit vaguely. They were talking about observations in their experiments. "Please have a seat." Stephen's attitude was much better than the previous time. He poured a glass of warm water for Elara and led her to a couch by the side. "I heard that you were interested in taking over a particular merman?" Elara nodded. "That's right. He looked like he's often subjected to violence. So, I wanted to ask if I could be his keeper." Stephen fell silent for a while. Perhaps it was Elara's misperception, but it sounded as if the discussion going on at the long table became softer. Elara asked,