How should I put this? Believe it or not, Lin Luo felt immense pressure. After he uttered those words, both Fate and Elfe had very subtle reactions. Fate was alright; perhaps it was because she was young and less perceptive, or maybe due to her current "Three-Noes" disposition, but she didn't show any overly strong reaction. However, the way Elfe looked at him was entirely as if he were some **beast. If Fate hadn't been present, she probably would have charged at him immediately.

"That... I was just talking about sleeping arrangements for tonight," Lin Luo wiped a bead of sweat. He truly meant nothing else; he was simply considering how to assign bedrooms... Well, he admitted to himself that he had a slight urge to treat his beloved concubine like a bolster, but aside from that, there was nothing else harmonious to consider. After all, Fate was only nine years old, incapable of beep beep beep—and even if he were fiendishly capable of beep beep beep, his current body wouldn't have the strength anyway.

"Yes! So what?! How do you plan to sleep?!" Elfe gritted her teeth and spoke in a low voice.

Lin Luo seemed not to notice the grinding sound in her tone. He extended his hand and gestured towards the nearby bed, saying seriously, "Hmm... Given the size of this bed, the three of us can still squeeze in and sleep, albeit barely. But for safety reasons, it would be better for me, the severely injured one, to sleep in the middle. After all, if I were to fall off, it would hurt quite a bit."

"........" At these words, Elfe was instantly struck dumb. She never imagined Lin Luo would be so shameless, so bold, actually saying such things right in front of them. Even if she were the most audacious libertine, shouldn't such words be spoken more subtly? And sleeping in the middle... did he really have the nerve?

Elfe felt that Heaven was blind for not sending down a lightning bolt to smite this shameless wretch.

Although Fate didn't speak, her expression revealed that her inner calm was somewhat shaken.

"What? Is there a problem?" Looking at their subtle expressions, Lin Luo asked suspiciously.

Elfe's mouth twitched. She forcefully suppressed the urge to carry out divine retribution. "Do you really think there's no problem?"

Lin Luo propped his chin, thought for a moment, and then suddenly realized, clapping his hand, "Ah! I almost forgot. You are a familiar. If you accidentally revert to your beast form while sleeping, your claws flailing about could very likely injure the person next to you... Hmm, it seems we should sleep separated by the ends." I'll sleep with Fate at one end, and you at the other."

"...I know why you have amnesia," Elfe suddenly sighed and said seriously. She and Fate shared everything; there were almost no secrets between them. Since Fate knew Lin Luo "suffered from amnesia," it was natural for her to know as well.

Lin Luo was slightly stunned. He almost forgot he had this amnesia setup. He quickly asked, "Why?"

"It's Heaven's punishment for you." Elfe stated resolutely.

"Alright, I was just joking," Lin Luo spread his hands with a forced smile. Yes, he was just joking. If the three of them were to share a bed, never mind what Fate and Elfe thought, he himself would be under immense pressure. However, jokes should be kept in moderation; appropriate jokes can bring people closer, but taking them too far only lowers one's impression score... Speaking of which, doesn't my reputation seem a bit tarnished now?

"A joke... Are you really suffering from amnesia?" Elfe suddenly frowned and stared intently at Lin Luo. She couldn't see any signs of amnesia in him at all. Generally speaking, aren't amnesiacs supposed to be constantly worried, anxious, or neurotic, as if suffering from depression? But this guy in front of her was as normal as one could be.

She heard that certain despicable people deliberately feign pitifulness to gain sympathy, like using self-injury tactics. Could this guy also be trying this method to win Fate's sympathy, thereby achieving some unspeakable goal... Thinking of this, a trace of vigilance immediately arose in Elfe's heart.

Lin Luo didn't know Elfe was thinking so far ahead, but hearing her words, he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. Should he say women's intuition is terrifying, or that a familiar's intuition is truly powerful?

"Certainly," Lin Luo immediately asserted.

"Why do I feel like you're perfectly fine?" Elfe still didn't believe him.

"That’s quite rude. Why can't the words and actions of an amnesiac appear completely normal?" Lin Luo retorted righteously. That certain Great Aunt Kamijou showed no difference in demeanor after losing her memory, so he felt completely unpressured in his rebuttal, with such a precedent set!

"Hmm?"

Seeing Elfe still looked somewhat unconvinced, Lin Luo said solemnly, "If I am lying, then let me... eat Mapo Tofu every day... Uh, I can't stand spicy food the most."

"You remember you can't eat spicy food even with amnesia?" Elfe's eyes lit up; she had grasped the core issue.

"Well..." Lin Luo’s mouth twitched. "Amnesia is divided into localized and global amnesia..."

Fine, he wanted to slap himself. Saying too much is worse than saying too little—how could he forget that maxim? He had to gild the lily. Keeping a lie straight is definitely harder than telling the initial lie. Speaking of which, he created this amnesia setting for Fate's sake, yet now he was being grilled by her familiar—truly unfair!

"You two get along really well," just as Lin Luo felt awkward and didn't know how to explain, Fate, who had been silent beside them, finally spoke.

"Eh?" Hearing this, both Lin Luo and Elfe were startled.

Elfe almost retorted, but as the words left her mouth, she felt that what Fate said wasn't entirely wrong. After all, although this man's origins and motives were unknown, he didn't seem all that detestable, and they could converse... apart from his slightly low moral standards.

Lin Luo felt similarly. Although Elfe possessed a human form, she was inherently a canine familiar, more akin to Fate's pet, and her personality was quite cheerful. It wasn't strange that they could get along, even joking around. This wasn't solely due to eloquence; it was more about the freedom in their communication.

Conversely, if the subject were Fate, the pseudo-Three-Noes, he would feel pressure. Firstly, he wasn't good at dealing with silent, emotionless girls, and secondly, Fate had erected a wall within her heart.

Because of her mother, Fate stubbornly believed that verbal communication was utterly useless; everything must be achieved through tangible actions. Thus, she buried her gentleness and kindness deep down, erasing her smile from her face.

Except when interacting with Elfe, where she would open her heart, she erected an invisible wall between herself and anyone else, preventing others from touching her truest self. This wasn't her rejecting contact with others; it was just that past experiences had taught her how to protect herself.

By building walls in her heart, distance protected her. This way, she wouldn't be hurt, but this distance also separated her from the crowd, confining her to a world of her own. Therefore... she couldn't smile, nor could she communicate with others.

Until someone broke down the wall in her heart, she would forever live alone in solitude within her own world. She couldn't step out, and others' voices couldn't reach her heart... If Fate had been the one asking him questions just now, Lin Luo likely wouldn't have dared to make such a joke.

Of course, Fate wouldn't ask, because currently, she wouldn't speak unnecessary words.

At this moment, the otherwise pleasant atmosphere cooled down because of Fate's statement. In fact, her words themselves were not problematic; it was primarily her aura that involuntarily evoked a sense of loneliness.

Lin Luo knew how to break down the wall in Fate's heart, but such a thing required time and opportunity. Blind aggression would only backfire. Moreover, Nanoha Takamachi existed in this world. Even if he couldn't break Fate's internal barrier, at least Nanoha certainly could.

"Yes, that day will surely come, won't it?" Lin Luo looked at Fate and murmured slightly, "............" Fate looked up, a flicker of confusion in her eyes, seemingly not grasping the meaning of Lin Luo's words. Lin Luo said nothing more.

Because it was getting late, the three of them decided to rest shortly. The room was quite large, more than sufficient to accommodate three people resting. Out of consideration for Lin Luo's severe injuries, Fate very considerately gave him the only bed... although Elfe was a bit unwilling.

Lin Luo didn't refuse, as he genuinely needed to recuperate now. Only when his body recovered could he do what he wanted to do.

After Lin Luo lay down to rest, Fate spread out the sofa placed nearby and slept in her clothes, covered only by a thin blanket. As for Elfe, she transformed into her small dog form and lay down next to Fate.

Nothing eventful happened that night. When Lin Luo awoke the next morning, Fate and Elfe were already out of the room, leaving only a plate of steaming hot breakfast on the table.

"Looks like my body has recovered a bit more," Lin Luo said with a smile as he stepped off the bed, stretching his limbs. Last night, he had spent several hours using magic to regulate his body; furthermore, even while asleep, that magic had been continuously nurturing him.

After eating breakfast, Lin Luo continued to use magic to regulate his body. It took nearly the entire morning, and almost a hundred A-rank magic gems were consumed. Although he was still far from fully recovering from his injuries, at least basic movement was no longer an issue.

In fact, using pure magic for healing was quite wasteful. With good healing spells, a hundred A-rank magic gems might have been enough to repair Lin Luo's physical body.

"Well, Elfe mentioned last night that Fate practices magic training daily. I should go take a look," Since continuous magical nourishment wasn't very effective, intermittent regulation was best. Once his body could move, Lin Luo opened the door and headed outside.

However, just as Lin Luo passed a corner of the corridor, he saw Elfe rushing over from the side, and the two collided head-on, falling to the ground with a bang.

"Elfe... Hmm?"

Lin Luo looked over at her and couldn't help but be surprised. The usual Elfe would surely have shouted something loudly by now, but now she not only said nothing, but instead seemed to be enduring something terrifying, holding her head with both hands, trembling slightly, grinding her teeth as she muttered.

"Too cruel! Too cruel! What exactly is that woman doing... that woman!"