Because he saw Talia sitting across the street, as if staking him out.
Yet he was not panicked at all.
It was unlikely that Talia would so quickly investigate the wrongdoings he committed.
A distant figure, Talia quickly approached Lanci while, behind him, the guards standing at the entrance of the mansion instantly stood alert.
Lanci raised his hand, signaling to the guards not to be anxious.
Being anxious would be useless. If she wanted to resort to violence, no one here could stop her.
"The box."
She merely raised her hand to hand over the food box from last night's chicken dinner to Lanci.
The reason she was able to find Lanci so quickly was because some simple inquiries about a "black-haired, green-eyed youth" in town provided her with information about this infamous young noble.
However, the young rich lad as spoken about by the townsfolk didn't seem to tally with the youth she was witnessing with her own eyes.
Although he appeared to be a bit silly and lax, at least he did not seem to be a bad-tempered human.
"You can sell it, I have no intention of reclaiming it."
Lanci looked at her in puzzlement.
If he took the expensive tableware to sell, at least he could exchange it for half a pound.
"This matter is separate from our transaction."
"She said emotionlessly.
Upon hearing this Lanci nodded and accepted the box.
This Princess of the Demon Clan must have put in a lot of effort to disguise as a human, strictly adhering to the rules and regulations of human society.
Before Lanci could react, Talia turned around without hesitation and walked off indifferently.
"Didn't you eat much?"
Lanci looked at Talia, whose only remnant was her dark grey cloak disappearing in the distance, and asked.
"I have fulfilled the content of our transaction," said Talia without looking back.
"Oh, I see."
Lanci lowered his head to look at the box, murmuring to himself.
This demon seemed to overly emphasize that this was a "transaction", not a "favor".
Her pride did not allow for anyone to grant her charity, nor did she want to return any favors. She clearly understood that free stuff was actually the most expensive.
Then, his petite scheme to give Talia a favor had been shattered.
Even the box that could have potentially trapped her in a "favour trap" had been returned promptly.
Lanci sighed and handed the lunch box to a guard nearby.
Indeed, to neutralize "the grudge she had against him" through "providing Talia with favors" was far from easy.
However,
All of this was within his expectations.
Lanci signaled to the guards following him not to be on guard, as he wanted to have a private conversation with this lady.
The guards dared not question Lanci's instructions and stood guard at the mansion entrance as directed.
Lanci then jogged lightly to catch up with Talia.
Talia turned towards him, her face taking on an expression of confusion as she looked at his human figure that once again fell in step with hers.
She didn't understand what this, seemingly high status yet weak-looking, lad was up to.
"I want to propose another deal with you. I assure you on my family's honor of its fairness," said Lanci, politely.
Talia's golden eyes stared intently at Lanci, as though she were probing into his eyes.
No lies detected.
She had the magic to determine whether the other party was telling the truth or lies.
And they've had transactional past.
This rich human didn't seem too bad and was likely to offer her the compensation she needed now.
"Let's hear it.", said Talia, bringing herself to a halt.
"As for the content of the upcoming transaction, I hope you will not inquire why," said Lanci, his face turning a bit solemn.
Talia nodded.
She did not need to inquire further, for no one could deceive her with lies.
"There's a guy in this town who wants to kill me. So, I want to commission you to keep an eye near my home for any suspicious individuals, and to assist in keeping me safe, removing any threats. I will offer you a suitable reward."
Lanci had a troubled expression, his apprehension not hidden in his gaze as he looked directly at Talia.
"It's not a difficult task."
Upon hearing Lanci's proposal, Talia was convinced that he was speaking the truth.
"Your house in this town must have both wealth and influence, even the local government shouldn't lack people who can ensure your safety."
After thinking for a moment, Talia turned her gaze towards the guards that were not weak by any means and voiced her doubts to Lanci.
"Because the assassin could be right by my side, I can't fully trust anyone around me, and so I need as many potential safeguards as possible."
Lanci seemed to be particularly fond of Talia.
His gaze did not hide his admiration for Talia, because of who she was - she had honestly returned the box and did not show any prejudice against him due to his identity, status, or rumors.
"So you think I'm more reliable than those guards around you?"
Talia seemed to acknowledge the fact that she was not weak.
She realized that Lanci had a special discernment characteristic of shrewd businessmen.
"Relatively speaking, yes."
Lanci nodded.
"Hiring me is expensive."
That's all Talia had to say.
She kept gauging the truth in each of this human's sentences.
But so far, he had not lied to her.
Among all the humans she had met so far, this was commendable.
According to her judgment, he was an honest, righteous, and kind human being, making him a good trade partner.
"Three pounds a day, as long as you're staying in this city, this agreement will be effective."
Lanci had already taken out a Wilford Chamber of Commerce checkbook and a pen from his pocket.
It seemed that carrying around gold coins of one pound and half a pound was too cumbersome for him.
Typically, 30 pounds would be enough for an ordinary family to live for a year at the Hutton Kingdom's Nanwantian Border.
Talia was visibly stunned.
She was shocked not only by Lanci's wealthy demeanor.
For her, who had not encountered the unit of "pounds" for a long time and was undocumented in the kingdom, this was an irresistible deal.
But she had absolute confidence in her abilities.
So this was not a "favor" but a "deal".
The most important point was that the decision to terminate the deal lie in her hands, and it would not affect her freedom.
"…Deal."
Talia muttered under her breath.
"I'll count on you then."
Lanci directly handed the checkbook and pen to Talia, causing her to pause again.
Talia looked down at the check in her hand, deep in thought.
Did that mean she was supposed to write down a number each day and cash it in?
He was indeed a wealthy and generous human.
He also possessed various qualities such as kindness and honesty.
However, these kind of humans often didn't get along well with their Demon Race.
…
At this time, Lanci turned around and started walking towards the other direction on the street.
The corners of his mouth twitched, trying hard to hold back his laughter.
Right now, Talia still didn't know that the person who wanted to kill Lanci was herself.
Even if she found out that Lanci was the one who had hunted down her Servitor, she couldn't act against Lanci.
Because she had to follow this rule -
"As long as she's in this city, she has to protect Lanci and receive three pounds every day"!