"Good point", Valerion said, laughing a bit himself. "And I will admit that I wouldn't have known how to tackle the issue, either. Besides, from what I have seen of the author, she didn't sound like a conspiracy theorist to me".

"Oh! You -- you know her?", Adrien said, awestruck.

"As an acquaintance, yes", Valerion replied with a smile, his head gently tilted. "I haven't spoken much to her, but she seemed like a respectable scholar".

"Wow", Adrien commented in a low voice, his eyes wide, "that's amazing". He went quiet, unsure of what to add to the conversation; all of a sudden, he found himself struck by the realization that he had been chatting so freely and spontaneously with someone who was above him in ways he could barely begin to comprehend.

"Next time we meet, I should try to ask her about that", Valerion continued. "I wouldn't be surprised if it is how you say, and she purposely omitted all commentary".