Seeing how deeply affected she was, Lin Yue knew he had to play the part of a temporary counselor.
He walked up and asked, “How are you? Are you alright now.”
“Mm… My body’s mostly fine now…”
Airella seemed somewhat downcast, feeling like she’d once again become a burden to those around her.
“This wasn’t your fault. Tell me, what exactly happened.”
He was genuinely curious about how she’d been so easily taken in a place like Avelina.
The Church shouldn’t be able to just grab people as they pleased.
Airella took a deep breath, then poured out everything that had happened with Sefina.
So that’s how it was.
Lin Yue rubbed his chin, finally understanding the sequence of events.
To think, it was his interference with the plot that led Sefina and Airella to come into contact.
Lin Yue immediately felt a headache coming on; this plot was far messier than any game.
In the game, they were just lines of code, acting out their scripts.
But here, this world was almost indistinguishable from the real one—everyone had their own will.
This incident made him wonder: maybe next time, he should just let things play out, even if it meant things got chaotic.
“How’s your hand? Does it hurt.”
Lin Yue suddenly remembered that her hand had been scalded.
After setbacks, girls could be especially vulnerable, so he had to be gentle.
At this point, he didn’t care about any boss battles.
That guy Allen could take a little prodding—he’d always bounce back.
But the Airella before him—she really might break.
“Mm… It probably won’t leave a scar. I… I’m so useless…”
Lin Yue didn’t press further.
Instead, he stood up, ready to comfort Airella in his own way.
“What do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you.”
He was no smooth talker.
Even what he’d said to Isabella back at the council hall had been more for himself than for her.
But having a good meal after a setback was never wrong.
“Lin Yue…”
Hearing that gentle, almost familial concern, Airella’s long-held emotions finally broke through her defenses.
“I… really… sob… I was so scared…”
She was terrified—truly terrified.
In the Dungeon, she’d forced herself to appear calm and unyielding.
But in the end, she was just an ordinary, kind-hearted girl.
She was afraid she’d never see Lin Yue again, never see Isabella, never see everyone else, or even have the chance to say a single “thank you” to Lin Yue.
It hadn’t been easy to find friends she could trust in Avelina, people who understood her, and Lin Yue—who was the most special of all.
Why did such happiness have to be shattered so easily?
The despair of captivity, the pain of her burns, disaster in her homeland, the illusions she didn’t want to face—
All of it surged up at once, turning into burning hot tears that slid uncontrollably down her cheeks.
“Airella…”
Lin Yue’s hand froze in midair.
He didn’t know whether to pat her on the shoulder and comfort her, or to simply let her cry for a while.
He was just about to pour Airella a glass of water, but she threw herself into his arms without warning, clutching his shirt tightly like it was the last strand of hope, choking out, “I was so scared… Just now, I thought… I thought I’d never see you again…”
Her voice trembled with tears, halting and broken.
Her body shook violently with fear and grief.
In front of Lin Yue, she no longer needed to pretend to be strong or force herself to be calm.
She could let loose, like a child, and vent all her emotions.
“I’m sorry… It’s all because of me… You had to risk so much to save me… and Bella ended up in danger too…”
Airella’s tears soaked into Lin Yue’s shirt.
She wept and blamed herself, “I’m really useless… I always cause trouble for you all…”
During the exams, it was her weakness that slowed Isabella down.
Now, she’d even forced Lin Yue to risk so much to rescue her.
That sense of anxiety from her lack of ability was carved deep into her bones, impossible to ignore.
“……”
Lin Yue said nothing, reflecting silently on his own actions.
This event made Lin Yue begin to doubt his own way of handling things.
Should I… really keep following the original story?
What if… I mean, what if that portal never lets me return to the real world?
Then wouldn’t everything I’m doing be meaningless?
Plans never keep up with changes.
Sometimes the smallest shift shatters a careful scheme.
At the very least, he didn’t have the energy to worry about keeping to the plot anymore.
Looking at the girl before him, with tears streaming down her face, Lin Yue truly couldn’t bring himself to push her toward being the “first-act boss.”
He’d just have to take things one step at a time.
Let her cry for a while…
After a long while, Airella finally pulled away from his chest, though she seemed reluctant.
She knew she couldn’t just keep acting like a child.
Slowly, she looked up at the man who’d stayed by her side in her weakest moment.
That stirring in the depths of her heart could no longer be contained.
Ah… I really do, for him…
“Lin Yue…”
Airella buried her head in Lin Yue’s chest again.
“What’s wrong?”
Lin Yue replied with all the patience he could muster.
“I think I… for you…”
The mess around them was like the turmoil inside Airella’s heart.
Yet the ever-burning campfire was just like her soul—never lost, always burning fiercely.
From the very start, her heart had burned hotly because of Lin Yue.
Airella’s ears were bright red.
She knew this atmosphere was hardly the right moment for such words, but… she could barely hold back any longer…
Originally, she’d only wanted to clarify her true feelings, which was why she’d sought Lin Yue out.
Now… she mostly understood.
Just as Airella’s lips inched closer to Lin Yue, an innocent face appeared beside the two, curiosity in her voice.
“What are you two doing?”
Airella suddenly shoved Lin Yue away, sending his unsuspecting self toppling behind a log.
“Whoa!”
“Ahhhh!”
She’d just climbed out of the spatial rift, only to see the two of them in an embrace—acting as lovey-dovey as newlyweds in their honeymoon phase.
Could it be Lin Yue had finally wised up?
“Lia?”
How did she get here—did she already know?
He hadn’t planned on calling Lia for help, so he hadn’t expected her to show up immediately after everything happened.
“Where did you two go? Why are you both filthy?”
She spoke offhandedly, as if she really didn’t know he’d rushed out to save someone.
Lin Yue let out a sigh of relief, ready to come up with some excuse.
“It’s nothing… I was just helping Lin Yue with something, burned my hand, I’m so clumsy, hehe…”
Airella quickly chimed in, not wanting Lia to worry about her.
“Is that so…”
Lia’s sharp eyes scanned the two of them, but finding nothing suspicious, she let it go.
“Speaking of which, I’m hungry… Hurry up and cook for me, I’ve been so busy lately, barely have time to come by…”
She returned to her usual self, flopping limply onto a chair, looking utterly exhausted.
Looking at these two, both so important to her, Airella made up her mind.
She couldn’t let them be put in danger again.
She glanced at the awkwardly scrambling Lin Yue, the excitement in her eyes deeply buried in her heart.
For that goal, she’d have to set these feelings aside for now—until the spring came and the fruit ripened, she’d savor them then.
“You… you have to wait for me…”
Don’t you dare fall for another girl behind my back…
The camp’s atmosphere remained unchanged, but Lin Yue knew that starting today, daily life in Avelina would slowly become less peaceful.
…
Atop the tallest mage’s tower in Avelina, a silver-haired girl in a black hooded cloak stood.
Her hand gripped her staff tightly, eyes shut as if trapped in a painfully complicated predicament.
Everything that had happened today was tangled beyond belief.
The Church, Avelina, the power of magical beasts—maybe even the Empire was involved.
None of it was something a lowly Tier-2 mage like her could meddle with.
She gazed across Avelina.
Everything she’d done recently hadn’t been her true intent, only a result of inner confusion and being coerced.
Fortunately, by hiding her identity, she’d been able to help Lin Yue today, if by sheer luck.
Just as she was about to return to her dorm to rest, a familiar voice sounded behind her: “You were the one today, weren’t you.”
The cloaked figure froze, turning slowly.
A girl with the exact same appearance as her, eyes calm but fixed on her like icy daggers, stared back.
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