Chapter 24: Lynn will definitely find Livia!

“Rank Up.”

“Current Rank: Second-Tier Magus.”

“Remaining Chess Piece Slots: 1/2.”

“Dragon’s Heart: Upgraded to Second Tier.”

“Skill: Scorching Sun’s Heart (Unlocked).”

……

Lynn’s consciousness gradually returned to his body.

The moment he opened his eyes, all he could see was Sophie’s blushing profile.

A gentle softness lingered on his lips, and the tips of the girl’s golden hair brushed against Lynn’s cheek, tickling him.

Lynn gently patted Sophie, indicating that he was awake.

Sophie, startled like a frightened little animal, froze for a moment, then immediately pulled away from Lynn, her face still bright red.

“Th-that… I only did it to save you… I had no other choice…”

Sophie kept fiddling with her hair, her gaze darting away from Lynn.

Her pretty face was flushed as if it could bleed.

This was the first time she’d ever been so close to a boy other than her master.

She’d wanted to save her first kiss for Miss Livia, but in the end, it was Lynn who…

Sophie felt a bit disappointed, but she didn’t regret it.

Even if given another chance, she’d still choose to save Lynn without hesitation.

“Oh, right.”

Sophie reached out with her slender forefinger and gently tapped Lynn’s nose.

“I was just saving you, nothing more. I absolutely wasn’t trying to take advantage of you.”

“And there’s definitely, definitely no other thoughts at all!”

She puffed up her cheeks, her blushing face full of seriousness.

“Remember that, okay?”

“Alright, alright…”

Lynn was a little embarrassed.

He thought to himself, he’d just passed out, was it really that serious?

Forget it, it wasn’t every day a beautiful girl gave him mouth-to-mouth, besides… it felt pretty nice.

Thinking this, Lynn stopped worrying.

He slowly stood up, and at the same time, the words “Assessment Finished” gradually appeared on the sky screen.

Immediately after, not far away, the sky screen seemed to be torn open with a great gash.

Dean Emil appeared, completely different from his usual gentle and modest demeanor.

He was bare-chested, holding what looked like a heavy staff in one hand, and his face was visibly flushed with heat.

The bulging muscles all over his body made Lynn’s heart race in shock.

Clearly, although Dean Emil was a seasoned magus, he seemed to know a thing or two about hand-to-hand combat…

“Where is he?!”

Dean Emil almost teleported in front of Lynn.

“Where…?”

Lynn gave an awkward laugh and pointed at the pile of ashes nearby.

Seeing this, the stone in Dean Emil’s heart finally dropped.

“You’re alright?”

Dean Emil squeezed Lynn’s shoulder, examining him carefully from head to toe.

His magical power was average, just barely at the level of a second-tier magus.

As for physical strength—

Any cleaning lady from the academy could outmatch him.

With talent like this, Lynn would be completely unremarkable among his peers in the Central Royal City.

In fact, Lynn hadn’t even reached the minimum standard required to participate in the assessment.

However, Lynn had already proven with his actions that the old evaluation system simply didn’t apply to him.

“Would you like to pursue advanced studies at my Magic Court?”

Dean Emil’s expression shifted to a kindly smile.

Such a kindly smile on a muscle-bound old man only made Lynn’s skin crawl…

“No thank you, I have no intention of entering the Magic Court.”

“If possible, I’d rather choose the Chess Craft Institute.”

Lynn refused Dean Emil’s offer without hesitation.

If Lynn hadn’t known what a sly old fox Emil was, he might have fallen for his trick.

Upon hearing this, the corners of Dean Emil’s mouth curled into a wicked grin.

Heh heh heh, you said it yourself.

To tell you the truth, the Chess Craft Institute was also under his jurisdiction.

After all, the Chess Craft Institute was just a subsidiary of the Magic Court.

It’s just that the Chess Craft Institute was so small, almost no one knew about it.

“Can I leave now?”

Lynn asked.

“Of course, I’ll take care of things here.”

Lynn nodded, then led Sophie through the rift Dean Emil had created, leaving the testing grounds early.

…

“Look, it’s Lynn!”

“Hey, interested in joining our team? With you on board, the upcoming Secret Realm test would be a breeze!”

“…………”

The moment Lynn stepped out, he was immediately surrounded.

Word of a youth already wielding an “Orange Legend” grade chess piece quickly spread throughout the academy.

Even those who had doubted the rumor were thoroughly convinced after seeing Lynn’s performance, becoming his most loyal followers.

Envy and awe were written on everyone’s faces.

But deep down, everyone knew—

They were witnessing the birth of a legend!

Lynn did not lose himself in the cheers and praise.

He looked around and felt the absence of a light, familiar figure.

Right—Livia.

Normally, at times like this, Livia would always greet him with a smile, wouldn’t she?

Where had that silly girl gone?

An odd sense of unease welled up inside Lynn.

Strange, he’d never felt this way before.

Could something have happened to Livia?

At this thought, Lynn couldn’t help but shiver.

No, he had to find her!

…

Night fell.

Livia sat alone by the lakeside, her eyes red and swollen.

Whenever she’d felt overwhelmed studying at the Witch’s Court, she’d always come to this lake.

Watching the moonlight ripple on the water always calmed her heart.

But this time…

“Mister Lynn… why won’t you accept me?”

She murmured softly, tears slowly trailing down her cheeks.

Livia couldn’t understand.

She had done so much for him…

Could he really not feel any of it?

Or… had he never liked her from the very beginning?

If Mister Lynn truly liked Sophie, then maybe it was best for her to withdraw now, for his sake?

“Be confident, he’s never liked you.”

A figure identical to Livia’s appeared at her side, unnoticed.

But unlike the real Livia, this figure was completely gray and colorless.

The Witch’s Heart Demon.

Every witch had her own heart demon.

Normally, the heart demon did not appear before the witch’s eyes.

Only when a witch’s emotions approached collapse would the heart demon manifest.

Then, step by step, it would lure the witch toward the abyss of losing control—until, at last, she was utterly destroyed.

Livia knew this well.

Yet now, she strangely felt her heart demon made sense.

Helplessness crept into her heart; she just wanted someone to stay by her side.

The heart demon slowly moved behind Livia, gently wrapping her arms around Livia’s neck, exhaling warm breath by her ear: “Think about it. If Lynn really cared for you, he’d have answered your feelings long ago.”

“But look at what he did! He pushed you aside, then sealed the deal with Sophie with a kiss.”

“Stop making a fool of yourself, poor Livia.”

That voice was filled with insidious persuasion, every word shattering Livia’s mind, battering down her final defenses.

The tears at the corner of Livia’s eyes gradually turned red.

Grievance, unwillingness, disappointment…

A torrent of negative emotions surged up in an instant.

So much so that her magic within began to go berserk, but Livia didn’t even notice.

“Yes, yes, that’s it, Livia.”

The heart demon continued.

“No need to endure any longer. Let all your grievances and resentment, all the fury in your heart—return it all to the world…”

“……”

Just as her magic was about to spiral completely out of control, an image of Lynn suddenly appeared in Livia’s mind.

Scenes of Lynn shielding her with his life in their previous life slowly resurfaced before her eyes.

The resolute determination in Lynn’s gaze—

There was no way that was just an act.

Yes, if Lynn didn’t care about her, why would he so decisively take a blade for her?

The heart demon, naturally, understood what Livia was thinking.

A faint curve formed at the demon’s lips as she stood up, hands behind her back.

Then, she hurled a fatal question at Livia: “If Lynn truly cares about you, then why hasn’t he found you by now?”

“……”

At this, the last hope in Livia’s heart was utterly shattered.

That’s right.

Mister Lynn… must be busy getting closer with Sophie.

Maybe he hasn’t even noticed that she’s gone…

Her heart grew cold, her magic now teetering at the edge of losing control.

The temperature around her plummeted, and snowflakes began to drift down from the sky.

Snow fell onto Livia’s pale shoulders, sending a biting chill through her.

All it would take was one last push, and Livia would tumble irreversibly into the abyss.

A cruel smile spread across the heart demon’s lips.

Footsteps broke the silence of the night.

Suddenly, a warm, familiar presence enveloped her, driving away the cold.

Livia started, then turned her head sharply.

When she saw who it was, her heart nearly skipped a beat.

“Don’t catch a cold, Livia.”

Lynn smiled, his smile full of tenderness.