Sunlight streamed through the carved window lattice, casting mottled patterns on the floor.
Zhao Yingyue no longer boasted of her bravery; the optimism and boldness in her eyes had been replaced by wariness.
Faluxil, too, lowered her gaze, her long lashes casting a shadow on her pale cheek, making it impossible to read her thoughts.
Betrayal.
For a soldier who entrusts their back to a comrade, it is the most vicious and unforgivable crime.
It is more destructive than the Abyss Lord’s world-ending breath, because what it destroys is trust—the very foundation that holds an army or a kingdom together.
In the suffocating silence, the door was gently knocked.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
The sound was clear and polite, breaking the heavy stillness.
Before anyone inside could respond, the door was pushed open a crack.
A small head with twin ponytails of pink and silver peeked in, a strawberry-milk flavored lollipop in her mouth—it was the player [Can I Take a Bite of Bunny Cuteness?], who had been swallowed whole by the Abyss Lord that day.
She looked…completely unharmed.
Not only unharmed, she appeared even more radiant than the last time they met.
She had changed into a pure white gothic lolita dress with lace, white stockings hugging her slender legs, and petite black leather shoes on her feet—completely out of place in the blood-and-medicine-scented ward.
Right behind her, the figure of [Sage of Jingwei] also appeared at the door.
He was still dressed in a scholar’s robe, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, his expression as calm as ever.
He held a delicate fruit basket, and gave a slight nod to the two girls whose wary gazes met his at the same time—a greeting.
“Wow! Yingyue-jie!”
[Bunny] cried out in amazement at the sight of Zhao Yingyue wrapped like a mummy on the bed, then rushed over to lie by the bedside.
“Your…your look, is this the latest battle-damaged limited skin? So cool! But…it looks like you can’t move at all.”
Her words were naive and straightforward, full of that unique player understanding of this world.
This harmless teasing, instead, oddly loosened the tension in the room.
Zhao Yingyue looked at the lively [Bunny], then at her own miserable, suspended state, and almost choked on her own saliva.
She scolded, half-laughing, “You little brat, can’t you talk properly! You’re the skin! Your whole family is a skin!”
“Heehee.”
[Bunny]shifted the lollipop to the other side of her mouth, then pulled out a bottle of sparkling green liquid from her pocket.
“Don’t be mad, I brought you something good! This is Life Dew from the Elf Tribe of Southwind Valley. I got it from a mission, and they say one sip boosts natural recovery speed by twenty percent! Drink up, drink up!”
As she spoke, she tried to unscrew the cap and pour it into Zhao Yingyue’s mouth.
“Wait, wait, wait!”
Zhao Yingyue stopped her, helplessly.
“My whole body’s injured—what if something this strong over-heals me? I appreciate it, but I’ll wait until I can move again before drinking.”
Though she grumbled, genuine warmth flickered in her bright phoenix eyes.
On the other side, [Sage of Jingwei] gently placed the fruit basket on the bedside cabinet.
His gaze swept across the room, across Zhao Yingyue’s exaggerated injuries, and finally landed on Faluxil’s cold and guarded face.
“It seems your conditions…are more stable than I imagined.”
He spoke in a voice devoid of emotional fluctuation.
“Thanks to you, we’re still alive.”
Faluxil’s voice was equally cold.
She didn’t look at him, her gaze still fixed on Zhao Yingyue, but there was no attempt to hide the wariness in her words.
[Sage of Jingwei] seemed completely unfazed by her coldness.
He adjusted his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses sharp and deep.
“Divine-Favored, I have no intention of disturbing your recovery. But just now, outside the door, I accidentally overheard some of your conversation…”
He paused, giving them time to digest.
“About the matter of an undercover agent, perhaps I can offer an…eliminative point of reference.”
Faluxil’s body stiffened.
She finally turned her head, her icy blue eyes locking onto his, as if to pierce his soul.
[Sage of Jingwei]met her gaze and calmly continued.
“If you suspect that someone leaked your operational plan to the Demon Clan, then I can tell you with certainty—this person cannot be one of us players.”
His words caused the air in the ward to freeze again.
Even Zhao Yingyue, who had been bickering quietly with [Bunny], fell silent and turned a puzzled look toward him.
Faluxil’s gaze grew even sharper.
“What makes you so sure?”
Sage, I admit the strength you displayed in battle.
But equally, your origins and motives remain a mystery.
I have no reason to believe a single word from you.
“I understand your suspicion, Divine-Favored. So what I bring is not a guarantee, but logic.”
[Sage of Jingwei]remained unhurried.
“Allow me to explain in a way you can understand.”
He raised two fingers.
“First, motive.”
“Our actions as players in this world are almost entirely guided and restricted by a supreme rule, which we call the Mission System.
As far as I know, and according to all the information accessible to my guild, the Council of Truth, there is currently no quest chain related to the Demon Clan in all of 《Moon Oath of Tingyue》.
In other words, no player can, at a system level, gain any benefit by helping monsters.”
“No motive means no betrayal. That’s the most basic logic.”
Faluxil remained silent, but her gaze was no longer as cold as before.
‘Mission System’…she had heard the term before.
Although she couldn’t fully grasp it, it sounded…logical in its own way.
“Second, feasibility.”
[Sage of Jingwei]continued.
“To leak your operational plan to a Demon Clan member of Zeheriel’s level, the Seventh Apostle, would require direct or indirect contact with him.
This means the undercover agent would need the capability to infiltrate the depths of the Forbidden Swamp of the Demon Domain…however, according to rule restrictions, our player level—that is, our strength—is strictly linked to the regions we can safely enter.”
He gestured toward the window.
“This is something you know as well, Divine-Favored, and you even devised the ingenious Sentinel Plan based on it.
Since the game’s launch, even players like me who are willing to spend, or technical maniacs like [Shadowfang Breaking Army], have not reached a level sufficient to move freely in the depths of the Forbidden Swamp.”
“So,”
He concluded,
“whether in motive or in ability, at this stage, no player meets the conditions to be a leaker. The undercover agent you seek must be someone else.”
After speaking, he fell silent, standing quietly to let Faluxil and Zhao Yingyue digest his words.
The ward fell into silence again.
The expression on Zhao Yingyue’s face grew grave.
She wasn’t someone skilled in schemes, but the clear and orderly logic of [Sage of Jingwei]left her with no grounds for rebuttal.
Moreover, looking at the innocent [Bunny] beside her, who was curiously examining the ‘Bone Jade of Regrowth’ on her leg, she simply couldn’t associate the girl with a devious spy.
Faluxil’s heart sank deeper.
She didn’t want to admit it, but the logic chain before her told her—
[Sage of Jingwei]was right.
But…if it was impossible for a player to be the mole…
Then the hand that pushed them into the abyss must have come from the upper ranks of the Kingdom of Arslan.
Someone she knew well, perhaps even someone she respected.
This lurking viper was not an invading wolf, but a pet raised within the house.
It knew every inch of the home, the master’s routines, and precisely which corner to strike for a fatal blow.
This conclusion was far more terrifying than suspecting a group of mysterious players.
Faluxil slowly raised her head, meeting [Sage of Jingwei]’s calm, as-if-he-had-expected-all-of-this gaze.
She gave a small nod—a nearly imperceptible gesture.
But that single nod conveyed her stance.
The corners of [Sage of Jingwei]’s lips curled into a faint, elusive smile once more.
“That’s good. Then I won’t disturb you any further. If there’s anything else you need…contact me at any time.”
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