Lynn felt that something was off.
Under normal circumstances, after contact at that level, he should have already sensed an intense aura of death.
But why was it that, after such extensive and close contact with Livia, he felt absolutely nothing instead?
Though the situation was strange, Lynn quickly let it go.
At least for now, as long as his strength continued to grow, the curse wouldn’t pose too great a threat to him.
So rather than obsessing over it, it was far more important to seize the time and improve himself.
But before that…
Lynn had to find a way to separate the two people in front of him, who looked ready to clash at any moment.
With that thought, Lynn stepped between them.
He was just about to start playing peacemaker when Felica suddenly cut him off.
“Livia, don’t think I don’t know what kind of dirty little scheme you’ve got rattling around in that head of yours, you shameless little temptress! I absolutely—absolutely—won’t let you get your way!”
Felica’s tone was sharp and forceful, but Livia could clearly hear the sour jealousy hidden beneath it.
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting now, you old fox?”
Livia said, puzzled.
“I’m just trying to protect Mr. Lynn’s safety. How does that give you the right to point fingers?”
Seeing the argument between the two escalating, Lynn decided to use the most primitive—and most effective—method to resolve their dispute.
He flicked each of them on the forehead.
Sure enough, after a single forehead flick apiece, both of them gradually calmed down.
Though the looks they exchanged were still full of defiance, at the very least, they were now willing to listen to Lynn.
“I swear…”
Lynn rubbed his temples, his voice filled with helplessness.
“I’ve got some things to deal with lately. Can you two just settle down for a while and let me be alone?”
His tone was a bit stern, but if he wasn’t firm about it, Felica and Livia would definitely find every possible excuse to stick close to him.
He didn’t want to drag them into this.
Even witches as powerful as they were stood no chance against a prepared Abyss Cult.
After all, the Abyss Cult’s holy relics were simply far too broken.
Either they severed a witch’s source of magic, preventing her from invoking the power of rules, or they could partially reverse rewritten rules, nullifying the effects of witch authority.
Either way, they were hard counters to witches.
If someone was going to get hurt because of this…
Lynn only hoped that person would be himself.
“Wuu… alright. If that’s what Lynn says…”
Felica’s mood visibly sank.
She wasn’t a girl who enjoyed being unreasonable.
Felica truly wanted to stay by Lynn’s side twenty-four hours a day.
She wanted to look at his handsome profile every moment, to carefully listen to every word he spoke to her.
Her world was very small—so small that Lynn had nearly come to occupy her entire life.
And because of that, she cherished him all the more.
She was afraid Lynn would get hurt.
Afraid he would be taken away by some other woman.
But now, it seemed her protection had become a burden to him.
That was the last thing she wanted.
So…
She would remove every obstacle for Lynn.
“Don’t worry, Lynn. With me here, I won’t let anyone disturb you!”
Thinking this, Felica rolled up her sleeves and struck a spirited, motivated pose once more.
At the same time, she glanced at Livia standing opposite her, a smug little look in her eyes that clearly said: I won’t be staying by Mr. Lynn’s side for a while—but as long as I’m here, neither will you.
“……”
Livia had no time to deal with Felica.
Her gaze was locked tightly onto Lynn’s eyes.
That earlier clarity was gone.
Livia knew exactly what that meant.
Lynn was deceiving her.
Or rather…
He was deliberately hiding something.
………
After exiting the archives of the Nightfall Fools, Lynn didn’t pause for even a moment; he immediately returned to the academy.
After asking Dean Emil about his dormitory, Lynn hurried straight to the room.
It seemed to be a double room, with two beds placed before Lynn’s eyes.
However, the room was tidy and clean, looking brand new, almost completely devoid of any signs of someone living there.
Of course, that wasn’t entirely accurate either.
After all, by the windowsill, there was still a pot of sunflowers.
“If I remember correctly, Sophie really loves sunflowers,” Lynn murmured to himself.
Strange, why did he suddenly think of her?
Lynn shook his head with a wry smile.
If not for what happened, Sophie truly would have remained as optimistic and sunny as a sunflower.
“Hah…”
Lynn let out a long sigh, pushing the distracting thoughts from his mind.
He would definitely prevent that incident from happening.
After locking the door, he sat on the bed and, with a thought, summoned the panel only he could see.
“Are you sure you want to enter the Recollection Trial?”
Seeing the prompt before him, Lynn unhesitatingly selected “Yes.”
The next moment, the scene before Lynn’s eyes began to change rapidly.
The world around him faded into obscurity, but after a brief moment, Lynn reappeared on a vast plain.
“Challenge Target: The Sage”
“Target Strength: Fourth-Tier Archmage”
“Challenge will begin when the challenger is ready.”
“Current Challenger Rank: Second-Tier Archmage (Mid-Stage)”
“Expected Rank After Challenge: Third-Tier Archmage (Early-Stage)”
Lynn cracked his knuckles, preparing to start the trial, when a soft, delicate voice suddenly sounded by his ear.
“Hey, idiot, you’re not actually planning to challenge that guy, are you?”
Lynn was taken aback for a moment, then looked around in confusion, only to find no one in sight.
Was it an auditory hallucination?
Lynn rubbed his ears.
“I, the exalted one, am down here, you idiot!”
Looking downward, Lynn finally saw a little girl wearing a black lace-trimmed dress and thick black stockings, standing before him with her arms crossed.
Oh, wait, not quite right.
Lynn felt that describing the person before him as a “little girl”…
seemed a bit too mature.
Clearly just a kid, with no figure to speak of, no curves at all.
Yet she insisted on dressing so provocatively.
Her face wore an expression of utter disdain, as if looking at trash.
Lynn only saw all this clearly after crouching down.
She was just so short—Lynn guessed her height probably only reached his abdomen.
Whose mischievous kid had wandered in here?
“Who are you?”
Lynn asked, bewildered.
“Idiot, you don’t even remember I, the exalted one?”
The girl rolled her eyes at Lynn, then grabbed his collar, pulling him close to her face.
“Look closely at me—Just! Who! Do! You! Think! I! Am!”
“Huh?”
Lynn was stunned for a moment.
He instinctively gave her a once-over.
Jet-black, flowing waist-length hair, a doll-like delicate and adorable face, and those faintly visible, cute little fangs…
The answer was quite obvious.
“You’re a beautiful girl,” Lynn blurted out.
“You…”
The girl couldn’t help but blush slightly.
What was this guy saying!
“Take another good look at me!”
The girl frowned slightly, adopting a somewhat displeased expression.
A unique, draconic aura of superior authority began to emanate around her.
This time, Lynn finally noticed the girl’s autumn-water-like crimson eyes.
And the vertical pupils within them.
“You’re… Ayan?”
Even as he said it, Lynn startled himself.
What happened to my majestic, awe-inspiring dragon Ayan?
How did he turn into a sweet, soft little girl?
Give me back my fierce, fire-breathing dragon! 😭👊🏻
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