Before Lynn could even react, the streak of light landed before his eyes in the blink of an eye.
“Mr. Lynn!”
The moment she touched the ground, Livia threw herself into Lynn’s arms.
After confirming that he wasn’t missing any parts, her tensed nerves finally began to relax.
“That damned dragon didn’t do anything excessive to you, did she?”
Livia asked with a hint of worry.
After all, seeing Mr. Lynn in this slightly damp state, he must have just come out of the Spring of Healing.
Why would Mr. Lynn be hurt for no reason?
Livia felt that it definitely had something to do with that stinking dragon.
“If she dares to hurt you even once, I will definitely cut off her tail piece by piece and throw it into the sea to feed the fish…”
Livia muttered darkly under her breath.
Lynn felt a bit embarrassed, sensing that she had misunderstood something.
“Actually… she helped me quite a bit.”
“Eh?”
The moment she heard those words, Livia tilted her head, freezing in place with confusion.
Lynn gave her a brief explanation of the situation.
Livia listened quietly.
Once he finished, the frost on her face gradually melted away, and her tightly clenched fists slowly relaxed.
However, a look of self-reproach soon flooded her beautiful face.
“It’s all my fault…” Livia lowered her head and spoke softly.
‘If I had been more careful, Mr. Lynn wouldn’t have been in danger… I’m such an incompetent wife.’
She had clearly promised to take good care of Mr. Lynn, yet she had lost him and let him fall into danger time and time again.
‘I must never lose Mr. Lynn again.’
Livia vowed in her heart.
Just then, another set of crisp footsteps sounded.
Tap… tap…
Felica arrived a little late.
She had intended to sneak up behind Lynn to startle him and give him a surprise.
But after taking a few steps, the sight of Livia acting spoiled in Lynn’s arms suddenly appeared before her.
Felica froze on the spot, her heart feeling an inexplicable pang of ache.
She slightly raised her slender hand, her lips trembling.
Countless words wanted to pour out, but in the end, they were all stuck in her throat, and she couldn’t say a single sentence.
‘What am I feeling right now? Anger? Loneliness? Heartache? It’s probably all of them.’
Felica slowly lowered her hand.
Perhaps she really had been too impatient—too eager to take another step forward with Lynn, too rushed in concocting this imperfect, loophole-ridden plan, only to end up handing the victory to Livia on a silver platter.
She was angry.
Why was it that even though she was here first, the fruits of her labor were always snatched away by Livia or that dragon girl who had appeared out of nowhere?
She really wanted to fight Livia for him again.
But now, neither the situation nor time allowed it.
If everything had gone according to plan, she and Lynn would have finished their intimate moment by now and would be on their way to the Silver Moon Court.
Forget it.
For now… at least as long as Lynn was safe, it was fine.
There would be plenty of time in the future; she would surely have more chances!
Felica took a long breath and adjusted her mindset.
“Lynn…”
Felica’s voice rang out, interrupting Livia’s affectionate display and making her feel quite annoyed.
“What? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to do.”
Speaking of which, Livia couldn’t help but nuzzle closer into Lynn’s chest, asserting her dominance to Felica.
Felica ignored Livia.
She walked to Lynn’s side and gently brushed her hand against his face, completely disregarding Livia, who was turning red with rage nearby.
As the faint blue glimmer of a sleeping spell embedded itself into Lynn’s body from her hand, Felica’s eyes shimmered like autumn water.
“Promise me, take care of yourself. Don’t let yourself get hurt again, okay?”
Looking at Felica’s expression, Lynn’s right eyelid suddenly twitched violently.
Her saying this felt like a knight saying he would marry his lover after the battle, or a pilot saying this was his last flight before retirement.
‘Is this a… death flag?’
“What happened?”
Lynn was about to ask, but in the next moment, a wave of intense dizziness washed over him.
In a daze, Lynn only saw a golden magic circle gradually manifesting in Felica’s hand.
Then, the two of them began to float in the air as golden light appeared around them.
She was sending them back.
“Livia, until I return, take care of this idiot for me, okay?”
Felica said, a peaceful smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
The cold moonlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating Felica’s face.
Her silver-white hair cascaded from her shoulders like a heavenly river, looking inexplicably tragic and beautiful.
“That goes without saying.”
Livia crossed her arms, looking at Felica with a face full of pride.
However, in the next moment, she seemed to remember something and frowned slightly.
“Wait… why are you saying that?”
Lynn had the same question.
He desperately wanted to tell Felica that if something was really wrong, he could help.
He wanted to tell her that he didn’t want his most cherished friend to be hurt anymore.
But a thousand words were blocked deep in his throat.
All the exhaustion he had buried deep inside over the past few days exploded at this moment.
In the next second, Lynn’s vision went black, and he completely lost consciousness.
After confirming Lynn had fallen asleep, Felica slowly spoke.
“Livia, before we set out, the Witch Academy notified me through a Messenger Bird. The seal on the Silver Moon Court has suddenly loosened for some unknown reason,” Felica said slowly.
“The Witch Academy has ordered me to reseal it at all costs before it poses a threat to the Imperial City.”
With that, Felica slowly lowered her eyes.
This was why she had been so anxious to move forward with Lynn.
The Silver Moon Court was exceptionally dangerous.
When the seal loosened this time, a Platinum-rank adventuring party had entered to reinforce it, but they eventually lost contact with the outside world and disappeared without a trace.
After some deliberation, the Central Council decided on the most economical approach—provide a small amount of money and throw the problem to the Witch Academy, letting them send a witch to resolve it.
Even if the witch failed, the council could push all the responsibility away afterward.
One had to know that even the Head Witch of the Academy would have to be double her usual vigilance and act with extreme caution upon entering.
‘If… if something really happens to me later… at least after crossing that threshold with Lynn, I won’t have any regrets or attachments.’
“…”
Hearing this, Livia’s pupils trembled, unable to hide her shock.
“You… alone? Will it be okay? If it’s really not possible, have someone else go instead.”
For once, a hint of worry for her rival appeared in Livia’s eyes.
Felica smiled and nodded.
“It will be fine. Don’t forget, I am this year’s top graduate from the Witch Academy. After this fool wakes up, he will temporarily forget this memory. If he remembers later and asks about my whereabouts, please keep it a secret for me.”
Felica pressed a slender index finger to her lips and gave a playful smile.
The golden light became increasingly dazzling, and their bodies began to gradually dissolve.
Just before they were teleported away, Felica used her magic to twist her voice into an invisible thread, sending it into Lynn’s ear.
“Lynn, before I come back, you must absolutely, absolutely not be tricked by this bad woman…”
A faint scent of gardenias lingered near Lynn’s nose.
The moment Lynn opened his eyes, he realized he was lying on his bed in the dormitory.
He slowly sat up, feeling a slight headache.
He looked out the window; it was already dusk.
As the bell rang, a flock of birds took flight across the deep blue evening sky.
He felt as though something important had been forgotten in his mind.
‘What was it…?’
“Mr. Lynn, you’re awake…”
Only then did Lynn notice that Livia was sitting by the bed, tightly holding his hand.
A hint of worry was unmistakable in her crimson eyes.
Clearly, she had been by his side the entire time.
“Livia, I feel like I’ve forgotten something very important.”
Lynn held his head, trying hard to recall what had happened before.
“Do you want some water? You’ve been sleeping for an entire day since we returned this morning.”
Livia was momentarily stunned upon hearing his question, but she quickly changed the subject.
She picked up a small bowl from the table, took a silver spoon, gently blew on the sugar water to cool it, and held it to Lynn’s lips.
“…”
Lynn was in no mood to worry about that now.
His mind was filled with the phrase “since we returned.”
How exactly did he get back?
Sleeping Dragon Valley was very far from the Imperial City.
If they had traveled normally, there was no way they could have returned to Sterkalay Magic Academy in one night.
Unless… it was a teleportation.
Right, where was Felica?
Lynn looked around the room, but Felica was nowhere to be seen.
He faintly remembered that those blurry memories seemed to be related to her.
Where did she go?
Just as the question popped into his mind, an energetic voice suddenly rang out from outside the door.
Then, the wooden door Livia had specifically locked was pushed open.
“Miss Livia, I’m back!”
Sophie was holding a fruit basket, her face beaming with smiles.
“You wouldn’t believe it! Everyone outside is talking about the seal of the Silver Moon Court being broken again. It’s so lively! Oh? Lynn, you’re awake too!”
Sophie was full of excitement, completely failing to notice Livia’s dark, murderous glare.
“…What did you say?”
Seeing the killing intent hidden behind Livia’s sinister smile, Sophie realized she had said the wrong thing.
“No… it’s nothing.”
She scratched the corner of her mouth awkwardly.
“The weather is pretty good today, perfect for stargazing. You think so too, right, Lynn?”
Lynn nodded with a smile.
Seeing that Lynn didn’t seem to have noticed anything amiss, Livia breathed a sigh of relief.
The moment Livia turned her head, the smile on Lynn’s face flattened.
“Silver Moon Court…”
Lynn murmured softly in a voice only he could hear.
Then, a sudden flash of inspiration struck his mind.
Fragmented information was gradually integrated by this key clue, and the deliberately hidden memories were recalled.
In an instant, Lynn understood everything.
The Silver Moon Court was a place specifically built to suppress Delingr, the Tenth Seat of the Twelve Saints of the Abyssal Cult.
It was located right above the King’s City, functioning essentially as a massive prison.
As the plot progressed through the early to mid-game, the seal of the Silver Moon Court would gradually break.
Without a doubt, if Delingr broke free, the entire Imperial City would suffer a catastrophic disaster.
However, this crisis, which was enough to destroy an entire large city-state, didn’t seem to cause much of a stir in the game’s story.
It wasn’t until the next day that players would find a brief news report in a very inconspicuous corner of the daily morning paper.
The gist was that under the premise of sacrificing an apprentice witch, the seal of the Silver Moon Court had been reinforced, and the Imperial City would no longer be threatened.
Shortly after this event, when players ascended to the Silver Moon Court to obtain the Purple Epic-grade control-type piece, [Eternal Frost], they would find that the terrifying battlefield had already been restored to its original state.
But even though people were willing to spend a fortune to repair the damaged areas, they weren’t willing to erect a monument for Felica.
The so-called restoration was more like covering up the past of being protected by a witch.
The people saved by witches never thanked them.
The so-called “Great Witches” in leadership positions were no different.
They sat in luxurious marble palaces, conspiring with the council of the Imperial City, squeezing the low-level witches for wealth without any concern for their lives.
In their eyes, the vibrant lives of low-level witches were nothing more than cold numbers in a report and warm gold coins in their pockets.
Thinking of this, Lynn clenched his fists tightly.
‘This damned, predatory world!’
He had never felt such an impulse.
He wanted to enter the Silver Moon Court right now.
He wanted to take [Eternal Frost], increase his strength, and save his most important companion! He wanted to correct all this injustice!
After a moment, Lynn took a long breath, and his eyes returned to their usual calm.
“Livia, is there anything you want to eat? I’m going for a walk, and I’ll bring some back for you.”
Lynn tried his best to maintain a peaceful smile so Livia wouldn’t notice any flaws.
He didn’t want Livia to know he was going to such a dangerous place and make her worry.
Livia was stunned for a moment before being overwhelmed by this sudden happiness.
“Any… anything is fine, as long as Mr. Lynn buys it for me~”
She lowered her head, suddenly feeling quite shy, not wanting Lynn to see her blushing face.
‘Could it be that Mr. Lynn has finally come to his senses? As expected, Livia is the one with the highest status in his heart! Any third or fourth wheels can step aside for Livia!’
“Oh, right.”
Before Lynn left, Sophie suddenly spoke as if she had just remembered something.
“Dean Emil said he wanted to talk to you after you woke up. Don’t forget, Lynn.”
Lynn nodded.
“I won’t.”
Click.
…
The orange-red sunset shone on Lynn, stretching his shadow long and thin.
He walked quickly toward the secluded woods within the academy.
Lynn didn’t believe for a second that Felica didn’t know this mission was likely a one-way trip.
She could have easily refused and let the Witch Academy find someone else to die in her place.
But she didn’t do that.
Until the final moment of her life, Felica practiced the original and purest ideal of a witch: preferring to sacrifice herself rather than let others be harmed.
If she were lucky enough to return alive, she would probably pretend nothing had happened and silently stay by his side, just like every other day.
‘Indeed, that’s exactly the kind of thing that arrogant girl would do…’ Lynn thought.
“So at least… talk to me about it.”
Lynn shook his head helplessly.
As a member of the Fourth Calamity who knew the game mechanics and plot, he could always find a way to help.
He would absolutely not allow Felica to face danger alone.
If he let his companion stay in danger without doing anything, what kind of man would he be!
He wouldn’t, and couldn’t, allow his most precious companion to be hurt again!
Lynn walked to a large clearing in the woods.
Then, a black [Queen] piece appeared in his hand.
As blue mana flowed through the piece, Ayan’s massive body suddenly appeared before Lynn’s eyes!
“Sorry, Ayan. I wanted to let you rest, but right now, only you can give me a ride.”
“Oh? Does Mr. Pervert finally want to ride me?”
Hearing Ayan’s somewhat annoying voice, a flare of anger suddenly rose from Lynn’s heart.
But he didn’t have time to mess around with Ayan.
Using a bit of momentum, he jumped onto his back.
“I need to go to—”
“To the Silver Moon Court, right?”
Ayan interrupted him.
“I already know. Don’t underestimate my information network.”
Lynn felt there was a hint of sarcasm in his words.
It was probably just an illusion.
“I’m counting on you.”
Lynn patted Ayan’s thick scales.
“Hmph, sit tight. I won’t care if you live or die if you fall off.”
As his voice fell, Ayan flapped his massive black wings and took off from the ground!
The fierce wind continued to howl in Lynn’s ears.
Lynn gripped Ayan’s scales tightly, feeling a long-lost sense of reckless freedom in his heart.
In that case… just keep going up!
Up!
Through the clouds burned red by the sun, straight into the sky!