It had been a period of time since the Avelina crisis—neither too long nor too short.
Everyone had recovered, and the academy was once again filled with an academic atmosphere and vitality.
The school administration was also doing their best to uncover the truth, as they had to provide an explanation to the victimized students.
The freshmen who had fought in the Defense of Avelina all received corresponding rewards and generous compensation, which were considered quite fair reparations.
“Over here, move it over here!”
Lin Yue stood with his hands on his hips in front of a dormitory that could be described as a small villa, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
‘I, Lin Yue, after being kicked out by the Hawke family, finally have a decent place to live!’
Owning a large, independent house was actually a small dream Lin Yue had held in the real world.
He hadn’t expected to achieve it after transmigrating into a game.
“Hey.”
While he was secretly rejoicing, Charles walked up to him.
His right arm was wrapped in bandages, leaving him with only his left hand, which he used to hold out a set of keys to Lin Yue.
“Here are the keys. Don’t lose them.”
Lin Yue studied Charles, who was now missing an arm.
He couldn’t help but think to himself, ‘He really is a ruthless man.’
“Thanks. I didn’t think you would actually keep your promise,” Lin Yue said, his tone natural as he let out a sigh.
“It’s just a dormitory. I could buy ten of them in Avelina. If I say I’m giving it to you, then it’s yours.”
Charles seemed very dissatisfied with Lin Yue’s assessment.
Others called him a playboy, but no one had ever called him stingy.
“Your arm… it can’t be reattached?”
Lin Yue glanced at Charles, surprised that this pretentious man could accept the fact of his amputation so calmly.
“It’s not exactly that…”
It was fortunate that Isabella had used ice magic to keep the limb fresh; otherwise, the arm would have surely lost its vitality over time and turned into a mess.
However, since Lusefer was not in Avelina at the time, Charles’s hand truly could not be reattached for the moment.
Unless he received continuous treatment from a high-level mage and took potions from the Rudel family for a long period, it might be possible to reattach it.
Even if it couldn’t be fixed, it wasn’t a big deal.
At worst, he could buy a prosthetic from Gus.
Magic engineering was developing rapidly now.
In a few years, it might even change the landscape of magic usage across the entire continent.
“I have to receive treatment at home until my hand recovers, so I won’t be coming to school.”
“That said, such a major incident happened in Avelina that my family won’t let me mess around so easily anymore.”
He was the youngest son and the most pampered in his family.
They couldn’t let him follow his whims and risk his life again.
“When are you going back to the Hawke family? You are the legitimate son, after all. They won’t leave you to fend for yourself forever.”
“My family writes to me from time to time, telling me to keep an eye on how you’re doing. It’s likely on behalf of the Hawke family.”
Lin Yue raised an eyebrow.
He had been playing this as a single-player game, and combined with the mental inertia of treating Allen as someone with no background, he hadn’t really thought about relying on the Hawke family.
It seemed he would have to find an opportunity to “go home”…
“I’ll see. I’m doing quite well at school. I’m not missing any arms or legs… Oh, sorry.”
He suddenly remembered there was someone missing an arm right next to him.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you…”
“No, it wasn’t intentional.”
“Tch.”
Charles watched the busy relocation and said with some emotion, “I’ll admit it. You really are much stronger than me. I lost…”
The “strength” he referred to was in all aspects.
Perhaps if Lin Yue had handled the attack at the front gate, he wouldn’t have lost a hand like Charles did.
Lin Yue slowly turned his head, only to find that Charles was saying this with a smile.
‘You’re not bad either; you even had the resolve to lose an arm.’
This was something Lin Yue hadn’t expected.
In the original story, right up until his exit, Charles had never stood up for anyone.
Lin Yue wondered who had changed him.
He didn’t take the bait.
He simply watched the autumn leaves falling in Avelina, a scene of bustling activity, and a sense of longing arose in his heart.
‘It has been nearly half a year since I came to this world. I wonder if she is doing well?’
Although his family regularly sent money to the hospital, he still didn’t feel at ease without confirming it in person.
He was still very determined to return.
Watching the man’s melancholic expression, Charles raised an eyebrow and continued, “I know why Lady Marybelle chose you.”
The topic suddenly shifted to Marybelle.
“You know Marybelle’s identity?”
Charles shook his head and said, “I don’t know the specifics. But a few months ago, there was a ball organized by the Imperial family for the top powers of the continent. As a male of the Pembroke family, I was naturally invited.”
“At that ball, I met Lady Marybelle wearing a mask and caught an accidental glimpse of her face. To be honest, it was the first time I had ever seen such a beautiful woman.”
Everyone who could attend the ball was a treasure within their respective major powers.
To hide their identities, they all wore masks.
It was a format everyone accepted—each power showed a bit of their hand without revealing all their trump cards.
Marybelle’s beauty was of a deep sort, the kind that could drag a person into the abyss.
Perhaps she herself was unaware, but those eyes of hers really seemed to naturally cast charm spells.
Because the impression was so profound, Charles had recognized Marybelle the very first second he entered the cafe in Avelina.
As a gentleman seeking a fair lady, Charles naturally didn’t want to let the opportunity pass.
“She has an outstanding appearance and an extraordinary temperament. Moreover, since she appeared at that ball, a marriage alliance with the Pembroke family wouldn’t have been beneath her.”
However, she had been extremely resistant to his pursuit.
Charles was used to being arrogant and had never met a woman who was so repulsed by him.
He originally thought she treated everyone this way, but he hadn’t expected her to be so close to Lin Yue on the day of the placement exam.
That was why he had been so annoyed with Lin Yue, wanting to see what was so special about him.
In the end, he was truly convinced.
“I’m just a business partner to her. I don’t know anything about her past or background.”
Lin Yue hid the truth out of habit.
After all, Charles was a villain with some influence, so it was better to stay on guard.
“Is that so…”
Charles looked like a man who had seen through the lie but chose not to speak of it.
Aside from Marybelle, the most impressive person he remembered was a woman from the Astrology Society sitting next to the Prince on the presiding platform.
Her eyes were hollow, as if her pupils contained the entire starry sky.
He felt an indescribable sense of familiarity with that woman, a faint feeling that the truth was about to come out, but he just couldn’t put his finger on it.
However, it was undeniable that he found that woman terrifying.
While the two were chatting, a luxurious carriage pulled up behind them.
A hand waved toward Charles.
“It looks like it’s time.”
Charles turned around.
A sudden gust of wind blew his hat to the ground, revealing that his hair had already grown back to its normal length, as if it had never changed.
“You’re not staying for a meal? You are a great hero who protected Avelina, after all.”
As Charles stepped onto the carriage and heard Lin Yue’s words, he replied, “No. That idiot Gus would definitely try to force me to drink. My wound isn’t healed, so I won’t get involved.”
“I see.”
For some reason, there was a sense of loss in the air.
Just as Charles sat down and was about to tell the coachman to set off, an unexpected shout came from behind Lin Yue.
The two looked and saw it was the lackey who had caused trouble for Charles in the cafe.
“Big Brother! Are you really leaving!”
He was running so fast that he slipped and fell to the ground.
Without Charles, they felt as if they had lost their backbone and had been dying of anxiety lately.
Charles nodded, seemingly unable to resist his family’s orders.
“Don’t go! I’ll serve you tea and water! Please don’t… Holy crap!”
“Lin… Lin Yue! Why are you here too?”
Lin Yue also recognized the fellow.
He hadn’t expected him to come and see Charles off; he was actually quite loyal.
Charles looked at the lackey he had kept around since the start of school and sighed.
“You guys should restrain yourselves. Don’t go around offending people while I’m gone. I know now how foolish I used to be.”
“Especially this black-haired freak. Don’t even think about messing with him, or you’ll end up like me… losing a hand and running back with your tail between your legs.”
Looking at this guy, Charles still felt some affection.
He also blamed his initial arrogance for leading them astray.
Because of Lin Yue, he had relearned how to be a proper person.
He didn’t want his old bad habits to influence these people’s way of thinking and turn them into total cannon fodder.
Charles’s gaze finally landed on the calm Lin Yue.
He shook his head and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, “I really do still hate you… Lin Yue Hawke, you arrogant bastard.”
The next time they met, perhaps they would communicate through books.
Recovering from his injury would take a lot of time.
Perhaps… he could write a work that truly satisfied him?
Immediately after, the carriage slowly departed.
The lackey chased after the carriage, leaving Lin Yue standing there.
Charles Pembroke was an impressive fellow.
Seeing that even a minor villain in the game could be changed like this, Lin Yue couldn’t help but feel that this world still held infinite possibilities.
Perhaps he really didn’t need to rely on the original route to go home?
…
“Lin Yue! I’m here… Huh? Isabella?”
“Lin Yue, what are you standing there for… Ariella?”
As he was lost in thought, two familiar voices collided.
He turned around and found two beautifully dressed women looking at each other in shock.
Both of them covered their mouths.
Neither had expected the other to be so breathtakingly beautiful, and they suddenly realized the situation was completely different from what they had imagined.
Meanwhile, a large question mark seemed to pop up over Lin Yue’s head.
“Why are you two… all dressed up?”