She hadn’t said a word, and he had almost forgotten she was there.
Airella was a master of concealing her presence.
When she remained silent, very few people noticed her.
Right… I think I figured out how she managed to sleep in my house without me noticing.
“What is it? You look like someone owes you money.”
Seeing her sulking, Lin Yue could roughly guess why.
“Nobody owes me money…”
Airella wore a look of disappointment, appearing somewhat resentful, like a neglected wife.
“You’ve been quite popular lately…”
She had thought Isabella and Mapeil were the limit of Lin Yue’s philandering, but now all sorts of people were showing up.
One was even living with him.
It made her chest feel tight.
One had to understand that as long as a maid was young and beautiful, serving a young noble closely, even the most reserved girl wouldn’t last a month.
Moreover, Lin Yue’s looks and physique made him a top-tier catch.
Even she couldn’t resist him, so how could a maid?
“What’s wrong? Are you unhappy?”
Lin Yue’s voice carried a hint of tenderness and patience.
If he were the person who had first transmigrated here a few months ago, he never would have said such things.
As he had said, he was changing too.
Airella nodded, taking it as an admission.
“If you have an opinion next time, feel free to bring it up. I’ll listen…”
Hearing Lin Yue coax her made her feel a bit better, but she still felt a lack of confidence.
“How would I dare to speak? Liya is already angry at you because of me. If I tried to stop you, wouldn’t I just be causing you more trouble?”
She had no official title or status, not even as a rumored girlfriend.
Intervening directly would feel like she overstepped her bounds.
“Then go ahead and cause trouble for me.”
Lin Yue cupped Airella’s cheeks, just like he had done in the mental space.
“We are companions, aren’t we?”
Airella slowly raised her head, feeling the warmth radiating from his hands.
Suddenly, all the grievances in her heart vanished, replaced only by the joy of her romantic feelings being satisfied.
“Look at you, rushing around. You forgot to wipe your mouth.”
Lin Yue chuckled, wiping away a crumb from the corner of her lips.
“Mm… That’s right, hee hee…”
She also placed her hands on Lin Yue’s face and said, “You’re quite careless yourself…”
As he watched Airella mimic him by rubbing her thumb against the corner of his mouth, he wondered if he had missed a spot.
Mwah!
A sudden wet, soft sensation on his cheek made him freeze.
“You…”
By the time Lin Yue reacted, Airella had already made a face and was running toward her dormitory, leaving the idiot to savor her little reward.
‘That girl…’
Lin Yue let out a soft laugh, suddenly feeling much better.
Airella was the color that belonged only to him, and that was something that would never change.
…
“Melinda… what kind of scheme is that old man Loserf cooking up now? He actually spared you to be a personal maid.”
Liya floated in the air, eating cookies as she spoke casually.
Melinda was the daughter of her teacher and two years older than her.
She was like a big sister figure to Liya and someone Headmaster Loserf doted on like a daughter.
This was the first time she had been sent to serve someone since becoming a maid, and it was under Loserf’s personal orders.
It was safe to say Lin Yue’s treatment was strangely good.
“You certainly talk much more than you used to.”
Melinda dodged the question.
As she cleaned up the remains of yesterday’s party, she marveled at the changes in her mother’s disciple—the girl who was two years younger than her yet stood at the peak of the magic world.
Remembering Liya’s previous gloom and silence, Melinda began to wonder what had caused such a change.
“I talk more… do I?”
Liya looked at Melinda, who was busy working with her head down, and a strange thought suddenly popped into her mind: ‘Is she going to join the family of my disciples’ wives too?’
“Her temperature has dropped. There is no immediate danger for now.”
“However, even an experienced Healing Magus has never seen such a complicated ailment… Perhaps you should seek help from Headmaster Loserf.”
Lin Yue leaned against the doorframe of Lillian’s hospital room, his arms crossed.
“I see… Thank you.”
The nursing maid stood up and bowed, then walked out of the room.
When she saw Lin Yue, she paused.
“You are… Ah, I’m sorry!”
Recognizing the black-haired, brown-eyed outlier and remembering the rumors about the “Harem Devil,” she hurried away, afraid of being targeted by him.
‘See? This is how normal people react to me. Why are there maids willing to kneel just to work at my mansion?’
Perhaps that was why only Melinda was willing to come?
As Lin Yue’s thoughts drifted, Allen, who had been guarding Lillian’s bedside, happened to walk out.
He spotted Lin Yue standing there.
“Lin Yue…”
Allen seemed surprised.
He hadn’t expected Lin Yue to be the first one to come visit.
His gratitude was mixed with a hint of confusion.
“Let’s talk outside.”
Lin Yue knew something must have happened outside his field of vision.
He gave Allen a look.
This was a ward; they couldn’t be noisy.
Allen realized Lin Yue had a lead.
His expression darkened.
He whispered an apology to the sleeping Lillian and followed Lin Yue out.
“What kind of enemies did you encounter at the main gate of Avelina?”
There were many blue irises in the infirmary garden, seemingly planted in memory of someone.
The two leaned against the railing, preparing to cross-reference their information.
“Besides the Arpos army, was there a group of people wearing white robes?”
Allen was stunned.
Lin Yue hadn’t participated in the battle directly, so how did he know this so clearly?
Recalling what Lin Yue had said to him at the tavern, he couldn’t help but accept the anomaly.
After all, when the Nightingale people gave him intelligence, they would also give him advice for no apparent reason.
Not only was it useful, but some of it hit the mark perfectly, as if they had some sort of prophetic ability.
The world did have things that could predict the future, but they were far too rare.
They were either in the hands of the royal family or monopolized by the Astrology Association.
Commoners and even nobles had no chance of touching them.
This Nightingale organization was truly unique, which was why he had chosen to join.
Having no power or influence himself, he had to utilize every resource available.
“At the main gate… before Charles released his high-level magic, a person in white robes knocked Lillian unconscious…”
However, because nothing seemed wrong afterward and she had woken up normally, no one had thought much of it.
“Tch…”
This was bad.
Lin Yue began to recall the original plot.
He remembered that Lillian only resonated with the snow mountain springs because of the dungeon’s characteristics after they opened the Snow Mountain arc.
Only then did the Holy See discover her special constitution.
That event became the primary motivation for Allen’s future growth.
Sefina hadn’t even enrolled yet, and things had already turned out like this.
It was an unexpected development among unexpected developments—a locked door with no key.
He didn’t know how to handle it.
“Lin Yue… if you have a way, please tell me…” Allen said, lowering his head as if he had lost all confidence.
“I… I can’t do anything. I boasted that I would protect her and give her the confidence to do what she wanted, yet I still…”
Lin Yue frowned slightly and stood up.
“Perhaps you can try going there.”
Allen grabbed Lin Yue’s wrist tightly and said in a low, humble voice, “Tell me… Lillian is the most important person to me.”
Lin Yue looked up and saw the expression in Allen’s eyes.
It was as if he were seeing his past self.
‘You must be the patient’s family. We did our best… but…’
‘She might be in a vegetative state for the rest of her life.’
‘Allen…’
Lin Yue looked away and spoke slowly, “The Kalimdor Icefield… there might be hope for a cure there.”
The place Lin Yue mentioned was the mid-stage dungeon from the original work: the Snow Mountain.
Due to Saintess Sefina’s special constitution and the fact that she hadn’t broken through in a long time, the Holy Pool at the summit would further promote her growth and activate the power within her.
Therefore, negotiations would be held with Avelina again, hoping to trade the resources gained from the expedition for her freedom of movement.
The Snow Mountain was the place with the most rare resources on the entire continent.
Raw materials for Gus’s magic tools, crystals for staves, and various rare medicinal herbs were all things that were hard to find on the market.
The mana stones that played a crucial role in the Forbidden Demonic Beast incident could only be obtained above the mountainside, making them exceptionally precious.
“The Kalimdor Icefield…”
Allen was stunned.
He knew that place was a notoriously dangerous area on the continent.
Even Level 4 or Level 5 experts sometimes failed to make it out.
But…
He absolutely could not sit still and leave a ticking time bomb inside Lillian.
“However, the season isn’t right. I suggest you wait until next summer… Or maybe you should ask Loserf for help first? At least you’ll have some idea of what to expect.”
Lin Yue was about to advise him to stay calm and wait for Sefina to enroll.
After processing the information, Allen remained silent for a few seconds.
Despite his reluctance, curiosity outweighed everything else.
“Lin Yue… why do you know so much?”
“Asking too many questions isn’t a good habit, but… I’m truly confused.”
The conversation at the tavern and the events during the class advancement exam had caused him significant confusion regarding Lin Yue’s identity and abilities.
“Do you really want to know that badly?”
Allen nodded.
Even if he were dragged into a bottomless abyss because of it, he would accept it.
Lin Yue took a deep breath.
He had long prepared a way to deal with Allen’s questioning.
This shield would have to be used long-term in the future.
Lin Yue raised his left hand, and the Nightingale symbol slowly began to glow.
“Because… I am also a Nightingale.”
In the darkness, a mysterious figure in purple robes sat in the middle of star tracks, stirring the positions of the stars.
Everything was normal today, proceeding toward the place the prophecy indicated.
Except…
The mysterious figure slowly turned her head to look at a chaotic star.
It was pulling several extremely important star tracks toward an unknown direction.
“Chaos…”
She slowly reached out her hand, cupping it in her palm.
“Like an abyss, it guides destiny toward a future that no one can predict.”
The Nightingale mark on her hand glowed intensely.
She slowly raised her hand.
Her eyes, covered by a white cloth, seemed as if their vision were not obstructed at all.
As expected, macro-level predictions were meaningless.
She had calculated the star charts thousands of times, yet this was the first time she had encountered such a situation.
“The one who carries the weight of chaos… our meeting seems… fated…”
She looked at the star track representing herself and found that the chaos was already close, right before her eyes.
“I look forward to meeting you…”