Ain couldn't recall ever offending the woman in front of him.
Belinda—this name seemed to have appeared in the plot of Act Two.
Who was she again?
For a moment, Ain couldn't remember her identity.
“With all due respect, the Titan Prosecution Office has absolutely no reason to arrest me.”
“Besides, my disciplinary notice states very clearly that the final judgment will be handed down next month. What are you looking for me now for?”
Belinda smiled faintly, a trace of coldness flashing in her eyes.
“Chapter Four, Article Twelve of the Titan Prosecution Office Disciplinary Regulations: all members have the right to suppress and arrest criminals who use forbidden magic to harm others.”
“Is that reason enough?”
Before her voice could fade, Belinda grabbed the portable wand at her waist, and a massive fireball materialized in the air.
“Fajro! (Fire!)”
As the incantation ended, the fireball instantly shot toward Ain and Lillian.
“Get out of the way!”
Lillian shouted, immediately pulling out the wand at her waist and pointing it at the fireball.
“Vento! (Wind)”
“Trancu! (Cut!)”
A white magic circle appeared at the tip of her wand, and the incoming fireball was blown apart by the powerful gust of wind that erupted from it.
“What are you doing?!”
“As a member of the Titan Prosecution Office, you actually dare to attack underclassmen? Are you insane?!”
Lillian's face was filled with disbelief.
Belinda did not stop there. Instead, she spoke with an air of complete self-righteousness.
“Unfortunately, you are not innocent students.”
Ain instantly understood her objective.
“You want to provoke me into resisting, and then use that as an excuse to frame me with fabricated charges?”
Belinda did not reply, and Lillian suddenly came to a realization.
Ain smiled contemptuously and said,
“Heh, I think before that happens, your actions will quickly catch the attention of the academy instructors.”
Ain looked at Lillian beside him.
“Besides, I have a witness.”
If he resisted, given the original host's previous use of forbidden magic, any defense he made would still put him at a disadvantage.
He might even be accused of using forbidden magic once again.
After all, his criminal record was right there.
But Lillian was different; she didn't have any prior record.
Belinda remained silent, slowly pulling a small bottle from her pocket.
As she popped open the cap, the fragrance inside the bottle drifted into the air.
“I said, you are both sinners.”
The fragrance reached Ain's nose. Although he had never smelled this scent before, he could recognize its components.
Mint, ink, and floral notes.
He seemed to recall seeing a special potion in the game that emitted these exact scents simultaneously.
Suddenly, an unusual sensation came from Ain's right hand.
It was Mordred's crest.
【Contract Spirit: Mordred】
【HP: Uncomfortable (Slowly recovering)】
【MP: 6789/7479 (Steadily increasing)】
【Status: Mania (Negative effect)】
【Description: Mind disturbed, possesses a strong desire for destruction】
“Mania?”
Before Ain could figure it out, Lillian beside him seemed to lose all her strength and collapsed against him.
“Lillian?!”
The young girl's eyes were tightly shut, her face pale, and her small mouth gasped for air as if she were having trouble breathing.
“Ain, I feel... a bit sick.”
“I want to leave here...”
The girl murmured. Two beast ears emerged from her purple hair, and a purple, diamond-shaped cross mark glowed on her neck.
This was the precursor to witchification.
Connecting this to Mordred's mania, Ain finally remembered the name Belinda.
Belinda, a third-year student, a Tier 3 Mage.
Just like the original Ain, she was also a mentally twisted lunatic. As long as someone offended Erylin, she would eliminate them at all costs.
She was an antagonist NPC in the Act Two plot, and the trigger that caused Lillian to lose control.
And the small bottle in Belinda's hand was actually the key item that triggered the chaos of Act Two: Soul-Shattering Howl!
She wanted to make Lillian lose control!
That way, she would have a reason to make a move on Lillian!
Damn it, wasn't this plot supposed to happen weeks later?
Why had the timeline advanced so much?!
“Oh my... Lillian, you know, only your current appearance makes me feel at ease.”
Belinda's face was full of smiles.
“You were originally just a domesticated beast! A mad dog that could hurt Erylin at any moment!”
Ain's fists clenched tightly, a flash of anger crossing his eyes.
“Tondro! (Thunder!)”
A purple magic circle materialized in front of him, and a burst of lightning struck directly at Belinda's right hand.
Although Belinda quickly withdrew her right hand, the bottle was still shattered by the lightning.
【Tier 1 Magic: Lightning Strike】
【MP Cost: 100】
【MP: 197/297 (Steadily recovering)】
He could actually cast magic without relying on a wand?!
Belinda stared at Ain in shock.
Without giving her time to react, Ain's next spell was already arriving.
“Fajro! (Fire!)”
A fireball shot toward Belinda.
To be precise, it shot toward the already shattered bottle.
“Vento! (Wind!)”
Gusts of wind carrying the fragrance permeating the air rapidly gathered toward the bottle, and the fireball grew larger and larger.
“Puso! (Impact!)”
As the word left his mouth, the fireball exploded instantly. A scorching heatwave swept across the area, completely dispersing the strange fragrance in the air.
The mark on Lillian's neck also stopped glowing.
【MP: 3/297 (Steadily recovering)】
A few seconds later, the MP on the panel instantly surged back from 3 to 297.
Ain breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as Mordred's mana was not depleted, his own mana could recover rapidly.
The only downside was that he could only cast spells with a mana cost lower than 297.
【Mordred has regained its sanity!】
【Sensing that you resolved the crisis, Mordred's Trust Level has increased by twenty percent!】
【Current Trust Level: 65%】
【Mordred's convertible mana value has increased!】
【Current convertible mana: 631】
【MP: 631/631】
Over six hundred mana!
You've been a huge help, Mordred!
Ain hastily placed Lillian on a nearby park bench and immediately began chanting.
“Kresku (Nourish).”
“Purigo (Purify).”
As the incantation ended, two green magic circles materialized above the girl's head.
Fortunately, Lillian had not fully undergone witchification.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be something that could be resolved with just two low-tier healing spells.
As the smoke and dust cleared, Belinda, who had been at the center of the explosion, slowly walked out from behind an ice wall, showing no signs of injury.
“Resisting arrest and attempting to harm an officer... I think your charges can be made a bit more severe.”
“Maliciously using forbidden magic, releasing unidentified potions within the academy...”
Belinda once again gripped her wand, which had fallen to the side, and pointed its tip at Ain.
“However, you are somewhat different from what's written in the files. Are you really just a Tier 1 Mage with a minuscule amount of mana?”
Ain sneered.
“The files are a bit outdated.”
“After using forbidden magic last time, I no longer had any mana left.”
“Tsk, full of lies.”
Ain exhaled slowly and said in a deep voice,
“Since the charges are already established, does that mean it doesn't matter how I resist from now on?”
Ain didn't care at all what kind of blame she would pin on him afterward.
Right now, he just wanted to give her a thorough beating.
Rate on N.U.
