Ain was all too familiar with the story depicted on the murals.
Hundreds of years ago, the last witch had disappeared in exactly this manner.
And the banshee on the card was the very imagery that represented the witch.
And now, the witch was residing inside Lillian.
The Banshee had been referring to Lillian all along!
Stroking the card of unknown origin with his fingertips, Ain felt as though a clump of cold, waterlogged cotton had been stuffed into his chest.
The bitterness and unease in his heart quietly spread out along the eerie face of the card.
“Only specific materials can be inscribed with magic circuits.”
“And such materials usually only appear in underground mineral veins.”
Before his voice could even fade, Ain stepped toward the center of the area surrounded by murals.
An ancient stone altar sat quietly there. Carved onto its surface was the silhouette of a person, but the area where the heart should be was eerily sunken into a hollow void.
If they were willing to sacrifice Sevis, there had to be a reward far exceeding his worth that the academy was striving to obtain!
A terrifying thought took shape in Ain's mind.
“We should be inside some sort of ruins right now.”
Ain's gaze fell upon the stone altar once more.
“Based on what was shown at the very end of the murals, if I'm not mistaken, this should be the place to unlock the ruins.”
“And the required sacrifice just happens to be...”
“...the witch's heart.”
At this point, the entire truth had become clear.
The only factions that appeared in Act Two were the Nightingale Secret Order and the Golden Branch Academy.
Since the former had already admitted they didn't want to hurt Lillian, who else could have caused Lillian's death in the original game?
Did he still refuse to believe it?
“Hehe... Hahaha!”
Ain slumped to the ground, his back leaning heavily against the cold stone altar.
He raised a hand to cover his eyes tightly, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably. A low, raspy laugh escaped from between his fingers, carrying an indescribable sense of absurdity and self-mockery.
How disgusting...
How disgusting, how absolutely disgusting!
In the game, Ain would always remember the ending CG of Act Two.
Even when her chest was ruthlessly pierced and her clothes were stained red with blood, the girl who should have bloomed in the sunlight still maintained her usual gentle smile, gazing at Erylin with her final breath.
Yet, that body, which should have been treated gently by fate, had its heart gouged out alive and brought here along with despair.
“I originally thought that as long as I investigated the Nightingale Secret Order, I could prevent the ending of Act Two...”
“But in reality, the riot is fake, the Nightingale Secret Order's attack is fake, and even the truth behind Lillian's death is nothing more than a grand scam staged by the academy!”
Ain desperately wanted to tell himself that he was just making wild assumptions without any evidence.
But having learned Divination Magic, countless voices echoed in his mind, all telling him without exception that his guess was correct.
The plotlines he knew so well turned out to be nothing but a hypocritical facade in the end!
What were the academy's higher-ups thinking? What did they want to do? He had no idea!
“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”
Ain struck the ground in agony, a trace of bewilderment flickering in his eyes.
【Character Status】
【HP: Healthy】
【MP: 1331/1331】
【Currently Usable Magic Tier: Tier 3】
【Negative Status: Mana Leakage】
【Mana Source: Scale of Astral Judgment (Switchable)】
...
His maximum mana was only a little over 1,300. Even with the boost from the Scale of Astral Judgment, the magic he could use was only at Tier 3.
If his opponent were at Tier 4, he might be able to put up a fight.
But what if they were at Tier 5, or even Tier 6?
If the academy truly wanted to murder Lillian, with his current abilities, did he really have the right to resist?
What else could he do now?
Ain's gaze lowered, his eyes filled with absolute gloom.
It had only been a few days since he transmigrated into this world, yet what had he accomplished?
Pushing the plot forward? Avoiding bad options?
Why was he even doing these things?
Lillian was merely a boss in the game, a minor character who influenced the female lead's growth. What did her death have to do with him?
Why was he trying so hard?
Even if he hadn't transmigrated, she would still die. This was her destined ending. Why couldn't he just accept it?
Yeah, why?
...
Did the story really have to end in only this one way?
What was he thinking when he was playing this game?
Countless thoughts battered Ain's brain, crushing all of his rational defenses.
“Mr. Ain.”
Rosalind leaned in close to Ain at this moment, reaching out to gently cup his face.
Ain let out a bitter laugh.
“I think... I don't really know what to do anymore...”
Ain murmured. Powerlessness, pain, guilt, unease... all sorts of extreme emotions erupted from his chest, tightly squeezing his heart.
Suddenly, these emotions seemed to find an outlet, rushing outward frantically like an opened floodgate.
Ain felt a sudden warmth on his lips.
His pupils contracted sharply as he stared wide-eyed at the girl in front of him, whose eyes were gently closed. Nothing but unbelievable shock remained in his gaze.
After a moment of warmth, the girl finally drew back slowly. Their breaths mingled, and as their lips parted, a glistening silver thread still lingered between them, faintly stretching as they parted, as if recording everything that had just occurred.
Rosalind lowered her eyes slightly, gently folding her hands over her soft chest.
She quietly gazed at Ain, her eyes seemingly overflowing with an indissoluble tenderness.
“I felt your pain...”
“Right now, this seems to be the only thing I can do for you.”
Ain stared blankly at the girl before him.
“What... what was that?”
Rosalind naturally reached out, her fingertips running through his messy hair before smoothing out his wrinkled collar. She looked just like the most ordinary maid in a manor, patiently tidying up her master's appearance.
“This is a special magic. It came from my mother, and now it has been passed down to me.”
“It allows me to share your negative emotions.”
“Do you feel a bit better now?”
Seeing that Ain didn't reply, Rosalind continued on her own, “You don't have to worry. This is the first time I've ever used this magic.”
“In other words, this is my first...”
“No, wait, I didn't ask about that!”
Ain waved his hands in a bit of a panic, his mind snapping back to alertness.
Feeling that his previous chaotic emotions had dissipated significantly, Ain spoke in surprise, “This magic is really...”
Special? Miraculous?
No, no, that wasn't the point.
Why on earth did the method of activation have to be like this?
Compared to Ain, Rosalind's expression didn't ripple in the slightest, as if that intimate exchange was nothing more than a gentle breeze brushing past her collar, completely unworthy of leaving any trace behind.
“You don't need to take it to heart. This was merely a minor intervention to calm the anxiety in your heart.”
“Is that... so?”
Rosalind nodded gently.
“You seem to have been working hard toward a goal all this time, yet you feel lost.”
“I don't know how to comfort you, but I think there must still be things you need to do right now.”
“If you still feel a bit unwell, I can...”
Ain's hands gently landed on her shoulders. Applying a bit of force, he slowly pushed the girl away from him.
He gazed at her with a complicated expression.
“Why are you doing all of this for me?”
Rosalind spoke calmly.
“There is no particular reason.”
“I just don't want to see you make such a painful face.”
“You seem... very lonely.”
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