What on earth happened? Did I fail to stop that ending?
And why did she mention Lillian? Could she have something to do with Lillian's past?
I only changed the ending of Act Two, so why would Lillian be connected to someone like Grace, who should have absolutely nothing to do with her?
Damn it, it makes no sense at all!
“Lola, just now I...”
“Stop, stop, stop! Don't say it out loud!”
Lola quickly covered Ain's mouth, her expression incredibly serious.
“If you say it out loud, the scenes you saw might turn out even worse.”
“So I can only stand by and watch those scenes play out?”
“Of course not. You can make different choices. However, you cannot reveal a single word to anyone—not even a tiny bit!”
“Are those scenes connected to each other?”
Lola shook her head.
“There shouldn't be any connection.”
“Then when will they happen? A year from now?”
Lola lowered her head in thought for a moment, then said in a low voice, “Maybe in a month... or maybe three.”
“That soon?!”
Ain gasped in surprise.
Lola asked curiously, “So, what did you see?”
Ain was somewhat speechless.
“Didn't you just say I can't tell anyone?”
“I'm a Senior Diviner! Tier 6! Tier 6, you know! What's a little fate going to do to me!”
Seeing Ain's flat stare, as if he knew she was boasting, Lola's face flushed slightly. She cleared her throat a few times and spoke again, “Just use an analogy. You don't have to tell me the specific details.”
“Anything goes?”
“Yeah.”
Ain looked up at the sky, recalling the plot of an anime.
“Uh, I had a dream before. There was this school where the male protagonist liked the female lead and asked his female friend to play matchmaker. But that female friend also liked the male lead, and then...”
“You got with both Erylin and Lillian?!”
“Cough, cough, cough! Yo-you... didn't you say I couldn't tell anyone!”
“Who told you to use such an analogy! And don't be fooled by Erylin's sweet personality—if you dare to be that unfaithful, she'd probably stab you to death with a knife!”
“Holy crap! Can you stop saying such terrifying things?!”
To keep Lola from catching on, Ain had only summarized the anime in his head, deliberately keeping the original character relationships intact.
But he hadn't expected Lola to guess it directly before he even finished speaking!
Seemingly unconcerned about Ain's future fate, Lola looked as if she hadn't had her fill of gossip, clicking her tongue from time to time.
“Oh my, if those guys at the academy found out their goddess had been bagged... it would probably cause an even bigger panic than this one, wouldn't it?”
As if imagining something incredibly amusing, stars practically sparkled in Lola's eyes.
“Hey, hey, is there more? Did you guys do it? No way... with that look on your face, you really did it? How long did it last? By the way, are you actually any good? Did you try any weird positions? Don't tell me you were double-teaming them? Wow, not bad, you really know how to play.”
Lola laughed and patted Ain on the shoulder.
Double-teaming, my foot!
Ain felt nothing but disdain for the girl in front of him right now.
And here he thought she could offer some actual advice, but she was purely here for the entertainment!
“So, now that I've told you all these things I shouldn't have, what's going to happen next?”
Lola shrugged, looking completely indifferent.
“It'll get worse. Hmm... maybe you'll get stabbed to death by Erylin?”
“Can you stop talking about that!”
Ain's mind was filled with unpleasant memories.
Why of all things did he have to think of that anime...
Ain waved his hand, no longer in the mood to continue chatting with her.
“We'll worry about the future when it comes. I just want to go back and sleep now. By the way, what kind of species are you, anyway?”
“Want to know? Why don't you guess?”
“Hmm... there shouldn't be any cat-girls in this world, right? You're not some kind of monster who's lived for thousands of years and can freely change your appearance and body shape... Hey, I was just kidding! Don't—!”
Ain was kicked flying by the girl.
After that, the two chatted idly as they walked side by side toward the exit of the Echo Forest.
A large crowd of teachers and students had already gathered outside the forest, interspersed with quite a few members of Hermetica and Persephone.
Just as the two were about to step out of the forest, a voice rose above all the noise, clearly reaching everyone's ears.
“Lillian is already fine! There won't be any more trouble!”
Erylin held out her arm, shielding Lillian firmly behind her. Directly ahead of them, a middle-aged man wearing the high-ranking uniform of the Titan Prosecution Office stood coldly.
“Miss Erylin, I don't wish to make things difficult for anyone. I simply have a few procedural questions that require Miss Lillian's cooperation in our investigation.”
With that, Cyril produced an investigation warrant stamped with the official seal of the Titan Prosecution Office, holding it up for everyone to see.
“I am merely performing my routine duty, conducting a temporary custody review of an individual who may pose a threat to public safety.”
“Miss Lillian, at what time did you enter the Echo Forest tonight? Whom did you come into contact with? Did you experience any physical discomfort?”
Cyril smiled gently, looking highly amiable, as if he truly cared about a student's well-being.
But in Erylin's eyes, this smile was utterly hypocritical!
Simple-minded as she was, Erylin could see right through him. Cyril's series of seemingly concerned questions was actually a subtle warning to all the surrounding students that Lillian might be dangerous!
Ain had already told her that tonight's incident was very likely connected to the Titan Prosecution Office!
Thus, the Arbiter's presence here was highly unlikely to be for a mere custody review!
Erylin would rather defy her superiors and willingly accept punishment than allow anyone to take Lillian away from her side at this moment!
“I...”
“She is perfectly fine!”
Erylin bit her lower lip, her eyes filled with absolute determination.
“I understand your desire to protect your friend, Miss Erylin, but as a member of the Typhon Chain, isn't this behavior rather inappropriate...?”
Cyril suddenly took a step closer, his hawk-like gaze locking onto Erylin, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority.
“Forgive my bluntness, but how can you use your personal feelings as a shield?”
“The premise of protecting someone is that you must never drag others into the fire! What, just to satisfy your own selfish desires, you would disregard the lives of all these students present?!”
“Does your current behavior truly befit a member of the Typhon Chain?!”
Erylin clenched her fists, remaining silent.
Cyril sighed.
“I do not wish for this either, Miss Erylin, but everyone here saw it—tonight's panic was indeed caused by Miss Lillian.”
“If you refuse to cooperate, I will have no choice but to report this as 'interference with law enforcement,' and your status as an enrolled student will be re-evaluated.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding students erupted, and an uncontrollable commotion immediately rippled through the crowd.
“No way, is Senior Erylin really going to be demoted to a guest student?”
“That can't be! She's contributed so much to the academy!”
“But the Arbiter is right! They're just holding the witch temporarily, it's not like they're going to do anything to her. Senior Erylin is being way too stubborn!”
“How can you say that? That girl is her long-time friend, so it's only natural to argue over this. Senior Erylin isn't a saint.”
Seeing the murmurs grow louder, a satisfied smile appeared on Cyril's face.
A petite female student plucked up her courage, walked over to Erylin, tugged at her sleeve, and said, “Senior Erylin, we all understand how you feel.”
“As long as she's safe, that's what matters. Once the review is over, the Arbiter will naturally let Lillian go!”
Erylin said nothing. Her gaze swept over the crowd, and every student lowered their head or looked away, none of them daring to meet her eyes.
They were too tired, too frightened, and too desperate for an explanation. Thus, they preferred to believe the most convenient answer.
Lillian was a witch, and witches brought disaster.
In the eyes of these students, it wasn't that they wanted to hurt Lillian, but rather that she herself was unsafe.
Convincing oneself never required evidence—only enough people nodding in agreement.
“Isn't it just because Senior Erylin has a personal relationship with her that she refuses to hand her over?!”
“Senior Erylin! There's no need to go this far!”
More and more voices began to surround Erylin and Lillian. The latter tried to take a step forward, but Erylin firmly blocked her.
Seeing this scene, Ain looked at Lola with extreme displeasure.
“Hey, the Titan Prosecution Office is bullying people right on your doorstep. Is this your territory or theirs?”
“Setting everything else aside, I already helped you save Lillian. No one is in your way now, right?”
“If you can't even handle this, your status as a high-ranking official seems like a total joke.”
Lola was naturally furious too. She stomped her foot in an adorable manner.
“No need to tell me! They're just a bunch of bugs who only care about profit! That Wesley guy even had the nerve to try and negotiate with me, asking me to teach Sevis...”
“Sevis?”
“N-nothing!”
Lola waved her hands in a panic.
Suddenly, Ain seemed to spot something. A smile played on his lips as he stepped in front of Lola.
“Never mind, I'll go.”
“Just make sure to back me up when the time comes.”
【Please shatter that filthy prejudice and deliver the true guidance to the world.】
“Come to think of it, I've been wanting to settle some accounts with the Prosecution Office anyway.”
“First, they push my Boss out, and now they're bullying people right in front of me. This is really...”
“Quite infuriating.”
Rate on N.U.
