To think that the key characters who died in Act Two and Act Three both came from the Knight family.
Should he call it a family of outstanding talents?
Ain looked at the document in his hand, his brow furrowed.
《Transfer Student Recommendation List》
Name: Grace Knight
This was what Wesley had hidden that day?
Ain couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly.
Things were getting more and more troublesome.
Could Act Two and Act Three of the original game actually be connected?
The only reason players felt the main storylines of these two acts were completely unrelated was because the death of Lillian, a key character in Act Two, created a sense of narrative fragmentation and misdirection.
In that case, what role would the surviving Lillian play in Act Three?
And what was the connection between her childhood birthday banquet and Grace?
“Hello, what kind of help do you need?”
Grace smiled as she spoke, as if everything she had just endured was not even worth mentioning.
“Gra—”
Just as Ain was about to speak, he instinctively cut off his train of thought.
Blindly revealing information to others would only make the future outcome even worse.
“Uh... haha. I heard the Saintess was here today, so I just came out of curiosity to see what the legendary Saintess looks like. Sorry to bother you, I don't actually have anything I need help with.”
Before obtaining that crucial information, he couldn't have any contact with Grace!
He had to leave this place first!
Just as Ain was about to turn and leave, Grace quickly stepped forward. Without giving him a chance to refuse, she gently took his right hand into her palm. Under Ain's astonished gaze, she tilted her head up slightly, her voice as soft as water.
“The world is always like this. At the crossroads of fate, it is only natural to feel timid and try to escape the sins of one's soul.”
“The Goddess exists to guide all living beings, redeeming us from our past suffering.”
“Please, feel free to speak your mind. This is also my duty.”
Ain was about to refuse when he was stunned to see several lines of striking magic runes suddenly appear out of thin air on the document in his hand.
【Among the countless paths leading to fate, blind cowardice and stagnation will only cause the future's trajectory to freeze completely in endless regret.】
【The less action you take, the more unchangeable the future outcome will become.】
【Lola: I put this on you this time!】
“What is it? Is there something on this paper...”
“Nothing! It's nothing!”
Ain hurriedly stuffed the document into his pocket.
It would be disastrous if she discovered this!
As Ain waved his hands awkwardly, he recalled the hint Lola had just left him.
Was she telling him not to be too hesitant?
The moment his eyes met Grace's, Ain's pupils contracted sharply. The suffocating scene from the third image crashed into his mind without warning, and the gradually cooling temperature of the person in his arms and the heart-wrenching grief flooded over him once more.
Ain clutched his head in pain, his face turning pale.
“Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
Grace asked, her face full of concern.
Whatever, so what if they interacted early!
“I... do have something on my mind.”
“Someone I cared about died in my arms.”
Grace froze for a moment, only managing to speak after a few seconds.
“Was she willing?”
“I don't know, but I... didn't want her to die.”
“Was she very important to you?”
“...Yes.”
Feeling the painful emotions radiating from the third image, Ain added,
“Very important.”
Grace appeared gentle on the surface, but she had already made her judgment.
Having heard too many secret thoughts, she had long since built an archive for all kinds of people in her heart.
Someone like Ain was merely a typical avoidant personality.
The so-called confessions and apologies were nothing but hypocritical rehearsals.
Who would be willing to die for someone like him?
People's hearts were murky; the emotions they showed on the surface were nothing but disguises for their inner guilt.
Grace comforted Ain in a soft, gentle voice, but her fingertips were already quietly channeling mana in the dark.
This was the very magic that had allowed her to strip away the hypocritical masks of the merchant and the noble lady at a glance.
“Let me see what kind of secrets are hidden in the depths of your heart...”
“And just how much murkiness has accumulated in your fate?”
The same holy light as before emerged in Grace's hand once again.
The young girl wanted to say something, but after only a single second, her pupils dilated instantly, and her entire body froze in place.
“How is this possible...”
Grace murmured softly, her gaze finally stopping its wandering. She raised her eyelids slightly, re-evaluating the person before her.
How could there be a heart I cannot see through?
Who on earth is he!
For the first time, a flicker of hesitation appeared in Grace's eyes.
Her magic had actually failed?
“What's wrong?”
Seeing Ain's puzzled look, Grace shook her head gently, her face still wearing her standard smile.
“It is nothing. The Goddess says that none of what happened in the past is your fault...”
As she spoke, Grace increased the output of her spell.
A few seconds later, as if she had glimpsed something unspeakable, the holy light in her hand suddenly exploded, and the magical effect dissolved along with it.
The girl looked as if all her strength had been drained, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.
He... He actually has...!
“Are you alright, Lady Saintess?”
Ain reached out and firmly supported the girl, a trace of concern in his eyes.
Grace stood up with his help and gave him a deep look, but in the end, she did not say another word.
Once her breathing stabilized, the two shifted to chatting about trivial matters, as if nothing had happened.
After ten minutes or so, Ain waved goodbye.
They had interacted enough.
As Ain was leaving, Grace called out to him one last time.
“You said earlier... your name is Ain, correct?”
“Yes.”
“And you said... you are going to the southern city-state of Demorola for this summer break?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“No, no, I was just confirming. I will be going there for the next month as well. If you have any troubles you cannot resolve, you can find me at the largest church in the area.”
Ain was slightly startled.
What a coincidence.
“I will.”
Only after confirming that Ain had walked completely out of sight did the perfect smile on Grace's lips fade.
The girl lowered her head slightly, dark emotions swirling in her once-clear eyes, as if she were shrouded in a haze.
“To think he carries the aura of a witch...”
Grace sighed, looking back at the Goddess's statue behind her once more.
“O Goddess, please put your mind, and the mind of your messenger, at ease.”
“I will personally put an end to all of this disgusting mess.”
A cold glint flashed in the girl's eyes.
“Ain, we will definitely meet again.”
“And when that time comes, I will kill you with my own hands.”
...
By the time Ain returned to the dormitory building, it was already evening.
Traveling from the academy to the church outside the city and back had drained most of Ain's energy for the day.
“I got chewed out by Senior Emil...”
Ain massaged his temples, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
“It feels like my reputation is completely beyond saving in everyone's eyes now.”
After the end-of-term ceremony, Ain was supposed to go with Emil to pick up their assignments. However, because he failed to return to the academy in time, he completely missed this important appointment.
His actions this time not only drew criticism from the students but also angered most of the instructors in the Typhon Chain.
“Sigh, I can only go find Senior tomorrow to get the assignment sheet.”
Mumbling to himself, Ain walked up the stairs.
Almost all the students had already left the dormitory. Ain could only hear the sound of his own footsteps echoing through the building, making everything feel incredibly quiet.
A moment later, Ain pulled a card suspended by a thin string from his pocket.
To prevent cards from being swapped or hidden on him again, Lola had given him this Card of Canal after he returned to the academy.
【17】 The Star
“The card Lola gave me... should count as a protective amulet, I guess. I wonder if it actually works.”
“Hmm?”
As Ain approached his dorm room, he noticed a figure standing in front of his door.
“Lillian? What are you doing here?”
Since it was the holidays, the academy's rules regarding male and female students being in the same building had been relaxed, tacitly allowing students to help each other pack their things.
Ain took out his key and walked straight to the dorm door.
“Ah, sorry about that. Didn't you say you wanted to talk to me after the end-of-term ceremony? Something urgent came up, and once I got busy, I completely forgot.”
Ain inserted the key into the lock, turned his wrist, and pushed open the dorm door. Lillian stood quietly by his side, her gaze deep and silent.
“By the way, how long have you been standing here...”
“Hey! Ain! You're the only one left in this building. You must vacate the dorm before ten tomorrow morning!”
At the end of the corridor, a middle-aged man in an instructor's uniform shouted at Ain.
It was his dorm supervisor.
“Ah, alright, sir. Got it.”
The instructor originally intended to leave, but after glancing at the girl beside Ain, he couldn't help but add another word.
“You didn't even let her know you'd be back so late. She's been standing outside your dorm door for almost six hours!”
“Honestly...”
The instructor shook his head in disappointment. Without saying anything more, he pasted the last seal in his hand and headed downstairs.
“Six hours?”
Ain looked at Lillian in shock.
“You really didn't have to wait for me for so long... I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry! Why don't you come inside and sit down?”
With the soft click of the lock turning, Ain entered the room and tossed his jacket casually onto the bed.
Lillian, however, just stood quietly at the doorway, motionless, with no intention of entering.
“Speaking of which, I have another thing to ask you. Do you happen to have a...”
“Hey, Ain...”
Hearing the girl's murmur, Ain turned his head to look at her again, only to see tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, her face filled with grievance.
The girl's hands tightly gripped the two travel passes to the south, her knuckles turning white from the force. Under her trembling fingertips, the once-smooth tickets were slowly being crumpled into deep creases.
“Did... Did Lillian do something wrong?”
The girl's heart was bleeding.
Rate on N.U.
