Ain looked at Emil, completely speechless. Two bright red handprints were currently stamped across the man's face.
One was from the little girl.
The other was from her mother.
Ain had waited for the crowd to disperse, hesitating for a long time before finally gathering the courage to go up and greet Emil.
He certainly didn't want to be mistaken for a fellow pervert.
“So, is it just the two of us for this mission?”
“Yes, just the two of us... Hey, hey, hey! What's with that look?!”
Faced with Emil's question, Ain didn't know what to say.
He had thought Emil's previous comment about liking lolis was just to break the ice, or at the very least, something he would keep buried deep in his heart...
But hitting on a little girl in the middle of the street?
Ain gave Emil a thumbs-up.
Truly a role model for us all.
“You're incredibly bold, Senior.”
Emil obviously knew what Ain meant.
“What do you know? I just saw that the kid looked unhappy and decided to play a game with her.”
“What kind of game requires you to strip off your clothes...”
“Swimming! And... Ain, do you know...”
Emil assumed a mysterious expression.
“Women are like fine wine.”
“The younger they are, the more intoxicating they become!”
“That is absolutely not how the saying goes, damn it!”
Ain shook his head in speechlessness.
“The Prosecution Office's interrogation room should have a seat reserved just for you.”
Emil clicked his tongue.
“Ain, do you understand at all? How can liking lolis be considered evidence of a crime!”
“It's not just a sign of responsibility and commitment. Think about it: if you call an older girl 'Mommy,' she'll just say impatiently, 'How old are you? That's disgusting.' But if you call a loli 'Mommy,' she'll just look at you with gentle anticipation and say, 'Being a mommy... sounds fun... I like being a mommy!' right?!”
Ain's eyes widened.
This guy actually makes sense!
Wait, no! What on earth is he talking about?!
Seeing the blissful smile plastered on Emil's face, Ain stared at him with absolute contempt.
He's hopeless. This guy is completely beyond saving!
Soon, Ain pointed to the vast ocean in the distance and spoke.
“Senior, why don't you just jump into the water? I'll cast some lightning magic for you.”
Emil looked at Ain with deep disappointment and couldn't help but sigh.
“It seems we can never be best friends after all...”
“Are lolis not wonderful?!”
“Stop with the lolis! Get to the point already, you bastard!”
At this moment, Ain looked more like the superior, scolding his subordinate.
Why did he turn into a completely different person the moment lolis were mentioned?
Besides, weren't they supposed to go on a mission today? What was with this complete lack of urgency!
“Oh, fine. Actually, it's not that big of a deal...”
Emil stretched and let out a yawn. The laziness on his face vanished instantly, and his expression returned to its usual rigor and focus.
“First, you...”
Was it finally here? His first mission as a member of the Typhon Chain!
Ain felt a surge of anticipation.
He had long been fed up with the voices slandering him!
Given his current strength, he had to overachieve on this mission and make those voices disappear once and for all!
“First, teach me how to flirt with women.”
“Sure, no problem! I'll do it right—”
Ain froze.
“Teach you to do what?”
“Flirt with women.”
“You want to flirt with lolis?”
“Yeah.”
“What the f*ck?!”
Ain suddenly wanted to request a new superior.
Where is my mission? What about the Act Three plot? The auction? The compass? The dragon? The holy spear? The church? The Saintess?
Before coming here, Ain had already guessed most of what the mission would entail.
In the original game, the Typhon Chain indeed intervened in Act Three.
During the auction in the first episode, Erylin, acting as the academy's representative, originally intended to secure the compass through a legitimate bid. However, an unexpected incident occurred. Amidst the chaos and turmoil, she was forced to abandon her bid and resort to brute force to seize it.
Amidst the chaos, other members of the Typhon Chain quickly intervened, drawing away the opposition and securing the flank for Erylin as she fought for the compass.
Ain figured his mission this time would be to hide in the shadows of the auction and wait for an opportunity to strike.
But now you're telling me the mission is to teach you how to flirt with women? And a f*cking loli at that?
To hell with your lolis!
Seeing Ain so agitated, Emil frowned and handed him a document.
“If you really want to do this job, I suppose I could hand it over to you...”
“Who wants to! Wait, what is this?”
“The target of this mission.”
Emil pointed to the contents of the document.
“In fifteen days, there will be an auction. A highly important item will be up for bid. It's extremely crucial! The lives of many people depend on it!”
“The current owner of this item is the Second Princess of the Empire, the person shown in this document.”
“We need to make contact with her. Ideally, you'll win her heart to extract information about the item. You could also use some mental magic, but someone of a princess's status likely carries magical tools to immunize herself against such spells.”
“The Second Princess loves to scout for handsome men, so you don't have to worry about her shutting you out.”
Well, it turned out he had triggered a hidden storyline.
In the original storyline, the academy had actually pulled a move like this?
After listening to Emil's explanation, Ain looked back at the document. His pupils dilated uncontrollably, and he pointed his right hand at the character portrait, crying out in shock.
“Y-y-you... you're calling this a loli?!”
“That's what the nobles call her.”
“Her biceps are bigger than my head!”
His gaze fell on the document, which displayed a portrait of an exceptionally muscular woman. She wore a well-tailored dress, her expression solemn.
Emil slung an arm around Ain's shoulder and said, “I originally planned to go myself. After all, even if some emergency happened, I could probably escape with my strength.”
“But thinking about it now, I don't think she'd be interested in me.”
Emil sized Ain up once more, a gentle smile appearing in his eyes. He reached out and tucked a stray lock of Ain's hair behind his ear.
“I think I finally understand why the academy had you join this mission.”
“Even though you're only a Tier 1 Mage and probably barely know any spells—and you likely won't be of much help if an emergency occurs at the auction...”
“Since you've somehow captured the hearts of both of the academy's goddesses, this particular 'value' of yours is just what we need, isn't it?”
Ain pushed Emil's hand away.
“I don't think that's the case. And you've misunderstood, Senior. I actually...”
“Ah, come on! It's nothing! I'm not looking down on you. For a good-for-nothing like you to use some sweet talk to get Erylin to personally invite you to her home, and even win over her best friend...”
Emil clenched his fists, his eyes filled with envy.
“How do you have such incredible luck! Is your talent really entirely invested in flirting with girls?!”
“You're clearly just a Tier 1 Mage, a low-class student...”
“What on earth do they see in you?!”
Ain didn't even know where to begin explaining.
He was about to speak when a suffocating, terrifying pressure poured down from the heavens, forcing his words right back down his throat.
Immediately after, the surface of the sea violently exploded. A towering wall of water shot up like a fortress, crashing toward the shore with a deafening roar, and thick mist instantly engulfed the entire harbor.
“What is this all of a sudden...”
The two endured the discomfort, struggling to peer through the heavy mist toward the sea. But when they clearly saw the sight before them, it felt as though an invisible hand had clamped around their throats, making it hard to breathe.
Above the churning waves, a pair of massive eyes stared down at them coldly.
It was a white dragon, a creature that should only exist in myths. Every single one of her pure white scales shimmered with a terrifying chill in the dim light.
“Hey... Senior... Even if you're jealous of me, there's no need to pull out something this huge just to scare me...”
“Are you kidding me? How could I possibly summon something like this...”
Ain, of course, knew that this dragon wasn't something Emil could summon.
Under the suffocating suppression of the pressure, both of them gasped for breath, only able to use this conversation to keep themselves from shutting down.
With a massive roar, a wave of pressure and air blasted over them, instantly swallowing them both.
Ain raised his arms in front of him, barely forcing one eye open to stare at the colossal beast before him.
The Pale Silver Dragon, which wasn't supposed to appear until Act Three, Episode Two...
Has appeared ahead of schedule?!
Rate on N.U.
