Dappled sunlight fell like gold leaf, coating the room in a gentle, warm hue.
Ain lay buried in the fluffy bedding, his eyes half-closed. He lazily stretched his body, the corner of the blanket slipping down with his movement to reveal his sleepy profile.
More than a week had passed since the witch incident ended.
Suddenly, a tiny, warm head pressed against Ain's collar.
“Lillian... stop messing around...”
“I'll get up... right away...”
“Mgh...”
Ain's eyelids felt as heavy as lead, and he couldn't even focus his vision. But the little guy in his arms just had to squirm around at this moment, leaving him no choice but to rub his eyes in resignation. Resisting the urge to stuff the culprit back under the covers, he slowly opened his eyes.
The human and the wolf stared at each other like this for nearly a minute.
“Get lost!”
Ain angrily threw the miniature version of Mordred into the air. The latter quickly adjusted its posture, landed steadily on the floor, stuck out its tongue, and looked at its master in confusion.
They were both Contract Spirits, so why the double standard?
“What a way to ruin my mood!”
Ain rolled over and went back to sleep.
If Lillian hadn't secretly slipped under his covers a few days ago, he wouldn't have mistaken a magical wolf for her just now.
They had almost been caught by the dorm warden!
Yet the little devil hadn't shown an ounce of remorse. Given her excited expression at the time, she had even said:
“It's thrilling, isn't it?”
Ain felt that Lillian was simply making up for lost time.
Just like a poor person suddenly coming into money, a traveler in the desert finding an endless spring, or someone who had been lonely for over a decade suddenly receiving unprecedented affection...
Ain had always thought that Lillian would have a timid, easily embarrassed personality.
But now, she was proving to be unexpectedly bold.
She was currently like a little vampire starved for decades who had suddenly found a blood bag she could squeeze indefinitely, wishing she could drain him dry in a single gulp.
A few days ago, she had claimed she wanted to learn magic from him, but her mind hadn't been on studying at all!
The more Ain thought about it, the more annoyed he became.
He was clearly the master in their master-servant relationship, so why did it feel like he was the one serving her now?
Lillian, I really need to teach you some discipline!
While Ain was lost in thought, Mordred picked up a class schedule with its mouth and shook it in front of his face, only for Ain to quickly swat it aside.
“Class? I'm not going!”
“Who could possibly sit through so many classes?”
“Skip compulsory classes when I feel like it, and skip electives without fail!”
“As long as I don't fail, it's fine.”
“Wait, what's the date today...”
“Holy crap, isn't today the end-of-term ceremony?! Mordred, why didn't you say so earlier!”
The end-of-term ceremony was the most important grade-wide assembly before the academy's summer break.
To make matters worse, he had to personally walk up to the stage to receive an award at a grand commendation ceremony!
If he was late, he would probably face serious disciplinary action!
Ain leaped out of bed, brushed his teeth and rinsed his mouth in a flash, and flung open his wardrobe door. However, his gaze froze when it fell on the Typhon Chain uniform, sending him into a brief moment of contemplation.
Since the witch incident, he had been promoted to a member of the Typhon Chain.
The Typhon Chain was an organization unique to Golden Branch Academy.
Aside from maintaining order within the academy, they were also frequently dispatched on off-campus missions.
The entire incident had been officially designated as a surprise attack by the Nightingale Secret Order, and Sevis had gained immense prestige from it.
Meanwhile, Cyril and Wesley had vanished entirely, never to be seen again.
Lola had likely handled all the loose ends.
Since he had yet to undergo the periodic mage assessment, Ain's official file still listed him as a Tier 1 Mage.
As a result, many of his new colleagues assumed he had gotten in through connections on his first day.
However, others spoke up to debunk the rumors—after all, several versions of the story of him defeating Sevis were already circulating.
In addition, the Goddess of Light had handed down a new quest to Ain.
【Please reclaim the Wings of Dawn!】
At that thought, a circular fragment materialized in Ain's hand.
【Tier 7 magical tool: Holy Judgment - Wings of Dawn (Fragment)】
【Effect: None. When the holder activates 【Blessing of the God of Light】, the fragment will resonate, briefly reconstructing into the complete 【Holy Judgment - Wings of Dawn】】
【Note: The reconstructed magical effect is 30% of the original.】
The Wings of Dawn was a central element of a major event in the south during Act Three of the original game.
The Battle for the Holy Spear.
It was a holy spear that multiple factions fought to claim.
Erylin was among them.
After Lillian's death in the original storyline, she had blamed everything on her own weakness. From then on, a seed of desire to grow stronger took root in her heart, blossoming into an eternal obsession.
When he had watched this storyline play out back then, Ain had felt an indescribable ache in his chest.
She had suppressed her former kindness deep in her heart, forcing herself to grow, forcing herself to achieve what she previously couldn't.
It was from that point onward that Erylin's strength had grown by leaps and bounds.
Ain exhaled slowly and slipped on the Typhon Chain uniform.
Yet, even though he had successfully rewritten the ending of Act Two and saved Lillian, Erylin's mindset had still undergone a transformation.
On several occasions, Ain had spotted her practicing magic relentlessly on the training grounds.
No doubt she simply refused to ever relive the nightmare of almost losing everything.
In Ain's experience, Erylin was never one to rely on others.
She would be grateful that he had been there to help, but she wouldn't lean on him forever.
“At this rate, Erylin will probably become a Tier 4 Mage soon.”
The main storyline was still moving in the right direction.
A smile tugged at the corner of Ain's lips, but then he recalled something and pinched the bridge of his nose.
He still felt a lingering dread when he thought of the visions Lola had shown him.
Grace, the Saintess of Act Three, dying in his arms.
And she had even mentioned Lillian's childhood birthday banquet.
There was absolutely no mention of that in the original game.
“This buggy game really has a lot of hidden lore...”
“If I remember correctly, Act Three isn't supposed to start until next semester—five months from now.”
“But according to Lola, the visions I saw are supposed to happen within the next three months.”
“The timelines don't line up.”
“Could it be that I'll run into Grace before Act Three even begins?”
Ain shook his head.
Regardless, he had to prepare in advance and gather information regarding Act Three.
For now, he still had plenty of time.
【Character Status】
【HP: Healthy】
【MP: 2640/2640】
【Usable Magic Level: Tier 4】
【Positive Effects: Divine Clarity, God-Favored Body, Word Spirit: Prayer】
【Negative Effects: Mana Leakage】
【Mana Source: Lillian Knight (Switchable)】
【Contract Spirit: Lillian Knight】
【MP: 14311/14311】
【Current Trust Level: 100%】
Over the past few days, Ain had skipped class repeatedly to scour the archives of the Minerva Library, but he had still found absolutely nothing about the “Mana Leakage” debuff.
“But at least when Lillian enters her witchification state, my maximum mana rises to over four thousand. Combined with the Goddess's blessing, I can currently cast a Tier 5 spell.”
“That should be more than enough for the early game.”
“If I want to breeze through the main storyline, I absolutely have to get my hands on that holy spear—the one no one could obtain in the original plot!”
Ain took a deep breath and glanced at the magic clock hanging on the wall.
11:00 AM.
The ceremony was at 1:00 PM.
He still had time.
“Come to think of it, didn't Lillian make plans to meet me at the cafeteria today?”
“She said she and Erylin were preparing a surprise for me...”
A sudden, terrifying thought struck him.
“This surprise isn't going to be another embarrassing master-servant routine in front of the entire school, is it?”
She really seemed to have developed a taste for calling him that lately.
Shaking off the thought, Ain gestured to the little wolf behind him.
“Let's grab some lunch first. Come on, Mordred.”
The magical wolf on the floor whimpered obediently before instantly dissolving into Ain's shadow with a soft whoosh.
Following a faint flash of light, a cool wolf paw print appeared on the back of Ain's hand.
The moment Ain pushed open the door, a sharp sense of danger suddenly flared in his chest.
His body reacted before his brain could. Subconsciously raising his hands to shield himself, he firmly caught a sudden flying kick from the figure standing at his doorstep.
“Hey there, underclassman.”
“Good morning.”
Rate on N.U.
