Butterfly 

“Hiss—where is this?”

With the intense pain still lingering in his body, Ewan gradually awoke from his unconscious state, finding himself lying in a strange room.

Before he could even survey his surroundings, an old face, wrinkled into a smile like a chrysanthemum, suddenly appeared in his line of sight.

“What the hell? Who are you?” Ewan was almost scared into a heart attack by the old face, but he quickly came to his senses. “You’re… Professor Glen?”

“Oh my, Ewan, you’re finally awake.”

Professor Glen stared at Ewan, his smile incredibly bright… and strange. “Congratulations. The surgery was a great success. You’re a beautiful young lady now.”

“What?”

Ewan froze, his face a mask of pure shock.

Don’t tell me that Crown One was so powerful that she changed my gender with a flick of her finger?

No, I don’t want any of that!

Ewan quickly threw off the covers… and looked down.

He couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

Thank God… it’s still there.

Huh? It’s still there?

Ewan immediately looked up and said angrily to Glen, “Professor, please don’t make that kind of joke.”

“Eh?”

Professor Glen stroked his chin in confusion. “Isn’t this the kind of joke you young people like to make?”

“Of course not! It is terrifying!”

“It seems I’m a little out of touch with the times,” Professor Glen sighed, then his expression turned meaningful. “But… terrifying? Although this joke isn’t very good, it’s not exactly terrifying, is it? For you to be so sensitive, Ewan… don’t tell me… you’ve experienced something like this before?”

“Nonsense!”

Ewan subtly averted his gaze. “No, absolutely not. Such a ridiculous thing, it’s impossible to even imagine it happening.”

“Hmm, that’s true. Perhaps I’m overthinking things.”

Professor Glen’s expression turned a little more serious. “Let’s not talk about that. How are you feeling? Are you alright?”

“I… I feel much better.”

Ewan checked his body and found that, aside from some lingering pain, the injuries both inside and out had mostly healed.

But for the wounds to heal so quickly…

“Huh? Don’t tell me…”

“That’s right. I healed your injuries.”

“Then the one who saved me before…”

“Have you forgotten? It was also me.”

Professor Glen snapped his fingers and said, “It was a close call. If I hadn’t risked my life to save you, Ewan, you probably would have been squashed into a pulp.”

“Is that so…”

Ewan let out a long breath, his feelings complicated by the near-death experience. He thanked Professor Glen. “Thank you.”

“Sigh, no need to be so polite. It’s a teacher’s duty to save a student, isn’t it?”

Professor Glen patted Ewan on the back, helping him to sit up. “For me, it was just a trivial matter.”

“It may be a trivial matter for you, Professor, but you did save my life. I will definitely repay this debt.”

“Is that so?”

Professor Glen suddenly had a strange smile on his face, as if to say, “I was waiting for you to say that.” “Well then, Ewan, I have an opportunity for you to repay me immediately.”

Huh?

What a coincidence.

Ewan felt a jolt. The danger sense that had evolved from being persecuted so many times was now blaring.

This was…

The smell of a trap!

“Actually, the repayment I had in mind was money.”

Ewan rested his chin on his crossed hands and said seriously, “One million or two million, just name your price, Professor Glen. The ducal estate will surely satisfy you. Of course, if you don’t want money, gold, silver or treasures are also fine.”

“As expected of the son of a duke. So generous. But I’m sorry, I’m not short on money right now.”

“Then come and find me when you are, Professor. I have to go now.”

“Wait.”

Glen grabbed Ewan’s shoulder and leaned in close, his face full of a pained expression. “Ewan, I risked my life to save you. And you are  just going to leave like that?”

“But…”

Ewan’s mouth twitched. “Didn’t you just say it was a trivial matter for you, Professor?”

“I was just being polite. Why did you take it so seriously, Ewan?”

Glen let go of his hand and gave him a meaningful smile. “Of course, if you insist on leaving, I won’t stop you. It’s just that the headline of the academy newspaper tomorrow might be something like, ‘The infamous Ewan Campbell is ungrateful once again, abandoning the teacher who risked his life for him in the sunset, turning his back without a care, leaving the teacher to live in sorrow, washing his face with tears every day, and finally…'”

“Stop, stop, stop!”

Ewan interrupted Professor Glen, his face a mask of pure shock. “What kind of ultimate gay teacher-student romance, perverted scumbag is that? And what’s with the sunset? You can’t even see the moon in this damn place!”

“So…”

Glen’s lips curved into a smile. His smile was kind, but it only made Ewan’s skin crawl. “Ewan, you don’t want your reputation to be damaged again, do you?”

“…”

A brief silence fell over them.

Glen leisurely enjoyed Ewan’s struggling expression.

“You’re a despicable man, Professor Glen.”

Ewan gritted his teeth. “Tell me. What is it?”

“It’s nothing, really. You don’t have to be so nervous, Ewan. It’s not like I’m going to steal one of your thirteen girlfriends.”

Glen put an arm around Ewan’s shoulder like an old friend and, after a moment of thought, he said, “Actually, I have a niece.”

“A niece?”

“Mm, that’s right. A niece. She… likes to sleep in a little.”

“Sleep in?” Ewan was even more confused. “But what does that have to do with me?”

“Of course it does. It’s because she likes to sleep in that she needs a handsome, golden-haired big brother to wake her up.”

“So…”

Ewan was shocked. “You’ve been talking to me for so long just to get me to wake up your niece?”

“Mm, that’s right.”

Professor Glen nodded. “That’s about it. It’s just that my niece has a bit of a temper when she wakes up. But you don’t have to worry, Ewan.”

“You saying that just makes me more worried!”

To go to such lengths to frame me… there’s no way it’s just a niece.

Don’t tell me…

Ewan stroked his chin and said seriously, “Your niece is actually a hot-tempered, playboy-pounding silverback gorilla, isn’t she?”

“…”

Glen’s face visibly twitched. “Ewan please, your imagination is truly rich. But that one is not a gorilla.”

“That one? You just said ‘that one,’ right? Would anyone refer to their own niece as ‘that one’?”

“Ahem. Anyway, time is short. We’ll talk on the way.”

“Wait, I’m not even wearing any clothes. Let me find some.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already prepared them.”

Glen had a look on his face that said, “I knew you’d say that.” He snapped his fingers, and like a magic trick, a well-fitting formal suit appeared on Ewan’s body.

Looking at Glen’s “I’ve planned everything” smile, Ewan just felt angry and cold. When will we, the tools, ever be able to stand up?

But he was helpless. All he could do was be dragged by Professor Glen toward the unknown.

…

A few minutes later, in a certain place underground in the academy.

Looking at the huge, heavy metal door which made him feel his own insignificance, Ewan was completely dumbfounded.

“Professor Glen… your niece… lives in a vault?”

“A vault?”

Glen sneered in disdain. “This door is made of dozens of rare metals, hundreds of magic arrays, and the painstaking effort of countless craftsmen. It can even withstand an Evil God’s invasion for a short time. Even the most secure vault in Belland can’t compare to a single leg hair of it.”

“It can even withstand an Evil God’s invasion…”

Ewan’s eye twitched violently.

In his memory, the only thing that could do that was the Holy Realm of the Church of Life.

And if this door was made to be that strong…

“Don’t tell me… behind this door is not your niece at all, but the academy’s secret weapon or something,” Ewan guessed.

Glen was stunned for a moment, then he immediately had an “innocent” smile on his face. “What secret weapon? You’ve been reading too many storybooks, kid. How can a peaceful place of learning like the academy have something as violent as a secret weapon?”

“It definitely is! Your eyes just darted away!”

“Young people shouldn’t be so suspicious. You will find out your girlfriend is sneaking out during the night like that!”

Glen walked up and embedded a crystal-clear gem in his hand into a recess at the bottom of the door.

And in the compass-like precision instrument, there were already seventeen gems embedded.

“I thought you old bastards said you didn’t want to come, but you’re all fast as lighting huh.” Looking at the gems, Glen raised an eyebrow.

Then, he twisted his wrist, and the gems emitted a soft light.

A rumbling sound echoed.

The huge mechanisms unfolded, layer by layer, and with the tremor of a landslide, the magnificent door slowly opened, revealing a deep darkness within.

And Glen stood at the door, his arms crossed, looking at Ewan. “Are you going or not, kid? Give me a straight answer. Although I’d really like you to go, as a professor, I won’t force a student to do something he doesn’t want to do.”

“I… I’ll go.”

After a brief hesitation, Ewan let out a long breath, as if he were trying to squeeze all the air out of his lungs.

“Hoh.”

Glen laughed. “I thought you’d refuse.”

“I wanted to… but I just remembered something,” Ewan said.

At that moment.

Because the description in the text and the actual scene were hard to connect at first, and because of the different way she had appeared and the urgency of the situation, Ewan hadn’t thought too much about it at the time.

But after he had calmed down, many of the details he had overlooked now came back to him.

That Crown One…

Ewan looked up at Glen and asked with a serious expression, “Professor Glen, the Crown One who attacked me before… was she the Saintess of Purification from the Church of Life?”

“Oh? You know her?”

Glen raised an eyebrow in surprise. “That Saintess has been gone for twenty years. I thought no one among the young people would know her. What, are you like our Pink Bear headmaster, with a hobby of collecting those fake Saintess pinups?”

“No, of course I don’t know her like that…”

I just know the plot of the original book.

In the original book, the Saintess of Purification, controlled by the God of Love, had also invaded the academy.

But at that time, He seemed to have accumulated enough power, so there was no appearance of the male cultists who were just a sacrifice.

In the original book’s plot, only the Saintess of Purification was there. But the invasion of a Crown One powerhouse without any warning was even more terrifying, because no one could predict her actions.

And the God of Love’s purpose for invading the academy was—

To kill Ariel.

That’s right. In the original book, Ariel, as the protagonist, had naturally provoked the God of Love, who was the most active Evil God in the early stages, and had destroyed more than half of His cult in Belland.

And so, the enraged God of Love had directly controlled the Saintess of Purification to invade the academy and kill Ariel.

And Ariel, as the protagonist, naturally couldn’t be killed off so easily. With her various cheat items, her own strength, and her survivability of a cockroach, she had successfully held out until Professor Planck arrived with the protection of the Great Sealing Instrument.

And after that incident, Ariel had also benefited from the disaster and successfully advanced to a higher realm.

It was a very conventional protagonist power-up event, but the only problem was…

This happened too early.

The incident was supposed to happen at the end of this academic year. After all, according to the timeline, Ariel at this time hadn’t had much contact with the God of Love, let alone been hated by Him.

And the most recent invasion incident should have been the Blood Demon incident a month later. There was no way the God of Love should have appeared on the stage so early.

So, the cause of all this…

“Can it only be me, the variable?”

Ewan couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.

No matter how he thought about it, it was probably Ewan who had provoked the God of Love before that had caused His early invasion.

But…

What he still couldn’t figure out was…

At that time, the God of Love didn’t seem to be purely there to kill him.

Attacking him was just a side quest. He clearly had another purpose.

Otherwise, at such a close distance, with a Crown One attacking with all her might, unless a god himself had descended, no one could have saved him.

“So, it was because of this little butterfly flapping its wings that such a big storm was brewed?”

The sudden appearance of Pink Bear as the acting headmaster.

The God of Love’s invasion a whole year early.

It was as if just because Ewan, the blond villain who should have been written out a month ago, was still active in the story, the entire plot had been thrown into chaos.

Although Ewan really wanted to shout, “I just want to live a happy life! What’s wrong with that?”

“But it still has something to do with me, doesn’t it?”

After finishing his thoughts, Ewan looked at Glen and asked with a serious expression, “If I go in and wake up the academy’s secret weapon, will this incident be successfully resolved?”

“Naturally…”

At this point, Glen couldn’t be bothered to pretend anymore. “But I advise you not to use the term ‘secret weapon.’ She will get very angry.”

And it’s fine to call her your niece?

Ewan couldn’t help but complain in his mind.

But since he had gotten this answer, there was no reason to hesitate anymore.

Ewan gradually walked toward the open darkness of the door.

“Wait.”

But just as he was about to step in, as if he had just remembered something, he stopped and turned back with a confused expression. “Speaking of which, can’t Professor Planck solve this incident?”

After all, in the original book, the God of Love’s invasion was solved by Professor Planck with the protection of the Great Sealing Instrument.

Ewan remembered that the Saintess was Professor Planck’s student, and their reunion was quite tragic.

But in any case, just the God of Love’s invasion was not enough to make the academy use a secret weapon that even Ewan didn’t know about, which meant that it shouldn’t be something that appeared in the early to mid-stages.

“Hm? You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“Ah, right. You were unconscious at the time, so you didn’t see.”

“So…”

“If it were just the Saintess of Purification controlled by the God of Love, that old coot Planck would have been enough. But the problem is…”

Glen sighed. “There’s another Evil God. The moon that holds the authority of the night.”

“I see. That moon is here too.”

Ewan nodded and continued to walk forward.

But after taking one step, he froze.

“Eh? Wait, that moon?”

Among the Evil Gods, the only one who could be called the “moon” was the Silent Moon.

It was normal for Her to come out and play as an Evil God.

The problem was…

In all the plot that Ewan knew.

That Silent Moon had never invaded the academy!

She was an Evil God that only appeared in the mid-stages, and by that time, the academy arc was long over!

Why?

Was it because of me again?

But I don’t remember having any connection with that Silent Moon.

A butterfly flapping its wings can cause a storm, but no matter how it flaps, even if it flaps its wings until they’re bald, it can’t cause a volcanic eruption that has nothing to do with it.

“Professor Glen, about this matter, please be more detailed…”

Ewan suddenly turned back, anxiously wanting to ask about what had just happened.

But just as he turned his head, Ewan’s expression froze, because he saw a shoe sole that was gradually getting bigger in his vision.

“If you’re going in, then get in!”

Glen kicked Ewan in the butt and roared impatiently, “If you keep dawdling like this, that old coot Planck is going to be killed!”

…

…

“Ouch!”

The darkness behind the door was not flat ground, but a not-so-low platform.

So after being kicked by Glen, Ewan naturally fell down, face first.

The pain from both sides came at once, and for a moment, Ewan didn’t know whether to rub his butt or his face first.

But thankfully, the ground was softer than he had expected, so Ewan wasn’t worried about his handsome face being ruined or anything.

“That damn Professor. He could have at least let me prepare first.”

Ewan complained in his mind, but he also knew that time was indeed very tight.

Because no one knew how long Professor Planck could hold out against the attack of two Evil Gods.

“I’ll find out the answers to those questions later. For now, I’ll focus on what’s in front of me.”

“This is…”

Ewan looked up, preparing to survey his surroundings.

And then, he was so shocked by the beautiful scene before him that he was stunned for a moment.

Flowers.

Countless flowers.

Countless brilliant flowers formed a splendid sea, stretching to the end of his vision, a beautiful sight.

And on the horizon, and even above his head where he had fallen, the darkness was gone, and there was a clear, blue sky.

A breeze blew past, carrying with it a fragrant floral scent and warm air, making every pore of Ewan’s body open up, an incredibly comfortable feeling.

It was as if he had been transported to a world where only beauty remained.

“So this is… where the academy’s secret weapon is kept? It’s so beautiful.”

Ewan was stunned for a moment, then he subconsciously walked forward.

He wasn’t afraid of getting lost in the endless sea of flowers, because all the flowers were slightly drooping in the same direction, as if they were on a pilgrimage to some entity, or were attracted by something.

Before long, Ewan reached the center of the sea of flowers.

And there, he saw the girl, surrounded by all sorts of cute dolls and clusters of flowers.

The girl seemed to be in a deep sleep, but looking at her, Ewan couldn’t help but be shocked.

Because that girl…

Was a little girl.

And not just a little girl.

She was wearing a cute, pink nightdress that made her skin look even paler and rosier. Her face, which was supported by a cluster of flowers, was as delicate as a porcelain doll, but with a hint of baby fat that gave her a different kind of life and cuteness.

And even more conspicuous than her face was her pure white hair, which was incredibly eye-catching in the sea of flowers.

In short, this was a white-haired little girl!

Ewan suddenly felt his heart begin to pound.

A white-haired little girl!

This was not just hitting his weak spot; this was dancing on his weak spot!

What man could refuse a sleeping white-haired little girl?

“I really want to pinch her cheek…”

Looking at the girl’s pink, chubby cheeks, Ewan couldn’t help but have this thought.

But it was quickly suppressed by his reason, which had not yet been completely clouded by the white-haired little girl.

He remembered his purpose for being here.

“In other words… the so-called academy secret weapon… is this white-haired little girl?”

Ewan was a little shocked.

He had thought it would be a reclusive master, or some kind of monster like a dragon.

He had never expected it to be a white-haired little girl.

“Wait a minute, a white-haired little girl and a reclusive master are not mutually exclusive.”

Ewan stroked his chin and mused.

Just like in those fantasy novels, the younger they looked, the more terrifying their power level might be.

“But…”

Ewan then looked at the cute dolls beside the girl.

“A reclusive master… can’t possibly like pink dolls, right?”

After all, her appearance was young, but her mind must be mature.

“In other words…”

Ewan lightly tapped his palm and in an instant, he had come up with at least a hundred thousand words of a tragic story about an innocent and cute white-haired little girl being turned into a secret weapon by the evil academy and then being imprisoned in this sea of flowers.

“No wonder Professor Glen said she doesn’t like to be called a secret weapon. No one would feel good about remembering their own tragic past.”

Thinking of this, Ewan couldn’t help but grit his teeth. “I never thought the academy was so evil before. Just you wait. When I get out, I’m going to report you for child abuse!”

“But…”

Ewan’s eyes suddenly lit up again.

“Since she’s an innocent and cute tragic girl, then pinching her cheek should be fine, right?”

“It’s not that I’m a pervert; it’s just that she’s too cute!”

“That is right, I’m not a perverted old man!”

Having made up his mind, Ewan reached out and gently pinched the girl’s baby-fat cheek.

Ah, so soft.

In that instant, Ewan felt his heart about to melt.

“I wish this moment could last forever.”

But that was just a thought.

Because a breeze blew past.

The entire sea of flowers suddenly swayed, like the waves of the sea, layer upon layer.

And the girl, in the rustling of the waves, her eyelashes twitched, and then, she opened her eyes.

Her red eyes, at first, showed a hint of a just-woken-up confusion. Then, as if she had sensed something, her gaze shifted and looked at the large hand on her cheek.

A hint of confusion appeared.

“Ah, you’re awake?”

Ewan, who had been momentarily distracted by the wind and the sea of flowers, noticed that the girl was awake and immediately and panickedly pulled back his hand.

What do I do, what the heell do I do? I think I pinched her for too long.

Don’t tell me she thinks I’m some kind of perverted weirdo.

No, I have to find a way to make up for it.

Just as he was panicking, Ewan suddenly felt a candy in his pocket.

Huh? How did I get a candy in my pocket?

Don’t tell me…

“Professor Glen…”

Ewan was a little moved. You’re still so reliable at a critical moment like this.

And so, Ewan took out the candy, placed it in front of the girl, and then, with the kind smile of a professional kidnapper, he said gently, “Here, little sister. Don’t be angry. Big brother will give you candy.”

“…”

The moment Ewan finished speaking.

As if a pause button had been pressed, everything in the world stopped.

Even the wind stopped.

All the flowers lowered their heads, as if they couldn’t bear to watch the scene that was about to unfold.

The girl sat up.

Her ruby-like eyes looked at the candy in Ewan’s hand, and then at Ewan himself.

Her expression was still blank, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, as if she were smiling. “Interesting.”

The girl’s voice, as beautiful as a lark’s, had just sounded, and Ewan’s smile instantly froze.

His face turned pale.

This old-fashioned tone…

Don’t tell me…

“I’ve only been asleep for a few decades. The students of my academy have already become this bold?” the girl said, her tone unwavering.

But Ewan’s mind instantly buzzed.

Asleep for a few decades?

It’s over.

She’s actually the final boss!

That damn Glen! You tricked me!

Ewan looked at himself, offering a candy to the final boss, and began to seriously consider how many tables to set for his own funeral.

“Huh?”

The girl stared at Ewan, her gaze sharp, as if in an instant, she had seen through his entire body.

And so she let out a light “huh.” “You seem a little different.”

“Haha, I don’t know what you’re talking about, boss. I’m just an ordinary person.”

Ewan scratched his head and chuckled.

But before he could say anything else, he suddenly felt a chill.

“Eh?”

Ewan looked down and found that in an instant, he had become naked.

What the hell? The white-haired little girl final boss suddenly stripped me?

Don’t tell me she’s a legendary pervert?

What should I do at a time like this? I’ve been stripped by a final boss pervert? And she’s a white-haired little girl. Should I just lie down, or should I symbolically resist a little?

Just as Ewan was habitually letting his thoughts run wild, the white-haired, red-eyed girl suddenly approached, her fingers tracing a line on his skin, her clear eyes as if there were stars twinkling within.

“The mark of the Withered King,” she said softly.

A single sentence.

An instant.

As if his blood had frozen, Ewan was chilled to the bone.

He looked down at the girl, whose expression still showed no change, and his body couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

A great fear appeared in his eyes.

Like a traitor who had been hiding in an organization and had suddenly been discovered by the organization’s boss.

But without much hesitation, that fear instantly turned into the anger and determination of a cornered beast.

Ewan’s right hand shot out from behind him. The dagger hidden in his storage space glinted with a cold light, and at a wicked angle, he stabbed at the girl’s vital point.

At the same time, a crimson flame rose from his skin, and like quicksilver, it flowed toward the girl.

“You are indeed very brave,” the girl said, her tone neither mocking nor praising.

She held out a finger and gently, upwards, she flicked.

The next moment.

Ewan’s movements froze, and even the fire was instantly extinguished.

Because he found that his perspective had suddenly become very, very high.

As if he were taking off in a rocket.

The sea of flowers and the girl became extremely small in his vision.

And then, he reached the highest point and began to fall.

The sea of flowers and the girl once again grew larger in his eyes, and with them, a headless body.

Huh?

A headless body?

Before his brain could process this incomprehensible information, Ewan saw the girl move her finger again.

And so.

Hand. Arm. Torso. Thigh. Foot.

Internal organs. Meridians. Bones.

Ewan’s entire body, as if it were a Lego set, was taken apart by the girl, piece by piece.

And in the process of being taken apart, not a single drop of blood was shed, and Ewan did not feel a single trace of pain.

It was as if he had become a toy.

“Strange.”

The girl examined the parts, piece by piece, and then she reached out and caught Ewan’s head.

She looked at his horrified face and asked with confusion, “You’re not missing anything from your body, and your soul is not incomplete. And looking at your fate, your family is happy, your friends and relatives are harmonious. So where did you get the power of the Withered King?”

At this, a strange look appeared on the girl’s face. “If you’re missing anything… it’s just your virginity. Don’t tell me you traded your virginity for the power of an Evil God?”

“…”

Ewan’s mouth twitched. You have a great sense of humor, boss.

“No, the power on you doesn’t seem to be a simple gift.”

As if she had discovered something else, the girl’s thin, delicate eyebrows arched slightly.

“A sourced crimson flame, a partial manifestation of a rule. This is… a god’s blessing.”

“Eh?”

Hearing this, Ewan was stunned.

A god’s blessing?

Me?

By which god?

The Withered King?

But isn’t the fire on me something I got from the black book in exchange?

And this fire has been on me all this time, isn’t it just a way for the Withered King to corrupt me with temptation?

“It seems you don’t know about the power on you either.”

The corners of the girl’s mouth curved slightly, as if she had discovered something new and interesting.

She stared into Ewan’s eyes, as if to see through to his very depths.

“But for an Evil God to bless a mortal… this is the first time I’ve seen it. Boy, you must have some other secrets, don’t you?”

“How could I? I told you, I’m just an ordinary person.”

Ewan forced a smile.

If he had a secret…

It must be the black book.

But this time, no matter how much Ewan called out to it in his mind, the black book did not respond at all.

It was as if it had disappeared completely.

“Forget it. I have no interest in prying into other people’s secrets. And…”

The girl looked up at the sky.

“It seems there isn’t enough time.”

She took the candy from Ewan’s hand, tore off the wrapper, and popped it into her mouth, a satisfied smile on her face. “So sweet.”

And then.

She walked past Ewan, toward the edge of the sea of flowers.

“Eh?”

This time, it was Ewan who was confused.

“You… you’re just letting me go? You’re not going to kill me?”

“Kill you?”

The girl turned back. “Why would I kill you?”

“Because… I have a connection with an Evil God, and I even have an Evil God’s power?”

As far as Ewan knew, the powerhouses in this world were all extremely disgusted and hateful toward Evil Gods. As long as they found a single clue, they would not hesitate to extinguish it.

So Ewan had been so decisive just now. He had thought the girl would directly kill him.

“I see.”

The girl nodded, then asked in return, “Have you used the Evil God’s power to kill anyone?”

Ewan was stunned for a moment, then he shook his head.

“Do you think you’re a bad guy?”

Ewan shook his head.

“When you sleep at night, do you hear a strange voice whispering in your ear, telling you to destroy the world?”

Ewan still shook his head.

“Then that’s it.”

The girl’s red eyes flickered, and her brow smoothed out, the first time she had shown such a clear smile. “You’re a good person, and you haven’t done anything bad. Why would I kill you?”

“But the Evil God’s power…”

“Only cowards fear the pure power.”

The girl turned and left, a faint, almost inaudible sigh in her wake. “Unfortunately, there are too many cowards in this world.”

“Only cowards… fear the pure power…”

Unconsciously repeating the girl’s words, Ewan suddenly felt that the girl’s small, retreating back had grown taller.

I love her, I love her so much. Is this the dignity of a final boss?

She’s so cool!

Huh, wait a minute…

Looking at the girl’s retreating back, Ewan suddenly remembered his current “parts” state and shouted in a panic, “In that case, can you turn me back to normal before you go, boss?”

“You’re very interesting. I’ll remember you.”

The girl turned back again, and then, her tone turned cold. “But my face is not so easy to pinch.”

“…”

Damn, even a final boss can hold a grudge?

It was just a little pinch on the cheek, boss. Is it really that big of a deal? There’s definitely some other resentment in that behavior!

“But…”

Ewan had a smile on his face and muttered to himself, “I feel like this domineering, cool, red-eyed, white-haired little girl is also quite my type.”

The moment he finished speaking, thinking that only he could hear, Ewan once again felt his perspective move.

Gradually rising…

And then falling.

This time, very fast!

Like being on a drop tower!

“Damn it!”

And so, before the wail could come, Ewan could only leave this one word as his last.

…

The girl didn’t go far. She reached out and, with a gentle swipe in front of her, a door opened.

Outside the door, a dozen or so old professors, including Glen, were standing silently on both sides of the road. When they saw the girl walk out, the usually arrogant professors all lowered their heads in unison.

“Instructor Meradomir,” the professors said respectfully.

“Mm.”

The white-haired, red-eyed girl nodded lightly and looked at the crowd. “It’s been a few decades. You’ve all gotten so old. Dudley, the last time I saw you, you could still stand up straight.”

“To be able to see you once more in my lifetime is a great honor,” the oldest of the professors said, wiping away tears, as moved as a child.

“Don’t say such depressing things at a reunion like this,” the girl said softly. “But to be woken up at this time was indeed beyond my expectations. According to my previous calculations, I was supposed to wake up in five years.”

“We were incompetent. We failed to protect the academy,” all the professors said with shame.

“It has nothing to do with you. I only just realized…”

The girl looked up, a hint of gravity in her tone. “Fate has deviated so much without me knowing. The moon, which originally had no intersection with the academy’s trajectory, has now crashed directly into it.”

“We don’t know the details of this matter. Planck seems to know something, but because of the Vow of Silence, he can’t say anything,” Glen, who was usually not serious, said with a solemn expression, facing the girl.

“It doesn’t matter.”

The girl waved her hand. “I’ll go and see Her to find out the specifics. You can go and do your own things, or rest early. Don’t let your old bodies fall apart.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The professors bowed respectfully, as if they were children being admonished by their parents, not daring to have the slightest bit of disobedience.

But just as they were about to leave, Glen secretly poked his head into the doorway and saw Ewan, who had been turned into a pile of floating pieces, his head bobbing up and down quickly. A schadenfreude-filled smile immediately appeared on his face.

Thankfully, I had the foresight. Otherwise, the one who would be in that position right now might be me.

But just as he was about to pull his head back, he heard Ewan, in the midst of his wailing, shout with a roar of rage, “Boss! Professor Glen called you his niece!”

“…”

Glen’s smile froze. He turned back and saw the girl staring at him silently.

Her expression was so meaningful, just like his had been when he had faced Ewan.

…

…

Under the pale blue moonlight, Professor Planck’s face was pale.

The wound on his chest was still bleeding, but that wound was no longer important.

What was important was that he was on the verge of exhaustion.

This exhaustion was not due to the lack of mana. With the supply of the Great Sealing Instrument, his magical power was almost infinite.

But controlling the Great Sealing Instrument, and casting magic, his mind was on the verge of collapse.

His brain was now throbbing with pain.

And at his feet.

The ghouls that had walked out of the land of death under the moonlight were surging like a tidal wave, tearing at the structures, layer by layer, and eroding deep into the academy.

“I can’t let this go on.”

Professor Planck gritted his teeth. “I must protect the academy, even if it costs me my life.”

Just as he was about to make his last stand, a sigh echoed in the air.

“Planck, you’re still so stubborn.”

“Instructor Meradomir?”

Professor Planck looked at the small figure that had appeared before him at some point, a hint of confusion in his eyes. And then he suddenly realized. “Those old bastards. Did they wake you?”

“If they hadn’t, you’d be dead.”

The girl took the pink star wand from Professor Planck’s hand.

The wand, which had looked so out of place in Professor Planck’s hand, now looked so natural in the girl’s hand, as if it had always belonged to her.

“You go and rest,” the girl said. “I’ll take care of this.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Professor Planck responded respectfully.

The usually stubborn old man had no doubts about this command.

“Ah, right.”

The girl turned her head and suddenly said, “That girl over there who was corrupted by the God of Love. I’ve preserved a little bit of the last remaining spark of her spirit. She should be able to say a few more words. You should cherish it.”

“What…”

Professor Planck was stunned for a moment, then his eyes turned red, and he bowed respectfully. “Thank you, instructor.”

“Don’t thank me,” the girl said softly. “It was nothing.”