‘So…’

Walking along the long corridor, despite his calm expression, Lynn had been inwardly chagrined and repeatedly pondering, ‘Just where did it go wrong?’

Swish swish.

Lynn hurried his steps, his mind full of the 'tragic' result from earlier.

Could his line of thinking be off?

Should he not have forcefully initiated the villain script?

‘But Louise, she... why exactly did she give me an explanation?’

Just a little bit more, and he could have shaped the despicable, narrow-minded villain persona, but it was shattered into pieces by that female lead's casual words—and even the protagonist became this clownish villain's 'servant'?

Lynn was utterly baffled, continuously recalling his interactions with Louise.

Could his opening method be wrong?

"Senior Lynn, Senior Lynn, wait for me."

Just as Lynn's thoughts were a tangled mess, a warm voice came from behind. In an instant, Louise's exquisite figure flashed past and pressed close to Lynn's side. From an onlooker's perspective, she was almost sticking to him.

"Your Highness Louise." Putting away the irritation and impatience on his face, Lynn turned back, his expression cold and distant, looking at that female lead who was 'reluctant to part'.

Now Lynn was extremely grateful that his original work relationship with Louise was indifferent; otherwise, no matter how good his acting, it would be hard to stay polite to the culprit who had completely messed up his Heavenly Book task.

"Hmph."

However, who knew which screw in Louise's head was loose today? Normally, she had zero fondness for the aloof senior, yet faced with Lynn's cold attitude, she leaned slightly toward him as if pressing a warm face against a cold butt, to the point that he could clearly feel the pure fragrance emanating from her alluring figure.

"Senior Lynn, do you really hate me that much?" Louise fluttered her long eyelashes, her limpid, clear pupils brimming with grievance, a gaze pitiable enough to make any man in the world want to dote on her, staring fixedly at Lynn.

"..."

Yet, faced with this stunning sight, Lynn merely yawned disinterestedly, "Your Highness Louise, feel free to speak plainly."

"Stingy." Louise pursed her lips in some frustration, discreetly sneaking a glance at her reflection in the mirror beside the corridor.

‘Strange, there shouldn't be a problem with this outfit, right?’

She glanced at the male students in the mirror who appeared to have turned their heads away, but were secretly staring at her with intense peripheral vision. Louise confirmed that her appearance still held considerable charm for the opposite sex after rebirth.

‘Truly worthy of Sir Lynn.’

In an instant, the slight frustration in Louise's heart was replaced by boundless admiration.

‘Yes, I was too foolish. How could Sir Lynn be like those stupid men who only care about the stinking skin sack of the mortal body? To treat me differently just because of my appearance?’

Louise secretly admired Lynn's flawless, handsome face, which could rival Pan An's, with a touch of smugness.

Hehe, just like in her previous life, she hadn't thrown herself at Senior Lynn like those shallow women just because of his appearance~

‘Sure enough, the two of us are a match made in heaven! So.’

Louise's eyes turned somewhat icy, ‘Anyone who dares to hinder us must die.’

She swore secretly in her heart.

And first of all, she had to trample that insect Ivan so thoroughly he could never rise again.

Thinking of this, Louise raised the corners of her mouth into another bright smile and deliberately asked casually, "Alright, since Senior Lynn doesn't want to say more, I'll get straight to the point. That stinking bug... er, I mean that menial disciple newly taken under Sir Lynn's wing, how do you plan to deal with him?"

‘Ivan? Oh?!’

Lynn's already numbed heart stirred slightly at this.

‘Could it be... Could I have been mistaken? Does Louise actually still care about Ivan? Come to think of it, although fleeting, Louise just emitted a terrifying murderous intent again. It seems her hatred value toward me hasn't disappeared either? So—Where exactly did the script go wrong just now?’

"Senior Lynn, I believe someone of your character will certainly follow the 'rules' and take good care of him, right? After all, how could the heir of House Morsol abandon honor?"

Louise raised her brows and asked meaningfully, though inwardly a bit worried.

In the previous life, unlike other fools who were completely fooled by Ivan and truly believed he was some so-called 'prophesied savior,' Lynn seemed to have seen through Ivan's true nature very early on.

Yet, due to others' opposition and his own bottom line, Lynn had always tolerated that clown's antics, which eventually led to tragedy.

Reborn Louise naturally would not allow such a foolish matter to happen again. Fortunately, after her wise display just now, Lynn must have seen the true face of that villain Ivan too, right?

Louise deliberately stressed the word 'rules' as a hint.

'Rules? Honor? This is a warning to me. Heh, this really is Louise's style. In the original work, this seemingly gentle princess, who was actually prouder than anyone, valued noble honor above all else and constantly obsessed over so-called principles. Ah, wait! Principles... principles, damn it. To think I was so smug just now—did I even forget the female lead's basic character setting? Yes, with Louise's proud personality, which values principle and honor so much, even if she hated me deep down, how could she possibly slander me?’

Lynn had a sudden realization in his heart and concluded, ‘To save Ivan, I indeed did not take advantage of him during the duel. Even if Louise despised me deep down, she wouldn't lie when Instructor Chris questioned her…’

The truth came to light.

Lynn gnashed his teeth in remorse, ‘but, but how could a mere apprentice see through the Arcane Art I performed? How could she use the Reproduce spell?’

"Hah..."

Taking a deep breath, Lynn coldly turned around and left without looking back, leaving Louise only an indifferent silhouette and a dismissive reply: "Rules? Heh, rest assured, Your Highness Louise, I will take good 'care' of that Mr. Ivan."

The knot in his heart resolved, Lynn was full of vigor again, dedicatedly playing the villain role. That malicious remark would surely deepen Louise's scorn for Lynn's character.

‘As expected, Lynn understood my meaning!’

Watching Lynn's gradually receding figure, Louise clenched her fists excitedly, gazing reluctantly as Lynn walked back to his room in the Mage Tower.

‘Although it's just a small step.’

Louise lowered her head slightly, her eye makeup shimmering with excited brilliance, ‘At last I've established a tacit understanding with him. Hehehe, at this rate, perhaps it won't be long before I can, I can…’

Thinking of all the missed moments with Lynn in her past life, Louise was filled with immense anticipation.

* * *

Click.

Lynn forcefully shut the door, finally blocking the fervent gaze behind him.

‘Phew, this villain role isn't easy either.’

Lynn remarked with lingering fear: ‘Clearly just an apprentice rank, but that presence, tsk tsk, almost rivals Instructor Chris.’

He casually pulled up a chair, reclining slightly to catch his breath, ‘Hmm... but the top priority is to check the final reward of this plot's Heavenly Book.’

With a bitter expression, he sighed softly: ‘Thankfully that Guide has a conscience; this Heavenly Book has no punishment even if the mission fails, just reduced rewards…’

He even remembered that in a certain mission failure in a previous life, the Heavenly Book actually rewarded him with a few gold coins.

Though to other Sun Clan Arcanists, gold coins—a common metal—were an utter insult, to the debt-ridden Lynn, even a mosquito's leg was meat.

‘Moreover, despite many errors, I did achieve some results. For example, Louise's hatred toward me as the villain, and Ivan joining the Mage Tower under my extreme manipulation.’

"Reward, Young Master, did you receive the mentor's reward earlier in the academy?"

Just as he was about to meditate and check the Heavenly Book, a figure emerged from the depths of the room. Even wrapped in a thick black-and-white maid uniform, one could still vaguely discern a graceful posture.

"It's you, Matilda." Lynn raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were still working part-time at the secretariat."

Thump.

A heavy paper scroll was slammed onto the table with a dull thud.

"I got off work early today, Young Master." With a neat and sharp fiery red ponytail and a faint blush rising on her fair cheeks, Matilda, the head maid of the Lynn household and the steward of Lotto Town—the sole territory of House Morsol—glared at Lynn with a look of "iron that fails to become steel."

"Ah, oh... Is it because you're too tired? Then take care of your health and rest a lot, Matilda. Our House Morsol still depends on you..." Lynn averted his gaze guiltily.

"If you truly wish for me to rest, Young Master, please have some self-awareness!" Matilda's voice suddenly rose as she questioned aggressively: "Did you reject yet another matchmaking invitation I arranged for you?! My young master, that was the daughter of the Regent Chancellor of the Snow Mountain Kingdom."

Matilda, somewhat exasperated, put her hands on her hips. Due to her agitation, even her delicate features twisted slightly, veins faintly visible on her fair little hands. "Have you forgotten our family's financial situation?"

"I-I'm working on a solution." Lynn helplessly turned away to avoid meeting the furious steward's eyes.

‘Really, just a mere Moon Clan girl, yet so insolent.’

Lynn grumbled inwardly, powerless, but didn't dare to put on the master's airs.

Although the clan hierarchy in this world was strict, unfortunately, his relationship with Matilda was a bit special... Well, to put it simply, Matilda was his creditor.

More precisely, the major creditor of the distant uncle who adopted Lynn. The exact amount was unclear, but certainly not small.

Back then, to raise money to repay his debts to the Golden Oak Confederation, his distant uncle had recklessly borrowed money to buy a pile of treasure maps and Arcane Art implements and ventured into a secret realm, never to return.

And that unlucky fellow who, out of friendship, lent the huge sum to the long-notorious House Morsol was Matilda's father.

It was said that the wealthy merchant—who originally had considerable assets and even owned many businesses in the Golden Oak Confederation—died of rage on the spot upon hearing of his uncle's death. The family quickly fell into ruin, to the point of being reduced to serving as stewards for House Morsol.

Though it was common for Moon Clan alchemists and Word Spirit users to serve as stewards for Sun Clan Arcanist lords, being a steward for a royal family was hardly comparable to being a steward for a heavily indebted town lord's family.

"Working on a solution?" Matilda looked at Lynn with heartache and anger, utterly exasperated.

‘What a waste of his good looks and noble blood. Clearly just a matter of selling his looks, yet he acted squeamish and put on a macho act. Hmph, I wonder if you can still keep that cheeky grin after you can't repay the debt and are mortgaged to the Golden Oak Confederation through marriage, turning into a stud!’

Feeling Matilda's malicious gaze full of resentment, Lynn had to change the subject, "Alright, we'll discuss matchmaking later. I need to meditate now. Has this month's prayer share from the Mage Tower arrived?"

Clang.

Expressionless, Matilda fished a crystal-clear orb from her pocket.

"Then, I shall not disturb your cultivation, Master."

With that, she picked up the thick parchment scroll again and hurried back into the depths of the room.

"..."

Silently, Lynn picked up the orb and gently closed his eyes.

Buzz.

As if a switch had been flipped, the moment Lynn's fingers touched the orb, prayers echoed from all directions.

Lynn felt his thoughts continuously ascending. At the same time, the prayers wove into fine ropes, firmly binding his limbs and connecting him to reality.

‘As expected of the Neutral City-States, truly generous.’

Lynn reopened his eyes. The familiar room had been replaced by a bizarre and colorful scene.

Skillfully ignoring the flickering colors, he walked straight deeper inside.

Buzz buzz buzz.

That familiar Heavenly Book was being flipped to a brand-new page by a certain black cat.

"So, what is my reward this time?" Lynn asked casually without much hope, looking at the Guide.

"One hundred."

‘One hundred Mithril Coins?’

Lynn was somewhat surprised; this exceeded his expectations.

"Not Mithril Coins." As if reading his thoughts, the black cat lazily raised its tail.

"Gold coins? What the heck?" Lynn's expression soured.

Let alone a dignified Sun Clan Arcanist, even high-ranking Moon Clan alchemists like those magnates completely looked down on gold coins—such secular currency.

To think he had felt a bit hopeful just now.

"Not gold coins either."

‘Silver coins? That's enough! This is too insulting…’

"Magic Crystal Coins." Just as Lynn was about to start yelling, the Guide spoke again.

‘Magic Crystal... Magic Crystal Coins?!’

Lynn blinked blankly.