Under Saint Freya Academy’s night sky, just outside of the underground wine cellar in the mountains, Paul Ackermann was currently contemplating an extremely important question:

  When a man and a woman hole themselves up in a secluded space for two hours in the middle of the night, what could they possibly be doing?

  This was a profound question that would have stirred a variety of answers in Roel’s previous world. Different people would take different views to that question. Some might be fighting hard for the sake of the survival of mankind whereas others might just be ‘fighting the landlord’.

  It was fortunate that the game, ‘fighting the landlord’, didn’t exist in the Sia Continent, and nobles typically required a refined environment in order to play their entertainment games, so Paul was able to eliminate most of the possibilities. It was just that the remaining answer left seemed to be……

  Heh, how could that be possible?

  Paul shook his head, laughing at the ludicrous conclusion he arrived at.

  Big brother Roel might be a person with hardly any flaws, but that’s imperial sister Lilian we’re talking about here! She’s a renowned ice beauty in the Austine Empire, not to mention that their backgrounds are polar opposites. How could a high noble from the Theocracy possibly get together with an imperial princess of the Austine Empire?

  That’s just utterly impossible!

  As much as Paul tried to turn his eyes away from it, the fact was that the two of them had been alone in the underground wine cellar for over two hours now. Slowly, the atmosphere started to turn a little odd, and speculative discussions were growing louder.

  To make things worse, there had been no suspicious activity they could hear from the underground wine cellar thus far. There were no explosions, no clanging of swords, and no pulsations of mana. With that, they could eliminate the possibility of the two of them fighting or meeting with danger.

  In the first place, there was already some tension between the Purplerose Faction and Bluerose Faction, especially after Paul chose to join the Bluerose Faction. Their relationship only showed signs of reconciliation due to this collaborative operation to bring down the evil cultists.

  Of course, just because they were showing signs of reconciliation didn’t necessarily mean that they would get along well in the future. The fundamental differences between the two factions were simply too great.

  Maybe…… they are discussing how they ought to further their collaboration?

  Paul stroked his lower jaw contemplatively.

  Little did he know that he had already gotten it half right.

  The discussion part hadn’t happened yet, but it was already decided that they would further their collaboration, though it was not on a factional level but on a personal level……

  such as a collaboration on their genes.

  Paul was trying his best to think the other way, but Geralt had a completely different take toward this matter.

  The gray-haired youth looked at the entrance to the underground wine cellar, and despite its gorish appearance, he couldn’t help but think that there was the scent of an illicit affair wafting through the air.

  Geralt had no idea what Lilian had seen in the underground wine cellar, but it was bound to be nothing good. It was likely that she needed some time to compose herself so she ordered them not to disturb her.

  The fact that Roel dared to head over all alone at a time like this was already revealing of something.

  Under normal circumstances, if two individuals weren’t on close terms, they would try to avoid each other if they knew that the other party was in a bad mood. Take Paul for example, despite being Lilian’s half-sibling, he chose to stay put and not disturb her after a moment of hesitation.

  However, Roel headed right into the underground wine cellar with hardly any hesitation at all.

  Even if he was heading there to discuss official business with her, what official business could possibly be so urgent that he needed to meet her right away? Besides, wouldn’t it be more appropriate and productive to wait for her to calm down first before talking official business?

  This was clearly illogical.

  There was another possibility that seemed more likely, and that was that Roel had headed into the underground wine cellar with the intention to console Lilian. It was just a bit queer since the two of them didn’t appear to be that close usually.

  Now that I think about it, there aren’t many people in Chris’ Classroom. Is it possible that they are the type of couple that are cold on the surface but get along well behind closed doors?

  Geralt also managed to guess a part of the truth, just that his deduction still stopped short of a little.

  Both Paul and Geralt weren’t too worried since they had gotten a rough idea as to be what could be happening in the underground wine cellar, but the other members of the Purplerose Faction were starting to lose their patience.

  Two hours wasn’t a long period of time, but it was unthinkable for the close aides who had been with Lilian for years. No matter what kind of setbacks Lilian had suffered, she never needed more than a single hour in order to compose herself.

  What was more crucial was that Lilian wasn’t alone right now. Roel was with her.

  This unprecedented situation left Lilian’s aides greatly unnerved, but none of them dared to go against Lilian’s orders. After pacing around anxiously for a while, they slowly began turning their eyes toward Paul.

  As much as they didn’t want to admit it, the only one amongst them who was qualified to enter the underground wine cellar to take a look was Paul, whether it was his identity as a member of the Ackermann Imperial Family or his position as the vice leader of the Request Club.

  Most importantly of all, Lilian’s order didn’t apply to Paul.

  With these reasons at play, Paul Ackermann was eventually dispatched into the underground wine cellar by the anxious crowd……

  ————————————————


  Meanwhile, in the depths of the underground wine cellar, a long while after the light from their return teleportation faded, the two of them finally began regaining consciousness.

  Lilian’s mind was still a little hazy, The first thing she noticed was the stone cold ground she was lying on and the noxious blood stench around her. She blinked her eyes groggily before her amethyst pupils slowly dilated in realization.

  She quickly shot up to take a look beside her, and it was only when she saw a familiar figure lying not too far away that she finally heaved a sigh of relief. Overwhelming emotions poured into her heart, and for a moment there, she almost felt like crying tears of joy.

  We’re back. We managed to return together safe and sound!

  Even she herself couldn’t remember how many times she had prayed that the two of them would be able to survive this terrifying encounter and return to the real world together. It was hard not to feel overwhelmed when the wish she had prayed so fervently for was finally being realized.

  She struggled to her feet and darted right toward the black-haired man lying beside her. At the same time, Roel sensed the movements around him and slowly opened his eyes too.

  “Senior, we are……”


  “Yes, we’ve returned.”


  “Really? That’s wonderful,” said the exhausted Roel with a faint smile.

  Lilian lurched forward and embraced him so tightly that it felt almost as if she was kneading him into a part of her. It took a while before her feelings finally calmed down.

  Roel also regained his senses during this period of time and started scanning their surroundings.

  We’re still at the bloody wine cellar? It’s at least a relief to see that Senior Lilian is fine now.

  Roel was gladdened that Lilian was no longer haunted by her trauma anymore, and it eased his heart a little. At the same time, he recalled the current plight they were in.

  Judging from his experience with the previous two Witness States, it was unlikely that they had been away for too long. However, the people waiting for them outside were likely to already be on the verge of losing their patience.

  We need to quickly head out.

  Just thinking about the allies he had outside brought comfort to Roel’s heart. After being put through that chaotic coup d’état four hundred years ago, the current Saint Freya Academy felt just like a safehouse to him now.

  Calling it a paradise might be a little far-fetched, but at least it was a place where he could rest at ease.

  Under Lilian’s support, Roel managed to rise to his feet. His long black hair poured down on his robe, producing a slight whishing sound. It reminded Roel of his current situation, and a worried frown began forming on his face.

  He remembered how he was unable to move at all due to the side effects of Glacier Creator when he returned from the Witness State the previous time. He hadn’t suffered any negative side effects from Time Devourer yet, but what unnerved him the most was the spell’s description on the System.

  【Time Devourer

  The ancient monster, Tempest Caller, siphons away time with each of its breaths.

  Effects: Steals time and accelerates aging. The rate of aging depends on the physical constitution of the individual, the strength and concentration of the wind, and various other factors.

  Side Effects: —】


  Indeed, there was nothing written on Time Devourer’s side effects in the System, but as someone who had been pitting his wits against the darned System for years now, he was able to guess what the empty section meant.

  System: Of course there’s a side effect, just that I haven’t found it yet.

  He was 99% certain that that was what the System meant. It was a little weird to see how the seemingly omniscient System was failing here, but his guess was that the System wasn’t developed enough to decipher the mysteries of temporal spells.

  Tsk. It’s one thing that the System charges exorbitant interest rates, but now it’s giving sloppy work too?

  Roel sighed in exasperation at how his System seemed to be regressing with time despite showering him with so many motivational talks.

  Putting that aside for now, he had a strong feeling that the side effects of Time Devourer were going to set in very soon.

  “Senior, I’d need you to cover for me if I’m suddenly struck by the side effects of my spell later on.”


  “Leave it to me,” replied Lilian with a smile.

  She wiped off the tears in her eyes before making her way out first.

  She thought that it was cumbersome, but she knew how important it was for them not to appear too close to one another given their current positions, especially when, in the view of others, they had just spent a long time together with one another.

  It looks like I’ll really have to deal with this problem as soon as possible.

  The brooding Lilian began making her way out of the wine cellar, and Roel quickly followed her footsteps, only to feel a weird sensation engulfing him at that instant.

  What’s going on? Why does my body suddenly feel so light?

  Alarmed, he immediately realized that the side effects were starting to settle in. He wanted to call out to Lilian but he ended up blacking out before he could speak a word.

  Dum!

  A noise coming from behind her snapped Lilian out of her thoughts. She quickly turned around, only to see Roel collapsed on the ground. Horrified, she quickly rushed to his side.

  “Roel!”


  Flustered, she quickly pulled Roel into her arms to check on his condition, but she immediately realized that something was amiss the moment she came into contact with his body.

  Wait a moment, why does his clothes feel so empty?

  Lilian had to feel around his clothes for a bit before finally grabbing hold of his shoulders. It was only when she pulled him into his arms that it finally fully sank in what was wrong with Roel.

  She stared at the figure in her arms with incredulous eyes.

  Amidst a pile of clothes she was holding onto was a sleeping boy with features as delicate as an elf’s.

  “!”


  “!”