Seeing the two girls frozen in place with that letter in their hands, Linen felt like he was practically blooming inside.
Especially when Hysteria's already-scarlet eyes seemed to blaze with visible fire—fueled by pure fury.
Yes, yes, that's the face I wanted! The look of you two completely, absolutely enraged at me!
But as a proper top-tier villain, and for the sake of caution, he couldn't let them think this was some roundabout way of protecting them. No—he had to sell this role completely.
He blinked, feigning surprise, then coldly said:
"That letter's addressed to me, isn't it? I don't recall giving either of you permission to open it."
"You bastard! And to think we actually trusted you!"
Hysteria's voice rose sharply in anger.
She was definitely flustered—so much so, in fact, she forgot to preface his name with "trash."
Linen remained calm.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Hand me my letter, and I'll pretend nothing ever happened."
"You're going to forgive us?!"
Hysteria laughed—a brittle, rage-fueled laugh that cracked at the edges.
Fueled by fury, fire-element mana surged into her palm, and in the next instant—fwoosh—the letter was incinerated to ash.
But even after it was gone, the fire in her hand only burned hotter, as if fed by her emotions rather than dimmed.
[Target refused to return the letter and destroyed it. Rejection successful!]
[Reward granted!]
Ahh, there it is. That sweet, satisfying notification tone.
Still, Hysteria's fire-element Arcane wasn't just for show. Linen subtly activated his own wind-element spell for defense, just in case things got out of hand.
The atmosphere in the room was razor-taut, like one more breath would trigger an explosion—until:
"Wait—please!"
A figure darted between them.
"Elena, get out of the way!"
"Elena, it's dangerous—step back."
Only Elena could have intervened at that moment.
She turned first to the angrier party—Hysteria.
"Shia, if you really want to fight Linen, I won't stop you. But... can I ask him a few questions first?"
Hysteria gave a reluctant huff but ultimately nodded her assent.
Then Elena turned to Linen, eyes locked on his.
Why? she wanted to ask. Why would the boy who tried so hard to be our friend… betray us like this?
Unless—
"Linen... was this really your idea? Or did Professor Ken force you into it?"
Ken? Force me?
Linen almost burst out laughing.
With Ken's cowardice? Even if Linen personally handed over all his dirt, Ken probably wouldn't dare say a word, let alone try blackmail.
And yet… Elena still wants to believe otherwise.
Then it hit him.
This was just like some third-rate drama: the protagonist, staring at their supposedly betrayed friend, asking in disbelief:
"Tell me it wasn't you... Tell me you didn't betray us…"
Then the traitor responds with mysterious silence, setting up the emotional payoff for a future redemption arc.
But Linen?
He wasn't playing that game.
He wasn't a betrayed ally.
He was the one pulling the strings behind the curtain.
Time to shatter her illusion.
A satisfied smirk curled at his lips.
He opened his mouth—
"…."
Silence.
Elena blinked. "Sorry, what was that, Linen? I couldn't hear you. Could you say it again?"
Linen clicked his tongue in irritation.
"…"
Another pause.
This time, he could tell something was wrong.
He frowned and tried once more:
"…"
"What's that supposed to mean, you trash? Acting all mysterious now?"
Even Hysteria—dense as she could be—noticed something wasn't right.
Elena, on the other hand, looked strangely relieved.
"I understand now, Linen. I get it."
Wait. You "get it"? What do you mean, you "get it"?!
IT WAS ME! I DID THIS! I'M THE ONE WHO STABBED YOU IN THE BACK!
Linen's mind reeled.
Then he realized what was happening.
It was the damn contract scroll.
Because it wasn't the full version, it had only placed a one-way restriction on him: he couldn't reveal his partnership with Ken to anyone.
And since he was the instigator of that cooperation, it counted under the scroll's rules.
Normally, violating a magic contract would trigger a penalty.
But Ken had used a cheap, nerfed version—and he sure as hell wouldn't dare bind Linen with a contract that could actually hurt him.
Which left them with… this.
Linen didn't suffer a penalty—but he literally couldn't speak the truth out loud.
Now, as Elena's eyes lit up with a spark—of hope, no less—Linen could only sink into stunned silence.
This really is turning into a cliché drama...
He had to get out of there.
Sticking around would only make things worse.
Unless—
I'll flip the script.
He couldn't explain. But he could still sell the villain angle.
Act cold. Stay distant. Let them believe what they want. Stir that hate just a little more.
He had planned to lie low tonight for safety.
But now?
No. He'd be there. He'd stand beside Ken when the girls fell. Say nothing, do nothing—just be there.
The effect would be ten times stronger.
"Whatever. Think what you want."
With that, he turned and left the room.
---
"Ugh! That jerk!"
As the door shut, Hysteria stomped her foot hard.
"Elena! Why didn't you let me torch that liar?!"
"Shia, I don't think we should jump to conclusions," Elena said solemnly. "I think… we may have misunderstood Linen."
"What? He admitted it was all him! How is that a misunderstanding?!"
"Did he?" Elena asked softly.
Hysteria fell silent.
Because now that she thought about it—he hadn't actually said anything.
"But that doesn't prove he's innocent either."
"True," Elena nodded. "So let's find out the truth with our own hands."
She pulled a small device from her pocket—a radar-shaped Arcane tool.
"This Arcane tracker has Linen's coordinates logged."
"According to the letter, Ken invited us to the main teaching building tonight to 'discuss the upcoming assessments'—but it's clearly a trap."
"If Linen's truly in on it, he'll stay in his dorm and let Ken deal with us."
"Wait. Where did you get that?" Hysteria squinted. "That, and the skeleton key you used before—you're just a 'commoner girl from the countryside,' right?"
Elena's cheeks flushed red.
"Don't worry about the details. Anyway—if we go there before Ken sends a messenger, we might be able to set a reverse trap. If we also see Linen's tracker move... that proves he cares, right?"
Hysteria hesitated.
The plan had holes.
Risking themselves just to prove Linen's innocence?
But... the teaching building still had other professors on campus tonight.
So she bit her lip, then nodded.
"Fine. Just this once, I'll go along with it."
"That trash dares mess with a royal princess?"
"If he really is a liar, I swear—on the honor of the Flame Rose Empire—I'll fireball him straight up the nose!"
---
Late that night, in his dorm, Linen waited.
According to plan, Ken would summon the girls with a fake excuse about academic credit—an irresistible lure in a place like Eden Academy.
And both Elena and Hysteria, prideful and diligent in their own ways, would definitely confront Ken over it.
They'd never guess that tonight was an off-campus holiday.
No teachers in the building.
Only Ken… and a few hired hands.
But to make sure he soaked up every ounce of hate, Linen needed to be there when they fell.
At that very moment, in the teaching building, the girls anxiously watched the blip on their Arcane radar.
It moved.
He was coming.
Elena smiled brightly.
"See? Even if he talks tough... Linen really is kind."
So kind.
Too kind.
So Yasashii~