"Now get off me already!"
After confirming that Elena was safely out of sight, Hysteria roughly shoved Linen off her.
"Do you hate me that much, Princess? You didn't need to push that hard."
Linen got up, brushing dirt off himself nonchalantly.
Hysteria simply huffed stubbornly, avoiding eye contact.
In truth, Linen's body pressed against hers hadn't felt particularly unpleasant.
While he had initially tackled her roughly, he quickly softened his movements when she stopped struggling, even placing an arm beneath her to ease her discomfort.
The only real discomfort had come from his awkwardly placed longsword, constantly poking into her.
But that wasn't what mattered most!
I'm the great Princess Hysteria! How dare he pin me down! If anyone should be on top, it's me!
Hence, she refused to acknowledge his kindness and instead retorted coldly, "Of course I dislike a hypocrite like you. You said Elena would hate unfair advantages, yet clearly, you intended to sneak into the exam yourself from the very start!"
Linen raised an eyebrow innocently. "Princess Hysteria, your words wound me deeply. Couldn't it be that I only joined the exam because I saw you recklessly rush in?"
"Nonsense! Impossible!" Hysteria shook her head smugly, her red twintails bouncing triumphantly behind her. "Do you think I'm an idiot? The Artificer Exam might theoretically allow late entries, but registration and teleportation are time-limited. You'd never have made it in time if you signed up after seeing me!"
Linen smiled faintly, eyes turning serious. "Good deduction, Princess. Indeed, I planned from the start to secretly join without informing either of you."
I knew it!
Hysteria proudly placed her hands on her hips, confident she had finally caught Linen off guard.
But Linen's gaze suddenly sharpened, his approval replaced by an icy seriousness:
"However, did you ever pause to think about why I'd do something like this?"
His quietly reprimanding tone made Hysteria squirm uncomfortably, instinctively protesting, "W-what do you mean? You obviously just wanted to…"
Her voice faltered abruptly.
Because no matter how she tried, she couldn't think of a reason why Linen would go so far as to risk Elena's displeasure, entering the exam secretly himself.
"Finally realizing it, Princess Hysteria?"
Seeing her slowly realize this, Linen sighed softly, his eyes calm yet firm as he raised them to meet hers.
"But since you've already interfered, I suppose I might as well tell you the truth."
"The truth? What nonsense are you spouting now?" Though aware she might be wrong, Hysteria remained stubborn.
Yet Linen had fully anticipated her stubbornness. He had long since understood her personality: the tougher she acted now, the more she'd crumble later.
"Think carefully, Princess. Starting from the rules of this exam: 'Any means necessary.' Don't you find it odd? Why would an Artificer's exam focus on combat strength instead of crafting skills?"
"What…what are you trying to say?" Hysteria's voice quivered slightly.
"You've probably already guessed," Linen stared directly at her, speaking clearly, word by word. "Some of the examiners… are not exactly friendly."
"You think all the students in this exam are clean? You know what this exam means to Elena. She'd participate regardless of any warnings. Letting your teammate enter alone under these conditions—does that sound like something royalty would do?"
"So the real reason you joined the exam is actually—"
Hysteria's expression paled dramatically as she grasped Linen's implication.
"Yes," Linen confirmed gravely. "My initial goal was to secretly protect Elena. But thanks to someone's reckless actions, I now have to babysit another burden. Care to guess who that might be?"
"Ugh!"
Linen's voice carried little emotion, merely a gentle rebuke—but for Hysteria, this calm disappointment cut deeper than any sharp blade.
"So…I'm just a burden?"
She whispered, trembling slightly.
"Exactly right."
Linen nodded slowly, stepping closer and doing something completely unexpected.
He reached out—and gently stroked Hysteria's head, fingers brushing softly through her red twintails.
The princess flinched visibly, about to pull away, when Linen continued warmly:
"Still, you're not completely useless. Some of the students you eliminated were suspects I intended to handle myself."
"Uuu…"
A quiet whimper escaped Hysteria's throat as she lowered her head in embarrassment.
Ever since mastering her [Fire Arcana], nobody dared to touch her head so condescendingly. Anyone who tried ended up with a fireball stuffed up their nose.
But now, despite her humiliation, she couldn't bring herself to retaliate against Linen. After all, she had made a mistake first, and Linen was graciously comforting her despite that.
Yet somehow, this gesture felt oddly familiar.
Wasn't this the classic method of taming a pet? A slap followed by soothing petting?
What does this bastard take me for?
The more time I spend with him, the stranger I become…!
Yet she couldn't voice these feelings aloud. Linen had provided her ample justification to accept his touch quietly. Refusing now would seem ungrateful—even petty.
Fine, she'd accept this humiliating comfort. Not because she enjoyed it, but because she couldn't refuse it.
And besides…Linen's fingers were surprisingly gentle, making her secretly wish the moment lasted just a bit longer…
Meanwhile, unseen by the blushing princess, Linen's lips curled into a triumphant smirk.
Controlling this princess is just too easy.
He'd noticed every subtle twitch and blush—her trembling beneath his touch, the embarrassment forcing her to submit.
Clearly, she felt intense humiliation at having to yield beneath him. Her patience was nearly exhausted.
Hysteria's impulsive actions had initially startled Linen, but he'd quickly realized this presented a perfect opportunity.
A chance to antagonize two heroines simultaneously!
Hysteria now believed they shared the same goal: helping Elena pass. This allowed him to casually achieve the previously impossible—petting the fiercely proud heroine known in the original story for annihilating any annoyance, even storm clouds, with fiery vengeance.
This feeling…was genuinely intoxicating.
But what would happen when Hysteria inevitably discovered the truth—that all along, Linen intended Elena's failure?
Linen eagerly anticipated her reaction.
"So," Hysteria finally spoke, cheeks still flushed, "what should we do next?"
She wasn't surrendering control entirely, but she'd realized something unsettling: whenever she tried to outsmart Linen, her brilliant ideas always seemed to backfire spectacularly.
"Our next step is crucial," Linen began seriously, before suddenly shivering dramatically. "Ah, it's getting dark and cold. Could you start a fire? Then I'll explain."
Hysteria frowned but reluctantly obeyed. Linen's schemes always had hidden meanings, after all. Gathering wood, she quickly ignited a blaze with her fire Arcana, coughing irritably as smoke filled her lungs.
"What now?" the soot-covered princess demanded impatiently.
"Next comes the truly critical part," Linen explained solemnly, casually roasting bread he'd conveniently produced from somewhere. "Pay attention—I'll only say this once."
Hysteria nodded earnestly, resolving never to act rashly again.
"Our task now is simply this: Wait, and keep hope alive."
Linen smiled cryptically as Hysteria stared at him, utterly bewildered.
Hysteria waited eagerly for Linen to continue, only to see him casually biting into the bread.
"And then?" she demanded impatiently.
"There is no 'and then,'" Linen replied nonchalantly.
"You're messing with me!"
Hysteria shot up to her feet, glaring daggers at Linen.
"Sit down, Princess," Linen sighed calmly. "Or what else did you want us to do? Rush around causing trouble like you did earlier? Or maybe directly steal an artifact to hand Elena an easy victory?"
Hysteria instantly deflated and obediently sat back down. After all, Elena would never forgive such blatant interference.
"Maybe it's not my place to say this," Linen continued mildly, "but in my opinion, your insistence on helping Elena actually hurts her."
"Nonsense! Why would I ever hurt Elena?" Hysteria snapped, eyes blazing fiercely at him. She deeply valued Elena, her first and only true friend.
"Oh?" Linen feigned shock. "But doesn't your excessive meddling and overprotection indicate you don't trust Elena's abilities? Isn't that itself a form of harm?"
"I… Then what about you?" Hysteria countered sharply.
What I'm doing right now is exactly what I should—sitting here doing nothing, Linen thought privately, with the added responsibility of keeping you out of trouble.
"I'm different from you," he explained aloud. "I'll step in only if something genuinely goes wrong—not waste time thinking up ways to help a capable teammate cheat."
Hysteria fell silent.
Because deep down, she realized Linen was right.
She had underestimated Elena's abilities.
Indeed, whether it was against Ken, or breaking into Linen's room for intel, Elena had demonstrated extraordinary talent with Artificer magic. Barring unforeseen events, passing this minor Artificer Exam wouldn't pose any problem for her friend.
And even if something unexpected happened, wasn't Linen here along with herself?
"Alright, I get it. I'll stay put," Hysteria conceded reluctantly, plopping down opposite Linen, cheeks cupped in frustration.
Seeing her finally submit, Linen smiled warmly, gently murmuring, "Good girl."
Hysteria merely snorted defiantly.
As if your praise makes me happy!
---
Meanwhile, on the viewing platform, the Tower of Chronomancy's mages breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Hysteria's sudden intrusion had seriously rattled them, forcing constant attention on the rogue princess and distracting from the other participants.
The Tower's primary mission was assessing promising candidates who passed this exam, prepared to openly antagonize the Zijinghua Empire if necessary. Each talented student Hysteria eliminated reduced their chances significantly.
Now, seeing Linen finally reigning her in, the Tower's mages inwardly thanked the prince.
Though many still distrusted Linen, with the exam nearing its end, the time to fulfill their bargain and enact the final plan had arrived.
Tarn, particularly resentful due to Linen killing his subordinate, Salion, scoffed disdainfully. Yet as the deadline approached, Tarn grudgingly glanced toward Latina, telepathically informing her, "Master Latina, I'll head into the mountains, activate the formation, and stop Elena as we agreed with Prince Linen."
Latina nodded absently. Her eyes had never left Gust, though the legendary [Seven-Ring] mage remained silent, seemingly aware he was merely a spectator unfamiliar with Artificer magic.
As Tarn departed, an almost imperceptible wisp of arcana energy slipped from his palm, silently drifting into the forest.
---
"Finally! The Gray Peony!"
After a grueling day, Elena sighed in relief upon finally spotting the marked artifact.
Her luck had been unusually awful today. Every time she'd gotten close to an artifact, another student would suddenly interrupt, forcing her to retreat. When she returned, the artifact was always gone.
Stealing artifacts from other students had never crossed Elena's mind—she simply didn't want to.
Just as she reached eagerly for the flower, a sudden bolt of lightning crashed from above, incinerating the Gray Peony instantly.
"No!" Elena screamed helplessly, tears of frustration brimming in her eyes as the flower burned to ashes before her.
She glared upward, locking eyes with the mage responsible.
"Why?!"
Tarn floated gently to the ground, wearing a cruel smile.
The deal with Linen was only to ensure Elena failed. Latina's instruction was simply to inform Elena of Linen's involvement. But neither specified exactly how to do that.
Naturally, Tarn chose the most cruel and rage-inducing method available—to make this young girl deeply loathe that arrogant prince.
Suffer the pain of losing your precious companion, Linen Norton!
"The last Gray Peony is destroyed. Your exam ends here, Elena," Tarn announced smugly. "As for 'why'? It's quite simple—Prince Linen sends his regards."
Linen…?
Elena froze, disbelief etched across her face.
How could it be him?
---
Meanwhile, near the campfire, Hysteria completely lost her temper.
"You liar! I could've stopped that lightning bolt if you hadn't prevented me!"
Linen, covering his face, suddenly chuckled softly.
"That's exactly right. I deliberately stopped you, Princess."
"Deliberately?! Why? What possible benefit is there for you to do that?" Hysteria demanded furiously.
Linen's eyes glinted wickedly as he rubbed his hands together like a villain revealing his grand scheme.
"Because, obviously—"
At that exact moment, a bright signal flare shot into the sky. Countless shadowy figures dressed as Shadow Knights suddenly burst from hiding, swarming rapidly into the mountains.
"Don't let anyone escape!"
"Prince Linen's bought us plenty of time! Now it's our turn!"
Hearing these passing Shadow Knights' shouts, Hysteria stared blankly at Linen, completely confused.
"Was… this also part of your plan?"
Linen fell silent, suddenly uncertain himself.
Was it…?