Chapter 175: Chapter 175

When that familiar Eye of Mind imprint came into view, a fleetingly absurd thought crossed Lynn’s mind.

He had only ever seen a similar imprint on Yveste’s side.

Hence, for a moment, he even suspected that the woman before him was Her Highness the Princess in disguise and reflexively drew in a sharp breath.

If that were the case, he’d probably be dead meat.

Getting involved with another woman, acting all sweet and pseudo-intimate, building himself up as a devoted “heaven-sent childhood friend” persona…
Clearly, he had no desire to keep his three legs intact, did he?

At that possibility, the “Little Brother” that had been standing tall just a moment before instantly wilted in defeat.

But even before he could dwell on that, his Swallower of Lies ability sprang into action.

In a mere instant, Lynn felt his consciousness detach from his body, like a soul floating away.

Damn it.
He’d reacted on instinct.

Realizing what he’d just done, Lynn wanted to slap himself.

Fortunately, in the next second, he dismissed that terrifying, ghastly guess.

After all, this was the Punishers’ prison, backed by certain figures from the Imperial Council. There was no way they would allow Yveste inside for a visit.

Moreover, judging by her earlier words and responses, this woman’s personality was nothing like Yveste’s.

At the very least, if Yveste were present, seeing him unconscious, it would be a miracle if she didn’t do a mouth-to-mouth feed using the Moonlight Essence.

Breathing a small sigh of relief, Lynn was nonetheless struck by the sheer absurdity of the situation.

How on earth had this woman obtained that imprint?
And why would she stamp it in such a shameless place?

Could it be that the Silent Saintess was actually a lustful “sow,” repressed by feudal morality for too long and no longer bothering to hide it?

That would be some real eroge-level setting. Too far-fetched.

Lynn shook his head inwardly.

Having read the original novel, he knew exactly what Tiya’s true nature was.

Which made everything all the more puzzling.

Beyond that, from the string of outlandishly “coincidental” events lately, Lynn picked up on a faint but strange vibe.

It all seemed normal on the surface, yet the incongruity was jarring. Almost as if some unseen hand—the Will of the World—had corrected everyone’s fate.

But that was impossible.

The Will of the World would prefer for him, this “foreign contaminant,” to disappear immediately. Why would it go out of its way to lend a helping hand?

If not the Will of the World, then what else could it be?

Unsure, Lynn hesitated.

A line surfaced in his mind:

“All gifts from fate have long since been secretly priced.”

It gave him chills.

He had no time to ponder further, though, as the sudden stirring of his “Little Brother” yanked him back to reality.

Taking in the young woman’s shapely, slender legs, Lynn felt that the earlier beating had all been worthwhile.

So it’s a snug-fitting style…and white cotton lace trim, no less.

How very pure of you, Saintess.

At that moment, Tiya was tremblingly lifting the hem of her robe. A bashful mist blurred her eyes, yet she stared intently at Lynn, as though waiting to see a particular reaction she expected.

For someone as conservative as she was, doing this had already pushed her to the absolute limit.

If Lynn didn’t fall under her hypnosis, she dreaded to think what would happen next.

Fortunately, he knew exactly what to do.

Maintaining the Swallower of Lies state, Lynn let his arms—previously supporting him—drop limply, sinking against the wall as though he’d lost all strength. He stared, vacant and dazed, like a man whose spirit had been wrenched away.

Silence hovered in the air.

Tiya’s heart pounded madly in her chest.

She’d half-expected to hear some shame-inducing remark from Lynn. Yet, to her surprise, his gaze turned dull, and he remained silent.

Hope flared in her mind.

Could it be… that it actually worked?!

She almost wanted to raise her fists in a little cheer.

Then a troublesome thought occurred:
The book she’d read never explained clearly how this imprint was used, so Tiya wasn’t sure if she had to keep showing the imprint to the hypnotized target the entire time, or if a brief glimpse was enough.

If it was the former, she’d have to keep her robe lifted from start to finish.

Tiya didn’t dare take the risk.

So even if she had succeeded in hypnotizing him, she continued to hold up her robe, leaving her pale white legs exposed to Lynn.

On her upper thigh, that Eye of Mind imprint still glowed brightly.

Because it wasn’t an Extraordinary ability but rather an auxiliary tool—much like the staff she kept in her magic space—she was able to use it here in the Punishers’ prison despite its ban on supernatural powers.

Furthermore, the book said that this imprint wasn’t universally effective; it only worked on the first human who laid eyes on it.

Hence she’d never even considered using it on Big Brother Shia.
Besides, someone like her would never subject herself to such shamelessness before the man she actually liked.

Silence settled between them once again.

Watching Lynn’s stiff, lifeless demeanor, Tiya exhaled a quiet sigh of relief.

What next?

Oh, right—she had questions to ask!

According to the book, once someone was hypnotized, they entered a state of complete openness at the subconscious level. At that point, every thought hidden deep within them would be laid bare.

Right now, Tiya felt a twinge of excitement.

She’d gone through all these convoluted measures precisely so she could confront the darker corners of Lynn’s mind—and thereby eradicate her own inexplicable guilt.

In any case, Tiya absolutely did not believe he was as sincere as he appeared.

After all, humans were vile and disgusting creatures.

Taking a slow breath, Tiya originally intended to ask him, “How many lies have you told me so far?” so she could expose every bit of his true nature.

For reasons unknown, though, when she opened her mouth, the words that emerged were quite different.

Her voice sounded oddly unsteady:

「If you had the chance to boast about what happened last night in front of Big Brother Shia, as a man, wouldn’t you be thrilled?」

Doing something like that would be akin to telling his enemy, “Your wife is great in bed,”—a devastating blow indeed.

Even Tiya understood men’s competitive nature and pride.

Which only fueled her confusion.

As expected, Lynn’s response didn’t surprise her.

「Yes. It’d feel amazing, like I beat Shia.」

He answered woodenly.

It came as no shock to Tiya. She’d been sure he’d say something like that, because men were inherently base creatures.

So she wasn’t the least bit taken aback.

But then a flicker of doubt arose in her mind.

「If that’s the case, then why didn’t you tell him what happened last night?」

Tiya still clutched the edge of her robe, her lower half feeling chilly as she asked softly.

She’d expected him to clam up—but swiftly remembered this was hypnosis.

He should answer without hesitation, divulging his reasons.

In the next moment, Lynn spoke in a soft, subdued tone:

「Because if he found out, your position would become very uncomfortable. You’d also feel furious and heartbroken.」

「And I…don’t want to do anything that would make you angry or sad.」

A wave of absurdity coursed through Tiya, and her delicate fingertips reflexively tightened around the fabric of her robe.

「You let yourself get beaten nearly to death…just for that reason?!」

「Yes.」

Tiya’s chest rose and fell quickly. She felt as though her mind had shut down, letting her emotions run wild, and she couldn’t help raising her voice.

「Even if you almost died here?!」

Her tremulous, outraged shout echoed in the enclosed space.

This time, the hypnotized youth seemed to sink into a brief silence.

Breathing heavily, Tiya tried to calm the surge of turmoil and anger she couldn’t fully comprehend.

Moments later, Lynn spoke again, his voice dull yet striking like a great bell:

「Dying for you is…the most insignificant thing I’m willing to do.」

[S-level storyline character “Tiya Yuhesti”’s Plot Deviation has increased to 7.55%.]

In the Pantheon.

Sitting at the edge of the steps, Miss Witch abruptly snapped out of her thoughts. Whatever she’d sensed made her wave a hand, dismissing the projection of the black-haired, blue-eyed youth before her.

The next second, a warning pricked at her senses. She looked down at the Chain of Order shackling her right wrist.

That chain represented the Goddess of the Moon. Because of Lynn’s actions in the mortal realm, a barely discernible crack had appeared on it.

It was precisely that crack that allowed her to possess Lynn briefly, channeling a sliver of power.

Though just the tiniest fraction, it was still impressive.

Too bad it consumed too much, and she’d nearly been toppled by her past self.

And now, that Chain of Order was mutating again.

Did he once more do something drastically altering the past’s fate?

Miss Witch took a deep breath.

If she could just break free of the shackle on her right arm, her authority would recover further. Then she could do so much more than she could now.

At that thought, a faint ripple spread through her once-serene heart.

But in the next instant, something unexpected happened.

In a split second, soft moonlight rained down from the heavens, ebbing and flowing like ocean tides until it engulfed the entire Pantheon.