“Let’s go.”
Alicia seemed quite satisfied with the situation.
The greedy gazes of those commoners only served to heighten her sense of superiority in possessing this “treasure” all to herself.
She took the initiative to walk by Lynn’s side, clearing a path for him in a posture that declared her sovereignty.
Lynn braced himself and followed her through the academy gates.
He felt less like he was touring a campus and more like he was walking a red carpet — a red carpet paved by countless eerie gazes.
A girl passing by with books in her arms suddenly let go the moment she saw Lynn, sending her books scattering across the ground.
She didn’t move to pick them up; she simply stood there, staring blankly at Lynn.
Her mouth hung slightly open, and her pupils reflected nothing but Lynn’s silhouette.
**[Blackening Value: 25%]**
Another girl, who had been laughing and chatting with her companions, suddenly fell silent.
She pushed aside the people around her and began walking toward Lynn step by step.
Her eyes were hollow, making her look like a puppet being controlled by strings.
If Alicia hadn’t swept her with a cold, piercing glare, the girl would likely have lunged straight at him.
**[Blackening Value: 38%]**
“A group of… irreverent ants,” Alicia hissed through gritted teeth.
The aura of Holy Light surrounding her became sharp and aggressive, fending off every gaze that attempted to draw near.
Cold sweat beaded on Lynn’s forehead.
‘This isn’t the Novice Village. This is a jar for raising venomous insects! Every single person here is a potential threat!’
He only wanted to reach his dormitory as quickly as possible and lock himself inside.
But just then, a gaze far more intense than all the surrounding eyes combined shot toward him from the end of the tree-lined path.
It was a look filled with scrutiny, dominance, and an undisguised desire to conquer.
Lynn’s body stiffened.
He followed the direction of that gaze and looked up.
Standing on the steps in front of the main teaching building was a tall young woman dressed in a silver knight’s uniform.
She had fiery red hair tied in a sharp, high ponytail, and her features were strikingly heroic.
Her hand rested on the hilt of the sword at her waist, and her eyes locked onto Lynn like a hawk.
Lynn didn’t need a system prompt.
He recognized her at a single glance.
The Imperial Princess and Knight Corps Reservist — and his childhood friend (according to the game’s setting) — “Vivian.”
She was the woman he had designed to be a “Guardian Yandere.”
Her specific logic was: ‘You’ll always be safe as long as I break your limbs and keep you as a pet.’
A bright red notification box popped up in Lynn’s vision right on cue.
**[Key Figure Detected: Imperial Princess Vivian]**
**[Blackening Value: 75%]**
As Vivian watched Lynn being “guarded” by the Imperial Saint Alicia, the corners of her mouth curled into a dangerous arc.
Her hand slowly rose from her sword hilt and pointed toward Lynn.
Or rather, she pointed at Alicia, who stood beside him.
Vivian’s finger remained fixed in that direction.
An invisible blast of wind erupted from her fingertip, brushing past Lynn’s cheek and thrusting straight toward Alicia.
A sharp whistling sound tore through the air.
A few strands of hair beside Lynn’s face were sliced off by the wind, drifting slowly to the ground.
Alicia, standing beside him, didn’t move an inch.
The holy smile on her face didn’t even flicker.
A layer of pale gold radiance, almost invisible to the naked eye, flashed in front of her for a split second, neutralizing the domineering wind into nothingness.
“Imperial Princess.”
Alicia spoke.
Her voice remained sweet and soft, yet it carried no warmth.
“To resort to violence at the sacred gates of the academy… do you intend to desecrate this tranquility?”
She took half a step forward, inconspicuously shielding Lynn entirely behind her.
Her posture was elegant, yet it radiated an absolute sense of possession.
Vivian lowered her hand, her ruby-like eyes burning with undisguised fire.
Her gaze pierced over Alicia’s shoulder, pinning itself firmly on Lynn.
“I lost something of mine. Now that I’ve found it, I’ve come to take it back. Is there a problem with that?”
She spoke with total conviction, as if Lynn were not a person but a piece of private property she had lost and recently recovered.
The surrounding students had already retreated, creating a massive vacuum around them, but their gazes grew even more fervent.
The Imperial Saint and the Imperial Princess.
Two young women standing at the pinnacle of power and prestige in the Empire were confronting each other in public over a single man.
This scene was more thrilling than any play.
Lynn felt as though he were at the center of a storm.
To his left was a nuclear reactor encased in holy radiance; to his right was an active volcano on the verge of eruption.
If he didn’t speak up now, the academy gates might be leveled to the ground in the next second.
“Vivian.”
Lynn poked his head out from behind Alicia, forcing what he hoped was a natural-looking smile.
“Long time no see. See? I’ve come back.”
Hearing Lynn take the initiative to speak, the fire in Vivian’s eyes dimmed slightly, but the oppressive weight of her scrutiny only intensified.
“Back?”
“she sneered.”
“I thought you’d died in some ditch. My people have spent the last two days turning the entire Royal Capital upside down looking for you.”
Alicia’s smile deepened upon hearing this.
“So, the Imperial Princess searched for so long and found nothing?”
She said softly, her words like poisoned feathers.
“It seems God truly favors the pious. It was I who, under the guidance of the Lord, found the lost lamb.”
The subtext was painfully obvious: ‘I found the person you couldn’t. He’s mine.’
Vivian’s face darkened instantly, and her hand gripped her sword hilt once more.
**[Alicia’s Blackening Value: 88%]**
**[Vivian’s Blackening Value: 80%]**
‘They’re going to explode!’
Lynn’s scalp tingled.
He lunged forward, squeezing between the two women and spreading his arms to keep them apart.
“Stop! Everyone, just stop!”
He felt like a desperate mediator.
“Listen to me! This isn’t what you think!”
He turned to Vivian first, his tone sincere.
“I had a bit of an accident two days ago and got hurt. The Saintess saved me. Really, if you don’t believe me, look.”
As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeve, revealing a faint red mark on his wrist where the chains had rubbed against his skin.
It was the only “evidence” he could offer.
Vivian’s gaze fell upon the red mark, and her pupils contracted sharply.
That was no ordinary wound. It was a mark left by being bound for a long period of time.
Her rage immediately found a target, pointing straight at Alicia.
“You dared to hurt him?!”
“Imperial Princess, please watch your words,” Alicia replied with a look of pure innocence.
“I only used a minor ‘Holy Artifact’ to ensure his safety so that I could better care for him.”
‘She actually called the shackles a holy artifact…’
This ability to distort the truth left Lynn in awe.
Seeing that Vivian was about to draw her sword, Lynn quickly pressed his hand over hers.
“It’s not what you think! I did this to myself by accident!”
He could only grit his teeth and lie.
Then, he turned to Alicia.
“Saintess, this is my… friend — Vivian. She is also here to protect me.”