"Alright, Shia, don't keep bothering Linen. He's going to do serious business."
Elena deliberately emphasized the last three words. Although Hysteria clearly didn't like it, she begrudgingly backed down.
Then Elena turned to Linen. "Would you like us to go with you?"
"No need. Professor Ken only asked for me, didn't he? We're not close enough to count as 'one person' yet."
Linen shook his head, rejecting them coolly.
Judging by the pace of things, it was about time Ken would attempt to make a move on the girls. The last thing he needed was unexpected variables. Best to go alone.
"What kind of attitude is that?! It's not like we wanted to go with you anyway!"
Hysteria snapped in frustration.
[Congratulations, Host. Successful rejection.]
[Received: Arcane Stone ×1.]
Linen fell silent.
Wait a second… I think I just discovered the right way to use Hysteria.
All he had to do was reject her rejection, and she'd reflexively reject him back.
Perfect.
Once he confirmed the two girls weren't following him, Linen left the dining hall and headed toward the teaching building.
---
Back in the cafeteria, Elena turned toward Hysteria with a rare hint of exasperation.
"Shia, you're being too reckless. Didn't we agree to protect Linen together? This won't do."
But Hysteria didn't get flustered or angry. Instead, she flashed a dazzling smile, baring her little canine teeth.
"Hmph. Don't worry, Ellie. Everything is going according to plan. It's better we didn't follow that annoying guy."
"What do you mean?"
Elena blinked in confusion.
"If you're worried Ken will realize we're working with Linen, we could just follow him from a distance, right?"
Hysteria wagged her finger. "Elena, you're a kind person and smart too—but not understanding the world of Arcane Mages is your biggest flaw."
"That Ken guy is a homeroom-level instructor here. He's at least a Three-Ring Arcane Mage. He probably has all sorts of spells we don't even know about. Did you think about the possibility that he already set up detection magic along the path?"
"If we follow too closely, we'll blow our cover. And once that happens, not only us—Linen will be in danger too."
"I… didn't consider that."
Elena finally realized her emotions had clouded her judgment.
She'd already seen what Ken was capable of during potionology class. If Linen hadn't intervened, she never would have noticed the tampered mandrake root.
Linen and Hysteria might only appear to be One-Ring Mages, and her own hidden strength still wasn't at Two-Ring level. If a fight broke out and Ken had prepped the field, they probably wouldn't even last long enough for help to arrive.
"That's why we shouldn't follow him to see Ken," Hysteria said proudly. "All we need to do… is watch him."
"If he really wants to protect us, he'll find a way to leak information to us—just like he did in class."
"And when we get that intel, that's when we make our move. This time, we're going to bring that bastard Ken to justice!"
With that, Hysteria raised her tiny fist in the air triumphantly.
Elena clapped gently, eyes wide with admiration. "You really thought this through, Shia. I'm impressed!"
"Hmph~"
Hysteria gave a self-satisfied hum. Her crimson eyes narrowed with glee—and something else.
Of course I thought it through.
How else am I going to make that annoying jerk owe me a huge debt?
And when that day comes, I'll humiliate him in a way he'll never forget!
Strawberry Bear panties? Just you wait!
Still, Ken was strong, and Hysteria wasn't sure what kind of message Linen could actually get across.
She was… a little worried about him.
Just a little.
---
Meanwhile, in the staff offices of the teaching building, Linen strolled into Ken's room. Seeing that it was empty except for the teacher himself, he casually flopped onto the sofa and crossed his legs.
"Professor Ken, I heard you wanted to see me?"
"Yes, Prince Linen."
Ken didn't react to the disrespect. He simply nodded, setting down his quill and smiling.
"Your Highness, you mentioned previously that you had a complete plan to deal with Hysteria and Elena. I thought we should sit down and discuss it in detail—"
"You dragged me here just for that?"
Linen cut him off flatly.
"Your Highness, I only thought—"
Ken stood reflexively, a bead of sweat forming at his brow. Despite having far superior magical ability, he couldn't shake the feeling that Linen could see straight through him.
"I don't care what you think. I don't like people who aren't honest. Before we continue, break that recording quill. I don't like it."
The second interruption broke Ken's composure entirely. He hesitated for a moment, then bit his lip and snapped the quill in two.
"That's better, Professor Ken," Linen said coolly.
"Our collaboration depends on mutual trust. You show me sincerity, and I'll show you mine."
"…I apologize."
Ken bowed his head.
Technically, this was a partnership. But even he could see it—he'd already become Linen's subordinate in all but name.
Only then did Linen nod in satisfaction.
As expected, this idiot must've been pressured by the Tower of Chronomancy and decided to act early—then flee.
Maybe because both heroines were showing signs of growing closer to me, he panicked and bumped up his timeline.
Fortunately, Linen had anticipated this and was well prepared.
"Here."
He pulled an envelope from his coat and tossed it onto Ken's desk.
"What's this?"
"A plan," Linen replied. "Written in detail. And conveniently, it also works as 'evidence' you can use to pin the blame on me later. Isn't that what you brought the recording quill for?"
"I…"
Ken looked awkward, exposed so easily.
"Oh—and once you finish reading it, write me a reply. If the evidence is only one-sided, people might think you forged it. We need correspondence on record for mutual verification."
At Linen's blunt reasoning, Ken actually looked… touched.
For someone who'd clawed his way up from nothing and betrayed his way into power, it had been a long time since he'd met such a "reliable" collaborator.
He had even suspected that Linen only approached him as a stepping stone to get closer to the two girls.
What a vile assumption that was, to doubt such a noble prince's intentions!
Linen, meanwhile, smirked.
What a fool.
Ken still didn't realize—once he made his move and tried to run, the ones chasing him down would be the empire's Shadow Knights.
And the Shadow Knights… were Mother's dogs.
If they found anything that might threaten her precious little son, they'd eliminate it on the spot.
Feather pens. Letters. Testimonies. All the same fate.
But Linen needed Ken to write him that reply—for one specific purpose:
To prove that the plan to eliminate the protagonist team… was devised by none other than Linen Norton.
He couldn't wait to see the look on Hysteria and Elena's faces when they realized they'd been backstabbed.
Just a little taste of proper villainy for them.