The next day, in Eden Academy's infirmary, two recovering girls—one lying down, the other sitting cross-legged—rested in their hospital beds. Linen sat between the beds, leisurely peeling an apple with a small knife.
To explain briefly: although Ken had mercilessly unleashed one deadly spell after another last night, each carrying lethal poison, Linen's timely first aid measures had ensured the two girls were still alive when delivered to the infirmary.
The last point was crucial, naturally.
As a prestigious academy training future nobles and talents, Eden's infirmary boasted absurdly impressive healing capabilities.
When the school doctor had rushed out of his laboratory last night, drenched in sweat, his initial reaction upon seeing the two students was a relieved sigh:
"I thought it was something serious—turns out it was just a little lethal poison."
By the next morning, the girls had already improved from critical condition to simply needing rest. They'd likely be discharged the same day.
"I'm so sorry, Linen. You even had to skip classes just to visit us…"
Elena's tone was apologetic, yet she couldn't help but lace her voice with a hint of sweetness, though she herself remained unaware.
You're kidding, right? Skipping class openly is incredibly satisfying!
Linen chuckled inwardly but naturally didn't say it aloud. Instead, he handed the freshly peeled apple to Elena, perfectly playing his villainous role to provoke her further.
"It's fine. We're in the same study group after all, so visiting you two after you've been injured is only right. But still…"
His voice trailed off, deepening meaningfully:
"You keep overestimating yourselves, nearly getting yourselves killed each time. Isn't that a bit pathetic?"
Seeing Elena lower her head, clenching her fists tightly, Linen nodded with satisfaction.
Subtle mockery was an essential skill for a villainous teammate. Rather than offering comfort after the protagonist's failure, making snide remarks as a supposedly supportive teammate was exactly the sort of irritating behavior he aimed for.
In Elena's shoes, he would've probably exploded from sheer frustration.
Surprisingly, though, neither of them had yet snapped at him, but that was fine. He had something bigger planned anyway; that was his true goal today.
Actually, Linen had already partially achieved his goal.
Elena had indeed been shaken.
Linen must've said those harsh words because he genuinely cared and was frustrated by our recklessness. It's really us who've made fools of ourselves. Not only did we fail, but Linen himself even had to personally come to our rescue…
Watching Linen quietly peel another apple, Elena couldn't help recalling how he had held her tightly last night to heal her. Unfortunately, she'd been so close to passing out at the time that she couldn't fully savor the sensation.
Hysteria had continually insisted that she was imagining things, that Linen hadn't even been in the building last night!
And Elena truly couldn't refute her friend's logic, but deep inside, her instincts whispered clearly—she hadn't been wrong.
Her eyes inadvertently drifted to the apple being gently peeled in Linen's palm, her cheeks flushing pink.
How I wish I could become the apple in Linen's hand… Then, maybe he would...
…
Being a villain was much like peeling an apple. You had to carefully slip the thin blade through the fragile gap between the smooth, superficial peel and the tender flesh underneath, then slowly apply gentle pressure—firm, yet controlled. Layer by layer, steadily peeling away that superficial exterior until revealing the delicate, juicy, pure-white sweetness hidden within.
Very quickly, Linen had finished peeling the second apple. At this moment, Hysteria, who was sitting cross-legged on her bed, suddenly interjected:
"Hey, you small fry, what kind of apples are those? If they aren't sugar-core apples from Flame Rose's southern regions, I won't eat them."
"I wasn't offering you one."
Linen froze briefly, then casually took a bite from the apple himself.
[Rejected by Hysteria. Reward has been issued.]
Princess Hysteria, the reliable point-farming machine—truly useful as always.
"Ugh, you little shrimp! If it weren't because of…"
Hysteria bared her little fangs, but noticing Elena frantically gesturing behind Linen's back, she begrudgingly held back.
When Hysteria woke up earlier, Elena had immediately informed her that Linen had rescued them last night.
But unlike Elena, Hysteria—who maintained strict self-discipline and wasn't swayed easily by a handsome face—didn't believe that story at all.
That obnoxious jerk, Linen, rescuing me?
What a joke.
It was obvious Elena was simply overthinking it because Linen had left the dormitory that night.
Even the infirmary staff had clearly stated that Teacher Millian was the one who rescued them and brought them to the infirmary. Linen Norton, this little shrimp from the Norton family, though admittedly handsome and capable, clearly had the vibe of a manipulative noble who orchestrated others into danger while hiding safely behind. He was exactly the kind of pampered noble who'd cry from a single punch she'd thrown in childhood.
Had someone like that ever even seen blood?
The teaching building last night had been pitch-dark, blood smeared all over the stairs—most students would've fainted or fled immediately, let alone gone to rescue someone. It would've been impressive if Linen had even dared step foot inside!
If anyone else had claimed Linen was their savior, Hysteria would've argued fiercely. It was only because the speaker was Elena that she chose not to openly object.
But in her heart, Hysteria refused to accept it. Elena was clearly dazzled by Linen's good looks, even blushing shyly watching him eat an apple. Yet Hysteria's mind remained clear.
Rescued us? You might as well say Linen defeated Ken, who's now mysteriously vanished!
She even suspected that this mischievous noble brat had probably fled at the sight of blood last night and only came today to pretend concern for them.
All this talk of rescue was entirely Elena's imagination.
Didn't Linen like the idea of her wearing a maid uniform?
Forget saving anyone—if Linen had genuinely stepped into that blood-soaked building last night, she, Hysteria, would wear that maid outfit for an entire day serving him!
Did he even deserve it?
Just as she smirked inwardly, several figures dressed in uniform silver-gray robes entered the infirmary, their expressions grave. They headed straight toward the trio.
"Allow me to introduce ourselves. We're members of the Shadow Knights of the Zijinghua Empire. Are you Princess Hysteria and Miss Elena?" asked the leader calmly.
"I am. Is there something wrong?"
Hysteria raised an eyebrow.
Even someone of her status had heard of the Shadow Knights of the Zijinghua Empire.
The Empress's hounds, the silent blades of Zijinghua—these infamous nicknames belonged to a formidable intelligence organization. With such a major scandal involving assassination attempts on a visiting princess, it was natural the Shadow Knights would appear. Hysteria wasn't particularly surprised by their arrival.
However, after confirming their identities, the Shadow Knights' leader merely nodded expressionlessly, turning instead to Linen.
"Then you must be Linen Norton, correct?"
"I am. Any issues?"
Linen replied calmly.
"Nothing serious. It's just that we have sufficient evidence proving you were also inside the teaching building last night."
The Shadow Knights' leader spoke indifferently.
Hysteria: Σ(ノ｀д′)ノ