Chapter 22

“I miss you.”

This was a death sentence.

Ivyst was able to spare Lynn’s life after being offended by him solely because of his offhand comment that night.

That sentence clung to her heart like an incantation.

If Lynn had given her an answer that utterly disappointed her, considering Ivyst’s personality, it was anyone’s guess what impulsive action she might have taken.

Feeling Lynn’s gaze upon her, he plunged into thought.

Not because he was struggling with how to answer the question.

Rather, he suddenly recalled Ivyst’s inexplicable deviation from her storyline.

Thinking back to that night when he first saw Ivyst’s true appearance, Lynn was initially struck by an undeniable sense of awe.

Following that, he was engulfed by deep confusion.

Having read the original story, Lynn knew full well that this villainous princess was marked by misfortune, with a curse stamped upon her face—a tragic being abandoned by the gods.

Every living creature in this world would feel uncontrollable fear and revulsion towards her.

This was also the source of Ivyst’s gradually twisted personality.

Before his travel to this world, Lynn had always viewed this character as an ugly woman.

But upon seeing Ivyst’s true form, he felt a striking contrast and dissonance.

Not only did he feel no hatred towards her, but he genuinely thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Lynn believed the only possible explanation for this was that his soul did not belong to this world, thus he wasn’t affected by the cursed mark.

Perhaps he was the only being in this world, besides the gods, not affected by her.

In a sense, it could be said that meeting the first S-class plot character had a touch of destiny to it.

At this moment, Lynn’s thoughts were no longer just about whether he would survive this encounter with Ivyst but also about more profound matters.

If he could find the key to altering her storyline, wouldn’t he easily score a bunch of points?

For the sake of his future escape plan, Lynn thought it wise to learn how to game the system.

So, the question arose.

What had caused the deviation in the plot that night? He merely removed her mask, without taking any action that altered the main storyline, yet things changed.

Lynn believed the change lay not externally, but within Ivyst herself.

The words he had unconsciously spoken might have influenced Ivyst’s future.

Though it was merely a fleeting comment, it could affect her character, persona, and decisions in the face of choices.

Much like the butterfly effect, a gentle flap of wings created ripples of change in the future.

However, from a numerical standpoint, it didn’t seem enough.

So, in pursuit of more points, Lynn needed to drop something stronger.

Suddenly, he recalled a certain plot point from the original, and a lightbulb went off in his head.

Time to gamble! Although these thoughts raced through his mind, in reality, just a brief moment passed.

Ivyst remained oblivious to his thoughts, her cold gaze fixed on him.

Seeing this, Lynn activated the ability of the Liars’ Devourer, adopting a dazed demeanor as he slowly stammered, “Princess Shirina of the Saint Roland Empire is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever encountered; no one can compare.”

No sooner had he spoken than countless blood-red thorns exploded in the room!

They surged like an unstoppable tide, instantly engulfing Lynn’s body.

In mere moments, he was left bloodied and battered.

“You truly…”

Upon hearing Lynn utter that name, a flood of rage and humiliation shattered her rationality.

In that instant, Ivyst’s eyes turned as cold as millennia-old glaciers, causing the town’s temperature to plummet by several degrees in response to her fury.

Her chest heaved violently, and her cheeks flushed crimson from the rush of blood to her head.

Beautiful yet deadly.

Feeling the tearing pain coursing through him, Lynn was on the verge of losing his grip on the Liars’ Devourer state.

But he didn’t regret his decision; instead, he let out a sigh of relief.

Indeed, the stronger the dose, the better.

The more she displayed extreme emotions now, the greater the backlash would be later.

Moreover, even though she had completely lost her reason, even upon hearing the name she loathed most, at the final moment, she still refrained from killing him.

This was already a rare occurrence.

After all, Lynn knew very well what Princess Shirina meant to her.

She was the original story’s primary heroine, the one indirectly responsible for Ivyst’s mother’s death during childbirth.

In the novel, Ivyst had countless times wished for revenge but had always humiliated herself due to the protagonist’s halo.

For Ivyst, Shirina was a mortal enemy—resentment that could never be reconciled.

This was what ultimately led her down the path of becoming the great villain.

Furthermore, according to the timeline, Ivyst had once left the Imperial Capital for a while due to a dispute with Shirina at a banquet where she unintentionally revealed her powers, scaring all the guests away.

The already disliking Sixth Saint Roland had furiously ordered her to leave.

Now it seemed that was likely the reason she ended up in Orlen City.

So, Lynn’s earlier comment was like dancing on a minefield.

Seeing the atmosphere drop to freezing point, he knew he had to stop playing with fire, so he controlled his body and slowly added, “…But seeing your beauty now, I realize how foolish I was in the past.”

“Princess Shirina is beautiful, but before you, she isn’t even worthy to carry your shoes.”

“That’s how I feel right now.” He said, agonizingly slow.

He didn’t use any fancy words to describe Ivyst’s beauty.

In fact, compared to earlier that afternoon, Lynn’s words could even be described as simple.

But the situation was entirely different.

In the afternoon, no matter how much he praised her, the inherently suspicious Ivyst wouldn’t believe a word.

Only in this hypnotized state would she think he was revealing his true feelings.

Thus, though the words were clumsy, they surpassed the sweetest honey in the world.

This was the art of language.

When you praise a woman with all your might, she might not care at all and might even feel irritated.

But once you say she’s prettier than her friend, the nature of the conversation shifts.

Especially considering the enmity between Shirina and herself, this statement held even more weight.

What could bring her greater joy than triumphing over that woman?

For a moment, Ivyst stared dazedly at the boy surrounded by bloodthorns, her red lips quivering, unable to speak.

After a while, the blood-red thorns shattered with a clang.

Seeing the boy’s battered form from her fury, an unprecedented sense of guilt surged within her.

Ivyst averted her gaze and produced a vial glowing faintly with silver light, tossing it into Lynn’s arms.

Seeing him still dumbfounded and unsure of what to do, it occurred to her that this guy was still in a hypnotic state.

“Drink it all, not a drop left.” Perhaps sensing her voice was too cold, Ivyst softened her tone, “This is the Moonlight Essence from the Church of Silence; it can perfectly heal all your wounds.”

Lynn numbly accepted the vial and gulped it down.

In an instant, a faint moonlight shimmered across his skin, and all his injuries healed instantly, his skin restored to its original state.

Aside from the torn clothes and a few specks of blood, there were no longer any traces of his injuries.

Seeing this, the last shred of dissatisfaction in Lynn vanished completely.

It was just as the system notification chimed in his ear.

[The plot deviation of S-Class character “Ivyst Roland Alexini” has increased to 0.10%]

A whopping 9 points awarded! He’ll soon be able to draw for another Extraordinary Ability!

Looking at the system interface, Lynn was filled with a sense of harvest joy.

He could roughly guess the reason behind such a significant plot shift.

Ivyst was, in fact, a pitiable and twisted existence, having never been loved throughout her life, which warped her psychology to an extreme.

And at this moment, Lynn made her feel something she’d never experienced before.

That was the feeling of being admired.

This was something most women with above-average looks would find quite ordinary.

But Ivyst had never felt it.

Looking up, Lynn noticed Ivyst had turned at some point, standing by the window with her back to him.

At the same time, he heard her softly whisper, “It’s actually true, but… why?”

She appeared lost in deep thought.

After a long while, Ivyst finally turned around.

As the silvery moonlight poured through the window, illuminating her, Ivyst looked exceptionally elegant and serene.

Perhaps due to Lynn’s hypnotic influence, her eyes seemed to lose some of their usual sharpness and chill, softening somewhat.

Once composed again, Ivyst softly asked, “Next question.”